Professional chefs are more visible than they’ve ever been. They cook in open restaurant kitchens, on network TV shows, in online tutorials and a myriad of other public settings. But for all this, it’s rare to get an insight into how these people cook at home, for themselves and their families.
Melbourne’s lengthy lockdowns changed that. Stuck at home with the rest of us, restless chefs took to Youtube, Instagram and other platforms to give us an unscripted, unfiltered look at what happens in their home kitchens.
And what we noticed was this: the food they cook is less important than the way they cook it. Every chef has an arsenal of tips, tricks and wisdom built up over their career, ready to elevate even the simplest dishes. Every slice, every pat, every stir, every flip, every shake, is executed with utter certainty; a total understanding of why it’s necessary and how it will impact the finished dish.
After months and months of absorbing as much of this valuable knowledge as we could, we thought: let’s put it in a book. Let’s create a cookbook of recipes that’s as much about the how and the why as it is the what.
The result is Home Made, a hardcover collection of 80 essential home recipes sourced from the best cooks, chefs and restaurants in Melbourne. The book is available now $49.95 at shop.broadsheet.com.au.
As much as possible, we opted for classic, iconic dishes. But not just any version of these dishes, the ultimate versions, according to the chefs who’ve spent years – decades, even – thinking about and refining them. Many are quick and simple, such as Joseph Abboud’s (Rumi) smoky baba ganoush, Shane Delia’s (Maha) theatrical roast salmon and Andrew McConnell’s (Trader House Restaurants) weeknight prawn pasta. Others, such as Joey Kellock’s (1800 Lasagne) epic lasagne, Scott Pickett’s (Estelle) nostalgic lamb shoulder and Hugh Allen’s (Vue de Monde) decadent lamington will take all day to prepare but are guaranteed to floor anyone who tastes them.
Though some of these dishes can be found at restaurants around Melbourne, Home Made is not about replicating restaurant food at home, the way Broadsheet’s previous three cookbooks were. These are dishes specifically for home.
We started by asking chefs two questions: “What do you cook when you’re cooking for the people you love?” and “When you cook roast chicken (or yellow curry, or paella or another staple dish) at home, what do you bring to it that the average home cook wouldn’t?”
Those two questions are the premise at the heart of this book, which is about getting to know the principles of professional cooking, to help you make better, more delicious food for yourself and the people you love. We call it “cheffiness”. It’s the difference between the way chefs and non-chefs cook at home.
In between the main chapters (Snacks & Starters, Vegetables, Seafood, Poultry & Meat, Sides & Salads and Desserts) you’ll find helpful features covering the fundamentals. You’ll learn, for example, which kitchen utensils are worth spending serious money on, and which you can safely pick at little cost. Or the genius secrets to organising your pantry. Even which spirits and equipment you need to start a home bar.
Home Made epitomises the spirit of Melbourne. It’s a cross-section of the city’s culinary diversity and creativity, capturing its warmth, optimism and sense of community. But more than anything, it celebrates our appreciation for sharing a meal and a drink with the people we love.
Home Made retails for $49.95 and is available at shop.broadsheet.com.au.
Full list of recipes:
Abla Amad, Abla’s – djaj a riz (chicken and rice)
Adam D’Sylva, Coda and Tonka – yellow duck curry
Alejandro Saravia, Pastuso – snapper ceviche
Almay Jordaan, Old Palm Liquor – cider-brined pork chops, pea salad with pickled shallots
Andreas Papadakis, Osteria Ilaria – bistecca alla Fiorentina, charred broccolini with macadamia and capers
Andrew McConnell, Trader House Restaurants – trottole pasta with prawn
Angie Giannakodakis, Epocha – spanakopita and tyropita
Ash Smith, Stokehouse – flourless chocolate cake
Benjamin Cooper, Chin Chin – yellow curry, adjard pickles
Brigitte Hafner, Tedesca Osteria – roast duck with orange and quatre épices
Caelan O’Rourke, Raphael Hyams and Geoff Marett, Nama – Ebi (prawn) toast
Chavalit Piyaphanee, Soi 38 – boat noodles
Colin Mainds, Cutler & Co – cioppino with mussels and rock flathead
Dan Hunter, Brae – pear tarte tatin
Dave Verheul, Embla – stracciatella, walnut, cime di rapa
David Zhou, Oriental Teahouse and David’s – pork and prawn siu mai, Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce
Dawit Kebede, Mesob – doro wat (Ethiopian chicken stew)
Dougal Colam, Bhang – Kashmiri paneer
Eileen Horsnell, Napier Quarter – linguine with fromage frais and fennel
Ernest Tovar, Nómada – jamón and leek croquetas
Frank Camorra, Movida – Spanish mackerel marinated in Andalusian spices
Gareth Whitton, Tarts Anon – chocolate and caramel tart
Geraud Fabre, France Soir – beef bourguignon
Guy Grossi, Grossi Florentino – fettucine bolognese
Hana Assafiri, Moroccan Soup Bar – chickpea bake
Hugh Allen, Vue de Monde – lamingtons
James Cameron – salt-baked snapper
Jamie Valmorbida, King & Godfree – paccheri with tomato and Italian sausage
Jarrod di Blasi, Izakaya Den 2029 – karaage chicken ribs
Jesse Gerner, Bomba – chicken paella with pipis
Jessi Singh, Daughter in Law – tadka
Joey Kellock, 1800 Lasagne – lasagne
Joseph Abboud, Rumi – baba ganoush, barbequed chicken wings with toum
Julia Busuttil Nishimura – smoked trout pate, chargrilled capsicum panzanella salad, chicken cotoletta sandwich, melon salad with ginger and vanilla syrup
Julian Hills, Navi – beef short rib tacos
Karina Serex, Tuck Shop Take Away – peanut butter and jelly ice-cream sandwiches
Kay-Lene Tan, Coda and Tonka – fruit cobbler
Khanh Nguyen, Sunda – clay-pot fish with pepperberry and crispy pork lard
Koichi Minamishima and Yoshiki Tano, Minamishima – fish collar nabe
Konstandakopoulos family, Stalactites – chicken souvlaki
Lisa Valmorbida, Pidapipó – bread and butter pudding, linguine with sea urchin, tomato and parsley
Marco Finanzio, Umberto Espresso Bar – osso buco
Matt Lane, Mamasita – elotes, guajillo octopus tacos
Matt McConnell, Bar Lourinhã – roast cauliflower with yoghurt and pine nuts
Michael Bacash, Bacash – whole baked flounder
Michael Li, Super Ling – mapo tofu jaffle
John Paul Twomey, Baker Bleu – piquillo peppers on toast
Nam Nguyen, Good Days – beef pho
Nick Deligiannis, Frédéric – sweet corn and espelette madeleines with blue swimmer crab
Philip and Shirley Leong, Gai Wong – Hainanese chicken rice
Philippe Mouchel, Philippe – roast chicken
Tanpapat family, Jinda Thai – som tum (papaya salad)
Raph Rashid, Beatbox Kitchen – nasi goreng
Rita Macali, Supermaxi – minestrone
Rosheen Kaul, Etta – tamarind eggplant
Roy Sassonkin, Tahina – green falafel
Roystan Leow, Mr Ramen San – Kyushu-style chashu tonkotsu ramen
Scott Pickett, Estelle – roast lamb shoulder, roast potatoes, Brussels sprouts with pancetta
Shane Delia, Maha – salmon with tarator and burnt butter, pomegranate tabouli
Shannon Martinez, Smith & Daughters – Chongqing noodles
Shiyamalee Somaweera, Citrus – red lentil curry
Thi Le, Anchovy – banh mi
Tom Sarafian, Bar Saracen – goat’s cheese mammols (cookies) with fig and sesame jam
Tony Tan, Tony Tan Cooking School – ayam percik (barbeque chicken)
Victor Liong, Lee Ho Fook – drunken pipies with rolled rice noodles and ginger chicken fat
Ying Hou and Meiyan Wang, Shandong Mama – zucchini dumplings
