Midweek dinner

Use frozen spinach, which has been cooked and cooled, for this recipe. Note

You can use ½ cup dry sherry with ½ cup water instead of the chinese cooking wine. This dish is suitable to freeze at the end of step 1. Note

A light and healthy pasta salad packed full of salami, bocconcini, olives and cherry tomatoes.

A quick, simple and delicious Mexican-style pizza; great for busy midweek evenings.

You can substitute cooked crab meat for the prawns in this salad. Note

A bright and colourful summer olive salad from Australian Women's Weekly.

A quick and healthy pilaf for a busy midweek dinner.

Substitute red curry paste for green curry paste if you prefer. Note

Fajita seasoning spice mix adds an authentic Mexican flavour to foods; it is a blend of herbs and spices, and may include cumin, chilli, garlic, capsicum, oregano, coriander and onion. Use a mild chilli seasoning, if you prefer. Beef eye fillet can be expensive, buy beef strips or stir-fry beef to make this a cheap […]

You can use gravy beef for this recipe, if you prefer. Note

If you cannot find banana chillies, use capsicums instead. Note

Substitute any of your favourite vegetables if you prefer them to the ones suggested in this recipe. A hot curry paste will boost the flavour, however, you can use any curry paste you like. Note

An exquisite pork dish with lovely colours and a delicious creamy kumara mash.

If shiso leaves are unavailable, substitute them with basil leaves. Note

Use a zester to get long thin strips of rind. Note

A delicious salad full of crispy roast kumara and crunchy and balanced with fresh pear and cranberries.

Scrumptious little pizza snacks with cherry bocconcini cheese and cabanossi.

Create these Greek-style meatballs to make the perfect sharing platter.

Use vegetables of your choice such as green beans, snow peas or buk choy. Use sliced chicken breast or thinly sliced beef rump steak as an alternative to the pork fillet. Use regular basil if thai basil is unavailable. Note

Confit, from the French verb ‘confire’ meaning to preserve, means both a food item that has been slow-cooked in fat to cover, and also the cooking technique. Confit foods are exquisitely soft and delicately flavoured, so the technique is sometimes used, as in this recipe, simply to achieve this luxurious effect. Note

Baby green beans can be used instead of snake beans. Note

Some clams might not open after cooking. These might need prompting with a knife or might not have cooked as quickly as the others ­you don’t have to discard them, just open with a knife and cook a little longer if you wish. Note

Caldeirada is a Portuguese fish stew that varies from region to region, but usually contains a variety of fish along with potato, onion and tomato or capsicum.

Cook steaks to seal until moisture begins to pool on top surface (about 2 minutes). Turn only once. Cook on second side until cooked to taste. Note

This recipe is for lovers of spicy seafood.

Recipe can be made a day ahead and refrigerated, covered. Note

Roti is an Indian subcontinent flat bread that is the perfect complement to curries, stews and other saucy dishes.

Traditional to North Africa, a tagine is an aromatic casserole, usually cooked and served in an earthenware dish, also called a tagine.

Freeze beef for about an hour­ this will make it easier to slice. To obtain ginger juice, squeeze grated fresh ginger into a sieve set over a bowl. A piece of ginger measuring about 10cm in length will yield 2 tablespoons of grated ginger; this amount of grated ginger should in turn yield the 2 […]

Crispy, crunchy and delicious Southern fried chicken from Australian Women's Weekly.

Soak bamboo skewers in cold water for at least 30 minutes before using to prevent them from scorching during cooking. Note

A quick, light and simple salad with an amazing combination of flavours and textures.

If the potatoes that you purchase for this recipe are young and quite small, scrubbing them well (rather than peeling) will be sufficient. Tuna is at its best if browned both sides Note

Kalonji seeds are also known as nigella or black onion seeds. Tiny, angular seeds, black on the outside and creamy within, with a sharp nutty flavour that can be enhanced by frying briefly in a dry hot pan before use. Kalonji can be found in most Asian and Middle-Eastern food shops. Note

Recipe is best prepared as required. Note

Crab meat can be bought already cooked from some fishmongers. Alternatively buy cooked crabs (about 600g) and remove the flesh from the shells and claws – enough to weigh 200g. Well-drained canned crab meat could be used in this recipe. Note

We used sebago potatoes in this recipe. Note

Peri peri prawn and coleslaw tortillas

Broccolini is a cross between broccoli and chinese kale; it resembles broccoli in appearance, but is milder and sweeter in taste. It has long asparagus-like stems and a long loose floret, both completely edible. Baby buk choy or gai lan work well in this stir-fry, too; use in place of the broccolini. Note

The secret for making perfect roast potatoes? Use olive oil instead of other oils or butter because it tolerates high oven temperatures better and gives a delicious taste to the potatoes.

This meal has a medium GI. Note

This is a bright and colourful summery dish with lots of big flavours and great textures.

A slab of American-style pork spareribs will consist of between 7 and 10 ribs each. After the meat is cooked, separate the ribs with a knife then eat them in your hands. Note

This recipe is not suitable to freeze. Note

An exquisite peppered pork dish that can be whipped up for dinner parties in no time.

Ribollita is a Tuscan soup based on whatever vegetable the cook has at hand. Traditionally, it is thickened with stale bread.

Ragoût, which comes from the French verb, ragoûter, meaning `to stimulate the appetite', does exactly that in this dish.

We used corella pears in this recipe. Dijonnaise is a commercial blend of dijon mustard and mayonnaise, available in supermarkets. Note

A delicious filo pastry pie that will fill the bellies of your entire family (and more!)

This pork and rosemary meatball dish is packed full of Italian flavours, even down to the angel hair pasta.

Recipe is based on a traditional lamb roast recipe from northern India. Note

You can use either savoy cabbage or wombok (also known as chinese cabbage) in the coleslaw. Stout is a strong tasting dark-coloured beer that goes well with beef. Note

You can substitute a white medium-grain rice if koshihikari is unavailable. Note

A rich, slowcooked French casserole with lamb, white beans, streaky bacon and crushed tomatoes.

Quick and easy stir-fried Asian greens from Australian Women's Weekly.

A flavourful dish for barbecues, lunch or dinner.