You need four bunches of asparagus for this recipe. Note

A healthy, light and delicious watermelon, raspberry and cranberry salad.

If you don’t have all the spices on hand, you can replace them with a chai black tea bag. Just strain the bag from the syrup after cooling for 15 minutes. Use blood oranges or plain grapefruit, if ruby grapefruit is unavailable. Discard the cinnamon stick before serving. Note

This incredibly simple summer garden salad with avocado and tomato is the perfect side dish for any lunch.

Prepare the cheese and salad on the morning of the picnic. Note

Rice can be cooked the day before, store. covered, in the fridge Note

An Asian-style spicy, sweet and sour green papaya salad topped with crunchy peanuts.

You can use the oil from the artichokes in the dressing if you wish. You will need to purchase a large barbecued chicken weighing about 900g for this recipe. Note

the spices can be prepared several hours ahead. The recipe is best assembled close to serving Note

To prevent excess water leaching into the gratin, steaming is the best method to use for cooking the vegetables. Note

A fresh and bright apple and seed slaw with macadamia dressing; the perfect summer salad.

It’s much easier to check the consistency of the sauce after it has been blended and strained. If the sauce is too thin, return the sauce to the pan, bring it to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until reduced to about 2¼ cups. Note

A small can of beetroot, drained and chopped, can be used instead of fresh beetroot. Note

Granny Smith apples are best for this recipe. Store chutney in a cool, dark place for at least three weeks before opening. Refrigerate after opening. Note

Give fresh spinach leaves the Cantonese treatment with almonds, vinegar and freshly grated ginger.

Lemon salt will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Sprinkle over chicken or fish. Orange salt will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Sprinkle over pork, fish or duck. Note

Do not add any salt to the cottage-cheese mixture as this will cause the filling to become too wet. Buy zucchini just large enough to make 5-inch-long strips once trimmed and sliced. Note

Pak choy is a member of the same family as bok choy with the same mild flavour.

This light garden salad of an exotic mix of herbs and crisp vegetables perfectly matches a hearty meal.

Chilli jam is super hot and you will find a little goes a long way. If you want to decrease the heat dramatically, remove the seeds from the chillies. The jam is best poured into small jars, it will keep indefinitely if the jars have been sterilised correctly. Store in the fridge once opened.

Colourful heirloom carrots, in hues of purple, taste the same as their orange cousins, and were in fact the norm until the Dutch developed the modern-day orange version in the 17th century. They taste and look fantastic in this stunning salad.

Barbecued corn, broad beans and capsicum from Australian Women's Weekly.

Goes well with baked ham, roast game; baked brie or camembert. Note

Chopped salad ingredients vary from recipe to recipe, the only common rule is that all the ingredients are `chopped’. You can also place all of the roughly chopped ingredients on a large chopping board and use a large knife to chop them all together. Note

Refreshing and tasty, this salad would be excellent accompanied with grilled meat.

Creamy and punchy, this spinach and artichoke dip works wonderfully with crunchy Turkish toast for a moreish share platter addition.

Granny Smith apples are best for this recipe. This is a good base jelly, ­for slight variations try adding cinnamon sticks, rosemary sprigs or dried lavender to the jelly. Note

This colourful, nutritious salad would be perfect served with grilled meat.

We might be cheating slightly here, but you can get very good quality canned soups these days and with the addition of bacon and crispy blue cheese toasts you have a dish that could pass for homemade.

A perfect accompaniment to grilled meat or fish, this salad is full of lovely flavours and textures.

This delicious roast vegetable salad is scattered with tender risoni pasta and sweet currants to create a flavour-packed, filling vegetarian meal.

Gorgeous spread on toasted panettone, dotted on pancakes or used to sandwich little biscuits together, orange liqueur butter is simple and sophisticated.

The salad and dressing can be prepared ahead and refrigerated separately. Combine just before serving Note

A tasty side dish of beans with ginger, chilli and coconut milk from Australian Women's Weekly.

Risoni is a small rice-shaped pasta that can be served similarly to orzo or rice in salads and soups. This recipe is best made just before serving. Note

The perfect baked potato should be salty on the outside and snow white and fluffy on the inside. You can also use russet burbank or spunta potatoes for this recipe. Pierce the skin of each potato to prevent it from splitting while in the oven. Wrapping the potatoes completely in foil results in a soft […]

Black beans, also known as turtle beans, are not the same as chinese black beans, which are fermented soy beans. A common ingredient in Caribbean and Latin American soups, salsas and salads, black beans can be found in most health food stores and large greengrocers. Note

Preserved lemons, a dominant ingredient in North African cooking, are salted lemons bottled for several months; the flavour is distinctively perfumed. To use, rinse well and discard flesh, using rind only. You need to purchase a large barbecued chicken for this recipe. Note

If kefalotyri cheese is unavailable, use parmesan cheese. Note

You need about half a butternut pumpkin for this recipe. Preserved lemons, a North African specialty, are quartered and preserved in salt and lemon juice. To use, remove and discard pulp, squeeze juice from rind, rinse rind well then use. Sold in jars or in bulk by delicatessens; once opened, store preserved lemon in the […]

To some, these tasty morsels may simply be melted cheese on little toasties, but we know better. The robust and distinctive flavour of gruyère makes all the difference. Serve with piping hot bowls of soup.

Simple, healthy and packed with colour and flavour, this cauliflower and green olive salad is a tasty side dish, but also makes a great, light meal all by itself.

Studded with pistachios, this country-style chicken terrine would be excellent made with duck as well. Serve with relish and fresh bread.

lime and mustard dressing We used the sun-dried tomatoes that have not been preserved in oil; they are generally sold in plastic bags or loose by weight. Note

Roasting mushrooms intensifies their flavour beautifully. For a burst of colour, add some truss tomatoes.

Potatoes need not be boring any longer. Prepare this recipe for crisp, light, flavoursome potatoes to share as a starter or enjoy all to yourself as a side dish.

Orange flower water is often used in Moroccan cooking for its cooling effect. In this salad, a teaspoon of fragrant orange flower water is used to sweeten the sharp taste of the radish. You can buy bottles of orange flower water at selected supermarkets, delicatessens and Middle-Eastern food stores. Note

This incredibly tasty dip goes well with crusty bread and crackers. Serve sprinkled with extra finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, if you like.

Duck can be cooked up to 4 days ahead. Keep covered in oil in the refrigerator. Note

This Indian pickle hails from Goa, and is delicious spread on sandwiches or mixed with rice and eaten with curries. Note

Slice avocado just before assembling the salad. You can substitute prawns or lobster for the balmain bugs, if you prefer. You can use opal basil leaves, instead of the sweet leaves, if preferred. Tomatoes can be browned on an oven tray under a grill or in a hot oven. This recipe can be made with […]

Tomato dip is best made close to serving. Note

Serve as an aromatic side dish, or alongside other delicious nibbles as part of an antipasto platter.

Dip can be made three days ahead, store, covered, in the refrigerator Note

Sometimes a salad makes a perfect lunch, this spicy lamb salad with pita bread and chickpeas is ideal.

A classic of French rural cooking, ratatouille makes a great side for lamb and chicken dishes.

600g canned borlotti or cannellini beans can be substituted for the shelled borlotti beans; rinse and drain beans before adding for last 10 minutes of cooking. Recipe can be made 2 days ahead and refrigerated, covered; reheat or bring to room temperature before serving. Note

Refrigerate after opening; jam will keep refrigerated for several months. Note

Pasta salad is best made on the morning it will be consumed. Note

For a more intense brandy flavour, stir up to two tablespoons of brandy into the jam mixture before pouring into the jars. Note

Numerous studies have shown members of the brassica family, which includes tuscan cabbage and cauliflower, offer some protection against cancers and heart disease, as well as age-related processes. Pecorino is a hard Italian sheep’s milk cheese similar to parmesan, which may be used instead. Note

Granny Smith apples are best for this recipe. Note

The tortilla strips can be prepared a day ahead; cool and store in an airtight container. Note

Originally popular in the south of France, this fabulously flavoursome French appetizer is taking world cuisine by storm.

Be sure to sterilise jars before using to store preserves. It is important for health reasons and to ensure a long shelf life for your zesty, delicious marmalade.

"Country-style terrine" is the literal meaning of this classic dish as it is chunky and rustic. Juniper berries, the dried fruit from the evergreen tree of the same name, can be found in specialty spice stores and better delicatessens.