Hann - Id Eat That! : Simple Ways to Be a Better Cook

INTRODUCTION

My dad had two pieces of advice for me when it came to working: Get a job you actually enjoy, he would say. Check. And dont ever start your own business (like he and Mum did), as its bloody hard work. Whoops! Sorry Dad. One out of two isnt bad!

What a fantastic eighteen months its been since the first Starter Kitchen book hit the shelves. Between starting Sprout, my own cooking school with dietitian Themis Chryssidis; designing a range of food products with the Thankyou team; working with Adelaide Produce Market, Wesley Mission, Chef de Quota, Jamie Olivers Home Cooking Skills and Connect Pink; becoming a presenter on SA Life and winning $20,000 for the Cancer Council on MasterChef All Stars , Ive had my hands full!

The sources of inspiration for the recipes in this book are varied. I grew up eating mostly Australian/European and vegetarian-style dishes, so some of these recipes are things I ate as a child. A few are from friends and others were discovered on my travels. You may notice Ive lifted many of the recipe ideas from countries outside Australia, most noticeably North America, South Africa and parts of Asia. These are the places Ive been lucky enough to travel to during my twenty-four years. As food is such a universal language, I find meeting new people from different cultures to be incredibly inspiring in the kitchen.

Ive also been lucky to learn from friends and family. There are various Asian recipes from Adam, burgers from Dan and Rob, vegetarian food (where you dont even miss the meat!) from my sister, Kirsty, and a comforting chilli from Kyle ( ) from Chloe, who now owns four sets of measuring cups if that gives you an idea of the sort of person she is. Technically, I melted one of the sets, but thats a story for another day

Im always looking for shortcuts in recipes, whether its the potato-free gnocchi ( ) made with couscous instead of rice. Some would call me a lazy cook, but I prefer the word efficient (I was an engineering student prior to becoming a cook). Dont get me wrong, I love cooking, but if you can get a delicious meal on the table that is quicker and easier to prepare than the original recipe, yet sacrifices nothing in terms of taste or enjoyment, which would you choose?

The average person has about nine different recipes in their repertoire that they cook over and over again. Nine meals?! That doesnt sound like a heck of a lot of variety to me. I hope this collection of recipes you hold in your hands gives you the skills and, more importantly, the enthusiasm to become a better cook. Even if you only pick up an extra handful of recipes that you like and want to make again, you can sit above that average and eat a greater variety of meals.

My goal is to turn you into more of a foodie than you already are. Feel free to change, bastardise, scribble on, leave stuff out of or add to my recipes. This book isnt about me, its about you. I want you to become a better cook, a more knowledgeable cook, and a happier cook. Try something new. If the worst thing about today is a lopsided souffl, then that sounds like a pretty darn good day to me. Cook dishes for no other reason than to make yourself and others happy. Thatll make me happy. Ill be around for dinner next week!

THE OVERARCHING PRINCIPLES OF BECOMING A BETTER COOK

Im always learning about food, but here is some of the best advice Ive been given.

No matter how good a cook you are, you cant disguise crap ingredients. Good-quality ingredients = good food. See my section on fruit, vegetables and seasonality ( ).

Dont be too serious about food. If youre not having fun, whats the point? Do get serious about where your food comes from. Please buy free-range eggs, if for no other reason than if you were a chicken, youd want a little wing-flapping room. Buy food from your country or state where possible. Give a damn about the planet.

Simple is often best. If in doubt, less is more. This applies both to individual dishes and to whole menus.

You dont necessarily need years of culinary training to be a good cook. If you eat good food, read cookbooks, try new things and expand your repertoire, you can be a great cook.

Work cleanly. Clean in the kitchen as you go so you dont end up with a big pile of washing-up at the end. Clean cook = clean food. This is a tip Ive ignored for most of my life but have realised the importance of recently.

You dont need a million kitchen gadgets. A sharp knife, a sturdy chopping board and a decent frying pan will allow you to cook unlimited great meals. Oh, and make sure you have a wire balloon whisk. Whisks with plastic or silicone bits on the end just dont whip things properly.

Be respectful of what others teach you in the kitchen. There is rarely only one right way to do something, so be open-minded to learning. A pastry chef I know has over thirty different chocolate mousse recipes filed away. He collects them every time he works or travels in search of the perfect mousse!

Figure out what kind of food you like best, and cook that.

And finally, master the basics. So much good food is created when basic techniques are performed well.

TIPS FOR ENTERTAINING AT HOME

Having mates over for dinner? Want to impress your girlfriends parents? Heres my advice for making the occasion as stress-free as possible:

Serving simple food and being able to enjoy yourself is always better than serving complex food while youre running around like a headless chicken!

If youre serving more than one course, try and cook as much of the food as possible the day before or the morning of the meal. For example, making a passionfruit parfait ( ) the night before will leave you with one less job to do on the night.

Strategically pick dishes that are made using different areas of the kitchen: an oven dish, a stovetop dish, and a dessert that sets in the fridge, for example. This ensures you wont run out of space.

If you are eating outside, have sunblock on hand if its during the day and mozzie repellent at night.

Make your life easier by serving platters of food for people to help themselves rather than putting food onto individual plates.

Ask your guests if they have any dietary requirements, allergies or if they cant stand a particular food before you decide on the menu. You dont need to go to the effort of asking if they like olives or not, but you dont want to serve a seafood banquet to someone who only eats red meat, or pasta to a gluten-intolerant friend.