The tamarind adds a lovely sour note to the ribs while the honey provides a delicately rich sweetness. Always choose great ingredients, and you’re halfway to awesomeness!! You’ll need to begin this recipe a day ahead. Serves 6-8

2kg beef short ribs – I bought these from Feast! Fine Foods
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup honey, plus extra – I used raw unfiltered Blue Gum from DoBee Honey
120g tamarind pulp, softened in 1/2 hot water for 30 minutes, then pressed through a fine sieve (solids discarded) – available from
Beech Organics @ Plant 4 Bowden
1/3 cup fish sauce
1/3 cup tamari sauce (or alternatively use soy sauce)
To Serve – coriander, mint, Thai basil, thinly sliced long red chilli and shallots, and steamed rice

Paste
8cm piece ginger, coarsely chopped
8 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 brown onion. peeled & chopped
3 coriander roots, chopped
zest of 1 large lemon

Preheat oven to 150C. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat, add ribs, turn occasionally until browned (3-5 minutes). Transfer to a deep cast iron pot (with lid) to fit snugly.

For paste, pound to make a paste in a mortar and pestle.

Heat honey, stock, tamarind, fish sauce, tamari sauce and paste in a pot, pour over the ribs, cover with lid then roast until ribs are very tender (2½-3 hours).

Separate stock and ribs and refrigerate each, covered, until chilled (4 hours-overnight).

Skim fat from stock (discard), then add 1-2 tlb extra honey, reduce stock in a saucepan over medium heat by 1/3; stock should be thickened and very fragrant).

Add ribs to the sauce and turn occasionally until warmed through (about 4 minutes). Serve hot topped with, herbs, chilli and fresh shallots, with steamed rice.

Gnudi are gnocchi-like dumplings made with ricotta cheese instead of potato. The result is often a lighter, “pillowy” dish, unlike the often denser, chewier gnocchi.

500g broccoli, chopped
1kg fresh ricotta
2/3 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus extra for serving
2 eggs and 1 egg yolk, whisked
pinch of dried chilli flakes
2/3 cup plain flour
pinch of finely grated nutmeg
200g butter
1 bunch sage

Cook broccoli in salted boiling water until tender, then drain, squeezing out as much liquid as possible. Set aside to cool.

Place broccoli in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped, then transfer to a large bowl. Add the ricotta, Parmigiano-Reggiano, eggs, chilli, flour and season with salt and pepper. Mix well to combine ingredients.

Shape the mixture into smallish balls, place on a plate covered with baking paper then refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil. Add gnudi, in batches, and remove with a slotted spoon as they rise to the surface. Drain on paper towel then place the gnudi on a warm serving dish.

Melt butter in a large fry pan, add sage and nutmeg then cook for a few minutes until brown. Pour the butter over the gnudi and scatter with extra Parmigiano-Reggiano. Serves 6-8.