Good day to you friends in cookery, on this freezing beginning to winter! Can you believe it? Our wintery weather has come quickly and it is very cold in Melbourne, with snow in the mountains and icy winds along the beach.  Such cold weather is perfect for being indoors and cooking!  During winter it is good to entertain at home where it is warm and cosy; your house of filled with delightful aromas wafting from the kitchen, very welcoming for the guests. Dishes such as  these slowly braised lamb necks featured below; plus soups, roasts, curries, sour dough bread, choux pastry gougères creating the best aromas and setting for enjoying the company of your friends and families.  And the stock pot can be gently blurping away on the stove top, addding warmth to the kitchen.

There are many exciting things happening here at Cooking on the Bay. I will start by telling to about our new Cooking Class news.

Greek Cooking Class Special Event on Saturday 22nd June at 8.45am –  3.30pm with Kelly Michelakis from The Hellenic Odyssey, who will present a Greek Cooking Class...more details

Cook Real Food Program - the next classes are Saturday June 29th, Saturday 10th August, Sunday 20th October and Saturday 30th November.  Additional classes will be added according to the booking demand...more details

To Book NOW - contact tonya@cookingonthebay.com.au or call 0412 838 323

Saturday 22nd June at 8.45am –  3.30pm Cooking on the Bay welcomes Kelly Michelakis from The Hellenic Odyssey, who will present a Greek Cooking Class focusing on the food of Crete.  Kelly is a passionate Greek home cook with a proud heritage; she will guide you through the Mediterranean diet, its origins and its benefits.

Kelly has designed a lovely menu highlighting her Cretan Greek food.  She has an engaging personality and is filled with passion for sharing her love of Greek food, her country, its history and traditions.  She will also present an 'extra special' extra virgin olive oil tasting and has a few additional treats for you to take home.

This is an exciting event you will enjoy and one I am excited to offer here at Cooking on the Bay. Places are limited, so book now!

Book NOW: please email tonya@cookingonthebay.com.au or call me now 0412 838 323.

In this cooking class you will learn how to prepare traditional authentic dishes including Batzarosalata (beetroot dip), Fava (yellow split pea dip), Kalitsounia (cheese pies) made using handmade fillo, Cretan Dakos (barley rusks), Pastitsio (pasta dish), Melomakarona (walnut biscuits) and Greek Yoghurt dessert.

What you will learn:
Learn about the Mediterranean based diet and its health benefits
Learn about the 10 ground rules of the Mediterranean diet
Learn to make traditional Greek food using authentic family recipe

You will take home....read more

 In April and May we launched our exciting new cooking classes, the Cook Real Food Program in which you re-discover the pleasures of the art of cooking, to cook for flavour and taste and to re-connect with the enjoyment of the dining ‘culture’ of the table. 

The next class dates are Saturday June 29th, Saturday 10th August, Sunday 20th October and Saturday 30th November. At the usual times of 8.45am - 3.30pm.  There are places still available in these classes.

BOOK NOW - tonya@cookingonthebay.com.au or
call Tonya on 412 838 323.

Cook with fresh, seasonal, local, 'real' food, low in carbohydrates, and with healthy fats to maximise the flavour in your food and with high satiety. It is a very healthy approach to eating.

In the program you learn how to achieve the best flavours from your cooking, how to develop your Cookery Awareness, which connects you with the cooking process and adds so much to the pleasure of cooking and dining.

The program’s core foundation is the lifestyle and food philosophy of Low Carbohydrate Healthy Fat program.  As well as learning how to cook your food this way, you learn other key elements of the program; you are provided with planning and thoughtful shopping ideas as well.  These classes are great fun, wonderful learning experiences with much camaraderie enjoyed with new found friends!

This dessert cake above is my Tarte de Santiago made with almonds, eggs and plant based sugar, with cream and strawberries plus edible tiny violas; all low carb.  This one is always a favourite.

My lovely friends Leigh and Geoff, from Hamilton, recently gave us some of their grass-fed lamb necks. Often an over-looked cut but one that is so flavoursome. I cooked them last week and they were so tender, divine and delicious, cooked until they almost fell off the bone. You will find my flavourful recipe for these slowly braised lamb necks on the website; you may like to give it a try this bleak Melbourne weekend.

Fennel is best in autumn and winter so it is a good time to buy it now when it is at its peak and inexpensive.  Although fennel is often thought of as a summer salad ingredient giving that lovely highly aromatic, fresh aniseed, fragrant lift to many of our dishes, it is also great to braise in your slow cooking pot.  I have it growing all year round at Kureelpa and also use its frond as a pretty garnish to many dishes.

Fennel is so versatile, it can be used in many different ways; plus we can use all the plant - the bulb, fronds, fennel seeds, and even the fennel pollen, which is the most potent form giving maximum flavour.

It pairs well with all of our meats but it is at its best with seafood and a citrus salad. Unfortunately, some people do not like the aniseed flavour, however I think it is often the vital component in a dish. So, give it a go in some of the dishes you are cooking. And do try making my Fennel Pickle.

Book with me: tonya@cookingonthebay.co.au or via the website
June – Saturday 8th - Italianicious – Cooking with Passion – 8.45am – 3.30pm
June – Sunday 9th – At Our Italian Table – Pasta, Risotto and Arancini - 8.45am – 1pm

June – Saturday 15th - Moroccan Exotic Spices and Flavours of the Medina – 8.45am – 3.30pm
June - Sunday 16th – Spanish Cuisine – Camino Inspirations – 8.45am – 3.30pm
June – Saturday 22nd – Special Masterclass with Passionate Greek Cook, Kelly Michelakis from the Hellenic Odyssey - At my Greek Table – the Flavours of Greece Cooking Class

June – Saturday 29th – Cook Real Food – LCHF - Fit and Healthy menus – 8.45am – 3.30pm
June – Sunday 30th - Mastery in the Kitchen – Stocks, sauces and soups – 8.45am – 3.30pm

July – Saturday 6th - Mid-Winter Christmas Special Occasion Cooking Class – 8.45am – 3.30pm
July – Sunday 7th - Mid-Winter Christmas Special Occasion Cooking Class – 8.45am – 3.30pm

July – Saturday 13th – A French Odyssey – Journey through France – celebrate 14th Bastille day
July – Sunday 14th - A French Odyssey – Journey through France – celebrate 14th Bastille day

July – Saturday 20th – Spanish Cuisine – Camino Inspirations – 8.45am – 3.30pm

July - Saturday 27th - Italianicious – Cooking with Passion – 8.45am – 3.30pm
July – Sunday 28th – At Our Italian Table – Pasta, Risotto and Arancini – 8.45am – 1pm

July – Sunday 30th - Mastery in the Kitchen – Stocks, sauces and soups – 8.45am – 3.30pm

August – Saturday 3rd – Moroccan Exotic Spices and Flavours of the Medina – 8.45am – 3.30pm
August – Sunday 4th – Mediterranean – A Touch of Spice – 8.45am – 3.30pm

August – Saturday 10th - Cook Real Food – LCHF - Fit and Healthy menus – 8.45am – 3.30pm
August – Sunday 11th - Spanish Cuisine – Camino Inspirations – 8.45am – 3.30pm

August 15th – September 16th – Barging and Travelling in Europe

September – Saturday 21st - A French Odyssey – Journey through France – 8.45am – 3.30pm
September – Sunday 22nd - TBD

October – Saturday 5th - Italianicious – Cooking with Passion – 8.45am – 3.30pm
October – Sunday 6th – At Our Italian Table – Pasta, Risotto and Arancini – 8.45am – 1pm

October – Saturday 12th - Mediterranean – A Touch of Spice – 8.45am – 3.30pm

October – Sunday 13th - Cook Real Food – LCHF - Fit and Healthy menus – 8.45am – 3.30pm