Recipe: prawn sambal for Marion

My nephew Lawrence Tan and his wife Marion who live in the UK had a bumper crop of chillies last summer and I promised to send them recipes using chillies. Here's one especially for Marion and I hope she cooks it for Lawrence soon.

Perhaps one day she'll cook it for me!

Prawn sambal for Marion

6-8 large raw prawns, remove feelers and rinse

½ large onion, sliced thickly

1 clove garlic crushed

1 ½ cups diced or crushed canned tomatoes

½ cup diced pineapple, fresh or canned (optional)

Book review. Frank Moorhouse: A Life

Book review.

Frank Moorhouse: A Life

By Catharine Lumby.

Published by Allen and Unwin.

A decade before his death in 2022, Frank Moorhouse asked well known journalist, writer and academic Catharine Lumby to write his biography.

Because of their many years of friendship and her close engagement with his with his writing, he said she “got'' him and his work, in a way few others did.

“Many writers fashion a career out of their writing. Some fashion brilliant careers.

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St Ali Italian film festival 2023

The St Ali Italian film festival 2023 starts on September 20 to mid October in Australia and there is a fantastic line-up of movies to appeal to everyone's tastes, whether you love drama, comedies, documentaries and more.

The films are presented by Palace cinemas and talented Italian-Australian food writer, TV producer and host Silvia Colloca is the 2023 Festival Ambassador.
Opening the festival is the exciting drama, The Last Night of Amore (L'ultima notte di Amore) led by Italian superstar Pierfrancesco Favino.

Film review: The Miracle Club.

A film I thoroughly enjoyed recently was The Miracle Club.

Set in 1967, it is a heartwarming film that follows the story of three generations of close friends.

Lily (Maggie Smith), Eileen (Kathy Bates) and Dolly (Agnes O'Casey) live in Ballygar, a working class village in Dublin.

They have one tantalising dream: to win a pilgrimage to the sacred French town of Lourdes, a place that promises miracles and draws millions of visitors each year.

2023 Scandinavian Film Festival

The 2023 Saxo Scandinavian Film Festival by Palace cinemas, is now on and the vibrant selection of films promises to ease the winter chill.

The specially curated program of the best new cinema from the Nordic region featuring films from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden are screening nationally at Palace Cinemas, Luna Palace Cinemas and Palace Nova Cinemas from now until August.
Opening the Festival is the Australian Premiere of Let the River Flow. (Ellos eatnu – La elva leve).

2023 Spanish Film Festival

Viva la fiesta!

The 2023 HSBC Spanish film festival promises to spice up the winter season with award-winning dramas, comedies, thrillers and documentaries.

Presented by Palace Cinemas, this an annual celebration of film and culture from Spain and Latin America will screen in June and July.

Celebrating 25 years, the festival will present 32 films in total, highlighting women in film making, delicious comedies and gripping dramas.

2023 German Film Festival

Achtung!

The 2023 German film festival program has been revealed and female film makers are in the spotlight.

Key selections direct from the 2023 Berlin International Film Festival (The Berlinale) include a music-themed retrospective, a focus on female film makers and the family sidebar Kino for Kids.

Feast to Feed

If you want to enjoy a magnificent degustation dinner cooked by a galaxy of some of Australia's top chefs and help to provide food relief at the same time, go to to Feast to Feed.

On Thursday, April 27, well known chefs, including Adam D'Sylva (Lollo), Andrea Vignali and Davide Bonadiman (Al Dente), Alessandro Luppolo (Good Boy Chocolate, ex-Attica), Minoli DeSilva (Ella by Minoli), Tom Sarafian (Sarafian and The Hardware Club), will combine their talents to raise funds to provide food relief for the vulnerable.

Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show 2023

Blooming lovely!

Melbourne will bloom again as Australia’s premier flower and horticulture festival returns in 2023.

The famous Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show, presented by Scotts Osmocote, is on again at the world heritage-listed Carlton Gardens and Royal Exhibition Building.

The gardens will be bursting with colour and beauty from Wednesday, March 29 to Sunday, April 2.

There's plenty to interest everyone, whether you're an experienced green thumb or a novice gardener.

A Wok on the Wild Side