Phil's Recipes
A personal collection of tried-and-true recipes
Banana Bread
A wonderfully moist, deeply banana-flavoured loaf with walnuts. This recipe makes three generous loaves — perfect for sharing or freezing.
BBQ Brisket
A low-and-slow oven-braised brisket finished on the smoker with a BBQ glaze. Tender, smoky, and perfect for a crowd.
Beef & Broccoli
Tender sirloin strips stir-fried with broccoli in a savory sauce of soy, oyster sauce, ginger, and garlic. A classic takeout favourite made at home in 15 minutes.
Beef Wellington
A centre-cut beef fillet wrapped in mushroom duxelles and prosciutto, encased in golden puff pastry. Gordon Ramsay's method for five people. A special-occasion showstopper.
Beer Can Chicken
A whole chicken rubbed with garlic, thyme, and olive oil, then roasted upright on a beer can over indirect heat on the grill. Stays astonishingly moist and gets beautifully crispy skin.
Biscuits
Flaky, tender scone-style biscuits made with self-raising flour and cold grated butter. Quick to make and brilliant warm from the oven. Easily made into cheese biscuits too.
Blackened Salmon & Beans
Bold and smoky blackened salmon on a bed of roasted spiced beans, served with a fresh jalapeño salsa and sliced avocado.
Broccoli Soufflé
A proper, impressively puffed soufflé with mashed broccoli, sharp cheddar, and a béchamel base. Lighter than it looks and not as scary to make as you might think.
Carrot Pineapple Smoothie
Fresh pineapple, banana, carrot, and orange juice blended with ice. Bright, tropical, and surprisingly creamy — a great way to get vegetables in at breakfast.
Chicken Soup
A hearty, deeply flavoured chicken soup with vegetables, fresh herbs, and a hint of tarragon. Served over rice with hot sauce. The kind of soup that actually makes you feel better.
Classic Beef Stew
A rich, hearty beef stew with tender vegetables — the ultimate comfort food for cold evenings.
Cochinita Pibil
Slow-braised achiote pork from the Yucatán — deeply coloured, citrus-marinated, and fall-apart tender. Served with pickled red onions and warm tortillas.
Couscous Salad
A bright, versatile couscous salad with crunchy red pepper, cucumber, and green onions, dressed simply with olive oil and lemon. Ready in minutes.
Curried Sweet Potato Soup
A warming, fragrant soup of sweet potato, Madras curry, ginger, and kale with a squeeze of lemon. Quick to make and deeply satisfying.
Dan Dan Noodles
Spicy Sichuan-style noodles in a rich, nutty peanut and soy sauce with seasoned ground meat, topped with fresh cilantro and green onions.
Dumplings
Light, fluffy suet-style dumplings made with self-raising flour and cold grated butter. Drop them on top of a simmering stew and they puff up into golden, tender clouds.
Filet Tips & Mushrooms
Tender steak tips seared in a hot skillet, then finished in a rich beer and butter sauce with mushrooms. Fast, impressive, and deeply satisfying.
Flaky Pastry Fish Pie
White fish in a creamy béchamel with capers, gherkins, parsley, and hard-boiled eggs, all wrapped in golden puff pastry. Comforting and elegant at the same time.
Goulash
A Hungarian-style slow-braised beef stew with smoked paprika, sweet peppers, and a finishing swirl of cream. Rich, warming, and deeply satisfying over rice.
Gratin Dauphinoise
The classic French potato gratin — thinly sliced potatoes layered with garlic in a buttered dish, topped with aged cheddar and bathed in heavy cream until deeply golden.
Gumbo
A rich, deeply flavoured Southern stew of chicken, andouille sausage, okra, and prawns, built on a dark roux and finished with rice. A proper project that's absolutely worth it.
Jerk Chicken
Chicken thighs drenched in a blended sauce of scotch bonnet, rum, allspice, and thyme — a deeply aromatic Jamaican classic. Serve with rice and beans cooked with cinnamon.
Korean Beef Bowl
Savoury, slightly spicy ground beef in a soy and sesame sauce, served over lettuce leaves with rice, green onions, and sesame seeds. Fast and completely addictive.
Mango Smoothie
A creamy, tropical mango smoothie with yogurt and honey. Thick, sweet, and frothy — perfect for breakfast or a quick snack.
Piri Piri Chicken
Chicken thighs marinated in a fiery, tangy sauce of fresh chillies, garlic, oregano, paprika, and olive oil — grilled to get good colour, then finished in the oven.
Pork & Beans
A slow-simmered American-style pork and bean stew with bacon, tomato, and a hint of BBQ sauce. Deep, smoky flavour that only improves overnight.
Pork, Cabbage & Rice
A quick, spicy stir-fry of ground pork with shredded cabbage, ginger, garlic, and soy sauce, served over steamed rice.
Pork Souvlaki
Greek-style marinated pork shoulder skewers grilled until slightly charred, served with tzatziki, warm pitta, and a simple salad. Simple, fresh, and absolutely delicious.
Pot Sticker Soup
A clean, vibrant broth with frozen pot stickers, crunchy vegetables, and a tangy hit of soy and lemon. On the table in under 15 minutes.
Potato Gratin
Layers of thinly sliced potatoes baked in a rich, creamy garlic sauce with a golden, bubbling cheese crust.
Ricotta Lasagna
A rich, crowd-feeding lasagna with a three-meat sauce, creamy ricotta filling, and a generous blanket of melted cheese. Feeds a crowd and reheats beautifully.
Roast Cabbage Steaks
Thick slabs of cabbage marinated in lemon, garlic, and olive oil, roasted until tender inside and crispy at the edges, then crowned with crispy bacon and parsley.
Roast Whole Fish
A whole fish rubbed with oil, stuffed with lemon, garlic, and fresh herbs, then roasted hot and fast until perfectly cooked. Simple, impressive, and ready in 20 minutes.
Shepherd's Pie
A rich, herby beef filling with carrots, peas, and corn under a fluffy, cheesy mashed potato crust. The original notes call this the "posh" version — it earns the name.
Sloppy Joe
A saucy, sweet-and-tangy ground beef mixture piled high on hamburger buns with melted cheese. The ultimate easy weeknight crowd-pleaser.
Smoked Fish
A simple, foolproof method for smoking fish fillets on a Traeger or pellet smoker. Brine first, smoke low and slow, and the results are excellent.
Terri Cabbage (Egg Roll Filling)
A savoury, aromatic stir-fried mixture of ground beef, coleslaw, ginger, and sesame that tastes exactly like the inside of a great egg roll. Serve over rice or use as a filling.
Tortilla Soup
Spicy, savory chicken soup with tortillas, avocados and cheese
Smoked Tri-Tip
A whole tri-tip gently simmered to tenderise, then finished low and slow on the smoker. The original notes admit the first attempt was a little dry — the improved method is here.
Triple Berry Spinach Smoothie
Frozen blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries blended with orange juice and spinach. Vibrant, fresh, and packed with goodness — you can't taste the spinach at all.