Carter Earl - Easy weekends: food by Neil Perry

Good shopping , good cooking, good living has always been my mantra.

My hope is that this book helps you cook, inspires you to buy quality ingredients and makes you want to cook for your friends and family. Nothing in life is more beautiful to me than sharing a meal with the people I love; it is what I live for.

I believe the way to a healthy life is through a well-balanced diet comprising fresh food and variety. Nothing is really bad for you in moderation. I love pork fat, but do I eat it every day? No, of course not. Do I enjoy it as a treat in my bacon for breakfast or in an Asian stir-fry or braise? Yes, most definitely. Moderation is the key to good eating; balance your diet with fruit, vegetables, grains, nuts, dairy and a good amount of fish. Then the big juicy steak, the chicken skin, the butter and a bit of pork fat wont hurt you. And boy oh boy is there flavour in those amazing ingredients.

Marry fresh food with a bit of daily exercise and you have the blueprint for a happy healthy life. You dont need to go to the gym every day, just go for a morning walk or run up the stairs at work; dont always take the elevator in life. Drink plenty of water, and wine in moderation. I should listen to my own advice

You can prepare most of these recipes without being an amazingly-skilled cook. I want this book to be approachable, to give you simple ideas that work well together. I hope it helps you explore the different cuisines that have always influenced my food. It is Australias multiculturalism that has defined me as a cook and I want to share some of those Eastern and Western influences, which have made me who I am.

A final word from me on becoming a better cook. If you enjoy it, simply cook more often and take notice of what you do. Try and remember if the fish was perfectly cooked last time and make a note if the chicken was a little overcooked. Was the oven too hot? Did I cook it for ten minutes too long? Every time you cook you can learn something every day. If you can be bothered, keep a little notebook and jot down what happened and how to make it better next time. It makes for an amazing read after a couple of years. Imagine your grandchildrens delight when they discover grandmas or granddads little kitchen notebook

Happy cooking is about memory, love, happiness and life.

Italian-style zucchini and parmesan soup

Most vegetables can be used to make a delicious pured soup like this. My favourites include cauliflower, Jerusalem artichoke, parsnip and pea.

SERVES 4

750 g (1 lb 10 oz) green zucchini (courgettes), trimmed and cut into 1 cm ( inch) pieces

extra virgin olive oil

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

85 g (3 oz/1 bunch) basil, leaves picked

sea salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste

1.5 litres (52 fl oz/6 cups) chicken stock

125 ml (4 fl oz/ cup) thin (pouring/whipping) cream, plus extra, to serve (optional)

40 g (1 oz) unsalted butter, chopped

40 g (1 oz) parmesan, grated, plus extra, to serve

+ Heat a little olive oil in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat, then add the zucchini, garlic, basil and a good pinch of sea salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes or until the zucchini starts to soften.

+ Add the stock and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 8 minutes or until the zucchini is soft and the stock is slightly reduced.

+ Pour the soup into a blender and pulse until well pured, but not completely smooth if you want the soup to have a bit of texture. Return the soup to the pan and stir in the cream, butter and parmesan. Season to taste.

+ Divide the soup among four bowls, add a good grind of white pepper and sprinkle with the extra parmesan. I like to add an extra splash of cream to each bowl to finish.

NOTES

If you use different vegetables cooking times will vary, so if the vegetables take longer to soften, add more stock or water.

Use freshly grated parmesan not the pre-grated stuff!

Cream of fennel soup

You can make this soup heartier by adding a grilled or toasted crouton rubbed with garlic, and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil.

SERVES 4

500 g (1 lb 2 oz) fennel, washed and trimmed, cut into 1 cm ( inch) dice

120 g (4 oz) unsalted butter

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 small leeks, white part only, washed and finely chopped

4 French shallots, finely chopped

sea salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste

1 litre (35 fl oz/4 cups) chicken stock or water

125 ml (4 fl oz/ cup) thin (pouring/whipping) cream

2 rashers bacon, chopped

8 sage leaves

+ Heat 50 g (1 oz) of the butter and the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat until the butter starts to foam. Add the leek, shallots and a little sea salt and cook for 56 minutes until the vegetables start to soften. Add the stock and fennel and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.

+ Pure the soup in batches in a blender. If you want to, now is the time to pass the soup through a sieve for a finer texture. Heat the pure and cream in a pan, check for seasoning and add more sea salt if necessary.

+ Saut the bacon in a frying pan over medium heat until crispy, add the sage leaves and the remaining butter then cook the butter until it is nut brown and the sage is crisp.

+ Divide the soup among four bowls, top with the bacon and sage and add a good grind of white pepper.

NOTES

Adding herbs is also a really nice thing to do to enhance the flavours of the soup.

A dash of Pernod would take this soup to another level.

Seared Hiramasa kingfish salad

While I have used kingfish in this recipe, any fish or shellfish you love raw will work a treat with this salad.

SERVES 4

Sesame dressing