Starter

Carpaccio is the perfect Italian starter dish of thinly sliced raw Kingfish. Much like ceviche, the fish is served raw, but 'cooked' in a food acid like lemon or lime juice.

These mushrooms are wonderful eaten as they are or placed on a buttered slice of grilled sourdough. You can either let everyone eat them as you cook them or add them to an antipasto platter – I usually put them alone on a plate because the juices run so much.

Delicious as a dip, or served as a side alongside chargrilled meat or chicken, this white bean puree is lovely and garlicky. For a bit of colour, top with some thinly sliced green onions just before serving.

Try this fresh and light Japanese style cucumber and tofu salad for a healthy lunch. The dressing is absolutely divine.

You can prepare the chicken the night before; store, covered, in the refrigerator. If using bamboo skewers, wrap the ends in foil to prevent them from burning. Note

Pumpkin makes traditional gnocchi even softer and more tender, while the rocket pesto adds a blast of flavour to the finished dish.

Hearty and warming, this harissa and mint spiced veggie stew is the ultimate comfort food for a cool Winter evening in.

Bagna cauda is a warm dip; you can serve it in a fondue pot with a small tea light or gentle flame underneath. Serve the dip with your favourite selection of crisp vegetables.

Incredibly easy to make and seriously delicious, this smoked trout pâté is perfect for pre-dinner nibblies with friends.

Celebrate spring with this beautiful salad of young asparagus, avocado and juicy grapefruit.

Sweet beetroot contrasts beautifully with sharp, salty feta and bitter leaves in this delicious salad. Perfect as a light lunch, or a side dish.

We used a baguette for the garlic toast. If making this dish a few hours ahead, combine ingredients, except for cucumber, in large bowl; toss cucumber through just before serving. The longer the salmon marinates with the lime, the more 'cooked' it will be.

Button or portobello mushrooms can also be used in this recipe. Note

Twice-cooked asian pork belly with steamed ginger rice from Australian Women's Weekly.

If you don't have any skewers handy, you could use rosemary sprigs instead, they'll infuse the fish with a lovely flavour. Soak them well first, to prevent burning. For the fish, we've used blue-eye but any white fish will do.

Tuna sold as sashimi has to meet stringent guidelines regarding its handling and treatment after leaving the water. It is a good idea to buy it only from a fishmonger you trust, or to seek advice from local authorities before eating any raw seafood. Not suitable to freeze. Not suitable to microwave. Note

If you have an electric pressure cooker you won’t need to reduce the heat to stabilise pressure,your cooker will automatically stabilise itself. Always check with the manufacturer’s instructions before using. Note

These crunchy beef dumplings with sweet chilli dipping sauce are the ultimate crowd-pleaser.

Freeze cheese for 10 minutes to make crumbling easier. Note

Substitute brown sugar for the palm sugar, if desired. The salad dressing can be made a day ahead and kept, covered, in the refrigerator. Note

Fishmongers and major supermarkets should have fresh shelled prawns with the tails intact. If you can’t find them fresh, prawns are also available frozen. Thaw in the fridge during the day, so they are ready to cook when you get home. Note

Serve these delicious grilled scallops in their shells for an elegant starter.

Mozzerella is a perfect melting cheese. It is fun and messy to eat with a mild creamy flavour.

Labne is sometimes sold as ‘yoghurt cheese’. You can use the oil from the labne instead of the extra olive oil if you like. If you can’t find za’atar, you can make your own: combine 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon dried thyme, 2 teaspoons sumac and 2 teaspoons salt. Note

A few slivers of thinly sliced rare beef dolloped with some mustard horseradish, atop a baby spinach covered crispy base and you have a delicious and eye catching hors-d'oeuvre.

This eggplant, tomato and parsley salad is fantastic when you need a meal that is low in calories and high in nutrients and satisfaction.

If not serving rolls immediately, place, seam-side down, on a plastic-wrap-lined tray, then cover with a damp paper towel and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Use any kind of crab, available from fish markets, if blue swimmers are not in season. Radicchio is a burgundy-leafed lettuce with white ribs and a slightly bitter flavour.

A seafood bisque has a deep, luxurious flavour, this comes from cooking prawns in their shells, as well as fish fillets, into a stock which is then blended (shells and all) into a smooth, silky soup.

Give a little nod to the finger food of the 60s while giving a more contemporary feel and taste to the classic prawn toast.

Make these delicious zucchini and pine nut bruschetta for a tapas-style tasty treat.

You can also use russet burbank or spunta potatoes for this recipe. Note

We've detailed how to clean and prepare the calamari below; it's easier than you think! Remember that calamari cooks incredibly quickly; it's important not to overcook it because it will become tough and chewy, ruining the delicate nature of this tasty dish.

Succulent lamb fillets form the centre of these tasty little Greek-style pastry with spinach and feta cheese.

Wear rubber gloves when removing the head of the balmain bug from the tail. Note

This deliciously hearty lamb and white bean soup is full of iron, protein and all the goodness of fresh vegetables. It's a meal in itself and perfect for cold winter nights.

If you're not a fan of coriander, try thai basil; it has a strong basil flavour and is an almost indispensible ingredient in Thai cooking. It is also said to bring good fortune.

Bring a little bit of Belgium to your kitchen with this classic dish. Serve with some crusty bread to soak up that delicious broth, and be generous with the finger bowls!

If you prefer, buy 1kg packs of pot-ready mussels from fishmongers or seafood markets. These have already been scrubbed and bearded, and are ready to cook. Some mussels might not open. These might need prompting with a knife or might not have cooked as quickly as the others;­ some will not open after excessive cooking. […]

Zucchini is an incredibly versatile vegetable that can be used in all sorts of soups and stews and vegetable platters. Here, we've grilled it lightly and tossed it through a pasta salad. Just a little lemon juice, zest and ricotta completes this fresh and colourful dish.

Beurre bosc pears can be substituted for corella pears. Note

These vegetable rice paper rolls are a popular dish to serve as a sharing plate with sweet chilli dipping sauce.

Oysters are an amazingly versatile seafood. They are delicious topped with a little squeeze of lemon juice, or with melted cheese, or with Asian style dressing. Here, we've topped them with a robustly flavoured bacon butter.

Reminiscent in flavour of boscaiola sauce, this delicious soup combines mushroom and bacon and in a thick, creamy base.

Lift these tasty beef samosas to the next level with this fresh peach and raisin chutney.

These make a delicious and fresh addition to any share plate that everyone will love. Lobster or prawn meat can be substituted for the crab, if desired.

You can use feta cheese in place of goat’s cheese. Make pastry cases a week ahead; store in an airtight container. Prepare asparagus and tomatoes 8 hours ahead for asparagus mixture; cover, refrigerate separately. Assemble tarts just before serving. Note

Spicy, salty and crunchy, these delicious prawns are perfect served as a starter at dinner parties or barbecues. Serve with this zesty sweet chilli syrup for extra flavour.

You need 12 bamboo skewers for this recipe. Soak them in water for an hour before use to prevent them splintering or scorching during cooking. Note

A cousin of the Sicilian arancini, these Roman fried rice balls are filled with melted mozzarella.

Baked until crisp in a bubbling cheese sauce, these moreish witlof make an excellent starter or light lunch.

This recipe works equally well cooked as 40 mini pancakes as cocktail food, or as 6 pancakes as starters.

The chicken dumpling mixture makes 40 dumplings so you need a package containing at least 40 wonton wrappers. You can make the dumplings whenever you like, and freeze them, separated in two, or even four, batches, sealed tightly in snap-lock bags. When you want to use them, remove what you need from the freezer and […]

Baharat is an Arab spice mix which usually contains allspice, black pepper, cardamom, cloves, dried coriander, cumin, nutmeg and chilli. Note

A sweet, sour and spicy Vietnamese dipping sauce from Australian Women's Weekly.

Sweet, milky bocconcini make a great combination with the caramelised onion topping, but brie works beautifully too if you prefer.

You’ll need to buy 2 x 270g packets of wonton wrappers. They are available from the refrigerated section of Asian grocery stores and most supermarkets. The rolls can be made a day before they’re needed, keep covered with damp absorbent paper, then plastic wrap, in the fridge. Bake the rolls up to an hour before […]

Sashimi salmon may be used instead of tuna. Note

Uncooked spring rolls can be prepared 3 hours ahead; cover, refrigerate until required. Bake just before serving. Note

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Rice paper wrappers are available from the Asian food section in supermarkets. Filling ingredients can be prepared several hours ahead. Keep covered in the refrigerator. Rolls can be prepared up to 2 hours ahead. Place on a tray lined with plastic wrap, then cover with a clean, damp tea towel and keep refrigerated. Note

Rich smoked trout and tender butter beans are a beautiful contrast to the cornichons and watercress in this delightful salad.

Barbequing for a crowd can be easy. The key is in the preparation.

Soft, light and garlicky with a crisp, golden crust, these little garlic potato soufflés make an excellent starter.

Seafood marinara mix is widely available and very convenient, although you could experiment with all of your favourite seafood morsels.

Preserved grape leaves are available from some delicatessens and Middle Eastern food shops; they must be rinsed well and dried before using.

Healthy, fragrant and delicious Japanese vegetable gow gees with miso dipping sauce.

Look for fresh scallops as frozen scallops give out a lot of water. Note