coq au vin

Shake chicken portions in a bit of flour in a bag. Sear the chicken pieces in the hot olive oil, then pour the brandy over and flame it for a few seconds. When the flames start to die down, put the lid on to put them out.

Add all other ingredients.

Cover, simmer for about 45min or till chicken is tender. Top up with a bit of wine or chicken stock as required. Thicken the sauce with a little cornflour if necessary.

This dish is best when prepared in advance and reheated.

Serve very hot, on rice.

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fish parcels

I just did this one day when I couldn't be bothered to stand there in the kitchen frying fish. Everybody liked it, so it became part of my repertoire.

Make one parcel for each person as follows:

Cut a generous piece of tinfoil and place it shiny side up.

Put a bed of green leaves down (spinach or whatever)

Put fish on the leaves, season with salt, pepper and fish spice.

Layer the sliced vegetables on the fish.

You do not need to add any liquid, it makes quite a lot of liquid by itself; maybe a spoonful of white wine just for the flavour.

Fold foil over firmly, place parcels in a shallow uncovered dish, put in oven at 180C for about 20 minutes, or a little longer if you use thick fillets.

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kerrievis

Another of those traditional family favourite recipes of Indonesian origin. I remember as a child going with my grandmother to "Suzman's Fish" for kingklip to make kerrievis. This is her recipe. On our farm, my brother used to catch carp in the river - there is nothing like chilled kerrievis, salad and fresh bread rolls  for an al fresco lunch in summer. Washed down with a suitable white wine, of course! (I have also made this dish with chicken fillets, for friends with a fish allergy.)

Cut fillets into neat portions. Salt and pepper them lightly.

Cut onions into thin rings.

Mix rest of ingredients, add the onions and lemon leaves and simmer for about 30 minutes. Use a large, flat-bottomed saucepan.

Place fish portions carefully in the mixture, making sure that they are all covered with the sauce. Simmer gently for a further 20 minutes or till the fish is cooked through. Spoon the sauce over the fish from time to time.

Spoon a bit of the sauce into the bottom of a glass dish, then place the fish in the dish in layers, spooning sauce over each layer. Pour the rest of the sauce over and leave to cool.

Cover closely with gladwrap or lid, leave in the fridge for 2-3 days before eating. May be bottled.

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paella

Oh, all right! The third one was pannekoek, and the books were Sartre's trilogy: The Age of Reason, The Reprieve and Iron in the Soul. She had them in one fat Penguin volume with very small print.

In large saucepan or Dutch oven, brown chicken in oil.

Add chopped onions, garlic and capsicum, stir fry a minute or two.

Add tomatoes, rice, stock, turmeric, salt and black pepper.

Simmer slowly for about 30 mins till rice has absorbed all the liquid. Keep an eye on it and top up with stock if necessary.

Add seafood, sliced sausage, sherry and peas. Heat through thoroughly and serve garnished with parsley, a few sausage slices and a prawn or two. A few slices of lemon on the side.

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pink salmon fritters

I got this recipe from my friend Clodagh, who can touch the tip of her nose with her tongue and who has one son who is a ballroom dancing pro, and another who lives on a houseboat in Hong Kong with his Chinese girl friend. (I met her on jury duty - there are long boring hours to fill: one tends to hear people's life histories, get their favourite recipes and see their tongue tricks.)

Pull the bread into small pieces and place in bowl. Break egg on top, add the other stuff except the fish and mash it all together. Add salmon, mix well.

Form patties, pan fry in a bit of olive oil.

Drain on kitchen paper, serve with mashed potatoes and peas.

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roquefort chook

Chickens are known in Australia as "chooks". I heard this recipe on the radio - it was highly recommended by the food fundi, Sir Lunchalot. This recipe makes enough for eight people.

Preheat oven to 180C

Roll fillets in seasoned flour and brown in the oil.

Pack them into a large baking dish.

Mix rest of ingredients, pour mixture over the fillets and spread evenly.

Cover with tinfoil (dull side out) and bake 30-40 mins or till the chook is tender and cooked right through.

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