What vegetables do you like?

 "I like most vegetables. I don’t like cauliflower or sprouts. Not overly keen on cabbage.  I like it well fried and shredded and cooked in red wine- that’s good cabbage. Mushrooms, I love mushrooms. Haven’t had one in ages."

Anna, Cheshire, England

Marinated mushrooms

This attractive, Provençal-inspired dish is the perfect picnic food. Throw everything into a mason jar in the morning and pay it no mind until you pop it into your beach bag or picnic basket. This is fantastic served with a crusty baguette to dip into the fragrant leftover oil.

1 1/2 cups crimini mushrooms, brushed clean

1 1/2 cup olive oil

The peel of half a lemon
1 teaspoon white wine

2 sprigs thyme

1 large stem of basil

1 sprig marjoram

1/8th teaspoon dried lavender

3 cloves garlic, smashed

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1. Bring a small pan of water to boil. Add mushrooms, reduce to a simmer, and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove, pat dry, and let cool.
2.Line a sterilised jar with the fresh herbs. 

3. Pack the jar with mushrooms, garlic, and lemon peel.

4. Stir together olive oil, wine, lavender and salt. Pour over mushrooms and seal jar.

5. Let sit for at least two hours, turning occasionally. 

What do you eat in summer?

"Greek salad and fresh pasta. Nothing creamy or heavy."

Molly, British Columbia, Canada

Spaghetti with zucchini, tomatoes and herbs 

8 oz spaghetti

1 tablespoon salted butter

1 zucchini, sliced

1/3 cup basil, chopped

1/4 cup rocket

1 medium heirloom tomato, diced (about 1 cup)

1 teaspoon olive oil

Parmesan cheese, to serve

1.   Boil a pot of water for spaghetti. Add plenty of salt and cook spaghetti until al dente.

2.   In a medium pan, melt butter. Add zucchini and cook until tender and fragrant.

3.    Drain pasta and stir through. Add vegetables, olive oil, a pinch of salt, and plenty of cheese. 

What do you eat for breakfast?

“Toasted muesli, Greek yoghurt, honey and milk and sliced fruit.”

Tom, Queensland, Australia

Tropical toasted museli

Driving around Queensland, I was delighted to find farmstands everywhere. Ripe, fragrant tropical fruits were abundant; mangoes, papaya, bananas, pineapples, not to mention fruits I'd never encountered before, such as sapote and lucuma. I even met a pair of hitchhikers who had spent the previous six months climbing palms and selling coconuts to tourists at the Daintree National Park.

Muesli, originally a Swiss invention, has taken on a life of it's own in Australia. It is immensely popular with fruit and yoghurt, and is also sometimes sold at bakeries, pressed into a "slice." Here, we infuse it with the sunny flavours of Queensland. I imagine this would be especially delicious with yoghurt and passionfruit pulp!

2 cups plain oats

1/2 cup banana chips, broken up

1/4 cup dried papaya, cut into bite sized pieces

1/4 cup dried pineapple, cut into bite sized pieces

1/2 cup desiccated coconut

2/3 cup dry roasted macadamias, coarsely chopped

2/3 cup pineapple juice

1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil

2 teaspoons honey

A large pinch of salt

1.   Preheat your oven to 300°F (150°C).

2.   Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly.

3.   On a baking sheet, spread the mixture so it makes one even layer.

4.   Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Allow the museli to cool, and then transfer to a nice jar or container. 

What sort of things do you eat in the summer?

"Summer berries and summer fruits! Raspberries, strawberries, mangoes and other stone fruits. I love a nice crispy skinned duck breast served with a salad of spinach leaves, basil, strawberries and nectarines dressed with a caramalised balsamic vinegar."

Kate, Perth, Australia

Summer salad with seared halloumi

Here's my (vegetarian!) take on a lovely idea. 

This dish can easily be made ahead, but I would wait to combine the ingredients until serving.

If you do choose to serve this with duck, omit the cheese. 

1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tsp lemon juice, plus extra for cheese

1 1/2 cup baby spinach leaves

1 cup baby rocket

1 cup basil leaves

1 cup strawberries, sliced

1 nectarine, sliced

1 tbsp sweet butter

1 tsp vegetable or canola oil

4 oz halloumi cheese, sliced and quartered

1 cup dry roasted macadamias, chopped

1.   In a small pan, cook 1/4 cup balsamic and sugar over medium heat, until it has reduced and become sweet and a bit syrupy.

2.   Whisk reduced balsamic with olive oil, lemon, and uncooked vinegar until emulsified.  Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

3.   In another small pan, melt butter with oil. Add cheese and cook on both sides, until pieces have formed a beautiful golden crust. Transfer to a paper plate and squeeze over lemon juice.

4.   Toss greens together with the fruit. Top with fried cheese and chopped macadamias.

5.   Dress and serve.

"I love almost all seafood. I love mussels. And all other seafood."

Ahmad, Massachusetts, USA

Mussels with Cider

2 shallots, diced

4 scallions, thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper, julienned

1 small chili, seeded and thinly sliced

2 lbs mussels, scrubbed, debearded, and sorted.

1/4 cup hard cider

Delicious bread, to serve

1. In a large pot, heat a knob of butter with a drop of vegetable oil. Add shallots and gently cook until translucent. Add all other vegetables, season, and cook until soft. 

2. Add mussels, give it a quick stir, and then add cider. Season with salt and pepper. Cover immediately and steam until the mussels have opened, about 3-5 minutes. Discard any mussels that haven't opened.

3. Serve immediately with warm bread to soak up the broth.

What is your favourite holiday, and what do you eat then?

"Easter. Hot cross buns are rad."

Columbia, Adelaide, Australia

Hot cross buns are often eaten over the Easter holiday- particularly on Good Friday. 

In Australia, they seemed to be consumed all year. I saw hot cross buns in most bakeries and grocery stores. A popular variation I often spotted was cocoa with chocolate chips; fantastic warm with some soft butter. 

I bought these buns at a bakery, so no recipe today. However,  check out Aussie blog Meet Me At Mike's for a lovely tutorial on making these treats.

What is your favourite holiday and what do you eat then?

"Pesach...coleslaw by my grandmother, matzo balls, coconut and chocolate macaroons..."

Liz, Toronto, Canada

Matzo Ball Soup

The smell of matzo ball soup cooking is a surefire sign that spring is on it’s way! Though, I’d be happy eating this any day of the year…

Chicken fat, or shmaltz, as it’s known in Yiddish, is the secret ingredient to a perfect matzo ball. You can buy it, but you can also just use the fat that you scoop off the top of your broth as it cooks.  I also used chicken salt in my matzo balls (a strange Aussie product that I love) for an extra chicken-y kick.

Boiling a whole chicken will yield way more meat than you need. I made some chicken salad with kewpie mayonnaise and avocado... delicious! (And probably pretty good on matzo…)

For the soup:

1 whole chicken

2 onions, quartered

2 peeled carrots, cut into large chunks

2 stalks celery, cut into large chunks

A pinch peppercorns

Salt

A bay leaf, some thyme and rosemary tied up with string

For the matzo balls:

1 cup matzo meal

1/4 melted chicken fat (you can also use oil)

4 eggs

1/4 cup seltzer

Ground pepper

Salt

1. Put all your soup ingredients in a large pot. Cover completely with water and bring to boil.

2. Gently boil, uncovered, occasionally skimming any impurities or fat that rise to the top. 

3. Meanwhile, make your matzo balls. In a medium-sized bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. Be sure to use plenty of salt! Wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for at least an hour and a half.

4. Let your broth cook for at least two hours. To keep it from reducing drastically, you can add water occasionally. Salt graciously.

5. When your matzo ball mixture is ready, boil a pot of water. Form smooth, golfball sized balls, and add to the pot. Cover with a tight fitting lid, reduce to a simmer, and cook for about thirty minutes.

6. When the broth tastes rich and flavourful, remove chicken and leave to cool on a platter. Strain the broth and reserve the carrots.

7. Shred the cooked chicken and slice the cooked carrots into coins.

8. To serve, put a handful of shredded chicken, some carrots, and a couple of matzo balls into each bowl and ladle hot broth over.

Enjoy, and if you're celebrating Pesach, chag sameach!

What are your favourite fruits?

"Maracuyá and watermelon."

Dana, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Passionfruit Butter

Maracuyá, or as it's known in English, passionfruit, is a vine fruit with a delightfully sweet and tangy pulp. It is native to South America, but grows beautifully in many warm climates.

If you are a fan of lemon curd, you will fall in love its Aussie cousin, passionfruit butter. I bought a little jar of this one afternoon at one of Sydney's lovely weekend markets, and was hooked immediately. This bright, punchy concoction can be used with practically anything; toast, cakes, scones, ice cream, yoghurt, you name it. This is spreadable gold, a jar full of sunshine brought to you by the southern hemisphere.  

If fresh passionfruit is not available where you live, you can buy it frozen or tinned in South American grocers.

1 stick butter (1/2 cup)

1 cup sugar

14 oz passionfruit pulp

4 eggs, whisked

Create a double boiler by boiling a pan of water and placing a second pan or heatproof bowl on top, making sure the boiling water doesn’t touch the bottom of the top pan. Once water is boiling, reduce heat to medium.

On top of your double boiler, melt butter with sugar.

In a medium bowl, whisk together passionfruit and eggs. Stir into the butter and eggs.

Stir constantly until mixture has thickened and coats the back of a wooden spoon.

Strain, if you wish.

Spoon into a sterilized jar. After it has cooled down, store in the fridge. 

"Saint Patrick’s day- try to be as Irish as possible. Eat a pie."

Amy, Westmeath, Ireland

Shepherd's Pie

Traditionally, shepherd’s pie is made with lamb; if you use beef, it’s called cottage pie.

In honor of Saint Patrick’s day, I used cabbage and whiskey. It brings a sweet warmth to the beef; perfect for the chilly, sunny days of early Spring!

Butter, preferably delicious Irish butter

Canola oil

1 onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 quarter head green cabbage, chopped

1 lb lamb or beef mince

1 28 oz can of chopped tomatoes

1 2/3 cup beef stock

A splash of Irish whiskey

A sprig of rosemary, thyme and bay leaf, tied into a bundle

1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas

2 russet potatoes, peeled and quartered

Roughly 1/2 cup whole milk or cream

1/2 cup shredded white cheddar cheese, plus some to sprinkle on top

Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large pot, melt a knob of butter and cook the onions until translucent. Add celery and carrot and cook until softened.

Add cabbage and meat, and brown.

Stir through chopped tomatoes, beef stock, a big splash of whiskey and the bundle of herbs. Season with salt and pepper.

Bring to the boil and then reduce heat. Simmer until the liquid is mostly gone, about an hour. Stir through peas and remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC)

While the filling simmers, put your potatoes in a pot and cover with hot water. Bring to the boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Drain the potatoes and transfer to a big bowl. Add a large knob of butter. With a wooden spoon, mash the potatoes, adding milk or cream bit by bit, until light and fluffy.

Stir through cheese, and season with salt.

Transfer meat filling to an ovenproof casserole dish. Spoon potatoes over top and sprinkle with some extra cheese.

Bake until the top is golden, about an hour.

Serve hot.

What do you eat for breakfast?

"Oats, berries, milk and cinnamon." 

Rebecca, Stockholm, Sweden