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1 month ago | 
oceanographicmagazine.com | Nane Steinhoff |Andrew McConnell
Marine Protected Areas An investigation by Greenpeace UK reveals that supertrawlers have continued to catch fish in the UK’s Marine Protected Areas, despite the UK government having had the powers to stop them since Brexit and committing to protect at least 30% of UK waters by 2030.
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Dec 6, 2024 | 
thesaturdaypaper.com.au | Andrew McConnell
This recipe works best with bottle squid, which are often smaller than arrow squid. I think they’re a little sweeter and easier to work with and it’s nice to be able to serve them more or less whole. When cleaning the squid, I always like to leave some of the skin on the flesh so that it will caramelise and bring out the flavour. This is another reason to pick smaller squid as the skin on larger ones can be too rubbery to break down. As part of the preparation, the squid is scored on one side.
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Nov 1, 2024 | 
thesaturdaypaper.com.au | Andrew McConnell
Things on toast have probably kept me alive for the past 20 years: whether it be avocado, cheese, mushrooms or eggs, it has always been a quick-fix meal. It doesn’t have to be relegated to eating over the sink in the wee hours of the morning. It also can be a meaningful addition to a dinner party as a canapé or snack. Before avocado on toast became the staple it is now, I grew up on cheese on toast. If it’s plastic cheese, it has to go under the griller.
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Oct 30, 2024 | 
broadsheet.com.au | Andrew McConnell
The humble pasta bake gets a sexy makeover through the addition of vodka, an interesting pasta shape and the very generous sprinkling of the best Grana Padano you can get your hands on. This is ideal home cooking for large groups – easy to prepare (the sauce can be made in advance) and perfectly accompanied by simply dressed salad leaves, some crusty bread to tear apart and mop up the sauce, and a big glass of something red and delicious.
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Oct 9, 2024 | 
theguardian.com | Virginia Trioli |Andrew McConnell
I blame Andrew McConnell. I am the creator of the most expensive steak au poivre ever prepared. No gold leaf was harmed in the making of my dish, and I have no comparative data to support my claim, but I will wager you an entirely rebuilt kitchen that no other home-cooked pepper steak has ever resulted in such catastrophe.
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Sep 27, 2024 | 
thesaturdaypaper.com.au | Andrew McConnell
Why would anyone bother making their own granola? Like everything, because it tastes better. Packet granola is fine and convenient, but this recipe is a step up from there. This dish came through my love of tahini. You can’t beat the freshness and the aromatic nature of it when baked. Tahini is a versatile ingredient. It’s a key to hummus, but you can also use it to make delicious cookies. I buy it in a jar and prefer the lighter, hulled variety, which has had the sesame husks removed before grinding.
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Aug 30, 2024 | 
thesaturdaypaper.com.au | Andrew McConnell
Asparagus signifies the end of winter and there is nothing better than the taste of new season asparagus straight from the earth. The intense taste, with its sweetness and crunch, is a rare combination. It’s also quick and simple to cook – just one to two minutes in a large pot of boiling water, depending on the thickness of the stems. Blanched and refreshed, the asparagus’s unique texture and flavour is preserved and can keep well in the fridge for a few hours before serving.
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Aug 23, 2024 | 
thesaturdaypaper.com.au | Andrew McConnell
Breakfast is an incredibly personal thing. And because it is the first meal of the day, people want it to be right. It’s incredible how the breakfast component of the restaurant industry has become an important part of the market. People are going out for breakfast more. It’s nice to step outside the comfort zone with breakfast. Travel is good for that. I used to eat pan-fried dumplings on the street for breakfast when I lived in Shanghai. In France, it can be a fresh croissant and coffee.
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Jul 19, 2024 | 
thesaturdaypaper.com.au | Andrew McConnell
I quite like the way the Japanese have taken to Western techniques and flavours and made them their own. They have approached things with a certain fanaticism: precision and repetition, coming to the point of perfection. One of those things is pizza. I can honestly say one of the best pizzas I have ever eaten was in Tokyo. It was authentic to the nth degree. With this cheesecake, it is not about re-creating tradition for the Japanese. It is about taking it in a new direction altogether.
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Jun 14, 2024 | 
thesaturdaypaper.com.au | Andrew McConnell
I like cooking in winter. I like winter food. I think that comes from growing up in Victoria – I always had four distinct seasons. One of the things I like, when it is cold, is just turning the oven on to cook. A happy quirk of nature is that things that are available in season often work well together. Pears and game work, for example. Tomato and basil. Banana and passionfruit on a pavlova. And then, when the fruits drop off, the winter vegetables come in. There was a time when all beetroot was canned.
