It’s fair to say Australia’s food culture has come a long way in 200 years, and to chart this evolution Maggie and Simon reflect upon their own experience, look back through history and talk to some of Australia’s top chefs. What we eat says so much about who we are, and to explore Australian food Maggie and Simon cook and share their versions of iconic Australian dishes. Come and join Maggie and Simon on their adventure and find out just what Australian cuisine is in 2009. The series kicks off with Simon and Maggie reflecting on the state of the Australian food scene in 2008 and preparing what they consider to be truly Australian meals. Maggie tells Simon about the amazing changes she’s seen in her time as a cook and reminisces about the day in 1980 when she first got her hands on a bunch of fresh basil! We’ve come a long way since then, as demonstrated by the many farmers’ markets springing up around the country, where informed consumers have come to expect the best in fresh produce from enthusiastic producers and growers. In the kitchen Maggie cooks a meat pie, but one with a difference: hers has rabbit! Simon protests that rabbits are introduced, but Maggie points out that Australian cuisine is defined precisely by the fact that it makes use of a range of influences and ingredients from all around the world. She follows it up with an iconic Aussie dish, the good ol’ Pavlova, and just to make sure no New Zealanders try to claim the dish as their own she throws in some macadamias! Simon confesses to being slightly confused about what exactly defines Australian cuisine, but he tells Maggie that he loves the Aussie give-it-a-go attitude. He also loves the fact that we’re starting to shake off the shackles of our British heritage and embrace all sorts of Asian cuisine, which is so well suited to our climate. Simon is also delighted by the fact that we’re starting to be conscious of the impact on the environment of our food choices, and

In this episode Maggie and Simon explore the huge influence of Italian migration on Australian cuisine. Maggie explains how her early childhood led to Italy and a cooking school in Tuscany. Simon recreates some classic Italian dishes and adds a twist and we visit Armando and Maria Matteucci, an Italian couple whose abundant garden and kitchen give us a taste of the Italian food culture that has helped to shape the way we eat today. From pasta to gelati, tomatoes to octopus – Italian migrants have contributed enormously to our Australian way of life. Maggie’s love of Italian opera and food is well known and she reminisces about her childhood visits with her family to an Italian restaurant in Sydney where she fell in love with pasta. As a young woman, a life-changing trip to Italy led to her cooking school in Tuscany with Stephanie Alexander and what is now a lifelong passion for rustic, country cooking. Maggie makes pasta and cooks Rotolo di Spinaci – a classic dish from her cooking school whilst Simon creates his own baked version of Eggplant Parmigiana. We visit Armando and Maria Matteucci, Italian migrants who have lived in Paradise, a suburb of Adelaide for over 50 years who proudly show us their double block brimming with home-grown vegetables, rabbits, olive oil and vino cotto and Maria shows off her cooking with the boast that absolutely nothing goes to waste. In the kitchen again Maggie cooks Focaccia filled with chunks of stracchino cheese and oregano – fantastic eaten hot with drinks, whilst Simon remembers his youth and recreates Lemon Gelati with a bit of basil to give it a real zing. The Italian Influence – a program that sings the praises of all things Italian! Recipes: - Rotolo di Spinach - Focaccia - Eggplant "parmigiana" - Lemon Gelati

This Week Simon and Maggie marvel at the British success in putting their own stamp on a Pakistani curry and then celebrate the cross-cultural cuisine of Australia’s own "Father Of Fusion" Cheong Liew. Cuisines from different cultures have been influencing each other from the time that people and food have crossed borders. Indeed cultural fusion is part of the evolution of cuisines where historically people have borrowed methods and ingredients or adapted their own dishes to suit new environments. In the 1970's "Fusion" cuisine took on a new meaning as a group of well travelled chefs deliberately set out to combine cuisines and define them in such terms as "East meets West", "New World" or "Fusion". Chefs, like Australia's Cheong Liew were motivated to combine cuisines in the pursuit of flavour with some fantastic results, but some attempts by others lacked integrity and resulted in what the critics called "confusion". Fusion cuisine has tended to thrive in countries like Australia, Canada, the US and New Zealand where a variety of fresh produce is available, where there tends not to be a strong historical food tradition and where people have adventurous palates. According to Cheong Liew Australia meets all the criteria and the lack of boundaries allows chefs to let their imaginations run wild. Simon's first contact with cross-cultural cuisine was the Balti curry. Originating in Northern Pakistan it made its way to Birmingham, England with Pakistani migrants who, from the 1950's to the 1970's, set up little cafes called Balti Houses. The Balti quickly became the curry you had after a night out and a few beers. Already a melting pot of regional influences the British claimed the curry as their own and to accommodate the British taste it was often (and still is) served with chips. In the kitchen Simon makes a delicious corn Balti. The spice base includes, ginger, garlic turmeric, coriander and garam masala making for an extremely flavoursome curry. Simon serve

This Week Simon and Maggie go vegetarian, proving a meat free diet is far from bland and boring. While vegetarianism has always being part of Indian and Asian culture, it didn’t really kick off in the west until the mid nineteenth century, when a meat free diet became more accessible. Every home cook should have a least a couple of vegetarian recipes up their sleeve and Maggies no exception. One of her favourites is a very tempting ‘Tart tatin’ made from leeks & aubergines, herbs, verjuice and vino cotto, cooked to perfection in a sour cream pastry base. One of Australia’s greatest exponents of vegetarian cuisine is legendary Hare Krishna Chef, Kurma Dasa, aka Phillip Gordon. One of the movement's longest serving Australian devotees, Kurma has been extolling the virtues of a vegetarian lifestyle for over thirty years and has written several classics on vegetarian cookery. Inspired by meeting Kurma, Simon cooks a traditional Indian Dahl, a delicious spicy soup made from lentils, vegetables, herbs and spices. Middle Eastern style halva is made from tahina, but just as popular is the Indian version which is usually made from semolina and just happens to be one of Simon's favourite deserts. Using Kurma's recipe Simon makes a version using flaked almonds and saffron, simple and quick to make, it's the ideal accompaniment to any meal. To wrap up our 'vego' feast Maggie makes a delicious semolina Gnocchi with walnut sauce, proving that being a vegetarian doesn't necessarily mean a lot more work in the kitchen! Recipes: - Dahl - Chappatti (flat bread) - Leek & Aubergine Tart Tatin - Gnocchi (Semolina) with walnut sauce - Halva

Don’t be late for a very important date this week: Simon and Maggie are holding a tea party to celebrate the days when afternoon teas (complete with cakes and cucumber sandwiches of course!) were quite the done thing. In Victorian-era Australia our eating and drinking habits were still shaped by our ties to Britain, and what could be more British than afternoon tea? Tea was relative affordable in Australia compared to 'the old country', and we consumed gallons of the stuff. In fact, Australians in the late 19th century took up the craze for afternoon tea with such a passion that we soon became the world’s largest consumers of tea per capita. The pioneering Australian gastronome Philip Muskett was even worried about our "excessive consumption' and wrote that "the gentler sex are greatly given to extravagant tea-drinking, exceeding all bounds of moderation. What wonder, then, that they grow pale and bloodless; that their muscles turn soft and flabby; that their nervous system becomes shattered; and that they suffer the agonies of indigestion?" To celebrate this British tradition the cook and the chef both bake cakes named after British towns: Maggie whips up a delicious Bakewell Tart, while Simon makes the "fly pies" he remembers from his schooldays, more commonly known as Eccles! While people in the cities were having afternoon tea, a completely different influence was arriving out in the goldfields as Chinese immigrants brought with them their rich history of food. No-one is more familiar with this history than Melbourne's famous cook and food teacher Elizabeth Chong. Elizabeth's grandfather arrived in Australia in 1854, passing through the emerging Chinatown in the heart of Melbourne. Elizabeth’s father had a huge impact on Chinese food in Australia: he opened one of the first restaurants to present true Chinese cuisine here, and he even invented that Aussie classic, the Dim Sim! Elizabeth is still carrying on this proud food tradition, continuing to te

If you fancy some fine French fare then join Maggie and Simon tonight as they reveal the significant contribution the French have made to the kitchen while tempting us with classics such as Bouillabaisse and Duck Liver Parfait. In the 60’s a French food experience was likely to be "haute cuisine" in the fine dining hotels of Australia featuring dishes like Crème Caramel and Duck a l'orange. Then, along with a boom in restaurant trade in the 70's Australia embraced the more simple and regional flavours of French Nouvelle. French chef Jean Francois Gavanon notes that today French cuisine is "nowhere and everywhere". It's "nowhere" in the sense that French dishes, especially the classics, do not feature strongly in Australian cuisine and "everywhere" in the sense that through codification of cooking methods and techniques the French have had a huge influence on restaurant and home cooking. Maggie and Simon start the program by treating us to a couple of classics. Maggie's Bouillabaisse is from the region of Provence. With clean, fresh flavours of tomato, pepper, bay leaf and orange the Bouillabaisse broth is the perfect background for the delicate mussels, cockles and lightly cooked fish that feature in this sumptuous dish. This is certainly one of the classics that is not too fiddly and is well worth any effort. Simon's Duck Liver Parfait is a fantastic choice for people who may find Pate a bit too strong. The Parfait is finely textured, creamy and light on the palate with a delicate fortified wine note and little aftertaste. The French are famous for their delicious desserts and pastries and Maggie and Simon present us with a couple of impressive choices. Simon's Vanilla Cream and Berry tart is inspired by his TAFE training days where the influence of French technique dominated. The tart cases are a lovely short pastry and are filled with a delicate vanilla custard and whipped cream combo that is topped with a mixture of fresh berries. The combination of

In this episode Maggie and Simon cook with Australian Native Foods – ‘old’ or wild foods that have not been altered by breeding so they retain high levels of vitamins and antioxidants. These foods provided indigenous Australians with a varied and rich diet for over 40,000 years before European settlement. Maggie and Simon demonstrate how native foods can add unique flavours to everyday recipes, we visit the Spirit Festival for some traditional bush tucker and see how students at Renmark High School are cultivating a commercial crop of Kutjera or Desert Raisins. In this new world of climate change, Australian Native Foods are being seen as foods of the future because they’ve evolved over thousands of years to suit Australian soils and climate. Although early settlers cooked native foods like kangaroo, swan, possum, fruits and berries, once farming was established they reverted to more traditional fare. Fast forward to the 1980s and native foods are rediscovered along with their unique flavours. In this program we visit the Spirit Festival where Warren Miller a Wirangu and Kokatha man demonstrates how he cooks wombat and kangaroo tails. Usually cooked in the ground, Warren has modified his cooking methods for the city. Back in the kitchen Maggie cooks her version of kangaroo tails – in a suet pastry pie and Simon cooks a super quick meal of Cockles with a native herb and spice twist. We visit Renmark High School where a group of students are involved in a pilot project with a bush food producer to cultivate a commercial crop of 26,000 Kutjera or Desert Raisins. This crop uses ¼ of the water of traditional Riverland crops and has 10 times the vitamin C of an orange. Back in the kitchen Maggie cooks Quandong Clafoutis with a macadamia crust while Simon cooks barramundi with desert limes, desert raisins and native spices all wrapped in paperbark. Australian Native Foods – a program that explores a whole new world of ancient and sustainable foods.

This week on The Cook & the Chef Maggie and Simon celebrate the meteoric rise of Australian restaurant culture. Fifty years ago Australia was gastronomically a very bleak part of the world. In the early 1950’s dining out for Maggie's family often meant a meal at the local Chinese restaurant, but the choice was limited. For many it was steak & chips, followed by ice-cream and passionfruit syrup at the local café or milk bar. But something was about to happen which would liberalise the drinking laws, throw open restaurant doors and introduce us to whole new culinary world. The post war immigration boom had arrived and brought with not only great diversity of cuisine, but an extraordinary variety of home grown produce. There was a rise in affluence among the broader population and by the mid 1960's Australians had begun streaming into Europe, driven by our sense of adventure. On their return, they demanded much more than steak and chips, sparking a renaissance in home grown restaurant culture. Maggie played her part in this transformation and takes a nostalgic look back at her restaurant days in the 1980's. She cooks her legendary pheasant pie, while Simon shares his take on 'Greek meatballs', a staple from the 1970's restaurants that he and his family used to visit. We meet Sydney Chef Tetsuya Wakuda who arrived in Australia in 1982 with no formal training and nothing more than a small suitcase. From humble beginnings, Tetsuya is now recognised as one of the world’s best chefs and his restaurant has won numerous awards. As a tribute, Maggie cooks her version of Tetsuya's famous 'Confit of Ocean Trout', and Simon reels in some whiting and makes sashimi, with pickled daikon, ginger and a unique dipping sauce, both dishes celebrating the diversity and vibrancy of today’s restaurant scene. Recipes: - Greek Meatballs (Keftedes) - Sashimi - Ocean Trout - Pheasant Pie

Dust off your flares and fondue set and get set to revive some classic dishes from the 70s, as Maggie and Simon celebrate the dawning of Modern Australian food. The early 70s was an exciting time to be living in Australia – at least according to Maggie, who has a gentle laugh about the fact that Simon’s probably too young to remember! The spirit of experimentation was in the air, with new ideas in politics, theatre, music and film, and this experimentation flowed over into our cooking too. One big source of ideas for Maggie was the food & wine magazine Epicurean. She used to be inspired by the amazingly inventive covers, though the recipes were sometimes a little on the basic side. It was also the era of competitive dinner parties, and Maggie remembers fondly cooking Chicken Veronique at the dinner party she held with husband Colin in the first week of her marriage. She recreates the dish with a modern twist, while Simon draws inspiration from the pages of Epicurean and has go at Duck a L’Orange. This was also the era when Modern Australian food began to emerge, and someone who rejoiced in its arrival was food critic Leo Schofield. He reminisces about the bad old days of stodgy French provincial restaurants, but also recalls his excitement as young Australian chefs started to carve out a new style. Two of the best to emerge in the 70s were Tony and Gay Bilson, and Gay looks back at some 70s trends which helped their culinary experimentation – including the increase in overseas travel, and the arrival in Australia of the food processor! Back in the kitchen Maggie and Simon finish off their 70s dinner party with chocolate mousse and apple fool. Recipes: - Chocolate Mousse - Chook Veronique - Apple Fool - Dauphinoise Potato - Duck a L'Orange

Maggie ventures bravely into Simon’s world of South East Asian cuisine. The Vietnamese dishes Maggie and Simon produce, from soups to crispy fried quail, are clean and fresh and defined by a delicate balance of sweet, salt, acid and sour flavours. Over the past thirty years more than one hundred and fifty thousand people have settled in Australia from Vietnam. When the first refugees arrived they struggled to find any ingredients they could use in their traditional dishes with fresh herbs and vegetables particularly hard to come by. Thanks to Vietnamese market gardeners and to those who set up shops and restaurants the situation is now very different, and even in the country Maggie is able to find ingredients like tamarind and coriander. In the kitchen Maggie ventures into unknown territory with the help of a recipe by Pauline Nguyen and makes a delicious tamarind and pineapple broth. It is a soup that is delicate on the palate with a sour kick that Maggie loves and a lovely complex sweetness courtesy of the pineapple. Maggie even experiments with a bit of chilli in the dish! Simon demonstrates the importance of having a lovely clear stock for a Vietnamese classic, beef noodle soup (Pho). The finished dish is more than a meal, with fresh rice noodles, melt in the mouth beef and the Vietnamese staples; bean sprouts, mint and coriander which swim in the delicate, delicious broth. Enjoying the new challenge Maggie makes a second Vietnamese dish, Crispy Fried Quail, again inspired by Pauline Nguyen. The marinade for the quail combines flavours like; Chinese five spice, light and dark soy, Chinese rice wine and star anise. The Quail is then deep fried and served with a refreshing salad of cucumber, mint and coriander. Again playing with heat, Maggie makes a white pepper dipping sauce for the Quail which, with a generous splash of lime, adds a real tang to the overall taste. Simon’s friends from Nghi Ngan Quan restaurant have encouraged Simon to have a go at mak

Just the mention of Australian classics like butterfly cakes, sponges, jelly cakes and sausage rolls conjures up memories of childhood and a time when home baking was a big part of daily life. These and hundreds of other recipes were handed from mother to daughter over generations and came from countries on the other side of the world to new homes in Australia. Through adversity or necessity, ingredients were experimented with, substitutes made and this legendary Australian 'make do' mentality meant families were fed and nothing was wasted… and in the process these recipes have become Australian classics. This program looks at the history of Anzac biscuits and how they were invented by women so their men at war had something sweet to remind them of home. Maggie cooks Neenish Tarts and explains how this quirky tart that originated in New South Wales got its name. Simon continues the theme and cooks a flourless cake – using almond meal and wattleseed but experiments a bit and adds some desert limes from Maggie’s cupboard to give it a real Australian flavour. Next we visit Margaret Hempel who heads the South Australian Country Women's Association catering team as she bakes Butterfly Cakes and other sweets and savouries for a member's 80th birthday party. She gives us a bit of an insight into country cooks, community cookbooks and the heritage of baking that is now so much part of Australia's baking history. Back in the Barossa kitchen Maggie cooks her version of the Jelly Cake – a chunky lamington-style using raspberries and quince paste while Simon gives a traditional sausage roll a real multicultural twist with some quite surprising ingredients. Australian classics and the CWA – a program guaranteed to bring back memories of the great Australian afternoon tea 'spread'! Recipes: - Jelly Cakes (Individual Cupcakes) - Wattle Seed, Apple and Almond Cake - Sausage Rolls with a twist - Neenish Tart - Gelatine

This week the Cook & the Chef take a close look at the art of food presentation. Maggie gives us a snapshot on the world of food photography, one which is often veiled in trickery, sprays, glues and gels, all used to artificially enhance the look of a dish. Maggies approach is a bit different, self trained, she likes to keep her style simple and natural, letting the food speak for itself and the skills of the photographer really shine through. In the kitchen Maggie shares with us Garfish and soba noodles. Simple to prepare, and beautifully presented, this delicate combination of ingredients is treat for all the senses Equipped with one of his favourite 'kitchen toy's' to make an exquisite 'potato rosti', Simon cooks 'Tournedos Rossini', a slow cooked fillet of beef, so tender that both our cook and chef are lost for words. Simon's world of presentation has been heavily influenced by Japanese cuisine. He introduces us to Sydney chef Tetsuya Wakuda, who's strong sense of the aesthetic is clearly reflected in his restaurant and food. In Japan there’s a saying that "A person cannot go out naked in public and neither should food," probably why ceramics play such an important role in that cuisine. Using some very special Japanese ceramics produced by Tetsuya’s friend Mitsuo Shoji, Simon shares his take on 'Tetsuya's unique salad', while Maggie cooks Shitake fritters and tofu, both dishes proving that we really do eat with our eyes as well as our mouths. Recipes: - Tornados Rossini - Tetsuya Salad - Shitake and Tofu Fritters - Soba Noodles with black sesame and Garfish

This week the 1980s are making a comeback, as Simon and Maggie celebrate the time when Aussie food came of age and the work of three very special cooks: Gay Bilson, Tony Bilson and Janni Kyritsis. In the 1980s Maggie was busy running her famous restaurant The Pheasant Farm. Simon fondly remembers eating there as a teenager but he did think it all looked like organised chaos! Maggie realises that she wasn’t the only one working hard in the '80s though: it was an age of growing wealth but as disposable incomes expanded our spare time dwindled. To save precious time more people were going out to eat, so it was a great age for Australian restaurants as emerging chefs carved out a distinctive Aussie style. One of the best restaurants of the '80s was Gay Bilson's Berowra Waters. Maggie has fond memories of an amazing meal she ate there, so as a tribute to Gay and to Berowra Waters’ remarkable chef Janni Kyritsis she cooks her version of that memorable meal: sweetbreads with pigs’ trotters! Simon loves the dish but also cheekily suggests that his dog Iggy would love it, because he’s a big fan of pigs’ ears! Another great chef who was doing amazing things in the 1980s was Tony Bilson, and Simon’s a big fan of his work. When Simon stopped working in Asian restaurants and started in hotels he struggled at first to master the tricky art of making stocks, so someone suggested he should read Tony’s book. Simon feels forever indebted to Tony for the great advice he found there, so this week he pays tribute by making a brown beef stock, then using that stock to make a delicious consommé with herbed crepe. Recipes: - Pigs ears with sweetbreads and remoulade sauce - Brown Beef Stock - Remoulade Sauce - Consommé with Herb Crepe

Tonight Maggie and Simon entice us outdoors into the late autumn sun to enjoy Greek inspired barbequed goat, souvlaki and baby octopus. Greek desserts are also on the menu so be prepared for some syrupy, sweet lusciousness. To many Australian the name Chantal Contouri would conjure up memories of Number 96, the very risqué night time soapie from the mid seventies that featured Chantal as "the panty hose strangler". These days you are more likely to find Chantal preparing the Greek barbeque in her parents family restaurant than behind a camera, and her commitment to getting her coals just right has Maggie and Simon inspired. With Maggie’s dam as a beautiful backdrop Simon and Maggie prepare their respective barbies . Maggie uses a Kettle BBQ to slow cook Kid which has been flavoured with lemon, garlic, oregano and salt while Simon opts for his home made coal and wok combination to grill souvlaki and baby octopus. Maggie’s meat is almost an hour and a half cook and is served with waxy potatoes . The meat is melt in the mouth and the delicate lemon flavouring given to the potatoes makes for a lovely combination of flavours and textures. The heroes of Simon’s souvlaki are definitely the generous big chunks of haloumi which are balanced perfectly by the tang of red onion and generous portions of eggplant and zucchini. The baby octopuses are marinated in garlic, lemon and dill and the flavours of the coals imparted to Simon’s fare takes it to another level of flavour complexity altogether. For their desserts Simon and Maggie draw their inspiration from another two Greek women, Zeffie Kathreptis and Kryssoula Heisler . Both Zeffie and Kryssie are self taught cooks and neither cooked until they were married. Their commitment to their Greek style cooking, however, was such that Zeffie opened a very popular Greek restaurant in her home town of Adelaide while Kryssie opened Adelaide’s first Greek take-away. These days most of their cooking is done for family a

In this episode Maggie and Simon travel back around 150 years to a time in Australia’s history when rations were doled out to workers and meat became not just a symbol of Australia’s prosperity, but a major part of the Australian diet. With the challenge of using meat, flour, sugar, tea and salt Maggie starts simply, but can’t resist going upmarket while Simon cooks some real bush favourites, making sure to use a good measure of rum! To top it off, we visit a hard-working shearer’s cook to see if mutton still plays a big part in the shearing crew’s diet. ‘Meat three times a day’ was the boastful slogan of 19th century Australia and from early settlement in a country where sheep and cattle were plentiful, daily rations for crews of hard-working rural labourers were high in meat. In this program, Maggie and Simon are given the challenge of using ‘rations’ – 10lbs meat, 10lbs flour, 2lbs sugar and a ¼ lb each of tea and salt, plus a little rum – the weekly food allowance for a rural worker in 19th century Australia. Maggie starts simply with Bread and Dripping and Fried Onions – a fond memory from husband Colin’s childhood whilst Simon’s Pound Cake is an old British recipe that dates from the 1700s and was brought to Australia with the early settlers - but Simon adds a good dash of rum for added punch. We travel back to 1861 and the ABC series ‘Outback House’ to see how the early settlers would have fared with basic provisions and plenty of mutton to get a sense of where the meat-eating tradition started and we visit hard-working shearer’s cook Marilyn Vogel because if there’s anyone who knows how to cook mutton it’s her! Back in the kitchen Maggie can’t resist going upmarket and cooks Rib of Beef with Black Pepper Crust and Bernaise Sauce in homage to her newly discovered convict ancestor who became a cattle farmer while Simon cooks a recipe direct from a 19th century kitchen - Braised Mutton with Suet Dumplings. E

In this episode our Cook & Chef pay homage to the one of the young chefs making a name for himself in Australia today. With his restaurant named as one of the top fifty in the world, Melbourne based chef Shannon Bennett is pushing the boundaries of modern French Cuisine and fine dining. Inspired by Shannon’s unique style and technique Maggie & Simon cook four irresistible dishes, Steak Tartare and Slow Cooked Lamb, followed by Chocolate Mousse and Quince and Prune Croustillant. There’s no shortage of drive or passion when it comes to some of the young chefs making a name for themselves in Australia today, none more so than Melbourne chef & restaurateur Shannon Bennett. Having being inspired by home economics at school , Shannon was desperate to work in the industry and lied about his age to score his first job at the local McDonalds. This gave work him the work ethic and organisational skills he needed to make the most of the opportunities that lay ahead. After completing his apprenticeship at the Grand Hyatt in Melbourne and already winning awards, Shannon left for England where he worked for two of Europe’s top chefs, John Burton Race, who featured in the TV series 'French Leave' and the 'Chef Returns' and Marco Pierre White known as both the 'enfant terrible' and the Godfather of modern English cuisine. In 2000 Shannon returned to Melbourne to fulfil his dream of opening his very own classic French restaurant, renovating a former pasta restaurant in Carlton which he called Vue du Monde. This risky venture was a huge success and in 2004, to meet demand Shannon moved to Melbourne’s CBD, where he received an unprecedented 19 out of 20 in The Age Good Food guide and last year his restaurant was named as one of the top fifty in the world. Recipes: - Steak Tartare - Slow-Cooked Shoulder of Lamb with Red Wine Vinegar - Chocolate Mousse the Molecular Way - Bitter Green Salad - Quince and Prune Croustillant

Maggie and Simon both love cookbooks so this week Maggie shows off her collection and admits that acquiring cookbooks is a bit of an addiction! Simon still loves and uses one of the first cookbooks he ever bought: Charmaine Solomon’s famous guide to Asian cooking, a book which helped to change forever the way Australians shopped, cooked and ate. Recipes - Onion and Cream Tart - Nasi Goreng - Green Peas in Coconut Milk - Bean Curd with Peanut Sauce and Rice

In any who’s who of Australian cuisine Stephanie Alexander features as a cook who has influenced not only the way we dine but the way we think about food. Recipes - Fritatta - Lentil Risotto - Baked Potatoes - Polenta and rosemary bread with fresh sweet corn

Margaret Fulton has been called the Isabella Beeton of Australian cookery and with over 4 million cookery book sales she has influenced the way Australians have entertained and eaten for over fifty years. Recipes - Lamb Crown Roast - Marmalade Steamed Pudding - Roast Leg of Lamb with Gravy - Spanish Cream

This week Maggie and Simon celebrate the era of 'Grand cuisine'. The 1970's & 80's heralded a renaissance in Australian restaurant culture, heavily influenced by French 'Haute or Grand cuisine' which was as much about the atmosphere and service, as it was food and wine. Recipes - Sausage en Brioche - Flounder Picasso - Pappardelle with poppy seeds - Beef Satay with Peanut sauce

Do you remember heading to the local Chinese takeaway for a bit of dodgy sweet 'n' sour pork and beef with black bean? Ever since the Gold Rush Chinese food has been a part of the Australian food scene, but for a long time Australians had a very limited view of what Chinese food was all about. China's a huge country, but most of the early Chinese settlers who arrived here were from the Southern region of Guangdong, home of Cantonese cuisine, so Cantonese-style dishes dominated here. Furthermore, the Chinese settlers adapted their food to suit Aussie palates, dumbing it down for an audience suited to plainer fare. These days it's all starting to change though, and we're starting to find out about the amazing variety and sophistication of true Chinese cuisine. Simon loves the fact that you can easily buy fresh Chinese produce, so in the kitchen he prepares a simple but delicious dish centred on a classic Chinese ingredient, fresh silken tofu. Maggie admits that the wok is unfamiliar territory, but as a tribute to great Chinese food she tries her hand at Sung Choi Bao. Recipes - Chinese Fried Eggs - Steamed Silken Tofu - Sung Choi Bow (lettuce cups) - Kylie's Oxtail

Tonight Simon revels in his favourite Thai food, and encourages heat- avoiding Maggie to “dip a toe” into this chilli laden cuisine. The resulting savoury and sweet dishes are delicate, exquisitely complex and beautifully balanced in flavour, and surprisingly Maggie friendly! Recipes - Egg Nets - Prawn Crackers - Spiced Chicken with Plum Sauce - Black Sticky Rice (kao niaw kao muun) and Fresh Mango

This program has a real Australian flavour. Lemon Aspen, Anise Myrtle, Davidson Plum and yabbies are just some of the fantastic Australian native foods Maggie and Simon experiment with this week. In fact, they reckon that if we all planted native bushfoods in our gardens and used them in our cooking, a unique Australian cuisine would evolve that’s jam packed with bold flavours and nutrition and perfectly suited to our climate. Recipes - Kangaroo Tail Soup - Marron and Samphire - Yabby Bisque with Lemon Myrtle - Plum Paste - Davidson - Australian Native Cuisine

This week on the Cook and the Chef Maggie and Simon show us some home cooked alternatives to the mass produced 'convenience' foods that dominate our supermarket shelves today. Not only are they as convenient, but they’re a whole lot tastier and healthy for you too. Recipes - Chook - Brined - Icecream - apple pie - Burger - Chocolate Brownie

Australia has a long and proud history of celebrity cooks and chefs, entertaining food enthusiasts who’ve shared their secrets and helped raise our culinary standards. Recipes - Ox Tripe, slow cooked with wine - Duck Ragu - Eggplant Timbale with Mullet and Confit Potatoes - Congee – Duck and Ginger

Tonight Maggie and Simon tip their hats to the magical Mediterranean flavours of Lebanese cuisine. Pomegranate, lemon juice, pine nuts, olives and walnuts are just some of the fresh ingredients employed to embrace the food and the shared style of dining typical of Lebanese culture. Recipes - Felafel with Yogurt sauce - Egg and Green Olive Salad - Fattoush - Poussins with Pomegranates

In this episode Maggie and Simon pay homage to the regional food culture of the Barossa Valley. Maggie’s 36 years in the valley has given her a love for simple, seasonal food and a pride in the unique foods of the region which to this day echo the first Prussian settlers who made the valley their home. We visit Graham Linke for an insight into the centuries old method of smoking meats, Maggie cooks a dish from her first days in the valley and after teasing some secrets from numerous bakers and butchers Simon valiantly attempts some old German specialities. The Barossa Valley is one of many regions in Australia where migrants have created a unique regional food culture. This program celebrates the Barossa where today, food, religion and cultural traditions echo Prussian, Silesian and German origins. Maggie’s love of all things Barossan is well known and she shares her 36 year love affair with the people, food and music. In the kitchen she bakes Pickled Pork with crisped potatoes, a variation of her first meal in the Barossa when she arrived newly married all those years ago. Simon’s research into all things German led him to bakers and butchers who maintain traditional German recipes with secret methods passed down over generations. Managing to glean a few tips from these masters, Simon cooks Berliner Buns – a sweet, jam-filled doughnut with an interesting history... and they taste unbelievable! We visit Graham Linke, a traditional butcher who smokes smallgoods at the back of his butcher shop in Nuriootpa and carries on the traditions of 3 generations of butchers with recipes from his pioneering Prussian ancestors. Back in the kitchen Simon makes Fritz – also known as Devon, luncheon meat, polony or German sausage depending on where you live in Australia whilst Maggie makes a simple Grilled Peach, lachs shinken and gruth salad using Graham’s famous smoked eye of pork. Food of a region...a celebration of the Barossa and the migrants whose fo

As they say, all good things have to come to an end and sadly tonight’s program is the very last of the Cook and the Chef, but to go out with a bang and to celebrate four fabulous years, Maggie & Simon are cooking for a party, to thank everyone who has helped make the show a success. As with any television program there’s a lot that goes on before the cooking starts and on tonight’s show we take a look behind the scenes. Simon introduces two of his best mates, Stephanie, his 'recipe & research' girl and Carolyn his 'shopper & chopper' and we follow the three of them them as they shop for tonight's ingredients, in Adelaide's amazing Central Market. First up on tonight's party menu Simon cooks one of his all time favourites, Spring Rolls and Maggie a deliciously simple, Baked Ricotta, with raisins, olives and capers followed by a spicy Cinnamon Chicken. For two days each month the ABC crew arrive and take over Maggie's little kitchen in the Barossa Valley and for the very last recording, Maggie shares this fascinating experience with us, a rare insight into the machinations of a television cooking show. The charcoal barbecue is fired up to complete our party menu with Maggie cooking superb succulent Pork Ribs with a delicious cabernet sauce and Simon, Pineapple Skewers with palm sugar syrup, unique but irresistible. Then it's time for the party, where both Maggie and Simon say farewell in their own special way.