"At their most basic level, it is all lovely, generous food to satisfy your hunger," she says of the recipes in her latest book Around the Table.
While seasons always underpin her choices at the market and in the kitchen, she is very much guided by mood, feelings and memories as well her Maltese heritage, her Japanese family and time spent in Tuscany.
"Even the simplest things over time attach themselves to memories and feelings, which only get stronger as you come around the table, day after day."
She finds joy in even smaller tasks such as rolling meatballs or rubbing butter into flour when she has nothing else on her mind.
"It's the little things that give me often give me the greatest pleasure: eating roasted fruit, still warm with double cream; a slice of homemade cake with coffee; the first peach of the season and the last tomato before the weather turns cold."
One of her greatest pleasures is feasting with friends as it lifts the spirits and connects people. But she also knows the importance of taking time just for herself.
A bowl of udon noodles is one of her favourite solo meals, a nice, easy option, whereas stirring a risotto for one can be more of a mindfulness practice than anything else.
"There are days when I don't feel like cooking, especially if it's just for myself, but I am always rewarded when I do and I generally always do - even if it is simply folded eggs on buttered toast."
While the reward is the food, it is also an act of caring for yourself, she says.
"I feel more connected to ingredients and food this way, as romantic as this sounds. If I can do it by hand, I will usually choose that way."
The message she wants to impart in her book is that good food makes people feel good.
"Yes, in a nutritional sense, but it also goes far deeper than that. So cook food that makes you feel good. Cook it the way you like it."
The book is broken into 14 chapters, covering foods that can be saviours on weeknights to slow-cooked meals for weekends, foods for gatherings, soups and cakes.
THE BOOK
Around the Table, by Julia Busuttil Nishimura, Macmillan, RRP $49.99
A salad for spring
After a long winter, there is nothing that brings as much joy as the sign of fresh broad beans, peas and asparagus. They start to appear just as the magnolias are blooming at the end of winter and the scent of jasmine begins to fill the air. It feels so harmonious and I look for any opportunity to celebrate all things green. The smell of raw broad beans on my fingertips immediately transports me to my childhood, too - a lovely reward for podding and double podding.
You can marinate your own goat's cheese by simply placing cubes of fresh goat's cheese in a jar and covering them with extra virgin olive oil. Nestle in some woody herbs, such as thyme or oregano, and some peppercorns. Seal with a lid and allow to marinate overnight before using.
I love using farro here, but lentils, barley or even brown rice would work well, too.
SERVES 4
200g farro
400g broad beans, podded
1 bunch of asparagus, woody ends trimmed and discarded
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt
1 bunch of mint, leaves picked and finely chopped
1 bunch of parsley, leaves picked and finely chopped
70g toasted, slivered almonds
100g marinated goat’s cheese
Preserved lemon dressing
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp finely chopped preserved lemon
pinch of sea salt
Method
Cook the farro in plenty of salted boiling water for about 25 minutes, until al dente. Drain and allow to cool.
Blanch the broad beans in a saucepan of boiling water. Drain and, when cool enough to handle, double pod any larger beans. You can double pod them all if you prefer, but I like to leave the young tender ones as they are.
Coat the asparagus with the olive oil and season with salt. Heat a large frying pan or chargrill pan over medium-high heat, add the asparagus and cook for 2-3 minutes, until charred and tender.
Remove from the pan and cut the asparagus into 4cm lengths.
Transfer the farro to a serving bowl and add the asparagus, broad beans, herbs, slivered almonds and goat's cheese.
Whisk the preserved lemon dressing ingredients in a small bowl or shake together in a jar. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine.
Lemon mascarpone tart
When I was 16, my mum bought me a cookbook called River Cafe, Two Easy, which is still one of my all-time favourites. The lemon mascarpone tart was the very first thing I made. I still make a version of this tart, with some very small adjustments.
SERVES 8
300g (2 cups) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
60g (½ cup) pure icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
sea salt
200g cold unsalted butter, chopped
1 egg yolk
Lemon mascarpone filling
4 lemons
4 eggs
4 egg yolks
200g caster sugar
200g mascarpone
Method
Tip the flour and icing sugar into a large bowl or on to a clean work surface and sprinkle over a pinch of salt. Add the butter and toss to coat. Rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips, until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs and is almost damp when pressed together. Add the egg yolk and use your hands to bring the flour and butter together with the egg until it forms a dough with no dry crumbs left.
Flatten the dough into a rough disc, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Remove the dough from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes to make it easier to roll. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to a 30cm circle, about 3.5mm thick.
Drape the pastry into a 27cm round, loose-bottomed flan tin. Press it gently into the side of the tin, patching up any tears as you go. Trim any excess pastry from the edges and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180degC.
Line the chilled tart shell with baking paper and fill with baking beads or uncooked rice. Blind bake for 18-20 minutes, until lightly golden.
Reduce the oven temperature to 150degC.
Remove the baking paper and weights and return the tart shell to the oven for a further 10-12 minutes or until the base is lightly golden.
Allow to cool.
To make the lemon mascarpone filling, zest and juice the lemons and set aside in a small bowl. You should have about 200ml of juice. A little less is fine, but if your lemons are particularly juicy, use up to 200ml and reserve the rest for something else. In a large bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, yolks and sugar. Add the mascarpone and whisk until combined, then whisk in the lemon zest and juice.
Pour the filling into the cooled tart shell. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the filling is just set and the pastry is golden. Allow the tart to cool, then remove from the tin and dust with icing sugar.
Cheddar & chive scones
My mum loved to make scones for us when we were growing up and we always requested them for afternoon tea. I especially love savoury scones now, with probably far more butter than my mum used to put in hers. These ones are almost more like an American biscuit than British scone and are filled with cheese and chives. The sour cream helps to make them incredibly flaky. Serve them warm with a generous spread of butter.
MAKES 8
350g (21/3 cups) self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
sea salt and black pepper
150g cold unsalted butter, cubed
150g sharp cheddar, grated
50g Comte, grated
1 bunch of chives, finely chopped (you want about 1 cup)
1 egg, lightly beaten
150g chilled, full-fat sour cream
salted butter, to serve
Milk wash
50g full-fat sour cream
1 Tbsp full-cream milk
Method
Preheat the oven to 200degC. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
Place the self-raising flour in a large bowl and season really well with salt and pepper. Toss the butter through the flour to coat, then rub the butter into the flour until you have pea-sized lumps. Add the cheeses and chives and mix to combine. Add the egg and sour cream and mix until the flour is fully hydrated - no floury bits!
Turn the dough out on to a lightly floured work surface and bring it together to form a rough rectangle. Gently roll the dough until it is 2.5cm thick (keeping it in a rectangular shape), then cut the dough into eight rectangles.
Arrange the rectangles on the prepared trays.
To make the milk wash, combine the sour cream and milk in a small bowl, then brush the mixture over the tops of the scones. Transfer to the oven and cook for 23-25 minutes, until risen and lightly golden on top.
Allow the scones to cool for 10 minutes, then serve warm with plenty of butter.
