The inspiring, Jane Kennedy
Jane Kennedy is best known in Australia as one of masterminds behind The Late Show, Frontline, The Dish and The Castle.
Her work both on and off screen for Working Dog Productions has delivered both thought provoking and compelling humour to Australians for years now.
Somehow in between all of this Jane and her husband Rob Sitch have had five children and she has put out a beautiful cookbook with an amazing title “Fabulous Food minus the Boombah”
I asked Jane about her book and her career.
What was your turning point for changing the way you ate?
After having 5 kids and realising I was never going to have the same metabolism as Angelina Jolie (or the entourage). I was getting very down about how hard it was to lose the post-baby bulge. I felt sluggish and kept ‘rewarding’ myself with creamy crispy fattening ‘comfort’ foods. But these foods didn’t comfort me at all…they made me feel worse! So I entered the world of smaller portions, gave empty white carbs the flick and the weight started to slowly come off!
SO – tell me – with 5 kids – how do you organise yourself to be able to whipup these meals? I struggle with one!
Everything revolves around the kitchen, so I have my computer set up at all times on the bench! When you love cooking it’s not so much a chore to feed everyone. I have accepted I’m running a cafe at home! Simple rules of cooking though: must be fast, simple, tasty. Always have your oils and spices and lemons, chilli’s and herbs out- then you’ll use them!
What is a day in the life typical menu for you?
Nearly EVERY night we have a plate of tasty baby tomatoes with red onion anda good Aussie olive oil and sea salt and pepper and fresh herbs. That will go with  a piece of fish or meat, quickly cooked with spices or chilli, and some asparagus or zucchini.
Tell me about the Vindaloo – I see you are particularly proud of the Vindaloo!
The vindaloo I USED to chow down on was from our local takeaway. It tastedunreal but I started to get concerned about the oil I could see, and the lack of meat and loads of gluggy sauce. I read up on traditional Vindaloo recipes, and realised the ingredients were actually rather lean…garlic , ginger, chilli , spices. These form the basis of many Indian dishes. It’s the amounts of ghee and all the accompanments that go with it that can make Indian food high in calories… naan bread and pappadams and sugary chutneys and buckets of rice end up on your Bollywood bottom.
How does coming up with your low-boombah version rate as an achievement compared to the honour of The Castle being Australia’s favourite movie of all time?
Hahaha! Well, The Castle’s appeal still knocks me over…. And yes, it was a huge thrill to be honoured in that way. I’d say it rates just slightly above the vindaloo!!
What has been your proudest career moment to date? (“Fat lot of help you were Barber” Â hahaha – watched the skit when you were on Sale of Century on the Late Show this weekend while Mick and Santo and Tony Barber sat out in the van outside).
Gee, tricky one. Late Show is a blur…am continually being reminded of sketches I’ve completely forgotten about doing! That Tony Barber sketch…God how cheeky is that? Yelling at Tony!! Had no fear back then. When I think of Frontline I still smile at its relevance today. Singing with the Wiggles as Jane the Singing Dentist was a pretty big achievment. Yep, me and Leo Sayer on the same album!
Did you have any idea the Castle would be as HUGE as it is?
NO WAY.
Has Motherhood improved your sense of humour?
Yes! Otherwise I’d be in tears all the time from tiredness!
Do you and Rob share jokes at the dinner table?
We’re too busy enjoying a glass of wine and eating in peace to make jokes!
Who do the kids find funnier?
Rob
As a former lover of boombah food, how did you change your mentality to give it the flick?
By spending a long time working out fresh tasty flavours to compensate for the lack of rice/pasta/pastry. Once food looks and tastes good you don’t think about what you’re missing out on.
What advice would you give to readers?
It’s really to eat well and cook fast. Don’t get caught in the “I’ll just get takeaway” trap.
Can we expect more cookery from you?
Working on ‘Comfort Food without the boombah’ as we speak! Taking those traditionally high calorie ‘treats’ and giving them the non-boombah twist!
As a Mother of five, a fabulous cook and one of the wittiest women behind the scenes in Australian entertainment — how do you chill out and keep sane?
My girlfriends are an important part of my life and if we can steal a quick lunch or night out, that usually keeps me going for a week! Rob and I sometimes duck out for a 6 pm quick meal when we can……we live in Melbourne so we’re spoilt for choice. But it’s usually for no longer than an hour and a half!
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3 Comments
Wow! I wondered what happenend to Jane! I can’t believe that she has 5 kids- she looks about 16 in her photo. I agree with her food philosophy and I think I will giver her book a go- Before Christmas our household cut out carbs fo dinner and we have all adjusted. Is it my imagination or do you sleep better without carbs? Anyone else?
Definitely! White bread, rice and pasta make me moody too. I’m a big fan of just chopping up a big bowl of vegies, throwing them in a pan for a few minutes with some soy, honey, garlic and then whacking some chicken or salmon on top. Yummo and easy!
Good Interview ‘How r YA?” :)