Dietary

During the pandemic, I have been craving the comfort and safety of home. Everyone has one meal that they associate with home. For me, it’s Greek avgolemono soup.

In Greek culture, vegan recipes come from the religious practice of fasting during Lent. This is one of my favourite recipes because it can be made with or without meat, and is brilliant hot or cold.

This week I share my mum’s recipe for roast chicken. Made with a handful of quality ingredients it’s quick to prepare and creates a feeling of warmth and comfort as the gentle aroma of rosemary, lemon and chicken fill the house.

Courgette flowers mark high summer. They are often deep-fried, but I’ve decided to fill them with Italian ricotta and bake them. This recipe is ready in 30 minutes and is great for a quick summer lunch.

This week’s recipe comes from guest contributor, Neridah McMullin. Neridah is the author of seven children’s books and loves true stories and Australian history. This year her apple tree was plentiful, so she shares her favourite recipe for baking her homegrown apples into a delicious family treat.

Inspired by the classic flavours of a traditional creamy pasta – mushroom, thyme, marjoram, parmesan and crème fraiche – we’ve reimagined the dish as a summer-time mushroom galette, served with citrus crème fraiche.

Celebrating the refreshing and detoxifying properties of watermelon and fennel, this fresh side salad is perfect for a summer lunch or dinner.

These grown-up cookies are crunchy with a lingering chewiness. The sweet chocolate chips and hazelnuts are finished with sea salt flakes, for an indulgent treat.

Strawberry and yuzu ice cream is sandwiched between two layers of crisp, salty pistachio dacquoise. This recipe is great because you don’t waste the egg whites from the ice cream, and the dacquoise keeps in the freezer if well wrapped. Cut a slice and enjoy the taste of summer!

‘Gigantes’ are traditional Greek baked beans, and are best made with jumbo butter beans. The base recipe is vegan and can be eaten warm or cold with chewy sourdough.

Azure seas, glimmering white heat, an outdoor trattoria, clam pasta or ‘spaghetti alle vongole’ is summer on a plate. Enjoy with a glass of chilled white wine, and make a whole afternoon of it.

This dairy-free prawn and lobster pasta rings in Summer. It uses a sweet cherry tomato passata, farmed in high summer on the coastal plains near Siracusa in Southern Sicily.