One thing that helps lull you back into the rat-race after the bliss of Christmas holidays are the January Domain concerts. Its been a while since I went to one but it used to be a regular yearly thing to see either the Symphony, Opera or more recent addition Jazz, for free and flinging your picnic blanket onto the lush green grass of the lawn. Its always a battle to get there and back as driving is not really a great idea and it inevitably rains but that, I keep saying to friends and family, is all part of the charm. And perhaps they’ll believe me one day…

I have many memories of eating pâté with water crackers, not the fantastic kind you get from DJs but the tinned kind, but when you’re young, do you really know the difference? Now that I am “grown up” I am a big fan of trout or salmon pâté and will any excuse to make this rather than buy the version from the supermarket, no matter how excellent it might be. For this recipe I used smoked salmon as that was just what I happened to have in the fridge which I lightly steamed to get the same texture as smoked trout.

Smoked Trout Pâté from Nigella Express

Smoked fish was an absolute staple of my childhood-I used to have smoked mackerel with horseradish in my lunchbox-and if I have some form of smoked fish in the fridge, I feel there is always going to be, instantly, something to eat. Pepper and lemon, that’s all you need to add to it. And its a gift to the cook in a hurry: this pâté takes the merest moment to make and yet it is a wonderful start to a meal or, indeed, a whole meal in itself. I don’t even need a salad with it: I’m happy with toast, crusty bread, or maybe even some good shop bought English muffins or cheese scones, along with a few cornichons (baby gherkins) and any other tangy pickle.

This doesn’t make very much, but its filling and also-which is obviously how I like it-full of pep. If you want something a little milder, with less boisterous heat, then add a mere sprinkling of cayenne.

• 2 smoked trout fillets , approx. 125g total weight
• 50g of Philadelphia cream cheese
• 15ml horseradish sauce
• 30ml lemon juice
• 30ml olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1. Put all the ingredients into a blender or food processor and blitz until smooth and pâté like

2. Spoon the mixture into a vow (I used a small terracotta dish of about 12cm in diameter), scraping out any mixture remaining in the processor with a spatula. Cover the bowl with clingfilm, and place in the fridge to chill.

Recipe by Nigella Lawson from Nigella Express

Once I have a new cookbook, it doesn’t take me long to get out my pad of post it note tags and mark recipes that I want to make. Christmas this year was particularly good for me cookbook-wise with my sister giving me Nigella Express, Deceptively Delicious, Pork & Sons and The Borough Market book. Nigella Express is of course the one that I am most likely to cook out of, the others providing fabulous recipes and gastronomic porn.

I was given a fabulous set of gourmet curry pastes from a friend last Christmas by Serious Salsa and I was eager to use them. They are a vast improvement on other pastes that I have used and lovely and fiery with a complex blend of flavours.

Christmas also gave us a huge tray of lovely mangoes from my sister in law and her husband. My husband can usually polish off a tray quickly but with all of the good food around, eating them has been a little slower. I secured a mango for this recipe from his prodigious and well guarded stockpile and the lovely woman behind the fish counter gave me three times the amount of prawns for the price of one so it felt like the stars and planets and culinary cosmos were aligned to make this curry. You believe in karma, fate or whatever you will, I subscribe to Culinary Cosmos.

Nigella’s Red Prawn and Mango Curry

This is one of the easiest suppers to make, but somehow, however much I know this, it always surprises me. Not in the cooking, so much as in the eating: I can’t believe, each time anew, how deep and textured and full-throttle, in a sweet, comforting way, this tastes, when all I’ve done is a bit of shopping and some light stirring.

Obviously it helps if you can use some of the convenience stuff I list below: The ready peeled, cubed squash and sweet potato, and the mango I get at the supermarket make this a breeze. But if you can’t find them, no matter: add a few drained canned chickpeas and perhaps, for a sour edge, some pineapple that’s been in its own juice, no syrup. Add if you’re not familiar with wok oil, see recipe below. As for the coconut milk, I often use the whole can rather than the mere half below; it really depends on whether I feel like eating out of a deep bowl, soupily, or a shallow one. To go with it, I suggest either plain rice or some wide rice noodles cooked according to the packet directions (all of about 2 minutes) and tossed in some toasted chopped unsalted peanuts.

If you have some fresh prawns, so much the better, but I stipulate frozen ones below since I regularly keep them in the freezer for an evening when you feel like eating gorgeously with very little forethought.

Red Prawn and Mango Curry

• 1 x 15ml tbsp wok oil* recipe below
  
• 1 x spring onion, finely sliced
• 1 1/2 x 15ml tbsp red Thai curry paste (or according to taste)
• 1/2 x 400ml can of coconut milk to give 200ml (I used a whole tin of coconut cream for a really indulgently good restaurant standard curry)
• 250ml chicken stock (made from concentrate)
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce (nam pla)
• 1 x 350g packet butternut squash and sweet potato cubes (I used Jap pumpkin cubes)
• 200g packet frozen king prawns (mine weren’t frozen so I butterflied them which is how I prefer them as it makes them look fatter and juicier)
• 1 teaspoon lime juice (I used a big squeeze from 1/3 of a lime)
• 150g mango cubes, diced
• 3-4 x 15ml tablespoons chopped fresh coriander

1. Heat the wok oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan and fry the sliced spring onion for a minute, then add the curry paste.

2. Whisk in the coconut milk, chicken stock and fish sauce and bring to the boil.

3 . Tip in the butternut squash and sweet potato cubes and simmer, partially covered for about 15 minutes or until tender.

4. Drain the prawns under running water to remove excess ice and tumble them into the pan. Let the sauce come back to the boil. When it does, add the lime juice and diced mango and cook for another minute or so until the prawns are cooked through.

5. Sprinkle with the chopped coriander as you serve over plain rice or wide rice noodles, or even both.

Serves 2-4, depending on how hungry you are and whether you’re expecting to eat anything else at supper

Wok oil:
Don’t use olive oil but 450ml sunflower or other vegetable oil, plus 50ml toasted sesame oil, 4 sliced cloves of garlic, a 6cm piece of ginger sliced and strain after 48 hours of steeping.

Recipe by Nigella Lawson from Nigella Express

This is one of those dishes that you just need to have up your sleeve. Its ridiculously easy, takes about 10 minutes from start to finish and only has 3 ingredients but will have your guests swooning over it. I’m not suggesting that you make your own gnocchi although I have done so on a couple of occasions but that drove me slightly insane and floured up my whole tiny kitchen.

Ready made gnocchi lasts for ages and I always have a few packets in my cupboards. The reason why I suggest Danish blue cheese is that its much milder and creamier than some blues that can almost knock you out (I once tried this with a King Island Bass Strait Blue and had to halve the amount of cheese it was so strong).

This dish is vegetarian (I’m stating the obvious here as you can see for yourself from the ingredients) and I am always on the lookout for tasty vegetarian meals as my family in law are all vegetarians. But I find meat eaters and gourmets will feel well satisfied with this dish and the smell of this using the mild Danish blue will have people poking their head into your kitchen wondering what that fabulous dish is! And you can also add a drizzle of truffle oil to give it that extra touch.

Blue cheese gnocchi

500gram packet gnocchi
50-75grams danish blue cheese cut into smaller chunks
150ml cream (light or full fat)

1. Boil gnocchi in plenty of salted water until it comes to the surface (about 5-8 minutes)
2. In non stick pan (or if you can’t be bothered to wash another pan, the same one that you cooked the gnocchi in) heat blue cheese until it melts.
3. Add cream and simmer until thick
4. Return gnocchi to pan and coat with blue cheese sauce and serve

Serves 2-3 (depending on level of hunger)

If you’re lucky enough to visit Tetsuyas like I did for my birthday several years ago, unless you’ve access to a trust fund or a fabulous business expense account, visits are few and far between. In order to relive some of those heavenly taste sensations, a few years ago Tetsuya brought out a cookbook called aptly “Tetsuya” ($55 hardcover) that has recipes for all of his famous dishes (yes including the Confit of Petuna Ocean Trout!). This oyster dish (considered an extra course for an extra cost) was a favourite of mine for many reasons: I love Pacific Oysters and I love Ocean Trout and Salmon Roe.

Its easy enough and can be done ahead of time enough to serve at a dinner party and can make the most unaccomplished non cook an instant chef. In fact my husband who cooks on average once every two years made this without a fuss. I don’t know how this compares to his prepackaged Tetsuyas for Oysters Vinaigrette ($11.95 from David Jones), its probably the same thing from the ingredients list but if you feel like making this yourself, its a cinch to do. What is pleasantly surprising to me is the relative simplicity of the dishes in his cookbook, I suppose in order to showcase the freshness of the ingredients. There are also plenty of beautiful photographs, food porn if ever I saw some.

I could happily eat this every day of my life although it goes without saying that its best enjoyed on a sunny Sydney day on a sunny balcony where we had this.

Tetsuya’s Oysters with Rice Wine Vinaigrette

The vinaigrette can be adapted for any number of oysters and can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator. Infuse 10cm konbu in a bottle of 750ml rice wine vinegar for added flavour

Ingredients:

• 12 large Pacific Oysters shucked

Vinagirette

• 1 teaspoon finely grated ginger
• 4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoons castor sugar
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 6 tablespoons grapeseed oil
• 2 tablesoons olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

Garnish

• Chives finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons ocean trout roe (we used salmon roe)

To make the vinaigrette, whisk together all the ingredients in a bowl or jar. Place some sea salt on the base of a serving plate. Put the oysters on top and spoon over the vinaigrette.

Sprinkle the oysters with chives and ocean trout roe

From Tetsuya by Tetsuya Wakuda