Whether you are cooking the Italian Chicken Cacciatore or the French Chicken Chasseur, it is the same slowly braised sauce and luscious tender chicken with the vegetables that make this a great nutri-dense, LCHF dish. Regional variations of Chicken Cacciatore or hunter’s wife’s chicken are made throughout Italy, and while most are cooked with [...]
At Cooking on the Bay Cooking School, I always stress to the class that we are cooking for FLAVOUR! We aim to bring out the best in the marvellous ingredients we are using. It is the flavour that makes our food taste so good and it is what differentiates good cooks from poor ones. [...]
Years ago, as a small child in the May school holidays, my mother and I always drove to visit my grandparents at their farm in central Victoria. May meant it was mushroom time and so we would 'go mushrooming', usually on Sunday afternoons. Armed with a big bucket and small knife, we would drive out [...]
This is a perfect dish for leisurely, relaxed entertaining in the summertime. It can be made a day ahead and it will keep well refrigerated for a few days afterward; that is, if there is any left-over! We have been making this for years in the Cooking School and, although it is reminiscent of [...]
When we cook at Cooking on the Bay Cooking School, I always stress to the class that we are cooking for FLAVOUR! We aim to bring out the best in the marvellous ingredients we are using. It is the flavour which makes our food taste so good and it is what differentiates good cooks [...]
Murray River Salt is my favourite salt, and I use it as both a finishing salt and in my cooking. We use it in the cooking classes at Cooking on the Bay and so all students have a chance to savour and enjoy it’s taste and flavour. I also especially love the fact that the [...]
Skordalia is the Greek version of the French ‘aïoli’ and the Spanish, ‘allïoli, and is a luscious garlic mayonnaise, sauce, or dip. It is usually based on potato and flavoured with garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and parsley. Elizabeth David in her ‘Book of Mediterranean Food’ gives her recipe with egg yolks, ground almonds [...]
Affogato is Italian for drowned; the ice cream is drowned in espresso with the liqueur served on the side. It is the easiest of all desserts, once you have mastered the ice-cream making. Make your Crème Anglaise vanilla bean ice cream as per my recipe. When ready to serve, make your espresso shot, place one [...]
My butchers, Barry and Mario from Kirkpatrick's Butchers at the South Melbourne market, sell the most delicious and tender racks of lamb which I frequently buy for a simple and quick mid-week dinner. The butchers sell them, 2 ways, ‘frenched’ or ‘unfrenched’. ‘Frenched’ is the term used to describe the process of cutting the fat [...]
Hollandaise sauce is a classic emulsion* sauce, made with egg yolks and butter, seasoned with lemon juice, salt and a little white pepper to become a thick, yellow, creamy sauce. It is the traditional partner to asparagus, artichokes, and eggs Benedict. It is perfectly matched with poached fish and vegetables. I love it drizzled over [...]
