Ginger Treacle Loaf with Lemon Icing

dairy free egg free nut free vegan gluten free

This splendid loaf is an allergy-friendly triumph - a soft, light vegan cake using regular flour, which then translates beautifully to gluten free (as long as you incorporate the egg back in if you tolerate them.) Ok, so not a complete success - I'm still experimenting with a version for both gluten free and vegan - but still, the result from a commercial gluten-free flour mix was pretty impressive. Dead easy to make, this is now a market bake-stall favourite. Four tins ready for the oven in 10 minutes!

See both recipes below:

Gluten free & dairy free (using egg)

175g gluten-free plain flour mix

1 tbsp ground ginger

3/4 tsp soda bicarbonate

125g treacle

80ml vegetable oil

75g brown sugar

2 eggs 

100ml rice or soy milk

1 cup sifted icing sugar

2 tbsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 150 C and grease and line a small-to-medium loaf tin.

Sift the plain flour, ginger and bicarb into a bowl and stir to combine. In a separate bowl, mix together treacle, oil, brown sugar, egg and milk until combined. Bit by bit, pour the wet mixture in to the dry, and whisk very gently to ensure you combine it well without lumps forming. Don't pour it in all at once!

Pour batter into loaf tin and bake for approx 40-45 mins.

Cool in tin while you prepare the icing. Add lemon juice to sifted icing sugar and mix until a smooth glaze. Turn out onto wire rack and drizzle lemon icing over the cake. Zest some lemon and sprinkle on top.

Dairy free & egg free (using regular flour)

175g plain flour

1 tbsp ground ginger

3/4 tsp soda bicarbonate

125g treacle

80ml vegetable oil

75g brown sugar

1 egg replacer

100ml rice or soy milk

1 cup sifted icing sugar

2 tbsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 150 C and grease and line a small-to-medium loaf tin.

Sift the plain flour, ginger and bicarb into a bowl and stir to combine. In a separate bowl, mix together treacle, oil, brown sugar, egg replacer and milk until combined. Bit by bit, pour the wet mixture in to the dry, and whisk very gently to ensure you combine it well without lumps forming. Don't pour it in all at once!

Pour batter into loaf tin and bake for approx 40-45 mins.

Cool in tin while you prepare the icing. Add lemon juice to sifted icing sugar and mix until a smooth glaze. Turn out onto wire rack and drizzle lemon icing over the cake. Zest some lemon and sprinkle on top.

Moroccan Seafood Soup

dairy free egg free nut free gluten free

We enjoyed this heavenly soup the day after too - the left-over stock went gangbusters in a seafood risotto!

Serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil

1 red onion, finely sliced

1 celery stalk, sliced

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tbs ground coriander

1 tbs harissa*

3 tbs chopped parsley

2 tomatoes, chopped

500ml water

1kg fish, firm such as snapper, cut into chunks

8 prawns, peeled and deveined

8 mussels, cleaned and de-bearded

juice of 1 lemon

*You can buy harissa paste or make your own by processing some roasted red peppers with garlic, chilli, salt, cumin and coriander.

Heat oil in a stockpot and sauté onion, celery and garlic until soft. Add ginger, both fresh & dried coriander, harissa and parsley and cook for a few minutes, stirring. Season generously with salt and pepper, then add tomatoes and cook for another few minutes. Add water and bring to boil, then lower heat and simmer on very low heat, lid on for around half an hour.

Add seafood and cook for 15 minutes or until cooked through. Squeeze lemon juice then ladle into bowls.

Pork & Fennel Bolognese

dairy free egg free nut free gluten free

Pork is the meat of choice in our house when making bolognese. And while there are as many variations of bolognese as there are types of pasta, this version is my hands-down favourite. Fennel replaces the soffritto (carrot, onion, celery) lending a satisfying sweetness, and the hint of bay gives it depth. My mother's sugo is legendary for its simplicity and restraint and I can happily report that when I serve this one up, my daughter asks "Is this Nonna's?" even though fennel doesn't feature in her version. 


(Apparently, 6 out of 10 Australian chefs prefer pork in their bolognese according to 2009 edition of Australian Gourmet Traveller. If you're still making bolognese with beef, it may be time for a change.)


I would think that the only way to improve on this excellent sauce, would be to add some white wine just after adding the meat. We tend not to use much wine in cooking these days as most are processed with egg and milk products. But next time I come across an organic/vegan wine, I might just try it...


500g pork mince
1 large fennel bulb, chopped into 1cm pieces
1 large red onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 bottle tomato passata/puree
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
olive oil


Heat a large saucepan with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, gently fry onion and garlic for a few minutes. Add chopped fennel and fry on low-medium heat for about 15 minutes or until soft and golden. Turn heat to medium-high and add pork mince, breaking it up with your spoon and fry until cooked. Season with salt and pepper. Add chopped tomatoes, passata and bay leaf and bring to the boil, then reduce to low heat, simmering for at least an hour, stirring occasionally.


Stir through cooked pasta and serve.

Braised Artichokes

dairy free egg free nut free vegan gluten free

Artichokes are my vegetable love crush. If I were asked to choose my last meal on earth, I'd be tempted to eschew the foie gras and truffles, and accept a plate of delicately braised artichokes instead (maybe a few deep-fried ones thrown in.)

They're a robust and tricky vegetable to prepare, but all the more satisfying for having made the effort. The pile of waste can be a little alarming once you're done peeling away the tough outer leaves, and removing the top third of the flower. Artichokes are a member of the thistle family, so most of it is inedible anyway. Leave some of the tougher leaves intact so that once cooked you can scrape out their tender flesh between your teeth and discard the skin. This is an integral and rewarding part of the journey towards the prized, heartbreakingly-tender inner petals.

Finally, it's important to leave a decent portion of the stem attached - the flavour there is the absolute essence of artichoke.

4 globe artichokes
juice of 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Remove the outer leaves of the artichokes and cut off all but a few centimetres of the stems. Peel away the hard remnants of the base and the outer fibrous layers of the stems until you get to the pale green. Cut off the tops, about a third of the way down. Slice in half lengthways right through to the stem. Dig out the furry choke with a teaspoon. After you've prepared each artichoke to this stage, place them in a large bowl of water with the lemon juice added - you need to do this to prevent them from discolouring.

Heat the garlic and olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and add the drained artichokes in a single layer cut side down. Cook over low-medium heat until garlic is aromatic. Add the parsley, turn over and season with salt and pepper. Cook for a few more minutes then turn them back over so they are face down again. Add 1/2 cup water, cover the pan and simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes. Take off lid and turn up the heat a bit and simmer for another 10 minutes until all the water has evaporated and you are left with some juice at the bottom of the pan like a sauce. Remove from pan to a serving platter, cut sides up, sprinkle more parsley, drizzle sauce from the pan with a squeeze of lemon juice and a grinding of black pepper.

You can also cut the artichokes in quarters, just reduce the cooking time.

Focaccia with Green Olives & Thyme

dairy free egg free nut free vegan

If you're not a bread baker, now's the time to learn. It's quite easily the most satisfying skill to have in the kitchen. 

I normally stud the olives on top, but this version with the olives mixed into the dough is even more appealing.

7g sachet instant yeast

300g strong flour (tipo 00)

75g semolina (or more flour if you don't have it)

1 cup green olives, pitted

250ml lukewarm water

1 tbsp salt 

2 tbsp olive oil

Dissolve the yeast in a quarter of the water and let sit for a few minutes. Gradually mix in the flour and water (as well as salt and oil) until you have a decent dough, then knead for about 5 minutes until it is smooth and elasticky. Let prove in an oiled and covered bowl in a warm place for 2 hours or until doubled in size. 

Stretch onto a tray in a rough rectangle shape,  sprinkle with olives, roll up lengthways into a sausage shape then bring together into a ring (so there's not much of a hole) and join the ends firmly. Take a rolling pin (or you can do this with your hands) and roll the dough back out to a rectangle. Let prove for another 20 minutes while you preheat oven to 220 C. Dig your fingers into the dough to make the indentations, sprinkle with thyme leaves, drizzle more olive oil and sea salt, then bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Minestrone with Chickpeas & Farro

dairy free egg free nut free vegan

Ancient grains and seeds like farro and quinoa have had a renaissance in the last few years. Farro in particular is an Italian grain that was in danger of vanishing from production due to its strong husk that needed complex dehulling and milling machinery. Thankfully, the boom in organic produce and growing interest in wholefoods means we get better access to less processed, more nutritionally sound foods.  Farro is similar to pearl barley, but with a nuttier bite. It does contain gluten, though it is more easily digestible than most wheat grains. If you're gluten intolerant, you could substitute brown rice.

If you don't soak the farro first (overnight preferably), it will still cook in the recommended cooking time, though it will benefit from resting for a few hours to allow it to swell and absorb more liquid.

couple of tablespoons olive oil

1 red onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1 zucchini, chopped

1/2 can crushed tomatoes

1 can chickpeas, rinsed

1 bay leaf

1 cup farro, rinsed (otherwise soaked overnight)

6 cups of veg/chicken stock or plain water

Fry onion, garlic, celery and carrots over medium heat until soft and browned slightly, about 5 minutes. Add zucchini and cook for a couple of minutes. Add tomatoes, bay, stock/water and bring to boil, then add chickpeas and farro, stirring well. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 30-40 minutes until farro is tender.