Surprisingly, salt and pepper calamari is a much loved appetizer here in Australia. Adults and kids alike order the golden brown calamari. It’s a featured item on most menus in Australia. To me, its a classic melting pot dish. East meets West.

I made this recipe as part of our seafood Christmas lunch extravaganza. My three nephews love this dish, even though its on the spicy side. Here I combine fish sauce, with lemon juice, and three different spices: crushed coriander seeds, white peppercorns, and chilli flakes. The coriander adds an earthiness and fragrance to the calamari, while the white pepper adds a warm peppery taste. The outcome is a lightly crunchy golden brown calamari. Deep frying when done properly really brings out the best in seafood, to the point where my nephews were waiting by the frying pan to gobble up the calamari hot! View recipe

Last night was our annual crab fest gathering with a few of my special friends. We plan our crab dinner within the first week of crab season in San Francisco. I love crab, and crab to me is a big deal.

But last night, it was this sweet potato soup that stole the show. We forgot about the crab, and instead couldn’t stop singing the virtues of this simple sweet potato soup.

Sweet potato is the key ingredient in this soup recipe, and is enriched with the addition of cashews and tomato sauce. The soup is soft, silky, lightly sweet, and heart warming. A touch of garam masala spice – which is an Indian spice blend works perfectly here. It gives the soup the depth of flavor and warmth. We topped each bowl with creme fraiche and cilantro for an added flavor kick.

This is a knockout soup, and I can’t wait to make it again. View recipe

A couple of weeks ago I recorded my first radio talk show with the guys from An Organic Conversation the anchor show for Clear Channel’s Green Morning. The topic was on “The Spice of Life: Benefits and Uses of Spices and Herbs”.

Preparing for the show was really fun. I met Helge the show’s host, and we came up with a list of spice questions that readers wanted to learn more about. We recorded in San Francisco, live to air, so there was no room for error. I was incredibly nervous, but really enjoyed having the big headset on with the live button pulsing in the background.

It’s an information packed 60 minutes, of everything you ever wanted to know about herbs and spices. From the history of spices, to the medicinal uses of spices, to learning about the difference between herbs and spices. I offer many tips to new beginners on what spices to use, and what to buy if you are looking to start using spices. Let me know what you think! View recipe