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Culinary ideas picked up from various places around the world, most very easily made with readily available ingredients and a bit of effort -- which will be rewarded when you sit and enjoy your labours.
Try these, and send in your recipes (and the story behind them). You'll get full credit. Let's share the chow-down Elsewhere experiences.
Llew's pork & prune medley, from the Republic of SunnyO
Andrew Llewellyn who contributes this makes an excellent point when he says, "is there any meal that cannot be vastly improved by the addition of bacon?" Read on and you will see that Andrew is a pig man, but believe me this is elegantly simple and absolutely delicious. You can also do it slowly on a barbeque. INGREDIENTS Pork fillets sausage meat a cup or so of... more >>
Added: 5 Jul 10
Pollo Adobo (chicken, Filipino style)
Alan offers this alarmingly simple recipe for a chicken dish from the Philippines. Couldn't be easier -- or more tasty. INGREDIENTS 4 skinned chicken breasts 1 cup water 1 cup white vinegar 3 tbsp light soy sauce 3 bay leaves 4 cloves garlic, chopped 1 tbsp ground black pepper 1 tbsp oil Rice enough for four people. METHOD Cut chicken into serving size... more >>
Added: 28 Jun 10
Hot Smoked Salmon Pasta
Cannot tell a lie, this one is lifted directly from the Salmonman flier that we picked up somewhere. Salmonman sells all kinds of salmon -- from smoked fillets to steaks and marinated kebabs -- as well as prawns and shrimps. And delivers to your door in New Zealand. Check out the website here. This one was dead easy, as you may see. It is rich, but delicious. INGREDIENTS... more >>
Added: 21 Jun 10
Chilli lime Thai fish with coriander, by James
James is my Thai friend and a wonderful chef (see his Authetically Thai Chicken recipe), and this is a rare treat. It helps in the presentation to have one of those fish-shaped trays with candles underneath to keep the dish warm on the table, and should definitely be served with sticky rice because the sauce is sublime. There are also ingredients here which might mean you have to make... more >>
Added: 14 Jun 10 
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Scotty's salmon'n'scallop filo gateau with a capsicum dill buerre blanc
This superb and astonishingly easy recipe comes courtesy of Scotty Newcombe, chef at Lake Brunner Lodge in the South Island of New Zealand. Lake Brunner Lodge is one of those ideal retreats where you have nature on your doorstep and you can fish for brown trout or salmon, wander through the bush or along the shores of photogenic Lake Brunner, or just indulge in the peaceful ambience of the... more >>
Added: 9 Jun 10
Crispy'n'chilli squid
Cannot tell a lie, this is a variation on something from Nigella Bites -- but with a twist. Real tasty starter, but it does involve gettin' squishy with it because you really do need fresh squid which you have to clean and take out all the yucky and hard bits -- like excrement and eyes. But really, it's worth it in the end. INGREDIENTS Three medium-sized whole squid (ie. tubes about... more >>
Added: 8 Jun 10
Greg's wife's Kotosoupa Avgolemono (chicken soup with egg and lemon sauce)
Given the climate in New Zealand right now this is the recipe we have been awaiting for. This is courtesy of Greg's Greek/Cypriot wife and we are assured is renown as a cure for colds. Even if it isn't, it is a winner. INGREDIENTS 1 chicken weighing around 1 kilo. Oven ready. 1 onion peeled and halved 1 carrot peeled and halved ... more >>
Added: 9 May 10
Seafood gumbo, Cajun-style
Anyone who has had the good fortune to be in Cajun country in Louisiana knows that the food is often spectacularly good. I've only spent too short a time there -- I have a chapter in Postcards From Elsewhere about the small town of Breaux Bridge, Louisiana -- but I did ask around for recipes. On a napkin I had scribbled notes for a gumbo which, over time and experimentation, turned into... more >>
Added: 19 Apr 10
Louisiana Shrimp Etoufee
In my travel book Postcards from Elsewhere I write about being in cajun country in Louisiana where the bayou seems mysterious and the food is exceptional. That chapter about Breaux Bridge and the people we met is reproduced here for your amusement. As I say, one of the great things about that part of the world is the food, so here is a recipe which is alarmingly simple and utterly... more >>
Added: 9 Feb 10
James' "no worries" Curried Alaskan King Crab
My friend James has appeared at Recipes from Elsewhere with two excellent dishes, his authentically Thai chicken and his chilli lime Thai fish with coriander. But this one is especially special. First be warned, unless you live in the US -- or specifically Alaska - this could be pricey (in NZ the 1.5kg of Alaskan King Crab clocked in at about $90) but believe me it is worth it as a special... more >>
Added: 21 Dec 09
Jan and Mark's easy-as noodles
The simple recipes are the best and they don't come much more easy than this, but also satisfying. INGREDIENTS Thin yellow oil noodles (in the fridge and precooked from the Tofu shop) cucumber carrot red onions garlic(very finely sliced) fresh coriander hot chillies (fresh is best but favourite sauce ok) METHOD Finely slice the cucumber, carrots, red... more >>
Added: 18 Jul 09
David's Spanish lamb and red pepper stew
David says this is a deliciously simple recipe that can withstand a few variances in the amount of ingredients used, the only caution being that you use very good quality paprika. The Spanish brand La Chinata seems to be readily available in New Zealand, and the bittersweet smoked version suits the dish best. This will serve four. INGREDIENTS I kg, or a little more, of lean... more >>
Added: 1 Jul 09
Greg's Khabli Palau (Afghani spiced lamb pilaf)
Greg offers this colourful recipe for lamb which comes with a back-story: he had it in Chicken Street in Kabul in 1979, just before the Russians invaded. It's some kind of food lover who gets a recipe written down when the tanks are rumbling across the mountains! INGREDIENTS ¼ cup oil 2 medium sized onions – chopped 500g lamb ½ teaspoon Garam Masala... more >>
Added: 18 Jun 09
Angela's Low-fat Moist Cake which serves 12!
This is Angela's recipe under the very enticing (and somewhat healthy) title, and one which she says is a New Zealand adaption -- or is that "adaptation"? I've got into this discussion before! -- of a UK/US hybrid because it is based on a Delia Smith recipe for carrot cake. (Which is something I never got frankly. "Carrot" and "cake"? Hmmm.) Anyway, this makes... more >>
Added: 12 May 09
Keith's Christmas Tequila Cookies
Keith offers this marvellous recipe which I can unequivocally recommend. His injunction that you should use only the best tequila is very important however -- as you will see if you read on. If, for some strange reason, this doesn't work out you might want to have someone make the whisky-infused Wicked Chicken just in case. INGREDIENTS 1 cup dark brown sugar 1 cup (two... more >>
Added: 23 Dec 08
Elsewhere's Wish You Were Here cocktail for summer
There are few things more pleasant than gently frying your brain in the summer sun (with Factor 5 and a hat of course), so in the interests of public health Elsewhere offers this recipe for a snappy cocktail which might have you talkin' trash, but no matter. No one will remember anyway. This we like because it is simple. You will need some good quality tequila, limes and Kahlua. And good... more >>
Added: 9 Nov 08
Stir-fry noodles with chicken and macadamia nuts
To be honest I can't remember quite where this one came from but the hand written and much stained recipe reminds me how often we have used it. Dead simple. Sort of meal-in-a-minute stuff. INGREDIENTS noodles (hokkien seem to work best) 250g chicken breasts skinned and sliced into strips a few onions a red capsicum roasted macadamia nuts sesame oil a lime sweet... more >>
Added: 11 Sep 08
Ayam Pongteh (Chicken and Potato Stew, Malaysian style)
In late 2007 I spent a couple of weeks travelling around Malaysia -- and notably went to Melaka, the food capital of the country where Baba Nyonya food is a local speciality. Baba Nyonya is the cuisine of the communities that emerged in the 15th century when migrant Chinese men married local Malay women. A feature of the food is the spicy quality using local herbs, calamansi (a local... more >>
Added: 16 Mar 08 1 Comment
Oyster Pie: A "firm favourite" as summer wanes
The Bluff oyster season usually opens in March in New Zealand so people might be looking for something more to do with those big, rich delights than just eating them raw or with a splash of balsamic. I can't remember where I got this recipe from, but it never fails -- well, it does if you dont get in quick. Someone else will wolf it down while you have gone off to get the serviettes.... more >>
Added: 31 Jan 08
Elvis' Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwiches
Nobody in their right mind would want to follow Elvis' eating regime, but every once in a while maybe you should live like a King. This was one of his favourite recipes and I got it off an oven mitt I bought at Graceland. Sharing the secret! INGREDIENTS Two large bananas Six slices of white bread Half a cup of butter A cup of peanut butter METHOD Peel and mash the... more >>
Added: 6 Jan 08 1 Comment
