Donna Hay has spent her entire adult life dreaming up delicious recipes that countless Australians have enjoyed.
But despite this, the culinary queen insists she is never short on inspiration – as proven by her new cookbook Too Easy.
“It’s all about finding the shorter way to cook something [while also] delivering more flavour with fewer ingredients,” Donna told New Idea when we dropped by her Sydney test kitchen last week for a sampling of the book’s yummy recipes.
In between bites of delicious pasta, Donna explains that she created Too Easy with the premise of making cooking simple, quick and fun for everyone.
A go-to guide to gourmet eating, it features everything from 10-minute snacks to tossed-together dinners and much more.
For Donna, the cookbook was a labour of love that grew from her desire to improve recipes she already adored.
“You can look at [a recipe] that you love and think about how you can make it better,” she tells us.
“[Luckily] I have a very good imagination. I’m always coming up with something!”
While trusty tools like a grater, peeler and knife “make everything better,” bringing together the right ingredients and having flexibility in your meal planning is key to successfully recreating a recipe – at least according to Donna.
“With the rising cost of living, there needs to be a shift from ‘we’re going to have steak or chicken tonight’ to seeing what is in seasonal, a good price and great quality,” Donna adds.
To make things even simpler for those short on time, Donna recommends making sure you have the things that will help you create your go-to dishes and most-loved flavour combinations on hand.
“Supermarket-based boosters, or flavour starters as I call them, that might just be lurking in your pantry or fridge – really do make a big difference to any meal,” she tells us.
But if you don’t know where to start or what to stock up on, Too Easy features a handy section where Donna details all her must-have pantry, fridge, and freezer essentials.
As for the ingredients she couldn’t live without, Donna is quick to list them off: Lemon, parmesan, some basil or rocket.
Shop Too Easy by Donna Hay here.
