A smooth, colourful and flavoursome zucchini, pea and corn purée from Australian Women's Weekly.

Keeping time: 1 week. Note

Compote is traditionally a dessert, but as shown here it can also be served over warm porridge as a breakfast dish.

These black forest brownies feature that classic combination of rich dark chocolate and cherries.

Freeze individual cooled patties in airtight containers for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the fridge; reheat in microwave or eat at room temperature. Note

A quick and easy before-school tummy filler. Add a bit of crisp bacon or even a few pan-fried mushrooms to the omelette, if you like.

This tart, citrus-based sauce is one of the mainstays of Japanese cuisine. It is usually made with a citrus fruit called yuzu, which is not easy to obtain outside Asia. It is a perfect accompaniment to char-grilled sliced beef, steamed fish, tofu and asian greens.

Crispy and crunchy oven-baked parmesan chicken with a curly endive and olive salad.

Spicy and well spiced, these chilli, lime and coriander chicken skewers make a great starter or share plate for a party.

To roast cashews, place nuts in a dry small frying pan; stir over low heat until fragrant and just changed in colour. Remove nuts from pan immediately to avoid them burning. Note

Any leftover mashed vegetables can be used to make the tofu and vegetable patties, just be sure to use a total of ¼ cup (3 tablespoons) of mash along with the 2 teaspoons of rice flour. Note

Aromatic Thai-style green vegetable curry from Australian Women's Weekly.

Make this home-made zucchini relish to impress your guests; from Australian Women's Weekly.

This is such a useful little recipe, you can serve these crispy spiced fish pieces as a starter, main or as finger food to pass around at a party.

A rich oxtail stew with red wine and port; the perfect winter dish.

This easy chicken recipe is delicious served with a crisp green salad or beans.

These crispy, tasty little tarts make wonderful finger food.

Spice up your olives to make the perfect complement to your tapas evening.

Sticky lemongrass beef served in lettuce wraps.

Healthy and vibrant wok-tossed greens with oyster sauce from Australian Women's Weekly.

This creamy vegan dip combines healthy broad beans with the flavours of mint, lemon, cumin and paprika. It's the perfect addition to your next party menu

A light broth with slices of tender chicken, fresh peas and asparagus spears, this soup makes an excellent starter for a dinner party.

A delicious and fragrant tandoori lamb with cucumber raita from Australian Women's Weekly.

This date loaf comes out tremendously moist and is great served fresh with melted butter, but also keeps nicely for a rainy day.

Anchovy and chilli lamb neck chops with creamy polenta from Australian Women's Weekly.

Spicy chorizo adds bite to the creamy mushroom sauce, to finish you can sprinkle finely grated parmesan cheese and coarsely ground black pepper over individual servings, if you like.

Sweet and delicious Vietnamese coffee crème caramel tart from Australian Women's Weekly.

Onion jam can be made a day ahead; keep, covered, in the refrigerator. To serve warm, place in microwave-safe bowl, reheat in microwave on MEDIUM (50%) until warm. Note

This zesty crumbed fish is packed with flavor and crunch. Perfect for a simple dinner with family or friends.

Peanuts add extra crunch to this fresh and delicious beef and rice noodles dish. Perfect for those nights when you just want something light and tasty.

These tender beef steaks with creamy mushroom sauce go perfectly with homemade fries.

Any type of sashimi-quality white fish can be used for this recipe; we used kingfish. Note

Purchase frozen fresh prawn cutlets, not crumbed prawn cutlets; they come in 1kg (2-pound) `ready-to-cook’ packets. If you can’t find them, use frozen uncooked prawns, instead. Note

PASTRY For information on how to wash leeks, see page 112. Note

A delicious dhal-stuffed flatbread, paratha, that originated in the Indian subcontinent.

Quick, easy and delicious Japanese stir-fried pork and rice noodles will surely satisfy all of the family. Sprinkle some freshly chopped chilli if you like some heat.

This rich mocha cake with coffee syrup is pudding-like, darkly sweet and entirely satisfying.

Serve thick slices of this herby crumbed chicken with a big green salad for a delicious, speedy dinner.

Wombok is also known as chinese cabbage. Note

Served in the most basic of bistros to the poshest of gastro pubs, the ubiquitous sausage and mash never fails to please. We've teamed it with a hearty onion gravy here, you're going to love it.

Tender chunks of spiced, marinated chicken and yoghurt dipping sauce make these lemony chicken kebabs perfect for a weekend lunch with rice or bread and salad.

It is very important to allow biscuits to cool completely before you attempt to remove them from trays, to avoid breaking Note

An Asian-styled pork dish with a traditional Thai dipping sauce from Australian Women's Weekly.

Fire up the barbecue and enjoy the summer weather with this tasty platter.

Moussaka is a classic Greek dish, that is well known for both its vegetarian and meat based version. We've gone vegetarian here and the result is healthy and delicious. Serve with a green salad.

Beef stroganoff is a dish served in a sauce with sour cream. It originated in Russia in the 19th century and has since become popular around the world, with as many variations as there are countries that eat it. Here we've used pork instead of beef, but chicken may also be used.

Unbaked pinwheels can be frozen for up to a month. Bake them straight from the freezer, adding about 10 minutes to the baking time. Note

Barley is a wonderful, healthy and tasty way to thicken a delicious soup or stew such as this one.

For this recipe, we deboned a whole chinese barbecued duck, available from Asian barbecue takeaway stores. Choy sum, also known as chinese flowering cabbage, and tat soi, chinese flat cabbage, can be found at most greengrocers as well as Asian supermarkets

Drizzled in sweet toffee, these almond and cranberry wreath biscuits make wonderful Christmas gifts.

Try this cheesy, creamy chicken lasagne for a divine family meal, best served with a big green salad.

This healthy winter dessert would also be perfect for breakfast.

The rich flavour of fresh prawns stand up well to the robustness of a red curry. Serve with a steaming bowl of rice and an icy-cold beer and pretend you're on the beaches of Thailand.

Marinated in Japanese flavours, this deep-fried snapper is crisp on the outside and flaky on the inside.

This cute snail cake is perfect for a kids' birthday party at home or school - your children will love the cute little bugs.

The addition of pecans to these brown sugar biscuits adds a sophisticated flavour and texture. They're dead easy to make; the kids could do it with minimal supervision.

With a cinnamon-spiked plum and prune filling, these almond crescents are the perfect sweet treat with tea or coffee.

When a recipe says “cut” the liquid through the dry ingredients, it means don’t stir, just use a knife quickly and lightly to draw the knife through the flour, so moistening the dry ingredients as lightly as possible. This is done to stop you overworking the flour — which causes tough scones. Note

You need ¼ small pineapple for this recipe. Note

Traditional Thai chicken broth with flavoursome coriander wontons from Australian Women's Weekly.

Filled with chopped bacon, onion and parmesan cheese, these moreish mushrooms make for a tasty brunch, lunch or light dinner with salad.

Give your usual potato frittata a gutsy flavour kick by adding capsicum and olive. Serve it warm from the oven with a green salad or take it on a romantic picnic.

This fruit cake is deliciously moist and looks beautiful decorated with almonds. It can last up to 12 months, but we think you'll polish it off well before then.

Tuna is best cooked rare as it tends to dry out when overcooked. You could also use salmon or swordfish for this recipe. Note

Breakfast just got incredibly exciting with this simple white chocolate and raspberry French toast recipe!

Topped with a baby kale salad, this easy vegetarian tart is so delicious with its buttery pastry crust and golden filling of roasted kumara and goat's cheese.

This recipe is from the well-known Four Seas Restaurant in Elizabeth Street, Redfern. Billy kee chicken is one of the most popular items on the menu. Note

Let your creative juices run wild; use any lollies you like in the ice-cream, if they are large, roughly chop them. Make this a rocky road ice-cream sandwich by adding chopped turkish delight, dark choc chips, peanuts and coconut.

This scrumptious beef and eggplant bake is similar to a Greek moussaka but with a cheesy polenta topping.

Trying meatless Monday? This recipe is a great option for any vegetarian occasion and is a real crowd pleaser.

Served fresh and hot from the oven with butter, this cheesy ham, tomato and pineapple loaf is simply mouth-watering.

A quick and easy vermicelli stir-fry with garlic beef and broccoli.

This mezze is very simple. Success lies in the quality of the ingredients: choose ripe tomatoes, good bread and quality oil.

This is a clever way to make sure your kids get their vegies. You could also use other vegetables in here too ­ try grated carrot, zucchini or capsicum. Note

New York steak, sometimes called boneless sirloin, is a tender and tasty cut. Serve it up with home cut chips, rocket salad and this slow-roasted tomato & jalapeño ketchup for a relaxed meal with friends.

Citron vodka is a lemon and lime flavoured vodka that contains small amounts of lemon peel. Limoncello is a popular after-dinner drink in Italy, and is usually served ice cold. It is sweet and lemony, but not sour. Note

The deep, earthy flavours of this pot roasted pork shoulder with mushroom, port and chestnut are redolent of winter evenings and roaring fires.