I Don't kNow Ask Sandi

Simple Food, Simply Done

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  • Shopping treasures

    There are some amazing treasures to be found if you know where to look…

    Ethnic Dry Good Stores

    Don’t be afraid of the Ethnic food store down the road – it stocks the same items as your local supermarket, and often at a fraction of the cost.

    Example: Israeli (Pearl) couscous – at the local supermarket is around $15 per kg. At the shop down the road, it is around $6 per kg.

    There is often a wider range of spices also at a lower price. If you are not sure what something is, either ask the owners, or Google Lens can help out.

    Middle Eastern shops and kebab stores

    These often have a good selection of canned items, as well as some other special treats.

    Love pita bread? Keep an eye out for Shefco brand Lebanese bread – absolutely delicious, versatile and cheap. I always have a bag in my freezer and often another on the bench! At only $0.50 per ‘bread’, its a winner. (Check out the Street Pizza recipe when it comes out…)

    I often pick up Sumac, Tahini and jars of pickles from my local kebab shop as well.

    Factory Stores – Ghiotti

    The Ghiotti factory shop in St Johns is a must shop for me.

    From the BEST Pasta, to off cuts of Prosciutto or Chorizo, to wedges of Parmesan and Grana Padana. I try to get here at least once a month.

    Factory Stores – Swiss Deli

    Swiss Deli is great for Sausages – they stock a range of German style ‘wurst’ in vacuum sealed bags, as well as fresh sausages in the cabinet. Although not cheap, the flavour is great and many of the sausages have uses beyond ‘bangers and mash’

    (recipes to come)

    Piries Butchery, Mt Eden Road

    I have to put in a plug for my mate Phil. Not only is he a great guy, he is a pretty good pool player and he makes a mean sausage… and pork pie…. and ham…. and, oh dammit, he is an awesome butcher as well.

    Bonus – if you have a dog, the shop often has smoked canon bones which are brilliant as they don’t smell after a couple of days.

  • Slow Roasted Crispy Pork Belly

    There is something deeply satisfying about a good piece of pork belly that has been cooked to perfection. Moist tender meat that falls off the bone, paired with salty, crisp crackling.

    First you have to find the perfect piece of pork belly – look for one that is nice and smooth, level on top and with no wrinkles in the skin.

    Dry the pork overnight in the fridge – to do this, simply leave it on a plate, uncovered in your fridge. If you don’t have time to do this, pat the skin dry with a paper towel as best you can.

    Make up a mix of the following spices – you will work out your own preference for amounts, but start with roughly equal proportions:

    • salt
    • pepper
    • 5-spice
    • fennel seed
    • chilli flakes

    Once the spice mix is made, grind it up and season the pork flesh with it. Use a drizzle of oil on the pork first, and then smear the spices over the flesh.

    Wrap the flesh in tinfoil by placing two pieces of foil on the bench. Put the pork on top, skin side away from the foil. Fold the side to create a box around the flesh of the pork – this is the secret to the tender meat.

    Rub a little oil on the skin side and cover with salt – be generous. DO NOT SCORE THE SKIN.

    Place the meat on a tray and then place into an oven that has been pre-heated to 140C. Roast for 2 1/2 hours. After the first hour or so, check the meat and tighten the foil around the flesh.

    After 2 1/2 hours, Increase the oven to 240C and roast for a further 30 minutes – this is when the crackle will develop.

    Once the skin is perfectly crackled, remove the pork and rest for 15 minutes before carving.

  • Marinated Roast Beef

    I made this for Xmas eve lunch, 2025. It has to be the BEST roast beef I have ever had…

    The secret is to marinate the beef for at least 12 hours before cooking, and to baste often when cooking.

    • 1.5 kg Beef – Bolar, Top Side or Rump
    • Garlic
    • 1 T Worcestershire Sauce
    • 2 T Dijon Mustard
    • 2 1/2 T Balsamic Vinegar
    • 1/2 C Soy Sauce
    • 1/4 C Olive Oil
    • 1 T Brown Sugar
    • 2 t Onion Powder
    • 1 t Black Pepper
    • 2 t dried Thyme
    • 1 t dried Rosemary
    1. Marinade the beef for up to 36 hours. No less than 12.
    2. Bring the beef to room temperature, take it out of the fridge 1 hour before cooking
    3. Heat the oven to 240C
    4. Drizzle the beef with a little extra oil and roast for 20 minutes to seal the outside
    5. Turn the oven down to 180C and roast for a further 35 – 40 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 44C (medium rare)
    6. BASTE OFTEN DURING THE COOKING PROCESS
    7. Rest the beef for 20 – 30 minutes before carving
    8. The pan juices make the best gravy so don’t waste them!

    NOTES ON INTERNAL TEMPS

    RARE – 49C. Remove from oven when the internal temp is 41C

    MEDIUM RARE – 52C. Remove from the oven when the internal temp is 44C

    MEDIUM – 55C. Remove from the oven when the internal temp is 48C

    MEDIUM WELL – 57C. Remove from the oven, throw in the bin and chew on your shoe sole instead…

  • Creamy Mushrooms

    I love creamy mushrooms – whether as a side dish or for Sunday brunch on toast.

    Here is my take on them.

    • Mushrooms – I use button or Swiss Brown
    • Cherry Tomatoes, halved
    • Onion, diced (optional)
    • fresh Thyme
    • Sour Cream
    • Soy Sauce

    Cook the mushrooms in a hot frypan – you can quarter them first if you want, or do it after they’re cooked, your choice.

    Add a little bit of oil and the onion, thyme and cherry tomatoes. cook until the onion is translucent and the tomatoes are squishy

    Add a splash of soy sauce (about 1 teaspoon max) and a good dollop of sour cream. add water to help melt the sour cream and cook out ’til your mix is creamy

    Serve hot or refrigerate for later.

  • 10-hour Roast Lamb

    I love this recipe. it is perfect for group gatherings where you want to impress, but it is also equally good for a set and forget week-day meal. Just put the lamb on 10 hours before you want to eat.

    • fresh Rosemary
    • Black Peppercorns
    • Rock Salt (I use pink Himalayan salt)
    • Lamb – leg or shoulder
    • Oil

    Make a paste of rosemary, black pepper, rock salt and a drizzle of oil – I normally go for equal quantities of all ingredients but you may want more or less of some.

    Turn your oven on to 220c

    Rub the paste over the lamb, covering all sides.

    Put the lamb in an oven dish and place in the oven for 30 – 45 minutes. if you prefer, you can ‘seal’ the lamb in a fry pan instead

    After 30 – 45 minutes, take the lamb out of the oven and turn down to 110c

    Add some water to the bottom of the oven dish – just enough to cover the bottom by about 1/2 cm. Cover the lamb with baking paper and tin foil and then place back in the oven for 9-10 hours.

    Once cooked, remove the lamb and let it rest.

    Make a gravy using the pan juices and your choice of roast meat gravy packet (I use Maggi roast meat gravy)

    Carve the lamb – you may find that it falls to pieces, that’s ok, it’s meant to do that!

    Enjoy!

    UPDATE 2026 – I made this recipe with a shoulder of lamb. 1.2kg shoulder cooked in about 9 hours and was probably better than the original recipe using leg. I have updated the recipe accordingly.

  • Mushroom 101

    Most people don’t know how to cook mushrooms properly.

    They add oil, butter or other fats to the mushrooms at the start of the cooking. The mushrooms then absorb the fat and you end up with oily mushrooms.

    Here’s how to cook mushrooms properly.

    Oven

    Put your whole mushrooms into a baking dish, cap side down, sprinkle with salt and then put them in the oven for 30 minutes. Done!

    BBQ

    Put the whole mushrooms onto a hot bbq, cap side down. sprinkle with salt and cook 20 – 30 minutes. Done!

    Fry Pan

    You guessed it. Put your whole mushrooms in a hot fry pan, cap side down, and sprinkle with salt. Pan fry 10 – 15 minutes. Done!

    Your mushrooms are now fully cooked, juicy and full of flavour. Make sure you don’t turn the mushrooms over or you will lose all the beautiful cooking liquid that has collected inside the cap of the mushroom.

    Now you can do what you like with your mushrooms – I like adding balsamic vinegar, a crack of pepper, fresh thyme and a dash of olive oil to mine, then cool and enjoy later in salads or on a mixed platter.

  • Corn, Capsicum and Black Rice Salad

    A great summer salad – I prepare the corn and capsicum the day before on a hot BBQ

    Corn

    • 2-3 cobs of sweet corn

    Cut the bottom off your sweetcorn and place it in the microwave on high for 2 minutes

    Once done, remove and using a tea-towel, pull the outer husk off. The beard and husk should all come off in one go

    Put the corn in a pot of boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes

    Put the corn on a BBQ and allow it to char lightly on all sides

    Cool slightly and then slice the corn of the cob

    Capsicum

    • 2 -3 capsicum, your choice of colour

    Char grill capsicum on the BBQ so that the skin blisters and burns

    Once the capsicum is blistered all over, remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly

    Rub the skin off the capsicum and split it in half so that the seeds can be removed. You can do this under running water if you want

    Once skin and seeds are removed, dice the capsicum into cubes roughly the same size as the corn kernels

    Black Rice

    Cook the black rice as you would normally cook

    I have been using ‘Sun Rice Black Rice’ which I get from Woolworths. This cooks in a 1 (rice) to 2 (water) ratio in a standard rice cooker.

    Assemble

    Mix the corn, capsicum, rice and your favourite dressing together in a bowl

    I normally use Coriander and Lime dressing but you may want to experiment with other dressings.

    NOTE:

    If corn is out of season or too expensive, you can replace the corn with canned corn in brine.

    There are also some good pre-prepared roast capsicum options around – look on the pickles shelf at your local supermarket. Delmaine and a few others do these well.

    Obviously not as good as DIY, but an acceptable option if needed.

  • Sticky Pork Strips

    This is a great dish, it tastes amazing and although it needs a bit of time to cook, it is actually really simple.

    The pork is poached, fried and then finished in the oven

    Poach

    • 1 Cinnamon Stick
    • 2 Star Anise Pods
    • 2 Cloves
    • 1/2 teaspoon Allspice
    • 1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar (optional)
    • a glug of Soy Sauce (optional)
    • Pork Belly Strips – as much as you need and then an extra bit cos you will have underestimated!

    Put all the ingredients into a large pot, cover with water

    Bring the pot to a gentle boil and then simmer the pork for 1-2 hours or until soft

    Don’t worry, you can’t really over cook the pork

    Fry

    Once you have poached the pork, you want to fry it off in a pan to give it a touch of golden crispiness.

    Simply heat a pan with a dash of oil – I use soy and sesame combined. Add the pork and pan fry ’til lightly golden brown.

    Once golden, remove from the pan and place into an oven tray lined with baking paper.

    Finish

    Once all the pork is golden and in the lined oven tray, top it with your favourite Asian style marinade – I use Lee Kum Kee Sticky Pork Ribs or Lee Kum Kee Honey Soy Chicken – and some sesame seeds and chilli flakes (optional).

    Bake ’til sticky – about 10-15 minutes

    Serve on rice or crispy noodles

    NOTES

    You can poach the pork the day before you are going to serve it.

    This also works well if you chop the pork strips up – I have even served as a canape with a toothpick in each piece.

    You could make your own marinade of Hoisin, Honey, Garlic, Ginger and Soy, but this is supposed to be an easy dish!

  • Whipped Feta

    Whipped feta is great as a dip, spread in a sandwich, or on toast with tomato and cracked pepper. I have even added lumps of it to pasta and salads.

    In a food processor, combine the following until smooth:

    • 350 gm feta
    • 125 gm sour cream (1 pottle)
    • a good drizzle of olive or other oil
    • fresh herbs such as rosemary, oregano or basil (optional)
    • other flavourings (optional) – sundried tomato, olives, capers, the choice is yours

    Feel free to experiment with the flavours – you could add beetroot or spinach if you want, it’s entirely up to you!

    This doesn’t last long in our house – 1 batch is normally gone in a day or two.

  • Coriander, Lime, and Honey Dressing

    This is a quick and tasty salad dressing.

    In a food processor or blender (I use a nutri-bullet) mix the following til smooth.

    • 1 cup of Coriander – leaves and some stems
    • 1/4 cup of Mint Leaves
    • 1 teaspoon of Honey
    • 1/4 cup Lime Juice (you can also use apple cider vinegar or a mix of the two)
    • 1/4 cup of Oil – I use sunflower or canola
    • Pepper
    • a dash of water if needed

    I use this dressing on my Black Rice and Corn Salad but it is great on many salads.