FLATHEAD WITH CAULIFLOWER PUREE AND CAVOLO NERO

Flathead sounds like an insult. Why not big butt? Fat lips? I've written before about our annual holiday to Port Macquarie and the days spent fishing for flathead in Limeburner's Creek. Every time I cook this fish, I remember those holidays. Languid hours spent on that clinker boat where it was so quiet the only sounds were the cows munching on grass in the paddock and the water slapping against the timber hull - interrupted by the occasional flurry of activity when one of us hooked something. Sadly you can't share those memories - but you can cook this dish.

FLATHEAD WITH CAULIFLOWER PUREE AND CAVOLO NERO

SNAPPER WITH A ROASTED RICE CRUST AND THAI SALAD

Having decided I wanted to do a Thai style salad, I then thought about how to treat the fish. I decided to coat it with coarsely ground roasted rice, which worked a treat. The salad was a mix of snow pea tendrils, mint and coriander with fried eschallots, roasted peanuts and a dressing of lime juice, fish sauce, palm sugar, grated galangal, grated ginger, grated lemongrass, roasted chilli and a little sesame oil.

SNAPPER WITH A ROASTED RICE CRUST AND THAI SALAD

FETTUCCINE WITH TOMATOES, CHILLI AND GARLIC

Dead simple - which means the ingredients need to be top quality because there's nowhere to hide. I used a mix of romas semi-dried in the oven and fresh black Russian tomatoes,  2010 Joseph olive oil, local garlic and spelt fettuccine with a 3-year old parmesan.

FETTUCCINE WITH TOMATOES, CHILLI AND GARLIC

LAMB SHANK WITH ROSEMARY GREMOLATA AND MASH

We don't get much of a winter round these parts. Not by Canadian standards. Not by Russian standards. Okay, it gets down to 5C or 10C on a winter's night, but it soon climbs to 21C. Still, those nights are cool enough for all those warming slow-cooked dishes like stews, braised oxtail, beef cheeks and lamb shanks. I haven't cooked shanks this winter and since we're about to enter spring, i thought I'd better get a move on. I keep a container of shank stock in the freezer and top it up (with red wine, star anise, orange skin, bay leaf and garlic) each time I cook the dish, so the base stock just keeps getting richer. I made a gremolata of rosemary, mandarin (or mandarine if you prefer) zest and garlic, which was stirred through the sauce just before serving.

LAMB SHANK WITH ROSEMARY GREMOLATA AND MASH

OCEAN TROUT WITH PUY LENTILS AND WARM CABBAGE SALAD

If I haven't already communicated that ocean trout is my favourite fish, I'm doing it now. Yes, I like tuna. Yes, I like mahi mahi. Yes, I like barramundi. Yes, I like coral trout. Yes, I like red emperor. Yes, I like whiting, flounder, flathead, garfish, sweet lip, bar cod ... well pretty much anything except mullet, tailor, trevally and a few others. But ocean trout rocks my boat - not literally, the way a whale does. But it rocks it all the same.

OCEAN TROUT WITH PUY LENTILS AND WARM CABBAGE SALAD

PUMPKIN AND SAFFRON RISOTTO

Back from another trip to Sydney last night. Something simple on the menu - like this Italian comfort food. Good home made chicken stock, vermouth, pumpkin from our neighbours, strands of Spanish saffron and carnaroli rice ... heaven

PUMPKIN AND SAFFRON RISOTTO

BARRAMUNDI WITH SWEET POTATO AND BABY ASPARAGUS

Big fat fillets of barramundi from up the coast, cooked with the skin on and served on discs of roasted sweet potato and knitting needle-thin spears of asparagus.

BARRAMUNDI WITH SWEET POTATO AND BABY ASPARAGUS

MUJADARAH WITH SPICED PUMPKIN AND CARAMELISED ONIONS

Not true mujaradah. This is faux mujadarah. Or demi mujaradah. The true stuff would have lentils along with the rice. This version is rice and rice. Otherwise the spices are the same as the Lebanese classic. I spiced some pumpkin with coarsely crushed cumin seeds and ras el hanout before roasting. A dish so satisfyingly complete that I (almost) didn't wish there was some meat to go with it - some braised or roasted goat, maybe. Or beef, pork, camel, elk, buffalo, lamb, roadkill ... No, I didn't miss it at all.

MUJADARAH WITH SPICED PUMPKIN AND CARAMELISED ONIONS

FARRO FETTUCCINE WITH CHERRY TOMATOES, EGGPLANTS AND SHEEP'S MILK CHEESE

We once spent a week in the Umbrian town of Trevi. Apark from being porcini and truffle seasons (with the result that we were offered both at virtually every meal), the one or two trattorie in the town served pasta dishes made from farro (spelt) - a local speciality (and when I say local, it wasn't in evidence in Montefalco, just 15 kilometres to the west nor Assisi to the north). Anyway, as part of this detox diet, we're not allowed wheat, but can have spelt - hence this dish.

FARRO FETTUCCINE WITH CHERRY TOMATOES, EGGPLANTS AND SHEEP'S MILK CHEESE

RED THROATED EMPEROR WITH GARLIC MASH AND WILTED SPINACH

We had our dear neighbours Tom and Wyn (and their Australian silky terrier Ben) to dinner. Tom's has just turned 80, so this was a belated birthday dinner. The detox diet ruled out meat, and Tom's not a fancy diner, so this simple grilled fish and two veg seemed perfect. There is some great spinach around right now - peak of the season. I bought two huge bunches at the markets.

RED THROATED EMPEROR WITH GARLIC MASH AND WILTED SPINACH

VEGETABLE SOUP WITH SPINACH PUREE

Another of life's mysteries - how come purple carrots dye this soup purple and yet orange carrots don't dye a soup orange? There'll be an answer somewhere. But I don't have it. So, while I wait for someone more knowledgable than me to provide an answer, I'll tell you about this soup - carrots, pumpkin, potato, buckwheat and cabbage with a purée of spinach, salt and olive oil added after plating up. Very simple - and acceptable food according to this detox diet we're on.

VEGETABLE SOUP WITH SPINACH PUREE

SALAD OF HOT SMOKED SALMON, WATERCRESS, AVOCADO & SEMI-DRIED TOMATOES

A mild day, so a salad seemed like a reasonable way to meet the stringent restrictions of this detox diet. I must have had an inkling that we were going to start this thing because I bought lots of fruit and veg at the markets - including this watercress, avocado and coriander. Two days down, five to go.

SALAD OF HOT SMOKED SALMON, WATERCRESS, AVOCADO & SEMI-DRIED TOMATOES

BUCKWHEAT WITH MUSHROOMS AND SHEEP'S MILK CHEESE

OK, so I am having another go at detox. The first attempt was a disaster - restricted to gallons of unpalatable liquid and nothing else. No wonder I had a headache after 24 hours. This time around, it's much more civilised. At least food is allowed, if not good things like meat, dairy and coffee. So here's the first night's effort. I wouldn't want to make a habit of this, but so far so good.

BUCKWHEAT WITH MUSHROOMS AND SHEEP'S MILK CHEESE

GARFISH WITH BRAISED ARTICHOKES

When I was a young sprog, we'd go to Port Macquarie on the New South Wales north coast for most May school holidays. And most days we'd go fish on the Hastings River.  We'd usually fish for flathead or bream. occasionally we'd fish for whiting and once or twice for garfish, which we'd often see in the shallows of the river near Hibberd ferry. You need to catch a lot of garfish to make a meal for 5. They are skinny little buggers. I have no idea if that spear on their snout serves any purpose. I bet there have been some accidents at times with careless garfish impaling a submerged object and getting stuck fast. I was reminded of those holidays when I saw garfish in the local fishmonger's. I bought these artichokes from the greengrocer next door to the fishmonger and braised them in chicken stock, lemon juice, white wine and garlic.

GARFISH WITH BRAISED ARTICHOKES

OCEAN TROUT CONFIT, WILTED SPINACH, SPECK & AIOLI

In the freezer there is a container of olive oil enhanced with lemon peel, coriander seeds and other goodies. I use it exclusively for cooking ocean trout. I marinate the fish for several hours in the thawed oil, then basically just warm it for an hour at just 80C. It is spectacularly rich, maintaining the deep orange of the raw fish, but with added complexity from its bath and heating in the spiced oil. Some huge bunches of beautiful spinach picked yesterday and bought at this morning's market. Some slices of wood-smoked speck roasted to crisp. a squeeze of ultra sweet lemon juice - heaven

OCEAN TROUT CONFIT, WILTED SPINACH, SPECK & AIOLI

WAGYU RIB FILLET, SPICED PUMPKIN PUREE, KASHMIRI DAL

I was inspired to make this dal (or dhal or dahl - you see it anglicised all 3 ways) by a recipe from Chris Manfield. It worked really well with the pumpkin flavoured with fresh ginger and coriander juice. The wagyu was a nice piece of purebred meat with about 7+ marbling. Super succulent, tender and with that unidentifiable something extra that wagyu seems to have.

WAGYU RIB FILLET, SPICED PUMPKIN PUREE, KASHMIRI DAL

RAGOUT OF WILD MUSHROOMS AND TRUFFLE

Quite excited to see fresh chanterelles, black trumpet and porcini mushrooms today. Seemed only right to treat them with respect - a simple ragout based on rich chicken stock with truffle and other goodies.

RAGOUT OF WILD MUSHROOMS AND TRUFFLE

BARBECUED LEG OF CHICKEN WITH SAUTEED ZUCCHINI

There's something inadequate with food descriptions like 'herb-marinated' - so I left this out of the description ... on the other hand, omitting the herb marinade leaves it sounding like an unadorned chunk of chook, when your eyes clearly tell you there's something on the skin. So, for the record, the chicken bathed in a mix of olive oil, garlic, parsley, oregano, chilli and lemon juice ... or 'herb-marinated' for short.

BARBECUED LEG OF CHICKEN WITH SAUTEED ZUCCHINI

ROASTED VEGETABLES, SALSA VERDE AND ROAST GARLIC AIOLI

It might be my Libra characteristics, but I do like balance. One excess needs to be countered with an equal but opposite excess. So to right the dietary imbalance caused by the slab of cow last week, here's a meat-free feast. More of the deep, deep, deep orange pumpkin from our neighbours' farm, some little purple carrots from the markets, Bintje potato, zucchini with a baby spinach-based salsa verde and a dollop of roast garlic aïoli. To be honest, I didn't miss the meat at all. Well, hardly.

ROASTED VEGETABLES, SALSA VERDE AND ROAST GARLIC AIOLI

BREAST OF CHICKEN WITH ROASTED PUMPKIN AND BABY SPINACH

We have what you might call a glut of pumpkin. Our darling neighbours keep giving us pumpkins from their farm. As fast as we eat them, we're about three pumpkins behind right now. Anybody want some excellent Tweed pumpkin? You can see from this photo that it has really deep colour - and flavour to match. Excellent roasted, in soups, salads, pies, as a facial, hat, bowling ball, blunt instrument (you can eat the evidence) ... whatever you want it to be.

BREAST OF CHICKEN WITH ROASTED PUMPKIN AND BABY SPINACH

YELLOWFIN TUNA WITH PURPLE CONGO POTATOES AND BROCCOLINI

Basic family fare - but I have to say this was the best broccolini I have tasted. Sweet, nutty and somehow just right.

YELLOWFIN TUNA WITH PURPLE CONGO POTATOES AND BROCCOLINI

JEWFISH WITH ROASTED PUMPKIN & SUGARLOAF CABBAGE SALAD

Soft sweet pumpkin, crunchy full-on cabbage (a great recipe from Stephanie Alexander) and simply sautéed jewfish = a happy Gregory

JEWFISH WITH ROASTED PUMPKIN & SUGARLOAF CABBAGE SALAD

BISTECCA FIORENTINA, DUTCH CREAM MASH AND BABY CAVOLO NERO

To call Sydney's Victor Churchill a butcher shop is to call Leonardo da Vinci an illustrator. This shop is a meat temple unlike any store in the world.  From the moment I pushed on its sausage link door handle I knew I was going to have trouble deciding what to buy and cook. In the end I bought this 1kg T-bone of dry-aged meaty magnificence. Next stop was Fratelli Fresh for some Dutch cream potatoes, spring onions and baby leaves of cavolo nero. Classic meat and 3 veg - but elevated by the quality of the ingredients into gastronomic heaven.

BISTECCA FIORENTINA, DUTCH CREAM MASH AND BABY CAVOLO NERO