Squiz Picks: 2023 Recipe Round up
All the things we cooked in 2023 in one place? We got you.
Our most clicked recipes
Jennifer Aniston’s salad - Nothing like a celebrity endorsement to get some clicks on a salad recipe… There’s actually a bit of disagreement about whether the Friends star actually ate this on set every day, but we do know one thing: it’s very tasty.
Jamie Oliver’s carbonara cake - Oliver calls it “delightfully simple, luxurious, yet slightly trashy”, and it combines two of our favourite things together, so why not…
Silverbeet soup with colcannon potato bread - We’re not usually soup people but we were intrigued by this leafy green soup as the weather started to cool down. It’s seriously tasty - especially with the potato bread.
Beef, ricotta and rosemary meatball tray bake - Very few things beat a traybake, and this one was delicious with the pasta. We had the leftovers with some broccolini - you know which we preferred…
Caramelised ANZAC bars - We’ll never turn down a classic ANZAC bikkie but we’ve been making these ones by baking queen Helen Goh all year round.
Chicken and risoni soup with gremolata - Squizers are soup fans… We've made this recipe a couple of times - one of those times, we shredded a BBQ chicken from the supermarket and used stock from a carton. And it was delish.
Alison Roman's semolina cake with lemon and fennel - It was one of many lemon recipes we recommended this year, and this was one of the more unusual… It’s a good one for when you're looking to impress without trying too hard.
Herbed ricotta and roasted tomato bruschetta - You can eat it for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and it's simple and fancy at the same time.
Something to nibble on...
Zucchini and feta fritters - Served with a garlicky yoghurt dipping sauce, it's the perfect light meal for a warm evening.
Zucchini Fritters with Feta and Dill - We made a batch of these to pop in the freezer for a quick weeknight meal. It’s a great recipe for using up any greens you have lying around.
Stephanie Alexander’s zucchini pickles - We talked about Gen Z embracing pickles recently - but since we're from the country, we're picklers from way back. These ones will change your life with a good slab of bread and cheese.
Fresh felafel - Not to toot our own horn, but they were on par with the ones from our favourite Lebanese restaurant. We paired them with this easy tahini sauce and our all-time favourite fattoush salad.
Our fave edamame dip - Longtime Squizers will know we’re dedicated to this dip, and it's with good reason. It's so darn delicious and moreish and yields an excellent return for effort.
Homemade movie popcorn - Sure, you can grab a microwave bag to get your fix, but we tried this RecipeTin Eats recipe, and it's so much better. Scroll down the link for flavour variations - we can endorse sweet 'n salty.
Baked camembert - If you want to jazz up your Friday/weekend wind-down sip 'n snack, this Jamie Oliver recipe is a winner. Serve it up with some crusty bread, nuts, and cranberries, and voilá - the perfect snack.
Spicy tuna tartare - It's incredibly easy and looks impressive served on fried wontons as an appetiser.
4-ingredient Italian fried eggplant - We have fond memories of these amazing battered zucchini our Nonna used to make, and we've been on the hunt for a similar recipe for ages. This recipe comes pretty darn close - their version uses eggplants, but you can swap them out for zucchini.
Spinach and feta rolls - Whether you need some World Cup sustenance or something to bring to a winter picnic, these spinach and feta rolls are the biz. They come together pretty easily and they’re packed full of flavour thanks to the sundried tomatoes and dill.
Tomato and goats cheese focaccia - We know we’re meant to be past the pandemic/baking bread phase, but we couldn't get this focaccia off our mind. And if we could think of anything more delightfully middle class to say, we’d say it…
Sides and salads
Watermelon and pomegranate salad with whipped feta - It's fresh, bright, and perfect for summer entertaining.
Maple roasted pumpkin with chili and feta - Hot or cold, it’s always the right weather for this salad. We teamed ours with some lamb on the BBQ. Bon ap.
Potato gratin with parmesan crumb - Sometimes you just need some carbey and cheesy goodness, and this recipe sure delivered.
Herby cabbage pudding with feta - We’re big Ottolenghi fans (as you know…), but even we questioned this one... We had some feta to use up so took a gamble - and it turned out great. Think of it as a kind of fancy quiche or frittata. It can be eaten alone or as a side, and best of all, it’s cooked in just one dish…
Mashed potatoes with brie - We simply couldn't ignore this recipe from Squiz fave Adam Liaw...
Roasted Pumpkin with yogurt sauce and pine nuts - Pumpkin’s one of our favourite things to roast. We served this fancy version with some BBQ’d chops or grilled salmon. It’s that side dish that makes you look tres gourmet without the fluffin’ about…
Mushroom, lentil and pickled onion salad - We served it with some lamb chops we cooked on the barbie on Sunday, and had the leftovers for lunch on Monday. Pretty smart, eh?
Roasted cauliflower with crispy chickpeas, honey, harissa, and whipped feta - The temptation is strong to eat nothing but beige foods when the temperature drops, but we made an exception for this warming salad.
Spiced eggplant and chickpea fatteh - For the uninitiated, it's an Egyptian salady-type dish with chickpeas and a yoghurt dressing over toasted flatbread, and we included some hot smoked trout.
Nectarine and burrata salad - Summer = lots of dinners on the BBQ. And for a side with a wow factor, this salad is the business.
Broccoli and Date Salad - Spoon salads - they’re a thing. This one was an excellent accompaniment to a grilled pork chop for dinner, and we doubled down the next day for lunch on its own.
Beef and noodle salad - It's a great gateway meal for those aiming to eat more fresh/healthy salady-type things this year.
Pasta
Spinach and ricotta cannelloni - Any meal involving pasta is a good one in our books, and this is a winner. We simplified things by using jarred passata for the sauce - though if you really want to go all out you can make it from scratch. Show off…
Pasta all'arrabbiata with slow-cooked sugo - We were craving pasta so we went all in on this tomato, garlic and chilli classic. And if you need a reminder on how to cook pasta (and 9.9 million views tell us many people do), Gordon’s here for you…
Mushroom lasagne - Whether you’ve been tasked with feeding a vegetarian or just want to try something a bit different, this lasagne is a certified crowd-pleaser. We went with a mix of Swiss browns and regular white cups to make it more budget-friendly. You won’t even miss the meat…
'Life changing' pumpkin pasta - The title had us intrigued, and it’s a great way to use up leftover roast pumpkin. Topped with fried sage and plenty of parmesan cheese, it’s become an autumn staple.
Hetty McKinnon's summer lasagne - We're all for eating lasagne all year round, but this spin on the classic is packed full of veggies and is perfect for the warmer months.
Orzo with prawns, tomato and marinated feta - As prawn prices started to drop, we celebrated with this Ottolenghi number.
Veggie mains
Herby cabbage pudding with feta - We’re big Ottolenghi fans (as you know…), but even we questioned this one... We had some feta to use up so took a gamble - and it turned out great. Think of it as a kind of fancy quiche or frittata. It can be eaten alone or as a side, and best of all, it’s cooked in just one dish…
Sweetcorn chowder with toasted tortillas - You know we don’t accept that soup is food (it's liquid, der...) but this recipe is good to have on hand - particularly on a Sunday night when you can’t be stuffed to cook.
Eggplant moussaka - Eggplants aren't as horrendously expensive as they were not so long ago, so we made this moussaka to have in front of a Matildas' game – and it was a warm hug on a cold, cold night. We do ours in one big dish.
Ottolenghi's multi-vegetable paella - We’ve been trying to bulk up our veggie intake so we dug out this recipe. The beauty of this one is that you can substitute in pretty much any fresh produce you have in the fridge - and while it’s a vegan recipe, we added some chopped spicy Spanish salami. Yes, it’s inauthentic but yum…
Cauliflower soup with smokey baba ghanoush - During the final month of winter, we dug out one of our favourite soup recipes from Hetty McKinnon. It’s a spin on the incredible salad she shared in her recipe book Community, and it’s noice, different, and unusual…
Coronation Quiche - It was the big-ticket item for King Charles’s big day, but if that's not your vibe, there were 3 other official coronation recipes to choose from.
One-pot chickpea, carrot and marinated feta - We’ve officially dried chickpea converts after giving this Ottolenghi dish a whirl. It’s super easy to prepare and is packed full of herbs and spices that give it a good kick.
Sri Lankan-style eggplant curry - If meat isn't your thing, this recipe from Squiz fave RecipeTin Eats might be more your speed. Geez it packs a serious flavour punch - and better yet, was surprisingly easy to make on a weeknight.
Vegetarian butter chicken - We came across this vegetarian version of butter chicken featuring carrots - and before you roll your eyes, we can tell you hand-on-heart that even the carnivores in our life licked their plates clean… And don't skimp on the topping of fried curry leaves and cashew nuts.
Spanakopita - We tried our hand at making this version. It involves a lot of layers of filo pastry, so it’s a bit of a process to construct, but it’s well worth the effort.
Meat, chicken, and fish...
Shawarma-spiced roasted chicken - When it comes to roast cook, we have a fail-proof method that we make all the time, but we gave this one a go and it’s great. Paired with some flatbread and salady-bits, it’s a yum-scrum dinner in the making.
San choy bow - RecipeTin Eats has never led us astray, and we always feel good for eating this fresh and crunchy dish.
Big Mac tacos - Viral recipes can be overhyped, but this one hit the spot. The best part? The sauce is a great use of those staples that live in your fridge/cupboard. These aren’t going to get your doctor’s tick of approval, but your family/guests probably approve.
Vietnamese noodles with lemongrass chicken - It's one of our favourite things to eat as the weather starts to warm up. It’s packed full of fresh flavours and is easy enough to pull together on a weeknight.
Prawn and avo tacos - A mate made these for us and geez they were excellent. The fresh flavours go down so well at this time of year. Bon appetite…
Spatchcocked roast chook - We came across this foodie’s TikTok account a little while ago, and we couldn’t stop drooling… For non-TikTok users, she has a website with all her recipes and a newsletter to sign up to. We had a crack at her spatchcocked roast chicken, and despite some initial hesitation at getting that up close and personal with our bird, we’re converted.
Karen Martini's chicken biryani - This dish hit the spot when we are craving some Indian. We've made it many times over the years and it always delivers. Chicken, rice, yoghurt = delicious. And it's great for leftovers.
Pad See Ew - ‘Fakeaway’ - aka takeaway food made at home - is having a bit of a moment, and we’ve been having fun experimenting with the Thai classics. We’ve previously recommended this pad thai, and the Lucky Dragon Supper Club has a fantastic pad see ew recipe.
Beef, ricotta and rosemary meatball tray bake - Very few things beat a traybake, and this one was delicious with the pasta. We had the leftovers with some broccolini - you know which we preferred…
Beef brisket - We made this for a mid-week meal and shredded it up for tacos. All you need is the time for it to marinate and then cook - beyond that, it's crazy simple and great for a weekend dinner.
Family-size chicken pot pie - There are few things better than a homemade pie in winter. Ah Jill Dupleix, you’ve done it again…
Easy Massaman curry - You can't go wrong with a good massaman, whether its this easier lamb shank version or this more involved beef one,.
Butter Chicken - This recipe from former Attica chef Amandeep Sharma is an absolute winner but takes a bit of time so it’s best for a weekend cook-up. Paired with rice and our new fave supermarket freezer find paratha roti, we reckon it comes pretty close to a good restaurant version.
Bun cha - It's one of Vietnam’s lesser-known street food delights, consisting of caramelised pork meatballs that are served in a sweet and tangy broth alongside rice noodles, fresh lettuce and herbs. It's one of the best things ever, and this recipe from Squiz fave RecipeTin Eats comes pretty close to the real deal
Seafood pie with potato crust - We made this for Good Friday and it’s the perfect autumn dish. When the filling is creamy/herby, and the crust is actually smashed potato, it's got our name all over it.
Pulled pork carnitas - Tacos are the best, and these ones are one of our go-to slow cooker meals. And for a vego option, these Ottolenghi oyster mushroom tacos are a one-way ticket to flavourtown.
Quick Thai chicken satay curry - Squiz fave Nagi Maehashi, aka RecipeTin Eats, launched a budget cooking column in the Sydney Morning Herald/Age… First off the block is this 20-minute curry, and it has a big thumbs-up from us - it's quick and full of flavour.
One tray chicken bake - For something warming, this yummy chicken traybake is just the ticket. The zesty and jammy sauce is perfect for mopping up with bread and it’s easy enough to pull together for a weeknight meal.
Spiced beef fillet with quick chips - This might be a good recipe to put up your sleeve for entertaining over a long weekend - it’s an easy roasted beef fillet with spuds. While this meat cut is a treat, geez it was nice and quick with a simple green salad.
Spicy lamb koftas - Celeb chef Matt Moran’s ‘week night’ recipes can be a bit ambitious for us, but these hit the mark served with some pita bread and a tomato/lettuce salad. Five stars, will come again...
Aussie burger with the lot - We were hankering for a burger and this is our go-to recipe (sans the pineapple...).
Chicken katsu curry - Instagram's Lucky Dragon Supper Club has a lot of good stuff, and this recipe has become a frequent flyer for us.
The sweet stuff...
Miso white chocolate and macadamia cookies - Get ready to put this recipe on repeat because these cookies are moreish... We reckon they would make great Chrissy gifts for those neighbours/teachers/colleagues you rely on all year.
Apple fritters - Fritters were a feature of our childhood, and we made these delish apple ones with some Granny Smiths we discovered at the back of our veggie crisper… Full disclosure: it’s a vegan recipe - but we promise you can’t tell and it makes it the perfect treat to share with a crowd.
White Chocolate Christmas Bark - It’s great to eat and great to gift. And we know you’re busy, so you’ll be pleased to know it only takes 10 minutes to prep and let it set.
American blueberry pancakes - A friend recommended these to us, and they are delish. There’s no secret to them - the ingredients are simple, and the method’s easy. Just get the measurements right to ensure they turn out real fluffy…
Homemade vanilla custard - What do you do when you drop your carton of eggs and can only save the yolks? Make custard, of course… It was our first attempt and it came together a lot easier than we expected. We’re never buying the supermarket stuff again… We served it with this simple apple and rhubarb crumble. Delish.
Pear streusel - Ever crave something sweet, warm and simple? Enter, Hetty McKinnon’s easy as pear crumble. Topped with a scoop of vanilla icecream, life doesn’t get much better than that…
Nigella's totally chocolate chocolate chip cookies - They're a favourite of ours - for obvious reasons...
Classic lamingtons - If you're in the mood for a lammo, this RecipeTin Eats version has some great tips and tricks (note: jam and cream are not optional in our book…). And here’s the original recipe dating all the way back to 1896 from Toowoomba - one of the 3 Queensland cities that lay claim to its invention.
Texas sheet cake - Texas: it’s known for big hats and terrible gun laws - and this cake… There's a whole story behind it, but you're getting a rich chocolate cake with icing - and it's super easy to make.
Lemon layer cake - We've been working our way through a surplus of lemons, and this Women’s Weekly lemon layer cake with lemon mascarpone frosting is simple to make but looks impressive enough for a special occasion.
Nigella's devil's food cake - When we were tasked with making a birthday cake, we knew Nigella Lawson would deliver the goods. It's pretty easy to pull together but looks very impressive. You might even say it’s devilishly delicious...
Lemon tart - For that time of year when we’ve been gifted with a glut of lemons. What better way to put them to use than a classic lemon tart? This Neil Perry recipe requires 4 lemons and a sensible number of eggs, so it’s a winner in our book.
Pineapple and burnt caramel tarte tatin - We believe this is a perfectly reasonable thing to make midweek. For dinner, even… We used tinned pineapple rings for ours because midweek cooking is all about taking shortcuts…
Italian jam crostata - We've had a few baking fails in our time, but this delicious pastry was one recent success. It's an Italian sweet treat traditionally served to houseguests, but we've been eating a slice for brekkie.
Herb-Infused Lemon-Strawberry Loaf - We became a bit enamoured with snacking cakes last year. And we've now found a new one we like (aka half of it was gone before it had cooled…).
