I started writing this food blog, Cabinet of Cookery, as a way of showing readers that home cooking needn’t be a constant dilemma. It CAN be manageable and even enjoyable by using tried and tested recipes, quality ingredients, being organised, having the right equipment and reliable suppliers. 


It is fine to take shortcuts. Essential really, especially when living a busy, multitasking lifestyle.   Not everything needs to be made from scratch all of the time. Yes, whipping up your own mayonnaise or pesto, simmering chicken stock and fruit for jam is satisfyingly delicious, but there are excellent ready made options. Just as there are excellent ready made meals cooked in small batches often to order, in the kitchens of reliable local suppliers. Just add your sides and a healthy, delicious working week dinner is done with less stress, less mess and more smiles. 


I have written previously about Lisa from Locantro Fine Foods, and this evening we enjoyed an authentic Italian lasagne cooked by her, in her kitchen. My children thought I had made it and snaffled it down in record time. I came clean and told them it was Lisa who had spent the time making the rich meat ragu, bechamel and layering it all together. An endorsement from five young enthusiastic eaters meant the meal was a success.  

I like to ensure there is a plentiful serving of vegetables at every meal, so while the lasagne was heating in my oven, I made a large bowl of what I call my Winter Salad. It included those richer, fuller flavoured vegetables synonymous with the colder months in Sydney; peppery ruby red radishes, firm fragrant fennel, burgundy tipped red oak lettuce. I also like to add a couple of handfuls of rocket if I can find a young, fine supply. It was not the case this time so I left it out.  The dressing features fresh orange juice which perfectly balances out the heat in the radishes. This salad would go equally as well with a juicy steak, or a plump piece of salmon barbecued to perfection with a squeeze of lemon. 

Winter Salad 

Ingredients
1 x red oak lettuce
2 x good handfuls of young, fine rocket leaves if available
2 x Lebanese cucumbers
1 x punnet sweet grape tomatoes
1/2 a large fennel bulb, fine green fronds included, but woody green stalks removed
4 x fat radish bulbs
1 x avocado

Orange Dressing

Ingredients
Freshly squeezed juice of 1 orange
1 x tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 x tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
good grind of sea salt and black pepper

Add all ingredients to a screw top jar, shake well and pour evenly over the salad just before serving. 


For the salad…Wash all the vegetables thoroughly in cold water and use a salad spinner to dry off the lettuce and rocket. Gently pat the other veggies dry with a clean tea towel. A salad always looks and tastes better if the ingredients are not dripping with water. It also allows the dressing to adhere rather than slide off. 

Gently break up the lettuce into manageable pieces and arrange in a deep or wide salad bowl. Not a glass mixing bowl, but a proper salad bowl that cradles the ingredients and entices diners to reach out for a second serving. Toss through the rocket.

I prefer to lightly peel my cucumbers so that they are left with a stripy dark green skin which aids digestion. Slice lengthways in half and then into bite sized pieces on the diagonal. Arrange evenly on and around the lettuce.

Slice the tomatoes in half and add to the bowl.

Remove the outer layer of the fennel and slice off the thick base. Using a potato peeler, slice off thin shards of fennel. You can also do this using a mandolin, but having sliced my fingers too many times to mention, I now stay away from this gadget and prefer to use the peeler even though it takes a little longer. If making a huge quantity of this salad, say for a family gathering or a party, then I use the fine slicing blades on my Magimix food processor.  Sprinkle the fennel over the other salad ingredients. 

Peel off any gnarled areas of the radish trying to retain as much of the ruby red skin as possible. Slice into thin rounds using a kitchen knife. Add to the salad. 

Finally slice the avocado into thick pieces and carefully place in the bowl, taking care not to squash them. 

Drizzle with the dressing and eat immediately.