Ostro

Four new recipes!

Julia Busuttil Nishimura — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 21:30:25 GMT

Have you seen this garlic at your grocer this winter?

It’s often labeled as Elephant Garlic and the cloves are HUGE! It’s very similar to Aglione (which translates to big garlic in Italian). Both varieties are actually related to the wild leek family and are much milder than true garlic. The family I worked for in Southern Tuscany grow it in their vegetable garden and use it instead of true garlic in all of their cooking. It is usually grown in Val di Chiana - a valley spanning across Tuscany and Umbria.

And while I’ve never seen true Aglione here in Australia, whenever I spot Elephant garlic, I immediately want to make Pici all’aglione. A hand rolled Tuscan fat spaghetti dressed with a simple sauce made with aglione and tinned (or fresh tomatoes).

It is a joy to prepare and a great gateway into pasta making with no special tools or equipment required. You can of course use regular garlic if that’s all you have! And you can also use dried pasta if that’s all you have time or want for, too!

Today I’m also sharing with you another great midweek recipe. It’s the Japanese version of the much loved Szechuan dish of Mapo Tofu (Mabo Dofu). The Japanese version is quite milder than the original, but you can spice it up at the end with chilli oil, if that’s what you prefer. It uses miso paste instead of spicy bean paste and also usually a firmer soft tofu rather than silken.

Both tofus are great, in my opinion, but Nori prefers a firmer soft tofu. I really love this dish, but for some reason, hadn’t made it for a long time. I ran into Audrey Shaw of Carnation Canteen (one of my fave Melb restaurants) at the butcher a few weeks ago. She was buying pork mince to make Mapo Tofu for staff meals. It was just the push I needed to make it too.

She also inspired these crostone I made of ricotta and braised silverbeet. She served a similar snack at an event I attended a few weeks ago! So delicious!

Available for iOS and Android

Also sharing a REALLY good chicken salad! It’s SO good because it has homemade roast chicken in it, which honestly makes a chicken salad go from mid to wonderful! Plus I always feel like the dad in Amelie when I pull apart a freshly roasted chook. Just me?

Then it’s just a whole lot of seasonal things (minus the cucumber), a good solid dressing and a decent grating of parm!

Ok, one more! A sneak peak recipe from my brand new cookbook SIMPLE PLEASURES!!! It’s casarecce with caramelised fennel and sausage! Guys, this one is so delicious - very low effort, very high reward! It’s the cover dish, it’s a favourite! I hope you love it!

You can pre-order Simple Pleasures below! (Please and thank you!!)

Pre-Order

Also, the first tickets of my book events have been released! I hope to see you there!! Stay tuned for more across the country soon!

IN CONVERSATION - Readings

Join us to hear Julia Busuttil Nishimura in conversation about Simple Pleasures

Thursday 1 October, 6.00pm

The Church of All Nations, 180 Palmerston St, Carlton

General – $20 per person, book not included
Book and ticket – $45 per person, includes a signed copy of Simple Pleasures, to be collected on the night

Book Here

EAT THE BOOK - with and Brunswick Bound

Book Here

Thank you so much for being here!

Julia x

Braised greens on toast

Serves 4-6 as a snack

4 slices sourdough

½ clove garlic

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve

Pinch of fennel seeds

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

The leaves from one bunch of silverbeet

Sea salt

Ricotta, to serve

Zest of lemon, to serve

Grill or toast the bread then rub each slice with the cut side of the half clove of garlic. Cut into large pieces and drizzle generously with extra virgin olive oil. Set aside.

In a pan, warm the olive oil over a low-medium heat and add the fennel seeds and garlic. When fragrant, add the silverbeet, still damp from washing. A little water will help the silverbeet collapse nicely. Cook for around 12-15 minutes or until the silverbeet is tender. If the pan dries out as it cooks, add a splash of water but ensure the water has evaporated by the end. Season with salt.

Spread the toasts generously with ricotta, top with the braised greens and drizzle with more extra virgin olive oil. Grate over some lemon zest and serve.

Braised Greens On Toast 3

32.8KB ∙ PDF file

Pre-Order Simple Pleasures

Apple and walnut filo pie

Julia Busuttil Nishimura — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 07:44:00 GMT

Helloooo!

Thank you SO much for all of your support and love with the announcement of my new book Simple Pleasures last week! It comes out in just over two months, so not long to go! I’m busy in the background organising events and things and will update you all ASAP!

In the meantime, a LOT of you have pre-ordered! Thank you! It really is everything and I’m so thrilled to see it already being received so warmly! I’ll pop the link here below if you’d like to pre-order. It’s currently $29 at some retailers just as a FYI !

Also linking few recipes I’ve shared over on IG over the past few weeks as part of some lovely collaborations!

Today though!

Two brand new recipes!

PRE-ORDER SIMPLE PLEASURES

A delightful pie made with filo pastry. The filling is strudel-esque and comes together so simply! It’s realllly good with ice cream but I also love it with a dollop of mascarpone. It’s not too sweet and just a very good winter dessert!

Then a simple mid week recipe which comes together in honestly, 15 minutes! One pan, no fuss, and maximum flavour. Nori makes this all the time and I finally got him to share it with me! You can substitute the spinach for chives or spring onions and then serve with veg on the side, but I love the spinach here.

As always, please leave a comment with any questions or comments and happy cooking xx

Stay tuned for a recipe from the book next newsletter!

Julia x

One pan Japanese chicken with spinach

MY NEW COOKBOOK!

Julia Busuttil Nishimura — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 21:45:07 GMT

Hello lovely community!!

I am so excited to share with you all some very exciting news!

It is with the greatest pleasure and immense pride that I share with you the cover for my new cookbook…

SIMPLE PLEASURES

Recipes to fall in love with every day

It will be released on September 29 but pre-orders are ready for you!!

Simply head to the link below and choose your preferred retailer. Alternatively pre-order from your local independent bookshop!!

Pre-orders help IMMENSELY - it lets booksellers know how much demand there is and it really makes a big difference leading up to launch date. So THANK YOU in advance!!

Simple Pleasures is a beautiful cookbook filled with 100 recipes you’ll want to make on repeat!

It’s all about finding the joy in simple home cooking -

^{A rye choc chip cookie warm from the oven.}

^{A slice of passionfruit coconut lemon cake, shared with an old friend.}

^{Winter's best cavolo nero in a simple soup with chestnuts, chickpeas and farro.}

^{A triumphant tinned tuna spaghetti made from seemingly nothing much at all.}

^{It’s ginger and coriander chicken for a crowd - a one pan wonder.}

^{An impressive fish dinner that takes only moments to prepare.}

^{And a spoonful of cherry clafoutis to celebrate summer.}

All photography by Armelle Habib and styling by Karina van de Pol.

I think you are just going to love SIMPLE PLEASURES!

A little video we made to celebrate the cover reveal day! Much fun was had filming this around the neighbourhood!

Thanks for reading Ostro! This post is public so feel free to share it.

PRE-ORDER SIMPLE PLEASURES

THANK YOU AND STAY TUNED FOR A WHOLE LOT OF FUN BOOK EVENTS IN OCTOBER AND BEYOND PLUS AN EXCLUSIVE RECIPE COMING SOON HERE!

JULIA xx

Chicken and ricotta polpette and a filled pasta

Julia Busuttil Nishimura — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 01:20:09 GMT

Hello!

I hope you’re all having a lovely weekend!

I escaped Melbourne winter for a few days and went to Brisbane (still winter but my god, so sunny!) with Nori and Miko. I was there to celebrate a beautiful collection from Softedge Studio at August West End - it was such a special lunch with lovely people! Soaked up the sun, the pool and some good food! Will share my faves soon!

Today is all about winter goodness though. A simple restorative chicken broth and two things to cook in it.

Firstly we have these featherlight chicken and ricotta polpette which are so simple to make and something the whole family loves (even Miko). They only take moments to prepare and are so wonderful poached in the broth, eaten with lots of grated parmigiano reggiano or grana padano on top.

Secondly is a lovely pasta called sfoglia lorda or spoja lorda - a Romagnola pasta, most typically found in Ravenna and Faenza. It translates to “dirty” pasta in dialect as the pasta sheets are smeared with the filling, making the sheet dirty.

Cut into squares to seal and cooked directly into the broth, this is a really lovely pasta to make on a weekend when you have time to settle into the kitchen. It’s a great entry level filled pasta project! I used a combination of ricotta and galotyri which gives the filling a nice tang.

I served it as part of a first course for a simple dinner for steak grilled on the BBQ, twice cooked cavolo nero (first boiled then pan fried with garlic, chilli, olive oil and fennel seeds), buffalo mozzarella with anchovy and a simple orange, fennel and raddichio salad! Heaven!

As always, all the recipes are below! Today for my paid subscriber community, which you can join by subscribing via the button below!

Stay tuned this week for a really exciting announcement! A little BTS portrait below !!

Julia x

Simple chicken broth

Cookbook Club - Crispy sausage, tomatoes and garlic greens on polenta

Julia Busuttil Nishimura — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 01:52:17 GMT

Hello lovely subscribers!

Hope you had a great weekend !! It’s Cookbook club time!!

Coming to you today with a BEAUTIFUL recipe from my dear friend Elizabeth Hewson and her lovely cookbook Home Food which was released in March this year. If you don’t know Lizzie, you are in for a treat! She is a columnist, food writer and the founder of Saturday Night P…

Köfte and Mantı...

Julia Busuttil Nishimura — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 01:15:52 GMT

Hi friends,

I had planned to send this out last week, sorry for the lateness! It’s been a bit of a revolving door of sniffles and colds and catching moments to work has been a bit tricker the past week.

I also changed the newsletter name to OSTRO! As many if you know, this is the original name of my blog which I started way back in 2013 or 2014? (What is…

Comfort cooking

Julia Busuttil Nishimura — Sat, 30 May 2026 07:24:45 GMT

WE WON AN ABIA!!!

Last year in November, my first children’s book, Sundays Under the Lemon Tree was published. Extraordinarily illustrated by Myo Yim, it’s a story about family, food and traditions. And last week in Sydney it won Small Publisher’s Children’s Book of the Year! We were so over the moon! Thank you to everyone who has bought a copy and loving it!

Melbourne event!

I’m hosting a very intimate dinner with Chadstone on Sunday June 14. Tickets are limited and I would love to meet you!

Book here

With winter just a few days away, I’m really leaning into comfort cooking. Slow braises, oven bakes, lots of pasta!

Today I have three recipes again for you! The most delightful radicchio risotto which is just such a beautiful way to use this absolutely delightful vegetable.

For the longest time, only radicchio di chioggia was available here in Australia. It is still the one most readily found, and fortunately the one I reccomend for this risotto, but there are so many other incredible varieties that growers like are producing. It used to be just a pipe dream to access these here. We are so lucky!

My first test of this recipe was with white wine, but the radicchio goes a bit of a muddy colour once cooked and really needs the red wine to give a more appealing hue.

For the stock, I make a very simple vegetable stock by simmering a carrot, celery, fresh bay leaf, onion or shallot and some parsley in water for around 45 minutes. So light and lovely.

Also today is a simple Osso buco recipe which I have been making a lot lately. It’s rather tomato heavy as I use the sauce for multiple pasta dinners and serve the meat separately - it really goes far!

And then a very simple baked apple recipe or Mele al forno. These are kind of retro but when done simply, are so good. Served hot with cold cream is a really beautiful seasonal dessert. Granny Smiths are my preferred apple for this dish, but on this occasion, I used pink ladies, which are fine, but not the best best!

My new cookbook goes to print in a few weeks and I am so excited to share with you all the cover and more about it soon. Some BTS below!

Thank you for subscribing!!

Julia x

Mele al forno (Baked apples)

Serves 6

6 apples, cored

Roasted Hazelnuts, halved

Raisins

Unsalted butter

1-2 tbsp demerara sugar

50 ml marsala or vin santo

80 ml warm water

Custard or cream, to serve

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Arrange the apples in a baking dish and stuff with 3 or 4 hazelnut halves and 3 or 4 raisins. Sprinkle the sugar into the apples then dot each apple with a little butter. Pour the marsala or vin santo and water into the base of the baking dish.

Bake in the oven for around 35 minutes or until the apples are starting to split and the flesh is soft.

Serve hot with cream or custard.

Mele Al Forno (baked Apples) 3

26.3KB ∙ PDF file

Homemade English Muffins

Julia Busuttil Nishimura — Mon, 18 May 2026 02:07:21 GMT

I’m not sure about you, but we’re just a few weeks away from winter and ALL I want to do is cosy up at home and cook all day long. Warming soups, slow cooked sauces and hearty pasta.

I’ve also had a strong urge to make English muffins and have spent the last month working on a simple recipe that yields very good ones with not much effort!

Fluffy, a little chewy and with their signature toasted top and bottom, I can’t wait to see you making them! I’ve been mostly eating them toasted with butter, honey and a sprinkling of flaky salt but I have also been toasting them in the morning for my boys with scrambled egg and cheese. So good!

And as I mentioned, I am settling into the cold weather with warming dishes, so I’m also sharing is a Tuscan soup that is very close to my heart. It’s called Farinata, which is also the name for a chickpea pancake, but here it’s a soup with cavolo nero and borlotti beans with some polenta rained in to produce this velvety and creamy soup which is so filling and nourishing.

When I was a student in Florence, I would go to the food market for lunch on the way home from class. I always ate at Da Nerbone - sometimes choosing a panino filled with boiled or roasted meat (lid of the panino dipped in meat juices!) Other times I would choose the pasta or the soup of the day.

So many incredible meals here and an unforgettable farinata. A revelation, if you will. A few years later I would work in the Tuscan countryside and experience it over and over (and never tire of it).

Plus today I have for you a quick yet satisfying salad of radicchio, grapes and halloumi. Because Autumn and Winter are for salads, too!

Thanks for being here and happy cooking <3

Julia x

Radicchio, grape and halloumi salad

Serves 4

Large handful of mixed radicchio leaves

150 g crimson grapes, halved

2 sticks celery, sliced

Small handful of mint leaves, roughly torn

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

225 g halloumi, roughly torn

50 g pine nuts

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large bowl place the radicchio, grapes, celery and mint.

In a frying pan set over a medium heat, warm 1 tbsp of the olive oil and when hot, cook the halloumi until deeply golden on both sides. Set aside.

Add the pine nuts to the pan, cooking them until they are golden. Pour in the remaining olive oil, the honey and vinegar and cook briefly until the honey has melted. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool and season to taste.

Add the halloumi to the salad and dress with the pine nuts and its dressing. Toss well to coat and serve.

Radicchio, Grape And Halloumi Salad

33.5KB ∙ PDF file

Farinata di cavolo nero

Pear and hazelnut cake

Julia Busuttil Nishimura — Wed, 06 May 2026 06:09:10 GMT

I say it about every season when they each come around, but I DO LOVE Autumn.

The ivy on our wall is turning to all different shades of orange and pink and there are still so many figs around (maybe my favourite fruit?). Pears are excellent right now too and whenever I see them in the shop I think about this ad, which is equal parts clever and hilarious.

I decided I wanted to make a cake with some pears I bought at my local grocer, poached in a heady mixture of vanilla, sugar and cinnamon. They would be excellent on your morning’s porridge or muesli too.

The cake is VERY good with a little rye flour in there too which accentuates the actual nuttiness of the hazelnuts. Served with whipped cream, it is a must bake!

I’ve been thinking so much about simple pleasures lately – a ripe fig, podding borlotti beans outside in the Autumn sun and fresh bread with butter. They’re things that bring immeasurable joy, something I never take for granted.

My time in Italy played a big part in this - shopping at the daily markets, cooking seasonally, visiting local producers. Living there made me appreciate things I maybe hadn’t noticed before. Having kids has done this too.

But I do think my frugal upbringing has a hand in it all too. Growing up, food, cooking and rituals was a big part of my identity, but I was also acutely aware of how much my mum sometimes struggled to put food on the table. Now as an adult, these simple pleasures mean the world and my gratitude for them is surely shaped by my foundations.

Which is where this chicken comes in. A good roast chicken has to be one of life’s most wonderful things. Here it is roasted with fennel and garlic which then meets cream and other good things. Loosely inspired by pork cooked in milk, a classic Italian dish, this chicken is incredibly tender and with the most perfect bed of tender fennel cooked in the cream.

I also had an intense desire for Macarona bil laban (Lebanese pasta with yoghurt) yesterday. My mum used to make a similar dish for us as kids and I just really felt like it. Craving satisfied!

For two people, cook 200g of pasta of your choice in a saucepan of salted boiling water until al dente. While the pasta is cooking, combine 150 g full fat natural / Greek style yoghurt, 1 finely grated clove of garlic, 1/2 tsp of dried mint and a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in a bowl. Drain the pasta and add it to the yoghurt. Toss to coat, season with sea salt and top with fresh mint.

Lately I’ve been making a version of a recipe for braised short ribs from my second cookbook, A Year Of Simple Family Food.

Instead of using ribs, I’ve been making it with diced beef and serving it with rice and a cucumber salad. The diced beef cooks in 1 - 1 1/2 hours making it more weeknight friendly. Here is the original recipe.

Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large heavy-based saucepan or cast-iron pot with a lid over a high heat. Season 1.2 kg of beef short ribs with a pinch of sea salt, then sear on all sides until golden. Remove and drain all but 1 tbsp oil from the pan. Fry 1 roughly chopped shallot, 4 cloves of bruised garlic and 1 x 3 cm piece of ginger for 3 minutes until coloured, then pour in the 250 ml of sake and simmer for 2 minutes. Add 500 ml of beef or chicken stock, 100 ml of soy sauce, 100 ml of mirin, 2 tbsp of brown sugar and 1 star anise. Stir well and return the beef ribs to the pan. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, covered, over a low heat for 3-4 hours or until the meat is falling off the bone. Remove the ribs from the pan and transfer to a warmed serving bowl. Strain the sauce through a sieve/colander into a small saucepan, adding the aromatics to the serving bowl with the beef. Increase the heat to medium and simmer the sauce for 10 minutes to reduce slightly. Pour the sauce over the beef to serve.

While I’m here, I HAVE to share these figs I picked on the weekend while I was away in the Grampians. Planted over 60 years ago by an Italian family at their vineyard, I was generously offered the tree to pick from. I made jam (which turned out more like a compote - not enough sugar), clafoutis, salad (figs radicchio and mozzarella is the best combination) and many were snacked on. HEAVEN!

And if you’re enjoying my substack, upgrading to a paid subscription gives you access to exclusive recipes and the full archive. A great Mother’s Day present if you ask me!

I also have FOUR lovely and practical cookbooks + a beautiful children’s book ! All good choices :)

Thanks for reading!!

Julia x

Pear and Hazelnut cake

Roasted Tomato Orzotto

Julia Busuttil Nishimura — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 05:11:27 GMT

Hello, or should I say, Ciao!

It’s Cookbook Club time!

If you’re new here, once a month I share a recipe from a person and/or cookbook I admire!

When I first discovered Giulia Scaperlaggia, cookbook author, podcaster, cooking class teacher and the creator of Juls’ Kitchen blog, I was completely blown away with her warmth and storytelling.

Yes, her food w…

Leek, feta and herb pastries with homemade filo

Julia Busuttil Nishimura — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 08:12:33 GMT

Hello!!

I’m happy to be once again at my computer writing here after the whirlwind that is school holidays. Today’s newsletter is a goodie!!

For the past few months I’ve been making filo pastry from scratch. It’s a simple water/flour/olive oil dough which is actually really easy to work with and makes an incredible pastry incomparable to the store bought version. It of course just needs some more time and attention, but it is a lovely weekend activity. I’m sharing the recipe here with a beautiful spinach, leek, herb and feta filling. Lots of step by step pictures of the filo making process below with the recipe!

Refer a friend

Also a really good recipe for slow braised lamb shanks with dates and saffron. Lamb shanks are admittedly a little retro, I suppose, but honestly, they are so delicious and super simple. The result here is incredibly tender lamb with gently spiced onions, fragrant saffron and sweet dates. My idea of heaven!

And if you’re looking for a 3pm pick me up, here is a little suggestion!

I stuffed Medjool dates with different spreads - Peanut butter, ABC (Almond, Brazil nut and cashew) spread, tahini and pistachio spread. Pop them in the freezer for 20 minutes and then coat in melted chocolate. I coated some in dark chocolate, some in white chocolate and some in white chocolate which I mixed with some sieved matcha powder. Get creative and top them with whatever you like – pistachios, cashews, walnuts, goji berries, sea salt, coconut etc! Once they’re coated, I like to store them in the freezer.

Thank you so much for subscribing and I hope you enjoy today’s recipes!

Julia x

Lamb shanks with dates and saffron

Brown butter cardamom cake with fig leaf cream and blackberries

Julia Busuttil Nishimura — Sun, 29 Mar 2026 21:56:42 GMT

It was a pretty big weekend in the Busuttil Nishimura house!

Mikoto turned 100 days old and we celebrated as per tradition with a ceremony called Okuizome (first meal ceremony)! Since he is still a few months away from actually starting solids, he was symbolically fed all of the dishes. So cute!

It is meant to wish the baby a lifetime of abundance, good food and strong teeth! Nori made grilled snapper (symbolising happiness and celebration), Nimono (simmered vegetables), Sekihan (rice cooked with red beans), Kohaku Namasu (pickled carrot and daikon) and Suimono ( a clear soup with clams to represent good fortune in relationships)! A special smooth stone called Hagatame-ishi is also symbolically placed onto the baby’s mouth to pray for strong and healthy teeth!

It was also Nori and my 12th Wedding anniversary! We celebrated on Friday at one of our favourite restaurants in Melbourne, Carnation Canteen! So so perfect!

I also wanted to make a cake to celebrate both events, and I created this beautiful brown butter cardamom cake. The filling is a fig leaf cream and a homemade blackberry jam. I love the scent of fig leaves in dessert - it brings a fragrance so unique but best described as coconut-like.

I make the brown butter, fig leaf cream and blackberry jam the day before.

The cakes, which are very light, are then simply made the day you want to serve and it all comes together very easily. If you don’t want to make a double cake, the recipe can also be very easily halved!

Let’s get into it and thank you so much for subscribing,

Julia xx

Cardamom Brown butter cake with fig leaf cream and blackberries

* Simply whip cold plain cream if you don’t have fig leaves or infuse with a fresh bay leaf or a vanilla pod instead!

Cookbook club - Pear, Pepper and Parmesan cake

Julia Busuttil Nishimura — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 05:45:57 GMT

Hello!

Welcome to the second edition of Cookbook Club!

Today we are celebrating the beautiful work of Helen Goh and her glorious cookbook Baking and the Meaning of Life.

AN EASTER MENU!

Julia Busuttil Nishimura — Sun, 22 Mar 2026 00:16:29 GMT

Coming to you today with THREE recipes! Easter is around the corner and I wanted to share some recipes that would be so lovely served as a menu, but also can be made individually of course, for whatever the occasion.

Share In My Kitchen

First up are the most divine ricotta and spinach crespelle.

Crespelle are essentially Italian crepes and are something I really loved eating when I lived in Italy. Particularly, I enjoyed them stuffed with ricotta and spinach, rolled up and topped with a simple béchamel (besciamella in Italian) sauce and drizzled with some tomato passata, which acts more as a seasoning than a sauce. In this way, they are similar to cannelloni, but so delicate and just really delightful. The recipe has a few elements to it - the crespelle themselves, the filling and the besciamella, but all parts are rather simple and really is a lovely kitchen project. I would serve this as an entree as part of a lunch, but they are also great on their own.

Next is a really good slow roasted lamb, cooked with plenty of herbs, garlic and tomatoes which collapse down with beans and topped with an anchovy gremolata.

Gremolata is a mixture of parsley, lemon and garlic and is commonly served with Osso Bucco. It lifts rich dishes and cuts through the fattiness of the meat. Lamb and anchovy are really great friends so I’ve added some into the gremolata here.

Finally, a Basque cheesecake to finish.

I love a dessert that can be prepared well in advance and is no fuss to make and serve. With this cheesecake, I steep the cream with Hojicha tea leaves. Hojicha is roasted green tea and has a smoky and distinct flavour which I love so much. Think of this cheesecake recipe as a base too. If you don’t like or can’t access Hojicha, it can be easily tweaked. Other tea leaves can be used instead of the Hojicha or 2 tsp of granulated coffee added into the cream and warmed to infuse for a coffee version. You can also omit the tea all together and simply add some zest of a lemon for a more traditional version.

In some other exciting news, we finished shooting my new cookbook on Friday!

100 recipes, all looking so beautiful! I can’t wait to share more with you, but here is a sneak peak from the shoot!

Andddd! If you’re after a quick, simple and delicious mid week meal, I shared my favourite twice cooked broccoli pasta recipe HERE!

I hope you enjoy today’s newsletter!!

Julia x

Spinach and ricotta crespelle

Serves 4-6

Sesame chicken with an addictive cabbage salad

Julia Busuttil Nishimura — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 06:41:50 GMT

Something I cannot get enough of lately is Yamituski (addictive) cabbage, or shio kyabetsu (salt cabbage)! It’s a really good and simple cabbage salad which is a staple in Izakayas around Japan. It is crunchy, a little salty and with a hit of umami. Sometimes that comes from MSG or usually dashi. Here, I add some soy sauce which is easy and accessible. Cabbage is apparently having a bit of a resurgence in popularity. I’ve always been a lover and I am personally rather glad it’s having a moment as it is so nutritious, economical and just really delicious.

I’ve served it with some breaded chicken breasts scattered with sesame seeds which turn all golden along with the panko as they fry. For this reason I haven’t added sesame seeds to the salad, but it is a regular occurrence so feel free to add some into the salad too. I think this is going to be a staple for you.

On theme for this newsletter, I am also sharing my go-to Japanese marinade for chicken and pork. Here I used pork forequarter chops which have a good amount of fat and are wonderful grilled on the barbecue. Chicken thighs are also great, as are pork belly rashers.

In the next newsletter, I’ll be sharing a lovely Easter menu. Think Crespelle (savoury Italian crepes), Slow roasted lamb shoulder with beans and an anchovy gremolata and a very good cheesecake!

Also, a little note to let you know that I made a granola with the fine folk at Farmer Jo and it is on sale now in their online store. It is Hojicha, raspberry and chocolate and is nutty, a little smoky and very moreish.

Buy it here

Thank you so much for subscribing!!

Julia x

Sesame miso marinade

Enough for 1kg - 1.5 kg of meat

50 ml soy sauce

50 ml sake

50 ml mirin

3 cloves garlic, finely grated

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 1/2 tbsp miso paste

2 tsp sesame seeds

In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients together. Pour over your chosen protein and rub to coat well. Allow to marinade for 20-30 minutes or up to overnight. Cook over a hot grill, basting with the marinate as it cooks.

Go To Japanese Marinade 2

23.5KB ∙ PDF file

Sesame chicken with Yamitsuki cabbage

Serves 4

Leek, cabbage and white bean soup with Gruyère toasts

Julia Busuttil Nishimura — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 05:41:13 GMT

Tinned beans are such a staple of mine. I am never without them. And while I also have a decent stash of the dried variety, cans of beans make for very quick salads come lunch time, blitzed into dips and a great addition to soups. So economical, nutritious and filling too!

And with the seasons changing, my mind has turned to hearty and nourishing soups.

Originally I planned to make a leek, parsnip and white bean soup, but I was probably thinking a little too far ahead with that one as there were no parsnips in sight, so it became a leek, cabbage and white bean soup.

To top the soup I fry bread in good olive oil, rub with a garlic clove and cover in plenty of grated Gruyère cheese a la French onion soup. The bottom of the bread becomes almost custardy as it soaks up some of the broth, whilst keeping its crunchy cheesy top under the grill. Recipe below!

Salt and Pepper Prawns:

On the weekend, Nori made some incredible salt and pepper prawns! They’re really simple. We also did a batch with soft (not silken) tofu too.

Take 250 g prawn meat and using a sharp knife, make a shallow cut down the back of the prawns, not cutting all the way through. This will make them curl up when cooked. Place the prawns in a bowl and add 2 tsp of sake. Toss to coat then add 2 tbsp of potato starch and toss well to coat. Heat 1-2 cm of neutral oil in a frying pan over a high heat. Shallow fry the prawns in batches, for 3-4 minutes, turning them half way. Drain on absorbent paper and place in a bowl with 1 finely sliced spring onion, a good pinch of Chinese 5 spice, a few grinds of white pepper and a good pinch of sea salt. Toss well and serve.

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Happy cooking and thanks for subscribing xx

Julia

Leek, cabbage and white bean soup with Gruyère toasts

Serves 4-6

Brothy ginger chicken rice

Julia Busuttil Nishimura — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 03:45:20 GMT

A few of us have been under the weather this week so I’ve been making lots of really warming foods including this brothy ginger chicken rice.

The chicken is poached with ginger, shiitake, sake, soy and other good things and the meat pulled off and seasoned with such a good combination of sesame oil, soy sauce and some other things which remind me a lot of Hainanese chicken rice, but also feels very Japanese too. I use chicken Marylands here which means lots of flavour and a short cooking time, perfect for a quick broth fix.

I also just have to share this absolutely delicious afterschool treat I made for the boys as a which is a classic French, and Spanish (so I’m told) afterschool snack! A fresh crusty bacguette, halved and slathered with salted butter and onto it you simply place some squares of dark chocolate. It is honestly so amazing and one to try for sure!

Have a lovely weekend and happy cooking,

Julia x

Brothy Ginger Chicken Rice

Serves 4

Spiced minced lamb rice bowls with smashed cucumbers

Julia Busuttil Nishimura — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 03:36:54 GMT

Hope you all had a lovely weekend! Mine was spent dipping things in dark chocolate (dried figs, roasted hazelnuts and almonds) with my 6 year old, eating pizza with the family and quite a bit of Winter Olympics watching!

I also realised I’ve been writing here on Substack for two years! So grateful for all of you subscribing here. I love reading your comments and see you cooking the recipes that you share with me over on Instagram! THANK YOU!

My very first post was these blueberry pancakes with whipped maple butter. They are incredible and since tomorrow is Pancake Tuesday, I removed the paywall so you can all access it!