Entertaining made easy

DEBORAH HUTTON shares her favourite dinner-party recipe

One of Australia’s best-lovedl d celebrities, Deborah Hutton, is passionate about food and cooking for friends and family. The former supermodel loves collecting recipes and these are a few of her all-time favourites.

Who inspired you and your love of cooking?

I love bringing friends together around a table laden with delicious food. I think it’s incredibly important to invest in your relationships, and the joy of sharing food and wine is the glue that binds us. My love of cooking was born out of a love of great food and the enjoyment of spending time in the kitchen, getting my hands dirty and whipping up dishes people want to eat!

What would we always find in your fridge?

Marinated goat’s cheese, olives, chilli, almond milk, Champagne.

What are your pantry essentials?

Canned tomatoes, chicken stock, olive oil, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, garlic, ginger.

What kitchen gadget couldn’t you live without?

I’m not really a kitchen gadget collector – I would rather invest in the very best kitchen knives.

How important is healthy eating to you?

Incredibly important. It underlines the core values of my approach to living a healthy lifestyle. I need to exercise, eat nutritious food and laugh a lot! I love going to the markets and being inspired by fresh seasonal ingredients.

What do you love cooking at home?

When I entertain in summer, I love to marinate and barbecue with lots of flavour, and in winter I focus more on slow-cooked hearty dishes – things like lamb shoulder, beef cheeks and my all-time favourite go-to dish, Mediterranean chicken.

What do you whip up if time is tight?

Grilled fillet of salmon and a pile of stir-fry greens with loads of garlic, chilli and lemon.