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Sunday Gravy
I think it might be time to share my Sunday Gravy with you. I mean, we’re friends right? You’ve been hanging in there with me through all the times when I have dropped off the radar and you’ve cheered me on when I’ve made my comebacks. I think you deserve Sunday Gravy.
Now if you’re not down with the whole Italian-American thing you might be asking, “What the heck is Sunday Gravy?” Don’t worry, I’m here to help with that. Sunday Gravy is a slow cooked tomato sauce that uses meat as it’s base. It’s not a bolognese and it’s not a ragu. It is still, for me, primarily a tomato sauce and is served over pasta (fresh if at all possible). Sunday Gravy should make the whole house smell like if you walked into the kitchen you would expect to find a whole clan of Italian Grandmothers stirring the pot. It is rich and satisfying and one mouthful makes you feel like you’re wrapped up in Grandma’s hand crocheted quilt. Really. Sunday Gravy is that good.
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Pea and Avocado Crostini with Zucchini and Tomatoes
Even the biggest carnivores need some vegetables every now and then. Today is my day and I couldn’t be more excited about this recipe. It’s one of the best things I’ve made lately (and considering those lamb shanks that’s a pretty tall order!).
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Prawn and Chorizo Skewers
A couple weeks ago I was invited to a party at a good friend’s house. She asked me to arrive a bit early to help out, but truthfully, she had everything done when I got there so I think she was really just up for a bit of a chat. In any case, I dragged myself out of bed early and made an extra strong coffee to get all the limbs and the mind functioning. Off to the market I went. I wanted to make a dish to add to the spread but it would have to be something I could prepare at her house because I had nearly an hour on the train and didn’t want to be carrying a platter of food. Not to mention it would be bad by the time I got there. So I decided on something relatively simple; prawn and chorizo skewers. I knew the fish monger would be happy to put my prawns on ice for me and the chorizo would be fine as well so I wasn’t worried about a thing. I turned my music on, put in the earbuds and off I went!
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Red Wine Braised Lamb Shanks
Today, friends, I have a fantastic weekend dinner for you. One that you let cook all afternoon and then sit down with good wine and good company to savor. It’s the kind of dish you take a bite of and melt right into. The kind where you take your time to eat and drag it out because there’s good food, good wine and good conversation and you have nowhere you’d rather be. These are my favorite kind of meals.
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Split Pea and Ham Soup
Winter is quickly approaching here in Australia. I love winter cooking! It gets colder and you want to turn the stove and oven on and you crave the hot bowls of soup and stew.
Last week we had a rainy coldish day and I jumped right on it with an easy one pot winter meal. Split pea and ham soup did the trick! Pea and ham soup is a great one to make when you’ve had a big family ham dinner and have a bone left over. However, no need to wait until then to whip up a pot. Check with your butcher for ham hocks (I’ve seen them call bacon hocks here too) or go to the deli and ask there. Many times they will have ham bones on hand. I found mine at Queen Vic Market in the deli hall. He was quite happy to sell it to me and there was still a fair bit of meat on the bone.
