CHICKEN WITH TACHOGOBI & ROASTED CORN SALSA

If you haven't been to Mexico, you're unlikely to know tachogobi. Even a lot of Mexicans wouldn't know it. It's an intensely hot sauce with a whole lot more going for it than simple chilli heat. For starters, it's made using chiltepin - which are considered the original chilli. These are red spheres smaller than peas with an intense clean fresh fruity heat. Another important ingredient for this is lard. I make my own from slabs of pork fat. It keeps for months and months and is essential. The final main ingredient is tomato (another Mexican gift to the world). In this case they use grape tomatoes. If you can't get chiltepins, lard or grape tomatoes at the height of the season, don't bother. I'll post a recipe for it soon. In the meantime you will find it in Zarela Martínez's Veracruz cookbook.

CHICKEN WITH TACHOGOBI & ROASTED CORN SALSA

RICE NOODLES WITH PRAWNS AND XO SAUCE

Quick, basic stuff. Once the prawns are peeled, five minutes from start to finish.

RICE NOODLES WITH PRAWNS AND XO SAUCE

PANKO CRUMBED GARFISH, PINK EYE POTATO MASH, SRI LANKAN SPINACH

There are fish called garfish in the Mediterranean and the Baltic and the Atlantic. They aren't the same as the garfish found in shallow waters around Australia - but they share some characteristics. Maybe cousins. They are occasionally used for sashimi. Here they've been dunked in panko crumbs and pan fried in ghee. I hadn't heard of Sri Lankan spinach until I saw it on a stall at the weekly farmers market. If you look it up on the Net, as I did, you'll see it's also called water spinach. But then if you look up water spinach, as I did, you'll see what the Chinese call ong choy - and this has arrow-head shaped leaves while ong choy has long slender leaves - all of which makes vegetable identification as puzzling as working out fish species around the world.

PANKO CRUMBED GARFISH, PINK EYE POTATO MASH, SRI LANKAN SPINACH

BEEF & ONION PIE

People seem to divide into two camps when it comes to pie pastry. Some are puffs, some are short. I'm short, especially when it's made properly with lard. People seem to divide into two camps when it comes to lard. Some are fans, some are reviled at the very thought of all that rampant animal fat. Fat = Flavour. Some Mexican dishes don't work without lard. Many European biscuits don't work without lard. I'm a short, lard man.

BEEF & ONION PIE

STIR FRIED BREAM, EGGPLANTS AND SNAKE BEANS

The pic's worse than usual - and couldn't be resurrected on my computer. Well, at least it couldn't be resurrected by me. Fortunately the food didn't need resurrecting. Live, not dead, flavours. A bit of fried pork skin to add textural variety. On the subject of snake beans - I didn't know until recently that the beans are the same beans sold dried as black-eyed peas. Did you? On the subject of Black Eyed Peas ...

STIR FRIED BREAM, EGGPLANTS AND SNAKE BEANS

SALAD OF CRAB & GREEN MANGO

Blue swimmer or sand crabs are possibly the sweetest crabs. They are also very fiddly. They are worth the effort a hundred times over. Here they get to do a bit of a Thai dance with some green mango and other goodies.

SALAD OF CRAB & GREEN MANGO

PORK & CHICKEN LIVER TERRINE

The butcher gave me a few hundred grams of livers from Alstonville chickens. I introduced them to some Bangalow pork from the same region. I added some roasted baby beetroots from the markets and lettuces, also from the markets and served a great lime & date chutney made by a Sri Lankan family at Mudgeeraba. Some slices of good sourdough bread and I'm pretty happy. Come to think of it, I'm pretty happy most of the time. Maybe it isn't the food after all.

PORK & CHICKEN LIVER TERRINE

PORTUGUESE SPICED CHICKEN, ONION JAM, KUMARA & PECAN SALAD

Ah, Portugal. Famous for port. And salt cod. And, centuries ago, sailors. Now it's probably best known (in Oz at least) for the spiced grilled chicken served at all those Oporto take-away food joints. This leg of local chook was marinated in a mix of roasted red capsicum, smoked paprika and other things vaguely Portuguese (but excluding port and salt cod). The smoky spicy tang of the chicken was countered with onion jam and a kumara salad.

PORTUGUESE SPICED CHICKEN, ONION JAM, KUMARA & PECAN SALAD

HERBED YELLOW FIN TUNA WITH BOK CHOY

Glistening fresh yellow fin tuna rolled in fresh herbs with bok choy. Fast food. Health food.

HERBED YELLOW FIN TUNA WITH BOK CHOY

SALAD OF POACHED CHICKEN, PEANUTS & MINT

Salad of poached chicken, peanuts & mint. Can't think of anything more refreshing than a Thai-style salad. Except a beer just above freezing. And a swim in the Pacific on a hot summer's day. And proper gelato. And gazpacho. OK, so maybe there are a few things that compete. But this is up there.

SALAD OF POACHED CHICKEN, PEANUTS & MINT

JEWFISH WITH COUSCOUS, SAUTEED ZUCCHINI & HARISSA SAUCE

Jewfish are loners. They occasionally hang out with other jewfish, but more often than not they like their own company. They're probably good at solitaire. And sudoku. I marinated these for a short while in some preserved lemons and their brine, then dried them thoroughly and seared them.

JEWFISH WITH COUSCOUS, SAUTEED ZUCCHINI & HARISSA SAUCE

LINE-CAUGHT BARRAMUNDI WITH CANNELLINI BEANS & SALSA VERDE

My god fish names are confusing. This is barramundi. Every Australian knows it as barramundi. The word comes from an aboriginal word meaning 'large scaled river fish' - which is a reasonable description. It's a member of the sea bass family and is common in the Indian Ocean and Western Pacific. If you're in Thailand, they'll call it ปลากระพง.  We can buy 3 versions of barramundi here - farmed, wild and line-caught. Farmed fish are OK but often seem vaguely muddy to me. Wild fish are a big improvement. But the line-caught versions are vastly superior to even the netted wild fish. My fishmonger explained it. Something to do with the time the fish can spend in the net in the ocean before being hauled on board and put into the ice slurry. The fish are often dead by the time they get onto the trawler. The line-caught version, however is alive and kicking when it comes on board and goes straight onto ice. It has a different colour, bright white as compared with a vaguely blueish white for the netted fish, and with a vibrant red just under the skin. Anyway, at their best they are a sublime fish.

LINE-CAUGHT BARRAMUNDI WITH CANNELLINI BEANS & SALSA VERDE

TERIYAKI SALMON, SOY BEANS & DASHI/MISO SAUCE

I make teriyaki sauce in biggish batches and keep it in the fridge for things like this. A simple piece of fish marinated, dried and sautéed, fresh soy beans and a dead simple sauce of dashi and miso.

TERIYAKI SALMON, SOY BEANS & DASHI/MISO SAUCE

MACKEREL & POTATO CAKES WITH CHILLI, LIME & CORIANDER MAYONNAISE

Poor mackerel. It's just not sexy. Hiramasa kingfish, bluefin tuna, Petuna ocean trout - they're the red carpet fish. Mackerel has to use the tradesman's entrance. Pit because it's bloody good for certain dishes. It love teriyaki for example. It also shines in something like this, mixed with mashed potato, various herbs and other goodies.

MACKEREL & POTATO CAKES WITH CHILLI, LIME & CORIANDER MAYONNAISE

DUCK RAVIOLI WITH AIOLI & BURNT SAGE BUTTER

Paul, our butcher at Jack Sprat's, stocks some tasty Grimaud ducks. As the name suggest the breed comes from France. I'm guessing the breed came by plane. Anyway, they're good. I cooked one. There was too much meat for two of us, so this is where the rest of it ended up.

DUCK RAVIOLI WITH AIOLI & BURNT SAGE BUTTER

SALMON WITH AVOCADO & HERBS

How much detail about a dish is too much? I've called this salmon with avocado & herbs. As the picture shows, it's a bit more complicated than that name suggests - but not much. The avocado is mashed with coriander leaves, salt & lime juice. The herbs (parsley, basil & coriander) are mixed with bread, capers, garlic, anchovies, olive oil and red wine vinegar. The other freeloaders here are a watercress salad and an heirloom tomato salad. But you really don't need to know all that. Salmon with avocado & herbs is enough. It was accompanied by a 1992 Taltarni Clover Hill chardonnay. Dominique Portet made it from grapes which were planted to supply wine for his Clover Hill bubbly. This chardonnay was almost undrinkable when young. Acidic to the point of being caustic. But like a great chablis, this has finally blossomed. Pity I'm down to the last one or two bottles - just as it's coming good.

SALMON WITH AVOCADO & HERBS

DIVER WHITING WITH TWO BEANS

Diver whiting is caught locally in winter. I have no idea where it spends the rest of the year. Diving? On the Great Barrier Reef? It's also sometimes called trumpeter whiting. Which makes me wonder if there's a fish jazz club down there somewhere. Anyway, it was waiting for me at the local fishmonger, it winked at me and I took it home. Proponents of healthy eating tell us that legumes are good for us. So here I have two of them on the same plate. Cannellini & Johnny Loves Bites tomatoes in a salad. Fresh broad beans puréed with a little olive oil.

DIVER WHITING WITH TWO BEANS

SUCKLING PIG TACOS

I barbecued a suckling pig for Christmas last year. There was some meat left over so the following day I did some tacos. Usual suspects for condiments - fresh tomato salsa, guacamole, pickled red onions, jalapeños en escabeche (using an old Diana Kennedy recipe). I don't mean to imply that Diana Kennedy is old. But I am sure the recipe is. I often make my own corn tortillas, but a tortilla aficionado could identify these as commercial ones. Definitely not as good as home made. I must have been feeling lazy. Or pushed for time. Or both. Or neither. I did some tea-smoked salmon tacos for the same meal.

SUCKLING PIG TACOS

RACK OF MILLY HILL LAMB WITH NICOLA POTATO MASH & SILVERBEET

Lack of ram. A common complaint amongst ewes. Not a lot to this dish. I have a great cast iron pan that is perfect for this. I can get it quite hot on the stove, sear the rack then put it in the oven. Some nicola potato mash and a glistening, squeaky bunch of local silverbeat sautéed in olive oil and garlic. Meat and two veg. Three if you add a spoon of tapenade, which I did.

RACK OF MILLY HILL LAMB WITH NICOLA POTATO MASH & SILVERBEET

SPAGHETTI WITH YELLOWFIN TUNA

We went deep sea fishing a few years ago. We caught a few mahi mahi and a yellowfin tuna. We kept one of the mahi mahi and the tuna. We ate fish for the next two weeks. We had tuna sashimi that evening. Followed by mahi mahi steaks. We had mahi mahi sushi. More tuna sashimi. Tuna steaks. Mahi mahi curry. Tuna burgers. Mahi mahi cakes. It was a test of my inventiveness. And our perseverance. Anyway, I usually do sashimi or seared fillets when they have yellowfin tuna at our local fishmonger. But on this occasion, I bought more tuna than we needed, so I made this pasta. Nothing flash - tuna, chillies, tomatoes and a decent olive oil.

SPAGHETTI WITH YELLOWFIN TUNA

TEA SMOKED SALMON, CHIPOTLE AIOLI, QUINOA, SWEET POTATO & PECAN SALAD

It's interesting what a few minutes over a smoking wok of rice, sugar and jasmine tea does for a piece of salmon. It's still incredibly moist and the salmon flavour is clearly recognisable but now there's another kid on the block, this macho/gentle (metro male?) smoke to add some more interest. Sticking with a smoky theme, I've made some roast garlic aïoli with chipotle chillies (which for those who don't know them are smoked jalapeños that have their own sweet smokiness). Quinoa, sweet potato & pecans bring up the rear

TEA SMOKED SALMON, CHIPOTLE AIOLI, QUINOA, SWEET POTATO & PECAN SALAD

10 GREAT MEXICAN COOKBOOKS IN ENGLISH

10 GREAT MEXICAN COOKBOOKS IN ENGLISH

BRINED & ROASTED ALSTONVILLE CHICKEN WITH POLENTA

I'd read about the benefits of brining chicken but only recently got around to trying it. It worked as advertised, adding moisture to the flesh but also ensuring crisp skin. A bed of soft polenta and some sautéed zucchini and dinner's ready. OK, you need to start the brining a few hours ahead, but after that it's all pretty simple. The chickens come from Alstonville west of Ballina, New South Wales. I buy them from Paul at Jack Sprat's in South Tweed Heads. Still not as richly-flavoured as the chooks in Mexico, but better than most of the ones raised here in Oz

BRINED & ROASTED ALSTONVILLE CHICKEN WITH POLENTA

RICE NOODLES WITH PRAWNS AND CRAB PASTE

Is there any food that feels as good going down as rice noddles? Here the slipperiness of the noodles contrasts the firm sweetness of the prawns, the crunch of roasted peanuts and fried eschalots.  The crab paste is one of those fabulously versatile condiments on the shelves of Asian grocery stores. This one is Pantai Crab Paste with Soya Bean oil. While you're there, also pick up a jar of Tean's Gourmet Crispy Prawn Chilli. You'll thank me later.

RICE NOODLES WITH PRAWNS AND CRAB PASTE

GOLD BAND SNAPPER WITH SMASHED NICOLA POTATOES

Gold band snapper (which is sometimes called jobfish or fingermark) is a mild-flavoured fish from deep tropical and sub-tropical waters. Very simply seared in ghee. Nicola potatoes, scrubbed but with skin on, cut into 2-3 cm chunks, boiled with a clove of garlic, mashed coarsely with good butter. Served with tachogobi, tomatillo salsa and a cherry tomato salad.

GOLD BAND SNAPPER WITH SMASHED NICOLA POTATOES

SPATCHCOCK WITH BREAD SAUCE, CHICKEN JUS & SOY BEANS

This is a Tetsuya Wakuda recipe. Tetsuya used to cook in a kitchen the size of a closet at his restaurant in Rozelle, Sydney. It sometimes took quite a while for dishes to emerge, but no diner ever complained. To start with, it was amazing that he and his team could cook in that space and the food that emerged was so sublime that I'd wait an eternity to taste it. He used to do a blue cheese & pear bavarois that was an extraordinary quivering mound of subtle perfection. Tetsuya does a fancy version of this dish and plates it up with a style befitting his celebrated restaurant. Mine's the home cook version. The ingredients and flavours are intact, just missing the elegance of the master's presentation. This is another of those double-cooking meals - the spatchcocks are poached gently in goose fat inside freezer bags before a final grilling. Tetsuya's recipe is in his book, Tetsuya.

SPATCHCOCK WITH BREAD SAUCE, CHICKEN JUS & SOY BEANS

PENNE WITH BROCCOLI, TOMATO & PANCETTA

Not much to explain here. Sweet, sweet, sweet tomatoes from the weekly farmers market, broccoli in season, a decent brand of pasta and an aged parmiggiano reggiano. Good healthy fast food. Twenty minutes start to finish.

PENNE WITH BROCCOLI, TOMATO & PANCETTA

POLENTA-CRUSTED CHICKEN, CHICKPEA SALAD & TOMATILLO SALSA

If you're Mexican, you know tomatillos. If you're not, you mightn't. They're related to gooseberries, but look like green tomatoes. They have a papery wrapper. I grew some for the first time last summer. It was fun to watch them develop. First the yellow flowers, then what look like those paper Chinese lanterns. Gradually, the fruit grows inside the lantern until it bursts the husk. This is a raw salsa made with green serrano chillies from the garden, coriander, onion and salt. The polenta crust is another nod to Mexico, home to corn. Also home to tomatoes. The chick peas arrived with the Spanish in the 16th century and are now a popular food in Mexico. Enough history. Time to eat.

POLENTA-CRUSTED CHICKEN, CHICKPEA SALAD & TOMATILLO SALSA

REEF COD, PURPLE CONGO POTATOES, WATERCRESS PESTO, TOMATO & MUSTARD COULIS, CRISP PANCETTA

Reef cod is at the local fishmonger occasionally. It's a fish with big-flaked sweet white flesh that seems at home in a lot of different settings. Here it's matched with whole purple Congo potatoes, watercress pesto, crisp pancetta and a yellow tomato & mustard coulis (which shows up in another dish or two).

REEF COD, PURPLE CONGO POTATOES, WATERCRESS PESTO, TOMATO & MUSTARD COULIS, CRISP PANCETTA

RED CURRY OF CHICKEN AND EGGPLANTS

We grow galangal in the garden. Actually that sounds like we're in control of its growth. That's not true. It runs amok. However, every now and then I dig up a piece of its root to make another batch of Thai curry paste. We used to have lemongrass, but that has died off. The Thai chilli bush is a prolific producer - hundreds of fruit every year. Anyway, it all goes toward making bowls of this intensely perfumed, satisfying curry.

RED CURRY OF CHICKEN AND EGGPLANTS

CAJUN SALMON, YELLOW TOMATO & MUSTARD COULIS WITH JOHNNY LOVE BITES SALSA

Fratelli Fresh in Sydney now stock these incredibly sweet tomatoes sold under the Johnny Love Bites brand. Worth grabbing - if you're in Sydney. Worth flying to Sydney if you live somewhere else. Well somewhere else other than Italy. If you live in Italy you've got some nice tomatoes nearby already. But a trip to Sydney would be nice all the same.

CAJUN SALMON, YELLOW TOMATO & MUSTARD COULIS WITH JOHNNY LOVE BITES SALSA

COCHINITA PIBIL, FRIJOLES REFRITOS, QUESO DE CABRITO, CEBOLLAS Y SALSA FRESCA

For me, cochinita pibil is one of the great slow-cooked dishes of the world. Traditionally cooked underground, it works just as well when wrapped in banana leaves and sealed inside a casserole. We get our banana leaves from our neighbour, a wonderful Irishman called Tom who used to own most of the hill on which we live. Pork neck is another of those great lesser-used cuts of meat just made for slow cooking. I'll post my recipe for this, but in the meantime - if you have just one Mexican cookbook, get hold of one of Diana Kennedy's books. My Mexico, The Art of Mexican Cooking and The Cuisines of Mexico are faves. She includes many recipes she has collected on her travels around the countryside - dishes that are unique to one town or even a single family.

COCHINITA PIBIL, FRIJOLES REFRITOS, QUESO DE CABRITO, CEBOLLAS Y SALSA FRESCA

SALAD OF SMOKED RAINBOW TROUT WITH CHIVE & CAPER VINAIGRETTE

Rocket from the garden, smoked trout from Cooma in southern New South Wales. Toss them together with a few other bits for a refreshing summer treat. Some times that's about all you feel like doing.

SALAD OF SMOKED RAINBOW TROUT WITH CHIVE & CAPER VINAIGRETTE

OCEAN TROUT, ROASTED ASPARAGUS, GINGER & ROAST GARLIC AIOLI

Big fat asparagus from Fratelli Fresh in Sydney, married with ocean trout with ginger & roast garlic aïoli. Nothing fancy.

OCEAN TROUT, ROASTED ASPARAGUS, GINGER & ROAST GARLIC AIOLI