We asked four chefs participating in Restaurant Month what they make for friends and family when they're at home, off duty.
Monique Fiso
FOUNDER AND OWNER OF HIAKAI
Panipopo - Samoan sweet coconut buns
I don't think there's a Samoan family out there who doesn't love panipopo - sweet coconut buns. They're so comforting. My grandma used to make big batches of them every Sunday, and I mean big batches. I have a massive family, so the poor woman had a lot of buns to make. She's much older now and arthritis, among other things, means she can't make them anymore, so I've kind of taken over the reins on this one.
I've made these quite a few times for staff meals at different places I've worked. One boss loved them so much that we put them on the brunch menu at Public in NYC for a while. I called my grandma back in Porirua when that happened, she thought it was so funny. She couldn't understand why a Michelin-starred restaurant in New York would want to put the humble Panipopo on the menu.
Off-duty cooking for me usually involves sweat pants for maximum comfort. I'll usually put Netflix on in the background while I'm cooking at home, that way I can catch up on a show while getting dinner ready - two birds, one stone. I like to get everything ready, clean all the mess I made while prepping dinner, then I'll sit and relax. The cleaning part is probably the most important part of my routine, I can't enjoy myself if I know I've left the kitchen awry. People will say, "come, sit, don't worry about those, we'll do them after", but I just can't. My favourite pastime is eating my way into a food coma.
Combine the yeast and water in a large bowl of a kitchen stand mixer with a dough hook attached. Leave for 10 minutes to allow the yeast to activate. You will know it's activated when small bubbles start forming. If no bubbles form, your yeast may be dead, in which case you'll need to buy new yeast and start again.
Add the remaining ingredients and mix at a slow pace for 2 minutes until the dough has just come together.
Increase the speed to a medium pace and leave the dough to knead for 10 minutes. Your dough will be ready when it's silky smooth and elastic.
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave it in a warm area of the kitchen to double in volume.
To make the sauce, place all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to avoid it burning at the bottom. Once it's at a boil, remove it from the heat and allow the ingredients to steep for 30 minutes.
Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve to remove the ginger and lemongrass. Keep the sauce to the side at room temperature until required at a later stage of this recipe.
When it has doubled, turn the dough out on to a clean bench and portion it into 40g portions. Lightly grease a deep-sided baking tray or roasting dish with baking spray. Shape your dough into round buns and place them evenly in the tray, leaving about 2-2.5cm of space between each bun.
Cover the tray with plastic wrap, and place the buns in a warm area of your kitchen to allow to rise to twice their size.
When the buns are fully risen, pour ¾ of the coconut sauce over the buns and place the buns into the oven to bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and pour the remaining coconut sauce over the buns. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Megan May makes chocolatey icecream heaven.
Megan May
LITTLE BIRD, THE UNBAKERY
Chocolate avocado 'PB' icecream
Since I had a child, weekday dinner time (and life in general) has changed a lot. With a 2-year-old tugging on your arm every two minutes wanting to play, it becomes impossible to spend countless hours in the kitchen creating masterful meals, and so my approach to food has changed drastically.
Our weekday dinner plates have got much simpler and more predictable, focusing on meals that can be thrown together easily, requiring little prep time or special equipment " as well as appealing to a 2-year-old palate (she is my toughest critic).
Transition to the weekend, and although I have more time on my hands, I still like to keep it simple so I have more time to relax with the family. I have a little more fun in the kitchen though, creating satisfying and easy wins for everyone.
My current obsession is taking the junk foods of the 80s (which were off the menu during my childhood) and creating healthier plant-based versions " which always require the approval of my daughter before making it on to The Unbakery menu. Things like banana and strawberry milkshakes, burgers (mushroom and walnut), chips (the kale kind), chocolate bars and fizzy drinks (kombucha) and if I'm feeling like a treat, maybe a batch of chocolate icecream (using avocado).
So, although my off-duty weekend could be considered a little "on-duty" since I'm still creating recipes in the kitchen, I'll often end the evening with a sweet treat creation from that day, paired with a cup of tea and a little Netflix - and fully enjoy the fruits of my labour.
Make time: 10 mins + nut milk | Setting time: 8 hours | Serves: 4 | Equipment: high-speed blender
This rich, chocolatey icecream heaven rivals any gourmet dairy icecream you can buy. That said, it is only as good as the ingredients you use - take the extra time to make your own nut milk or buy a raw, cold-pressed nut milk, and get a good-quality cacao powder.
The avocados in this icecream provide nutrient-dense wholefood fat that creates the creaminess. You won't taste any avocado flavour when it's frozen. The peanut butter flavour comes from a little tahini plus almond butter - in raw food diets we don't often use peanut butter (because the peanuts are roasted), but if it's something you enjoy you could use it instead.
Place all ingredients except coconut oil and cacao butter in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. With the blender running, slowly pour in melted coconut oil and cacao butter and blend until well incorporated.
Pour mixture into a container (preferably metal), cover and freeze until firm - this should take about 8 hours, depending on your freezer. If you have an icecream maker you can churn it first - follow your machine's instructions
Stand the icecream at room temperature for five minutes before serving, to allow it to soften.
I find that icecreams made with avocado don't last very long in the freezer, so aim to use it up within one week of making it. If you leave it longer, it will still be good for making smoothies.
* Recipe extracted from Little Bird Goodness by Megan May (Penguin NZ, hardback, $60).
The Sunday roast has become the Monday roast at Gavin Doyle's house.
Gavin Doyle
EXECUTIVE CHEF SOUL BAR & BISTRO
Roast chicken, roasted potatoes, broccolini and almonds
All my early childhood, we ate roast chicken at home every Sunday. I'll be honest: my mother cooked the living hell out of it. I still loved it.
Over the past six years, it has become tradition for my wife and I to cook it at home every Monday night. Not Sunday, because now it is a serious day of rest. This meal sets us up for the week and gives me great memories of home. But now when I eat it, it isn't as dry and it's slightly tastier. Sorry, Mum.
I like the touch of the peanut oil, it gives lovely aromas while roasting, and the toasted butter almonds go great with the crunchy broccolini.
Pat dry the potatoes. Arrange around chicken, massage with oil, season well and scatter remaining herbs.
Note: it is important to pat the chicken and potatoes dry and coat evenly in the oil. It promotes crispy skins.
Place in the middle of the hot oven. Cook on 230C for 20mins. Remove from oven and turn if chicken is getting too much colour on one side.
With tongs, flip all the potatoes. Return to oven and continue to cook at 180C for a further 25-30 mins.
Meanwhile, prepare the sauce ingredients and put a medium pot of water on to boil.
Fry butter in a hot pan, add almonds and toast until golden. Set aside. Remove bird from oven and allow to rest for 8 mins on a wire rack and keep the juices. Make sure your spuds are golden all over, if not, return to oven and agitate, cooking until golden and crispy. Set aside.
Sprinkle the flour on the baking tray and cook out flour on the hob or in the oven. Push it around with a fork to work out as many lumps as possible. It should turn golden brown. This is your roux. Now add the wine and cook out until reduced by half. Add the juices from the tray and the stock. Reduce until thick. Season if required and pass it, if you like, through a sieve into a gravy boat.
Your pot should be boiling by now. Add some salt and blanch broccolini until al dente - no longer than 2 minutes. Strain, season and cover with the almonds.
Carve chicken and arrange on four plates, divide out the potatoes and broccolini. Serve with gravy on the side.
Vinny Dotolo's dad's spaghetti pie is a family favourite.
I can remember my dad making this on Sundays at home. It's a family recipe, which started out as my dad's but I've since made it my own. I try to cook it at least two to three times a week at home so I can hang out with my kids and enjoy a family dinner. Dad's spaghetti pie is the meal that brings us all together and really makes us realise the importance of family. I feel very nostalgic about it. It takes me right back to my childhood.
My kids have grown up around the kitchen and are often in the restaurant, walking around like they own the joint, with staff pandering to them. They love it and think they are the boss. But it's always nice to sit around the dining table at home and all enjoy a home-cooked meal together.
Pre-heat oven to 200C with cast iron pan inside to get very hot.
Break pasta in half and cook until al dente. Cool under running water, and allow to drain well. In a bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients. Add pasta to egg and cheese mixture and season to taste. Lightly oil pan with additional 2 Tbsp olive oil. Pour mixture into pre-heated cast iron pan and bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Take out of oven and let rest for 10-15 min. Remove from pan and cut. Serve with marinara sauce or simply on its own.
