— Watch Mark Moriarty: Off Duty Chef weekdays 5pm from 25 December to 11 January on SBS Food. Both seasons will also be streaming at SBS On Demand from 25 December. —
“All I really want to do is absolutely smash it. Am I allowed to smash it yet?” asks Mark Moriarty, as he holds aloft a very (very!) generously loaded pork taco on the set of his latest series. Getting a ‘yes’ from an off-screen crew member, he does that, taking a large bite, then laughs as he tries to eat quickly enough to continue talking. “That’s so good… hearty ten there.”
It's not very ‘cheffy’, which would be a surprise if you just looked at his CV.
Moriarty has had a so far – Irish Young Chef of the Year, San Pellegrino World Young Chef of the Year, a Forbes magazine ’30 under 30’ list, and most recently, his first cookbook was a winner at the Irish Book Awards (that'd be the one with a that reads "I've eaten Mark's food and now I've read his book. Mouthwatering. Literally. Buy it"). He even lived in Melbourne for a stint, working with Andrew McConnell at Cutler&Co. But in Mark Moriarty: Off Duty Chef, he’s swapped the chef’s jacket for chambray shirts, and the restaurant dishes for home food.
Mark Moriarty's chicken crumble. Credit: Mark Moriarty: Off Duty Chef
And when we have an email chat with Moriarty, who’s currently in Dublin – and “delighted that the show is going Down Under” – he explains that his travels and restaurant experience have all helped shape what’s in Off Duty Chef. “This show is all about using the tips and tricks I've picked up to make your meals simple, quick and tasty,” he says.
So there are recipes that will guide you to great versions of favourites such as bolognese, green curry, shakshuka, chicken kiev and carrot cake ("When I was a kid, I used to love carrot cake and always had it in my lunch box in school, which you can imagine was quite some fun when I had a big mop of ginger hair. And all these years later, I still love it," he says in the show), through to some fun twists: brioche garlic bread, "chicken crumble" (a chicken and broccoli bake with crumble topping), and a homemade recipe for a familiar-looking big-chain sausage-egg muffin ("nice and airy" homemade muffins are not as hard as you think, he reassures us, when he makes these in an episode devoted to brunch recipes). And of course, those .
Spicy pork tacos. Credit: Robin Murray
Ahead of the show starting (there have been two seasons so far, and both are coming to SBS Food and SBS On Demand) we talked to him about his time in Australia, what he likes to cook, and the effect travel has had on his cooking.
What did you most enjoy about living and cooking in Australia?
I lived in Melbourne back in 2017 and absolutely loved the multicultural part of Australian society. Each week you could eat authentic cuisines from around the world on your doorstep, be it Turkish, Indian, Greek, Thai or even native Australian ingredients at flagship restaurants like Attica. We don't have that at that level here in Ireland. I also loved my time working for Andrew McConnell at Cutler&Co, a brilliant business operator as well as chef, I've carried many of his words of wisdom with me ever since. Outside of food, I'm a golf nut, that sandbelt region has the best golf courses I've ever seen, although I don't miss the suncream and 40-degree heat!
Mark Moriarty with his mac and cheese, on the set of Off Duty Chef. Credit: Robin Murray
Any plans to visit Australia again?
I have been hoping for a work reason to get back down, maybe the TV shows will help. (Available to come cook!) I was supposed to travel to Sydney last year for a cocktail festival but it fell the week before my wedding so I wasn't allowed to go! Like every Irish person, I have family in Perth and Sydney as well as a gang of friends in Melbourne so hopefully, I'll get down in the next 12 months.
What's your current favourite 'off-duty' dish to make in your own kitchen?
My go-to off-duty dish at the moment was a staff food favourite at the restaurant, I braise down a load of diced lamb shoulder in cumin, chilli and lime. I thicken the juices up in the pot with some gravy granules and then serve with cous cous, feta cheese, mint, coriander, red onion and a stack of flatbreads to make wraps with. Quick, delicious and packed with flavour, my kind of summer cooking.
Your San Pellegrino win saw you go on a culinary world tour in 2015-16. How much did that and other travels, and getting to experience different cultures, shape the way you cook?
I used the time to open my eyes when I was in each country
That tour of the world actually convinced me to move to Australia, after we cooked a six-course menu for 100 people on a Melbourne rooftop in 2016! Apart from that, I used the time to open my eyes when I was in each country, documenting, photographing and tasting as much food as possible from both casual right up to fine dining restaurants. I see the benefit now as we produce TV shows and books every year, twinned with years of restaurant experience and the 2 Michelin stars, it gives me a different angle on Off Duty Chef. This show is all about using the tips and tricks I've picked up to make your midweek meals simple, quick and tasty. Safe in the knowledge that the person talking to you on the screen has done the training and knows the score.
There's dessert too: Chocolate honeycomb squares from Off Duty Chef. Credit: Robin Murray
