Recipes Brisbane | The Weekend Edition

The Weekend Series: five hearty pasta recipes to warm your bones this winter

17 May 2018

Sure, having a fit rig to strut the sand with come summer is great and all, but what good will abs do when the mercury plummets? This chilly season we’re advocating for the winter bod – that extra bit of cushion that keeps you warm when conditions outside become abominable. Pasta is winter food – through and through – and there’s no dish we’d rather eat for dinner when rugged up and cosy. If you’re keen to jump on the winter bod movement, try these five warming recipes that will keep you from hibernating. more

Food & Drink

The Weekend Series: five ways to step up your garlic bread game

15 Mar 2018

In the words of Belinda Carlise, “They say in heaven, carbs come first. We’ll make heaven a place on Earth”. We’re pretty sure those are the exact lyrics, and if they’re not, when we’d like to start a petition to make it so. What we’re trying to say is that carbs give us heavenly joy. On the carb deliciousness hierarchy chart, garlic bread sits pretty much at the top and it’s easy to see why – you’ve got toasted bread, moreish garlic butter and plenty of opportunities to mix it up. If you're ready to step your garlic bread game up to the next level, we've found find variations that are sure to make your stomach flip with excitement. Bring on the garlic breath! more

Food & Drink

The Weekend Series: Spud studs – five fab potato-based recipes for festive feasting

07 Dec 2017

When it comes to versatility, the potato reigns supreme as one of the most beloved and adaptable foodstuff. French fries, mashed potato, potato bake, roast potato, potato gems, hash browns – without potatoes our lives wouldn’t be nearly as good. It’s that time of year when we meet up with friends and family to celebrate the festive period, which usually entails a lot of food-centric gatherings. If you are strapped for ideas but are flush with spuds, then put them to good use with these five potato-based recipes that will be sure-fire winners at the table. more

Food & Drink

Slam-dunk your tastebuds with Press Club’s signature Space Jam cocktail

30 Nov 2017

If the mere mention of Space Jam doesn’t immediately fill you will an overwhelming sense of nostalgic joy, you’re probably a monster (or a robot, or a robot monster). The live-action/animated sports comedy starring NBA hero Michael Jordan and a motley crew of Looney Tunes characters is a legitimate cinematic masterpiece, so it’s no wonder that it has been a source of inspiration for many. In fact, beloved Brisbane bar Press Club named its signature cocktail for the movie – and these guys know their cocktails like Lola Bunny knows her way around the court. To celebrate the launch of its first-ever ticketed New Year’s Eve event, Press Club is handing over its coveted Space Jam recipe. This sparkling concoction is deceptively easy to make and will impress your pals more than Jordan landing a three-pointer right on the buzzer. more

Food & Drink

The Weekend Series: embrace the cob life with five baller cob loaf recipes

23 Nov 2017

The humble cob loaf is having something of a powerful resurgence at the moment and to be honest we couldn’t be more thrilled. This simple but effective culinary number is pretty much the social equivalent of a puppy – if you show up to any sort of event with a cob loaf, you’re going to be the star of the show and everyone is going to want to be your best mate because you are an individual of fine taste. So revered is the cob loaf that the New South Wales town of Wellington has created a whole festival dedicated to it! Fear not if you can’t make it – we’ve rounded up five delicious and not-so-common cob loaf recipes so you can recreate the vibe at home. more

Food & Drink

The Weekend Series: binge mode – what to eat when you are devouring your favourite shows

19 Oct 2017

Here’s the deal – no movie night is complete without snacks. Are we all in agreement? Good. The same goes for a solid Netflix binge, though if we’re being constructive humans, we need to acknowledge that a party-sized bag of corn chips is not the most glamorous option. Sorry guys, but it’s true. It’s time to dust off the crumbs and put some effort in! If you’ve got some pals coming around for a weekly Bachelorette episode party, or if you’re keen to snuggle up with your loved one and the latest blockbuster, do so with some creative snacks that will be as much of a talking point as the movie or episode (or season) you’ve chosen for the night. more

Food & Drink

Start your morning right with an egg and bacon galette

27 Jul 2017

They say getting out on the wrong side of the bed is a sure-fire way to start your day on the wrong foot. Well, for us our day starts off poorly if we haven’t had a decent breakfast. Sure, muesli and fruit is great, but in the colder months we find something warm to be preferable. Katrina Ryan from The Golden Pig Food & Wine School contributed to the gargantuan anthology The Great Australian Baking Book, which features great savoury day starters such as Katrina’s delicious recipe for egg and bacon galettes with caramelised onion. more

Food & Drink

Blow away the winter blues with a comforting old-school cheese toastie

06 Jul 2017

If you hadn’t noticed, it’s gotten a bit cold recently. Chilly weather begets cravings for comfort food, but its important not to settle for just any dish because it’s warm. If you are looking to jazz up your winter warmers, we suggest you start with the humble toasted sandwich. Chefs Eat Toasties Too by Darren Purchase is a great resource for anyone that wants to flex their culinary muscles but want to start small. This book can help you turn your grilled cheeses into gourmet, golden-crispy gob fillers, and you can’t go wrong with the old-school cheese toastie. Say goodbye to hunger and say goodbye to the winter chill – we’re moving to toastie town! more

The Locals Next week:

Food & Drink

The Weekend Series: beat your broke-ass blues with these pre-pay day meals

27 Apr 2017

'Twas the night before pay day and all through the pantry, nothing to eat – just bare cabinetry. It’s a grim scenario that we’ve all experienced before – we’ve blown out our budget on UberEATS and online shopping, leaving our dinner options slim and sad. It’s not all doom and gloom, though. There are ways to make the final few meals before payday bearable – you just have to get creative! Take stock of your paltry staples, have a crack at these ingenious recipes and compliment yourself on your resourcefulness. more

Food & Drink

The Weekend Series: desk lunches that don’t suck courtesy of Lettuce Lunch

09 Feb 2017

There’s nothing worse than being (figuratively) chained to your work desk all through lunch. Whether it be because of tight deadlines or simply a mountain of work that must get done, sometimes it’s not feasible to go out for lunch when you want. Desk lunches are an unfortunate necessity of office life, but it’s rarely a source of culinary inspiration. If your desk neighbour is giving you some fierce food envy with their freshly bought lunch or you are sick of your bland sandwiches and tinned tuna, we suggest improving your meal prep game. We recruited the services of Carlton Talbot of Lettuce Lunch to give us some killer recipes to try. Lettuce Lunch is a thriving recipe repository that educates thousands on nifty vegetarian meals that are perfect for work. Without further ado, here are five lunch boxes that’ll be the talk of the office – we guarantee it. more

Food & Drink

Make friends with this killer kale salad

12 Jan 2017

Yeah, yeah, we know. Raw kale salad doesn't sound very killer. But trust us on this one – if your kale salads have been bad in the past, it's because you haven't learnt to massage your kale. Help it relaaaxx into deliciousness and it will change the way you look at the leafy vegetable forever. This is just one of the many hot tips Dale Pinnock, aka The Medicinal Chef, offers in his new book How to Cook Healthily. The cookbook is full of tasty and healthy recipes to help you to kickstart the new year, and introduce nutritional dishes into your weekly kitchen routine. In addition to this killer kale, sweet potato and cherry tomato salad, you'll find Chinese-style roast chicken, feel-good fish fingers, goji berry cheesecake and much more. more

Food & Drink

Munch on sesame crunch chicken tacos with cos, avocado and zesty crema

05 Jan 2017

It’s really hard to go past good Mexican food – the sheer vibrancy in both colour and flavour is a feast for the eyes and the tummy combined. Plus, what’s not to love about foods you can eat with one hand? Chef Paul Wilson has focused firmly on feel-good eats in Taqueria, a cookbook that features tacos, salsas and cocktails as the main event. In Taqueria, Paul explores regional flavours and specialities whilst playing with flavour, proving that there’s so much more to this country’s cuisine than lime and jalapenos. The book celebrates taco culture, showcasing the art behind these little parcels of love. What better way to say hola to Mexican cuisine than with a good old favourite like the taco? Far from humble, this recipe for sesame crunch chicken tacos with cos, avocado and zesty crema will have you rethinking everything you thought you knew about Mexican food. more

Food & Drink

The Weekend Series: five festive cocktail recipes to help spread joyous cheer

22 Dec 2016

The holiday season is ideal for bringing people together, spending time with your loved ones and celebrating the connections you’ve made throughout the year. If you are a serial entertainer, this is either the happiest time of your year or the most stressful. The fun part about Christmas catering is the cocktails, but any seasoned host will know that a your trusty Passion Pop punch won’t tantalise everybody’s tastebuds (no matter how much fruit you put in it). We’ve made a list of cocktails to cater for some specific groups and situations that you might encounter over Christmas. more

Food & Drink

The Weekend Series: five festive last-minute recipes for Christmas lunch

15 Dec 2016

Hey, we don’t want to alarm you but as of the publication of this article there is ten days until Christmas. If that sends you into a full-blown panic-spiral we’re sorry, but we also want to assure you that it’s okay – there is still time to get your shopping done. Of course, there’s more to Christmas Day than just giving (and receiving) sweet presents – there’s a large food component that is equally important. If you’ve promised to bring a dish to contribute to the annual feeding frenzy but are short on time, we’ve decided to give you your Christmas present early. Here are five easy recipes for dishes you can throw together at the eleventh hour to bring to Christmas lunch this year. more

Food & Drink

Cool off this summer by whipping up a tall glass of Stone’s Paradise Punch

15 Dec 2016

Queensland summers are a whole lot of hard work – every time you have to go outside it becomes a chore to operate and being sweaty for the vast majority of the day is not appealing. At the end of a hot day (or even in the middle of one) it's nice to be able to cool off with a refreshingly chilled drink. When that drink happens to be a cocktail, we start thinking that maybe summer isn’t all bad. Stone Restaurant and Bar in South Bank has recently unveiled a new summer cocktail menu, filled with mixtures that will help ease your heatstroke. For times when we couldn’t even fathom going outdoors, Stone has graciously gifted us the recipe for one of their fanciest summer cocktails – the Paradise Punch. This fruit-topped drink is perfect for sunshine sipping, and is easy to make! more

Food & Drink

Feast on Ristorante la Famiglia’s al prosciutto e rucola focaccia

08 Dec 2016

Focaccia – the often-neglected cousin of pizza – is coming back into vogue thanks to the fantastic work of the kitchen staff at Ristorante La Famiglia. Every Wednesday the restaurant cures the hump-day blues by offering a range of freshly baked focaccia for a song. We’ve been lucky enough to get our hands on the family recipe used for Ristorante La Famiglia’s excellent dough and now you can have a go at whipping up your own at home with a hearty helping of prosciutto, fior di latte and rocket as topping. more

Food & Drink

Drool over Eataly’s pancetta, chicken and sausage rolls

17 Nov 2016

If you have never had the pleasure of stepping inside the wonderland that is Eataly, we're sorry, but your life is lacking. The giant marketplace is a mecca for Italian food, packed full with restaurants, food and beverage counters, a bakery, retail items (there's a whole isle dedicated to pesto) and a cooking school. It's honestly a dream come true. So needless to say, we were pretty excited when we heard Phaidon was releasing a cookbook dedicated to contemporary Italian home cooking in collaboration with Eataly. Eataly: Contemporary Italian Cooking features 250 recipes that take a modern approach to Italian cooking and eating, which dishes such as caper, anchovy and oven-baked tomato risotto, pasta with cavolo nero pesto and clams, and this recipe for pancetta, chicken and sausage rolls. Buon appetito! more

Food & Drink

Get a little spicy with Chinese fish in chilli sauce

03 Nov 2016

From the simplicity of spring rolls to the complex flavours of Sichuan dishes, there's a lot to love about Chinese food. It is one of the world's most-enjoyed and oldest cuisines, and highly regarded Chinese authors Kei Lum Chan and Diora Fong Chan have joyously celebrated it in their gilt-edged compendium China: The Cookbook. The book explores more than 650 authentic traditional recipes from 30 distinct regions of China, including staples such as hot-and-sour soup and chicken in black bean sauce, and lesser-known dishes such as Lai Wan-style congee and laughing doughnuts. This recipe for fish in chilli sauce comes from the Sichuan region – so you can be sure it will get your heart racing. more

Food & Drink

Kick off seafood season by whipping up a chargrilled spicy prawn salad

27 Oct 2016

When it comes to Brisbane’s culinary elite, Luke Nguyen is among the cream of the crop. Not only is he the proprietor of the popular eatery Fat Noodle and Sydney’s Red Lantern, he is also an accomplished television personality. As a regular presenter on SBS, Luke has been able to bring the tastes of Asia into our homes, and his latest show Luke Nguyen’s Street Food Asia is his best and most hunger-inducing show yet. Alongside the series itself, Luke has released a companion cookbook, chock-full of the tantalising flavours and heady aromas Luke discovers in his travels among Asia’s backstreets. If you love the varied tastes of Asian street food, then you’ll love this chargrilled spicy prawn salad – plucked directly from the pages of Luke’s latest culinary compendium. more

Food & Drink

Jump out of bed for avocado and kimchi toast

13 Oct 2016

We're not sure what it is about avocado on toast, but it's something we just never seem to get sick of. Every now and then, however, we like to spice it up a bit. So when we found this recipe for avocado and kimchi toast from Julia Turshen's Small Victories cookbook, we got pretty excited. Julia is no stranger to great recipes – she has co-authored and developed recipes for a number of incredible books, including Gwyneth Paltrow's It's All Good and Mario Batali's Spain ... A Culinary Road Trip. She understands that becoming a confident cook means taking pleasure in each small victory and celebrating them, which is what Small Victories is all about. As well as featuring more than 95 recipes and hundreds of variations, the book also teaches the basic lessons of cooking and the potential inspiration that can come from each small victory. So the next time you get that boiled egg just… more