SALAD OF HOT SMOKED SALMON, WATERCRESS, AVOCADO & SEMI-DRIED TOMATOES

A mild day, so a salad seemed like a reasonable way to meet the stringent restrictions of this detox diet. I must have had an inkling that we were going to start this thing because I bought lots of fruit and veg at the markets - including this watercress, avocado and coriander. Two days down, five to go.

SALAD OF HOT SMOKED SALMON, WATERCRESS, AVOCADO & SEMI-DRIED TOMATOES

BUCKWHEAT WITH MUSHROOMS AND SHEEP'S MILK CHEESE

OK, so I am having another go at detox. The first attempt was a disaster - restricted to gallons of unpalatable liquid and nothing else. No wonder I had a headache after 24 hours. This time around, it's much more civilised. At least food is allowed, if not good things like meat, dairy and coffee. So here's the first night's effort. I wouldn't want to make a habit of this, but so far so good.

BUCKWHEAT WITH MUSHROOMS AND SHEEP'S MILK CHEESE

GARFISH WITH BRAISED ARTICHOKES

When I was a young sprog, we'd go to Port Macquarie on the New South Wales north coast for most May school holidays. And most days we'd go fish on the Hastings River.  We'd usually fish for flathead or bream. occasionally we'd fish for whiting and once or twice for garfish, which we'd often see in the shallows of the river near Hibberd ferry. You need to catch a lot of garfish to make a meal for 5. They are skinny little buggers. I have no idea if that spear on their snout serves any purpose. I bet there have been some accidents at times with careless garfish impaling a submerged object and getting stuck fast. I was reminded of those holidays when I saw garfish in the local fishmonger's. I bought these artichokes from the greengrocer next door to the fishmonger and braised them in chicken stock, lemon juice, white wine and garlic.

GARFISH WITH BRAISED ARTICHOKES

OCEAN TROUT CONFIT, WILTED SPINACH, SPECK & AIOLI

In the freezer there is a container of olive oil enhanced with lemon peel, coriander seeds and other goodies. I use it exclusively for cooking ocean trout. I marinate the fish for several hours in the thawed oil, then basically just warm it for an hour at just 80C. It is spectacularly rich, maintaining the deep orange of the raw fish, but with added complexity from its bath and heating in the spiced oil. Some huge bunches of beautiful spinach picked yesterday and bought at this morning's market. Some slices of wood-smoked speck roasted to crisp. a squeeze of ultra sweet lemon juice - heaven

OCEAN TROUT CONFIT, WILTED SPINACH, SPECK & AIOLI

WAGYU RIB FILLET, SPICED PUMPKIN PUREE, KASHMIRI DAL

I was inspired to make this dal (or dhal or dahl - you see it anglicised all 3 ways) by a recipe from Chris Manfield. It worked really well with the pumpkin flavoured with fresh ginger and coriander juice. The wagyu was a nice piece of purebred meat with about 7+ marbling. Super succulent, tender and with that unidentifiable something extra that wagyu seems to have.

WAGYU RIB FILLET, SPICED PUMPKIN PUREE, KASHMIRI DAL

RAGOUT OF WILD MUSHROOMS AND TRUFFLE

Quite excited to see fresh chanterelles, black trumpet and porcini mushrooms today. Seemed only right to treat them with respect - a simple ragout based on rich chicken stock with truffle and other goodies.

RAGOUT OF WILD MUSHROOMS AND TRUFFLE

BARBECUED LEG OF CHICKEN WITH SAUTEED ZUCCHINI

There's something inadequate with food descriptions like 'herb-marinated' - so I left this out of the description ... on the other hand, omitting the herb marinade leaves it sounding like an unadorned chunk of chook, when your eyes clearly tell you there's something on the skin. So, for the record, the chicken bathed in a mix of olive oil, garlic, parsley, oregano, chilli and lemon juice ... or 'herb-marinated' for short.

BARBECUED LEG OF CHICKEN WITH SAUTEED ZUCCHINI

ROASTED VEGETABLES, SALSA VERDE AND ROAST GARLIC AIOLI

It might be my Libra characteristics, but I do like balance. One excess needs to be countered with an equal but opposite excess. So to right the dietary imbalance caused by the slab of cow last week, here's a meat-free feast. More of the deep, deep, deep orange pumpkin from our neighbours' farm, some little purple carrots from the markets, Bintje potato, zucchini with a baby spinach-based salsa verde and a dollop of roast garlic aïoli. To be honest, I didn't miss the meat at all. Well, hardly.

ROASTED VEGETABLES, SALSA VERDE AND ROAST GARLIC AIOLI

BREAST OF CHICKEN WITH ROASTED PUMPKIN AND BABY SPINACH

We have what you might call a glut of pumpkin. Our darling neighbours keep giving us pumpkins from their farm. As fast as we eat them, we're about three pumpkins behind right now. Anybody want some excellent Tweed pumpkin? You can see from this photo that it has really deep colour - and flavour to match. Excellent roasted, in soups, salads, pies, as a facial, hat, bowling ball, blunt instrument (you can eat the evidence) ... whatever you want it to be.

BREAST OF CHICKEN WITH ROASTED PUMPKIN AND BABY SPINACH

YELLOWFIN TUNA WITH PURPLE CONGO POTATOES AND BROCCOLINI

Basic family fare - but I have to say this was the best broccolini I have tasted. Sweet, nutty and somehow just right.

YELLOWFIN TUNA WITH PURPLE CONGO POTATOES AND BROCCOLINI

JEWFISH WITH ROASTED PUMPKIN & SUGARLOAF CABBAGE SALAD

Soft sweet pumpkin, crunchy full-on cabbage (a great recipe from Stephanie Alexander) and simply sautéed jewfish = a happy Gregory

JEWFISH WITH ROASTED PUMPKIN & SUGARLOAF CABBAGE SALAD

BISTECCA FIORENTINA, DUTCH CREAM MASH AND BABY CAVOLO NERO

To call Sydney's Victor Churchill a butcher shop is to call Leonardo da Vinci an illustrator. This shop is a meat temple unlike any store in the world.  From the moment I pushed on its sausage link door handle I knew I was going to have trouble deciding what to buy and cook. In the end I bought this 1kg T-bone of dry-aged meaty magnificence. Next stop was Fratelli Fresh for some Dutch cream potatoes, spring onions and baby leaves of cavolo nero. Classic meat and 3 veg - but elevated by the quality of the ingredients into gastronomic heaven.

BISTECCA FIORENTINA, DUTCH CREAM MASH AND BABY CAVOLO NERO