I t’s almost an Australian rite of passage. For thousands and thousands of us, learning how to cook from one of the many Stephanie Alexander cookbooks is an integral part of coming of age — the most common being, of course, the iconic Cook’s Companion. Now in its third edition, and having sold 500,000 copies since its first release in 1996, I imagine it in kitchens dotted around the country, dog-eared with notes scribbled alongside recipes and covered in flour and splats of sauce.
And so, in preparation of speaking with the woman regarded as one of Australia’s great food educators, Stephanie Alexander AO, it seemed fitting that I, too, dig out my very first cookbook, Stephanie’s Feasts and Stories, a present from my mum when I left home. As…
