The Weekend Australian Recipes

I have a recipe column in The Weekend Australian alongside my friends, chef Lennox Hastie and photographer, Nikki To. Our featured recipes alternate every week, with Lennox showcasing his culinary expertise while I bring the perspective of a passionate home cook. Nikki works her magic, capturing our recipes each week. Read more about Lennox and I. You can find these recipes in the paper or subscribe to The Australian.
Chocolate bundt cake
Chocolate bundt cake
Rich, damp-crumbed, napped with a shiny, dark ganache that slips down the sides like candle wax. It looks far more impressive than the effort deserves—a mix of cocoa brought to... Read more...
Sticky date and ginger beer pudding with a salted butterscotch sauce
Sticky date and ginger beer pudding with a salted butterscotch sauce
She’s been a trusty favourite for over 17 years and has never failed me. I’ve spoken before about my deep love of puddings (some of you might remember @puddingclub_au ???) I think... Read more...
Slow cooked lamb shoulder and tomato, cheesy potato topped pie
Slow cooked lamb shoulder and tomato, cheesy potato topped pie
A slow cooked lamb shoulder filling oozing with rich tomatoey gravy, blanketed in a duvet of cheesy, cloud-like, golden mashed potato pie. My favourite part is where the two meet... Read more...
Pumpkin and agrodolce onion Tarte Tatin
Pumpkin and agrodolce onion Tarte Tatin
Pumpkins might belong to autumn on paper, their orange flesh and tonal skins always looking the part, but I think it’s not until we hit the depths of winter that... Read more...
Green curry
Green curry
Green curry is the undisputed antidote to midweek fatigue. ⁠Making curry paste from scratch is a beautiful thing, but it also demands a long list of ingredients. ⁠⁠A good store-bought... Read more...
Stuffed rice tomatoes
Stuffed rice tomatoes
With the sun high and the days stretching longer, these herby, rice-filled tomatoes become a regular at the table. A simple summer pleasure, they capture the essence of the season in... Read more...
Gravlax
Gravlax
This gravlax requires minimal effort, leaving you only to slice and serve on Christmas Day. It’s fresh and zesty and a perfect dish for the Australian summer. For a festive twist, this... Read more...
Pandoro Christmas tree cake
Pandoro Christmas tree cake
This Pandoro Christmas Tree Cake feels wonderfully festive.⁠ Simple yet striking, it's the perfect centrepiece to wrap up Christmas celebrations.⁠ This version is inspired by the classic Victorian sponge. The golden Pandoro... Read more...
Garlic prawn burgers
Garlic prawn burgers
Garlic prawn burgers are one of those dishes that just feel right in the summer season. Casual, uncomplicated and a little playful. ⁠Fresh and light, it's the perfect burger, without... Read more...
Tangy and crunchy salt and vinegar baked chips
Tangy and crunchy salt and vinegar baked chips
An ode to the summer. ⁠ Read more...
Fragrant ­lemongrass and lime leaf pork patties
Fragrant ­lemongrass and lime leaf pork patties
These fragrant ­lemongrass and lime leaf pork patties are a nod to bun cha.⁠⁠While it might not be quite the same as sitting on a street corner in Vietnam, this... Read more...
Vietnamese vermicelli noodle salad
Vietnamese vermicelli noodle salad
Vibrant, fresh and perfectly balanced, cold vermicelli noodle salad is an interactive and endlessly customisable summer meal.⁠ Pair it with fragrant ­lemongrass and lime leaf pork patties, a nod to... Read more...
Summer puttanesca
Summer puttanesca
This is the ultimate summer time pasta. ⁠It's punchy, vibrant and quick – the perfect dish for hot days when the tomatoes are ripe, the basil fragrant, and anything beyond... Read more...
Affogato spread
Affogato spread
This affogato spread is always a talking point at the end of a great meal with friends and family. While it looks impressive, it’s really just clever assembling: a handful of... Read more...
Sashimi rice bowl
Sashimi rice bowl
Rice bowls are the ultimate dinner solution: they're simple, satisfying and endlessly adaptable.⁠⁠This sashimi rice bowl is bright and fresh with cubes of raw fish and plenty of crunch. It's... Read more...
Ricotta and greens pie
Ricotta and greens pie
Fresh ricotta has a taste so pure and clean that I haven’t been able to forget the experience of trying it straight from the stove ever since.⁠⁠I remember standing in a... Read more...
Whipped cream, ricotta, honey, and vanilla with fresh berries
Whipped cream, ricotta, honey, and vanilla with fresh berries
A favourite throw-together, after-dinner sweets is warm ricotta drizzled with honey and topped with fresh raspberries. Inspired by this, I've created a more decadent version - whipped cream, ricotta, honey,... Read more...
Asparagus, pea and watercress salad with anchovy cream dressing
Asparagus, pea and watercress salad with anchovy cream dressing
If asparagus were in season all year (and as affordable as it currently is), this is the salad we’d happily eat every day for the rest of our lives.This dish... Read more...
Yoghurt and olive oil chicken thighs with green hero sauce
Yoghurt and olive oil chicken thighs with green hero sauce
These yoghurt and olive oil chicken thighs are juicy, tender and jazzed up with a ‘green hero sauce’. Pile high onto a platter and serve alongside a beautiful spread. Read more...
Posh ‘pigs in a blanket’
Posh ‘pigs in a blanket’
Crispy, salty, fatty, sweet. These sausages are given a whole new life when wrapped in pancetta and topped with fresh herbs.But it’s the secret finishing touch that takes them to... Read more...
Grilled greens
Grilled greens
These grilled greens are a revelation. They pair beautifully as a side to lamb but work as a light dinner on their own too. Read more...
Lamb and spring pea salad
Lamb and spring pea salad
This lamb and spring pea salad is the joy of seasonal cooking: taking a few ingredients that are enjoying their seasonal heyday, and letting them shine.Grilled Aussie lamb draped over... Read more...
Prosecco and ginger ale jelly with seasonal berries
Prosecco and ginger ale jelly with seasonal berries
Prosecco and ginger ale jelly makes for a wobbly, fun centrepiece dessert filled with seasonal berries. Cheers to a great dessert, great wine, and great company! Read more...
Chicken Maryland
Chicken Maryland
This lovely Chicken Maryland is braised in white wine and chicken stock with the addition of new season grapes and butter to give it a rich, luxurious sauce.The meat becomes... Read more...
Fried zucchini flowers with honey, lemon and chilli
Fried zucchini flowers with honey, lemon and chilli
These fried zucchini flowers, drizzled with honey, lemon and chilli, embody the full summer experience.A perfect fresh and quick dish for home cooks who want something special without all the... Read more...
One-tray chicken bake with a Spanish twist
One-tray chicken bake with a Spanish twist
When the midweek rush hits, this is the perfect recipe for a quick and easy dinner. Some dishes demand attention and care, but the reality is we can’t cook like... Read more...
Fish cakes with tangy tartare sauce
Fish cakes with tangy tartare sauce
These golden fish patties take the cake! Crunchy on the outside and soft in the centre, this fish cake recipe is a real crowd pleaser for the entire family. Fried until... Read more...
Lettuce and radish salad with feta and yoghurt dressing
Lettuce and radish salad with feta and yoghurt dressing
There’s nothing better than crisp lettuce topped with this ingredient. Transform your plate to salad perfection. Read more...
Italian beef and sausage, bay leaf skewers
Italian beef and sausage, bay leaf skewers
On a recent trip to Rome, I was reminded of my love for spiedini, Italian for skewers, which vary depending on family recipes, seasonality, or simply personal tastes.My version involves thinly... Read more...
Baci di dama (hazelnut and chocolate cookies)
Baci di dama (hazelnut and chocolate cookies)
Legend has it these cookies were created by an Italian chef for royalty in the mid-1800s.The two small, round biscuits come together with a chocolate filling - a perfect kiss.Paired... Read more...
Acqua pazza, snapper cooked in crazy water
Acqua pazza, snapper cooked in crazy water
Acqua pazza, an Italian classic from the Amalfi Coast, translates to ‘crazy water,’ and it couldn’t be more fitting. This vibrant, flavour-packed broth—spiked with tomatoes, chilli, garlic, parsley, and capers—gently... Read more...
Creamy mushrooms pasta
Creamy mushrooms pasta
This velvety pasta recipe celebrates the bounty of mushroom season. You don't have to look very far to find mixed mushrooms - oyster, shiitake, king brown, enoki, and pine, to... Read more...
Salsa verde lamb patties and charred tomatoes on buglar wheat
Salsa verde lamb patties and charred tomatoes on buglar wheat
These are bright, punchy, and completely capable of lifting any mood. I make a rough salsa verde sauce and stir it straight through the mince, shape it into little patties,... Read more...
Prawn and garlic butter pasta
Prawn and garlic butter pasta
Here is a very festive prawn and garlic butter pasta recipe for the holidays. With red and green confetti speckled through, it looks like someone has opened a Christmas cracker... Read more...
Prawn, leek, and chilli noodles
Prawn, leek, and chilli noodles
A prawn, leek, and chilli noodle dish, a mid-week staple in my mother’s kitchen, quietly ingraining itself into my own recipe repertoire over time. Read more...
Chicken noodle salad with a fiery, zesty green sesame sauce
Chicken noodle salad with a fiery, zesty green sesame sauce
A fiery, zesty green sesame sauce drizzled over ramen noodles, edamame beans, avocado, and chicken to create a satisfying salad, but truth be told, its deliciousness knows no bounds. Read more...
Prosciutto and bitter greens flat pie
Prosciutto and bitter greens flat pie
This prosciutto and bitter greens flat pie is an excellent savoury accompaniment for your morning break. It takes inspiration from Mattonella Palermitana, a rustic puff pastry pie from Paloma in... Read more...
Cider-braised pork shoulder with apples and onions
Cider-braised pork shoulder with apples and onions
A fall-apart, slow-braised pork shoulder that slowly cooks in apple cider alongside apples and red onions. It is best ladled over creamy mash, with steamed greens on the side and... Read more...
Apple crumble
Apple crumble
A classic favourite: the mighty crumble. I’ve given it my spin, a nod to another British icon and my son’s favourite TV show, Paddington Bear, and his penchant for marmalade... Read more...
Osso buco
Osso buco
Osso buco is indeed one of the great slow cooked dishes. I hope you like my version. I serve mine bianco style, without tomatoes, as I prefer this lighter version... Read more...
Creamy, golden orzo
Creamy, golden orzo
A lazy man’s version of saffron risotto but just as delicious. Read more...
Broccoli, lemon, pepita wintertime pesto
Broccoli, lemon, pepita wintertime pesto
This is my broccoli, lemon, pepita wintertime pesto (starring Trottoloni pasta) that cooks in the time it takes to prepare your dried pasta.  Read more...
Saturday Sauce
Saturday Sauce
The aroma of a rich, tomato ragu simmering all day on the stove makes me feel like everything is right in the world. So, I was delighted to hear about... Read more...
Lamb chops, chickpea, honey and fennel tray bake
Lamb chops, chickpea, honey and fennel tray bake
These lamb loin chops bring all the flavour without the hassle. This recipe adapts the classic tray bake concept to tender pieces of lamb served on a bed chickpeas, fennel, marinated... Read more...
Panko-crumbed chicken and cabbage salad
Panko-crumbed chicken and cabbage salad
I’m doing something a little different for your Mother’s Day menu this year. ⁠⁠Mother’s Day recipes tend to fall into this familiar rhythm: something for a slow morning, something for... Read more...
Instant chocolate creams
Instant chocolate creams
These billowy creams look beautiful in little glasses, but don’t let your eyes get the better of you. These are rich – a little goes a long way. Read more...
Pomegranate drizzle cake
Pomegranate drizzle cake
This is more than a cake, it’s an attitude This summer is undoubtedly the season of pink. While I do not follow trends in cooking, I couldn’t help but give one... Read more...
Cheese stuffed meatballs
Cheese stuffed meatballs
Try this big pot of meatballs that will make you happy This is simple yet satisfying – a testament to the beauty of unpretentious cooking. Read more...
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