Food Wine Sleep

The crisp asparagus is sure to please the lovers of all things green. The salty prosciutto will definitely make the meat lovers smile. The reduced balsamic will satisfy the sweet teeth amongst your guests and the ease of preparation is most definitely going to please you; the host, (that's really all that matters isn't it?) Enjoy your party.

Only a few weeks into summer and twice as many barbecues. In that time I have seen enough potato salad, green salads and coleslaw to last a lifetime. I find this dish (although not technically a salad) to be the perfect barbecue alternative to those usual summer staples. The best thing is that it is a lot less work than those dishes (more time for socializing, that is why you have barbecues right), a lot more impressive and much better for you than all that mayonnaise based dressing.

It doesn't get much easier than this, pop it all in a pot turn the heat down low, crack a beer and join your friends by the pool. In a couple of hours you'll be wowing them all with your abilities in the kitchen, even though you were barely there.

Swordfish, some will claim is a very boring fish, and in all honesty it is a bit simple on its own. However it is that simple flavour that I find so appealing about swordfish, it can be turned into virtually any style of recipe you want. Some fish, salmon for instance, is a beautiful fish but due to its rich distinct prominent flavour it is not as versatile as our humble sword. Imagine either fish with a nice herbed pilaf and a classic beurre blanc, but don't try putting both into a salty sweet Chinese stir fry. In this recipe I have used a tender piece of sword as a platform to get across some very distinct Moroccan flavours, served it on some soft polenta, topped it...

This sauce is so simple and tasty that you'll find yourself making it over and over. Try it with coconut crumbed fish, or grilled chicken. Play around with it and you will find uses for it as a canape or mix it with some sour cream and serve as a cold dip. The possibilities are endless.

Bell peppers (capsicum) are pretty delicious and tasty as nature makes them, however roasted or grilled they become all the more tasty and more versatile. Once roasted they are the ideal addition to any antipasto, beautiful in a salad, perfect in a pasta and not to mention an amazing base to many beautiful sauces or soups

Semi dried tomatoes, say it to some and they'll scrunch up their nose and make a "yucky" face, say it to others and they'll smile and move closer to you. The difference I think is that some have only tasted the jarred variety, while the latter group has tried the homemade variety or tasted them from a nice deli. The difference is quite staggering; the ones from the jars often taste like an oily shoe with liquorice laces. While a proper freshly dried tomato can taste like you're actually eating a dozen tomatoes, with a bunch of fresh herbs and a whisper of extra virgin all in the one bite. Once you realize how easy it is to do your own you'll wonder why you ever...