Daniel Medcalf’s arancini with garden peas

These crunchy pea arancini from chef Daniel Medcalf are the ultimate starter for spring entertaining. Serve them hot and watch your guests fight over the last one.

Saag curry

A good dose of pureed spinach is what brings a verdant glow to this Indian-style curry with cheese.

Shaved globe artichokes with lemon, olive oil and parmesan

Four ingredients are all it takes to create this sublime spring salad.

Fat asparagus in a black bean sauce

Think of this as the vegetarian version of black pepper crab. The sauce is very simple to make and the combination of salty black beans, soy and butter make this a truly winning combination.

Baby beetroot, blood orange and curd salad

As delicious as it is beautiful, this citrus infused salad is the perfect addition to your spring menu.

Cauliflower and fenugreek curry

Give vegetables the star treatment at your next dinner party with this cauliflower curry.

Morogo

This mind-altering side dish from Duncan Welgemoed’s book Africola might blow you away with its firepower, but you’ll soon be back for more – the mix of chickpeas, leafy vegetables and crazy-hot seasonings is totally addictive.

Fig, mozzarella and basil oil salad

When figs are this jammy, the only thing to do is to tear them, dress them up and turn them into your next dream salad.

Cashew miso cream with young vegetables

A landscape on a plate, this appetiser is more of an idea than a recipe: vegetables arranged like a sumptuous still-life, served with an umami-rich cashew cream. It’s a celebration of the art of good eating.

Dressed peas with garden herbs

In springtime, fresh peas have their moment in the sun. Elevate them from everyday side-dish to superstar status with a jumble of bright petals, leaves and herbs, and a zippy dressing.

Roasted apricots with straciatella and rosemary oil

Roasted apricots are surprisingly versatile, adding bursts of intense fruit flavour and acidity to whatever they meet, from breakfast dishes to leafy salads. In this starter they come cheek-to-cheek with fresh-tasting cream cheese and prosciutto.

Herb salad and ginger-lime dressing

There’s a surprise in every mouthful of this refreshing salad, yet the ginger-lime dressing has all the herbs singing to the same tune. The recipe is from Duncan Welgemoed’s book Africola.

Socca (chickpea pancake)

Is there a person in the world who doesn’t love pancakes? This traditional Niçoise version has the crisp, buttery-tasting edges everyone adores, but the chickpea flour and salt flakes steer it in a deliciously savoury direction.

Summer chopped salad with citrus sesame dressing

For a casual summer lunch with friends – think outdoors in the shade of a Jacaranda – you can’t go past a chopped salad. Bill Granger’s version, from his book Australian Food, offers all the colours and textures of summer in a bowl.

Salad of summer squash, lemon basil, anchovy & ricotta

A composed salad, such as this from Embla’s Dave Verheul, is a feast for the eyes and a breeze to make. Summer squash are the delicate centrepiece here, surrounded by a strong supporting cast of assertive flavours.

Fig leaf oil

The fig leaf is often underrated when it comes to cooking, but when infused into an olive oil, its aromatic neon-green vibrancy is a feast for the eyes.

Green goddess bowl with charred cucumber

Charred cucumber lends a smoky accent to this bowl of quinoa, seeds, nuts and leaves – all of which are basically an excuse to eat more green goddess dressing. Mmm, creamy goddess goodness!

Almond and cherry custard ice-cream

Almond and cherry custard ice cream makes a festive finale for any meal. In Australia, fresh sour cherries ripen just in time for summer entertaining, but frozen ones will work very well too.

Apricot, almond and orange blossom tart

“Galette” is French for “just like a tart but easier to make” – its rustic appearance is part of its charm. Shop-bought pastry isn’t traditional but gives a beautiful result, transforming fresh seasonal fruit into a quick and easy sweet.

Roger’s gougères

If you love pastry, if you love cheese and salt, if you love crisp-and-soft things hot from the oven, then resolve right now that you will bake gougères this week. Today. Right now.

Wet polenta

Soft, creamy 'wet’ polenta is the ultimate winter comfort dish that can be topped with many delicious things, or simply just some cheese. Chef David Lovett shares his recipe with us from his new book, Big & Little.

Savoury pancakes with pesto

Lucio’s has closed its doors after nearly forty years as one of Sydney’s most loved eateries. For us, this pancake-like pasta will always evoke memories of the family atmosphere that made Lucio Galletto’s restaurant so special.

Apple and jam cake

Eating a cake straight out of the oven is one of life’s simple pleasures, as this apple and jam cake from Emiko Davies' book, Torta Della Nonna, proves.

Cenci

These fried pastries from the book Torta Della Nonna by Emiko Davies are flaky and gorgeously sweet - serve them to friends with coffee, or just keep them all to yourself.

Roasted carrots with spices and labne

Turn a roasted vegetable dish into a show-stopping side using spices and creamy labne.

Labne

Making labne at home is so simple that after you've made it once, you’ll want to make it to serve with everything.

Asparagus with burnt butter

Even the simplest of vegetable dishes is transformed by the nutty, fatty goodness of burnt butter.

Green curry paste

There’s nothing better than curry paste made by hand. Trust us, you’ll never use the jarred variety again.

Coconut milk

Making fresh coconut milk from scratch is easier than it seems, with the help of a few simple tips.

Whole roasted cauliflower with harissa and yoghurt

For vegetarian roast inspiration, this whole roasted cauliflower with harrissa and yoghurt is the showstopper you’ve been searching for.