Everybody can cook
TELL chef Colin Fassnidge you cannot cook and he will not believe you. The Australianbased Irish chef and television personality, believes everyone can cook — all they need is a good grounding in the basics and some commonsense kitchen nowhow to develop a repertoire of family favourites.
This is where his latest book, The Commonsense Cook, comes in. He urges people not be afraid of cooking. Instead of trying for Instagramready food, people should focus on bringing enjoyment to family and friends.
‘‘Cooking should, above all, be fun and taste good.’’
Fassnidge, a former executive chef known for his innovative nose to tail food and his role on My Kitchen Rules, has slowed down, stepped off the restaurant grind, and is cooking much simpler food himself.
‘‘I’m remembering the essence of what I actually love. For me, slowing down the pace of life means more cooking at home with friends and family, over coal fires and barbecues, with stories and red wine.’’
Now able to cook the food he loves to eat and the food he loves to share, he has started noting the meals that put a smile on the faces of his friends and children.
‘‘I’m now old and battlewise and I’m cooking the food I started out with as a kid — achievable food that warms the heart and makes people happy.’’
He provides many recipes for the basics — a simple omelette, a pizza base, a green sauce that goes with everything and a roast — the foundations for countless meals.
His Irish roots are also apparent with recipes for spiced calf liver — ‘‘for my dad’’ — and an Irish stew lightened up for ‘‘Oz’’.
Alongside this, he provides tips and notes about how to minimise waste and use leftovers.
‘‘Sometimes the secondnight dish is even better than the first. Get creative with leftovers.’’
The book was finished during Covid19 and he hopes it will further encourage those who got into cooking during lockdowns.
‘‘I want these recipes to be cooked at family tables and passed on, so that in later years kids will cook them at their own family.’’
The book is divided into easytofollow sections, such as salads, vegetables, seafood, chicken, pork, red meat and sweets.
1 whole cauliflower, leaves attached
Cheese sauce
50g butter
50g cup) plain flour
700ml fullcream milk
50g cup) grated parmesan 50g cup) grated cheddar
Method
To prepare the cauliflower, carefully remove the green leaves, keeping them intact. Trim the base of the cauliflower and discard.
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil over mediumhigh heat and blanch the green leaves for 1 minute. Using tongs, remove the leaves and refresh them in iced water. Set aside.
Add the whole cauliflower to the boiling water and blanch for 4 minutes or until just cooked, then remove and set aside.
Heat a small frying pan over medium heat and dry the cauliflower head in the pan for 20 minutes, moving the cauliflower head around to ensure you dry all the florets. Transfer the cauliflower to a small baking dish.
Heat the oven to 180degC (fanforced).
To make the cheese sauce
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 34 minutes, until the mixture looks like wet sand. Pour in all the milk at once and whisk constantly to prevent any lumps from forming.
Keep stirring until the sauce starts to thicken, then bring the sauce to a simmer and continue to whisk for 5 minutes or until you have a smooth bechamel. Add the grated parmesan and cheddar and whisk until melted. Pour the cheese sauce over the cauliflower and roast in the oven for 30 minutes or until the cheese is golden.