workshops

Autumn: what is in season?

by Sandra Slawinski | 20 September 2019

Autumn starts 23 September 2019 and brings a bounty full of lovely seasonal produce with the changing of the weather.

Let me share what I am happy about coming our way these next couple of months.

COLOURS – the warm pinks, bight yellows and vibrant greens make way for the deep purples, golden oranges, and rusty greens.

VEGETABLES – carrots, celery root, leek, potato, pumpkin, butternut, sweet potato, all cabbages. Easy to remember: all root vegetables and cabbages come in season.

FRUIT – apple, pear, fig, grapes, plum, mandarin, clementine. Easy to remember: stone fruit, apples and pears are in season.

GAME – different regions have different dates what can be hunted in the autumn, most is in season from 15 Oct to end December. I am a huge fan of pheasant, duck and venison and can’t wait to ve friends over.

Dishes I crave in Autumn when the night become cooler, days are darker and the first hit of frost hits I want stews and soups.

workshops

Welcome to my cooking school!

I am a self taught home cook and learned tricks of the trade from watching my dad perform magic in his 2 Michelin star kitchen everyday when I was growing up. I LOVE food and am obsessed with cooking with local and seasonal ingredients. In my kitchen I keep my eco-footprint as small as possible by eliminating single use plastic as well as hard chemicals and minimising food waste. I even compost and grow my own herbs and veg on my urban terrace. My inspiration in creating my recipes starts with seasonal ingredients and evolves with my eager mind to constantly wanting to learn. I love giving new life to a Belgian classic dish with a twist. For some food is a survival necessity, for me it’s a religion. In my cooking class, you will learn to cook with what is in season, see the opportunities to be more eco-responsible in the kitchen and how to cook tasty Belgian classics with a modern twist.

Recipes

My pan-fried feta with honey drizzle

Getting into September means slightly cooker nights and a panfried feta to share with drinks , is just perfect! It is simple, only requires 5 ingredients and is total delish.

workshops

3 sauce recipes every cook should master

Sauces are what pulls the dish together and I agree some of those French albeit delightful sauces are heavy and not waistline friendly. So here is my take on it: once a week with that really great dish, eat the sauce! Lick the spoon and the plate – go on! I never learned cooking techniques properly, meaning in a cooking curriculum like the Cordon Blue school. Everything I know I learned from watching my Michelin starred chef dad, TV cooking shows and mostly by trial and error. Lots of errors! Sauces have not been my forte ever but these 3 sauces I can whip up anytime and they go with everything I cook. But it all starts with stock!