Roasted salmon with dried tomato and walnuts
When you’re committed to serving a whole side of salmon (which looks spectacular), the process can be nerve wracking. Overcooked salmon? No-one likes that. And if you’re going the traditional hot-baked route there’s very little margin for error; fish can go from delectable to disastrous in minutes flat. NO PRESSURE! Enter this more chillaxed way to cook a big lump of gorgeous, pink fish – the slow roast. Or more correctly, the ‘low’ roast as 20-ish minutes in the oven barely qualifies as ‘slow’. But it’s all relative. more
Cottage cheese and buckwheat pancakes
Rise and shine, breakfast freaks. We love our carbs and caffeine in the morning, and when it’s time to flip the script on the usual toast and jam, fluffy pancakes are pretty hard to beat… more
PAR-TAY AT YOUR PLACE…
Chinese soy sauces
Soy sauce. It’s essential to so many of the cuisines we all know and love… yet how much do we really know about it? With myriad soy sauces Out There, we thought it was as good a time as any to take a deep dive into its brackish, salty, umami-laden depths. … more
Pork and pineapple adobo
We’ve ticked most Asian countries off our travel wish list but have never made it to the Philippines. We know a BIT about the food there but in general we’re kinda sketch… more
The Lazy Sunday Club proudly partners with the following Kiwi brands. When it’s time to go shopping, please show them some love!
Peanut butter
Ooooh, peanut butter. What would sandwiches and toast be without it? Apparently, even the… more
Should you cook with extra virgin olive oil?
Extra virgin olive oil is an unrefined oil that’s mechanically extracted from olives using no heat or chemical… more
Why is cottage cheese a thing again?
Good question. Cottage cheese is not an ingredient that often finds its way into our cooking… more
Vanilla
‘Vanilla’. It’s code for boring. Everyday. A bit colourless. Plain. Basic. Lacking bells and whistles. Which is kind of weird… more
Enter the departure lounge…
Go get your jamón on!
When Christmas rolls around, you can bet your bottom dollar that every Spaniard is fixated on the exact same thing - ham. Actually, when don’t they think about it? Jamón (ham) is nothing short of a national obsession and once you’ve tasted Spanish ham, no other will do. Sorry, prosciutto… more
Our favourite Bangkok restaurants
We love pounding BKKs hot pavements for street food bargains and the city is heckin’ jammed with them. Sitting in grungier corners and inhaling pad thai with a side-serve of tuk tuk fumes is one of our City of Angels highlights. And we love the thrill of a chugging ferry ride to an obscure, river-side alley for some rumoured, X-factor hawker stall, then feeling incredibly proud when… more
Glazed eggplant with rice, jammy eggs and spring onion salad
Soon, we pinky swear, we’ll do a deep dive into Korean ingredients because we realise not everyone is fluent. And Korean food has become SO popular that you might want to whip up a few dishes at home… more
Beef tacos with pickled cabbage and creamy avo
Got a crowd to feed? Here’s your gig. We figure it’s not worth cooking up this style of a long-braised beefy storm for the average nuclear family but if 2.7 diners is all you’re mustering, just halve everything and be prepared for leftovers. No biggie… more
Smoked salmon, cabbage fritter and sour cream
It had to happen sooner or later; cabbage has officially entered the zeitgeist. Remember when cauliflower was suddenly a thing? Then Brussel’s sprouts? No? Well they were and now it’s cabbage’s turn to have a little moment. Cabbage is suddenly all the rage… more
Chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting
What’s cuter than a cupcake? A cupcake with a great gob of frosting piped on the top, that’s what. Anything with piping looks bougie, don’t you think? We love letting loose with a piping bag; it’s our happy place. And it’s arguably the most ‘extra’ thing you can do because… more
We review Rumi, Food of a Middle Eastern Appearance + recipes…
Rumi is a legendary Brunswick East, Melbourne restaurant that opened in 2006. Still going strong, its longevity is as much a testament to owner Joseph Abboud’s easy charm as a host as it is to his brilliant Middle Eastern-esque fare. “Food of a Middle Eastern Appearance” is the subtitle of his first ever cookbook, and it’s a jokey side-swipe at the way Australia’s Muslim population was profiled and vilified in the years after the September 11th attacks, around when he opened Rumi. “I am of Middle Eastern appearance. As is my food” he proudly states in the book’s intro and amen to that, we say… more
Date molasses
Why hello, pantry! You’re looking a little crowded. Yep, we really have to rummage to find certain things in our pantry lately. (Well, in one of our pantries. As in ‘the pantry of one of us.’ Because who has multiple pantries?) We can never find the chilli flakes when we crave some on our pasta; they’re buried in the general spice mess. There’s evaporated milk that seemed like a good idea at the time… more
Date molasses and spice cake
Like having a Little Black Dress in your wardrobe, every baking repertoire needs an easy, gingery, spicy cake recipe in the mix. (Well, we think it does anyway, and what we say generally goes. We’re not running a benevolent dictatorship here). A spice cake is lovely when the weather turns a bit crisper; those flavours are warming, comforting and generally ones that everyone loves… more
Whole roasted flounder with curry leaf butter
“So few ingredients, but a completely stunning result. Curry leaves are worth seeking out if you have a good greengrocer nearby. Their nutty, popcornlike flavour works incredibly well in tandem with brown butter and fish.” - Danielle Alvarez… more
Thai Beef and Tomato Salad
Ah, Thailand. We l-o-v-e it. The bustle. The full-throttled craziness of its cities, especially Bangkok. The charm of the people and the allure of the culture; we’re big into those. We love the retail action; those markets are unreal (how good is Chatuchak?) – and yes, we’re even partial to a glitzy mall or three. But we mostly adore the food, with its punch-you-in-the-face fresh, zingy… more
What exactly is Cream of Tartar?
Cream of tartar, variously called potassium bitartrate or potassium hydrogen tartrate, is a powdery, acidic byproduct of grape fermentation that occurs during wine making. Tartaric acid is naturally present in grapes and forms as a crystalline substance inside the barrels when grape juice is fermented. Nifty, hey?… more
Salmon fish cakes
Loads of cuisines have their take on a fish cake; in Thailand they're called tod mun pla and are infused with red curry paste; in Malaysia they’re called otak otak and involve grinding fish to a paste with coconut milk and spices, wrapping in banana leaves, then grilling. Delish. Turks make balik köfte with minced fish, onions… more
Stuffed meatloaf (Polpettone)
If you’re going to make a meatloaf, you may as well make one with knobs on, no? That’s our philosophy anyway and the Sicilians, bless ‘em, agree; this dish is based on a homey Sicilian dish called polpettone. Which is simply Italian for ‘meatloaf’. Made using a seasoned mince mixture that’s flattened, then filled and rolled with blanched greens… more
Banana Splits - Andy Cooks
“This is a childhood treat Mum would make for us, and I’m a fan of the retroness of it, so I’m on a mission to bring it back. The recipe is just how she made it, but I’ve added the pecan praline. You might have some praline left over, which you can store in an airtight container for up to a week…” more
Why is radicchio red?
Radicchio. Do you ever find yourself gazing fondly at it and thinking, gee, you’re a really ace colour? We do. That magenta is unreal. We’re big on eating this bitter leafy veg, lapping it up in salads, pastas, risottos, soups and occasionally, we even enjoy it braised. (That’s how we roll at the LSC; we love outliers like braised radicchio). When cooked, it looses some of its bitterness and – sob– much of that glorious… more
Lamb freekeh bowls
Bloody autocorrect. Ours has a field day with ingredient names we’d think it should jolly well know better. We’ve ‘butthurt’ our corn when it should have been buttered. We added ‘shitpotle’ not chipotle to our chilli, although this one was arguably more of a straight typo. Our breasts got ‘plugged’ instead of glugged with sweet soy… more
Kelli Brett - Cuisine Editor, Director Women in Food & Drink NZ
Kelli is the editor and owner of New Zealand’s iconic and much-loved food and wine magazine Cuisine and Director of Slick & Sassy Media Ltd. An award-winning journalist and broadcaster Kelli sits on the judging panels for some of the world’s most prestigious restaurant rating lists and has been a guest judge on Masterchef NZ… more
Baked lemongrass chicken with coconut rice
In a world filled with ready-made pastes, jars of pre-mulched garlic and citrus juices in squeezy bottles (do not use these! They’re pasteurised, contain preservatives, and taste like rubbish), sometimes it’s nice to grab a whole pile of aromatic fresh stuff and chop, squeeze, grate and shred the living daylights out of it just for the mess it creates… more
Canned chickpeas
Overnight soaking... draining... cooking... sometimes it’s just all too much to prep dried legumes like chickpeas from scratch. For those times, it’s canned chickpeas for the win. Unless you own a pressure cooker, in which case, you’re smart. We don’t so we’re not… more
Pandan coconut cream pie
“Coconut and pandan might as well be soulmates. They belong together. It’s a partnership revered across Southeast Asia and one I re-create again and again throughout this book. The long blade-shaped leaves of pandan, known as “vanilla of the East,” wield an elusive flavor that’s tropical…” more
Geoff Ross - Lake Hawea Station
Geoff Ross was born and raised on a dairy and deer farm south of Auckland. He founded 42 Below, was a director and chairman of The Trilogy Group and the Savor Group, and has been a trustee of Melanoma NZ and the Endangered Species Foundation… more
Parmigiano-Reggiano
This isn’t so much a pantry dive as a fridge rummage and yes, it’s time to chat cheese. Specifically parmesan. Dunno ‘bout you but it’s a staple at Chez LSC and no offence to our vaunted cheese producers, but nothing comes close to genuine Parmigiano Reggiano from northern Italy… more
Salted V Unsalted butter – Which to use and when?
When to use salted butter and when to reach for unsalted? Each variety has its ideal applications, making the choice more than just a matter of personal preference. Let’s delve!… more
Sugarcane - Sweet Recipes from My Half-Filipino Kitchen
Arlyn Osborne is an American-Filipino food writer who, if you’ve been hankering for a collection of Pinoy-inspired sweet recipes, totally read your mind. There’s not much else like her book Sugarcane around… more
Pantry Diving - Condensed milk
It takes quite the leap of faith to look at fresh milk and think “I could boil the hell out of that with a sh^& ton of sugar until it's thick and bloody bad for you, stick it in a tin, then make a motza from selling it”. And yet, here we are. Insanely sweet, gooey and lusciously drippy… more
The Confessional with Janika ter Ellen
Janika ter Ellen is a reporter and presenter for Three’s Newshub. She has been a journalist since 2010, covering stories like the Scott Guy murder trial, Cyclone Gabrielle and more recently, whistleblower suppliers calling out New Zealand’s supermarket duopoly.. more
Pantry Diving - Palm sugar
Palm sugar is made from the sap of various palm trees, including the date, palmyra, sago and coconut, but it’s generally not labelled by specific variety. It’s pretty much all sold as ‘palm sugar.’ You might come across ‘gula melaka,’ which is the Malay name for palm sugar and often refers specifically to… more
Greek-ish potato salad
Potato salad. Just yum. We love us a classic version, complete with mayo, chopped boiled egg, a hint of powdered mustard and chopped chives/parsley – we don’t even mind if a smidge of very finely chopped celery finds its way in. Some American versions include chopped pickles or a dash… more
Should I rinse rice?
To rinse or not to rinse rice; that is the question. Which way you swing on the issue can have a drastic impact on the final outcome of your cooked rice so you’ll want to listen up. The answer is, for most types of rice, you should defo rinse. For others… not so much… more
The Confessional with Rachel Taulelei
Rachel, a prominent business leader, is a strong advocate for the Māori economy and sustainability in the food and beverage sector. Her commitment to kaitiakitanga has been evident throughout her career, from founder of sustainable seafood company… more
Pantry Diving - Turmeric
Google “turmeric” and you’d be excused for thinking you’d discovered the meaning of life, the universe and everything. “The most powerful herb on the planet at fighting and potentially reversing disease” exclaims one website. (Um, it’s a spice not a herb?) “May have health benefits for nearly every system in the body” declares another… more
Wake + Bake - Blueberry scones
Oh, shoot… did we miss Valentine’s Day? Cue the mournful violins and activate the Sad Face emojis. 🎻😥 Just kidding; we don’t really give a rats about V. Day. So much so that we only just clicked it was last month. We might be the grinches that stole Valentine’s Day but… more
Should you refrigerate tomatoes?
Should you refrigerate tomatoes? We’re glad you asked. Short answer; ‘not really’. Long answer; ‘it’s best to avoid if you can, but sometimes it can be necessary.’ Tomatoes keep ripening once picked, but not in the fridge, so under-ripe ones are defo best stored at room temp. more
The Confessional with Matt Preston
Award-winning food writer, TV presenter and radio host. He has written ten books including 8 best-selling cookbooks. And his columns in NewsCorp magazines and all metro mastheads are read by over 2.8m Australians every week. For 11 years he was one of the judges on the record-breaking MasterChef Australia… more
Cookbook review - Bao Family
We don’t know about you, but we see SO many cookbooks we can get a bit jaded. For a new one to really grab us it needs to be pretty darn amazing. Enter Bao Family. The author is Céline Chung, born in Paris to Chinese parents who, while on a student exchange in Shanghai… more
Should I salt an eggplant
Eggplant – to salt or not to salt, that is a most vexed question. You’ll read recipes that say salting draws out bitterness, but not all eggplant varieties are excessively bitter and modern cultivation has given us less bitter varieties across the board. more
The Confessional - Trudi Nelson
A longtime NZ broadcaster. Originally based in Northland, she spent 20 years across Auckland radio and TV before escaping the hustle and bustle for an organic kiwifruit orchard in the Bay of Plenty. She’s heavily involved with Food Writers NZ, and has a weekly Sunday slot on Magic Radio as well as… more
How to segment an orange
What makes a great cook great? The little things. Like always having sharp knives… and knowing how to neatly segment an orange. And you can’t do the latter without the former, so sharpen up and listen up and we’ll show you how! more
Cookbook review - Ho Jiak
If you follow the Sydney dining scene, and we know lots of you do, you may have heard of Ho Jiak. It opened on the site of a pretty forgettable Cantonese BBQ joint in Haymarket a few years back, then proceeded to take the city by storm with its elevated Malaysian fare… more
Roast chicken - Ho Jiak: A Taste of Malaysia
“Malaysian roast chicken has crispy, dark skin and lots of flavour from the five-spice and salt rub. Back in primary school, when my mum was working and it was just us boys and Dad, he would often ask, ‘Chicken rice tonight?’ It was always a big yes from us…” more
Chocolate salami
We know you’re astute so you’ll have noticed a bit of a theme around here lately; namely that at LSC, we’re in complete Christmas denial. We’re unprepared for the tinsel, drunken work parties and Mariah C on a constant loop everywhere we. freaking. go. Does she need to be so darned everywhere? … more
Miso
It’s thought that miso was first made in China, then introduced to Japan sometime during the 7th century. It was considered a luxury product and not available to plebs. Like us. (Yeah, really. Imagine life with no miso soup to wash down your sushi. That would suck). At some time during… more