Pete Evans - My Kitchen: Sides

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Over the last five years I have spent less time in my commercial kitchens during the night-time dinner service and a lot more time at home cooking for my family and friends. This has come about for a few reasons, the first being that I have simplified my approach to cooking in my businesses: I no longer try to keep up with the Joneses, so to speak, always trying to reinvent the wheel with the dishes I create. I did that for 10 years and achieved what I wanted in that time, so these days I instead focus on utilising amazing produce, treating it with respect and cooking it simply to let the true nature of the ingredients speak for itself. I also think that people today want more honest food when they eat out, with fewer hands involved in getting the meal to the plate; one result of this approach is that eating out becomes a lot more affordable.

However, that said, the number one reason for spending a lot more time at home in my kitchen is definitely to enjoy as much time as possible watching my kids grow up. I love to be at home to cook them their dinner and watch their young palates evolve and develop. I have only one rule for my kids when eating, and that is that they need to try at least one bite of something; if they dont like it, then they dont have to eat it again that night, but they will have to try it again a month or so later. The kids are happy with my approach. I get so excited when one of my children tries something they havent liked before and instead of the usual response, Yucky, Dad they do a U-turn and say, Yummy, Dad. It really brings a smile to my face when this happens, not only because it means that the more foods they like the easier it is for me in the kitchen, but also because I want them to experience the joy of food in all its beauty: the taste (spicy, salty, sweet, sour), texture (crunchy, slippery, chewy, unctuous), aroma (fragrant, tantalising) and the visual beauty of a dish.

Another reason why I love cooking in my kitchen at home is that I can experiment with different cuisines in a way that I cant necessarily do in my restaurants. The greatest thrill of being a home cook rather than a chef is that I can be as creative as I like and have no restraints. That is why it has been such a pleasure writing this book, as I have been able to include some of my favourite and most enticing recipes created in my kitchen over the past 20 years, as well as including some of the recipes my mum used to feed me before my culinary career started. I think it is so important to pass on knowledge (in this case recipes) to the next generations and cooking is a great way to teach your kids or grandkids the importance of food in our everyday lives, not only as a way to fill our bellies, but also as a way to get the family unit together and celebrate each others company.

My Kitchen consists of 7 books: breakfast, vegetarian, seafood, poultry and meat, lunches and dinners, side dishes and, of course, desserts. The recipes are what I consider to be excellent week-night choices for the busy home cook and as always with my books I have about 20 percent of them designed for the more serious cook who has a bit more time on their hands. Some of the recipes you will need to think about in advance and let marinate overnight while others dont take much preparation but need a long time to cook in the oven. You can rest assured that these recipes have been tested by the fiercest critics known to memy friends and family and, as with all the books I have written, if it doesnt taste yummy to them then it doesnt end up in the book. If you take just one recipe from this book and incorporate it into your cooking repertoire then I know all this hard work has been well worth it! I love to hear your stories about either your experiences with my recipes or, more importantly, yours. If you feel like letting me know, shoot me an email at info@peterevanschef.com.

Cheers, Pete