This is such a simple idea. Cook eggs in loads of Spanish olive oil and drape jamon over the warm eggs which releases the aroma and makes the jamon even more delicious. Have it with crusty bread and some coffee and you could be in Malaga or Madrid!
Read MoreWe love the butter made at Inglenook Dairy, just outside of Ballarat. It’s fresh, tasty, luscious, and so delicious. We love pimping the butter and adding different flavours to make it taste even better and putting it on top of a freshly grilled steak.
Read MoreA rich green pasta sauce made with fresh broccoli and enriched with butter and anchovies covers these lovely ‘little ears’ of pasta or orecchiette. We’re using Giuseppe Pasta from Italy. It is made by a family passionate about pasta and who still use bronze dies, or shaped nozzles, to extrude their pasta. This gives a rougher surface so more sauce can cling to the pasta. You can remove the butter and anchovies if you want a vegan version. You can add capers and even use stock to add more body and flavour to the sauce.
Read MoreSpring lamb cutlets are so sweet and tender and just need a salad to accompany them. This is a quick, warm salad of Israeli couscous and is more a concept than a recipe. We’ve added red pepper, parsley, and mint but you can use your imagination and add ingredients like Spanish onion, tiny cubes of watermelon, crumbled feta, diced tomato.
Read MoreI love yum cha and one of my favourites are those little bowls of steamed spare ribs. Blake Family Grocers has all the ingredients to make these fun, tasty, and easy to make version of the Cantonese classic.
Read MoreThis is the dish when you want comfort food and don’t really feel like cooking. You put all the ingredients for the sauce in a pot, cook it until the cheese melts into a gooey sauce then pour it over fresh gnocchi. We love hand salted Arrigoni Taleggio from the north of Italy. Made to a traditional recipe it is luscious, washed-rind cheese with an apricot-coloured rind and an aromatic interior. As it gets older, it gets those well-known ‘smelly cheese’ notes. Great for the cheese board, baguettes, and toasties - here we are mixing it with prosciutto and a little cream to make a very moreish sauce.
Read MoreSweet, smoky, sticky and so delicious, these chicken wings are the perfect finger food for drinks get-together or could make a meal for a family. You will need plenty of napkins or even wet towels to get your fingers clean when eating this very moreish treat. We love Bolero paprika from Spain. It has a lovely smoky tang, the bright flavour of red peppers and a little goes a long, long way
Read MoreSauerkraut is healthy? Sure is! Then this must be a healthy sandwich as the sauerkraut counteracts the cheese and Oakwood pastrami.
Read MoreA beautiful salad to make the most of the region’s excellent potatoes and our smoked trout from Oakwood Smokehouse. Easy to make, very delicious, and perfect with a glass of white wine or a lightly hopped beer.
Read MoreWe couldn't resist coming up with a great banging dish to showcase Mimi's Laphet fermented tea dressing. This is the classic Bang Bang Chicken – named for the sound of the mallet pounding out the chicken – something we don’t need to do with our tender chicken. It is so delicious and easy to make AND it’s healthy!
Read MoreFor those cold days where you want a warming bowl of something but don’t have the energy to make a big meal. This takes only 40 minutes from whoa to go without a lot of fuss. Enjoy with toast, a salad, a cheese toasty, or a glass of pinot noir. We love to use the organic Dutch cream potatoes from Tumpinyeri Organic Growers at Blampied. These spuds are sensational and if you use these, you won’t need the cream to make this soup extra rich.
Read MorePies are easy with Carême Pastry. This light and delicious puff pastry from the Barossa Valley just needs thawing, unrolling, and cutting. Serve with a mixed leaf salad and a good French-style chardonnay or local pinot noir.
Read MoreA not-too-sweet, not-too-naughty fruit and nut slice with plenty of oats to serve up as an afternoon treat or pack in the backpack when going for a long walk in the hills.
Read MoreGolden, fat, deep fried, packed with jamon flavour and perfect for entertaining, these are the type of croquette you’d be served in a bar in Madrid. The trick is to make sure the bechamel is set solid and that you make the croquettes about the size and shape of a finger lime or small cannoli. The other trick is to make sure the oil is hot enough but not too hot. At 175°C ,a cube of bread will turn brown in about 15-20 seconds. If you have a sugar thermometer then you can use this. Spanish croquetas should be served with a sprinkle of salt and a glass of fino sherry, Spanish vermouth, cold beer or glass of wine.
Read MoreSome of us are old enough to remember The Brady Bunch TV show when Alice, the housekeeper, would declare she was making pork chops and apple sauce for dinner. This is a simple and delicious sauce made from baked apples served with your choice of pork cut and some sensational baked potatoes.
Read MoreRecently Jock Zonfrillo came into Blake Family Grocers and asked how to cook our beautiful little baby heirloom pumpkins. One of our staff can’t get Masterchef on her TV at home and did not know that he is one of the judges. She gave him a raft of recipes and he was so very polite. This is one of our favourites. (You can replace the butter and cheese for olive oil and dairy-free cheese for a tasty vegan version.)
Read MoreWhile the change of seasons to autumn brings a flush of wild mushrooms growing in our surrounding forests, these delicious little tarts for one can be made with farmed fungus. There are a few steps to make these entrée sized tarts, but take your time and enjoy the process. It starts with the best all-round pastry made in a food processor. You can use quality frozen shortcrust pastry such as Carême but brisee pastry is so easy to make.
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