Kid-chef Supreme

Sydney Morning Herald

Tuesday June 26, 2007

Paul Bibby

It started with cupcakes, now homemade dough is a cinch for one young cookery fanatic.

Each afternoon after school, while most of his mates are lodged in front of the television or PlayStation, Liam Riordan can be found whipping up a cinnamon scroll or a fresh batch of pizza dough in his parents' kitchen.

The 14-year-old from Tapitallee near Nowra has become a budding culinary commando - capable of turning out Lebanese feasts, cakes, slices and stir-fries without raising a sweat.

"I kind of just started off watching my family cook - real hearty stuff like stews and casseroles and I would just help them," the year 9 student says.

"Then when I was about nine I started cooking things by myself. It was probably just cupcakes and basic stuff to begin with but my family seemed to enjoy it."

Within five years, his repertoire has expanded significantly to include roasts, cakes and his now famous homemade pizza dough - dishes that impressed his mother, Veronica, so much that she nominated him as a Homecook Hero.

"I was just making pretty easy dough recipes but I kind of realised that I had a bit of a talent and figured I may as well put it to use,"Liam says.

"There's a pretty huge difference between the stuff you buy from the shops and making your own.

"In the bought stuff you can taste the preservatives whereas homemade tastes like someone has actually put some effort in."

Now the veteran of the kitchen is preparing to pass on his knowledge to the next generation - his younger brother and sister. The eager apprentices are keen to get stuck in but Liam still rules the roost.

"They're a little bit haphazard in the kitchen at the moment," Liam says. "It's mainly chopping and stirring for them. I do the important stuff but eventually I guess they'll start doing their own [dishes]."

As with all good chefs, he is constantly on the look-out for new ideas - reading voraciously and observing the work of others with a critical eye.

"I spend loads of time looking through cookbooks - I probably get a couple of new ones every year," he says. "I like Bill Granger's books. He and Jamie Oliver are probably the chefs I look up to the most. They've just got that sense of style. They add their own touches to things, even basic stuff like pizza dough."

Pizza dough

1 tbsp sugar

7g pack of yeast

215ml warm water

450g flour

1 tsp salt

3 tbsp olive oil

Mix sugar, yeast and 90ml of water in a small bowl, then leave in a warm spot for 10 minutes to activate the yeast. If yeast does not bubble, throw the mixture away and start again.

Place flour and salt in large bowl and make a large well in the middle.

Pour the rest of the water, oil and yeast mixture into the well and stir into the flour.

Form a dough and roll out onto a floured working surface. Knead for 6-8 minutes or until the dough stretches easily.

Put dough in a large bowl, coat with oil, cover with a damp tea towel and leave in a cool, dry place for two hours or put into a plastic bag and leave in the fridge for nine hours.

Beat dough down to original size and roll to 1cm thickness, coat with preferred pizza toppings and cook in a 180C oven for 15-20 minutes.

Makes 2 large pizzas

Recipe from The Food of Italy: A Journey For Food Lovers (Murdoch Books, $39.95).

© 2007 Sydney Morning Herald

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