Category: Recipes
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Eat Fresh. Eat Simply.
One of the things that struck me most during our time in France was not the sophistication of the food, but its simplicity. Before travelling, it is easy to imagine that French dining is all white tablecloths, elaborate sauces and chefs performing culinary magic behind kitchen doors. Certainly, those places exist, but what we found…
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From Passata to Pantry
One of the challenges of making things from scratch is that you occasionally make more than you know what to do with. A little while ago I found myself with a substantial quantity of roasted tomato passata sitting in the refrigerator. The passata itself had come from an excess of tomatoes that had been roasted…
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Learning to Slow Down in Saint-Étienne-de-Lescattes
After a week aboard the Canal du Midi, we traded our floating home for a stone farmhouse near the tiny hamlet of Saint-Étienne-de-Lescattes in the hills of Occitanie. If you’ve never heard of Saint-Étienne-de-Lescattes, don’t worry. Neither had I. It’s one of those places that barely registers on a map, surrounded by vineyards, rolling countryside…
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Lunch and Art at Château La Coste
Today at Château La Coste in Provence felt like one of those places where food, landscape and art all become part of the same experience. Before lunch we spent time walking through the grounds looking at the outdoor artworks integrated into the vineyards and hillsides. The standout for me was the Oak Room by Andy…
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Duck, Eggplant and the Landscape of Southern France
Lunch at Château Capitoul felt like the food equivalent of the surrounding gardens – restrained, highly regional and completely confident in its ingredients . The opening dish was a carpaccio of Mediterranean fish dressed simply with olive oil, lemon, apple and radish. Clean, bright flavours with just enough sharpness and texture to remind you how…
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Tortilla for Two
1. The Situation The potatoes are ready and sitting there. If you leave them, they go soft or start sprouting. The hens are laying steadily, so eggs aren’t scarce. This is one of those moments where doing nothing wastes both. 2. The Approach This is a holding dish as much as a meal. You’re turning…
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Mackerel Fillet
Lunch in Marseille today and this handwritten board pretty much summed up the Mediterranean for me: Flame-seared mackerel glazed with orange, cumin sweet potato mash, and a sweet-sour ginger emulsion. Simple idea, but a really interesting combination to think about back home in Australia. You could easily do this with local mackerel, kingfish, salmon or…
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Couscous & Roast Chicken Croquettes
8 1. The Situation Leftover roast chicken that’s already been picked over once.Cooked couscous sitting in the fridge – dry, not something you want to just reheat. Both need using. Neither is appealing on its own. 2. The Approach You’re not trying to “improve” couscous – you’re using it as structure. Chicken brings flavour and…
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Travelling in Provence
For the next couple of weeks, Rough Cut Kitchen is turning into a bit of a travel food diary. I’m currently in the south of France and, as you’d expect, the food culture here is impossible to ignore. Yesterday was Avignon. Today, Marseille. We’re now based in Aix-en-Provence for a few days while I wander…
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Beef Satay-Style Curry
There was rump steak in the fridge that needed using, along with green beans that wouldn’t hold much longer. Onions, garlic and ginger were already there. A jar of peanut butter in the cupboard. Coconut milk on hand. The Malaysian curry powder from earlier. Enough to build something solid without going anywhere else. This wasn’t…
Rough Cut Kitchen 