Julie Biuso reckons Spring has sprung a leak !

Spring has sprung a leak  Yep. You’ve heard the weather report. Batten down the hatches and stay inside until they tell you it’s safe to come out again. I reckon you’d be wise to get the slow cooker out again, too (that was silly putting it away!) and get cooking something nice and slow. Apparently, it’ll all blow through by the weekend, but there’s definitely time to serve up one last wintery slow-cooked fork-tender bowl of scrumptiousness: lamb shanks. This recipe is an absolute winner – shanks stuffed with mint and date, rubbed with sumac, then simmered in red wine and tomatoes until falling off the bones. Bring it on! I thought I should share some dishes we enjoyed last Sunday – Father’s Day. A quick and easy tray of baked chicken legs flavoured with cardamom seeds, crushed coriander seeds and shredded kaffir lime leaves is a doddle to make as you can marinate the chicken overnight then just throw it (not literally!) in the oven when you’re ready. Oh, and eggplants. My husband Remo is Siciliano, and like every Sicilian I have ever met, loves eggplant so, to hell with the price, and eggplant was on the menu. It gave me an excuse to use some of my preserved lemons – a cracker of a combo I must say. That’s our son Luca in the pic holding the eggplant salad. (Note the green paisley shirt, purple trousers and peek of turquoise sock. The Biuso’s aren’t meek and mild in any way!) There’s also a great recipe here for a lentil salad with raisins and roasted tomatoes– you can extend it and serve it with slices of sizzled haloumi. Just good healthy food. A few weeks back I had to do something I’ve never done before: take part in a debate for Foodwriters NZ. I so didn’t want to do it, and hoped the storm that was brewing would prevent the Waiheke ferries from sailing so I couldn’t come over. No such luck. But like so many things you dread, it was a blast. We won! Might take up debating full-time. Not! And, at last I can offer my book Julie Biuso At Home at a great price of $45.00. I’m happy to sign it, or to write a dedication in it if you would like to give it to someone as a gift. Plenty of food for thought this week. Have a good one. Julie