At the Market

cooking melbourne

Discovering Melbourne's Artisan Foods and Produce

Asparagus Appreciation

Asparagus season is in full swing again. You can enjoy them in a myriad of ways but simply blanching them until just tender is the nicest way to enjoy their flavour and texture. Asparagus lends itself to any cuisine, their sculptural look making a visual impact on platters as shown here where I paired them…

Poached Pears A Timeless Classic

It’s well and truly pear season now and a nice way to enjoy them when they are still a bit firm and crisp is sliced in salads or with cheese. Once ripe, pears do not travel well but you can still enjoy a juicy pear at work if you wrap it in paper and transport…

Spaghetti alle Vongole

Spaghetti alle Vongole, spaghetti with clams is a delicious Italian pasta dish which I love to cook but I can’t help being reminded of my first trip to Italy, specifically while on a train to Florence, every time I see clams or think of cooking them. As it was a public holiday the train leaving…

Nuts About An Alpine Autumn

Autumn is a wonderful time of year to explore the Victorian Alpine region. The Autumn colours are at their most vivid right now and in the late afternoon sun the poplars take on the look of giant golden torches against the soft dusky grey green of the hills. More common are the liquid amber trees…

Sweet Sapphire Grapes

Sweet Sapphire grapes, with their elongated, black, knobbly bodies, may look more like licorice bullets than grapes and perhaps with their extra sweetness they are more like lollies than fruit. My teenage nephew ate the whole plate I put out with cheeses for Easter dinner, clearly giving them the thumbs up. Sweet Sapphire grapes are…