It’s always fun doing live telly. There’s a real energy there that keeps you in the moment, and when you know you’ve only got six minutes and you have to get two or three dishes done you really get your act together!
This morning on TV One’s Good Morning show I had a lot of fun with hosts Matai and Rod, who both joined me in the kitchen and proved themselves to be very creative cooks as we whipped up some of my favourite dishes from my new book and TV series.
Matai helped out with my magical mayonnaise, which you whip up in less than 30 seconds from whoa to go. I could see the astonishment on his face that he had actually produced this delicious creamy mayo without any effort. And then when I showed him how to add dill and capers to make a yummy sauce for fish, or garlic and a little olive oil to make aioli, I could see he was fully converted.
The next recipe was my signature Sesame Prawn Toasts, which just involves mixing some of the mayo through some chopped raw prawns with a little sesame oil, spreading it on white bread, topping with sesame seeds and baking for 15 minutes. So crunchy and delicious, let much lighter than the greasy version you get from the Chinese takeaway shop.
Then, while I made a five-minute dinner with my Flash-Roasted Pesto Salmon, Rod created a fabulous improvised salad with some fresh spinach and rocket from my garden, oranges, flaked almonds and borage leaves. For the dressing we simply thinned a spoonful of the mayo with a little water and drizzled it over the top.
To finish, I made the most decadent Choconut Slice simply by sprinkling coconut, chocolate chunks, craisins and almonds over a biscuit base and slathering it in sweetened condensed milk.
When I make this at home I change out the ingredients depending on what I’ve got in the cupboard. And to me that spirit of resourcefulness is what good home cooking is all about. If you have a couple of FridgeFixings like my Speedy Mayo and homemade pesto at hand you can put them together with whatever you’ve got in the pantry or garden and cook up a storm. To watch Matai and I make Sesame Prawn Toasts on TVNZ OnDemand click here.