Every Thursday we interview chefs from around the UK, hearing about their cheap food hacks and more. Today we chat to chef Alex Navarro from Maray in Liverpool.
My chef hero is…not a famous chef but my own dad, who is a very good cook, and also my father-in-law, who is Sicilian and also very good. From a young age I’ve always been around good food and kitchens full of fun and family.
One restaurant that’s worth blowing out for is…Fallow in London – what they’re doing is top tier.
My pet hate in restaurants is…people who can’t hold a knife and fork properly! I can’t look!
My one piece of advice for an aspiring chef is…just keep on wanting it, if you truly want it you’ll also enjoy it. Keep learning, keep on asking questions and trying new things.
The biggest mistake I see in kitchens is…people who’ve maybe climbed the ladder a bit too quickly and get a senior position when they’re not ready. It’s not just about cooking, a kitchen needs leadership and this can take a long time to learn to do in a kind and fair way.
A tip that non-chefs might not know to make them a better cook is…keep on cooking, reading and talking to people involved in food. Also, there’s loads of good content on social media now.
My favourite cookbook is…I go through stages. I got the original River Cottage book for my 21st – it touched on foraging and nose to tail cooking, which I was really into when I was younger. More recently, Ottolenghi & Tamimi – I really love both of their books.
One thing I wish more people realised about restaurants is… in my experience it’s always been very flexible with my life. I think people think it’s all late nights and long days but I’ve found it to be a really flexible and a lovely way to live.
I’ve given free meals…to my wife and children.
The worst type of customer is…a rude one.
The most overrated single food item is…salt and pepper chicken.
My secret ingredient I love and use all the time is…wonton soup seasoning – it gives everything a little lift.
My tip for preventing waste is…write your menu at home. Try and plan some of your week this way and you won’t buy too much food in your shopping, because you know you’re getting a couple of takeaways in the week as well! Also frozen veg is very good and having a couple of different bags in your freezer is handy. I always have soy beans, peas, spinach and green beans in my freezer.
My favourite cheap substitute is…virgin rapeseed oil.
My go-to cheap eat at home is…very quick spaghetti pomodoro.
Ingredients
- Two litres of good passata
- One tin of tomatoes
- Bulb of garlic finely sliced
- Big bunch of basil – torn up
- Salt – 1/2 tsp
- Sugar – good pinch
- 50g good tomato puree
- Extra virgin olive oil or rapeseed oil
- Spaghetti – cooked with a bit of water in reserve
This hasn’t even got onion in the sauce – just tomato, garlic and basil!
Cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water until just cooked and strain.
Reserve some water (about 200ml) and leave to cool.
Spread out the spaghetti on a tray and dress in a bit of olive oil so it doesn’t stick together (don’t run it under cold water to cool down – this isn’t needed and it washes the flavour away and makes the pasta wet and soggy).
Heat up the remaining olive oil in a sauce pan on a medium heat and slowly caramelise the garlic until golden.
Now add the pasta and half the basil.
Mix the pasta water with the tomato puree and add this to the pan.
Add the salt and sugar and gently cook out until it’s started to thicken.
When it’s finished, add the remaining basil and check seasoning.
Add the sauce to your spaghetti.
