Capsicum

A bright and colourful dish with lamb cutlets, char-grilled vegetable salad and a chunky pesto.

Cosy up with this winter with tender slow-cooked lamb shanks and dreamy white bean purée.

This brightly coloured and healthy terrine makes a lovely light lunch, served with salad, or a perfect starter.

Full of flavour, colour and crunch, this Asian-inspired salad is a cinch to make and perfect for a speedy mid-week meal.

You can warm the tortillas in the microwave oven; follow the instructions on the packet. Note

Try this easy 4-ingredient dip for a nutritious snack served with crunchy veggies.

This is delicious served warm or cold, so is great for picnics or a make-ahead lunch. Note

Hot grilled fish paired with a fiery tomato and cucumber salsa makes for a mouth-watering summer dish.

The name tapenade derives from tapeno, the Provençal word for capers, a vital ingredient in this tangy condiment that perfectly complements goat cheese. Note

Basil and feta stuffed capsicums, capsicum recipe, brought to you by Australian Women's Weekly

The Middle Eastern flavours of this fresh, crunchy salad make for something slightly different for lunch.

Soak 12 bamboo skewers in water for at least an hour before using to prevent them from scorching during cooking. Note

An Italian egg-based dish packed full of capsicum, red onion, potato and chilli.

Loaded with olives, herbs and juicy capsicum, this crunchy salad is easy to whip up and great for a packed lunch.

We used anchovy-stuffed olives, but any variety of large green stuffed olives can be substituted. Note

Orzo is a rice-shaped pasta available from Greek delicatessens and specialty food stores; if unavailable, use risoni. To save time, you can buy roasted capsicum pieces from the deli. Note

The lasagne can be made a day ahead; store, covered, in the refrigerator. Note

Fire up the barbecue with this lip-smacking seafood dish with grilled vegetables.

This divine bacon wrapped chicken recipe is beautiful enjoyed straight straight from the pan served with fresh veggies for a tasty family dinner.

A rich, smooth and warming soup that makes a great starter, a lovely light dinner or a warming winter weekend lunch. This roasted capsicum soup goes well with fried polenta slices.

The secrets of making perfect tempura are: use the freshest vegetables you can find; make sure both the vegetables and the batter are really cold (this prevents the batter from soaking up too much oil); maintain a constant temperature by only frying a few pieces at a time; make the batter just before required; finally, don't over mix the batter - lumpy is good.

A delicious meal of capsicum and pancetta stirred through cellentani, a spiralled macaroni pasta. Quick and nutritious.

This capsicum, fennel and red onion salad is delicious served warm as a side dish with a roast joint of meat. If you prefer capsicum skinned prior to cooking, just hold over a gas flame, using tongs, until the skin blackens, allow to cool and slide off.

Cheese and spinach tortellini baked in tomato pasta sauce with mushroom, zucchini and tomato.

Savour this flavoursome winter warmer brimming with capsicum, onion and tomatoes. This smooth, thick soup contrasts nicely with crunchy parmesan wafers.

Olives, artichokes, red onion and basil make sure this warm gnocchi salad is just bursting with colour and flavour. It makes a great lunch, starter or light dinner.

A simple pasta salad with bright Mediterranean flavours; a great light lunch or dinner option.

Sweeter than green but more robust in flavour that yellow or orange, red capsicum makes a wonderful soup. The simplicity of this red capsicum soup recipe lets the main ingredient shine.

You can use feta or any soft, crumbly cheese instead of the goat cheese, and toasted pecan halves make a nice change from walnuts. This roasted capsicum pasta salad makes a great lunch-box meal too.

Use your preference of bottled pasta cheese sauce in this recipe. Note

There are more than 40 varieties of the paprika pepper grown in Turkey, Hungary, Iran and Spain, but the differences among them are very subtle.

You can use char-grilled capsicum from a jar, if you prefer. Note

Turn the traditional vegetable stew into a tasty soup and elevate it with a fresh basil pistou.

Panzanella is a refreshing Tuscan summer bread salad. We’ve put our own spin on it by using little cubes of radish sandwich instead of the traditional bread pieces. Note

A simple and versatile Spanish-style roasted capsicum sauce.

Spinach, capsicum and feta pizza

Keep the rolls moist by covering them with a slightly damp piece of kitchen paper, then store them in an airtight container in the fridge. Rolls can be made a day ahead. Swap the tofu for cooked shredded chicken breast for a non-vegetarian option. Note

Each of the topping recipes here makes enough to cover four mini pizza bases. You can buy prepared pizza bases from the supermarket, they can be found in the refrigerated, freezer or bakery sections. Note

The chilli paste made in this recipe also tastes great rubbed over a whole chicken or fish before being roasted. Note

Calzones are folded pizzas or pizza turnovers filled with good things – one of the best foods ever invented for a picnic, a party or eating on the go. Note

Mexican-style chicken fajitas with pan-fried chicken and capsicum.

This recipe is not suitable to freeze. Note

Roasted zucchini, eggplant and capsicum can be bought loose from delis, making the job even easier. Slice the stick as close to serving time as possible. Note

A light, bright and healthy bean salad for a yummy summer lunch.

Meatballs simmered in a sweet and sour sauce are the ultimate comfort food.

‘Agrodolce’ is the Italian word used to describe the flavours in this dish and means ‘sour sweet’. Note

Take care not to over-mix the batter. 16 strokes is usually enough to achieve the rough appearance and texture of muffins. Note

An exquisite lunch dish of parmesan polenta with a delicate walnut and capsicum salsa.

Recipe is best prepared as required. Note

If you can’t buy hokkien noodles, use fresh wide egg noodles. Note

This is my own variation on the simple, classic omelette from Spain which usually has just onions, garlic and potatoes as the basis.

Pearl barley is a nutritious grain that has had the husk removed, and then has been hulled and polished so only the ‘pearl’ of the original grain remains, much the same as white rice. It is available from health-food stores and most supermarkets. Note

Fried shallots, often sold by their Thai name of homm jiew, are available from Asian grocery stores in jars or cellophane bags, and will keep for months if stored tightly sealed. They can be added to any number of Western dishes for a tasty bit of surprise crunch. Note

If the pesto is a little too thick for your liking, thin it down with a little olive oil before drizzling over the salmon. Note

Fresh lychees can be substituted for canned ones if you like. You can use pineapple and pineapple juice instead of lychees for a different flavour. This sauce also goes well with fried tofu, grilled chicken breasts or steamed greens. Note

Fajita seasoning spice mix adds an authentic Mexican flavour to foods; it is a blend of herbs and spices, and may include cumin, chilli, garlic, capsicum, oregano, coriander and onion. Use a mild chilli seasoning, if you prefer. Beef eye fillet can be expensive, buy beef strips or stir-fry beef to make this a cheap […]

Soak bamboo skewers in cold water for at least 30 minutes before using to prevent them from scorching during cooking. Note

This meal has a medium GI. Note

Makes enough for six 275g servings of panfried snapper fillets. If rouille separates, add about 1 tablespoon of boiling water to mixture and whisk until smooth. French for “rust”, rouille is so called because of its deep red colour. A capsicum and chilli flavoured sauce, it is often used to enhance seafood stews such as […]