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Chef at Home Series- Hugh from Little Green Corner

ByAustin’s Wines Hours Hours Updated
Little Green Corner

What do Chef’s cook when they have a moment at home?

Well, things have been a bit different as of late… Am I right?

Some of us are making sourdough bread others growing their own vegetables and putting chook pens on their balconies…  One thing is for sure,  we are all spending a hell of a lot more time at home!

Here at Austins, we thought now was probably the only time  we would be able to catch some of our favourite chefs at home, cooking for their families and enjoying a great bottle of wine. We caught ourselves wondering;  what do chef’s cook when they have a moment at home? and more importantly. What would they be drinking with it?

We have some great chef’s lined up and are really looking forward to sharing this journey of pairing approachable, good food and wine with you.

Initially we will focus on some of our favourite local chefs and their families and over the coming month or so we may introduce a few from further afield.  We will match pasta, steak, cake and of course cheese to our delicious and varied range of Austins Wine.

Please feel free to join us on this journey by following our Instagram Feed @austinswines for a different pairing each week.  Recipe’s will be uploaded to this site and a video of our selected chef cooking what they like to eat at home will be presented on IGTV (AKA Instagram TV) each Sunday night.

We have our first Chef at home series with Hugh from Little Green Corner and he has shared his home pasta recipe he prepares with his wife Claire and two adorable children.

So read the blog, watch the video and happy cooking.

Keep well.

Liz xx

Introducing Hugh (and his family) from Little Green Corner

Little Green Corner

First up in the series we have Hugh (and his beautiful family) from Little Green Corner.  

Little Green Corner is more than a cafe, it’s a movement about serving seasonal food and minimal waste. They ‘forage, gather and grow’, creating beautiful food using old and modern practices. The small menu changes with the regions gardens and farms. A family farm run just outside of Waurn Ponds provide all of the eggs as well as fresh fruit and vegetables.

LGC also put the call out for backyard fruit and veg to the Geelong community and many people bring in their produce and it’s exchanged for coffee.

Some minimal waste initiatives are that Schulz organic milk is delivered in stainless steel pails, cordials are made from excess fruit, and excess milk from the coffee machine is collected and made into ricotta. Solar panels on the roof (purchased through a crowd sourcing campaign), toilets with an integrated basin (water efficiency), and no bottles. 

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In the latest lockdowns the LGC team have transformed into a ‘catering kitchen’ and are now providing The Good Meal Project.

They are cooking a selection of dishes that will change weekly, to take a ‘Good Meal’ off your hands for the week. Delivery or pickup Tuesday to Friday. Available as a one-off order or a 4 week subscription. With meals such as  The Good Goulash,  The Good (meat) Balls and The Good Green ​Curry. You can also add on a Baked chocolate and coffee cheesecake or their famous  cinnamon and apple scrolls (CLICK HERE TO ORDER)
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Hugh at Home

Hugh and his wife Claire and children Matilda and Rafferty (twins, 6 yo) showed us an insight into their home produce and we are completely jealous of their amazing vegetable garden.

Their fresh pasta sauce uses heaps of leftover vegetables to ensure there’s no waste in their garden (or your vegetable drawer if you don’t have a garden) and it looks delicious. The pasta was freshly made and proudly rolled out by Rafferty! The sauce; fresh and vibrant, paired perfectly with the Austin’s Pinot Noir.

Pasta at Home Recipe with Little Green Corner

Pasta Recipe

Pasta is the basic 1 egg per 100g flour recipe (any plain flour, we use bakers flour as thats what we have). Once mixed and needed, rest for 1/2 an hour before running through the pasta machine. Pasta making is such a good activity to do with kids. To teach them (and learn yourself), start by putting a Sunday afternoon aside and be willing to accept a kitchen full of flour (!) but after a while, it is an easy mid-week staple.
The pasta sauce uses our preserved tomatoes (preserved by Claire’s Mum Linda) and is a delicious and nourishing fridge staple as it’s great for heaps of things; by itself, with pizza / braises etc.

 Claire is the pasta sauce maker…. here is her delicious recipe!

Veggie Pasta Sauce Recipe

My veggie pasta sauce which is also a godsend. I keep in the fridge to use both on its on or to add to things (lasts ages): 

Bit nicely loose in terms of quantity (whatever you have) but here is a Thermomix recipe for it. Can just be done on high heat after using a blender too
  1. Blitz 4 carrots, 2 zucchini, a lot of garden greens and soft herbs in a Thermomix or blender, remove and put aside.
  2. Blitz an onion and 2 cloves of garlic in a Thermomix or chop finely
  3. Cook the onion and garlic in the Thermomix on Veroma (high) with lid on for 5 mins with 100ml olive oil  (or alternatively heat in a pan on medium heat)
  4. Add in vegetables from step 1.
  5. Add a Fowlers jar of puréed tomatoes, a good couple of spoons of tomato paste, little salt, tablespoon of sugar, little red wine and a little water
  6. I also add a stock cube and have been meaning to make my own from scratch.
  7. Cook on Veroma (full) bubbling away with the lid off for 30 mins (or alternatively cook in a saucepan on medium heat for the same amount of time)

Serve with freshly made pasta and Pinot Noir (of course!)

Thank you to Hugh, Claire, Matilda an Rafferty for showing us your garden, kitchen and delicious recipe. 


Read more about Little Green Corner and The Good Food Project here.

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