AsI getolderanddeeperintotheindustry,andnowthatI have
kids,I’mstartingtocookmoreandmorelikeanItaliannonna.
Athome,I liketomakefoodthatis simple,heartyandhealthy;
essentiallythingsthatI candowitha babyonmyhip,orwhile
Lennoxis runningaroundmyfeetata millionmilesanhour.
I givehimpotsandpanstoplaywithsohecanmakea racket
whileI cook,andfeedhimthingsliketomatoesfromthegarden
tomakesurehe’sinvolvedintheprocess.
Foodis myloveandmypassion.I cookalldayatworkandI like
nothingmorethancominghomeandcookingformyfamily.
ButI don’twanttobechainedtoa stovebecauseI’llmissspending
qualitytimewiththekids,especiallyintheeveningwhenthey’re
abouttogotobed.SoI trytokeepdinnersassimpleaspossible;
youonlyneedtwoorthreeingredientstomakesomethingdelicious.
I reada lotofcookbooksfromthe’50s,includingElizabethDavid
andPatienceGray– thewaytheycookandwriteis soinspiring.
Wedon’teatpastaeverysingleday;wemight have it a couple
oftimesa week,butit’salwaysfullof
vegetables. Onenightwemighteat
cacioe pepe,andthenthenextnight
it willbea vegetablebake.ButI guess
I’malwaystryingtofindnewwayswith
food– youdon’twanttobeserving
thesameoldthingseveryweek.
Sincehavingkids,tinnedbeans,
suchasborlotti,cannelliniandbutter
beanshavebecomemybestfriends
inthekitchen.I’lldrainandrinsea tinofbeansandLennox
willsitandeatthemasa snack.OftenI’lladdthemtoa soup
ora stew,orasa sidewitha pieceofporkorchicken.You’ll
besurprisedhoweasyit is tomakea fabulousmealoutof
a tinofbeansanda coupleofthingsfromthegardenor
whateveris kickingaroundinthefridge.
I wanttoteachmykidsthatpullingsomethingoutofthe
groundandeatingit is normal.It’snota specialthing,but
I thinkthathasbeenlostwitha lotofpeople.Wehavea little
gardenwherewegrowa fewthingslikepeasandstrawberries
and herbs. Lennox likes nothing more than picking peas off the
plantandeatingthem,podandall.He’lljustpullthingsout
ofthegroundandtrythem,includingdirtandrocks.
I’velearntnottoassumethatkidswon’teatsomethingjust
becausethey’rekids. If youputfoodinfrontofthemandletthem
havea go,ninetimesoutoftentheywilleatit if they’rehungry.
I thinkif youputupa barrier,especiallywithchildren,theywant
togoagainstwhatyousay.I don’tmakea fussaboutit; I don’tsay,
“You’renotleavingthetableuntilallofthatis gone.”It’swhatmy
parentssaidtomewhenI wasa childandI thinkthatmademe
theworld’sfussiesteater;I wouldbedefiantandnevereatany
vegetables.Myparentsfindit soamusingthatI’ma chefnow.
Wedon’tdineouta lotbecauseSarahandI areonlyhome
togethera coupleofnightsa week.Butwhenwedo,Lennox
eatswhateverweeat.Recently,wewentoutfordinnerandwe
ordereda bowlofbeautifulGoolwapipis,whichSarahandI mostly
missedoutonbecauseLennoxatemorethanhalfofthebowl.
I remember dining at QuayonetimewhenSarahwasoperations
managerthereandArchie(David’s
eldestson,13)orderedtheDavid
Blackmorewagyu.It wasallverynice
but,gee,wasit expensive!Although
I’dmuchpreferthatthaneitherof
mykidscravingjunkfoodorturning
theirnoseupatfreshproduce.
We’vejuststarteddoingfridge-rice
Saturdays.I’lljustpullouteverything
we’vehadinthefridgethroughthe
weekandI’llmakea ricedishoutofit. It’sa greatwaytouseup
allthoseleftoversthatarehidinginthefridgethatmightotherwise
bethrownout.Asa chef,wastageis a painfulthingand,most
importantly,you’rethrowingmoneyaway.
I usedtoreallyenjoythesmellofbabies,butLennox,more
oftenthannot,smellslikepecorino,moussakaorkorma.
Thefirsttimeheatefriedrice,hehadtheworstonionbreath- a beautifullittlebabywithonionbreath!I was,like,“Ohno
whathaveI donetoyou,youpoorlittlething.”
EthelFoodStore,2/19BooyunSt,Brunswick Heads, NSW,
(02) 6685 1343, ethelfoodstore.com.au➤
I used toreally enjoythesmell
ofbabies, butLennox,more
oftenthannot,smellslike
pecorino, moussaka or korma.DAVIDLOVETTETHELFOODSTORE,BRUNSWICKHEADS,NSW
PartnerSarah(restaurantmanager at La Casita, NSW)
and Lennox (18 months)
GOURMET TRAVELLER 79