Craig Cooks

everyday experiments with food

Navigation
  • Baking
    • Bread
  • Cuisine
    • Asian
      • Chinese
      • Malaysian
    • Mexican
    • Middle Eastern
  • BBQ
  • Fruit
  • Meat
    • Lamb
    • Pork
  • Pasta
  • Pizza
  • Poultry
  • Seafood
  • Vegetarian
    • Salads
  • Dairy
    • Cheese
  • Dessert
    • Ice Cream
  • Soups
You are here: Home / Archives for admin

Tapas Internationalé

May 18, 2026 by admin Leave a Comment

For the last couple of years we have watched the Eurovision Grand Final while eating freshly made tapas. Sometimes they are themed to particular countries, but this year it was all a bit more random. Here’s the menu! Served with sherry, Adelaide Hills bubbly and a Cab Merlot.

 

Filed Under: Mediterranean, Menus

Spaghetti Carbonara

May 13, 2026 by admin Leave a Comment

Since I haven’t posted for a while, here’s a photo while I get back on my bike. Spaghetti carbonara. Home made pasta tossed with grana padano. Prosciutto briefly pan-fried. Egg cooked sous vide on 63C for an hour. Fresh thyme.

Perfect.

Filed Under: Pasta Tagged With: eggs

Slow-cooked Spanish Lamb

September 9, 2025 by admin Leave a Comment

Here’s a variation of a dish that I’ve cooked on a charcoal BBQ a number of times. I call it Spanish Lamb and it consists of studding a lamb leg or shoulder with slivers of garlic clove, seasoning with salt and pepper, then smothering it with tomato paste and oregano (fresh or dried), and then cooking it.

[Apologies for the terrible iPhone photos. I need a new one!]

This time it was a slow-cooked fairly large shoulder of lamb. The fat on the lamb was pretty thick so I made slices all the way along.

The lamb was then prepared as above, then sprinked with 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika and 1 tsp Aleppo pepper flakes.

I added the following to the baking tray

1 large carrot, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 leek, cut into chunks
6 brown shallots
1/2 head garlic, cut in half
1 red capsicum cut into 8 slices
3 strips orange peel
1 cup white wine
2 -3 cups water
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 large bay leaf
2 cloves

I cooked it at 120C for about 3 hours, then on 150C for about 1/2 hours. After the first hour I covered it with alfoil, then took that off towards the end. I turned the lamb part-way through so that the meat on top softened under the liquid, then turned it back again.

I removed some liquid towards the end to make a sauce. I blotted off some of the fat with paper towel, then cooked it down to reduced it. I strained it and later thickened it with Arrowroot powder.

I cranked up the oven to 200C to brown the top of the meat at the end.

Sides

White bean puree – cooked Cannellini beans blitzed with chicken stock, 2 cooked garlic cloves, 2 tbps butter
Scallopped potates baked with cream and butter
Brussels sprouts – olive oil and salt baked at 200C
Green Sicilian olives

It doesn’t look pretty on the plate but it tasted amazing.

 

 

Filed Under: Lamb, Meat, Mediterranean

Roast Cauliflower Soup with Coconut and Turmeric

July 13, 2025 by admin Leave a Comment

This is a tasty soup enriched by the roasting of the caulflower. The recipe is from Laura Davidson’s website A Beautiful Plate and is apprently adapted from this cookbook.

I only had half a small cauliflower (instead of 2) so I ended up adding less coconut milk (I had coconut cream), and it was still a bit thin. I think this also mde the spice a bit more intense, but it was nevertheless tasty and simple. I also used home-made chicken stock.

I make quite a few soups with coconut milk and bottled Thai or Malaysian curry paste as they are pretty simple, but they usually have chicken or seafood in them. I’ve never thought of doing this with cauliflower.

Anyway its a great recipe and its vegetarian so I’m tagging it here.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Soups, Vegetarian Tagged With: cauliflower, soup, thai

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • 36
  • Next Page »
SEARCH FOR RECIPES

THE COOK

I live and cook in the Adelaide Hills in South Australia. The region is similar to the Mediterranean, with temperate climate, fertile hills, nearby ocean, wonderful local vegetables, fruit, wine and meat produced locally. Cooking has been a growing passion for me, about connecting culture, creativity, community and spirit. The small garden in our new home is currently being established with some native bush ‘tucker plants’ and a range of herbs. I’ve just bought a yuzu tree!

Photos taken on iPhone 4, 5 and X and a Canon 5D Mk III.

CONNECT

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest

RECENT COMMENTS

  • Steve on Pork, Duck & Beetroot Sausages
  • admin on Roast Cauliflower & Spiced Honey Carrots with Whipped Hummus
  • Judy Redman on Roast Cauliflower & Spiced Honey Carrots with Whipped Hummus
  • Greg on Smoked Jalapeno Cheese Sausages
  • craig on Pork, Duck & Beetroot Sausages

COOKBOOKS

Heart and Soul

Made In Italy

Plenty

RECIPE LINKS

Craig’s Pinterest Recipes Page
Nibble Me This
Ottolenghi Recipes
Delicious Magazine
Souvlaki for The Soul
Good Food
Adan Medrano
Smitten Kitchen
David Lebovitz
She Simmers
Chocolate and Zucchini
SBS Food

 

Copyright © 2026 · Foodie Child Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress