Baingan bharta (spicy roasted eggplant)

I love the tasty of smoky eggplant – and this Indian dish is all about that. The flavour turns out best if you can roast the eggplant on an open flame, but if you don’t have that, the grill works well too. This is great for a quick midweek dinner, served with rotis or rice….

Whipped lemony feta dip

This tangy and creamy dip takes no time to make and requires just a handful of ingredients. Its perfect for summer dining with crunchy raw vegetables and crusty bread, but its also pretty good slathered on a burger. Whipped lemony feta dip (For 4) 200 grams (1 block) of feta cheese 100 to 150 grams (or 1/2…

Roasted chickpea salad

Salad season is almost here. But sometimes, you need more than just a salad – and this roasted chickpea salad with a garlicky dressing does the trick! Its filling, healthy and delicious. These chickpeas can also be used as a soup topper or a sandwich filler, or they make a tasty little snack on their…

Chimichurri

This is one of my favourite no-cook sauces for grilled meats, especially steak or chicken. The garlic, chilli and parsley make everything a bit more summery! The sauce can also be used as a marinade, spread over grilled vegetables, popped into a salad or mopped up with crusty bread. Chimichurri (For 4-6) 4 cloves of garlic, finely…

Guacamole

When you realise how quick and easy it is to whip up a bowl of fresh guac, you’ll stop buying it ready made from the store. And trust me, nothing beats the taste. Make it as smooth or as chunky as you like by simply mashing up more or less of the avocados. Guacamole (For 2-3) 1…

Moutabal (roasted eggplant with yogurt and tahini)

Growing up in the Middle East, Lebanese food quickly became one of my favourite cuisines, and houmous and moutabal were regular dips on the table. Moutabal is not only simple to make but also has an amazing rich and smoky flavour. Even if you don’t have a gas stove, you can still make this in…

Crispy baked buffalo wings

I love a buffalo wing or three, and have tried to make them a number of times at home. While the sauce part is easy, it’s getting the wing to the perfect crisp that proved to be hard – until I came across a great tip of using baking powder to crisp the skin up….

Chilli and garlic pak choi

Pak choi is a perfect side dish – its fresh, tasty and takes hardly any time to make. And they’re gorgeous to look at! I like mine with a lot of spice and plenty of garlic chips. They go really well with any flavoursome Asian meat dish. Chilli and garlic pak choi (For 2) 2 large…

Tandoori cauliflower steaks

Cauliflower has recently become one of my favourite vegetables because its so versatile and can carry bold flavours. Fair enough, it’s no potato, but you can still steam it, mash it, rice it, grill it, bake it, fry it, salad it… the list goes on. This recipe is for a delicious lightly spiced cauliflower steak,…

Garlic mushrooms

This delicious little side dish is ready in minutes. I like to leave the mushrooms whole – they sit perfectly on a tapas platter next to the meat and cheese this way – or they’d make a delicious vegetarian main if you used larger mushrooms. Garlic mushrooms (For 2-3) 1 pack of mushrooms (I use chestnut) 3…

Panzanella

If you have a some leftover crusty bread that you need to use up, and the sun is shining outside, this Tuscan salad is perfect with grilled fish or meat in the summer. I like to make the salad first, giving the bread time to soak up the dressing while I cook the meat. Panzanella…

White asparagus with hollandaise sauce

Hollandaise sauce is one of the best sauces that was ever created. Creamy, buttery, tangy – so good! So when I saw the recipe for white asparagus with hollandaise, I had to give it a go.