Butterflied Leg of Lamb with Za'atar
Butterflied Leg of Lamb with Za'atar

This lamb dish benefits from a za’atar dry rub, which infuses the meat with rich spices, and an olive oil marinade to keep it extra moist. Both create exceptional pan juices to drizzle over the finished slices.

Serves 6

Chicken and Vegetable Sheet Pan "Stir Fry"
Chicken and Vegetable Sheet Pan "Stir Fry"

Flavorful chicken thighs anchor this easy weeknight dish, which pays homage to Australia’s vibrant Asian community. It has the delicious sauce of a stir fry with the ease of a sheet pan dinner. Feel free to mix up the vegetables depending on what you harvest from your garden or find at the farmers’ market. Broccoli rabe, carrots (sliced into thin coins), brussels sprouts (halved), and zucchini are all worthy candidates.

Serves 4

Roasted "Dirty" Martini Shrimp Cocktail
Roasted "Dirty" Martini Shrimp Cocktail

Bored with shrimp cocktails featuring ketchup and horseradish sauces, we decided to develop a recipe that celebrates fresh shrimp’s brininess. Taking our inspiration from dirty martinis, we roasted shrimp with a simple marinade to concentrate their flavor, then served them with a unique cocktail sauce featuring brined olives and the umami-rich Australian condiment Vegemite, available on Amazon (feel free to sub in Worcestershire sauce or Marmite as desired).

Serves 4 to 6

Soba Noodles and Peas with Olive Oil-Soy Dressing
Soba Noodles and Peas with Olive Oil-Soy Dressing

Thin buckwheat noodles, called soba, have been enjoyed in Japan for thousands of years. But it wasn’t until 1993 that the first soba restaurant was opened in the Southern Hemisphere. From Sydney, the concept spread to other Australian cities. Add cooked shrimp (boiled, sautéed, or grilled) if you want to turn simple soba into a more substantial dish.

Serves 4

Tiger Bomb Coffee
Tiger Bomb Coffee

My wife Meghan and I fell in love with this refreshing coffee drink created at Tone Coffee in Melbourne. My version adds a splash of fresh-pressed olive oil for polyphenol goodness and more richness.

Serves 2

ANZAC Biscuits
"Grandma in the Mountains" ANZAC Biscuits

Named for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC), these “bickies,” or cookies, were created for soldiers fighting in World War I because they could withstand a long sea journey—ANZAC’s first major military action was in Gallipoli, Turkey. This version, a chewy inside with a crisp outside, comes from Annie Paterson. “It’s my grandmother’s and mother’s recipe that I have been making since I was a child,” she said. If you want a crisper cookie, leave out the coconut. Golden syrup, also popular in British and Irish treats, is a sweetener made from cane sugar; it’s available online, but you can substitute maple syrup.

Makes twelve 3-inch cookies

Australian Zucchini Breakfast Slice
Australian Zucchini Breakfast Slice

This frittata-like dish is beloved by Australians young and old. Cut into squares, a “slice” can be eaten out of hand and served hot, cold, or warm for breakfast, a main course, side dish, or snack. Though not traditional, I like the salty tang of pickled banana peppers or olives.

Serves 8

Melissa's Prawn and Pork Dumplings with Dipping Sauce
Melissa's Prawn and Pork Dumplings with Dipping Sauce

My longtime friend and colleague Melissa Wong, a consummate foodie from Melbourne, shared this flavorful recipe with me—see the Pressing Report for all the fun we had preparing it. Dumplings are surprisingly easy to make at home with either square or round dumpling wrappers. The pinching technique isn’t complicated, but a dumpling press makes quick work of it. (See a vegetarian version from The Olive Oil Hunter Newsletter.)

Serves 8 to 10

Grilled shrimp pisco
Grilled Shrimp with Pisco and Merquén

This dish features two iconic Chilean ingredients, merquèn and brandy-like pisco (in a pinch, you can use white tequila or rum instead).

Serves 4

Parmesan Scallops
Vieiras a la Parmesana (Parmesan-Crusted Scallops)

This dish is a variation on the wildly popular machas a la parmesana, local razor clams (using oysters is also popular). Traditionally, each scallop is cooked separately in its own half-shell. While it’s rare to find scallops still in the shell in the US, you can buy cooking-grade shells for an elegant presentation. For simplicity, I like to make them in a broiler-safe baking dish or individual ramekins.

Serves 4

Chicken empanada
Chicken Empanadas

Many dishes were introduced to Latin America by Spanish explorers and colonists, including handheld meat pies called empanadas. Here, a flaky crust encloses a savory mixture of chicken, peppers, and an olive, which is traditional in Chilean empanadas. Merquèn is a popular Chilean spice blend of goat’s horn chile, coriander, and salt, which imparts a distinctive smoky flavor. Goya and other brands sell precut dough disks.

Makes 12

Stuffed Pork Loin
Arrollado de Huaso (Stuffed Pork Loin)

Reminiscent of Italian porchetta, my Chilean version is filled with chorizo and a popular vegetable in Chile—sweet potato, or camote. Forming the chorizo into a rectangle with a rolling pin helps more evenly distribute the meat. If you’d rather not flatten the pork yourself, simply ask your butcher to butterfly it for you.

Serves 6