Top 23 recipes of 2023
These are the dishes you, or you fellow subscribers, have been cooking in 2023. How many have you made?
It’s been a wonderful year jammed full of delicious recipes. Here we bring you the best of the best, chosen by you over the course of 2023. From effortless olive oil cakes to showstopping butterfly chooks, lip-puckering citrus tarts and satisfying mid-week pastas, it’s all been covered courtesy of chefs Lennox Hastie, Elizabeth Hewson, Jamie Oliver, Neil Perry and more.
23.
Chicken cacciatore blanco by Elizabeth Hewson
This recipe is based on chicken cacciatore, an Italian dish from the Renaissance period that translates as ‘hunter’s stew’. Today, it is most commonly made with tomatoes, but Elizabeth Hewson prefers the lightness and brightness that comes with simmering the chicken thighs in white wine and broth. Enjoy it with peppery rocket and creamy polenta.
Get the recipe for chicken cacciatore blanco here.
22.
Lemongrass lamb chops by Neil Perry
When he was growing up, the lamb cutlet was the star of the “meat and three veg” plate that was so famous in the ’50s and ’60s. A lot has changed since then, but there is nothing Neil Perry likes more than a barbecued lamb cutlet.
Get the recipe for Neil Perry’s lamb chops here.
21.
Burnt Basque cheesecake by Charlotte Ree
This cheesecake is a cake so good it will make you cry. A cake that is so perfectly imperfect, you’ll long to bake it again and again and again because life is like that – perfect in all of its imperfections.
Get the recipe for the burnt Basque cheesecake here.
20.
Mum’s moussaka by Lennox Hastie
The secret to this moussaka is in the sauce – a symphony of rich mince, red wine and cinnamon, cooked slowly until it is rendered sweet, savoury and unctuous, before being layered with the creamy eggplant and finished with a velvety bechamel sauce that slightly souffles and crowns the moussaka. Grilling the eggplant rather than frying it results in a much better flavour by ensuring that it is not full of oil; instead, the slightly smoky eggplant is able to absorb the rich ragu.
Get the recipe for the moussaka here.
19.
Honey cake by Lennox Hastie
Patiently roll out the sweet dough into thin, delicate biscuits that are carefully baked before being layered with a generous spread of honey and sour cream. Left to sit in the cool confines of the refrigerator overnight, the biscuit soften, creating a rich, creamy cake-like consistency, its many magical layers only revealed upon slicing. Russian honey cake is an ode to the art of layering and a triumph of simplicity transformed into grandeur – much like honey itself.
Get the recipe for the honey cake here.
18.
Pork belly by Lennox Hastie
Good pork belly is all about the crackling, the satisfying textural crunch as it shatters and dances on the palate, giving way to the rich succulence that lies beneath. While a wood fire provides the ideal dry heat for the perfect crackling, it is possible to get some amazing results in the comfort of your own home. It’s all about the skin, so the drier the better, and scoring the skin with a sharp knife allows the rendering fat to escape, while the skin morphs into a magnificent golden crust.
Get the recipe for perfect pork crackling here.
17.
Fish and chips by James Martin
Nothing says holiday eating like fish and chips. This recipe comes from two ends of the UK – from the south, where chef Nathan Outlaw showed James Martin this batter (which he has used it ever since), and from the north, where Whitby’s Magpie Café serves some of the best fish and chips in the world.
Get the recipe for James Martin’s fish and chips here.
16.
Potato and rosemary tart by Elizabeth Hewson
While the potato tart is perfect on its own, a sprinkle of chilli flakes and a drizzle of honey can be glorious additions. If that’s not your jam, salty anchovies layered over the top are also a nice adornment. Serve this tart either hot from the oven or at room temperature.
Get the recipe for the potato and rosemary tart here.
15.
Lemon and herb crusted trout by Elizabeth Hewson
Serve this lemon and herb trout as one whole side of fish then style it up with some beautiful sides, like a summery take on a potato Dauphinoise. For a lovely midweek meal, serve the fish in single portions (one fillet per person) alongside a simple green leaf salad. Two different occasions, one staple dish.
Get the recipe for lemon and herb crusted trout here.
14.
‘Satay’ chicken by Elizabeth Hewson
This is a crowd-favourite dish. This peanut and lime chicken takes its cues from satay chicken, a dish that spans across many different cuisines (Indonesia is thought to be the birthplace), each with their own distinct personality. Finish it with a zesty salad.
Get the recipe for the ‘satay’ chicken here.
13.
Lemon and lime biscuit tart by Elizabeth Hewson
Makrut lime leaves make this lemon and lime number even brighter. This lip-puckering tart is sunshine on a plate. Making pastry can be a roadblock for some home cooks so use a biscuit base, which is a little less intimidating.
Get the recipe for the lemon and lime biscuit tart here.
12.
Grilled lamb chops with peppers by Lennox Hastie
The beauty of lamb cutlets lies in their tenderness and delicate flavour. Grill these cutlets for just a few minutes on each side, enough to render the creamy fat crisp while ensuring the meat remains blush inside.
Get the recipe for the grilled lamb chops here.
11.
Green pasta by Elizabeth Hewson
This vibrantly green pasta fits all these criteria for the perfect midweek meal and will brighten your week. It uses broccolini, but it’s also adaptable for a lot of other greens you may have on hand. Cavolo nero and kale can be substituted in, or use broccoli, frozen peas or spinach. If you’ve got some lying around, throw in some soft herbs — parsley, chives, basil — for added flavour.
10.
Olive oil cake by Elizabeth Hewson
This cake is amazingly simple to make; in fact, it’s as straightforward as baking a cake goes. All it requires is the dry ingredients be mixed, followed by the wet ingredients, throw it all together for quick mix, and pour into a standard 20cm cake tin. The magic is, of course, in the olive oil. Choose something mellow and light with a fruity flavour. The result is a bright yellow, incredibly moist, almost pudding-like cake with a golden crust. It’s rich and flavoursome but completely adaptable to how, and when, you want to serve it.
Get the recipe for the olive oil cake here.
9.
An aussie Christmas lunch feast by Elizabeth Hewson and Lennox Hastie
Lennox Hastie and Elizabeth Hewson combine their skills for a very Australian Christmas feast featuring a moreish potato salad and a showstopping take on the classic turkey.
Get the recipes for the Aussie Christmas feast here.
8.
Umami-rich chicken noodle soup by Elizabeth Hewson
A chicken noodle soup recipe is as classic as they come. The results of slow-cooking a whole chicken can’t be beaten, but when time is short using breast meat hits the spot. For me, a good chicken soup should be kept simple – a clear, flavour-packed broth, tender chicken and a carbohydrate of some sort – say noodles, pasta or barley. For freshness, lean on the brightness of herbs.
Get the recipe for the chicken noodle soup here.
7.
Fisherman’s pie by Lennox Hastie
Meaty white fish such as blue-eye is ideally complemented by the robust flavour of hot smoked trout; the two fish combine to create a rich depth of flavour. But it is the anchovy, that small but mighty ingredient, that is the secret weapon here: its umami-rich profile adds a subtle yet impactful layer of complexity to the pie, elevating it to new heights. The puff pastry crust, golden and flaky, acts as a luxurious blanket, crowning the creamy filling beneath.
Get the recipe for the fisherman’s pie here.
6.
Four life-changing pasta recipes by Elizabeth Hewson
There’s nothing quite as restorative as a bowl of pasta that’s ready in minutes. The four dishes featured here are united by the following elements: they are quick to prepare, easy to source, comforting to eat and perfect partners for your favourite dried pasta.
Get the recipes for four life-changing pasta dishes here.
5.
Roast butterfly chook by Elizabeth Hewson
This recipe is all about creating a sense of home and bringing comfort. Roasting a chook defines comfort food for many. And let’s face it, it’s one of those straightforward meals that anyone can throw together. Roasting a butterflied chook not only because it reduces the cooking time but the chicken becomes a blanket over a bed of ingredients, allowing anything underneath to cook in its delicious juices and flavours.
Get the recipe for the roast butterfly chook here.
4.
Beef Bourguignon by Annie Smithers
Annie Smithers likes to cook her Boeuf Bourguignon in the style of pièce de bœuf à la bourguignonne, where a piece of beef is braised in the oven, as opposed to cutting the meat into chunks and stewing it on top of the stove. She then assembles the sauce with all its classic accompaniments and thicken it with the carrot purée.
Get the recipe for the Beef Bourguignon here.
3.
Tzatziki chicken by Jamie Oliver
This lemon-tzatziki chicken is a brilliant Greek-inspired one-pan family dish. Tzatziki makes a fantastic ready-to-go marinade – it’s not traditional to use it like this, but the chef can totally vouch for its deliciousness and its ability to tenderise meat.
Get the recipe for the tzatziki chicken here.
2.
The perfect steak by Lennox Hastie
Of all the questions he’s asked, the most frequent is, “How can I cook the perfect steak?” If the combination of meat and fire is as old as time, then the quest to cook the perfect steak may well be the Holy Grail. There are so many personal preferences and possibilities that it has become quite a divisive subject. Is grass or grain fed better? Which cut is best? Should I pre-season or season on the grill? Trouble is, a cow can be one of many breeds or a mix, and such a big animal can be broken down into myriad cuts.
Get the recipe for the perfect steak here.
1.
One-tray chicken by Elizabeth Hewson
Whether it becomes your new favourite midweek dish or a spectacular centrepiece at your next dinner party, this zesty, jammy, one-tray chicken dish will be bound for your recipe repertoire.
