Melbourne cookbook author Julia Busuttil Nishimura is known for her uncomplicated, seasonal recipes, many inspired by her Maltese heritage and time spent living in Italy.

Her latest collection, Good Cooking Every Day, is about creating harmonious meals from simple dishes that celebrate an everyday moment, season or ingredient.

“When I lived in Italy, I was inspired by the Italian way of eating,” she writes in the book’s introduction.

“Every meal was something to celebrate – the first zucchini flowers at the market, a casual dinner with friends, a long birthday lunch in the garden.

“It didn’t matter what the occasion, there was an unspoken pleasure in food and sharing it with others that was invigorating to be part of.”

Here are three recipes to make and savour at home.

Tarragon chicken

I can count on one hand the dishes I ate growing up that weren’t Maltese. This was one of them – a legacy from my mum’s dinner-party days of the 1970s. It’s a classic, and for good reason. French tarragon is prized in my kitchen for its subtle aniseed flavour and sweetness – it also happens to be one of the herbs I grow successfully. If you don’t want to use a whole chicken, the equivalent weight of skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs works well, too. I love to serve this simply with mashed or roast potatoes and steamed spinach.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 × 1.6-1.8kg chicken, broken down into 6 pieces
• sea salt
• plain flour, for dusting
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 6 eschalots (French shallots), halved
• 125ml (½ cup) dry white wine
• 250ml (1 cup) pure cream
• 300ml chicken stock
• handful of tarragon sprigs
• black pepper

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional).
2. Season the chicken pieces with salt and dust in the flour, shaking off any excess.
3. Heat half the olive oil and butter in a large, deep ovenproof frypan over a medium-high heat. When the butter is foaming, add the chicken, in batches if needed, and brown for 3 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan.
4. Wipe the pan clean and add the remaining olive oil and butter. Once the butter is foaming, add the eschalots and a pinch of salt and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the eschalots are beginning to colour. Deglaze with the wine, scraping the bottom of the pan to lift any brown bits. Cook for 1-2 minutes until reduced, then add the cream, stock and tarragon sprigs. Season with a little salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and return the chicken, skin-side up, to the pan.
5. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened. Check for seasoning, adding more salt and some black pepper if needed, then serve.

Serves 4

Chargrilled marinated lamb leg with romesco

This recipe is one I lean on a lot. The marinade – which uses a whole lemon, pith and all – gives such a sensational amount of complexity to the lamb. It is not at all bitter, and, once grilled, has a gentle hum of sweetness. It’s surprising in all the right ways, and I have had much success using it for marinating chicken, too. Romesco is one of my best-loved things – traditionally served with fish, which is superb, but also as I do here with lamb. It’s smoky, a little spicy and so irresistible that I often make a double batch to keep some for the week.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 × 1.3kg butterflied leg of lamb, fat scored
• 1 lemon, halved and seeds removed
• large handful of parsley leaves and stems, plus extra roughly chopped parsley leaves, to serve
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed with the side of a knife
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• sea salt and black pepper

Romesco

• 3 roma tomatoes
• 2 red capsicums
• 2 garlic cloves
• sea salt
• 80g (½ cup) toasted blanched almonds
• 30g fresh breadcrumbs
• pinch of chilli flakes or Aleppo pepper
• 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• sherry vinegar, to taste

METHOD

1. Place the lamb in a large bowl and set aside. Place the lemon, parsley leaves and stems, garlic and olive oil in a food processor, season with salt and pepper and blitz to a fine puree. Pour over the lamb and rub in with your hands to ensure the lamb is well coated. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional).
3. For the romesco, place the tomatoes and whole capsicums on a baking tray and roast in the oven for 1 hour or until they have collapsed and the skins are blistered and charred. When cool enough to handle, remove the skin, seeds and membrane from the capsicums. Peel the tomatoes and set the flesh aside. Pound the garlic with a pinch of salt using a mortar and pestle to create a paste. Add the almonds and continue to pound. Now add the roasted tomatoes and capsicums and pound again. Stir in the breadcrumbs, chilli flakes or Aleppo pepper and smoked paprika, along with the olive oil and enough vinegar to create some tartness. I like to add about 1 tablespoon, but it will depend on how sweet the tomato and capsicum are. Season to taste with salt and set aside.
4. Bring the lamb to room temperature. Preheat a barbecue grill to
   medium-high or heat a chargrill pan over medium-high heat. Add
   the lamb and cook for 20-25 minutes, turning halfway, until the lamb
   is cooked to medium. Allow to rest, then slice and arrange on a serving
   plate. Serve with the romesco, the extra chopped parsley and a drizzle
   of extra olive oil.

Serves 4-6

King George whiting with braised peas and tarragon

A wonderful dish in spring, but frozen peas are also good here so you can make this year-round with ease. The pancetta adds a nice richness, but I have made it many times without, so omit if you prefer or don’t have any on hand. Any fish of your choice that is suitable for pan-frying is great here. I like King George whiting but Murray cod, snapper and gurnard are all good choices.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 4 × 150g King George whiting fillets, skin on, pin-boned
• 100ml dry white wine

Braised peas

• 100g flat pancetta, cut into lardons
• 800g fresh peas in their pods, shelled, or 400g shelled fresh or frozen peas
• 250ml (1 cup) chicken stock
• 1 garlic clove, crushed with the side of a knife
• large handful of tarragon leaves, finely chopped
• large handful of parsley leaves, finely chopped
• sea salt and black pepper

METHOD

1. For the braised peas, place the pancetta in a large frying pan and set over medium heat. Cook until the pancetta is beginning to colour and most of the fat has rendered out. Remove the pancetta with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the peas, stock and garlic and bring to a simmer. Cook for 4-6 minutes or until the peas are tender and most of the liquid has reduced. Return the pancetta to the pan and warm through. Stir in the herbs, season to taste and keep warm.
2. Heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the fish, skin-side down, and cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden. Turn the fish over and pour the wine around the fish. Cook for 1 minute, then remove the fillets using a slotted spoon and keep warm. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and swirl in the pan to create a sauce. Cook the sauce for 1-2 minutes or until slightly reduced.
3. Spoon the peas onto a serving plate, top with the fish, skin-side up, and pour on the sauce. Serve.

Serves 4

This is an edited extract from Good Cooking Every Day by Julia Busuttil Nishimura, published by Plum, RRP $44.99. Photography by Armelle Habib.