The Sambousek

Street food for the win! I grew up eating these (and falafels, or za'atar bread, or shawarmas) during or after an evening of shopping. Had to make them eventually! Excuse my poor folding skills.

Mix two cups of self-raising flour (or regular flour with a little baking powder or yeast) with two tablespoons of oil, half a cup of milk and water as required to knead it onto a smooth dough. While it sits quietly in a corner, sauté about 300-400 grams of your choice of minced meat (we used lamb; the traditional choice is beef) with a large finely chopped onion, a handful of pine nuts, and salt and pepper to taste. Take off the heat and add two spoons of chopped parsley. Roll out little balls of dough, place a spoonful of minced meat in the middle, and sold one side over to the other, and pinch down. Deep fry in vegetable oil and serve hot! Will make 6-8 pieces :)

The Hot Bricks

Fast and easy crowd-pleasing appetizer for when you have 15 minutes and access to shrimp!

Bake a thin layer of breadcrumbs in a baking pan for 4-5 minutes in the oven at 180-200C till brown. While that happens, chop two cloves of garlic, half an onion, a tomato and a cup of shrimp, and cook in a little butter. Beat five eggs with 2/3 cup of milk, salt, a dash of hot sauce, pepper, oregano and some paprika, and add to the pan with the shrimp. Vigorously stir, and turn the heat off as soon as the egg starts to set. Add a half-cup of shredded cheese to the egg; stir and pour over the baked breadcrumbs. spread cheese on top to cover, and top with a little rosemary and smoked paprika. Bake for 10 minutes; cool, cut and serve! Easy.

The Sorbet

It's summer time in Sydney! This is a great little dessert/snack for the post-beach skipping-work-because-sunburns days.

Mango-blueberry sorbet with dark chocolate shards and mango

You'll need frozen mango cubes and blueberries for this. First, slowly heat dark chocolate chips till they melt into a smooth liquid. Take it off the heat and stir vigorously to cool till it starts to set a little. Immediately spread it thin with a spatula or edge of a knife on a clean flat cooking sheet lined with aluminum foil and freeze till hard.

Once the chocolate is ready, blend together a cup of diced mangoes, a cup of blueberries, two spoons of honey and a half cup of apple juice. Serve immediately with broken chocolate shards, mint leaves and diced mango. Brain freeze!

The Pad Kee Mao

I've made this favorite Thai dish of mine before, but somehow managed to always overcook the noodles and turn the entire thing into cat food. Finally got it right!

Pad Kee Mao with Prawns

Cook flat rice noodles for 5-6 minutes in boiling water, until just al dente. Drain, wash with cold water, and add a drizzle of oil to keep the noodles nice and separate. Meanwhile add to a wok some peanut oil, four fresh bird's-eye chillies, sliced and deseeded, and a fat spoon of chopped garlic. Then add your prawns and cook for a few minutes till the prawns become pink. Add cashews, and cook for a minute. Add your favorite veggies (I added broccoli and snap peas) and generous amounts of fresh basil leaves, a spoon of fish oil, a big spoon of rice vinegar, a sprinkle of sugar, and I'd say 2-3 fat spoons of soy sauce (or to taste). Add the noodles and toss for about two-three minutes and take off the heat. Serve steaming hot!