Recipes and culinary ideas from around the world

Megan's very easy but delicious beer bread

20 Apr 2020 | <1 min read

Okay, this costs you a bottle of beer (small one though) but believe me it is worth it. Add whatever herbs you like but as you may see from what Megan writes, cumin or fennel is excellent. She says . . . This is very easy! It comes out a bit like a bread scone and is best eaten within two days. Ingredients 375 g or 3 cups of of self-raising flour... > Read more

Vij's marinated lamb popsicles

30 Dec 2019 | 1 min read

I cannot tell a lie, the Vikram Vij who owns Vancouver's famous Vij's restaurant didn't give me this recipe himself. But it was published in the newspaper when I was there so I guess it is now public domain. (He's also posted a couple of other recipes on his website for you to try.) His lamb popsicles are a favourite at Vij's and he says he couldn't take them off the menu for fear of a... > Read more

Derek shares Beatty Zimmerman's Banana Chocolate Chip Loaf bread

30 Jun 2019 | 1 min read

Derek Jacombs from the Bay of Plenty is someone whose name has appeared at Elsewhere a few times: he led the band Kokomo Blues -- subsequently -- just Kokomo -- for many years and after their double CD retrospective Batten Down the Hatches of 2016, they kick started the band again for a new album, Sunset Claws. But Derek, a Dylan fan, also shares this recipe by Beatty Zimmerman who died in... > Read more

Elvis' Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwiches

30 Apr 2018 | <1 min read | 1

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... > Read more

Greg's Khabli Palau (Afghani spiced lamb pilaf)

30 Oct 2017 | 1 min read

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 ¼... > Read more

James' authentically Thai chicken

25 Sep 2017 | 1 min read

James Lantana -- more correctly Somsak Lantana -- once my Thai neighbour, was a chef back home, came to New Zealand almost 20 years ago with his beautiful Japanese wife Nana, and has worked in kitchens all around Auckland. It has been one of the great delights of my life to invite James, Nana and their terrifyingly intelligent, talented, multi-lingual daughter Sakuna over for dinner --... > Read more

Loretta Lynn's You Ain't Woman Enough Casserole

2 Aug 2014 | 1 min read

Some too-many years back we were driving across the States and found ourselves drawn towards Loretta Lynn's former home -- an ante-bellum mansion of the kind she described as like something out of Gone With the Wind -- which is at Hurricane Mills in East Tennessee. It was strange but compelling place -- Loretta no longer lived there of course. But like Graceland it was a pilgrimage point... > Read more

THE GREAT NEW ZEALAND COOKBOOK: The Food We Love from 80 of Our Finest Cooks, Chefs and Bakers (Thom and PQ Blackwell)

18 Jul 2014 | 1 min read | 1

When Murray Thom has an idea it is always smart to listen, his track record is impeccable. This is the man who -- in the Eighties -- became the youngest head of a record company in the world when he took over CBS New Zealand (later Sony) while still in his 20s. And when he quit after a fine career in that business he went to a small idea which few saw any potential for: personalised... > Read more

Beef stir-fry with peppers by Womad 2014 guest Abundance Mutori of Mokoomba

23 Feb 2014 | 1 min read

Bassist Abundance Mutori of the Zimbabwean band Mokoomba is bound to brew up a musical stew when the band play at Womad in March (dates below), but he's also happy to offer this, the recipe for a favourite meal. Mutori, age 23, is currently living in Harare, Zimbabwe but "I grew up in small town called Victoria Falls also known by the local name Mosi-oa-Tunya which means the smoke... > Read more

Njoka

Sweet Kale Salad by Womad 2014 guest Makana from Hawaii

14 Feb 2014 | <1 min read

Hawaiian guitarist Makana -- who is one of the guests at the forthcoming Womad in Taranaki -- offers a slack-key style of blues, jazz, Hawaiian and bluegrass sounds. He turned professional when he was 14 and recently was nominated for a Grammy for his contributions to the soundtrack of the George Clooney film, set in Hawaii, The Descendants. He's a man who also likes fresh food and so... > Read more

Deep in an Ancient Hawaiian Forest

Sue's homemade limoncello

20 Jun 2013 | <1 min read

Few homemade liqueurs are the equal of a good limoncello, and this speciality of central Italy can be very easy to make. The secret we tell you immediately is to invest in a decent vodka. I've tried it with cheap ones -- I was just being cheap -- and the results were dire. But this sure-fire recipe which Sue passes on I have made, and used a decent vodka. The results were excellent... > Read more

Dee's classic Kiwi cheese rolls

15 Jun 2013 | <1 min read | 1

Dee says having spent the first 10 years of her life in Southland, every Kiwi should experience the warming delights of cheese rolls. Winter is a comin' on folks and Dee recommends this simple recipe to accompany lazing on the couch under a blanket watching the warm glow of the fire . . . or television set. INGREDIENTS 1 packet onion soup 2 ½ cups grated tasty... > Read more

Llew's pork & prune medley, from the Republic of SunnyO

5 Jul 2010 | <1 min read

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... > Read more

Pollo Adobo (chicken, Filipino style)

28 Jun 2010 | <1 min read

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... > Read more

Hot Smoked Salmon Pasta

21 Jun 2010 | <1 min read

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... > Read more

Chilli lime Thai fish with coriander, by James

14 Jun 2010 | 1 min read | 1

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 a... > Read more

Scotty's salmon'n'scallop filo gateau with a capsicum dill buerre blanc

9 Jun 2010 | 1 min read

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... > Read more

Crispy'n'chilli squid

8 Jun 2010 | 1 min read

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... > Read more

Greg's wife's Kotosoupa Avgolemono (chicken soup with egg and lemon sauce)

9 May 2010 | 1 min read

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 1... > Read more

James' "no worries" Curried Alaskan King Crab

21 Dec 2009 | 2 min read

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... > Read more