Celebrating our food professionals
As the turmoil of Covid19 continues to swirl, here in our little corner of the world it is time to celebrate our wonderful food professionals. Rebecca Fox asks Dunedin’s Titi owner and head chef Hannes Bareiter about cooking for his family of four.
Do you get a chance to cook at home much?
I usually cook at home on Sunday and Monday nights, my weekend. Our oldest daughter Lalu is often the home cook. Her absolute goto is rigatoni with vodka sauce.
What do you like to cook at home?
Often I cook dishes out of random leftover ingredients we have in the restaurant, at home or in the garden — zero wastage all the way. In summer, my goto is salads, often in combination with barbecue. In winter, it’s hearty dishes, often pasta or some German classics.
What is your goto meal when in a hurry?
That would be something like sourdough bread with a fried egg, radish, tomato, cucumber and pickles . . . or a cheeseboard.
How do you deal with fussy/allergy eaters in your household?
Mila, our 7yearold, is probably one of the fussiest eaters around. She is probably the reason we often cook pasta, as that is her absolute favourite. She does love desserts, so usually we can get her by saying ‘‘eat your veges or no dessert for you’’.
Last time we spoke you were getting into your garden. How is that going?
Yes, definitely something I like to do and wish I was able to spend more time with. Our fruit trees are flowering and the chooks just got back into laying, so that’s great and helps with the latenight sandwich.
What is always in your fridge?
Pickles, miso, mustard, cheese, horseradish, milk, a bunch of veges and fruit, butter, fruit juice, beer and wine.
What would we not ever find in your fridge or cupboards?
Baked beans, Marmite, spaghetti in a can, silverbeet, sweetener, luncheon, soup mix powders.
What advice would you give the home cook to make life easier for them?
Buy great produce, that already tastes great, and keep it simple.
If you can’t grow it yourself, support your farmers and always buy seasonal. Order online straight from the farm. When it comes to protein, spend the extra money for the better quality, organic chicken, fresh, local, sustainable fish and talk to your butcher to get tips and inspiration.