Meat & veg done fancy!

Masterchef winner ANDY ALLEN shows how to jazz up a simple midweek dinner

S ix years after becoming the youngest-ever Masterchef champion at 24, Andy Allen is chef/co-owner at Three Blue Ducks in Sydney’s Rosebery. Just add a Youtube channel, Andy Allen Cooks, to the mix and it’s safe to say the food whiz knows a thing or two about plating up with flair. Here, he shares his cooking secrets…

Who inspired your love of cooking?

Growing up, my parents weren’t amazing in the kitchen (although they try hard!), so I was mostly inspired by the cooking shows I used to watch on TV.

Describe your home kitchen for us...

My home kitchen isn’t too fancy. I like to keep it simple at home because I work in a big commercial kitchen at the Three Blue Ducks all day. I love a gas cooktop, I like my kitchen to have lots of light in it and at least one cactus.

What would we find in your fridge?

You’ll always find an array of goodquality sauces and a good cut of meat (like an Australian flat iron steak), because I never know when friends will expect me to cook for them! Oh, and some beer and a block of chocolate.

What are your pantry essentials?

You’ve got to have a plentiful supply of olive oil and salt. Flavour is everything. Also having a sneaky lime or citrus lying around is helpful too – always helps to give a bit of freshness [to a dish].

What do you love cooking at home?

Because I work all day in the kitchen, when I’m cooking at home I like to make meals that don’t take long to prepare and have only a few key ingredients. My new BBQ Striploin With Charred Broccolini & Green Sauce is a great example of this. It uses Aussie beef packed full of natural flavour, so you only need a few other ingredients to create something really tasty.