LINGUINE WITH SMOKED SALMON, PRESERVED LEMON AND SALMON ROE

Good brass-extruded pasta from Italy, salmon from Tasmania, salmon roe from the Yarra Valley, home-preserved home-grown lemons and Colonna lemon-infused extra virgin olive oil. Happiness.

LINGUINE WITH SMOKED SALMON, PRESERVED LEMON AND SALMON ROE

RED CURRY OF MAHI MAHI

Or should this be yellow curry? Come to think of it, why are Australia's Yellow Cabs orange? This curry paste is more yellow than red thanks to the inclusion of fresh turmeric. A complex paste of chillies, coriander root, turmeric root, galangal (a ginger) root, garlic, eschallots, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fish paste, palm sugar, salt, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass. But a very simple curry - peanut oil, curry paste, kaffir lime leaves, coconut cream, eschallots and mahi mahi.

RED CURRY OF MAHI MAHI

SALAD OF HOT SMOKED SALMON, CUCUMBER, SHAVED COCONUT AND FRIED PORK SKIN

It's all going on here - smokiness, crunchiness, sweetness ... cool, hot, salty, tangy ... a great salad for a hot tropical summer day.

SALAD OF HOT SMOKED SALMON, CUCUMBER, SHAVED COCONUT AND FRIED PORK SKIN

MAHI MAHI WITH BUDIN DE ELOTE AND GRILLED TOMATO SALSA

The fishmonger at the local markets operates a boat out of Southport, about 30kms north of here. At the moment mahi mahi and yellowfin tuna are off the coast. I bought some corn from another stall at the markets to make this budín - a classic Mexican corn pudding (puréed corn, milk, egg, sugar and salt). I blistered the skin of a few ripe tomatoes over a naked gas flame, then puréed these with serrano chillies, garlic and salt.

MAHI MAHI WITH BUDIN DE ELOTE AND GRILLED TOMATO SALSA

PUMPKIN RISOTTO

I am pretty certain I have posted pumpkin risotto before. Mind you, I have also been pretty certain about lots of things in the past that proved to be mere figments of my imagination. So here it is ... again ... or maybe for the first time. Pumpkin from our neighbours' farm. Montes Alpha chardonnay. Carnaroli rice from Italy. Saffron from Spain. Home made chicken stock. 3 year old parmigiana Reggiano.

PUMPKIN RISOTTO

SALMON WITH SUGARLOAF CABBAGE AND ROE

If I were a poet - or even just a ham menu writer - I'd find an enticing way to describe this so it sounded as good as it tasted. As it is, you'll just have to take my word. The cabbage macerated in a dressing of garlic, anchovy, olive oil, sherry vinegar and salt. The salmon simply sautéed and some salmon roe to pop in the mouth with each mouthful. Simple and tasty ... tastier than it sounds. Trust me.

SALMON WITH SUGARLOAF CABBAGE AND ROE

LINGUINE WITH MORTON BAY BUGS

Morton Bay bugs (or the similar Balmain bugs) are slipper lobsters. If you aren't familiar with them, you're missing out on something special. The flesh is MUCH sweeter than rock lobster or crayfish - but not as sweet as mud crab, blue swimmer crab or scampi. I removed the flesh from these bugs and sautéed this in olive oil with a little garlic and chilli. A squeeze of lemon juice, tossed with spelt linguine and that was that.

LINGUINE WITH MORTON BAY BUGS

BREAST OF CHICKEN WITH LAKSA REDUCTION

But wait! That can't be a breast! It's got a leg! I guess for a lot of people, a chicken breast is a lump of pale pink flesh with no skin, no bone and no flavour that goes white and dry when cooked. This is a breast cut off the whole chicken. Half wing intact. Skin attached. Brushed with a little chilli oil before roasting. Served on a reduced sauce of laksa paste, coconut milk, palm sugar and lime juice.

BREAST OF CHICKEN WITH LAKSA REDUCTION

CHARCOAL ROASTED PORK NECK ON TOASTED ORGANIC TURKISH BREAD

Café food? Yep. On Sunday I roasted a pork neck over charcoal in our kamado. We've all become so used to the virtually instant heat of gas barbecues that going back to charcoal takes a bit of extra effort. For starters, you have to build a fire with fire starters, kindling and finally charcoal. Then you have to do this at least an hour before you want to start cooking, so the charcoal has died down to a rolling, glowing, intense but gentle heat. This pork then had about 3 1/2 hours at a low temperature, during which the outside becomes lightly crisp and that unmistakable charcoal smokiness penetrates deep into the meat. Today I paid slices of this pork on toasted organic Turkish bread, then spread some Punjabi green mango chutney on top, slices of super ripe local tomatoes and wild rocket from the valley. If only more cafés served café food like this.

CHARCOAL ROASTED PORK NECK ON TOASTED ORGANIC TURKISH BREAD

TERIAKI MACKEREL WITH CUCUMBER SALAD

You can buy teriaki marinade ready made. Then again, making your own takes just five minutes. Combine 7 tablespoons sake, 7 tablespoons mirin, 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce and 1 tablespoon sugar in a small saucepan and heat until the sugar has dissolved. I then marinated these thick fillets of mackerel in a few tablespoons of teriaki marinade before sautéing in grapeseed oil. I macerated fine slices of Lebanese cucumber in a mix of sushi vinegar and sugar for 15 minutes and steamed some jasmine rice.

TERIAKI MACKEREL WITH CUCUMBER SALAD

KOKODA

I was at the local market at 7 this morning (or 6, since the market's across the border in Queensland, which is in a different time zone). The fish monger there had some spanish mackerel that was caught in the early hours of this morning - yes, even earlier than 6. I decided to use half of it to make kokoda, the Fijian dish of fish marinated in lime juice. There are a few differences between kokoda and ceviche (which is one of my fave Mexican ways with fish). The main one is that the Fijians add coconut cream to kokoda. The end result is light, zingy and unreasonably good for you. I sealed the other half in cryovac to use Monday night - with some shiitake and enoki I also bought at the markets.

KOKODA

CHORIZO SALAD

Those of you who've been suffering these posts for a while will know that it's not all fine dining chez nous. Every now and then there's a post that's bordering on pedestrian. This is one of these. It's kind of Spanish, but not authentic - like Manuel in Faulty Towers. There's potato (after artichokes, I think this must be Spain's next most popular vegetable), black beans, red capsicum, tomato and cucumber, along with slices of grilled chorizo.

CHORIZO SALAD