Danielle Alvarez's pick of Autumn ingredients
Here in the south west we’re seeing the shift of seasons from a front of much needed rain, cooler mornings and nights, to the seasonal thoughts of stocking up on firewood and that it won’t be long before we shift fully into the comfort of Autumn food.
I’m not alone in loving what these months ahead will bring. Danielle Alvarez, author of Always Add Lemon, and former head chef at Fred’s in Sydney tells me that “Autumn really is my favourite cooking season.”
I’m lucky in that I have access to great produce whether it’s farm direct meat, local seafood, and vegies fresh from the Margaret River Farmer’s Market. We have great green grocers and butchers locally, and we also grow in our own patch.
There’s the added benefit that I have an address book chocked full of the best chefs, cooks and food writers. So, throughout the year I’m going to be calling on them to tell me what’s going on in their kitchen, what ingredients they’re looking forward to and what they’re cooking.
I thought of Danielle first as I’ve always been struck by the seasonality of her cooking and the way she articulates that in conversation and on the plate. It’s no surprise, having spent her formative years in the kitchen at Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse in Berkeley, before heading to Australia where on opening Fred’s the plaudits rightly came thick and fast. I dined there just the once but it’s still a stand out experience of my ten years in Australia.
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