Pan-fried mirror dory

Mirror dory is a white fish with a fine flake. If unavailable, you may substitute regular John Dory or any white fish you prefer.

Ingredients

• 80 ml(⅓ cup) ghee
• 4mirror dory fillets, skin on (about 250 g each, see note)
• 2 tbsprice flour
• Sea salt
• Olive oil, for drizzling
• Juice of ½ lemon

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Wakame and octopus salad

Most of the octopus you buy from fish suppliers has already been tenderised, but if you need to do it yourself, place the octopus in a large bowl with a good pinch of salt and massage well until it starts to go whiter and foamy.

Ingredients

• 200 gfresh wakame (see Note)  
• 2Lebanese cucumbers, halved lengthways and seeds removed  
• 1red apple, very finely sliced  
• 100 gtenderised, boiled octopus (see note)  
• 1 tsptoasted sesame seeds  
• 10 gginger, peeled and cut into julienne 

Dashi stock 

• 5 cmx 10 cm square dried kombu, soaked in 1-litre cold water overnight  
• 15 gbonito flakes  

Vinegar sauce   

• 60 ml(¼ cup) dashi stock (see Note)
• 30 mlrice vinegar  
• 2 tspJapanese soy sauce  
• 1 tspsugar  

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Abalone and Asian mushroom omelette

The humble omelette gets a luxury upgrade from chef Frank Shek. 

Ingredients

• 150 gmixed Asian mushrooms, enoki, shiitake, shimeji, oyster, black fungi    
• ½ punnetsnow pea sprouts, halved  
• handful bean sprouts  
• ½ bunchgarlic chives, halved   
• 2spring onions, cut into julienne  
• 2-3 tbspmushroom soy sauce (we use Healthy Boy brand)  
• 2 tspsesame oil  
• 4eggs  
• pinch of ground white pepper  
• 500 ml(2 cups) vegetable oil, for frying 
• 200 mlchicken stock  
• 60 ml(¼ cup) oyster sauce 
• 2 tbsppalm sugar syrup or 1 tbsp grated palm sugar  
• 2 tbspdeep-fried ginger julienne (see note), to serve 

Abalone confit  

• 3-4medium whole green lip abalone    
• 100 mlextra virgin olive oil or vegetable oil  
• 1cinnamon stick  
• 2whole star anise  
• 2 tspfennel seeds  
• 3whole cloves  
• ½ tspwhole white peppercorns  
• ½small knob ginger, sliced  

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Yoghurt pikelets and kiwifruit jam

We always focus on the pavlova as the great battleground between Australian and New Zealand cuisine, but it could just as easily be the pikelet. Originally adapted from Scottish drop scones, just like the pavlova it’s likely the pikelet came first from New Zealand as a delicious contrast to thin British-style pancakes. Matched with a bit of kiwifruit jam, it’s a classic New Zealand afternoon tea.

Ingredients

Kiwifruit jam

• 1 kgkiwifruit flesh
• 3lemons, juiced
• 125 ml(½ cup) water
• 330 g(1½ cups) caster sugar

Yoghurt pikelets

• 1egg
• 1½ tbspcaster sugar
• 360 g(1½ cups) natural yoghurt
• 150 g(1 cup) plain flour
• 1 tspbicarbonate of soda
• a few tbspmilk (optional)
• 20 gmelted butter, plus extra for brushing
• clotted cream, to serve

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Polish onion-filled ‘bagels’ (bialy)

Created in the Polish city of Bialystock (hence the name), this small, chewy round roll is often compared to a bagel. Rather than a hole in the centre, an indent is made and filled with cooked onions and poppyseeds, and the dough is baked rather than boiled.

Ingredients

• ½ x 7 gyeast sachet
• 1 tspcaster sugar
• 400 g(2⅔ cups) bread flour ('00') or strong plain flour, plus extra, to dust
• 2 tbspolive oil, plus extra, to brush
• 2onions, finely chopped
• 1 tbsppoppyseeds

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Polish cream pie (karpatka)

A traditional Polish cream pie, karpatka is made with choux pastry layered with the vanilla pudding cream.

Ingredients

• 250 ml (1 cup) water
• 125 g unsalted butter
• 150 g (1 cup) plain flour
• 5 large whole eggs

Cream filling

• 750 ml (3 cups) milk 
• 130 g caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 40 g potato starch
• 20 g plain flour
• 350 g unsalted butter, softened
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 whole egg

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Muhammara (Turkish walnut-capsicum dip)

I've added pomegranate molasses and preserved lemon for a bit of tang to this classic Turkish roasted capsicum and walnut dip.

Ingredients

• 3red capsicums, halved
• 50 gchopped walnuts, roughly chopped
• 2 tspground cumin
• 1 tbspAleppo pepper flakes (see Note)
• 1garlic clove, grated
• ¼ tspchopped preserved lemon rind
• 1 tbspbreadcrumbs
• 1 tsppomegranate molasses (see Note)
• extra virgin olive oil, to thin
• lemon juice, to taste
• simit (Turkish sesame bread), to serve

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Balik ekmek (Turkish fish sandwich)

If you don’t happen to live near the Bosphorus, then this sandwich is the closest you will get to the ridiculously moreish fish rolls sold along the banks of this mighty river.

Ingredients

• 2 tbspplain flour
• 1 x 300 gfirm white fish fillet, cut into 2 equal-sized portions
• 2 tbspchopped parsley leaves
• 1 tbspcapers, rinsed
• 1garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1lemon, juiced
• 60 ml(¼ cup) olive oil
• 2round crispy rolls, sliced in half
• 2 tspsumac
• ¼ red onion, sliced
• 1large tomato, thickly sliced
• 2large handfuls shredded iceberg lettuce

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Eggs cooked in greens

Not sure what to do with all those luscious, leafy beetroot greens? This colourful Greek dish is the perfect answer. You could also substitute the beetroot greens with silverbeet. 

Ingredients

• 500 g(1 lb) beetroot greens
• 3 tbspextra virgin Greek olive oil
• 1onion or small leek trimmed, thoroughly washed, and chopped
• 1small fennel bulb, finely sliced
• 1 clovegarlic, chopped
• ½ tspsweet paprika
• ½ tspcayenne pepper or hot paprika
• ½ cupmint, chopped
• ½ cupplum tomatoes, peeled and chopped (canned are fine)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 4large eggs

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Messy orange pie

Simple to make, this dessert delivers an elegant balance of flavours and textures. 

Ingredients

Orange syrup

• 1½ cupssugar
• 2 cupswater
• 1cinnamon stick
• 1 striporange zest

Orange pie

• butter, for greasing baking dish
• 1 cupGreek yoghurt
• ¾ cupsugar
• 3large eggs
• ½ cuporange juice
• 1 tspvanilla extract
• 2oranges, zest grated
• 225 gunsalted butter, melted
• 900 g(1 lb) filo, defrosted and at room temperature

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Giant beans with grape leaf pesto

'Gigantes' are giant Greek white beans - like a large version of cannellini beans. They're creamy and balance well with this salty take on pesto.

Ingredients

Grape leaf pesto

• 12 brined grape leaves, drained, blanched and trimmed
• 1 cup fresh mint leaves
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• ⅔ cup pine nuts or blanched almonds, toasted
• ⅔ cup extra virgin Greek olive oil or more as needed
• salt and pepper, to taste

Giant beans

• 6 cups cooked Greek giant beans (gigantes), about 2 cups raw
• 2 cups baby rocket (arugula), trimmed
• 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 4 spring onions (scallions), trimmed and finely chopped
• 1 lemon, zest grated

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