Don’t miss the recipe for Bourbon Chicken Drumsticks at the bottom of this article!
So Kate, let’s start by you telling us how you got into cooking?
Cooking was a creative outlet for my mum. Dad was in the military and therefore away a lot. I was an only child, so mum and I spent a lot of time together in the kitchen. She was main course and I was dessert!
Have you always enjoyed making food from scratch?
I grew up in a community where cooking from scratch was the default. It never occurred to us to buy a ready-meal or take-out. Nowadays, I get the feeling that people think if you can cook from scratch, you are automatically a great cook. But I don’t think that’s true. I think you have to learn how to cook in order to cook from scratch. I didn’t find it a totally joy-free endeavour at the beginning…
What inspires your cooking: People, places, flavours, seasonal ingredients – or a combination of all these?
Places! I have been lucky to travel across the world (mostly for work, but also fun) so I love trying different cuisines and the origins of them. I am also a big fan of fusion cuisine – where you smash two cuisines together – like Nikkei cuisine (Japanese-Peruvian) and Mod Oz (Mediterranean-Asian) – which is actually easier than it sounds!
Are you a full-time cook or do you have another career too?
I have always cooked most days with a view to what some people would call ‘restaurant-quality’ food. That means I am in a recurring cycle of buying fresh foods and foodstuffs, cooking ahead, prepping foods, making marinades etc. You have to be super-efficient when you are cooking like this (which was the seed for the nine steps in the book), especially if you are juggling this with a grown-up day job! My career has spanned media and government (with a short stint running a small business in-between) and now the book is out I am looking forward to my next adventure!
What made you want to publish your personal cooking philosophy to share with others?
The ethos (and later, the book) did not emerge in a studied, linear way. It was a response to my own frustrations and failings learning to cook and cook well. I had been the reader who is interested in food and cooking and can follow a generic recipe, but couldn’t make the dishes they want to make, nor expand their culinary horizons. I was also the reader whose kitchen was far from organised. I had essential ingredients missing, foods past their use-by date and too few foods that went together. I wrote the book for people like my younger self in my 20s and 30s, for whom all the pieces of cooking haven’t yet fallen into place.
Why did you choose to call the book Your Magical Kitchen?
Two reasons. Firstly, I really do think cooking is magical. Secondly, I could have called it My Magical Kitchen or In My Kitchen, but neither of those would have been the book I wanted to write. What I wanted to write was a book that took the reader through a personalised journey – hence, your, in the title.
What would you say is different about your book compared to the likes of Jamie Oliver et al?
It’s a very different type of book compared to our national culinary treasures! It is more like a guide to shopping, eating and cooking. Think of it as a primer. Once you have the basics under your belt, you can roam all over the place. Because we live in a world based on images, included in the book are lots of visuals and graphics to make the journey easier for you, including a bunch of recipes that connect to the nine steps.
What are you enjoying most about seeing your book published?
Many people helped me become a reasonably decent cook. From those first years working in professional kitchens, through uber-foodie friends, to weekend cookery classes, I got better, happier and more joyful in my kitchen. While the book has almost overtaken my life I did want to pay it forward for the next generation of cooks who also may not feel that confident in their kitchen. If only one person discovers something new, that would be a great day.
Your Magical Kitchen is available from Amazon priced £14.99 and Waterstones. You can follow Kate at @yourmagicalkitchen on Instagram
NINE STEPS TO CREATIVE COOKING
Your Magical Kitchen contains 35 delicious and inspiring recipes and uses a few key steps to make cooking fun, enriching and adventurous using your favourite foods…
Foundations (Foods, Tastes, Flavours): this starts with your favourite foods, which you pair with supporting ingredients for balance and flavour.
Fixtures (Scents, Condiments, Potions): this is the foodstuffs that will sauce up your dishes (dressings, salsas, spices).
Finishes (Colours, Divas, Occasions): these would be tips and techniques for making your dishes look stunning and tips for cooking on special occasions (date nights, suppers, outdoor bashes).
“At the heart of the book would be the unsung ‘magical’ kitchen that keeps the culinary show going,” says Kate.
AND NOW TRY THIS RECIPE…..
BOURBON CHICKEN DRUMSTICKS
Ingredients for 6-8 drumsticks:
2 spring onions
30ml bourbon
200g purple sprouting broccoli
½ tsp black pepper
For the bourbon glaze
1 tsp coarse salt
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
30g onion, minced
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
100ml ketchup
30g molasses
15g brown sugar
2 tsp English yellow mustard powder (I like the Colman’s brand)
Method
- Take the chicken drumsticks out of the fridge 30 minutes before you want to start cooking, so they come up to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 200°c.
- Season the drumsticks with salt and pepper, then place them on a non-stick baking tray and cook in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
- While the drumsticks are cooking, make the bourbon glaze. Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the minced onion and sweat for a couple of minutes, then stir in all the remaining ingredients except the bourbon.
- Reduce the heat to low-medium and simmer the sauce for 7 minutes, then add the bourbon to the pan and cook for another 3 minutes or so, until it thickens to a glaze. Turn the heat down to the lowest setting.
- Remove the drumsticks from the oven and pour over half of the bourbon sauce. Return the drumsticks to the oven for another 20 to 25 minutes. If you have one, use a small meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken which should be around 75°c.
- While the drumsticks are cooking, slice the spring onions on the diagonal and cook the broccoli in a large pan of boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes, until tender.
- Keep the remaining glaze on a low heat, barely simmering. When the drumsticks are almost done, turn the heat up to medium and taste the glaze to check the seasoning.
- Remove the drumsticks from the oven and use tongs to plate them. Add the broccoli and pour the reserved glaze over the chicken. Garnish with the sliced spring onions.
