Potted Shrimp / Braised Eggplant & Tomatoes / Charred Corn Tacos with Zucchini-Radish Slaw

Blog Post & Recipe: How to cook perfect potted shrimps

Potted food, according to food historian Bee Wilson, is a descendant of the pie in which the heavy, air-excluding crust ("medieval cling film" as she wonderfully dubs it) has been replaced by a more elegant spiced butter.

Blog Post & Recipe: Recipe: Braised Eggplant and Tomatoes

I like this recipe a lot because it doesn't try and dress up the eggplant with too much oil or gobs of cheese. So often people will fry up their eggplant (which isn't half-bad, I'll be the first to admit) or douse it with loads of olive oil and cheese while baking in the oven. Especially in the hot summer months, it's nice to let eggplant stand on its own as it does here.

Blog Post & Recipe: charred corn tacos with zucchini-radish slaw

It’s this obsession that finally got me to unearth a dish I’ve been meaning to put my spin on for two years ... The dish is called esquites and from what I understand but have sadly not yet experienced yet in person, it is a street snack in Mexico. Corn is cooked in butter with onions, garlic, chiles, an herb called epazote and salt. It’s then seasoned with lime juice, chile powder and served with mayo in small cups.

Concept: potting!

Pickled Radishes / Kaiserschmarrn / Lotus Root and Peanut Soup

Blog Post & Recipe: quick pickled radishes

They pickle so quick they can be ready in (almost) a moment, and they have a bright and sweet taste. Each crunchy radish has only a slight mouth puckering vinegar flavour

Blog Post & Recipe: Sunday Brunch: Kaiserschmarrn

To those unaware of this fantastic comfort food, kaiserschmarrn is essentially a thick scrambled crêpe. Tasting primarily of eggs and sugar, this dish is another meal that reminds me of grandmothers everywhere

Blog Post & Recipe: Lotus Root and Peanut Soup

There are two main categories of Chinese soups. The quick boil soup may involve a little sauteing before prepared stock is poured in. Thin slices of meat and vegetables are added to the stock and lightly cooked. Simmered soups take a longer time to prepare. All ingredients are dumped into a large pot and simmered until the flavors meld together and infuse the soup. Oil is not used and therefore there is no sauteing involved.

4 Vegetable Soups / Spinach Sandwich / Radish & Basil Pesto

Blog Post & Recipes: More soups I've been making

Spicy Coconut Soup ... Radiant Bok Choy ... Lettuce & Potato Soup ... If I have a lot of greens leftover I make Jamie’s Ribollita.

Recipe: Spinach Sandwich

Apply butter on two slices of bread (on one side) and spread this spinach filling all over on one slice, place the other bread slice and toast till golden. Serve warm.

Blog Post & Recipe: Radish and Basil Pesto

This recipe was inspired by a similar one I saw on Clotilde Dusolier's "Chocolate and Zucchini" sometime last year. Hers called for using just the radish greens, and she also used a more traditional hard Italian cheese such as parmesan or romano, typical of a straight basil pesto. I've added some basil for a little more complexity, marcona almonds for their sweetness, feta cheese for its tang, and finely diced radishes for a little extra spice and crunch.

Store Certain Herbs / Braised Radishes / Homemade Ginger Beer & Dark 'n' Stormy Cocktail

Blog Post & Tip: How to Store Cilantro (and Other Herbs)

Some herbs take to freezing well (such as basil, mint, chives, and obviously cilantro), and then they are quite easy to use later (or much later!) in soups, stews, and other cooked dishes.

Blog Post & Recipe: Braised Radishes {recipe} – When a Side Dish Not a Side Dish

Then we realized that we could braise them in the same way that we’ve braised their much larger Asian cousins, the daikon radish, but with different seasonings and flavors. Lemon. Thyme. Butter.

Blog Post & Recipe: Homemade Ginger Beer and the Dark 'n' Stormy

Besides all the cool ideas and wavelengths that must bounce around in that shop, they apparently have delicious ginger beer. And they offer an informal recipe in the spread: take ginger, cut it up, add some lemon juice and sugar, toss in hot water and yeast, and give it 24 hours.

Concept: braise radishes (remember, we were wondering about this last night?)

5 Ways to Eat Grilled Vegetables / Dairy-Free Pesto / Butter-Glazed Radishes

Blog Post: How to Eat Grilled Vegetables 5 Days In a Row

Here are five ways to cook once on Sunday, then eat grilled vegetables for the entire week — without getting bored at all.

Day 1: Grilled ... Day 2: Reheated ... Day 3: Pizza ... Day 4: Marinara ... Day 5: Blended

Blog Post & Recipe: A Dairy Free Pesto

I think it must have been Lucy who first put me onto the idea of using miso instead of parmesan. Genius. White miso has a soft enough flavour that it doesn’t dominate, while providing plenty of that umami deliciousness which you’d otherwise be getting from parmesan.

Blog Post & Recipe: Have your way

As braises go, this one is very quick. You’re not dealing with short ribs or brisket here. The radishes spend almost as much time soaking in a bowl of water beforehand - to loosen any trapped dirt - as they do cooking. They get only a brief simmer in butter and stock, and then you reduce the liquid to a glaze that coats them. You can use any kind or color of radish you want, but if you use red ones, there’s a nice side effect: they give some of their color to the cooking liquid, which goes rosy, and they themselves wind up the color of cotton candy.

Butter-Glazed Radishes

Care for Your Knives / Roasted Radishes / Greek Mushroom Pie with Leeks

Blog Post: How to Take Care of Your Knives

Yes, it's nice to have an impressive arsenal of knives at your disposal, but for most home cooks, there are three that are truly important: a chef's knife, a paring knife, and a serrated bread knife.

Article & Recipe: Roasted Radishes: So Who Knew?

Look under 'Related' for the link to the recipe.

I gave it a try, roasting a bunch of halved radishes in a hot oven with plenty of butter and lemon juice. One mouthful, and I immediately got the appeal. Instead of spicy, crisp and crunchy, these radishes were sweet, succulent and mellow, vaguely like turnips but with a softer bite.

Blog Post & Recipe: Manitaropita me Prassa (Homemade Greek Mushroom Pie with Leeks)

I sauteed the leeks first, together with garlic and spring onions and cooked them with balsamic vinegar until they were soft. I used two kinds of mushrooms: white portobello and white agaricus (button mushrooms). I added fresh rosemary which matches well with mushrooms and as the mushrooms released a lot of fluids, I added some flour to absorb the juices.

Radish Salsa / Considering Scotch Eggs / Mushroom Soup

Recipe: Radishes make tasty salsa

This is one salsa that's going to be my summer staple, no matter what's on fire.

Radish salsa

Blog Post: Consider the scotch egg [blog post contains links to recipes -- see the comments below the post for more]

Extraordinary things. In the past, they went from rich man's caprice to Victorian savoury. Now they inhabit a strange hinterland between pubby ubiquity and zhooshed-up gastro cliche.

Blog Post & Recipe: Mushroom Soup

I am into roux these days. It creates beautifully silky, shiny and flavourful soups and gravy. My guides are Bittman’s gumbo video and Alton Brown’s Gravy Confidential. I know… roux is basically flour suspended in fat but I’m not the kind who cares.

Three Recipes with Herbs / Maple Salmon / Tomato & Feta Baked Eggs

Article & Recipes: Simon Hopkinson's recipes using fresh herbs

THYME, ONION AND GRUYèRE TART ... BUTTER BEANS WITH SAGE, OLIVE OIL AND DRIED CHILLI ... PARSLEY, RADISH AND CELERY SALAD WITH CAPERS

Blog Post & Recipe: Maple Salmon

Adapted from Closet Cooking ... this is a very easy salmon dish that is similar to salmon teriyaki but doesn’t require as many Japanese ingredients. It is sweet and salty and the marinade bakes on top of the fish, coating it so it remains light and moist.

Blog Post & recipe: Tomato and Feta Baked Eggs

The tomato and feta baked eggs came out with the whites set and the yolks still mostly runny and they made for a really nice weekend breakfast treat! The tomato and feta sauce was nice and tasty and the fresh herbs added that something special that just hinted at spring.

Eggnog / Stuffed Squash / Cooking Parsnips

Blog Post & Recipe: Recipe Review: Homemade Eggnog

A fresh-tasting blend of cold milk, cream and eggs seasoned with sugar, vanilla and nutmeg and spiked with dark, rich liquor, homemade eggnog is a far cry from the cloying, chemical-laden stuff that comes from cartons.

Blog Post & Recipe: Stuffed Squash

Stuffed squash is really just a poshed up baked potato. But love filling the squash with leftovers, odds and ends from the vegebox, the end of a loaf of bread toasted and made into breadcrumbs, some slightly hardened cheese of lone slice of bacon .

Blog Post & Recipes: The unparalleled parsnip

There seems to be no end to the versatility of the parsnip. What's your favourite recipe?

I think roasting them, probably in oil, although I have a penchant for beef dripping or duck fat, brings out the best in a parsnip, and unlike the potato, there's not need for pre-boiling.

Parsnip Purée.

Recipe: Parsnip Puree

This recipe was created by chef Traci Des Jardins of San Francisco's Jardinière.

Recipe: Parsnip Puree

Boil the parsnips until soft.

Drain the water and pulverize with a hand-masher or for an extra smooth puree, run them through a ricer.

Recipe: Sweet Potato-Parsnip Puree

For variety, use yams instead of sweet potatoes; or rutabagas instead of parsnips. If you don't have tahini, use sesame oil.

Recipe: Puréed Roasted Parsnips

The easiest way to prepare parsnips is to slice them, steam them, and dress with butter and salt. However, to get the fullest, richest flavor from the parsnips, they should be roasted. The browning caramelizes the natural sugars in the parsnips.

Oven-Roasted Corn. Cauliflower. Radishes.

Blog Post & Recipe: Oven-Roasted Corn-on-the-Cob

At the risk of hearing a great collective "Duh" from my readers, I shall now impart unto you my new favorite way to cook corn-on-the-cob ...

Blog Post & Recipe: Simple Cauliflower Recipe

Cauliflower is endlessly adaptable, and cooking it this way is quick and delicious. After just a few minutes in the pan the cauliflower starts to brown, and then takes on a deep, nutty flavor. I'll share the version we made the other night - pan-fried cauliflower with garlic, chives, lemon, Parmesan, and flaky sea salt.

Blog Post & Recipes: How To Eat a Radish: Tips, Ideas, and Recipes

When we shared our quick appetizer, radish slices layered on bread with cheese and chives, several of you mentioned that you're trying to eat more of these crunchy, delicious spring vegetables ...

Radish Recipes

• An easy appetizer, with radishes, chives, soft cheese and bread. Pretty, too!
• Very quick radish pickles.
• A gorgeous creamy, crunchy radish salad.
• Fresh tuna with radish salad and wasabi dressing.
• Radish and mango relish to garnish a pea soup.
• Yes, you can cook a radish! Braised radishes with shallots.
• And again, this time with rice vinegar and mint.
• Bread and butter with radishes.
• Great snack: radishes with cream cheese and chives.
• And the classic serving idea: radishes with butter and sea salt.

Fish. Chopping herbs. Pesto. Honeyed lamb. Parsnips. Cafes.

Article: How to check for doneness.
... when you're cooking fish.

Let your left hand go limp. Now use your right forefinger to press into the flesh between your left thumb and forefinger; you should find the flesh soft and easy to dent. This is what rare fish feels like.

Article: How to chop fresh herbs.

Make sure your cutting board is clean before you chop anything. Herbs can absorb "off" flavors from remnants on the board, and hard ingredients, like chunks of peppercorns or seed spices, can damage the fine edge on knives.

Article/Recipe: How to make pesto like an Italian Grandmother.

Recipe: Honeyed lamb with rhubarb salsa.

Article: Backyard Baristas.

In spite of the perky, patronising tone ("just look for the cool kids sitting on padded milk crates ..." etc), this is an interesting article about people who set up "shoestring cafes" in Melbourne's old milk bars and homes.

Article/Recipe: Burke's Backyard archives: Parsnips.

Baked parsnips ... Parsnip soufflé ... Parsnip Soup ... Parsnip Chips ... Andrew's Roast Parsnips.

Andrew Cox wrote to Burke's Backyard saying that as a child he was forced to eat parsnips, and he hated them. However, three years ago he discovered that if you roast parsnips under a leg of lamb they taste entirely different. Andrew invited Don over for dinner with his family. He served a lamb roast, complete with parsnips. Don had to admit that the parsnips tasted pretty good, but Katie, the youngest member of the family, said that she did not like parsnips and didn't think kids should have to eat them.