FOODIE Louise Friend settled at Stanley around Easter in 2016.
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Founder of the Garden State venture, Friend offers pop-up cafes throughout the North East and is happily toiling away in her kitchen garden over winter with plans to offer a paddock to plate experience in future.
What's your favourite dish?
Pho. It has everything you need in one giant, beautiful bowl. I try to make a home version but never get to that depth of flavour of those broths made by the pros.
What are the staples in your pantry?
Spices, spices, spices. You just can't go past the power combo of cumin, coriander and paprika.
What's the biggest product discovery you have made in cooking?
Firstly, vinegar. I always used it for dressings or poaching an egg, but more and more I refer to vinegar as much as I do pepper and salt. I have at least eight different vinegars and I'm experimenting with making my own apple cider vinegar with Stanley apples. It lifts, cuts and defines flavours. Secondly, brining. Throwing some meat in a 6 per cent salt water solution does mysterious, magical things; I've never had juicer roast chicken!
What's your secret vice?
Redskins!
What is your recipe standby?
Pork and Fennel Meatball Soup (Ribollita). Perfect now with the colder weather and super simple. I love the sweet pork meat, the heady aromas of fennel seeds and the acidity of tomatoes. Whack in a tin of chickpeas and spinach at the end, with a sprinkle of Parmesan; it’s a one-pot wonder.
What is your most unforgettable meal and where?
Paul Bocuse Restaurant in Lyon with a dear friend. I had been backpacking around France for a year, subsisting on cheap wine and tinned food. Near to the end of my trip, I pulled on what could pass as my best outfit and headed to the theatre of Bocuse. I think after all my gushing, clapping and exclaiming, the staff were relieved to see the back of me!
What's your favourite cooking utensil?
My little family of colourful Le Creuset crockpots.
What's in your kitchen toolkit?
A set of super sharp Global knives, a decent chunky wooden chopping board, a giant whisk and ziplock bags.
What did you have for dinner last night?
Pork sausages from our butcher at Beechworth, with potatoes and spinach from our little kitchen garden.
What are you drinking?
Eldorado Road Rosé, Willem Kurt Vermentino, Valhalla Chardonnay, Scion Syrah, Billy Button Sangiovese.
Instagram: @garden.state; web: gardenstateofmind.com.au
