Italian white wine, Vino Bianco, is my favorite. There are so many varieties. Many  people are only familiar with the ubiquitous Pinot Grigio, this is unfortunate because there are so many other Italian white wines to enjoy. In all fairness, years ago Santa Margarita Pinot Grigio brought attention back to Italian white wines, which were previously shunned because of terrible wines like Bolla...

Italian parsley. They say – at least Jamie Oliver does – that the flat leaf variety has better...

The flounder(s) at Prahran market had been winking at me for weeks. Then Shammi from Shrewsbury told me she'd recently returned from a holiday to Borth, where I caught my first flounder. If you haven't visited Borth do so, but do it when there is a spring tide. The sea ...

It’s full moon and I'm eating the genitals of a spiny beast. Not a hedgehog or a porcupine, but a sea urchin . They have been winking at me for months now and at it’s $7.50 a kilo it is time to try them and bliss out on the anandamines ...

Busy, busy, busy. What I need is a quick and easy recipe with both veggies and meat. One of my favourites is Gajar ka salad, a Gujerati carrot salad from my very stained and food stippled copy of Madjur Jaffrey’s Indian Cookery . It is an excellent candidate for Weekend ...

Ingredients 1 sheet frozen puff pastry A few marinated olives Two ripe tomatoes Fetta cheese (Greek is still the best) Olive oil and seasoning 1 egg yolk Today I shan’t be rolling out puff pastry. Life is too short and the frozen stuff, I hate to say, is pretty good. ...

Ingredients 60g unsalted butter 185g caster sugar 3 egg yolks 3 egg whites 2 teaspoons lemon zest 80ml lemon juice 40g self-raising flour 185ml milk The last couple of balmy evenings have fund me quaffing a couple of beers – Argentinean Quilmes seems to be the vogue – in the ...

Number 71: Creamy Stuffed Figs - I got these from a wonderful blog called The Weekly Dish .  Whenever I get my act together (maybe when M'hijo starts preschool) I am going to do a little weekly menu like the Culinary Bookworm does.  It's so neat, and so were the ...

Located in northwest Italy, east of Monaco and in from the sea, Piedmont is known for Barolo and Barbaresco, but this under-$15 perfumed red also hails from the region.  It comes in the heaviest 750ml wine bottle you've ever lifted, while inside is a trendy Italian-style red with lots of fruit and character. Dardano Zara Langhe Rosso 2004 is half Dolcetto and half Barbera.  Dardano...

Here is a bottle of bubbly that's perfect for substituting for an everyday white wine - anytime.  Like on a weeknight, you might pop one when you're getting dinner ready.  It's mouthwatering, stimulates good conversation and spirits, and won't go to your head (well not as fast). Zefiro* Prosecco Brut ...