Neapolitan pizza is a magical thing. The crust has a tang. Real flavour. Not that drab, everybody eats around it stuff. And it starts with the dough. This isn’t your everyday pizza dough. Get this right and you will make better pizza than you can buy. For real. If you want to learn about Neapolitan pizza read this post. Don’t skip to the recipe. This is not about anything except making pizza dough....

Big Asian flavours come together in this easy Thai cucumber salad. Just the thing when you need a quick but delicious side. Thai cucumber salad works with any Asian inspired grilled or fried chicken. Or ribs. Thai style pork ribs. Perfect for those late summer or early fall backyard BBQs. It’s great any time of year really. Cucumbers are amazing fresh from the field. But they are still pretty good all year round....

Hands up. Who doesn’t love brothy Asian soups? Who doesn’t love Thai red curry? If your hand is still down Thai curry noodle soup is for you. It’s not complicated at all. Weeknight simple in fact. Some chicken stock. Coconut milk, A bit of Thai red curry paste and a pot. Chicken if you want it. Noodles of course. Kaffir lime leaves if you can find them. They really do lend a little something special....

If you are a big butter chicken fan this one is for you. This is knock-down, drag out, go for gold cooking. Seriously. It’s what they are serving at the best Indian restaurants. This is not your average takeaway butter chicken. And it’s easier to make. Doesn’t make sense. I know. But it’s true. This is better. And easier. Crazy talk you say? Read on. Not that far out there. You’ll see....

Everyone’s heard of garam masala. It is used in countless Indian dishes. And it’s easy to make. There’s no reason at all to buy pre-fab versions. None at all. Toss a few spices in a dry skillet. Toast briefly. Cool. Grind. That’s it. Seriously. It’s almost absurd that they can get away with selling it. And the beauty of making it yourself is you know it’s fresh. Maximum flavour. None of this stuff that’s been sitting on a shelf for a year....

Hariyali chicken curry is a little different. In a really good way. In a curry rut? Want to try something a little out of the ordinary? This is not your everyday curry. It’s all about green chilies, mint and cilantro and spices. It’s a wonderful, medium spiced curry that’s really worth trying. The secret is mint coriander chutney. Wrapped up in a lush hotel-style gravy. If you’ve never enjoyed a hariyali chicken curry, this is a good place to start....

Homemade turkey dressing is the ultimate side to any holiday turkey dinner. This one holds it’s own. Really, really good. It’s based on the famous bread salad served with the Zuni Cafe roast chicken. That is one seriously fantastic dish. This version is just as good. But adding leek, sage and savory puts it squarely in holiday turkey territory. Turkey stuffing or turkey dressing. That is always a tough decision. Which way to go?...

Indian restaurant madras curry is one of the great ones. Madras curry is on every single restaurant menu for a reason. It’s absolutely delicious. It’s on the hotter end of the scale. A spicy curry. It can even be a really spicy curry. Some restaurants go a little overboard I find. I like blazing hot madras curry. But not everybody does. So this version isn’t so hot – medium spicy really....

Korean chicken wings. Crispy Korean fried chicken wings with gochujang drizzle. Seriously delicious stuff. For when you want to impress. Korean fried chicken wings are crazy delicious This is the kind of stuff I dream about. Korean fried chicken wings are so crispy they are loud when you bite into them. Loud. That’s music to my ears. These wings are way better than most restaurants make. This is what would happen if good restaurants served Korean chicken wings....

Keema is a delicious way to spice up ground lamb or beef. If you want to add some big Indian flavour to ground meat this is how. Keema means ground meat in Hindi. It can be any ground meat. Lamb, beef, goat or even chicken. So it probably doesn’t help that this recipe is named the way it is. Not so precise. But I didn’t name it. I just cook it....

Pizza margherita is the ultimate pizza. Tomato sauce. Fresh mozzarella. Basil. Olive oil. Everything has to perfect. There is nowhere to hide. I think pizza margherita is the true test of a pizza joint. If they can get this right, they can get anything right. It’s what I order every time I visit a new pizza restaurant. There is real beauty in the simplicity of pizza margherita. Delicate almost. Simple flavours that come together to make something surprising....

Salade lyonnaise. An exercise in simplicity. Nothing more than some greens tossed in a bit of French vinaigrette, a poached egg and some bacon. Doesn’t sound like much. But when the yolk, bacon and greens come together in your mouth… Special. This salad hails from Lyon, France. Arguably the food capital of France, Lyon has contributed many classics to French cuisine. Traditionally, it’s made with frisée or baby chickory. Frisée is not always easy to find, so I’ve done it here with baby greens....

Fish and rice noodles isn’t something that just pops into your head when you’re thinking about what to make for dinner. At least it doesn’t pop into mine very often. Don’t know why. When I do think of it this is one I like. Salmon with rice noodles. It makes a fast, yet elegant weeknight meal. Here the salmon is served warm atop a cool noodle salad. You get the interplay of texture and temperature....

Sometimes you need a steak but you can’t get to your grill. It might be raining. It might be covered with a foot of snow like mine is. Pan frying steak is a great way to get your fix no matter what’s going on outside. Steak salad with cilantro lime vinaigrette is a little taste of summer any time you want it. Pan frying steaks can be a bit tricky but there’s a restaurant trick....

Chicken dopiaza. Hotel style. This is something you know. Might even be a favourite. But not quite how you might be expecting. This dopiaza brings seriously big flavours. Onions. Spices. Green chilies. Chicken. Simple really. Nothing unusual. Until you add hotel style gravy. That makes it special. Kicks it up a notch. The big chunks of fried onion and the fried onion garnish don’t hurt either. Lots to love here....

This is a quick and easy mint raita that’s perfect with papadums. Or onion bhaji. Or pakoras. Almost anything. Indian mint sauce. Clean flavours. Bright. Tasty. Super easy to make. And versatile. There’s not a lot not to like about this. Unless you want authentic Indian. This is not that. This is my go to restaurant style mint raita. Restaurants outside of India that is. I don’t think you’d find this Indian mint sauce anywhere in India....

The French make a version of shepherds pie they call it hachis parmentier. Leftover stew topped with whipped potatoes loaded with egg yolk and gruyere. Stew, potatoes and cheese. Genius. Hachis Parmentier is like shepherd’s pie times ten This is shepherds pie but it isn’t shepherd’s pie. It’s beef and potatoes in layers. That makes it shepherds pie. But there’s no strange vegetable layer. And there’s no ground beef. The sauce is luscious....

Mexican chicken with roasted tomato salsa upscales Mexican into dinner party territory. Two simple ingredients come together with a bit of classic technique to make this something that is more than the sum of the parts. Just reading the ingredients doesn’t give you the picture. This is not chicken with tomato sauce. Not even close. It’s big Mexican flavours. But deep, earthy tastes. A wonderfully unexpected result. It’s about the salsa Roasted tomato salsa is made from almost exactly the same ingredient list as pico de gallo....

Tarka dhal. That wonderful, creamy, spiced lentil dish that goes beautifully with every Indian meal. I make this one almost every time I cook Indian. It gets made a lot. Probably the dish I cook the most. Tarka dhal is super simple to make. You cook some lentils with a little turmeric. Cook them until they are mush. And then you make a seasoning. That’s the tarka. It’s as easy as frying up a bit of onion and spices....

Achari chicken curry is not your run of the mill curry. In fact, it’s not really like anything else. If you want something that stands out from the crowd this one is for you. A little tangy. That’s the best way to describe it. With aromas that reach down and grab you inside. At least that’s what happens to me. If you’ve ever tried achari chicken curry you know exactly what I’m talking about....