Polly Markus - the Kiwi behind Instagram food account Miss Polly's Kitchen - is releasing her second cookbook, Simply Delicious. Photo / Alyse Wright
The Kiwi behind Miss Polly’s Kitchen shares her favourite food hacks and tips
Polly Markus is in her early 30s but has already lived a series of different lives. Once a crew chef on a superyacht, then a commercial real estate agent, she is now a full-time foodie with the release of her second cookbook.
Expanding on her Instagram account Miss Polly’s Kitchen (72,000 followers and counting), cookbook Simply Delicious is a collection of easy recipes that will impress your guests, whether it’s a casual dinner with friends or an elaborate dinner party for a large group.
But what is Miss Polly’s kitchen actually like? I meet her at her home in Ponsonby – an unassuming unit from the outside, but inside it’s light, bright and styled like something you’d see in an interiors magazine.
Her kitchen is small, yet clearly the hub of her household. As we arrive for the video shoot and interview, she’s behind the kitchen bench, making herself a quick brunch (a slice of Vogel’s toast with ricotta cheese, cherry tomatoes and fresh basil), which she quickly munches down before we start. There’s a large bowl of citrus fruit on the bench, along with a fresh baguette, a barista-style coffee machine and a huge mortar and pestle. On the shelves, Maldon sea salt and Bluff gin; on the walls, an eclectic selection of artwork, including an installation resembling giant pieces of scrunched paper from Auckland-based artist Sarah Jayne Kavali.
Markus, with long, dark, lightly waved hair, black mini dress and heavy black boots, is friendly and funny, with a light-hearted energy that is easy to warm to.
To celebrate the launch of her book, she shared with the Herald some of her favourite food hacks to make cooking and entertaining easier.
Your first job was waiting tables at your local cafe. What are some of your best and worst memories from your time as a waitress?
As a waitress, I wasn’t very good. My worst memory was falling down the stairs with a tray of water glasses. I sat out the back of the cafe and cried for about an hour because I was so embarrassed. I think everyone at some point should work in hospo. It gives you a real appreciation for everything that goes on at a cafe or restaurant, and how difficult it actually is. It’s a great experience to work in that environment. From a young age, I always liked being around people, so it was a nice way to do that.
You also worked as crew chef on a superyacht. Is it just like we see on Below Deck?
[Laughs] Everyone always says that. I think it depends what boat you get on. I was only meant to do it for six months but I ended up going over to Spain. I knew that I wanted to do something with food, but I’m not a formally trained chef, I had no experience, but I thought maybe if I could do stewardessing and some of the cooking for the crew, that would be great. And I ended up meeting a group of Kiwis over there and fell into a role as crew chef on a boat that I ended up working on for three years. Every time I went to leave, they would say, “oh, we’re going to be based in New York for the next six months and we’re going to go up to Canada...” so how do you leave an opportunity like that?
The boat I worked on, aspects were like Below Deck but not really. We had such a great crew, our boss was amazing and she loved being in port. As the crew chef, my hours were shorter than everyone else’s so I was able to go off the boat as soon as I finished my shift. At 6.30pm I was done until 8am the next morning. So I was lucky, I got to explore and adventure and do all those things.
But then I had friends that were on horrific boats and worked for awful people. So I think it can be like Below Deck. But I think it’s something that young people should do. It’s fun. Wild, but fun [laughs].
What are your best hacks to become a better home cook?
I truly think that being organised is so important. Don’t pick up a recipe, look at the ingredients and think, ‘yeah, I’ve got that’ and then start cooking. Read the recipe, even if you skim read it, so you have an idea of what is going on next. Always prep everything you can. You don’t want to be halfway through cooking a steak and thinking, “oh no, the steak’s overcooked and now I need to stir fry my vegetables but I haven’t cut them” because it’s all happening quickly.
Being prepared, reading a recipe, and chopping and cutting everything in advance, is really important. Prep things the day before if you can. If you’re cooking a meal that night and the next you might be doing some chicken and you need to marinade it, throw that together and leave it marinading overnight. A, it will taste so much better and b, it’s one of those quick things you can do to make the next night a bit more of a breeze.
How do you make homecooked meals look great on social media?
Get a herb garden. I just got one and it has changed my life. Fresh herbs – you can pretty much throw a pile of fresh herbs on a dish and it will take it from looking pretty average to something quite “wow”. Have things in the cupboards, ready. I put a lot of dukkah on top of things as garnish, or nuts and seeds, toasting them with interesting spices and having them in a jar. I know it seems like something you have to prep, but it pays off, because when you’re throwing together a salad, you can put on some toasted nuts and seeds, and it really does elevate a dish as well, and it makes it easier. But I think I could always brush up on my plating skills.
If you were going to cook a meal to impress a date, what would you make?
I think pasta. Unless you’re gluten-free, like my boyfriend, I think pasta is just the best. It’s comforting, it’s just beautiful, and it’s quite hard to stuff up. You could literally cook the pasta, throw some olive oil, some garlic and some chilli and feta with some lemon zest and that would be beautiful. Or you could really impress them and do a slow-cooked ragu. And I would probably do a crudo to start, something light and delicious.
Where are your favourite to places out in Auckland, New Zealand and around the world?
Alma is hands down my favourite restaurant in Auckland. If you haven’t been, it’s unreal.
My favourite spots in New Zealand to eat – I like wineries so probably Hawke’s Bay and Queenstown. Last year I went to Marlborough and did a lot of exploring around there, which I loved. I think anywhere with seafood, I am big on seafood. Actually, Waiheke is incredible – I think some of the food spots there are world-class.
Worldwide, I think Bali is incredible. There’s a lot of Australian influence over there. I think some of their restaurants are exceptional.
I lived in Spain for a long time, in Palma de Mallorca, so I love anywhere in Spain and Spanish food.
Italy – I stayed in Puglia and we did a cooking class there which was beautiful.
I haven’t been to Greece, but that’s on my hit list. I was also in Singapore last year for a 48-hour whirlwind trip and I ate some of the most incredible food ever. Street food and Michelin-star places at the hawker centres – that was probably some of the most mind-blowing food I’ve had in a long time.
Who are some of your favourite chefs and food heroes?
I’ve got to say in New Zealand Josh Emett. I love Josh. Alison Roman – she is an incredible writer and recipe developer. Molly Baz - she has done two cookbooks now and has quite a fun personality. She’s also really interesting. Yotam Ottolenghi is my dream – I think he’s exceptional. I think the flavours and food that he produces is just incredible. And I like Nigella Lawson. I think she’s got a little bit of spice about her ... or a lot of spice. And Jamie Oliver – he’s just cute and sweet.
When you’ve had a long stressful day and you feel like you can’t be bothered to cook, what’s your go-to meal to cook?
I always have white miso paste and tom yum paste in the fridge. I know it’s probably criminal to mix the two of them, but sometimes I put a little bit of each in a pot, with some stock, and I’ve always got frozen peas and prawns in the freezer, so I throw those in, and any vegetables I’ve got, I’ll throw those in, whether it’s spinach, broccoli, and some noodles, and literally in 10 minutes you’d be eating.
If you don’t have prawns – I used to do this a lot on the boat, which is a bit of a strange combination, but I would make miso soup, noodles, vegetables and then put some canned tuna into it.
I’m really big on tofu as well. You can make a tofu stir-fry in minutes and it’s tasty, as long as you’ve got fresh ingredients.
The base of a lot of my meals is ginger, garlic, onion and sometimes chilli – if you’ve got those three or four things, you can make a stir fry with soy sauce and a couple of other things. And you’re done. And it’s tasty.
Simply Delicious, published by Allen & Unwin, is on sale now
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