THE SEASONS four recipes that celebrate the best of our produce

Diego Cossio is a Peninsula-based chef who enjoys creating beautiful flavours with finesse using Peninsula produce. His work graced the cover of last year’s Eat.Drink Mornington Peninsula, so we just had to get him back to create the recipes for this edition.

“I love the Mornington Peninsula because every season brings associated outdoor activities,” Diego said. “In the winter I forage mushrooms; in spring, pine shoots, wild garlic, and sea herbs. In summer I spend my spare time near the ocean, and in autumn I find olives and quinces and preserve them. Every year I plan for those activities and get such joy in planning what I am going to do with my finds. It’s the first time in a while that I’ve had a real garden and have finally started growing and harvesting my own fruits and vegetables.

“It was wonderful to head out to places like Main Ridge Dairy, the Mumma Made kitchen and Hawkes Farm to pick up produce and supplies, seeing first hand where these products have been grown or made.

“Cooking has always been part of my life. My grandmother was an amazing cook; very random in her creations, but her cooking was outstanding. My father is also a good cook; a little bit of a dreamer, but he's a romantic cook and his meals make you smile.

“I like cooking because it carries a special type of energy. Creating and cooking a dish requires a lot of care, and I believe that energy is carried in the food and it can be tasted and experienced through eating.

“It's wonderful to discover more products, local ingredients, and explore farming practices. I want to learn more and also share the knowledge that I have acquired over the past years from being a chef all over the world.”

You can follow Diego on Instagram @pachamama.peninsula and read more about his journey, which is being documented in a Peninsula project all about growing, cooking, farming and meeting the makers. It’s called Pachamama, which is Quechuan – Diego’s Incan heritage – for ‘Mother Earth’.

Photography: Amber Gardener