Week 8 Term 1 – 30 June 2025

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.

Equipment

  • Cutting board with paper towel
  • Frypan
  • Knife
  • Tongs
  • Sieve/strainer
  • Small bowl
  • Medium bowl
  • Small tray
  • Fork or whisk

Ingredients

  • 200g tomatoes, mixed if you can get them
  • 4 or 5 bocconcini cheese pieces (or half a large ball of fresh mozzarella)
  • 50g bread (sourdough/ciabatta/focaccia), stale bread is fine (and traditional)
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
  • 2 tsp vinegar (white or red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar works)
  • ¼ tsp Dijon mustard
  • ¼ golden shallot
  • ½ clove garlic
  • About 10 basil leaves
  • Salt and pepper

Method

  1. Tie back long hair, wash hands and wear an apron. Stabilise your cutting board using damp paper towel.  Gather your ingredients and equipment.
  2. Heat olive oil in frypan over low heat.
  3. While oil is heating, cut tomatoes into bite sized pieces (halve cherry tomatoes) and put into the sieve over a bowl. Sprinkle a fat pinch (thumb and 3 fingers) of salt over, stir and leave to drain for 10 minutes.
  4. Cut or tear bread into pieces about 2cm x 2 cm. Add bread to frypan and toast slowly while preparing the rest of the ingredients.
  5. Halve bocconcini (if using mozzarella, tear into about 6 pieces). Put in medium bowl.
  6. Very finely dice the shallot and mince garlic.
  7. Pick off basil leaves and set aside on one end of small tray.
  8. When the toasted bread is brown and crispy, remove from pan and put on other end of small tray to cool.
  9. Put drained tomatoes in bowl with cheese.
  10. Retain the bowl of drained tomato juice. Make the dressing – Mix into the bowl of juice the EVOO, vinegar, mustard, diced shallot and minced garlic and whisk together with a fork or whisk.
  11. Wipe cooktop and put away, clean and put away everything except the fork and your bowls/tray of ingredients.
  12. Scrape and wash benchtop. Quickly sweep your area.
  13. Add tomatoes, cheese and bread to the bowl with the dressing. Top with basil, toss gently.  Leave for 5 minutes while you finish packing down.
  14. Run all remaining equipment through dishwasher and do a final clean and sanitise of the bench. Put remaining equipment away.
  15. Enjoy your food! (If eating in the dining area, please sweep up after yourself and wash and put away your dishes/cutlery/glassware).

Notes

Traditional panzanella does not contain cheese – but cheese makes most things better so we have included it here.  Leave it out if you are not a fan.

Equipment

  • Bowl
  • Glove
  • Spoon
  • Baking tray
  • Baking paper
  • Scissors
  • Small container to take excess sauce home

Ingredients

  • 1/4 tin whole peeled tomatoes and juice (preferably San Marzano, but Annalisa will do)
  • 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
  • Pinch salt
  • Pinch dried oregano
  • 1 large basil leaf
  • 1 pita bread or pizza base
  • 4 bocconcini or ¼ ball fresh mozzarella

Method

  1. Tie back long hair, wash hands and wear an apron. Gather your ingredients and equipment.
  2. Preheat oven as high as it will go.
  3. Pour the tomatoes into a bowl and crush thoroughly using your glove – or use scissors to chop.
  4. Add salt, EVOO, oregano. Tear basil into bits with your fingers and add. 
  5. Place pita bread or pizza base on baking paper, and put on baking tray.
  6. Put a bit of pizza sauce on top and spread close to the edges using a spoon. Don’t drown the base.    Put the rest of the sauce into a small container.
  7. Cut or tear bocconcini/mozzarella on top of the sauce.
  8. Put in the oven until cheese melts (Watch it, at least for the first couple of times until you know how hot your oven gets.  At 200c, a thin based pizza will cook in about 10 to 15 minutes.  But at 400c it will only take about 2 to 3 minutes).
  9. While pizza is in the oven, clean down, and run all equipment through the dishwasher. Wipe and put cooktop and all other equipment away.  Quickly sweep your area.
  10. Plate pizza, quickly put the tray in the dishwasher and the paper in the bin.
  11. Wash hands and enjoy your food! (If eating in the dining area, please sweep up after yourself and wash and put away your dishes/cutlery/glassware).

Notes

No tomato paste or powdered flavouring goes into pizza sauce (ie no garlic powder, onion powder or ‘Italian’ seasoning). It won’t taste right. 

This sauce keep in the fridge for a few days and will freeze for a month. 

We will run classes later in the year on how to freshly make a pizza base.

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
  • 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

  1. Tie back long hair, wash hands and wear an apron. Stabilise your cutting board using damp paper towel.  Gather your ingredients and equipment.
  2. Heat oven to 200 degrees.
  3. Mince garlic and put in small bowl.
  4. Coat the chicken – Put in small bowl with ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper, most of the garlic, the paprika, oregano and 1 heaped tablespoon of the Greek yoghurt.
  5. Cook the chicken – line a baking tray with banking paper. Put chicken into the baking tray with the water and into the oven.  Set a time for 35 minutes.
  6. Make the tzatziki –
    1. Finely slice mint. Add to remaining garlic in bowl.
    2. Grate cucumber and use your gloved hand to squeeze out as much moisture as you can. Add to garlic.  Discard cucumber liquid.
    3. Add 2 heaped tbsp yoghurt, a squeeze of lemon, and salt.
    4. Mix and taste. Adjust for seasoning.
  7. 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.
  8. When your timer goes, add the tomatoes into the baking tray. Set another timer for 10 minutes.
  9. 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.
  10. Run all remaining equipment through dishwasher and scrape, clean, squeegee and sanitise bench. Put remaining equipment away.
  11. Enjoy your food! (If eating in the dining area, please sweep up after yourself and wash and put away your dishes/cutlery/glassware).

Equipment

  • Cutting board with paper towel
  • Cooktop
  • Chef’s knife
  • Large saucepan
  • Ramekin or cup
  • Sieve or colander
  • Grater
  • Whisk or fork

Ingredients

  • 100g penne pasta
  • 2 tbsp (20ml) oil
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • ½ cup (125ml) cup cream
  • 20g parmesan 
  • ¼ onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • ¼ lemon
  • 100g (a large handful) cherry tomatoes
  • Handful soft herbs (eg basil/dill/marjoram)
  • 2 tbsp (40g) tomato paste
  • Salt and pepper

Method

  1. Tie back long hair, wash hands and wear an apron. Stabilise your cutting board using damp paper towel.  Gather your ingredients and equipment.
  2. Heat a saucepan full of water on high heat. Add enough salt that it tastes like the ocean.  Bring to a rolling boil.
  3. Add pasta and cook according to packet instructions (for penne, usually 11 minutes). Set a timer for 10 minutes.
  4. While pasta is cooking, prepare your sauce ingredients:
    1. Finely chop the onion
    2. Finely chop the garlic
    3. Finely chop or tear herbs.
    4. Halve the tomatoes
    5. Grate the parmesan.
  5. When the timer goes off, check pasta consistency. Dip a ramekin or cup into the water and reserve about a quarter of a cup of water.
  6. When pasta is cooked, drain it using a colander or sieve. Put drained pasta into a bowl and add a little oil.    Cover with a lid or clingfilm. (Note if doing this at home, you can cook the pasta at the same time as the sauce.)
  7. Heat remaining olive oil and butter in the same saucepan you used for the pasta – medium high heat. Add onions. Reduce heat to low and cook until soft and translucent (about 5 minutes). 
  8. Add garlic and tomatoes and cook until fragrant.
  9. Add tomato paste and cook until fragrant. Add a little salt.
  10. Add the cream and use a fork or whisk to combine the ingredients into a sauce.
  11. Squeeze the lemon, whisking the juice in and tasting halfway through.
  12. Add the parmesan slowly, whisking to ensure it melts.
  13. Add the cooked pasta into the sauce along with about half the pasta water.
  14. Cook until shiny. If too thick, add some more pasta water.
  15. Taste for seasoning and adjust.
  16. Take pasta off the heat and leave to rest in the pan while you clean down.
  17. Clean down, and run all equipment through the dishwasher (leave herbs). Wipe and put cooktop and all other equipment away.  Quickly sweep your area.
  18. Add herbs.
  19. Plate your pasta/put into a storage container.
  20. Run all remaining equipment through dishwasher and scrape, clean, squeegee and sanitise bench. Put remaining equipment away.
  21. Enjoy your food! (If eating in the dining area, please sweep up after yourself and wash and put away your dishes/cutlery/glassware).

Equipment

  • Cooktop
  • Saucepan
  • Tongs or large spoon
  • Cutting board with paper towel
  • Chef’s knife
  • Blender or food processor
  • Grater
  • Strainer/sieve

Ingredients

  • 100g pasta (penne is nice)
  • 1/2 clove garlic
  • ½ tbsp (10g) pine nuts
  • 20 g (about 1/4 large bunch or 15 large leaves) basil
  • 15g parmesan (if you can get it, Parmigiano-Reggiano) cheese
  • 10g pecorino (if you can get it, Sardinian or Romano) cheese
  • 1 tbsp (20ml) extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
  • Pinch of table salt plus a teaspoon of table salt

Method

  1. Tie back long hair, wash hands and wear an apron. Stabilise your cutting board using damp paper towel.  Gather your ingredients and equipment.
  2. Heat a saucepan full of water on high heat. Add enough salt that it tastes like the ocean.  Bring to a rolling boil.
  3. Add pasta and cook according to packet instructions (for penne, usually 11 minutes). Set a timer for 10 minutes.
  4. While pasta is cooking, prepare your pesto:
    1. Peel garlic, remove the germ, crush
    2. Put in a blender (or food processor or Thermomix) with the pine nuts – there is no need to toast them. Pulse until a chunky paste is formed. 
    3. Add the basil (leaves only, no stem) and pulse until you have a thick green paste.
    4. Add the cheeses.
    5. Add the olive oil a third at a time until you have the desired consistency (we like ours fairly runny, some people prefer a paste).
  5. When the timer goes off, check pasta consistency. Dip a ramekin or cup into the water and reserve about a quarter of a cup of water.
  6. When pasta is cooked, drain it using a colander or sieve and return to saucepan
  7. Add the pesto sauce to the pasta along with about half the pasta water.
  8. Mix until shiny. If too thick, add some more pasta water.
  9. Taste for seasoning and adjust.
  10. Take pasta off the heat and leave to rest in the pan while you clean down.
  11. Clean down, and run all equipment through the dishwasher.
  12. Wipe and put cooktop and all other equipment away. Quickly sweep your area.
  13. Plate your pasta/put into a storage container.
  14. Run all remaining equipment through dishwasher and scrape, clean, squeegee and sanitise bench. Put remaining equipment away.
  15. Enjoy your food! (If eating in the dining area, please sweep up after yourself and wash and put away your dishes/cutlery/glassware).
  16. Enjoy your food! (If eating in the dining area, please sweep up after yourself and wash and put away your dishes/cutlery/glassware).

Makes about 8 cookies

Equipment

  • Oven
  • Baking tray
  • Baking paper
  • Med bowl
  • Small bowl
  • Whisk
  • Spoon
  • Takehome container

Ingredients

  • 70g (about ¾ cup) almond flour
  • 30g egg whites (about 1 eggs worth)
  • 65g (heaped ¼ cup) caster sugar
  • ½ tsp (2.5ml) vanilla essence
  • ½ tsp (2.5ml) almond extract (optional)
  • 15g (about 2 tablespoons) pure icing sugar

Method

  1. Tie back long hair, wash hands and wear an apron. Gather your ingredients and equipment.
  2. Preheat oven to 180c.
  3. Line your baking tray with baking paper.
  4. Put icing sugar in small bowl.
  5. Pour your egg whites into medium bowl and whisk until frothy (whisking is optional but it makes the biscuits lighter).
  6. Add to egg whites the almond flour, caster sugar, vanilla essence and almond essence and mix until thoroughly combined – do not beat.
  7. Spoon a teaspoon’s worth of mixture into a bowl of icing sugar. Roll to coat
  8. Place biscuits onto the baking tray – you can share the tray with up to 3 others.
  9. Put in oven. Set a timer for 13 minutes. 
  10. Clean down, and run all equipment through the dishwasher. Wipe and put equipment away.  Quickly sweep your area.
  11. When timer goes off, check the biscuits – they may need another 2 minutes. The outsides should look and feel crispy but the biscuits should ‘give’ when very gently pressed.  Remove from baking tray and set aside to cool.
  12. Run baking tray and any remaining equipment through dishwasher and scrape, clean, squeegee and sanitise bench. Put remaining equipment away.
  13. Pack biscuits into storage container. These will keep in the cupboard for about a week.  (If eating in the dining area, please sweep up after yourself and wash and put away your dishes/cutlery/glassware).

Notes

You can use icing mixture instead of pure icing sugar (sometimes this is easier as icing mixture doesn’t clump unlike pure icing sugar which can get very lumpy).  Just check it’s gluten free if that is important (most brands are).

Equipment

  • Cooktop
  • Saucepan
  • Tongs
  • Tray and paper towel for draining vegies
  • Cutting board with paper towel
  • Chef’s knife
  • Baking tray
  • Baking paper or foil
  • Small bowl
  • Ramekin or dariole mould for butter

Ingredients

  • 1 x 125g salmon fillet (v – 2 carrots, pinch cayenne pepper or big pinch Aleppo pepper, pinch nutmeg, 3 baby potatoes, 1 tbsp of truffle and mushroom mix (tartufi))
  • 2 tbsp (about 40g) butter, melted
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • ¼ lemon
  • Small handful parsley
  • Small handful dill
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 6 cherry tomatoes
  • Large handful green beans
  • Salt and pepper

Method

  1. Tie back long hair, wash hands and wear an apron. Stabilise your cutting board using damp paper towel.  Gather your ingredients and equipment.
  2. Preheat oven to 190c.
  3. Put a saucepan of water on the cooktop to boil. Add enough salt that it tastes like the sea. 
  4. Prepare vegies and herbs:
    1. (v – cut baby potatoes in quarters, peel carrots and cut in half lengthways, then into pieces about 3cm long. Put into boiling water and set a timer for 8 minutes – when timer goes off, check if potatoes are done and carrots are medium soft.  If not, cook for a little longer, testing regularly).
    2. Cut wedge of lemon in half crossways. Finely slice one half.
    3. Finely chop parsley and dill (together is fine).
    4. Cut the ends of the beans (‘top and tail’).
    5. Mince garlic.
    6. Put butter into oven for a minute or two until melted.
  5. Prepare the salmon – in a small bowl, mix just under half the butter with the juice from the half wedge of lemon and the garlic.  Add salmon and turn to coat in the butter.  Put on baking tray and pour remaining butter over. 
  6. (v – prepare the carrots and potatoes – in a small bowl, mix just under half the butter with the spices, juice from the half wedge of lemon and the garlic.  Add carrots and potatoes and toss to coat in the butter.  Put on baking tray and pour remaining butter over.
  7. Put cherry tomatoes in a small ‘tray’ made from foil, add oil and place next to salmon (v – carrots and potatoes).
  8. Bake for 12 minutes for medium rare (15 minutes if you prefer well done). (v – bake until browned).
  9. While salmon (v – carrot and potato) is baking, cook your beans in boiling salted water until they are ‘done’ the way you like them. This will take about 3 minutes if you like some crunch, or about 5 minutes if you like them soft and not squeaky.  While cooking, rinse or wipe out a small bowl and fill with iced water.
  10. When beans are cooked, put them straight into iced water. This will stop them cooking.  Drain and rinse the saucepan and put the remaining butter and the cold beans in them with some salt and pepper.
  11. Clean down, and run all equipment through the dishwasher (leave cooktop out and the saucepan with the beans). Wipe and put all other equipment away.  Quickly sweep your area.
  12. When salmon (v – carrot and potato) is done, remove from oven and sprinkle over herbs. Turn cooktop to medium and heat beans quickly. 
  13. Plate and cover with foil/put into storage container.
  14. Run all remaining equipment through dishwasher and scrape, clean, squeegee and sanitise bench. Put remaining equipment away.
  15. Enjoy your food! (If eating in the dining area, please sweep up after yourself and wash and put away your dishes/cutlery/glassware).

Note – this can be served with bread, rice or pasta.

This class involves you preparing 2 meals to be finished in the oven at home.  If you have them, please bring 1 x casserole dish with lid and 1 x baking tray or dish – small (2 litre capacity) if you are cooking 2 portions, medium (4 litre capacity) if you are cooking 4 portions.  Otherwise, we will provide foil wrapped aluminium trays for you to take home with you.

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

  1. Tie back long hair, wash hands and wear an apron. Stabilise your cutting board using damp paper towel.  Gather your ingredients and equipment.
  2. Spray baking tray well with spray oil.
  3. Grate parmesan.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Place a lasagne sheet on top, breaking to fit.
  7. Spread one third of the spinach mix over the lasagne sheet and spread, top with one third of the tomato sauce.
  8. Repeat layering, finishing with sauce.
  9. Sprinkle with grated cheese and remaining parmesan.
  10. Spray oil on one side of alfoil.  Cover lasagne with oiled alfoil.
  11. Write on top:  Bake 1 hour at 180 degrees (preheat oven 10 mins and remove foil first) – check at 50 mins. Put in fridge while you cook your second dish.
  12. Clean down, clean knives, and run equipment through the dishwasher.  Leave cooktop out.  Wipe bench.
  13. 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.

This class involves you preparing 2 meals to be finished in the oven at home.  If you have them, please bring 1 x casserole dish with lid and 1 x baking tray or dish – small (2 litre capacity) if you are cooking 2 portions, medium (4 litre capacity) if you are cooking 4 portions.  Otherwise, we will provide foil wrapped aluminium trays for you to take home with you.

Slow cooked beef gyros (v – chickpeas and mushroom)

Equipment

  • Cooktop
  • Small saucepan
  • Cutting board with paper towel
  • Chef’s knife
  • Medium bowl
  • (V – strainer/colander)
  • Casserole dish with lid or aluminium baking pan with foil to cover
  • Small lidded container for tomatoes and lettuce with paper towel
  • Small lidded container for pickled onions

Ingredients

  • 2 large onions
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary
  • ¼ lemon
  • ¼ butter or oak lettuce
  • 80g cherry tomatoes (about a third of a punnet)
  • ½ tbsp sweet/smoked paprika
  • ½ tbsp ground cumin
  • ½ tbsp dried oregano
  • ½ tsp Aleppo pepper
  • ½ tsp table salt
  • 250g beef chuck or brisket (v – 1 tin chickpeas and 100g portobello or king oyster mushrooms)
  • 135 ml (about a third of a bottle) beer
  • 125ml (half a cup) white vinegar
  • 125ml (half a cup) iced water
  • 20g (1 heaped tbsp) white sugar
  • 10 g ( 2 heaped tsp) table salt
  • 2 pita breads
  • 60g tzatziki (chef to prepare)

Method

  1. Tie back long hair, wash hands and wear an apron. Stabilise your cutting board using damp paper towel.  Gather your ingredients and equipment.
  2. Prepare vegetables:
    1. Slice onions
    2. Mince garlic
    3. Strip and chop thyme and rosemary finely
    4. Rinse lettuce and tomatoes and put into small lidded container on paper towel.
    5. (v – drain and rinse chickpeas, cut mushrooms into large chunks, put into bowl).
  3. Make pickled onion – put half the sliced onion into a lidded container. Heat vinegar on stove and dissolve salt and sugar.  Add iced water.  Pour over container of onions. 
  4. Wrap pita breads in foil and cling wrap.
  5. Put tzatziki into small lidded container.
  6. Prepare meat (v – chickpeas and mushroom):
    1. Put remaining onions and all garlic in the bottom of the casserole dish/aluminium tray.
    2. In bowl, mix all herbs and spices and add 2 tsp salt.
    3. Put beef on onion/garlic mix and rub with herb and spice mix. (v – add chickpeas and mushrooms to herb and spice mix, toss to coat, and spread over onions and garlic)
    4. Pour over beer and squeeze over lemon juice.
    5. Add about 50ml water.
    6. Cover with foil.
  7. Write on foil – Roast at 160 degrees for 3 hours (check at 2.5 hours). Serve w pita, salad, tzatziki and pickled onion.
  8. Clean down, and run all equipment through the dishwasher. Wipe and put cooktop and all other equipment away.  Quickly sweep your area.  Scrape, clean, squeegee and sanitise bench. 
  9. At home – preheat oven for 10 minutes to 160 degrees. Roast at 160 degrees for 3 hours (check at 2.5 hours) and again at 3 hours and remove from oven until tender. If not tender at 3 hours, roast for a little longer.

Notes

The pickled onion will keep in the fridge for about 2 weeks.

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