It's a Chef's Life

This is a riff on one of my special occasion meals. Marinate chicken in white miso, rice wine vinegar, mirin, soy sauce, and a little sesame oil. One hour is the ideal marinating time. Fry store bought Thai curry paste, I used green, in some neutral oil. Add a can of light coconut milk and reduce. Season to taste with fish sauce and brown sugar and keep warm. Boil peeled potatoes until tender and mash with butter and wasabi paste. Season to taste. Saute chicken and finish cooking in a 200C oven. Serve the potatoes topped with chicken, sauce, and thinly sliced radishes.  

Soup making is one of my favourite parts of cold weather! Italian wedding soup starts with meatballs; mix ground beef with egg, breadcrumbs, and seasoning. Brown in oil. Saute chopped rainbow chard stems, add sliced leaves. Top with good chicken stock and add meatballs, white beans, and orzo. Cook ten minutes until orzo is tender and season to taste.  

     I was given the self care cookbook by Gemma Ogston for Christmas and it is full of inspiration. I was inspired by her stuffed sweet potatoes which go down a treat. Roast unpeeled sweet potatoes at 200C until tender. Toss chickpeas with smoked Spanish paprika, chili powder, seasoning, cumin and a little oil. Roast in oven. For the dressing combine tahini with red wine vinegar, honey, garlic and seasoning. Chop cherry tomatoes and mix with lemon juice, seasoning, and fresh chopped coriander. Roast chicken breasts at 200C for 30 minutes, topped with Dijon mustard and salt and pepper. Cut sweet potatoes in half and mash and top with chickpeas, chopped chicken and tomato relish. Top with chopped scallions.

I love panzanella; we have cubed sourdough left over from our Christmas fondue. Toast stale bread cubes in oil over medium heat and toss with diced cucumber, cherry tomatoes, sliced radishes, white beans and diced bacon. Add a dressing of red wine vinegar, extra virgin avocado oil, honey and chopped garlic.  

 I love a bourbon sour, we used to drink them back in my university days in Australia. I also remember enjoying the pisco sour in Peru. To make a gold rush combine equal parts bourbon (I used Maker's Mark), fresh lemon juice, and honey syrup (equal parts honey and water heated to dissolve honey and cooled) with an egg white over ice in a cocktail shaker. Cheers!

  Broccoli and cheddar soup is perfect for the short and cold days of winter. Boil potatoes in stock, when almost done add in some tenderstem broccoli. Puree with an immersion blender, adding mature grated cheddar, cream, and salt and pepper.

  I love homemade granola because it has exactly what I want in it. Toss oats and nuts (I used macadamias and Brazil nuts) with some pumpkin seeds, some oil, maple syrup, and a pinch of salt. Roast at 180C until golden about 20 minutes. When cooled toss with dried fruit (I used dried figs and dried cranberries) and I also added some mini white chocolate chips leftover from making Christmas candy. Enjoy your custom granola!

Risotto holds a special place in my heart. When I was 18 my mom took me to London for a long weekend and we went to the club where Jamie Oliver was working (he was barely famous then), and I had a red wine risotto. I like to add the mushrooms at the end so they don't get soggy. Saute diced pancetta in a little oil, add sliced mushrooms and season. I am adding some dried porcini mushrooms that have been rehydrated in boiling water and strained and chopped. In a separate pan saute one diced onion and add arborio rice. Season and saute until the rice becomes translucent. Add warm stock little by little, constantly stirring for approximately 20 minutes. Don't forget your saffron. When rice is all dente add grated parmesan and a little butter and let sit, covered for 5 minutes. Enjoy!  

Not a day for a diet! I made this using my fresh pasta, which only cooks for a couple of minutes. Saute chopped bacon and add in some sliced tenderstem broccoli to cook in the bacon fat. Whisk together two egg yolks, some double cream, grated parmesan, salt and lots of black pepper. I do this in a metal bowl to keep the heat. Add in your cooked pasta, reserving the cooking water. Add in broccoli and bacon and toss through to make a sauce; the residual heat from the pasta will cook the egg yolks. If the sauce is too tight add a splash of pasta water to loosen it. Indulge!  

 I have this recipe memorized and it works every time. 255g flour, 3 eggs, one tablespoon oil, a big pinch of salt. Knead the dough for 10 minutes and rest before rolling through a pasta machine. My pasta sheets were cut a size somewhere between tagliatelle and pappardelle.

  This tagine reminds me of a catering event that I worked that was Moroccan themed. Ras el hanout translates to "top of the shop", and is crucial for authentic flavor. Marinate chicken thighs in ras el hanout, turmeric, oil, and salt, ideally overnight. Saute in oil and remove from pan. Saute sliced onions, then add chicken stock, chicken thighs, some sliced new potatoes, chopped dried apricots, green olives (I am usually opposed to pitted olives but here they work!), chickpeas, and a good amount of honey. Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes and serve with couscous.

  Couscous is so easy, just add 2 parts boiling water or stock to 1 part couscous, season with salt and let sit 5 minutes, covered. I added mint chiffonade, dried currants, dried cranberries, and toasted flaked almonds. Serve with a tagine.

  Begin by cooking French lentils in salted boiling water for 25 minutes. Drain. Make the vinaigrette; balsamic vinegar, oil (I use extra virgin avocado oil), Dijon mustard, honey, and salt and pepper. I like to make my dressings in jars and shake to combine. Toss lentils with some of the vinaigrette (can be served warm or cold). Bring brown sugar, a pinch of salt, and a splash of water to a boil in a non stick skillet. Toss whole pecans through and let them dry on a silicone mat or parchment paper. Toss baby spinach with sliced pear in vinaigrette, top with lentils and pecans. Served here with a grilled rump steak, a lean and flavorful cut.

 I keep a copy of this recipe in my phone case, cause you never know when you'll need it! Mix 250g plain flour, 75g icing sugar and a pinch of salt. Rub in 125g butter, cold and cut into small cubes. Rub until the butter is approximately the size of peas and add one egg. Mix to combine, form into a disk and chill for a minimum of thirty minutes. Roll out and cut. Bake for about 8 minutes or until the edges are golden. I dipped half of each cookie into a glaze of icing sugar and milk and pressed on some dried rose petals.