Four Fun Things

I toss a can of beans (rinsed! What alien goop is in there with my beans?), roughly chopped tomatoes, onion, and garlic, pinch of coriander seeds, fresh herbs, three lemon slices, and a few glugs of olive oil into a sauce pot and let it all simmer for about fifteen minutes. Add some greens and keep simmering. When the insides of the lemons have melted into the sauce, it’s done. That’s it! I’ve made some version of this with any number of substitutes and additions (spring onions, dried herbs, leftover veggies, capers, canned tomatoes, cumin seeds, etc.) at least fifty times in the last year. Topped with whatever: salted yogurt , avocado, za’atar, an egg, and served with some toasty bread, TRUST. It is a hit 100% of the time.

For my birthday this weekend, I’m making one of my family’s favorite pastas from Smitten Kitchen: bake broccoli rabe and sausage. https://smittenkitchen.com/2013/09/baked-pasta-with-broccoli-rabe-and-sausage/

We love the classic orecchiette with broccoli rabe and sausage too!

This is a wonderful lentil soup that uses black lentils and coconut milk. http://notwithoutsalt.com/feed-south-africa-lentil-soup-coconut/

Also, part of the birthday weekend food wishes, we’re having this kale salad + popcorn for dinner on Saturday while we watch It’s a Wonderful Life. https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/winter-crunch-salad

i love this easy soup all year round. i use rice to make it gf. https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/lemony-chicken-and-orzo-soup

If I have plenty of time and want to cook to an hour of Christmas songs: lentil soup, lasagna with mushrooms and spinach, and vegetarian chili. Also, lots and lots of pasta, with a salad on the side so I don’t feel like all I’m eating is carbs.
Our house is also big fans of Mexican foods year round: burritos, taqueria, fajitas… always warm and always takes just 20-30 mins

My husband can somehow make a homemade vegetarian ramen broth that’s quick enough for a weeknight, but I honestly don’t understand how? I think it involves mushrooms and an immersion blender.

We got into a beautiful habit last winter of getting 2-3 fish fillets from a dedicated fish store, experimenting with preparation methods and seasonings, and adding whatever sides we want to make it a meal. On the east coast at least, there are a number of fish that are in-season in the winter, and it’s fun to track the winter months by fish varieties! My favorite preparation for most fish now is just pan searing in cast iron. I love sauteeing up leeks, shallots, or green onions, setting those aside, and then piling them back on top of the fish to serve it, especially with melted butter over the whole thing. And we have a lot of fun trying different spice mixes, rubs, or making our own.

The one thing I forgot when we re-started our winter fish kick this week: if you get fish from a market or fish shop, be sure to rinse it and then pat it dry before seasoning and cooking it. Grocery store fish is sometimes more prepped, but market fish can be a little strong on the fish scent before rinsing, even though the fish is fresh and everything, and that will linger through cooking if you don’t rinse it. Whoops!

We love this pasta recipe throughout winter! Sometimes we use it as a side, sometimes we add Italian sausage and a side salad for a more filling meal.

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/fusilli-alla-vodka-basil-parmesan

I love making Emeril Lagasse’s Moraccan Chickpea Stew, which I discovered on Cup of Jo! It’s hearty, yet healthy, basically foolproof and so delicious! I know it by heart and love to make it for new mamas. Highly recommend!

https://cupofjo.com/2019/04/easy-family-dinners/

Chicken parm meatballs, not chicken park meatballs :)

I recommend learning to make broth. It’s an investment upfront for ease later on.

In a big pot: one chicken, 3 carrots (roughly chopped), 3 celery sticks (roughly chopped), 2 onions (quartered, skins on is fine) and whatever similar bits and bobs like green onion tops, parsley stalks that may be wilting in the fridge. Importantly add a heaped tablespoon of salt. Fill the pot with water. Simmer at slightly bubbling for two hours with the lid on or slightly ajar if it wants to boil over.

After two hours turn it all off and let it come to room temperature with the chicken still in the broth, this retains the moisture in the meat as the meat sucks up broth as it cools. When cooler, strip the chicken of its meat, discard skin and bones and save the meat for sandwiches, soup add ins, pie filling, anything.

Strain the broth of the Veges, reheat the liquid and pour into oven-warmed jars (to sterilize and preserve the stock). Store in the fridge.

I do this once a week and get about 3 litres of broth a whole lot of beautifully poached chicken meat that tastes amazing. It seems labour intensive but now it takes me about an hour or less of working and bottling time including clean up (not Inc simmering time where it’s unattended) and I have truly satisfying healthy bases for heaps of meals. If you know you are going to eat it all within the week you can skip the jars and just pour the whole lot into one big Tupperware and use as you go. Always store fresh stock in fridge or freezer.

Last night I simply shaved a whole cauliflower head, added a jar of broth and another of water, 2 cloves of garlic about 1/4 c of nutritional yeast for cheesiness and blended when soft. It was an incredible soup that if thicker could have been bechamel sauce. I also buy store bought laksa paste, rice noodles and dumplings and make our own laksa with it. Tomato soup. Everything goes with a great stock base. And whilst the initial work is an hour or so hands on, the subsequent soups are PHENOMENAL, for 5 minutes prep that second night.

You can also of course make a vegetable stock. My tip is to skip herbs in the stock and add those to each dish later. This way your broth can transcend cultures and shine in any cuisine. Also-also, you can keep and purée the strained veges (minus onion skins) and add to pasta sauce or any other dish that you might want to add nutrients to.

May I ask (out of true curiosity!) why you’re meeting outdoors versus indoors? I assume your entire team is vaccinated, so why would there be a compelling reason to continue meeting outside?

Your link to the meatballs post reads ‘chicken park meatballs’. I was intrigued with what i thought would be some kind of American picnic recipe…! 😄
Thanks for the laugh, An Aussie Reader

The cozy meal I have been making every other week for a little while now is Budget Bytes’ vegetable barley soup. When I first made it I was just expecting an OK meal, but we loved it! https://www.budgetbytes.com/vegetable-barley-soup/ … It seems that every week I’m making at least one of her soups!