Sicilian-style Black Point garfish or small tommiesserves 6 6 double fillets of garfish or tommy ruffs 3 tbsp fresh parsley leaves 1 garlic clove, minced 3 tbsp dried currants soaked in hot water for 5 minutes 3 tbsp pine nuts 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs 1-2 tbsp olive oil 1 small red onion 12-15 bay leaves 3 tbsp fresh mint leaves sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Chop parsley and garlic together until very fine.  Add currants and pine nuts and chop roughly. Add breadcrumbs, salt and pepper to taste. Stir in olive oil, mixing thoroughly to bind. Peel red onion and cut into sixths and ..read more

Limestone Coast octopus terrine with romesco sauce 1 large octopus weighing about 2.5kg, head and beak removed 1 onion, roughly chopped 1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped 1 stick celery, roughly chopped 1 lemon, cut in half for seasoning2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped few leaves fresh oregano, chopped 1 lemon, zest 1 tsp coarsely milled black pepper for dressing150ml extra virgin olive oil ½ cup parsley, finely chopped few leaves oregano, finely chopped 1 lemon, juice salt and pepper Place octopus whole in a pot and cover with cold water. Add onion, carrot, celery and ..read more

When a 21-year-old Prue Weir fell in love with a fellow botany student at the University of Adelaide in 1973, she stepped onto a path that would lead her to nurture some of the world’s most esteemed vines. When SALIFE meets Prue, now Henschke, at Henschke’s historic cellar door in Keyneton in the Eden Valley, she’s recently returned from three weeks in Europe and there’s a sense of reinvigoration in the air. The weather’s starting to warm and the old vines in the vineyards are awakening for a new season. Prue’s dachshund Alfie trots behind as she wanders the grounds of this historic estate tha ..read more

Hidden down an embankment behind the main street of Macclesfield is a small creek with a stone ruin on its bank. It doesn’t look like much, overgrown with weeds and bushes, but there’s something special about this creek and the stone remnants of the 19th century Macclesfield Brewery. From this riverbank once gushed a high-pressure spring; it is now only a trickle. In the mid-1800s, this was the perfect spot to set up a brewery and hotel. Unknown to the people of the time, the water contained similar mineral characteristics to the famed waters of English town Burton-on-Trent, revered for beer-m ..read more

Spring vegetable soup with chicken and herb meatballsserves 4 2 tbsp olive oil 1 leek, finely chopped (trimmings reserved for stock) ⅓ cup risoni 1 bunch broccolini, cut into 1cm lengths 2 cups peas zest and juice from 1 lemon dill leaves to garnish (4 stems reserved for stock) salt and cracked black pepper for stock 1 chicken carcass, roughly chopped 1 onion, halved 1 carrot, roughly chopped 1 celery stick 1 bay leaf 2 tbsp black peppercorns for meatballs 300g chicken mince ½ onion, grated 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 egg yolk ¾ cup breadcrumbs ½ tsp salt ¼ tsp cracked black pepper 1 tbs ..read more

In this Piccadilly household, the whole family is fully entrenched in the manic moments before school drop off. Books are being found, uniforms pulled on and school bags zipped. In the kitchen, there’s an impressive sandwich-making station in full flight and the man holding the butter knife knows a thing or two about the pressure of getting food out on time. It’s Magill Estate executive chef, Scott Huggins, and this morning his customers are the six children he shares with wife, Abbie Southam. The busy, blended household – the youngest two are Scott’s and the four eldest are Abbie’s – is buzzi ..read more

BEN What was it like growing up in Fiji, Raj? RAJ My siblings and I were raised on our family’s farm where we grew and harvested our own food. We lived close to the beach, so there was so much fresh seafood, too. I think the most important thing I’ve learnt from my dad is how to cook many different species of seafood. BEN Has your dad had a big influence on your career? RAJ He did – he worked as a chef at the Shangri-La resort, which was the biggest in Fiji at the time, so he would come home and bring some of his flare and work ethic to the kitchen. That’s where I picked up his passion for coo ..read more

Petite sponge cakes makes 10 for assembly 1 quantity sponge cake batter apricot jam bought marzipan, optional 1 quantity violet Swiss meringue buttercream 1 quantity violet fondant for sponge cake batter 4 eggs 125g caster sugar 125g plain flour pinch salt 60g butter, melted and cooled Preheat oven to 180C. Whisk eggs and sugar together in a large stainless steel bowl over a saucepan of hot water on a low heat. Whisk until it is thick and white and falls from whisk in a thick ribbon, leaving a trail on the surface (this will take about 8 minutes with an electric beater). Sift flour with salt a ..read more

Ingredients 1 kg beef shank 20g ginger (fresh sliced) 6 garlic cloves 1 stalk spring onion 50ml light soy sauce 25ml dark soy sauce 15ml Chinese cooking wine 30g sugar salt, to taste Bouquet garni 2 cinnamon sticks 2 star anise 4 bay leaves 1tsp Chinese nutmeg 10 cloves 20g fennel seeds 10g Sichuan peppercorn 15g dried chilli Method Wash and pat dry beef shank with paper towel. Wrap all bouquet garni ingredients in a muslin cloth, tie it up with food-safe string and set aside. Place ginger, garlic cloves and spring onion at the bottom of a slow cooking pot. Add pre-prepared bouquet garni, ligh ..read more

Sara with Louis Roederer’s chef de caves, Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, at the Maison’s private mansion in Reims. I don’t quite remember the first glass of Champagne I ever had, even though they say you will never forget it. But it was most likely Moët et Chandon or Veuve Clicquot for no other reason than it was the one someone handed to me. Wine wasn’t exactly running through my blood. I grew up in Queensland, on the Gold Coast, so my early memories were fuelled by cheap sauvignon blanc from New Zealand, shared between budget-conscious university friends. In fact, I never had much of an appetite f ..read more