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.
Beef enchiladas (v – broccoli and eggplant)
1 x 650ml container
Equipment
- Cutting board with paper towel under it
- Knife
- Cooktop
- Frypan
- Baking tray small (and/or alfoil)
- Spoon
Ingredients
- 120g beef mince (preferably lean) (v – ½ head broccoli and 1 small eggplant)
- 2 tsp vegetable oil
- ½ small white onion
- ¼ jalapeno (pickled is fine)
- 1 small clove garlic
- 1 fat pinch chilli flakes
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ¼ tsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 100ml tomato passata
- 100ml chicken stock (v – veg stock)
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 corn tortillas
- 2/3 cup Mexican cheese blend
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Preheat oven to 200C.
- Get all ingredients and equipment.
- Prepare vegetables:
- Finely dice onion
- Finely dice jalapeno
- Mince garlic
- (v – finely dice broccoli and eggplant)
- Fry meat (v – broccoli and eggplant) in oil and transfer to side bowl, leaving as much oil as possible in the frypan. Add salt and mix.
- Make the sauce:
- Sweat onion, jalapeno and garlic in leftover oil – do not brown.
- Add spice powders, oregano and flour and cook until thickened.
- Add tomato passata and stock.
- Add cooked beef (v – cooked broccoli and eggplant).
- Cook at medium heat until thickened.
- While sauce is cooking, brush both sides of the tortillas with oil and put in oven next to a bowl of water for about 2 minutes until soft. (Or use the microwave – cover with a piece of paper towel.
- Fill tortillas equally using half the cheese and a quarter of the sauce.
- Spoon half the sauce into a small baking dish (you can make a dish using foil).
- Roll tortillas and put them on top of the sauce, seam side down.
- Spoon over remaining quarter of the sauce and remaining cheese.
- Bake until cheese is melted (about 10 minutes).
- Final clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.
Huevos Rancheros
4 x 200ml container
Equipment
- Cutting board with paper towel under it
- Knife
- Cooktop
- Frypan
Ingredients
- 3 tsp vegetable oil
- 2 small corn tortillas
- ½ small onion
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ large tomato
- 1 tbsp jalapeno (pickled is fine)
- ¼ cup vegetable stock
- ½ cup refried beans
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp feta
- 1 stalk coriander
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Get all ingredients and equipment.
- Prepare vegetables:
- Finely dice onion
- Finely dice tomato
- Finely dice jalapeno
- Mince garlic
- Pick coriander leaves (do not chop)
- Fry tortillas in half the oil until golden. Drain on paper towels.
- Fry egg and place next to tortillas to drain.
- Mix onion, tomato, jalapeno and garlic with remaining oil and fry until softened. Add stock and cook until it has a salsa consistency.
- Make a hole in the centre of the salsa and heat the refried beans and reheat the egg.
- Plate – put tortillas on plate, add refried beans, add salsa, crumble over feta, add egg, tear over coriander. (Consume immediately if possible. Otherwise keep salsa, refried beans, cheese, egg and tortillas separate from each other until ready to serve)
- Final clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.
Pulled chicken nachos (v – refried beans)
1 x 650ml container
1 x 350 ml container
Equipment
- Cutting board with paper towel under it
- Knife
- Cooktop
- Saucepan
- Baking tray
- Fork
Ingredients
- 1 large chicken thigh fillet, skinned (150g breast fillet if you must) (v – 200g black beans or kidney beans)
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 tsp tomato paste
- ½ tsp sugar
- 1 small clove garlic
- 1 lime
- ½ small white onion
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- Fat pinch chilli flakes
- 3 tbsp vegetable stock
- ½ avocado
- 60g unflavoured corn chips
- 60g Mexican cheese mix
- 2 tbsp sour cream
- 2 stems coriander
- 4 slices pickled jalapeno
- 2 tbsp commercially made salsa and/or hot sauce
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Preheat oven to 180C.
- Get all ingredients and equipment.
- Prepare vegetables
- Dice avocado
- Very finely dice onion
- Mince garlic
- Cut lime into thirds.
- Wash and pick coriander.
- (v – drain and wash beans)
- Cure onion for guacamole – put half the onion in a small container and squeeze over enough lime juice that the onion is covered. Add a pinch of salt. Leave to cure for 10 minutes.
- Cook chicken (v – beans)
- Put oil into cold saucepan.
- Add the chicken (v – beans) and sprinkle over:
i. Cumin
ii. Oregano
iii. Paprika
iv. Ground coriander
Remaining onion
- Add tomato paste, sugar and stock and mix.
- Cover pan and cook over medium heat until chicken is no longer pink.
- Remove chicken and shred. Cook down sauce to thick consistency. Add chicken back in. (v – cook until sauce is thick. Mash beans with a fork).
- While chicken (v – bean mix) is cooking, make guacamole – Mash together diced avocado, cured onion and lime juice, and tear in half the coriander. Season to taste.
- Heat – put half the chips on a baking tray and top with half the chicken (v – beans) and the cheese. Bake until cheese is melted (about 5 minutes.
- Plate – top baked chips with guacamole, sour cream and salsa or hot sauce. Tear over coriander and sprinkle over jalapeno slices.
- Final clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.
Elotes (Mexican grilled corn) and Mexican rice with black beans
2 x 650ml container
Equipment
- Cutting board with paper towel under it
- Knife
- Cooktop
- Frypan with lid or foil to cover
- Baking tray
Ingredients
Elotes
- 50g feta cheese
- Scant tbsp mayonnaise
- Scant tbsp sour cream
- 2 stems coriander
- Fat pinch chilli powder (preferably ancho)
- ½ clove garlic
- 1 large cob of corn
- ½ lime
Mexican rice and black beans
- 1 tsp EVOO
- ½ small onion
- ½ clove garlic
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- Fat pinch chilli flakes
- ¼ red capsicum
- 80g long grain rice
- 100ml tomato passata
- 100ml water
- 100g black beans
- 2 stems coriander
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Preheat oven to 70C.
- Gather all ingredients and equipment.
- Prepare vegetables:
- Shuck corn and remove all the stringy silk.
- Finely dice onion
- Mince garlic
- Finely dice capsicum
- Wash and pick coriander
- Cook corn:
- Boil in salted water until tender, about 10 minutes.
- Add butter to frypan and fry corn on high heat until it starts to char.
- Put in oven to stay warm on baking tray.
- Cook rice:
- Fry onions in oil until softened (ie ‘sweat’, don’t brown).
- Add half the garlic, the chilli, dried spices and hers and diced capsicum and fry until fragrant.
- Add rice, passata and water. Mix an dseason to taste. Bring to boil then turn down heat to low and cover with a lid or foil.
- Cook until rice is softened.
- Add black beans.
- Garnish with coriander
- While rice is cooking, make dressing for corn: mix together feta, mayo, sour cream, coriander leaves, chilli powder and remaining half of the garlic into a small bowl until well combined.
- Dress corn – add dressing mix to top of corn.
- Plate – garnish rice with coriander, add corn, add lime wedges
Final clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.
Intermediate French – Provencal rice pilaf with herbed lamb (v – roasted beets)
2 x 350 ml containers
Equipment
- Cutting board with paper towel under it
- Knife
- Cooktop
- Small saucepan with a lid (or foil)
- Frypan
- Spatula
- Bowl for marinating
Ingredients
- 2 tsp EVOO plus 2 tsp EVOO
- 10g butter plus 10g butter
- ½ small onion
- 50g long grain rice
- 90ml chicken stock (v – vegetable stock)
- 1 small bay leaf
- 1 large clove garlic
- ¼ red capsicum
- ¼ zucchini
- 1 small tomato
- 4 pitted kalamata olives
- Fat pinch dried thyme
- Fat pinch dried oregano
- 1 stalk parsley
- 130g lamb backstrap (v – 2 small beetroot and 20g feta or goats cheese)
- 1 anchovy fillet
- ½ tsp thyme leaves
- 10 rosemary leaves (individual leaves, not full stalks)
- 1 heaped tsp Dijon mustard
- ¼ lemon
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Preheat oven to 200C.
- Get all ingredients and equipment.
- Prepare vegetables:
a. (v – scrub beets, coat in oil, wrap in foil and place in oven on a baking tray)
b. Finely dice onion, capsicum, zucchini and tomato.
c. Slice olives.
d. Finely chop parsley, fresh thyme and fresh rosemary
e. Mince garlic. - Marinate lamb:
a. In a bowl, crush anchovy fillet with a fork.
b. Add half the garlic.
c. Add all the fresh thyme and rosemary leaves.
d. Add the Dijon mustard.
e. Spread over one side only of the lamb. Set aside. - Cook rice:
a. Rinse rice until water runs clear.
b. Heat half the oil and half the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
c. Fry rice and onion in butter and oil until the rice starts to smell nutty.
d. Season, add stock and bay leaf, bring to boil. Remove from the heat and cover with a lid. Put in the oven and cook at 180 until rice is soft (about 10 minutes)
e. Remove from oven and leave to stand covered for 5 minutes.
f. Remove bay leaf. - While rice is cooking/resting, make the provencal base:
a. Heat remaining oil in the frypan.
b. Saute capsicum until it starts to soften.
c. Add zucchini and garlic.
d. Add thyme, rosemary and oregano.
e. Add tomato and olives and cook until tomatoes are warmed through.
f. Add to rice and stir. Recover to keep warm. Rinse frypan. - Cook lamb:
a. Add remaining oil and butter to frypan.
b. Fry lamb over medium heat, clean side down, until colour rises over half way up the lamb fillet.
c. Turn over and fry on the side with marinade, taking care not to burn it.
d. Cook to an internal temperature of 60 degrees (medium rare).
e. Cover in foil and set aside to rest for 5 mins.
f. When rested, slice diagonally, taste and adjust seasoning as required. - (v – prep beetroot: remove from oven, peel, slice into thick rounds, and dress with butter, olive oil and lemon juice. Season to taste).
- Quick clean down.
- Plate:
a. Pilaf in a circle on the plate.
b. Sliced lamb over. (v – sliced beetroot over, sprinkle over cheese).
c. Dress with a little lemon juice and the pan juices (v – remaining olive oil).
d. Sprinkle over parsley. - Final clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.
Intermediate French – Pan fried quail with compound butter and chiffonade salad (v – truffled mushrooms)
This recipe requires some familiarity with boning poultry, as each student will be boning a quail.
1 x 650ml container
1 x 350ml container
Equipment
- Cutting board with paper towel under it
- Knife
- Boning knife
- Cooktop
- Bowl for marinating
- Spatula
- Cling wrap
- Tongs
Ingredients
- Fat pinch freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tsp EVOO
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp flaked salt
- 1 desert lime/finger lime
- 1 quail (v – 1 large field mushroom, 1 tbsp truffle paste)
- 50g unsalted butter
- 1 clove garlic
- 8 coriander leaves
- Palm sized piece of iceberg lettuce
- 1 cheek red capsicum
- 1 cheek green capsicum
- ¼ red onion
- 1 small tomato
- ¼ lemon
- 2 tsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Get all ingredients and equipment.
- Make marinade:
- Add ground black pepper, 2 tsp EVOO, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp flakes salt to a bowl.
- Chop the finger lime very finely and add half to the bowl, with juice.
- Bone quail per chef’s instructions. Add quail to marinade, toss to coat, put in fridge. (v – add truffle paste to marinade, toss mushroom to coat, put in fridge)
- Make compound butter:
- Finely chop coriander leaves.
- Mince garlic.
- Add to a bowl with butter and beat to combine.
- Form into a small log and roll in cling wrap.
- Refrigerate.
- Make salad:
- Chiffonade lettuce
- Julienne capsicum and tomato
- Brunoise onion
- Dress with lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper.
- Cook quail (v – mushroom).
- Pan fry until done.
- Base with half the butter just before service.
- Salad, top with quail and a slice of compound butter.
- Final clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.
Mystery Box Challenge – The Guidelines
1 x 650ml container
- You will be given 3 to 5 ingredients in your mystery box. These will usually (but not always) include a grain, a protein and a vegetable.
- The goal of these classes is to teach adaptability – i.e. using what you have. Try to use all of the ingredients to make a meal you would like to eat.
- It’s not a race, please cook calmly without running or rushing. Normal safety rules apply.
- It’s also not a competition (unless you make it one with another consenting adult) – this is a skills building class and if you improve your ability to adapt and improvise then you have succeeded.
- If you dirty it you wash it up – so it pays to be mindful of your mess.
- In addition to what is in the mystery box, you can access the dry store and anything in the fridge that is not marked ‘do not use’. Please do not use frozen ingredients (except ice).
- When accessing the dry store and fridge, please be mindful of the needs of other students in your class (aka ‘please don’t hog the good stuff’ and use clean hands – some of our students are coeliac and it is important to keep the outside of containers gluten-free).
- Please use clean utensils when portioning ingredients – no double dipping between containers and no fingers.
- Please use ingredients like saffron, truffle paste, extra proteins and the like mindfully – the current ingredients pack fee for this class is inexpensive, let’s keep it that way 😊
- If you notice something you use is low, or you use the last of something, then please make a note on the shopping list on the side of the fridge.
- This is a good class to practice plating skills, if that is your jam.
- If you make a mistake, or burn something, or an element of the dish doesn’t work out, try to pivot. If that doesn’t work then don’t worry – there is always next week. 😊
- You have one hour to cook, which leaves 30 minutes to taste, plate, clean down and eat your food.
- The chef teacher is available to help you if you need ideas or suggestions.
- Remember, as always, to taste and season your food.
Double Meal Prep Galinhada – Cassoulet with chicken and pork sausage (v – carrot and kale)
Double Meal Prep
This class involves you preparing 2 meals to be finished on the oven or stovetop or reheated in the oven at home. Please bring:
- 2 x 650 ml containers (2 x 1.5l containers if making 4 serves/meal) for the taco sides
- 1 x small deep baking dish with lid for the cassoulet– small (1.5 to 2 litre capacity) if you are cooking 2 serves per meal, or medium (3 -4 litre capacity) if you are cooking 4 serves per meal. A round baking dish is perfect for this.
- 1 x deep baking tray with lid for the taco base – small (1-2 litre capacity) if you are cooking 2 serves per meal, or medium (3 litre capacity) if you are cooking 4 serves per meal.
Otherwise, you can buy ‘containers’ packs on our website for a couple of dollars each.
Cassoulet with chicken and pork sausage (v – carrot and kale)
Equipment
- Cutting board with paper towel under it
- Knife
- Cooktop
- Frypan
- Bowl
- Tongs
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp EVOO (or duck fat)
- 2 chicken thigh fillets (v – 4 medium carrots, 2 large handfuls cavalo nero or dark kale)
- 60g smoked sausage (v – 10g dried porcini or other European mushrooms)
- 30g bacon (v – 30g confit garlic)
- ½ can cannellini beans (v – 1 can cannellini beans)
- ½ cup chicken stock (v – veg stock)
- ½ cup to 1 cup panko breadcrumbs (enough to cover the top of your casserole dish)
- 1 small onion
- 10cm piece celery
- 1 small carrot
- 1 small tomato
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ tbsp thyme leaves
- ½ sprig rosemary
- Fat pinch ground allspice
- 1 small bay leaf
- 3 tbsp dry white wine
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Get all ingredients and equipment.
- Prep veg:
a. Finely dice onion, celery and carrot.
b. Mince garlic.
c. Dice tomato.
d. Finely chop thyme and rosemary.
e. (v – finely chop 4 medium carrots and kale, soak dried mushrooms in warm water to cover) - Prep sausage and bacon – cut into 1 cm slices
- Cook proteins (v – veg base)
a. Fry chicken thigh cutlets (v – carrots and kale) in a little EVOO/duck fat until chicken is cooked (v – until carrots and kale and golden brown and softened – you may need to add a little liquid and cover). Remove to bowl.
b. Slice bacon and sausage, remove to bowl (v- omit). - Make base:
a. Sweat onion, add carrot and celery, add garlic.
b. Add tomato, thyme, rosemary and tomato paste and cook until it smells toasted.
c. Deglaze with wine.
d. Add allspice, stock, bay leaf and beans and cook until reduced. Taste for seasoning - Assemble:
a. Put base in bottom of casserole dish.
b. Add chicken, sausage and bacon (v – add carrots, kale and soaked mushrooms) on top, pushing down into the liquid.
c. Cover with lid/foil. - Toss breadcrumbs in remaining EVOO/duck fat and put in a ziplock bag.
- Quick clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.
- At home, spread breadcrumbs over the top then cook covered at 180C for 40 minutes (50 minutes for 4 portions), then remove foil/lid and cook for a further 10 to 15 minutes until top is brown and bubbling. Add more time if necessary.
Pulled beef tacos (v – jackfruit)
Equipment
- Cutting board with paper towel under it
- Knife
- Cooktop
Ingredients
- 400g beef chuck or brisket, whole (v – 400g jackfruit)
- 1/8 tsp chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- About 200ml beef stock
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 red chilli
- 2 cloves garlic
- 4 flour tortillas
- 4 iceberg lettuce leaves
- 1 medium tomato
- ½ cup grated tasty cheese
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup commercial Mexican salsa
- 2 stalks coriander leaves
- ½ avocado
- ½ small onion
- ½ lime
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Get all ingredients and equipment.
- Prep vegetables:
a. Finely chop chilli
b. Mince garlic
c. Chiffonade lettuce
d. Dice tomato
e. Finely dice onion
f. Cut lime into 4 wedges - Cure onions for guacamole
a. Squeeze juice of half the lime over diced onions.
b. Set aside while finishing remaining prep - Make beef ( v – jackfruit).
a. Put beef (v – jackfruit) in baking tray and rub with combined spices.
b. Crush garlic. Finely slice chilli.
c. Put garlic, stock, paste and chilli into a jug and mix to combine. Add 1 tsp white pepper.
d. Pour over the beef. - Make guacamole – mash avocado into cured onions. Season to taste.
- Pack food:
a. Foil/lid on meat. Note on top: Cook for 3 hours at 150 degrees (check at 2.5 hrs).
b. Wrap tortillas in foil.
c. Put cheese, sour cream and salsa into one takeaway container.
d. Put guac, tomato, coriander leaves, 2 remaining lime wedges and lettuce into the other. - Final clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.
At home, cook beef (v – jackfruit) covered for 3 hours at 150 degrees (check at 2.5 hours). Put tortillas in to warm for final 15 minutes (in foil). Serve with sides.