BREADCRUMBS
OK, this is usually in the freezer. An old
baguette from a well-intentioned brunch
gets a bit of additional drying in the oven
with oil and then a blitz into crumbs. At the
ready, this can instantly be a schnitzel crumb,
or fry it up with some bacon, parsley, chilli
and parmesan for a crunchy pangrattato to
add to salads, soups, pastas, etc. You’ll be
grateful for the texture when you’ve been
as lazy as a plate of Spaghetti Aglio e Olio.MAGIC GREEN SAUCE
(All of the sauces here have been made in
a NutriBullet, aside from the pesto, which
gets made in a Magimix.) More commonly
known as salsa verde, this is my hero of
sauces. The ingredients for this are dictated
by how my fridge has treated my fine herbs
during the week. Anything limp or sad gets
a second go at satisfaction by joining a party
of flavour in the blender. In this case...Coriander
Shallots
Basil
Dill
Mint
Parsley
The partners in crime are:
1 tbsp capers
2 anchovies
1 tsp mustard
Light extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1-2 chilliesBlitz. If you don’t want to commit to the full
monty, I urge you to at least blitz off what you
have with some garlic and oil and freeze it in
an ice tray. The cubes can be tossed in pasta,
in a dressing, on a roast chook, onto bread
for the oven, etc, etc. Waste not want not.GINGER & SHALLOTS
One of the most lovely people to listen to is
chef Poh Ling Yeow – and she said that if you
are lost in the kitchen, just start by frying off
ginger, garlic and shallots, and things will
develop. She’s utterly right. Every good meal
starts with some kind of aromatic sauté. This
can be used as that... dolloped into the pan,
as a marinade, or as a dressing over some
steamed greens and rice. Very basic.
1 large 6cm knob ginger, peeled and grated
4-5 green shallots (whites and greens if you
like), finely minced
Salt
Olive oil (probably NOT the correct thing
to say, but use a light flavour and
you should be fine)
1 tbsp sesame oil (for nutty happiness)Blitz. And be happy.PESTO
Honestly, commercial pesto is awful, bar
about two brands. Make it in summer, when
basil tastes the way it should. Don’t look back.1 bunch basil, leaves picked
50g pine nuts, toasted briefly in the oven,
and fully cooled
1½ cups grated parmesan
1 garlic clove
Salt and pepper
½ lemon, juicedBlitz all ingredients while adding about
1 cup of extra virgin olive oil – don’t worry,
it’s not mayonnaise, just dump and blitz.
Make sure you cover the top of the pesto
with oil or it will brown.SLAP SAUCE
1 capsicum
½ onion
1-2 tomatoes
1 can tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
Light extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Fresh or dried oreganoThis is the perfect pizza sauce... all the right
flavours ready to go. You could also use
a can’s worth in the One-Pan Sausage Pasta
instead of passata, or marinate a chook
in it and, of course, throw it through somespaghetti at the last minute with some added
chilli. It’s just an easy flavourful jar of summer
sunshine to turn to when you need it. Simply
blitz all the ingredients, as before – it makes
about 750ml of sauce.HERBS
Serious hack alert! Chop your chives and
green shallot tops into a jar. They last for
weeeeeeks! And become easy access for
those nights of “cannot be bothered”!NAM JIM
This is a perfect entertainer’s stand-by.2 limes, juiced
1 garlic clove
1 birdseye chilli, minced
½ cup fish sauce
2 tbsp palm or brown sugar
½ cup mirin (this just tones it down a bit)
1 tbsp sesame oilBlitz ingredients and throw it on an oyster,
or over a Vietnamese noodle salad with
barbecued meat.SALAD DRESSING
My standard and hands-down favourite
dressing is this one.1 lemon, juiced
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Pinch sugar
Pinch salt
Couple grinds pepper
1 garlic clove, split
¼ cup parmesan, grated
½ cup extra virgin olive oilI also add a herb – chives, basil, whatever
you like. Shake it up. It transcends European
borders so no-one really gets feisty.140 / Inside Out