This will be Meira Harel and Banjo Harris Plane’s second year as drinks curators for Tasting Australia presented by RAA Travel. “Our philosophy is that great food should always be served with great beverages,” Meira says. She’s keen to let people know the program they have planned is for everyone, novices and aficionados alike. “The process of pulling all the Masterclasses together was to offer balance and also to appreciate that so many people love to experiment but don’t necessarily know everything there is to know,” she says. “So, how can we bridge that gap to make it educational and a real ..read more

serves 6 2 mild cacciatore sausages, diced 60ml extra virgin olive oil 4 spring onions, chopped finely 2 cloves garlic, minced ½ tsp black mustard seeds 4 juniper berries, cracked 4 anchovy fillets 1kg pipis 1 cup dry sherry 125ml chicken stock 12 very small cherry tomatoes 12 pitted black olives 100g nduja (spicy, spreadable pork sausage) Fry cacciatore sausages in half the olive oil in a large saucepan until browned, then add onions, garlic, mustard seeds, juniper and anchovies. Cook for 5 minutes, mashing the anchovies with a fork until they almost disappear in the liquid. Mix in the pipis ..read more

Panfried chicken livers with young salad greensserves 4 as an entree 250g chicken liver, cleaned 20g butter 2 tbsp olive oil 2 cups assorted baby lettuce leaves 1 baguette, thinly sliced 40g melted butter salt and cracked black pepper for vinaigrette⅓ cup sultanas ¼ cup capers, roughly chopped 2 tbsp sherry vinegar 1 tsp dijon mustard ⅓ cup olive oil Preheat oven to 160C. Place sultanas into a small bowl, cover with boiling water and set aside for 10 minutes. Place baguette slices onto an oven tray in a single layer, brush both sides with melted butter and season with salt and pepper. Bake unt ..read more

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