Greek Recipes

Julia Child said in her book, My Life in France, "...Our first lunch together in France had been absolute perfection. It was the most exciting meal of my life..." and so has begun the story of many a devoted Francophile, including my own dear Papa. To celebrate his birthday, what better present to offer than a day of finding French gourmet delights across Sydney. Unlike many suburbs of Sydney, which are buzzing cultural food hubs (such as Earlwood/Marrickville being the  'little Greece' of Sydney, Haberfield home to Italy, Auburn for Turkish food, Cabramatta for Vietnamese cuisine etc) there is no one 'little France' in Sydney. The French community of Sydney, its cafes and restaurants are spread out across many of Sydney's "little villages" or suburbs.  Setting out to find these gems, we jumped on a bus early on Saturday morning at Sydney's Central Station. Greeting us, our guides for the day were Maeve O'Meara - the Sydney food legend, a...

Unable to visit Greece this year, we settled on a short break in New Caledonia. It is the second time that we have visited Noumea, which is like a small piece of France with azure water at every turn. The overwhelming French influences, deserted white sand beaches and postcard sunsets remain a heavenly reality. Being only two hours away, it is the best way for Australian Francophiles to get a little French fix over a long weekend or mini break. Noumea itself has remained not over-developed and it has certainly not been flooded by the 'budget travel' set. The capital is set on a high peninsula surrounded by sweeping white sand bays. The coastline is dotted with a mix of colonial architecture and the seemingly familiar Southern French style of peachy-pink coloured stucco apartments, bright shuttered windows and faded striped awnings. There is a relatively small number of Australian and New Zealand tourists here (apart from the tiny flood of hurried cruise passengers that have an...

There is something so wonderfully cosy and traditional about serving chicken for a Sunday lunch. The idea can sometimes be a bit intimidating, when all you want to do is relax with family and friends. However, there are so many recipes which are seriously easy - and this is one of them. I first learnt to make this dish in the French town of Ceret. At the Saturday morning at the market, I was completely seduced by the huge displays of creamy, white garlic with its soft papery skin. Although the 40 cloves in this dish sounds rather overpowering, the final result is not. The garlic is slowly caramelised in its skin as it cooks and becomes sweet and creamy, with no fiery pungency. As the chicken is pot roasted, the chicken is also wonderful juicy - with none of the worries of dryness, that often come with straight out roasting. The added bonus of the dish is also that it will leave your kitchen smelling amazing! Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic 2 celery stalks, with leaves, chopped 1 carr...