"The shared meal elevates eating from a mechanical process of fueling the body to a ritual of family and community, from the mere animal biology to an act of culture".
Michael Pollan
I implore you to get into the kitchen, stand in front of the BBQ, pickle, ferment or preserve….and do it with others! Teach your children to cook, too (and other people’s children). Get together with friends for a foraging expedition, grow food together, cook from scratch, eat together and enjoy it all.
Today a beautiful friend of mine came of over with her three (gorgeous) teenage children and we preserved a massive Granny Smith apple harvest! This made five of us in the kitchen, and in 2 hours we made apple cider vinegar, hard apple cider and apple sauce for both households. The apple cider vinegar will take a while to ferment - I had two SCOBY’s from a previous batch of ACV which we placed in the fresh apple juice, now it will sit on the bench until it’s ready to be strained and used. The hard apple cider is in a wide-mouth bucket to start the fermentation process; next it will be poured into a carboy with an air-lock until it’s ‘dry’ (see photo below). The apple sauce - just apples, cinnamon, vanilla and butter - has been pored into tubs and placed in the freezer until we want to make an apple crumble.
Some things I've learned in the kitchen
don't be afraid of the salt; salt well and often; pink salt has more iron and other minerals in it
char your veggies - getting a bit of char on vegetables makes them taste better, especially eggplant, onion, zucchini, capsicum/bell pepper, chilies, potatoes
if something doesn't have enough 'umph' try adding citrus, either zest or juice, to see if that lifts the flavours
don't be afraid of fat; fat is what tastes good - save the bacon fat for another dish, drizzle salads and other veg or grain dishes with olive oil before serving, top your breakfast with avocado, add toasted seeds and nuts to dishes as a garnish, always serve steamed vegetables with lots of salted butter
taste, taste, taste - if you don't taste as you go, how will you know what it's going to be like at the end???
onion and garlic added to most dishes makes them better
the higher the quality you start with the better the result -fresh and organic food is a must
A couple cooks I really admire
I really like Samin Nosrat, she’s a cook and a writer. She has a podcast called Home Cooking and a wonderful book - Salt Fat Acid Heat, Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking. Samin teaches cooking finesse through incorporating these four fundamental elements into recipes. There’s also a great 4-part Netflix series by the same name…my daughter liked it so much, she had us all watch it a second time!
I fell in love with the great Michael Pollan when I read his book The Botany of Desire which is about 4 plants that have changed human culture - tulip, potato, marijuana and the apple. In his more recent book Cooked, Pollan explores cooking through the four classical elements of fire, water, air and earth. There’s a Netflix series to accompany this book, too, which is worth watching.
Below are four recipes that we very much enjoy eating - the first is my partner’s favorite, the second mine, the third recipe is my eldest daughter’s favorite and the last is everyone’s. These recipes are all easy to prepare, nutrient-dense and best shared with those you love.
Spinach Provencal
This is my favourite way to eat greens - Spinach Provencal.....cheesy and buttery and garlic-y!
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter
Large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
2 - 3 bunches of greens, shredded (I used spinach, silverbeet/chard and various kales)
3 eggs, well scrambled
1 cup grated sharp cheese (tasty/cheddar or parmesan or Swiss)
Large pinch of salt
Fresh ground pepper
Method: Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet, add onion and cook until sweet; add garlic and cook an additional minute. Add all the shredded greens and cook until just wilted. Turn off heat and mix well.
Mix 1/2 shredded cheese with eggs, salt & pepper. Butter a baking dish and place greens in dish and pour egg mixture over them; mix together, top with the rest of the cheese and dot with butter.
Bake 20 - 30 minutes. Serve hot.
So, what do I do with the stalks from the greens? I sautee them in olive oil or butter with onion and garlic, then throw in some cooked beans (butter, chickpea or whatever you have on hand). Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice and serve as a side dish - this goes nicely with eggs in the morning or on top of fresh, homemade sourdough bread.
Colcannon
Colcannon is an Irish dish of mashed potatoes and cabbage. My version is rich and rustic.
Method:
Cut potatoes in half (I used 8 medium-sized) and boil in salted water until "mashable".
Meanwhile, thinly slice half an onion and 1/2 - 1 cabbage depending on the size (and what will fit in your pan). Place butter and a little olive oil in a skillet and cook onion until soft, with a large pinch of salt. Then add in handfuls of cabbage to fill the skillet and sautee with a bit more butter until bright green, but not over-cooked.
Once the potatoes are finished, drain them and mash with salt, pepper, butter and cream to the consistency you like. I leave the skin on as it gives more flavour to the potatoes. You can also add grated cheese to the potatoes if you like (sharp cheddar is nice). Adjust the taste to what you like.
Place the mashed potatoes in a bowl, top with cabbage, a bit more freshly ground pepper and a pat of butter. Serve hot with steamed broccoli and beef or lamb stew.
Slow-cooked Pork Bolognaise
The beginning of Slow-cooked Pork Bolognaise....the end product was so good I forgot to take a photo and it's all gone! You'll have to use your imagination.
Don't be daunted by the long list of ingredients, you probably have most of them in your pantry/fridge right now, and, it's worth the effort. This is a take on an Ottolenghi recipe so you know it's good.....
Ingredients:
Olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 large carrot, grated
1 zucchini, grated
500g pork mince
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
1 1/2 cups tomato pasata
2 tablespoons tomato paste
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Large handful basil, chopped
2 handfuls shredded chard/silverbeet/kale
1 - 1 1/2 cups cream
Parmesan to serve
Method:
Heat olive oil in a heavy-bottom pan and add onions; cook until slightly brown then add carrots, zucchini and garlic. Cook veggies for a few minutes then add mince and cook until meat is done.
Add mushrooms and a few more minutes, then add tomato paste, passage, salt, pepper, paprika, basil and greens. Bring to the boil, then turn down heat to simmer and cover with lid. Cook for a few hours, the longer the better, stirring occasionally.
When ready to serve - turn off heat, taste for seasoning, stir in cream and top with grated parmesean.
Serve over roasted or steamed veggies, mashed cauliflower or potato, or use as a filling for pot pie or shepphard's pie.
Chocolate Cake
The veggie chocolate cake recipe! I love this cake because it tastes great, my children love it and there's a few veggies in it (adapted from Eat Clean).
Ingredients:
4 eggs
2/3 c coconut oil
1/2 c honey or maple syrup or coconut sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla powder/vanilla extract
1 c raw cacao
1 teaspoon maca powder (potional, but this gives it a malt flavor)
1 teaspoon acai powder (optional)
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of sea salt
1 c almond or hazelnut meal
3 tablespoons shredded coconut
1 each grated carrot and zucchini (or grated beetroot)
Method:
Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Mix ingredients in a large bowl. Pour into a lined cake dish and bake 35-40 minutes.
If you want icing, mix one ripe avocado, 1/2 c raw cacao and 1/3 cup maple syrup in a blender. Spread on cake when cool (sprinkle with shredded coconut if desired). Or, serve with coconut cream, whipped cream or chia pudding.
I like to make a berry sauce and pour it over the top with fresh edible flowers - makes a gorgeous birthday cake!