Why methods?
We teach techniques, not recipes – because techniques are the building blocks of great cooking. All our chefs are either trade qualified or Le Cordon Bleu trained, and we teach the way we were taught – using a ‘see it, do it’ model. This means that for most classes our chef instructors use ‘running demos’ where they show you the skill and then you copy it – with assistance from your instructor as needed. And in our express classes you will cook at the same time as the chef, following their lead. We will give you an ingredients list and a method for each class, but you do not have to use it.
Our chefs will explain patiently and walk you through each class. And if your dish doesn’t work out, that is OK – we run most classes 3 or 4 times a week so you can always come and try again! Failure is part of learning.
Use these methods below to practice at home.
Baked Greek chicken with tomatoes and tzatziki (v – halloumi)
Baked Greek chicken with tomatoes and tzatziki (v – halloumi)
Equipment
- Cutting board with paper towel
- Knife
- Tongs
- Small baking tray
- Baking paper
- Sieve/strainer
- Small bowl x 2
- Grater
Ingredients
- 1 skin on chicken thigh cutlet
- 1 clove garlic
- 100g cherry tomatoes
- 10 approx mint leaves
- ¼ small lemon
- ½ tsp sweet paprika
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ¼ cucumber
- 1 heaped tbsp (30g) plain Greek yoghurt plus
- 2 heaped tbsp (60 g) plain Greek yoghurt
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- 1 tbsp water
- Salt and pepper
- Half a pita bread to serve
Method
- Tie back long hair, wash hands and wear an apron. Stabilise your cutting board using damp paper towel. Gather your ingredients and equipment.
- Heat oven to 200 degrees.
- Mince garlic and put in small bowl.
- Coat the chicken – Put in small bowl with ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper, most of the garlic, the paprika, oregano, the water and 1 heaped tablespoon of the Greek yoghurt.
- Cook the chicken – line a baking tray with baking paper. Put chicken into the baking tray and into the oven. Set a timer for 35 minutes.
- Make the tzatziki –
a. Finely slice mint. Add to remaining garlic in bowl.
b. Grate cucumber and use your gloved hand to squeeze out as much moisture as you can. Add to garlic. Discard cucumber liquid.
c. Add 2 heaped tbsp yoghurt, a squeeze of lemon, and salt.
d. Mix and taste. Adjust for seasoning. - Clean down, and run all equipment through the dishwasher (leave any remaining ingredients). Wipe and put cooktop and all other equipment away. Quickly sweep your area.
- When your timer goes, add the tomatoes into the baking tray. Set another timer for 10 minutes.
- When that timer goes off, check that chicken is cooked and golden (74 degrees). Place on plate/into storage container with tzatziki and pita bread.
- Run all remaining equipment through dishwasher and scrape, clean, squeegee and sanitise bench. Put remaining equipment away.
- Enjoy your food! (If eating in the dining area, please sweep up after yourself and wash and put away your dishes/cutlery/glassware).
Chicken Marbella with couscous (v – eggplant and mushroom)
Chicken Marbella with couscous (v – eggplant and mushroom)
The Chicken Marbella s a Yotam Ottolenghi recipe, from “Simple”
1 x 650ml container
Equipment
- Cutting board with paper towel under it
- Knife
- Spatula/spoon
- Zester/microplane
- Vegetable peeler
- Tongs
- Baking tray lined with baking paper
- 2 small bowls
- Clingfilm
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp EVOO
- 1 chicken thigh cutlet, bone in and skin on (v – 150g eggplant and 100g mushroom)
- 1 clove garlic
- Handful fresh coriander
- 2 tsp red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
- 4 pitted green olives
- ½ tbsp baby capers
- 3 large medjool dates
- ½ bay leaf
- 1 tbsp red wine
- ¼ small sweet potato
- ½ tbsp pomegranate molasses
- 50g couscous
- 75ml boiling water
- ½ lemon
- Handful mixed herbs
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Preheat oven to 200C.
- Get all ingredients and equipment.
- Cook couscous:
a. Put couscous in a small container/bowl (do not add oil at this point, it will coat the grains and prevent the water from penetrating the couscous).
b. Cover with boiling water.
c. Wrap with clingfilm and set aside.
- Prepare vegetables:
a. Peel and cut sweet potato into chunks.
b. Mince garlic.
c. Halve olives.
d. Chop dates.
e. (v – chop vegetables into bite sized chunks).
- Cook chicken marbella (v – vegetables):
- Rub chicken (v – vegetables) with a fat pinch of salt and pepper.
- Make marinade by adding the following to a small bowl:
1 tbsp EVOO
ii. 1 clove garlic
iii. Handful fresh coriander
iv. 2 tsp red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
v. 4 pitted green olives
vi. ½ tbsp baby capers
vii. 3 large medjool dates
viii. ½ bay leaf - Add all other ingredients and mix.
- Place on lined baking tray.
- Cook for 20 minutes or until internal temperature of chicken is 75C (v – until eggplant has collapsed).
- Taste for seasoning and correct as required.
- Season couscous:
a. Fluff with a fork.
b. Season with salt, pepper, lemon zest, lemon juice and remaining EVOO.
c. Taste for seasoning and correct as required.
d. Tear in herbs and stir again.
- Plate:
Couscous on plate/in container.
b. Place chicken (v – eggplant and mushroom) and vegetables on top.
c. Spoon over sauce.
- Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.
Fresh Pasta with Basil Pesto
Fresh Pasta with Basil Pesto
1 x 650ml container
Equipment
- Large bowl
- Pastry scraper
- Dariole mould
- Fork
- Sifter/sieve
- Cutting board with paper towel under it
- Knife
- Blender
- Rolling pin
- Pasta machine
- Baking tray with baking paper
- Cooktop
- Large saucepan
- Colander
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 100g 00 (baker’s) flour plus 1 tbsp for flouring bench
- Big pinch salt
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp EVOO
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tbsp pine nuts
- 35 g (about half a large bunch) basil
- 25g parmesan (if you can get it, Parmigiano-Reggiano) cheese
- 10g pecorino (if you can get it, Sardinian or Romano) cheese
- 70ml (about ¼ cup) extra-virgin olive oil
- A fat pinch of table salt
- ¼ lemon
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Get all ingredients and equipment.
- Make pasta dough:
- Using the fork, whisk egg and oil together.
- Sift flour and salt into bowl.
- Make a well in flour.
- Pour egg mix into the well in the flour.
- Using a circular motion, with 2 fingers mix the flour with the egg mix until it starts to come together.
- Knead until firm and very smooth.
- Shape into a flat rectangle.
- Wrap in cling film and rest for at least 30 minutes.
- Make pesto sauce:
- Crush garlic
- Grate parmesan and pecorino
- Add the following to a blender:
- Crushed garlic
- 1 tbsp pine nuts
- Basil
- Grated parmesan and pecorino
- 70ml (about ¼ cup) extra-virgin olive oil
- A fat pinch of table salt
- Juice of ¼ lemon
- Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Line baking tray with baking paper. Flour lightly.
- Put a large saucepan of water on to boil. Add salt (until it is like the sea). When it boils, reduce to a simmer (don’t let it boil hard for a long time, or the water will evaporate and will become too salty).
- Roll and cut pasta dough:
- Flour bench lightly.
- Use rolling pin to roll pasta dough to Size 7 thickness. Fold onto itself and roll again.
- Roll through machine at size 7, 6, 5 and 4.
- Cut using tagliatelle cutter.
- Put onto floured baking paper, toss gently in flour, take care to keep in a single layer.
- CLEAN DOWN – as much as possible before cooking pasta.
- Cook pasta:
- Bring water to a rolling boil.
- Add pasta all at once and cook until done (will take about 2 minutes – taste it).
- Retain about 60ml of pasta water (half a dariole mould approx.).
- Drain through colander and put pasta back in saucepan.
- Mix basil pesto sauce into pasta:
- Add sauce over low heat.
- Emulsify using pasta water.
- Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.
Fresh Pasta with Chargrilled Red Pepper Pesto
Fresh Pasta with Chargrilled Red Pepper Pesto
1 x 650ml container
Equipment
- Large bowl
- Pastry scraper
- Dariole mould
- Fork
- Sifter/sieve
- Cutting board with paper towel under it
- Knife
- Blender
- Rolling pin
- Pasta machine
- Baking tray with baking paper
- Cooktop
- Large saucepan
- Colander
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 100g 00 (baker’s) flour plus 1 tbsp for flouring bench
- Big pinch salt
- 1 egg
- ½ egg yolk
- 1 tsp EVOO
- 100g roasted red capsicum
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 heaped tbsp walnuts
- Big handful parsley and/or basil
- 20g parmesan
- Pinch chilli flakes
- 60 ml (3 tbsp) EVOO
- ¼ lemon
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Get all ingredients and equipment.
- Make pasta dough:
- Using the fork, whisk egg, egg yolk and oil together.
- Sift flour and salt into bowl.
- Make a well in flour.
- Pour egg mix into the well in the flour.
- Using a circular motion, with 2 fingers mix the flour with the egg mix until it starts to come together.
- Knead until firm and very smooth.
- Shape into a flat rectangle.
- Wrap in cling film and rest for at least 30 minutes.
3. Make charred pepper pesto sauce:- Crush garlic
- Grate parmesan
- Add the following to a blender:
- 100g roasted red capsicum
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 heaped tbsp walnuts
- Big handful parsley and/or basil
- 20g parmesan
- Pinch chilli flakes
- 60 ml (3 tbsp) EVOO
- Juice of ¼ lemon
- Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning.
4. Line baking tray with baking paper. Flour lightly.
5. Put a large saucepan of water on to boil. Add salt (until it is like the sea). When it boils, reduce to a simmer (don’t let it boil hard for a long time, or the water will evaporate and will become too salty).
6. Roll and cut pasta dough:- Flour bench lightly.
- Use rolling pin to roll pasta dough to Size 7 thickness. Fold onto itself and roll again.
- Roll through machine at size 7, 6, 5 and 4.
- Cut using tagliatelle cutter.
- Put onto floured baking paper, toss gently in flour, take care to keep in a single layer.
7. CLEAN DOWN – as much as possible before cooking pasta – scrape and wash benches, clean cutting board and knife and put away, wash and put away dishes, sweep floor.
8. Cook pasta:- Bring water to a rolling boil.
- Add pasta all at once.
- Cook until done (will take about 2 minutes – taste it).
- Retain about 60ml of pasta water (half a dariole mould approx.).
- Drain through colander.
- Put pasta back in saucepan.
9. Mix red pesto sauce into pasta:- Add sauce over low heat.
- Emulsify using pasta water.
10. Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.
Salmon skewers with tarator and herb oil (v – roasted eggplant and potato)
Salmon skewers with tarator and herb oil (v – roasted eggplant and potato)
This recipe is based on a recipe for salmon skewers and parsley oil from Falastin: A Cookbook by Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley – foreword by Yotam Ottolenghi
- 1 x 650ml container
Equipment
- 2 Cutting boards
- Chef’s knife
- Cooktop
- Frypan
- Small bowl x 2
- Small baking tray lined with baking paper
- Whisk
- 2 wooden or metal skewers
Ingredients
Salmon skewers (v – eggplant and potato skewers)
- 180g salmon fillet (v – ½ large eggplant and 3 baby potatoes)
- ½ lemon
- 1 tsp sumac
- 40 ml (2 tbsp) EVOO
- 1 onion
- 6 cherry tomatoes
- ½ lemon
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
Herb oil
- 20 g parsley and other soft herbs (eg dill)
- 1 clove garlic
- 40ml (2 tbsp) EVOO
- ½ lemon
Tarator sauce with potato
- 3 tbsp tahini
- ½ lemon
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tbsp iced water
- Fat pinch salt
- 2 baby potatoes
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Gather equipment and ingredients.
- Preheat oven to 200c.
- Marinate salmon (v – eggplant):
Cut salmon (v – eggplant) into roughly 3cm cubes.
b. Put into bowl with all spices, 1 tbsp EVOO, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper - Cook potato
Quarter and boil in salted water until soft.
b. Toss in oil and a pinch of salt and put in oven for 20 minutes.
c. (v – add eggplant and roast alongside potato until browned. Reserve remaining marinade) - Make tarator by whisking all ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside.
- Make herb oil:
Finely chop parsley.
b. Mince garlic
c. Whisk with oil and a fat pinch of salt.
d. Supreme (segment) lemon then cut segments into small slices.
e. Add to oil.
f. Check for seasoning - Make skewers:
Heat 1 tbsp EVOO in frypan over medium high heat
b. Cut onions into 3 cm chunks
c. Cook until slightly softened but not browned. The chunks will fall apart a bit, this is fine.
d. Cool.
e. Thread tomatoes, onion pieces and marinated salmon (v – eggplant and potato – toss in reserved marinade first) onto skewers. - Fry skewers in frypan on high heat until charred. (If scaling recipe, cook in batches)
- Add skewers to lined baking tray with potatoes and into oven for 5 minutes until salmon is medium.
- Plate:
Rewhisk tarator and spoon onto plate.
b. Top with potato.
c. Top with salmon skewers.
d. Drizzle over oil. - Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.
Herb crepes with chicken fricasse (v – mushrooms)
Herb crepes with chicken fricasse (v – mushrooms)
Equipment
- Cooktop
- Frypan
- Spatula
- Jug
- Whisk
- Paper towel
Ingredients
Crepes
- 125g 00 flour
- 1 large egg
- 250ml whole milk
- 25 g butter
- Big handful mixed soft herbs
- Fat pinch caster sugar
- Fat pinch salt
- 50ml vegetable oil
Chicken mix (v – mushroom)
- 20g butter
- 20g plain flour
- 100ml chicken stock (v – mushroom)
- 120g chicken pieces (thigh or breast) (v – 120g mushrooms)
- ½ tbsp olive oil
- ¼ onion
- ½ clove garlic
- 1 small sprig thyme
- 3cm piece leek
- 60ml cream
- ¼ lemon
- 3 cm piece red capsicum for garnish
- Handful of soft green herbs for garnish
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Make and rest crepe batter
a. Put flour and salt into jug.
b. Make a bay, whisk egg and add to bowl along with sugar.
c. Add milk slowly, whisking to a smooth batter.
d. Cook butter to nut brown, whisk in to batter, set aside to rest (min 30 minutes, preferably 1 hr, on benchtop is fine) - Prepare vegetables
a. Chop herbs
b. Slice onion finely
c. Slice leek finely
d. Confetti dice capsicum
e. (v – chop mushroom finely) - Cook crepes
a. Add ¾ of the herbs
b. Stir mix and adjust consistency with water.
c. Heat oil in frypan until hot.
d. Wipe out surplus oil with paper towel.
e. Add a thin coating of crepe batter, swirl quickly to just coat the bottom of the pan.
f. Cook until brown on both sides. The surface should look lacy (think – your grandma’s doily). You should get at least 2 largish crepes.
g. Set aside. - Make chicken mix (v – mushroom)
a. Heat butter in frypan and sweat onion and garlic until onion is translucent.
b. Cut chicken (v – mushroom) into pieces and fry with butter and onion mix.
c. When browned, add flour and mix, then cook out until flour starts to smell toasted.
d. Deglaze pan with stock
e. Whisk until smooth, add thyme and heat until thickened
f. Add cream.
g. Season to taste and adjust with lemon juice. - Plate:
a. Lay crepes on plate.
b. Spoon half the chicken mix onto each.
c. Sprinkle over herbs and confetti diced capsicum. - Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.
Double Meal Prep – Chicken Marengo and Spinach and Ricotta Lasagne
Double Meal Prep – Chicken Marengo and Spinach and Ricotta Lasagne
Chicken marengo (v – mushrooms and eggs)
Equipment
- Cooktop
- Large frypan
- Spatula
- Cutting board with paper towel
- Chef’s knife
- Microplane
Ingredients
- ½ onion
- 60g mushrooms (v – 150g mushrooms)
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 3 chicken thigh cutlets, skin off
- 2 tbsp EVOO
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 180 ml dry white wine (3/4 cup)
- ½ tin diced tomatoes
- 80ml (1/3 cup) chicken stock
- 1 small bay leaf
- 1 lemon
- Salt and pepper
- 2 cups medium grain white rice (chef to cook)
- (v – 4 eggs)
Method
- Get all ingredients and equipment.
- Prepare vegetables:
Dice onion.
b. Slice mushrooms.
c. Crush garlic.
d. Finely chop thyme.
- Cook vegetables in frypan:
Fry diced onion in olive oil until translucent.
b. Add mushrooms until all water is removed.
c. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
d. Add thyme.
e. Deglaze with white wine and reduce completely until it no longer tastes acidic.
f. Add tomatoes, chicken stock and bay leaf.
g. Put in casserole dish.
h. Wipe out pan. - Cook chicken (v – eggs)
Toss chicken in flour with salt and pepper added.
b. Heat 1 tbsp EVOO in pan.
c. Saute chicken until golden brown.
d. (v – boil eggs for 7 minutes, chill in iced water for 10 minutes, peel) - Put chicken (v – eggs) on top of base, cover with foil. Write cooking instructions below on foil.
- Prepare rice:
Put rice in takeaway container.
b. Zest lemon over rice. - Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.
- At home, put in a 180 degree oven for 45 minutes, covered (75 minutes for 4 portions). Heat rice in microwave or saucepan and serve.
Spinach and ricotta lasagne
Equipment
- Small baking tray
- Chux or a sieve (for squeezing spinach)
- Bowl
- Jug
- Spoon or spatula
- Measuring spoon
- Scale
- Grater
- Alfoil
Ingredients
- Spray oil
- 150g frozen spinach, thawed
- 220g ricotta cheese
- 1 egg
- 30g (1 ½ tbsp) parmesan cheese
- 200g passata (bottled tomato pasta sauce)
- 30 g (1 1/2 tbsp) basil pesto
- 3 large dried instant lasagne sheets
- 35g (2 heaped tbsp) grated mozzarella or cheddar cheese
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Gather your ingredients and equipment.
- Spray baking tray well with spray oil.
- Grate parmesan.
- Squeeze spinach hard through clean Chux or sieve until no water comes out, place in large bowl. Add ricotta, egg and half the parmesan, season, mix well.
- Combine passata and pesto in a jug, mix, season. Pour a little into the baking tray and spread over base – you want enough to lightly cover the base.
- Place a lasagne sheet on top, breaking to fit.
- Spread one third of the spinach mix over the lasagne sheet and spread, top with one third of the tomato sauce.
- Repeat layering, finishing with sauce.
- Sprinkle with grated cheese and remaining parmesan.
- Spray oil on one side of alfoil. Cover lasagne with oiled alfoil.
- Clean down.
- At home, preheat oven to 180 degrees for 10 mins. Remove then bake 1 hour – check at 50 mins.
Note:
You can add different types of cheese in with the ricotta – blue cheese is delicious. Or add a bit of chopped fried bacon or very well cooked finely chopped mushroom. You can also make this in a slow cooker – double the recipe, assemble it straight into the slow cooker base, and cook covered on low for 4 hours.