And as a consequence, urgently needs to talk about this way to do potatoes with capers!

It's from a book called EASY WINS by Anna Jones which Simon has recommended many times over...

ANNA JONES'S BROWN BUTTER POTATOES WITH LIME TARTARE SAUCE

Add 1kg small potatoes to a large pot of boiling, salted water.

Bring it back to the boil then simmer for around 15 mins.

Drain well and allow to steam dry in the collander.

Pre-heat the oven to 200C.

Warm up 100g salted butter in a pan until it turns nutty brown.

Tumble the potatoes into a roasting pan, pour over the browned butter, season generously with salt and pepper then roast for 25 mins.

Use a potato masher to squash the potatoes slightly.

Add 4tbs of drained capers to the pan, toss, then bake for another 25 mins until golden and crisp.

SAUCE

Meanwhile whisk 1 egg yolk with 2tbs Dijon mustard and then very gradually mix in 150ml good olive oil. Loosen with 2tbs caper brine and 100g sour cream.

Add in finely chopped 2tbs capers and the juice and zest of 1 lemon.

Serve the hot potatoes with the sauce.

DELIGHTFUL!

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What are your thoughts on Simon's advice?

Send us an email FoodFixEmail@gmail.com

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Yumi and Simon discuss what it was like to have comedian Jennifer Wong onboard as guest host, and Yumi has some tips about what to order - and what NOT to order - when going out for Yum Cha.

And if you want to make Gai Lan (Chinese Broccoli) at home? Here's Nagi's recipe. And to do it at home?

1 Bunch of Gai Lan. If you can't get this vegetable, try it with broccolini, it's very good!

Trim the woody ends off the green vegetable. Wash well. If any of the stems are especially thick, slice down their length.

Place the gai lan in a steamer basket or plunge into a big pot of boiling water. Cook for about 5 minutes but test to make sure it's to your liking. You want it not too chewy and raw, but you definitely don't want to overcook it either. In this case I would get sexy with a timer to really make sure.

Meanwhile, gently heat 4tbs oyster sauce with 2-3tbs water. Add a teaspoon of vegetable oil and 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil IF YOU CAN BE BOTHERED.

Toss the cooked vegetable through the sauce but try not to make it a messy jumble: at yum cha it's all neatly laid out facing the same way and halved. Enjoy!

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And if you love Jen and want to see her in person, a good link to upcoming shows is here.

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It might be as simple as using a fish weight when frying a good quality piece of fish...

Or it could be this little hack as tested by Nat's What I Reckon in this video which, at time of publishing this podcast episode, has 11 million views!

BTW if you wanna see Jennifer Wong in person, she has a VERY FOOD RELATED SHOW coming up at Vivid Sydney 2026. More info and a link to the Great Debate that both Yumi and Jen will be on here.

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(you can email if you like: foodfixemail@gmail.com )

Yumi and guest-host Jennifer Wong share their thoughts

PLUS - Yumi has a gadget to help your fish fillets turn out AMAZING - that you probably can use tonight at home!

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In it is a fantastic and fantastically simple and humble recipe that the world-famous foodie created - for a frugal, whole roasted chicken.

A FRUGAL REPAST FOR BETTY - WHOLE ROASTED CHICKEN

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Wash and dry the whole raw chicken. Pat dry. Snip off the fatty flap of skin with scissors. Gently lift the skin on top of the breast meat, being careful not to puncture the skin, and spread out the fatty piece of skin between the skin and the breast.

Prick a whole lemon 8-15 times with a fork and place it inside the chicken's cavity.

Season the whole beast well with salt, pepper and olive oil.

Place the chicken on a small rack and place that inside a roasting tray.

Cut 4 x potatoes into 8 pieces each, 1 onion into 6 pieces, add 4 cloves of garlic to this then toss the lot in olive oil then tumble into the roasting tray with the chicken.

Roast for 1 hour.

Serve elegantly!

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I have an opinion on where some of the truly buried treasures might be found in cookbooks and we unearth one from Belinda Jefferey's 'MIX AND BAKE'. (I said I'd post a link to buy it but unfortunately it's out of stock everywhere! My local library has it - good luck.)

BELINDA JEFFEREY'S SUNDRIED TOMATO NO-KNEAD FOCACCIA

THE DAY BEFORE:

Mix the flours: 250g plain flour and 250g spelt flour, 1tsp salt, 1/4tsp dried yeast

1tbs honey

Stir through 500ml water and 3tbs olive oil. It will be a wet, shaggy dough. Do your best to mix well.

Put it into a clean, oiled bowl, and leave in a calm spot for 12 hours.

Knock it down by kneading and folding it a couple of times and then stretch out the dough to fit a baking tray. Set it aside for 2 hours.

When ready, pre-heat the oven until it's properly hot 200C.

Dimple the top of the dough with your fingertips, drizzle it with good oil and flaked salt, rosemary and olives (or sundried tomatoes).

Bake for 30 - 35 mins.

Eat on the day!

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Jen is funny and literate about food, especially Chinese food, so I thought: Great! Let's absolutely drag this online trend of making dumplings without actually bothering to wrap the filling in the wonton skin. You can see what I'm talking about here.

It's not all ridiculous, though. From Tony Tan, we have a fantastic vegan mushroom dumplings recipe here, which also has the Curry Oil Jen was talking about.

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METHOD:

2 tins of white beans, drained well, or 300g flageolet beans soaked overnight then cooked for 30-40 mins the drained and dried out well

In a bowl, mix together these things:

8 anchovy fillets

4 tbs garlic oil (from last episode)

1 head of garlic (from last episode)

300ml cream

salt, pepper and a light grind of nutmeg

splash of milk

In a gratin dish (smallish, around 25cm), lay out the beans then top with the creamy mixture and some sprigs of rosemary.

Optional: Top with gruyere cheese.

Bake for 15 mins and use the broiler if the top isn't going all bubbly and brown.

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Inspired by the recipe from Gizzi Erskine's seminal cookbook, SLOW, Simon has a way to do garlic that is pretty magical and also, supremely easy.

Tumble 4-5 whole bulbs of garlic with the tops sliced off into a tiny saucepan.

Cover it with good quality olive oil.

Add herbs like rosemary, thyme to the oil IF YOU WANT.

Gently and slowly cook until bubbles are forming around the bulbs - for 20-30 mins. Strictly DO NOT BOIL.

Remove the garlic cloves. They are available to be used as a condiment, smooshed onto toast, blended through a salad dressing or part of a bean gratin.

The oil, once cooled, can be used to flavour anything at all ...with fewer digestive complaints!

And NO, Simon did *not* provide the show notes he said he would. However, we will do a whole episode on the Bean Gratin he mentions. Next! On your 5 Minute Food Fix. xxx

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(Besides best-selling cookbooks?)

They both embrace fancying up seeds and nuts to devastatingly good effect in a salad.

How can we replicate it?

And what hack does Yumi have on days when you just haven't got the energy?

(PS. This is not a sponsored episode, just a really good hack that you can get from the shops!)

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That show is Heated Rivalry and Yumi counts herself as completely, 100% indoctrinated into the cult of Shane and Ilya.

In today's episode, Yumi discovers that Simon has actually watched it as well !! and nearly implodes in delight. She also has a TUNA MELT recipe (IYKYK) that looks a lot like this one, with a few variations.

TUNA SALAD FOR TUNA MELT

1 well-drained 425g tin tuna

2 celery sticks, diced

freshly chopped parsley, 1/4 cup

3 gherkin pickles, finely chopped, or 10 cornichons

1/2 cup of good mayonnaise, to taste (add more or less depending on how you like it)

salt, pepper, chilli flakes

METHOD

Assemble and mix the tuna salad. (This can be made ahead until your "boring" hot boyfriend comes over.)

Turn on the grill or sandwich press.

Spoon it out onto good quality sourdough bread.

Top with 2 slices of American cheese or grated tasty.

Pop under the grill until melted.

Top with another piece of bread, press it down, then return the whole thing to the grill until toasted. Flip to toast the other side.

Serve immediately. With ginger ale.

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On this episode you'll also hear about the super-easy stock that Yumi has been making now that she has hardly any freezer space.

SOUR LENTIL SOUP - ADAS BIL HAMOD

200g brown of green lentils

cover with salted water then boil up for 20 mins until cooked but still with a bit of bite and shape

drain them off

in a big pot heat 3tbs olive oil, 2 chopped onions and 5 garlic cloves, 1.5tbs cumin seeds and the peel of a lemon.

Cook down gently and consistently for at least 15 minutes, stirring until soft and golden.

Add in 3 chopped waxy potatoes.

Throw in the lentils then the chopped hard stalks of some chard.

Add a litre of stock and 800ml water.

Bring to a simmer, pop the lid on the pot and simmer for 20 mins.

When ready to serve, stir through the leaves of the chard or some baby spinach and the juice of 3 lemons.

Finish with a dash of olive oil, coriander and/or chopped washed coriander.

Also if you're interested, here is a good online recipe

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In this episode Yumi has a story about how her two younger kids nearly got food poisoning... and the fact is, Simon has ACTUAL REAL HELP for parents trying to feed their kids.

2-Speed Pilaf (serves 4)

You need a good-sized, heavy-pased pan with a lid that fits.

Start by in that pan, adding 1tbs butter and 1tbs olive oil,

add a finely chopped onion. Fry down until the onion has softened and then add a clove or two of minced garlic.

Fry up 1.5cups of basmati rice, 1tsp cumin and 1/2 tsp of turmeric. (Leave these out if your kids are sensitive of spices!)

Add in the 2.5 cups stock and water and cook at a low heat with the lid on. Allow to cook for 12 mins.

For kids?

Stir through a knob of butter and some peas and sweet corn.

For the adults?

Take some purple seedles grapes and a little olive oil fry them until blistering.

To the pan, toss through mint, dill and parsley, some lemon zest and lemon juice.

Spoon the rice into bowls, top with the blistered grabs and a fat dollop of labne or crumble over some fetta and sprinkle over some Aleppo pepper.

YUMI

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If you love feeling nurtured and nourished by food that is loving and rich in flavours... please try this!

Sami's book FALASTIN can be found here.

And a version of the recipe (save me typing it out) can be found on this website.

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Take 500g of Greek yoghurt

Mix in 2+tbs of honey, 1/2tsp vanilla, zest of one lemon and a pinch of salt.

Mix well and check for sweetness. Mix to make sure the salt is dissolved.

Press in some digestive biscuits, cover, and set it back in the fridge and leave it overnight.

Serve with a fresh drizzle of honey, a handful of chopped pistachios, and some berries (compote = optional!).

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(It's food-related, trust me.)

And Simon brings in the New Year with a perfect, easy, and really, really effective way to nail a good piece of salmon or trout.

Bring a small pot of water to the boil. (It needs to fit your pieces of fish.)

Add a teaspoon of salt and any aromatics that get you excited, eg., a teaspoon of peppercorns, a bayleaf, some garlic. But none of this is essential.

Turn off the heat then gently lower your salmon pieces into the water. Put the lid back on the pot and leave the fish undisturbed for 11 minutes. (A bigger piece might need 13 mins, a smaller piece might need 9. But 11 is pretty spot-on for a standard piece of fish.

Carefully scoop the fish out and let it dry on some kitchen paper or a clean tea towel.

Serve with Simon's Yoggutty Sauce

Start with 3-4 spoons of thick Greek yoghurt

stir in some tahini or a spoonful of horseradish, with a big squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt.

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In this case, it's a friend's new baby that triggers a trip to the butcher and the creation of an iconic roast lamb meal.

We also shout out to the legendary Nagi from Recipe Tin Eats, whose lamb creation was incredibly necessary (although adding anchovies is Yumi's idea).

Check out Nagi's recipe here.

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I find her inspiring and such an enthusiastic communicator when it comes to food. (Listen to her go off about peas on this ep! So good!)

When we spoke, her second cookbook DELICIOUS TONIGHT was just being launched. It went on to sell more copies than any other cookbook that year, won the ABIA at the end of the year for Best Illustrated Book, is still in print and can be purchased here.

NAGI's WHIPPER TAHINI DRESSING

1 cup plain yogurt

21/2 tbsp tahini*

11/2 tbsp lemon juice (substitute 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar)

1 garlic clove,* finely grated

1/4 tsp kosher salt*

Whipped tahini preparation—Place the ingredients in a heatproof bowl and whisk briefly to combine. Set aside.

Whip tahini—Once the roasted vegetables are done, microwave the tahini yogurt mixture

in the bowl for 20 seconds on High, then whisk vigorously for 10 seconds until it resembles softly whipped

cream. Use immediately.

Use for any vegetable. Especially great with asparagus, green beans, broccoli, broccolini, carrots, cauliflower,

pumpkin, sweet potato, and zucchini.

LEFTOVERS Whipped tahini will keep for 3 days in the fridge. Microwave for 20 seconds to warm gently then

re-whip. Not suitable

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WHIPPED RICOTTA WITH BURST TOMATOES

WHIPPED RICOTTA

1 cup full-fat,

good-quality ricotta, at room temperature

1/2 tightly packed cup finely grated parmesan*

2–3 tsp milk, if required

BURST TOMATOES

2 punnets cherry tomatoes

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp salt*

1/8 tsp black pepper

11/2 tsp dried oregano

TO FINISH

1 tbsp good-quality extra-virgin olive oil

2 tsp lemon juice, plus extra

to taste

12–15 small basil leaves

SERVING OPTIONS

Crostini or Crusty White Bread!

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It's kind of okay - if you're armed with some hacks so you're not starting from scratch every meal.

YUMI'S ANCHOVY SALAD DRESSING (TO LEAVE IN THE FRIDGE FOR WHEN YOU JUST CAN'T BE BOTHERED)

60g anchovies

250ml olive oil

10g honey

25g tahini

20g best balsamic vinegar

50g white balsamic vinegar

juice of one lemon

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Today, Simon wants to use a pre-bought red curry paste to turn chicken into something magical, then adding it to the inside of a crunchy lettuce boat. You will need 1 good jar of Thai Red Curry Paste

Method:

Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a small saucepan on medium heat.

Toast off the 3 spoonfuls of Thai red Curry paste in the pan to awaken the flavours.

Scrape that off the pan and set it aside - you'll use it in a sec.

Then to the same pan add in a couple of spoons of Greek Yoghurt and a big squeeze of lime juice (3 tbs) plus 2tsp honey and a big pinch (1/2 tsp) of salt.

Add half a chopped red onion, a chopped celery stalk, 12 chopped cornichons and some coriander.

Add in 400g shredded leftover chicken. Add in the yoghurt-curry mixture and mix with a light touch.

Top everything with a handful of roasted peanuts and some coriander.

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The beauty of figs is that they are seasonal. Nothing signals the *sigh* End of Summer like figs being plentiful and affordable.

On this episode, Yumi and Simon run through their favourite things to do with figs, including a fantastic recipe from THEIR COOKBOOK WHICH YOU CAN BUY HERE.

SIMON'S FREEFORM FIG TART

Pastry

Combine 200g diced cold butter with 250g plain flour in a food processor for a few short bursts until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add in 125g (half a cup) of sour cream. It shouldn't take long and when the dough forms a ball, wrap it up and pop it in the fridge to rest for at least 20 mins.

Preheat the oven to 190C.

Trim and quarter the figs.

Roll out the pastry to a 35cm circle about 3mm thick.

Get it on the oven tray then spread the circle of dough with 1/4 cup of marmalade, leaving a border clear.

Top with the figs in whatever pattern you want. Sprinkle with 1tbs caster sugar, then fold the edges of the dough in to shape a freeform crusty tart.

Brush the edges and top of the crust with beaten egg.

Bake for 45 - 50 mins until the tart crust is lightly browned and the fruit is bubbling. Serve with creme fraiche and strong tea.

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Nagi Maehashi's recipe is a huge inspiration, and is the one that Yumi mainly talks through in the episode.

But as you'll hear in the intro, since recording this episode, Yumi has made it 30+ times and has brought in her own variations. It's basically swapping the 310ml of fresh cream for 450g Greek yoghurt, and compensating for the greater volume with a little more sugar.

YUMI'S TRIBUTE: BURNT BASQUE CHEESECAKE

Pre-heat the oven to 200C and line a 20cm springform cake tin with baking paper, going quite high up the sides.

Get 750g cream cheese at room temperature (Lactose-free cream cheese is now available!) into a mixer, add in 240g caster sugar and whizz to combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl.

Add in 220g lightly whisked egg, 2tsp vanilla paste, mix, then use a tea strainer to sift in 30g plain flour. Mix. For the final step, add in 450g Greek yoghurt and mix until combined. (There is no need to overdo this step. Stop when it is done.)

Scrape the whole lot into your prepared tin then bake for 45 minutes.

Licking the bowl/spatula is encouraged.

Allow it to cool before serving. Best eaten within 4-5 days.

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That's why we thought we'd revisit this recipe from Adam Liaw.

Use Springwater Tuna, drained well

1/4 cup good olive oil

dried oregano

basil leaves

5 really lovely tomatoes

check if you need salt and pepper

REMEMBER to make good toast! Actually toast it, don't just warm the bread.

To serve, drizzle with olive oil, check the seasoning and add salt and pepper. YUM

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It inspired him to cook up the SATAY recipe you've always needed!

SIMON'S EASY HOME SATAY

1/2 bunch coriander

1 fresh red chilli

1/2 clove garlic

3tbs crunchy peanut butter

lug of soy sauce

2cm nub of fresh ginger

juice and zest of 1 lime

WHIZZ IN THE BLENDER AND TASTE! What does it need more of? Taste and create! Thread chicken thigh fillet chunks onto skewers, coat well in the satay marinade, and bake in the oven at 180C until cooked through. Serve on rice. Yum!

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You'll hear more about the restaurant on today's episode of the food fix but the link is here if you urgently need to make a booking!

We've also got the sauce he's inspired by. It's not the restaurant version, it's one us mere humans can probably get going on our home stoves.

Agrodolce sauce

Small saucepan, into 2 warmed tablespoons of olive oil, add 2 chopped garlic cloves, one chopped shallot, sautee them down for about 5 minutes until golden brown

1/2 cup red wine balsamic vinegar

1 tsp capers

1/4 raisins

1/4 cup pine nuts

stir to combine along with 3tbs honey, simmer down for 4 mins

To finish the sauce, add 2tbs butter and season with salt and pepper.

Serve on radiccio or grilled steak!

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Nik Sharma is a pretty inspiring UK cook and his book that Yumi talks about can be found here.

This pasta is really worth trying though - almost everything in it probably already exists in your pantry, and it's absolutely packed with flavours.

Orecchiette Pantry Pasta

Get a big pot of salted water on the boil and add in 500g of orecchiette pasta.

While that's cooking, warm up 3tbs good olive oil and to it, add 1.5 tsp smashed up cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, a clove of finely grated garlic and a teaspoon of Aleppo, Maras or Urfa red pepper flakes.

Scoop out a half cup of pasta water from the pot when your orecchiette still has a couple of minutes to go.

Dissolve 3tbs white miso into the pasta water. Pour that into the frying spice mix. Add 285g frozen peas to the pasta water and bring it back to the boil. Drain well once your pasta timer sounds. Combine the pasta+peas with the oil and spices. 

Then add an absolute ton of grated parmesan cheese and some snipped chives.

Serve immediately.

(This also makes great leftovers!)

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The cookbook is PASS IT ON by Shobha Kalyan and Keryn Kalyan and it's out of print but you may be able to get a copy if you contact them via their Facebook.

Cardamom Shortbread

110g ghee, at room temp

90g caster sugar

2tsp ground cardamom

50g pea flour

50g fine semolina

80g plain flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

shelled pistachios or peeled almonds to decorate

Cream the ghee and sugar with the cardamom powder until light and fluffy. Sift everything else on top of the mixture and gently combine, taking care not to overmix.

Roll 22 heaped teaspoons into balls and space out on an oven tray. Lightly dot a pistachio or almond in the middle of each biscuit.

Bake in a pre-heated 160C oven for 20 minutes. Eat while driving!

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Meanwhile, you can get some nourishment with minimal stress making the following:

WALNUT PESTO!

100g walnuts

garlic oil

3 tbs chopped fresh rosemary

50g grated Pecorino Romano

4tbs walnut oil

Serve on Rana Pasta! (Which Yumi famously misspells out loud during this episode, lol. ) Or whatever filled pasta you can get your hands on.

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It's not every day that you get to interview an acclaimed and genuinely cool English author who can sell out rooms here in Australia... but that's what Yumi was doing (for one of her other jobs) when something DEEPLY CRINGE AND FOOD-RELATED occurred. You can hear all about it on this reheated episode! LOLSSSSS.

You'll also hear about this SALAD - from an amazing website I use all the time.

1 tomato

2 tbs ponzu

1 tbs toasted sesame seeds

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Yumi had been to the fairly new Bessie's in Surry Hills, Sydney, while Simon ate again at chef Josh Niland's sublime St Peter in Paddo. BOTH EXPERIENCES WERE TRANSFORMATIVE.

What did we bring home to share with you on this podcast?

Burgers!

REQUIREMENTS?

800g best quality, butcher-supplied mince

slices of aged cheddar

pita pockets

10g of salt, freshly ground pepper

and a BBQ.

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On this consistently top-rating food podcast, your hosts try not to cack themselves laughing while they explain a way to make life easy for the home chef while getting good foods into your kids via a food they trust: TOAST.

ELVIS TOAST

Butter a well toasted slice of sourdough.

Add a generous slathering of crunchy peanut butter...

then top generously with sliced banana.

Finish with a tiny amount of very dark chocolate, finely grated over the top!

MAGIC TOAST

Spread a well-toasted slice of sourdough bread with hummus.

Crumble over some fetta.

Season with salt and cracked pepper.

Serve.

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Simon and I send you all the best over this time of year - hope you're not spending too much time in the kitchen!

Reviving the Dead Inside You!

Chicken thighs - 500g, cut into large nuggets, dusted in flour

Teriyaki Sauce:

2 tbs Kikkoman Soy Sauce

2 tbs mirin

1 tsp honey

TO COOK:

Pre-heat a frypan, add a tablespoon of oil, toss the chicken in and move the chicken around the pan until it's cooked.

Pour in the sauce and keep stirring - until the sauce is thickened, glossy and reduced. Serve immediately on rice.

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But what about when there's a Total Fire Ban and you can't have a fire?

Or what about when you get back to the city and you're still craving that Camp Life?

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DIRTY MARTINI DIP:

Take a jar of good quality stuffed green olives and decant them into a powerful blender

splash in a bit of the brine

Add a tablespoon of cream cheese or Greek yoghurt

Squeeze of lemon

Pinch of garlic powder

Pulse to a tapenade texture

SERVE from a Martini glass with an olive on a cocktail stick for decoration

WARM CHEESE STRAWS:

Take a sheet of thawed puff pastry

brush with beaten egg

scatter with your favourite leftover cheese, something sharp

season with salt and pepper

(Simon doesn't say this but I would also add sesame seeds)

FOLD IN HALF

Slice into strips

Give the strips a little twist and spread them on a tray

Bake in a pre-heated 200C oven and cook for 12 minutes. Serve warm.

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Yumi loses it trying not to laugh when Simon uses the word "jazzy".

Christmas season means LEFTOVERS.

And honestly, it can get a bit grim.

The fridge is overflowing with food from Christmas and you're absolutely sick of it ...but also, it needs to be eaten!

BEFORE Christmas even arrives, let's pre-empt the leftovers with some thought starters and a recipe.

FESTIVE FRITTATA

Ingredients:

Veg leftovers

200-250g of leftover turkey or ham

6 eggs whisked with 1tbs milk

salt and pepper

some cheeses

In an oven-proof, heavy-based frypan, warm up the veg, get them crisp and heated and reactivated for yumminess.

Add in the finely chopped leftover meat

When ready, season the eggs with salt and pepper and pour the egg mixture over the leftovers in the pan.

Dot cheese around the pan or add a big grating of it over the top. Leftover fancy Christmas cheese is perfect for this.

Put the lid on the pan and leave it for 4 minutes, or until the edges are looking set but the top is wobbly. Set the whole pan under the pre-heated grill for 5 minutes.

Allow it to rest.

Serve wedges of frittata with a squeeze of lemon and some fresh herbs.

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Because don't you reckon everyone you love already has the things they need? Why buy them something that will probably end up in landfill?

If you *REALLY* want to give gifts, how about money? We'll take some!

Failing money, a wonderful gift is something home-made. A card, some bikkies, or *THIS* beautiful, vivid and amazing-looking raspberry jam.

I took the main bones of the recipe from The River Cottage but added pectin, which you can find pretty easily in mainstream supermarkets.

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Prepare by

1. Washing, drying and hulling the strawberries
2. Checking there's space in the fridge for them
3. Lining a flat tray with baking paper then lightly spraying it with cooking oil

I use an ALDI block of dark chocolate, melted in a metal bowl over a pot of boiling water. Simon blasts his in the microwave in ten second increments until it's perfect.

I then roll my prepared strawberries in the chocolate using two wooden skewers.

Use the skewers to lift up the now bathed-in-chocolate strawberry and place it carefully on the tray you prepared.

Allow to firm up and serve within 24 hours.

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SIMON'S MONSTER BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Halve 500g of Brussels Sprouts, toss in 2tbs of good olive oil and sprinkle with salt, then roast them in a hot, 230C oven for 15 - 20 mins.

In a mixing bowl, toss the now cooked and charred sprouts with a tablespoon of your favourite chilli crisp oil, and a teaspoon of soy sauce and/or rice wine vinegar. At the end, toss through a handful of chopped roasted peanuts or sesame seeds.

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Allow 1L of your best quality vanilla ice-cream to soften on the bench for 10 mins.

Meanwhile, crumble up a 300g mixture of inside soft bits and outside crusty bits of the Panettone you have that's getting a bit tired.

Stir these through the ice-cream, along with half a cup of chopped nuts, eg., pistachios, half a cup of dark chocolate chips, and a quarter to half a cup of glacé fruit like cedro. Add half a teaspoon of orange zest and a splash of amaretto.

Smoosh it into a lined loaf tin and smooth the top and get the whole thing back in the freezer.

TO SERVE:

Slice the loaf into neat slices. Garnish with crumbs of Panettone or, Simon's suggestion? Some microwave-softened PISTACHIO CREAM.

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You're going to hear about one that Yumi found that is so weird, and so niche, she will obviously never cook from it! Lol.

THEN, there is the wonderful 'Tomato' by Claire Thompson. The book is a celebration of this wonderful ingredient and all that it can do, and from the book a recipe that is now officially Yumi's Summer Fling / Crush, and yes, we will be having it over and over. (I even dehydrated a version of this without the fresh mint and took it hiking. It slapped.)

PEEL 1kg of fresh tomatoes.

(Do this by marking criss-cross in the bum of the tomato with a sharp knife, dunking the tomato for about 30 seconds in a pot of boiling water, then dunking the tomato into an ice bath. The skin should come off easily after this,)

Fry up 2 cloves of garlic in 2tbs of oil. (I skip the garlic.)

Add in a chopped fresh red banana chilli or 2.

Add in the peeled, loosely chopped tomato.

Season well with salt and pepper.

Cook down for 12 minutes. In the last 30 seconds, add 1/2 tsp mint.

TO SERVE: Spoon the tomato mixture onto a lipped platter. Fry up 2 more tbs of good olive oil with 2 more cloves of chopped garlic, add in 2 tbs (I add a lot more: 1/3 cup) of pine nuts. Drizzle this mix over the top, adding in as much freshly torn mint as you want.

PS. I discovered this dish exists in Sami Tamimi's wonderful cookbook 'Falastin' as a dish called Galayet Banadoura that is pretty much exactly the same, including the need to peel the tomatoes!

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The question was: Would the yumminess translate to home?

Good news is:

YES!

So with a fair bit of pride, Yumi wants to share her version of the recipe, which leans into her love of spice (and allergy to garlic and onion):

YUMI'S BEST-EVER CRUNCHY VEGAN "CHEESY" KALE CHIPS

Prepare 1 big bunch of good kale, washed, dried and torn off the inedible spine in big pieces

In a food processor or blender, mix:

400g cashews, soaked for a couple of hours or overnight

100g nutritional yeast

2tsp flaked salt

100ml macadamia oil

1 tsp ground white pepper

1 tsp chilli flakes

1/2 tsp ground ginger

60 ml water

zest and juice of one good, juicy lemon

Massage or wipe the cheese mixture onto every kale leaf. This is a long and somewhat tedious process so before you get your hands dirty, have a podcast ready. (Can I recommend 'Ladies, We Need to Talk'?)

Spread each leaf out onto your drying racks or oven tray. They dry better if not clumped together and not folded or scrunched.

In a dehydrator: on the highest setting for about 10 hours.

In the oven: at 120C for around 2 hours, but check. Some spots on the trays will be hotter than others.

Store the crispy chips in an airtight container.

Any leftover cheesy mix can be stored for 4 days, or frozen until needed.

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A beloved friend has given her a sourdough starter!

Now what?

Do you really want to take care of another living being?

Your hosts also lament the demise of printed food magazines that they have loved and appreciated over the years!

DATE SWIRL

240g sour cream

1-2 tbs date syrup

Gently swirl the two together (but don't fully mix) and serve on pancakes, on sticky date pudding, etc.

THE FULL RECIPE HERE

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So what else to do with the idea?

A coeliac-friendly, vegan delight, this is CLASSIC Food Fix: Simple, quick to prepare and within reach for the average home cook, but with STUNNING results.

METHOD

Drain and rinse 1 tin of chick peas, dry them well, then crush them with a rolling pin or another tin.

In a large frying pan, heat 4tbs of olive oil.

When hot, add the chick peas and spread them out.

Give them time to crisp up, stirring occasionally.

When you're pretty sure they're ready and crispy, add two finely sliced garlic cloves and fry for another 30 seconds.

Take off the heat and add the zest of 1 lemon, a handful of finely chopped parsley, and season well with salt and pepper!

Serve on top of pasta, salads, a tomato carpaccio, a tuna rice bowl or on top of a bowl of roasted vegetables.

Store in an airtight container!

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Simon loves sharing where he's from and frankly, these delightful insights always go down well, especially with a strong mug of English Breakfast tea. Today he waxes lyrical about something I've heard of but never really experienced: the Flapjack

SIMON'S SUPER SIMPLE FLAPJACKS

200g butter

200g brown sugar

200g golden syrup

Melt together in a saucepan until smooth

Stir in 400g of rolled oats

Press into a 20 x 30cm square tin

Add whatever yummy nutty thing or fruity thing you want. Or leave plain!

Bake 180C for 20mins.

Allow to cool in the tin then slice into bars or squares. It should last a couple of weeks! Take it on hikes, to work, football, etc.

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And HOW GOOD IS FRESH CHEESE?

Get some inspo for how a little tub of bocconcini could level up tonight's meal XX

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Yumi is a keen hiker and so a lot of the food she makes in *normal* life, she's assessing as to whether it could be repurposed as something lightweight and long-lasting that could come on a multi-day hike.

This recipe, from Meera Sodha's wonderful book EAST - delivers.

Of course, Yumi has to make adjustments, so her version is:

In a HEAVY BASED PAN

Fry up 2 stalks of curry leaves with 2 cinnamon quills, 1.5tsp of finely grated fresh turmeric, 1 lightly bashed lemongrass stalk, cut into 3, tbs black mustard seeds, 2 long red chillies, 1.25tsp salt.

Add a pre-chopped fennel bulb OR onion.

Fry until the onion or fennel is soft.

After 10-15 mins, add in 150g - 200g of dried red lentils, 2 tins of coconut milk and a tin of water. Stir well.

Cook for about 25 - 30 mins until the lentils are soft and creamy.

Top with some crispy fried curry leaves! DELIGHTFUL!

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For instance, Yumi (me) right now is in the thick of trying to make the perfect Char Kway Teow (fresh, wok-fried Malaysian noodles that are beyond excellent when done well).

Simon revisits one of his past obsessions, sweet paprika, and is delighted to find a new way to cook with it that is both super-simple, and fast.

The sweet paprika that Simon recommends looks like this.

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FULLY LOADED PECAN BROWNIES

Line a 20cm square cake tin.

Put the oven on to 180C

Melt in a bowl over hot water 125g chopped butter and 100g dark 85% chocolate,

Remove from heat and allow to sit for a moment.

Quickly add in 3 beaten eggs

300g (1 1/2 cups) white sugar

115g (3/4 cup) plain flour

30g (1/4 cup) Dutch cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

Then stir through 180g of pecans. This batter will be very stiff!

Bake for 30 mins. No less! Be careful not to overdo it and have your nose on HIGH ALERT for any burning smells.

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And if you LOVE the weird, spreadable, sour, sometimes bitter preserve, then you really must try home-made, because there's nothing as good available to buy in mainstream shops, although Simon does have a few he thinks are "pretty good".

DELICIOUS RUBY BLOOD ORANGE MARMALADE

1.5kg blood oranges

1kg sugar

2tsp agar agar powder (optional)

METHOD

Wash the skin of the blood oranges, remove any stickers and seeds and prepare to get chopping.

Cut off the rough nubby ends of the oranges then halve them, and slice them into crescents slightly thinner than a 20c piece. (Same thickness is fine.) Compost excess pith.

Soak the orange slices overnight in just enough water to cover them.

Next day, sterilise 6-8 jars with metal lids by putting them in a cool oven and then turning it on to 100C for 30 mins.

In a large pot, bring the blood orange slices and their water to the boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and set a timer for 40 mins. 

When the timer sounds, pour in the sugar. Stir to assist it to dissolve. Set another timer for 40 mins and keep cooking it gently so it's bubbling, but not furiously. 

Now you'll need to keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn. Keep stirring and watch the level of heat so that it doesn't scorch the bottom of the pan.

In the last minute, scatter over the Agar Agar powder and mix through well.

Allow the jam to cool a little - say, 15-20 mins.

Arrange the sterilised jar in your biggest sink. Pour out the marmalade into the jars using a ladle or heatproof jug. Screw the lids on tightly. When the jars are cool enough to handle, wash them clean of spatters and spills.

Add a cute label if you can be bothered.

Store in the fridge for up to 3 months.

Serve on toast, with a cheeseboard, on scones or muffins. DELIGHTFUL!

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SESAME CRUMBLE

50g white sesame seeds

25g black sesame seeds

150g rolled oats

50g flaked almonds

sea salt

cardamom seeds, removed from the pods and crushed

50g smooth peanut butter

1 egg white

100g honey

1tbs rose water

2tbs olive oil

Combine and bake at 160g for 18-20 mins, stirring twice.

Serve on top of fruit and yoghurt.

PS. If you want to find out more about the GRANOLA I have perfected (it really is perfect) have a look here - or search for GRANOLA TEMPLATE, episode 295

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Because who doesn't love a foodie quest?

Find a hundred grams of the best pitted black olives you can afford!

Moosh them up with 6 anchovies and a tablespoon of capers and 4 tablespoons of olive oil and a sprig of thyme!

Use a sharp knife, a mortar and pestle, or a nutribullet-sized blender: The results will differ in texture, but will all be delicious!

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He's tried nearly everything, but today's dish is far-and-away his favourite:

PISTACHIO TRAY-BAKE CHICKEN

Heat oven to 220C

To make the pistachio paste:

Chop 1 cup of shelled and roasted pistachios with one small bunch parsley. Get it quite well chopped and fine and then into a bowl.

Add zest of 1 lemon, 2 finely grated garlic cloves, a pinch salt, 1 tsp Dijon mustard and 3 tbs olive oil.

MIX WELL til you have a chunky paste.

Take a bunch of broccolini and toss with 1tbs of the pistachio paste and set aside

600g boneless, skin-on chicken thighs. Coat them with the remaining pistachio paste.

Pop on tray and roast for 15 mins and then add the greens and roast for another 10 mins or until the greens are cooked and the pistachio crust has gone golden.

Serve with Simon's Lemon Yoghurt. (Greek yoghurt enlivened with a squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of salt.)

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Zenzai is the name for Adzuki Beans when they're cooked and sweetened, but still hold their beany shape. There's fantastic info about it on this website which is particularly helpful if you love cooking Japanese food!

Sweetened beans can be a weird concept if you're not accustomed to it - but give it a chance, it's extremely digestible and leaves the body feeling invigorated and powered!

ZENZAI

200g Adzuki Beans

1 Litre of water

150g brown sugar

pinch salt

Boil the adzuki beans for 45mins. Drain and rinse them well then top them again with fresh cold water and bring back to the boil. Consider how watery/thick you want your finished product to be when you add the water. (Motto: "You can always add more [water, in this case], but you can't take it away!") Cook for 15 mins before adding the sugar and salt. Allow some water to evaporate but not so much that the pan is dry. Check the beans after another 30 mins. You want them soft and yielding.

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SMOKED ALMOND PASTRY

In a food processor, mix 240g plain flour with 30g smoked almonds. Add in 160g chilled, cubed butter and whizz for 20 seconds.

Add in 125g sour cream, and 40g of olive oil and whizz together for 30-50 seconds, until the dough forms a ball.

Get the dough up out of the food processor, and roll into two balls. (If you love metrics, I weigh the base ball to be 340g (bigger) and the lid ball to be 290g.)

Wrap in plastic or beeswax and refrigerate until needed (at least 2 hours, overnight is fine).

FILLING

Dry roast 1 big, cubed sweet potato for 20mins on 180C.

Dry cook 500g baby spinach until it's all wilted. This looks goofy like the pan is overfilled but it shrinks down, be patient and watch it doesn't catch on the bottom of the pan.

Allow the sweet potato and the spinach to cool.

Combine these ingredients with 500g fresh ricotta, 120g finely grated Grana Padano (I used the microplane) and a pinch of salt.

Mix well.

TO ASSEMBLE

Pre-heat the oven to 180C.

Roll out the pastry in 2 pieces.

The larger piece goes into the base of the pie.

If you're prepping ahead, you can stop here and refrigerate the crust. This will also prevent shrinkage!

Fill the pie with your sweet potato-ricotta-spinach mixture.

Top with the lid.

Trim, decorate, get fancy with the edges (or don't) and remember to cut a slit in the lid for steam to escape.

Brush the lid with a whisked egg yolk, a shake of salt and a generous sprinkle of sesame seeds.

Bake for 30-40 mins. Serve in fat wodges with a side of tomato sauce.

LOSE YOUR MIND and RELISH THE LEFTOVERS!

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Simon gets inspired with a meal for one that'll take you 4 minutes to put together. Bonus points if you made the lemon salsa from last episode!

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For this stunning (and achievable) spoon-on-everything sauce:

CHOP ONE LEMON very well, flicking out the seeds as you go until it's almost like a paste

chop through a small bunch of parsley,

2tbs drained capers

loosen everything up with 1/3 - 1/2 cup olive oil

sweeten with a tiny bit of sugar or honey

and a fat pinch of salt

Serve on fish --- or listen for our next episode!

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SHE IS DELIGHTED to report that she's cracked the nut! It can be done!

And is predictably delicious!

Grease with butter a 23cm cake tin and drizzle with olive oil.

Pre-heat the oven.

Run 1kg of peeled potatoes through a grater.

Put the potato "noodles" in a colander and rinse well with freshly boiled water from the kettle.

Mix with 1 egg, beaten with 100ml cold water.

Fold through 70g plain flour (or less).

season with salt and pepper and a generous pinch of finely ground white pepper.

Mix well then put into greased tin.

Top with curls of butter (I used about 100g).

Top with handfuls of grated Fontina cheese or Spressa delle Guidicarie cheese.

Bake on the bottom shelf of your oven at 180C for 35 mins.

Serve hot!

If it still seems undercooked on the bottom, cook individual slices on your sandwich press!

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It uses Nagi's 'My Very Best Vanilla Cake' - which is dead-set reliable and brilliant.

A couple of variations: I cook it in a 28 x 35 roasting tin which I line with baking paper and give a light spray with cooking oil.

I also always use coconut oil (the runny, liquid kind) as the oil in the recipe.

Contrary to what I was planning when we recorded this episode, I changed my mind about the icing and used my own recipe:

YUMI's KILLER ICING

500g fresh ricotta (the kind that is sold in a basket or from the deli, NOT the stuff in the tub)

1 block of lactose-free cream cheese (I have found this in ALDI)

260g icing sugar

2tsp vanilla essence and 1tsp vanilla paste

Whizz everything up in a food processor. You'll need to stop a couple of times and scrape the mixture down the sides. Whizz until glossy and lump-free.

Dress the cake immediately if you're eating it immediately. If you're taking it somewhere, my recommendation is you decant the icing into a sealable container (I use a big, clean 2L yoghurt tub) and keep it cool in an insulated bag with a couple of icebricks until needed. (NO ONE wants beach-warm dairy!) Dress with a silicone paddle and top with hundreds and thousands and candles and other delightful nonsense!

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SIMON'S SUPER STEAK COFFEE RUB

1-2 tbs finely ground coffee

1 tbs brown sugar

1tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp salt

Combine the ingredients - it's ready for a couple of big steaks.

TO COOK:

Remember to dry off your steak before you do anything!

Then rub in the smoky coffee rub!

Fry HOT and (pretty) quick - depending on the cut of meat, roughly 2 mins per side on either an oiled pan or with a bit of oil drizzled over the steak prior to cooking.

Allow to rest and serve!

PS. 수박 겉 핥기 [subak geot hal-kki] 

수박 [subak]= watermelon

겉 [geot] = outside

핥다 [haltta] = to lick

Literal translation: "licking the outside of a watermelon"

Source: Talk To Me in Korean

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It's called The Weekly Grocery Shop and you can buy it here.

The idea kind of inspired Yumi to make croutons (again). This time using an innovation borne of necessity. But they're REALLY GOOD!

Pre-heat your oven to 150C and find the biggest trays you have.

Take one stale sourdough baguette and slice into the thinnest possible rounds.

Lay out the pieces of bread like large coins over the baking trays.

Use a microplane to grate a smoked tasty cheese over the bread slices.

Drizzle lightly with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and sesame seeds (optional).

Bake for 15-20 mins or until smelling toasty and feeling very crunchy.

Store in an airtight container until needed - should last 2 weeks.

Serve in Caesar Salad, Rocket and Pear Salad or on any soups.

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Warm 1tbs oil in a big pot.

Add 4 finely sliced garlic cloves.

Add a thumb of finely grated ginger and 2 tsp ground turmeric. Cook til smelling fancy.

Add in 500g chicken thighs and

3/4 cup of brown rice

1 bay leaf and

8 cups of water or chicken stock. Bring to a simmer.

Cook for 20 mins.

Add in 2 neatly diced zucchini and cook for the last 10 mins.

(30 mins cooktime in total.)

TO SERVE:

Shred the chicken and return it to the pot.

Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper accordingly.

Serve with a squeeze of lemon and a handful of washed coriander, some chili oil (optional!).

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Are they trying to use up a glut?

Trick the people they care about into eating more veg?

OR - does it genuinely work as a flavour add-in?

Today we dive into BUNDT cakes, how they go wrong, and we get specific with a Lemon and Zucchini Bundt Cake that is surprisingly easy, lasts well and uses up your dirty gourds!

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Can you pronounce Spressa delle Giudicarie?

In this episode you can hear Yumi make multiple attempts to say the name of the cheese, which we were unable to find (email us if you know where to get it! foodfixemail@gmail.com )

Grease with butter a 23cm cake tin and drizzle with olive oil.

Pre-heat the oven.

Run 1kg of peeled potatoes through a grater.

Mix with 1 egg, beaten with 200ml water.

Fold through 120g plain flour (or less).

season with salt and pepper

Mix well then put into greased tin.

Top with curls of butter (I used about 100g).

Top with handfuls of grated Fontina cheese or Spressa delle Guidicarie cheese.

Bake on 180C for 35 mins.

Serve hot!

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So he's got a lovely recipe for a WHITE PEPPER CHICKEN CONGEE.

Rinse a cup of Jasmine rice.

Add it to a pot with 7 cups of chicken stock, 1 chicken breast and 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, finely chopped.

Simmer gently for 45 minutes until the rice breaks down.

Remove the chicken breast from the pot and shred it to go back into the congee. Season well with salt and LOTS (talkin' a whole tablespoon here) of our hero ingredient - ground white pepper.

Top with a sprinkle of chopped spring onion, a drizzle of sesame oil and maybe even another sprinkle of ground white pepper! Serve!

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Use one jar of fancy white beans, drain and cook up in a half cup or so of stock with a big knob of butter. Warm it up and then add a generous fistful of Pecorino cheese and a MASSIVE grind of freshly ground black pepper. (Be like Simon - or don't! - and get the best, most interesting black peppercorns you can find.)

Stir and add more cheese, more pepper, and wait until it tastes "restaurant fancy".

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CASHEW SPICE TARKA

1/4 cashews

1 tbs ginger

2 sprigs curry leaves

1/4 tsp nigella seeds

1/2 tsp chilli flakes

Meera Sodha's

1 tsp cumin seed

1 tsp mustard seed

1 long green chilli

curry leaves, all fried in smoking hot oil

QUICK NO-FRY BASIC RED LENTIL DAAL

1 small Spanish onion, thinly sliced

1 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced

1 tbs grated ginger

1 tsp grated garlic

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 cinnamon quill

300g red lentils

600ml water

ADD EVERYTHING TO A POT, PRESSURE COOKER or SLOW COOKER and cook for about 40 mins. Add salt and pepper. Then top with a Tarka of your choice!

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JATZ CRACKERS CHICKEN

Marinate chicken tenders or thigh fillets cut into strips in Greek yoghurt with a pinch of salt.

Blitz the Jatz Crackers to form a crumb.

Coat the chicken in the crumbs.

Air fry for 15 mins.

To cook in the oven? Lightly spray with oil and bake on a tray (spread out) for 10-15mins, 200C.

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ONE TRAY SALMON (or other fish) BAKE

Pre-heat the oven to 220C.

Rub a family sized salmon fillet with dijon mustard, oil, salt and pepper.

Chop a fennel bulb into narrow-ish wedges. Add to the tray with broccoli florets, squished kalamata olives, lemon zest, fennel seeds and a big drizzle of oil.

Cook for 15 mins and serve immediately.

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What could he possibly use coffee in - for cooking?

The obvious answer is TIRAMISU. Both your hosts have extensive experience making this dessert - - and Simon has some key DOs and DON'T when it comes to nailing it.

Here's Nagi's recipe...

Here's Simon's:

Serves 10-12

6 eggs , yolks and whites separated

1cup (220g) caster sugar (superfine sugar)

1 tsp vanilla extract

500g mascarpone ,

1 1/4 cups black coffee 

3 tbsp Masala

1 packet (c.350g) lady finger/savoiardi biscuits

100 g good-quality dark chocolate (min. 70% cocoa solids), finely chopped into small

rubble-sized pieces

Cocoa , for dusting

Method

Beat the yolks and sugar in a stand mixer on speed 6 to 7 for 10 minutes or until it

changes from yellow to pale yellow (almost white), and is thick. Add vanilla and

mascarpone, beat until just combined and smooth. Transfer the mixture to a bowl,

set aside.

Add egg whites to another bowl and beat until they’re stiff and foamy, about 3

minutes. Add 1/2 the cream mixture into the egg whites. Gently fold through. When

most incorporated, add the remaining cream mixture and fold through until just

combined.

Mix the coffee and Masala together. Quickly the dip biscuits in and line the bottom of

a rectangular dish (I like to use a small-medium enamel roasting tin). Spread over

half the cream, scatter over half the chopped chocolate, then top with another layer

of coffee dipped biscuits.

Spread with remaining cream and scater over the remaining chopped chocolate

pieces.

Cover, refrigerate for at least 4 – 5 hours, preferably overnight. Dust with cocoa

powder just before serving – either before you cut or after placing onto serving

plates.

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It's one of my favourites (Yumi) and it's been a goal of mine this year to figure out the best recipe for making it at home. For myself. Cos - yum.

COMBINING marinated prawns with THIS RECIPE FOR SPAGHETTI ALLA ASSASINA is a bit of a cheat... but if you love chilli...and black pepper...and prawns... This is going to be a winner!

I used 150g of prawn tail meat per serve, and marinated them in a non-reactive bowl with a couple of teaspoons of sambal oelek (from the mainstream supermarket) and a ton of fresh black pepper. You don't want the marinade to be soggy.

PS. I got lazy and one time tried just tossing the prawns in with the spaghetti as it cooked and IT FAILED. Soggy prawns and super gross. You need to fry the prawns seperately!

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I’m fully on board. It’s about filling your freezer with little things that make weeknight cooking feel like you actually have your life together.

This isn’t bulk meal prep. This is freezer magic – a stash of flavour bombs and shortcuts that save you mid-week.

Here’s what’s in my current rotation:

 Flavoured butters: mix butter with garlic and herbs, or miso and sesame oil, or

truffle and parmesan. Roll into a log, freeze, and slice off coins as needed.

 Pesto ice cubes: blitz wilting herbs with oil and garlic, freeze in trays. Add to pasta,

soups, sandwiches – boom.

 Rice balls: leftover rice + soy + sesame = freezer patties you can pan-fry from frozen.

 Wine cubes: splash of red or white to rescue a bland dinner. You’re welcome.

 Cookie dough blobs: bake one, freeze ten. Smug levels: high.

Stock your freezer like you’re feeding your future self – or just buying yourself five quiet

minutes.

- Simon

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Based on this recipe, Yumi has halved the quantities to suit her ("Mercifully Divorced") lifestyle and improved it by cooking the corn and adding chopped smoked almonds at the end.

Quick answer to a riddle we don't solve on-air: Creste di Gallo looks like this!

And the book Simon is talking about is The Geometry of Pasta.

SUPER-CUTE PASTA SALAD

• 125g ditalini pasta
• 2 ears fresh corn, shucked and washed
• 1-2 large stalks celery, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 tbs finely chopped fresh chives
• roughly chopped smoked almonds (optional)

DRESSING

• Granulated sugar (probs don't need)
• 2 tablespoons white or yellow miso
• 2.5 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon hot hot chilli sauce, minced chipotles in adobo, or gochujang, or sambal oelek
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise (I use Kewpie)

METHOD

Prepare the dressing by whisking all the ingredients together in a tiny bowl or jar.

Prepare the celery by chopping to pieces the same size as the pasta will be when cooked (about the same size as an adult human tooth).

In a large, heavy-based pan, cook the corn until slightly charred.

Boil the pasta to al dente. (Very important not to overcook it or it'll be gross!)

Drain the pasta well then combine the salad ingredients, mix well and pour over the dressing.

Serve immediately with smoked almonds scattered over the top.

LEFTOVERS can be revived with some fresh rocket, tuna, chopped tomato, etc.

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Your hosts completely lose it and start laughing like hyenas over the Netflix doco 'Poop Cruise' - which is not for the faint-hearted!

Listen along though - it's good for you to laugh!

Otherwise skip through to the 3 minute mark for chat on making:

STEW - HORRIBLE WORD. BRILLIANT THING TO EAT

A meaty, miso-boosted winter stew that’s big on flavour, low on fuss – TERRIBLE name, EXCELLENT dinner.

RATIO: Meat to Veg = 2:1

Brown your meat in batches to get the meat lovely and flavourful. Take your time.

Add some onion wedges and get it softened in the pan. Add in your more robust herbs like thyme and rosemary, tomato paste and aromatics.

Add a big blob of miso paste and then your vegetables (evenly cut, not too large), and your (good quality) stock.

To serve?

Freshen the whole thing up with a grate of lemon zest, squeeze of lemon or a dash of vinegar, and a scattering of fresh herbs like parsley or basil. Serve with a hunk or bread, or mashed potato, or even rice!

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6 garlic cloves

2 egg whites

2 tablespoons lemon juice in a food processor.

While it’s running, slowly drizzle in 1½ cups of vegetable oil until it thickens into a fluffy white cloud. Season with salt. It’s bold, punchy, and keeps for a few days in the

fridge.

Chicken Pita

Mix 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 tablespoon ground coriander and 3 tablespoons oil with a spoonful of toum (or not – if you're allergic to garlic/alliums).

Slice 500g of boneless chicken thighs in half lengthwise, salt them, and marinate for a few hours or overnight!

When you’re ready, skewer the chicken – folding the pieces onto themselves – and grill over

medium heat for 10–12 minutes until beautifully charred.

Serve on warm pita with pickles and, if you dare, a very generous smear of toum.

And if you’ve got leftover toum? It’s brilliant slathered on roast veggies, stirred into yoghurt for a quick dip, dolloped onto fried eggs, or used in place of mayo in pretty much anything.

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CAKE BOI'S DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE - aka Chocolate Lover's Heaven!

Pre-heat the oven to 160C fan-forced.

Grease and line 2 20cm cake tins.

Sift 480g flour, 700g caster sugar, 170g cocoa powder, 4tsp baking soda, 1tsp baking powder and 1tbs salt. (Yep, I said 1 teaspoon but it's actually a whole TABLESPOON.) Reece's recipe also has 1tsp ground nutmeg to add in at this point although we left this out cos = fussy kids.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add 480g milk, 1 cup vegetable oil, 2tsp vanilla and 4 eggs. Mix on medium speed for 1 minute.

Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Fully combine before repeating with the remaining 2/3.

Add in 480ml boiling water then mix for 1 minute.

Divide the mixture evenly (I use scales) between the 2 cake tins then bake for 50 - 55 mins.

Check with a skewer that the cake is cooked - a few moist crumbs is good, wet batter is not.

Allow the cooked cake to cool on a wire rack.

My kids don't like icing so we stop here!

ICING:

Finely chop 400g of 54% cocoa chocolate. Place in a stand mixing bowl.

Heat 600ml thickened cream in a small saucepan until it reaches a simmer. Add in 50g butter, then pour the lot over the chopped chocolate.

Allow it to sit for 1 minute, then mix it until smooth and glossy. Add 1tsp vanilla and a pinch of salt. Stir well, then refrigerate for 1 hour to set.

Run the icing in the electric mixer to get fluffy and awesome. Spread over the two cakes. Reece suggests horizontally halving the cakes to make 4 layers.

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Sorry, inner-tightass, but it's true.

Simon shares a recent take-away food experience that would get a less-busy man writing angry Yelp reviews!! LOL.

Yumi shocks Simon by revealing just how much of a tough-nut she can be when it comes to fish and chips (his reaction is worth the price of admission)...

And Simon has a good handful of tips for how to turn some "meh" homemade dinners into something - maybe not brilliant? - but something DECENT and EDIBLE.

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LIKE, HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?

Yumi struggles with boredom in meetings, and has directed a lot of that restless energy into concocting the PERFECT OFFICE LUNCH. This code also applies to school/uni lunches if you have a common room.

LANGUAGE WARNING: It's not technically "swearing" but at some point Yumi does say "kick it in the dick"

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2 NASTY BANANAS -> CHOC CHIP MUFFINS

2 nasty, dead-looking bananas 180g

55g melted butter

1 egg

1tsp vanilla

100g greek yoghurt

150g wholemeal (or regular) self-raising flour

70g dark chocolate chips

Pre-heat the oven to 180C

Prepare a 6-hole muffin tray

Mash well your bananas. Sometimes if I can be bothered, I used the back of a spoon to smoosh them through a sieve so there are absolutely NO LUMPS

Add in the butter, egg, vanilla, and yoghurt and mix well.

Sift in the flour. Mix with a light hand - just a couple of emphatic stirs with a big slotted spoon.

Add in the choc chips. Mix around, being careful not to overdo it.

Distribute batter among the 6 muffin holes.

TO ENSURE I get the kids over the line, I sprinkle some brown sugar on top of each muffin. This is optional.

Bake for 20 mins or until cooked.

REALLY GOOD eaten hot with butter but I freeze them then put them in school lunches direct from the freezer.

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In this case, it's not Simon making the claim - it's from an online recipe... But enough users are in the comments RAVING about the so-called upgrade that Simon had to give it a go.

The big difference? Marinating the fetta in broken pieces (not cut cubes) in oil made from frying lemon slices. Blistering the red peppers/capsicum. And using fresh oregano (as well as traditional dried if you want to really, REALLY upgrade)!

RECIPE:

Start with 225g of feta – tear it into chunky pieces and place in a bowl. Thinly slice 1 lemon, remove the seeds, and cook the slices in 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat until nicely charred – about 5 minutes. Add the lemon slices and oil to the feta, along with ¾ teaspoon dried oregano and a big pinch of salt. Let it sit and soak up the flavour while you prep the rest.

Now, in the same pan, cook 3 long sweet peppers in a bit more oil until they’re blistered and soft – about 5–7 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly, then slice them into bite-sized pieces.

In a large bowl, toss together:

1 medium red onion, thinly sliced

1 large cucumber, chopped

500g cherry tomatoes, halved

A big pinch of salt

And 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Add in the chopped blistered peppers and gently mix.

To serve, pile everything onto a platter, spoon over the marinated feta and charred lemons, and drizzle with any leftover lemony oil.

MORE IDEAS - Want to make it dinner? Add some grilled chicken or chickpeas and call

it a night.

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ALSO - why is it so hard to spot one's own kids in a crowd?

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You know how they say "you should never read the comments"?

Not in this case!

The recipe is here.

The modifications are:

Cut the chicken into smaller pieces than suggested, then marinate them in 2tbs Garam Masala, 1tbs finely minced ginger and 1tbs fish sauce. To up the coconutty flavour, fry the chicken in coconut oil, not neutral oil. Don't use coconut cream (too oily), use coconut milk.

Yumi also beefed up the cashews to 1 whole cup, and added 1/4 cup currants. (Raisins would also be amazing.)

Yumi forgot to say in this episode - before you put the lid on and pop in the oven - LAY THE CHICKEN PIECES ON TOP OF THE RICE. Lol.

Okay - any feedback ("comments") on this or any other episode foodfixemail@gmail.com

LOVE YOU

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Yumi shares how she's been doing the audiobook recordings for a couple of her books...

ALSO - how to make the greatest, easiest dessert ever: AFFOGATO?!

It's so good it's almost uncanny.

RECIPE:

Ball up your best vanilla ice-cream into a neat spheres that you know will fit your (small) coffee glass.

Return the ice-cream ball/s to the freezer until needed, along with your serving glasses because you want them nice and frosted.

Place the ball of ice-cream into your pre-chilled glass.

Make a hot espresso coffee.

Pour it over the ice-cream. (This can be done at the table for fancy effect.)

Eat immediately!

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What on earth are they?

And what delicious food can we possibly eat to get us through the grimmest months of winter?

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Neither has one - til now!

But why have they resisted? And what could make them cave?

____________________________________

The link to Simon's son's beloved Sausage Rolls on RecipeTinEats is here.

The book that Yumi's son took camping despite the lack of oven and general cooking equipment is Reece Hignell's CAKE BOI

The book that Yumi and Simon co-authored that has the cute illustrations of said hosts/authors is THE FOOD FIX

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Gently sautee your onions for ...wait.

TWENTY MINUTES??

Listen here for WHY -

...and some hacks if you simply can't spare the time.

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Then we go all-in on Yumi's son's newest favourite cake. (Since recording this episode, she's made it twice more: both little ones LOVE IT in their school lunches.)

It's a Nagi recipe from Recipe Tin Eats and you can find it here.

And if it's your 40th birthday soon? GO EASY ON YOURSELF. There'll be more birthdays!

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Liver, anyone?

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Who doesn't love 'Crunchy Fish', for instance?

And what about Pesce all’Acqua Pazza, or better known as 'Fish in Crazy Water'??

Find the recipe here - - or just gently fry up 1/4 cup olive oil with 2tsp salt, 700g chopped tomatoes and YOUR FAVE aromatics - eg., dried chillies, 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, 2 cloves of thinly sliced garlic and a pinch of red pepper flakes, and after 3-5 mins, add in 2.5 cups of water, put the lid on the pot and leave it to infuse and flavour the "crazy" water for 20 mins.

Pat your fish pieces dry, season the fillets with salt and pepper, then lower it into the gently simmering Crazy Water.

Allow to cook for between 4-8 mins, depending on the size of the fish fillet. Commonsense may be required here!

Serve in bowls with water/broth, a drizzle of olive oil and the most delightful fluffy, crusty bread you can find.

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Yumi also recounts a breakthrough moment of understanding that oils and salads need to be co-ordinated, much like tops and bottoms do when putting together an outfit.

FENNEL AND SNOW PEA SALAD:

500g prepped snow peas, blanched in boiling water for 30 seconds then rinsed in cold water until cool, and well-dried on a clean tea-towel.

Finely slice your fennel, around 3-4mm.

Toss your sliced fennel with the juice of a lemon and set aside while you make the dressing, which is:

Juice of a lemon

1 tsp honey

2 tsp tahini

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup of walnut oil

*taste for more salt, pepper, and more sour (eg., a couple tablespoons of white balsamic vinegar)

OPTIONAL: Toss through a fat bunch of chopped fresh mint, and top with anchovy croutons, which you can learn more about from this episode.

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Try it here:

Preheat the oven to 180C

Decant 2/3 of a bottle of passata into a baking tray with high sides.

Roll up about 18 meatballs using

500g pork/beef mince (lean)

1 egg white

1/4 tsp salt

1tsp whipped garlic dip

2-3 tbs finely chopped spring onion greens

cracked pepper

Use scissors to cut up some fresh lasagna sheets into pieces smaller than your phone but bigger than a matchbox. Place a meatball into the canoe of pasta sheet then set it to sail on the ocean of passata. Repeat until all the meatballs are used and the tray is full. Pour over the remaining passata. Top each meatball with a cube of fetta or a chunk of ricotta. Top with about 80g of your fave cheese. Bake 30 mins. Serve with crusty bread and a side salad.

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Persimmons are, like asparagus, TRULY seasonal. Which is why we have to enjoy them in winter!

Dried persimmons are becoming A THING in Australia - and you can find the salad recipe here.

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She also has an amazing Creamy White Beans recipe to share with everyone - TOTALLY NOT BORING!

It's a New York Times Cooking recipe - and you'll probably have everything you need to make it - just grab or make sure you have

1. Fresh Cream
2. Tomato Paste
3. Half a jar of sundried tomatoes

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What are the common mistakes?

How can you absolutely nail it?

On what topics should you consult with your waiter?

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Yumi is BACK and feeling good in her kitchen and was delighted to have a couple of cracks at making this cake by Nigella Lawson.

*After recording, she made it again for the party - here's what she said about the changes:

"Instead of Olive Oil, I used coconut oil!

(I know the whole name is Nigella's Olive Oil Chocolate Cake but I just felt the olive oil flavour was a bit intense and overpowering, whereas coconut oil is more mellow and went well.)

I also increased the cooking time by 5 minutes, to 50 mins, and in my oven, it cooked better at 160C fan -- instead of the recommended 150C.

Finally, I couldn't find good strawberries so I used raspberries instead. Looked amazing and tasted amazing!"

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REAL QUICK:

To make Yumi's ALL KILLER, NO FILLER POTATO CRISP

Pre-heat the oven to 200C.

Have some finely chopped rosemary needles ready to go and have 1/4 cup of olive oil in a small pot, not heated yet.

Slice 4-5 decent-sized spuds into 2mm discs. Dump the lot into a big pot of salted, boiling water. Once the water returns to the boil (this will take a couple of minutes) allow the spuds to boil for 2-3 minutes then drain really well.

(I USE RUBBER GLOVES to handle the still-hot potatoes here -)

Arrange the potatoes in layered rows to achieve maximum surface area for every piece. This will take a few minutes. Put the oil on to heat. You want it to get Very Hot but not smoking.

Scatter the finely chopped rosemary over the potatoes.

Pour the hot oil evenly over the potatoes.

Place in the oven and set a timer for 45 minutes but keep an eye on them!

Serve hot. SO GOOD.

Jamie Oliver's BALSAMIC POTATOES RECIPE can be found here.

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(email us any time foodfixemail@gmail.com)

Your food-mad hosts discuss.

Yumi also has to share about these olives she'd never tried before...

...And gives you one more thing to add to your camp cooking repertoire, particularly if you love to cook on a fire!

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The perils of buying wine as a sober person

A gumbooted and verdant field fantasy

...and there's a bunch of ridiculous lolling in there that a normal person might've edited out! WOOT!

Plus, Adam Liaw's Chicken and Mushroom Field Pie recipe is here.

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(Clue: it's not chocolate, it's not a soft toy, it's no kind of inflatable silver balloon EVER, and it's definitely not a cleaning/housework appliance.)

And Simon wants to free listeners to make the soup they CAN - not the "perfect" soup!

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From their two unique perspectives from the world of cookbooks and recipe authoring, they cautiously weigh in with diplomacy AND personal experience.

They also have a recipe to share! It's a 15 years old from Gizzi Erskine and Simon is SURE you're gonna love it!

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Imagine notionally teaming that idea up with the idea of poaching eggs! What?! I can just picture the eggs luxuriating in the hot spring with a teeny tiny towel balanced on their foreheads...

One of my favourite resources for Japanese cooking is Just One Cookbook and they have a great way of doing eggs that is SO EASY! (And if you're interested, the author, Namiko, also has the old-fashioned version here if perhaps you don't have a microwave.)

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*tip: has nothing to do with Hormone Lighten-Up Therapy!

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Yumi tells us her favourite way to serve the cheese and Simon openly grieves missing out on travelling to the HOME of burrata for a burrata cookbook shoot.

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Trouble is - good lasagna is pretty time-consuming to make.

So what to do?

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What do you think?

There are an infinite number of recipes but this one looks a lot like the classic.

Pre-heat the oven to 180C.

Combine 1.25cups of plain flour with a cup of rolled oats, 165g caster sugar, and 3/4 cup of dessicated or shredded coconut.

In a medium-sized saucepan, melt 150g butter with 90g golden syrup. When the two are combined and melted, add in 1tsp of bicarb soda and stir while the mixture fizzes and fluffs up.

Remove from the heat and immediately pour over the dry ingredients.

Mix until combined - don't overdo it.

Roll the mixture into balls around 55g each and gently flatten a bit on the baking tray, as wide apart as you because they will spread while cooking.

Cook for 12-15 minutes, maybe rotating the trays in the oven so the biscuits are evenly cooked. When you pull them out of the oven, they will still be malleable - so shape the edges and tidy the circles with a small, sharp knife if you like your bikkies fairly round and uniform.

Allow to cool on a wire rack.

NOTE: This recipe doubles really well, so make twice as many if you like!

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But as his "fancy" side becomes more and more apparent, the upgrade is revealed!

FANCY SALT GARLIC BREAD

Leave 100g of butter on the kitchen counter to soften.

Buy a baguette from the supermarket.

Slice it lengthways.

Combine the butter with one finely grated garlic clove and finely sliced basil leaves.

Mix and spread on the baguette.

Wrap the baguette in foil, and when nearing dinner time, bake in the oven for 15 - 20 mins.

Serve with a flourish of Pink Native Australian Plum Salt.

Feel smug.

Await praise.

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She also wants to share a brilliant way of cooking TEMPEH, a delicious, vegan protein - with OUT deep frying it.

Listen for more and please remember to share this podcast with a friend! Word-of-mouth really is the greatest marketing. XX

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(You can email us your thoughts any time at foodfixemail@gmail.com)

Simon has a story about, yes, having eaten genuine, home-cooked Nigella food back in England... and a recipe throwback to a staple in MANY houses - including Nigella's own. You can find it here but it's basically cooking a whole chicken in a casserole dish with ORZO PASTA, a couple of carrots and lemons, some leek and garlic - and you don't even need stock! Use water and salt.

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I FEEL YOUR PAIN!

Mine don't eat a huge variation of foods and I get tired of spinning the existing recipes 'round and 'round and around again...

The new thing they *might* actually try?

CRUNCHY TOFU

Silken tofu

rice flour

deep-frying oil

Tsuyu sauce for serving

Pre-heat the oil. (I use about 1.5 cups of vegetable oil in my smallest saucepan.) Dust the dried-off tofu in plentiful rice flour. Shake off the excess. Have a rack or draining towel standing by and some good tongs.

Gently lower the tofu squares into the hot oil. If needed, turn the tofu halfway through cooking to ensure all sides are cooked.

Fry for about 4 minutes.

Serve with Japanese udon sauce, or Tsuyu sauce, diluted about 1:4. Garnish with snipped chives, or finely grated ginger/daikon or (in my kids' case) nothing at all!

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World's Greatest Baker Richard Hart was there and the two got to experience a memorable "fusion" food experience.

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You can also hear about this SALAD - from an amazing website I use all the time.

1 tomato

2 tbs ponzu

1 tbs toasted sesame seeds

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They'll also talk about what "alone time" means for busy parents and what books they've been reading lately!

SIMON'S SPICY TUNA PASTA FOR ONE

100g linguine, spaghetti or whatever pasta you want - cooked in a pot of boiling, salted water

While the pasta is cooking, prep your ingredients by chopping finely 2 long red chillies, 1 garlic clove, and have standing by 1 big handful of chopped parsley and a fancy tin of your favourite tuna.

Using the now-dry and empty pasta-cooking pot, cook the garlic and chilli in 2 tbs olive oil. Add the tuna and break it up a little. Add some reserved pasta water, toss in the parsley and if you have, a big squeeze of lemon juice.

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SIMON'S EASTER HOLIDAYS OLIVE OIL CAKE

Grease and line 20cm cake tin

Pre heat 180C

INTO A BOWL WITH:

125 ml olive oil

175g caster sugar

2 large eggs

zest of a lemon

-- whisk to combine --

then add 50ml milk

FINALLY combine

200g plain flour, 1.5tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt

Mix then pour into the tin and sprinkle with 2 tbs caster sugar on top.

Bake for 30 - 35 minutes. Test with a "skewer"

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For example? I always thought pine needles had to be served as full needles! But they can be finely chopped to excellent, delicious effect.

Same goes for SNOW PEAS.

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And you know what else? Every now and then you look at what you've got on regular rotation and realise... HANG ON, THAT THING THAT WE ALL USED TO LOVE AND EAT ALL THE TIME FELL OUT OF FAVOUR!

So - in Simon's case? Let's bring back Coriander Pesto!

It's so good to add flavour as a condiment to a curry. But it can also be drizzled over cooked fish. Or to marinate chicken. SO GOOD, TRUST ME.

1 bunch of coriander, washed well and spun dry

100g plain peanuts (not roasted/salted etc)

Juice of 1 lemon

2 small green chillies, de-seeded if you don't like heat

1 tsp salt

FYI in Meera Sodha's version (and we both LOVE HER COOKBOOKS), she also adds in 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder and 4 tsp brown sugar!

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They'll endure tent-sleeping in torrential rain for them!

So what do you do if you can't have a camp fire? (National Parks, total fire bans, etc.?)

And how can you translate this natural and tasty delight into something you can make at home surrounded by your city comforts?

LISTEN, SUBSCRIBE and SHARE as your fave foodies talk you through it.

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It's kind of okay - if you're armed with some hacks so you're not starting from scratch every meal.

YUMI'S ANCHOVY SALAD DRESSING (TO LEAVE IN THE FRIDGE FOR WHEN YOU JUST CAN'T BE BOTHERED)

60g anchovies

250ml olive oil

10g honey

25g tahini

20g best balsamic vinegar

50g white balsamic vinegar

juice of one lemon

Blend everything in the jar you intend to store it in. Check for sourness and seasoning. If it's too intense, add more oil, up to another 150ml.

Store in the fridge.

Dress on a salad of rocket, walnuts, pear, crutons and thickly grated grana padano cheese! (You won't need the full amount of dressing! This is so you can use a bit and store the rest. A couple of tablespoons per serve of salad.)

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The beauty of figs is that they are seasonal. Nothing signals the *sigh* End of Summer like figs being plentiful and affordable.

On this episode, Yumi and Simon run through their favourite things to do with figs, including a fantastic recipe from THEIR COOKBOOK WHICH YOU CAN BUY HERE.

SIMON'S FREEFORM FIG TART

Pastry

Combine 200g diced cold butter with 250g plain flour in a food processor for a few short bursts until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add in 125g (half a cup) of sour cream. It shouldn't take long and when the dough forms a ball, wrap it up and pop it in the fridge to rest for at least 20 mins.

Preheat the oven to 190C.

Trim and quarter the figs.

Roll out the pastry to a 35cm circle about 3mm thick.

Get it on the oven tray then spread the circle of dough with 1/4 cup of marmalade, leaving a border clear.

Top with the figs in whatever pattern you want. Sprinkle with 1tbs caster sugar, then fold the edges of the dough in to shape a freeform crusty tart.

Brush the edges and top of the crust with beaten egg.

Bake for 45 - 50 mins until the tart crust is lightly browned and the fruit is bubbling. Serve with creme fraiche and strong tea.

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Both Yumi and Simon get a little misty remembering what a different world it was during LOCKDOWN (police checks, really?) and how food was used as a way to bond.

ITALIAN POMELO SALAD

Remove the pith from the pomelo. Peel the flesh from any pith and break the segments into generous chunks.

Remove the seeds from 1 pomegranate.

Make a dressing out of juice on 1 lemon, 3tbs good olive oil and a fat pinch of sea salt.

Into a bowl - a bunch of picked mint, 100g rocket, the pomelo slices. Dress and toss.

Serve onto individual plates dressed with torn up mozzarella balls, the pomegranate seeds, lots of generous black pepper, a drizzle of olive oil, and some big fat shaved ribbons of Grana Padono cheese.

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Yumi's was at the fairly new Bessie's in Surry Hills, Sydney, and Simon ate again at chef Josh Niland's sublime St Peter in Paddo. BOTH EXPERIENCES WERE TRANSFORMATIVE.

What did we bring home to share with you on this podcast?

Burgers!

If you ever want to share your thoughts or make a request, you can email the makers of this podcast at FoodFixEmail@gmail.com

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WALNUT PESTO!

100g walnuts

garlic oil

3 tbs chopped fresh rosemary

50g grated Pecorino Romano

4tbs walnut oil

Serve on Rana Pasta! (Which Yumi famously misspells out loud during this episode, lol. ) Or whatever filled pasta you can get your hands on.

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ELVIS TOAST

Butter a well toasted slice of sourdough.

Add a generous slathering of crunchy peanut butter...

then top generously with sliced banana.

Finish with a tiny amount of very dark chocolate, finely grated over the top!

MAGIC TOAST

Spread a well-toasted slice of sourdough bread with hummus.

Crumble over some fetta.

Season with salt and cracked pepper.

Serve.

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To sweeten your work day, Yumi has a shortbread recipe from one of her favourite cookbooks, and another hack if you're a HOME-MADE GRANOLA OBSESSIVE.

The cookbook is PASS IT ON by Shobha Kalyan and Keryn Kalyan and it's out of print but you may be able to get a copy if you contact them via their website.

Cardamom Shortbread

110g ghee, at room temp

90g caster sugar

2tsp ground cardamom

50g pea flour

50g fine semolina

80g plain flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

shelled pistachios or peeled almonds to decorate

Cream the ghee and sugar with the cardamom powder until light and fluffy. Sift everything else on top of the mixture and gently combine, taking care not to overmix.

Roll 22 heaped teaspoons into balls and space out on an oven tray. Lightly dot a pistachio or almond in the middle of each biscuit.

Bake in a pre-heated 160C oven for 20 minutes. Eat while driving!

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You'll hear more about the restaurant on today's episode of the food fix but the link is here if you urgently need to make a booking!

We've also got the sauce he's inspired by. It's not the restaurant version, it's one us mere humans can probably get going on our home stoves.

Agrodolce sauce

Small saucepan, into 2 warmed tablespoons of olive oil, add 2 chopped garlic cloves, one chopped shallot, sautee them down for about 5 minutes until golden brown

1/2 cup red wine balsamic vinegar

1 tsp capers

1/4 raisins

1/4 cup pine nuts

stir to combine along with 3tbs honey, simmer down for 4 mins

To finish the sauce, add 2tbs butter and season with salt and pepper.

Serve on radiccio or grilled steak!

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And how do you make your special person feel extra loved on this (sometimes tricky and weird) day?

Yumi and Simon have some experiences and advice to share - and a REALLY GREAT cake from the legendary Belinda Jefferey that would make the perfect gift cake - or just a treat for yourself.

Ingredients

• 300g (about 2 medium sized) tart apples, peeled, cored, chopped
• 200g pitted dates, finely chopped
• 1tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 150g plain flour
• 75g self-raising flour
• 125g soft unsalted
• 220g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 1½tsp vanilla extract
• 50g pecans and 50g slivered almonds

• TOPPING:
• 90g unsalted butter
• ½ cup milk
• 170g soft brown sugar
• 110g pecan nuts sliced and almonds if you love nuts like Yumi does
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Butter a 20cm springform cake tin. Line the base with baking paper.
2. Put the apple into a heatproof bowl with the dates. Add the Bicarbonate of soda and pour in 250ml boiling water. Thoroughly stir together then leave the mixture to cool to room temperature.
3. Sift both flours and ½tsp salt into a bowl ensuring they are well mixed or even go fastidious and run it through the food processor.
4. Put the butter and caster sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle. Beat. Then add in the egg and vanilla extract.
5. Reduce speed to low and add the flour mixture, alternatively with the apple and date mixture until both are incorporated. Take care not to over work the mixture or it could make for a tough cake. Lastly stir through the nuts.
6. Scrape the cake batter into the tin and bake for 1hr 15mins, aka, a lifetime.
7. About 15mins before the end of the cake cooking time make the topping
8. Heat the butter and milk in a small saucepan until the butter has melted. Stir in the sugar, pecan nuts (and almonds) and vanilla extract. Adjust the heat so the mixture bubbles steadily and cook stirring regularly for approximately 5 mins or until it slightly thickens. Keep warm until the cake is ready.
9. Remove cake from the oven and make sure you have an audience. Pour over the molten, nutty caramel. Some will run down the sides. Return the cake to the over for 10 to 15mins until the topping is a deep brown.
10. Sit the cake tin on a rack with baking paper underneath to catch the drips. Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin.
11. Serve whenever you want cos it's your cake. Good with cream, icecream, all the good things! Happy Valentine's Day!

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They share what went on with their respective Christmases, Simon has already been working on some incredible-sounding cookbooks including the forthcoming one from Masterchef Winner Natty Wolf, and it's time to get the SATAY recipe you've always needed!

SIMON'S EASY HOME SATAY

1/2 bunch coriander

1 fresh red chilli

1/2 clove garlic

3tbs crunchy peanut butter

lug of soy sauce

2cm nub of fresh ginger

juice and zest of 1 lime

WHIZZ IN THE BLENDER AND TASTE! What does it need more of? Taste and create! Thread chicken thigh fillet chunks onto skewers, coat well in the satay marinade, and bake in the oven at 180C until cooked through. Serve on rice. Yum!

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Personally, I LOVE being set the challenge to make something high-yield, high-praise, low-stress - at short notice. Like Craig David, I was Born To Do It. Lol.

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If it was Queensland, chances are you encountered Plantain as an ingredient!

This incredible, versatile and super delicious ingredient was previously not grown locally, was hard-to-find, and expensive. THAT'S ALL CHANGED, obvs. (Coming soon to a fancy restaurant near you!)

Plantain is Yumi's prediction for hitting the mainstream here in restaurants, cafes, cooking shows and at home - - so get onto it first!

TO MAKE SIMPLE PLANTAIN CHIPS YOU'LL NEED:

3 yellowish to black plantains

1 flat teaspoon cayenne pepper

generous pinch of salt

4mm sunflower oil for frying

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Because we all know Yumi won’t ever, ever leave her crouton era. Here’s another use for them and one that we can combine with one of Simon’s loves – raw fennel.  It’s zippy with acidity, fresh with crunchy anisey fennel and the perfect foil to serve next to a roast chicken, something meaty on the barbecue or a nice piece of poached salmon. If you’re making the croutons from scratch then toast the nuts in the oven on a tray at 200C with them instead of in a dry pan.  

Toast ½ cup walnuts or pecans in a dry frying pan until golden brown on all sides. (5–8 mins). Let cool, then coarsely chop nuts.

Combine 3 Tbsp. sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar, 1 garlic clove, finely grated, and ¼ tsp. Crushed Turkish red pepper or chilli flakes in a medium bowl. Leave for 10 minutes for the garlic to mellow and flavour the vinegar, then whisk in 3 tbsp olive oil. Add croutons (3 large handfuls) and chopped nuts. Season with salt and toss to coat and let croutons soften slightly; set aside.

Remove stalks and fronds from 2 fennel bulbs. Remove fronds from stalks and coarsely chop; thinly slice stalks. Place in a large bowl. Cut fennel bulbs in half and thinly slice on a mandoline (if you have one; if not, practice your knife skills). Add to same bowl along with ¾ cup torn fresh mint leaves. Zest ½ lemon over fennel, then squeeze in the juice. Add the croutons and nuts and toss to combine. Shave over a nice generous amount of parmesan and serve up.

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Sometimes foodies can take the basics for granted. Most of us are familiar with Olive Oil, but it's worth knowing why this is such an essential ingredient, how to get the most out of what you're paying for, and what to look for when purchasing.

Olive oil icing: 1 cup icing sugar + 1/3 cup of (good quality!) olive oil. Mix and pour over your carrot cake!

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Given we have a bit more spare time over the summer (hopefully), Yumi has decided it's time to pick up her weapons - the kitchen knives - and get back in the kitchen. The mojo isn't dead, it's just very, very tired, it's dormant, it's burnt out and it needs something achievable to bring back the belief!

ACHIEVABLE works! There's even a bit of live cooking action as she cooks WHILE RECORDING THIS EPISODE.

We also get into the origins of Harissa Paste and some good ways to use it. Enjoy!

HARISSA MAPLE MUSHROOMS interpolated from NY TIMES COOKING

• ⅓ cup olive oil
• 2½ tbs maple syrup
• 2 tbs harissa paste
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1¾ tsp fine sea salt (!)
• 500g any mushrooms that look good, sliced
• Greek yoghurt and salt to serve

Combine the first 6 ingredients then pour over the sliced mushrooms. Spread the now-marinated mushrooms over a large oven tray and roast at 220C for 20 mins, turn them over and turn the oven down to 180C and roast for another 10 minutes.

Serve according to the recipe - immediately, on seasoned Greek yoghurt with crusty bread, or do what Yumi did with them - which was add them to sandwiches and salads over the next 5 days. AMAZING!

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How's your existential despair?

Feeding fussy kids is tricky at the best of time, but summer holidays can be VERY TRYING because HOT CHIPS are not a food group!

Given avocados are so cheap, we assume you're buying a few... But do you know how to treat your rock-hard avos lovingly? AND HOW TO GET YOUR KIDS TO EAT THEM??

Listen here to feel less alone! And maybe even discover a new thing your kids will eat!

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Specifically?

The formative, and let's face it, rather delightful childhood experience that was the Year 7 Home Economics classes - where we were taught to cook from a book called 'Cookery the Australian Way'.

Was this your experience too?

Shoot us an email: foodfixemail@gmail.com

TEA CAKE via YEAR SEVEN FLASHBACKS!!

60 gram butter, plus 15g extra (both portions at room temperature)

1/2 cup caster sugar, plus 1 tablespoon extra

1 egg, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup self-raising flour

1/3 cup cup milk

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Heat the oven to 180C, 160C fan forced.

Cream the butter and sugar. Add in the egg, vanilla, flour and milk. Mix, pour into a small (20cm) cake tin then cook for 15-20 mins.

Melt extra butter, add extra sugar and as much cinnamon as you want then spoon that over the top of your cute and teeny cake. Serve with proper brewed tea - optional to eat with your bare hands! ENJOY YOUR TIME TRAVEL!

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Based on a recipe by the wonderful Sabrina Gahyour, this is a beautiful platter that gets one steak in front of everyone you're having over for a BBQ!

Make the dressing with 200ml pomegranate molasses, 75ml balsamic vinegar, 1tbs olive oil and 2tsp Dijon mustard.

Cook the steak (whichever you like, eg., sirloin) hot and fast for rare. Allow it to rest for 5 minutes before slicing finely. Serve the slices circling a nest of rocket leaves, drizzle with the dressing and top with a gorgeous tousle of pomegranate seeds.

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BLUEBERRY PANCAKES

Melt 80g butter in a small, smooth bowl and set it aside

Pick out the dud berries and compost those! They're not good.

Separate 2 eggs, whizz the whites of the eggs with 2tbs of caster sugar.

Decant into a standby bowl then reuse the mixing bowl (unwashed) to whizz up:

the 2 egg yolks (I misspoke in the episode and said "eggs" not "egg yolks" but it's YOLKS, folks)

1 cup milk

1tsp vanilla essence

pinch salt

combine, then -

sift in 1 cup SR flour (wholemeal is ok)

add in the melted butter

mix just a bit - DO NOT OVERMIX!

then cut through the foamy, meringuey egg white.

Warm up a heavy-based frypan. Rub butter over the pan. Spread 1/2 cup - 3/4 cup sized pancakes on the pan, dot with an ABUNDANCE of blueberries, pop the lid on the pan then leave alone for 1.5 - 2 mins. Flip and cook for another 1.5 mins with the lid off.

Serve immediately with whipped cream, sliced banana, maple syrup, etc.

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Your esteemed and enthusiastic hosts Simon Davis and Yumi Stynes would like you to know that cooking dinner doesn't have to be a time and energy suck! Just remember the things that you love to eat that are good for you.

No less than this one!

It's Adam Liaw's Tomato and Tuna - ON TOAST.

• 5 ripe tomatoes
• 425g tuna chunks in spring water, drained
• ½ cup good quality extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
• ¼ tsp dried oregano
• 4 large, thick slices of sourdough
• ½ cup loosely packed basil leaves

Chop the tomatoes, toss through with olive oil and tuna flakes, check for saltiness and add more if you like. (I have just been reading the amazing chapter on seasoning in Bee Wilson's amazing book The Secret of Cooking - and she has a lot to say about adding pepper! It's a distinctive and potentially flavour-changing seasoning, so maybe leave the pepper on the table for people to add their own.)

Drizzle bread generously with olive oil and toast rather well so there are blackish bits. (Liaw uses a griddle pan, I would just use the toaster but aim for well-done.) Toss the basil leaves gently through the tuna mixture.

Dollop your yummy tuna-tomato mix on top of the toast. Serve immediately.

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Or intentional, nourishment-seeking?

Tahini is a fantastic ingredient no matter what type of eating you're feeling.

On today's episode Simon has an aerated and essential tahini sauce from acclaimed foodie Anna Jones but first you have to get through some sass, at least one use of the word "yoggut", a bit of emotional bloodletting, and some lols.

200g tahini

3 tbs olive oil

1 tsp cumin

1 finely chopped garlic clove

the juice of 1/2 a lemon

blending it with 150ml of water

Blend everything until aerated and amazing. Serve on any roasted or grilled vegetable, or on some silverbeet, chard, spinach or kale (well washed), fried down with onion and garlic.

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Here's one where Yumi is laughing so hard she has tears!

It's all about this guy who went viral for his potatoes.

THIS RECIPE IS YUMI'S VERSION

Get a large pot on the stove with 2cm water in, turn up hot.

At the same time, put a full kettle on to boil.

Quarter 700g potatoes.

By the time you've finished cutting up the spuds, the water in the kettle and the small amount on the stove should both be boiling.

Pour the kettle water into the pot on the stove.

Tumble the potatoes in making sure they're not sticking together. Stir a little.

Wait for the water to return to boiling then set a timer for 3 minutes.

Once the timer has sounded, drain the potatoes really well so they're dry, and allow them to cool.

To do the Ibiza method, pop the now-cool potatoes in the FREEZER for 35 mins.

Preheat the oven to 200.

Get a roasting tray on the hob and fill it with at least 2mm of olive oil. Be careful! Use the stove element to heat the oil and when it's spattering hot, carefully decant the potatoes into the oil. They will spatter. Use tongs to make sure each piece is cut-side down.

Pop in the oven and roast for 30 mins before turning to the other cut side, and roast for another 20 mins. Serve when golden crunchy all over.

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With summer here, it’s time we remember that there are days when cooking can be all just a bit too hard.

And that’s why we LOVE a rotisserie chicken. We talked about this ALL the way back in episode 19 – in fact, but there is always more to be said on the subject. 

Recently, Simon has been getting a bit looser with his rotisserie chicken, cheating and using it as the base with utter shamelessness. And it’s this shortcut that he wants to bring to your attention today really – want to whip up a pie quickly? Rotisserie chicken! After a quick, amazing taco wrap? Rotisserie chicken! 

Here he’s injecting more flavour into it with a (pre-bought) red curry paste, lightened up with a greek yoghurt mix to make some crunchy Thai-style san choi bao. Because why not double up the cheats and keep hacking away? It may sound odd, but it’s really not, and the end results are delish. 

Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a small saucepan over medium. Cook 3 tbsp red curry paste, stirring often, until fragrant and slightly darkened and beginning to stick to bottom of pan, about 2 minutes. Scrape into a medium bowl and leave to cool, then stir in 1 cup greek yogurt, 3 tbsp fresh lime juice, 2 tsp honey, and ½ tsp salt.

Add ½ finely chopped medium red onion, 1 finely chopped celery stalk, 12 chopped cornichons, and a large handful of chopped coriander along with 400g shredded rotisserie chicken and toss well to coat. Taste and season with more salt if needed. Spoon the chicken mix into little gem lettuce leaves and top with chopped roasted peanuts and some more coriander leaves, if you like. 

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