I first made this soup for my Dad when he was recovering from cancer surgery. It’s simple title belies a tonne of delicious flavour, and good vibes for the healing power of soup.
Continue reading “Sweet Potato Soup”Turkey and Cashew Nut Parcels
In January every year we ditch the heavy sauces, rich dishes and heavy carbs for a much lighter way of dining altogether. It’s a month that is screaming out for cleansing, fresh, zingy flavours. Reducing the meat (or using lighter alternatives) and really packing in the fish. Plenty of veggies, raw and cooked and swapping spuds for rice and noodles. Each time we do this, we try something new.
This time around we have been on a journey of discovery with Fiona Uyema’s simply excellent cookbook “Japanese Food Made Easy”. Aside from the trickiness that is unavoidable with regards sushi and sashimi, the book totally delivers what it says on the tin. You thought Japanese food was difficult? Not with this book in your arsenal it’s not!
Kale Pesto – with a twist!
Pesto. Pesto, pesto, pesto. Be honest…do we really need another pesto recipe in our lives? Probably not, but necessity is the mother of all invention and also having shed loads of Kale growing in the garden will also make the cogs in your mind spin into overdrive as you wonder to yourself what the hell else you can make with it!
And so, we come to pesto. But how to make it a little bit different and what then to serve it up with. Now there’s a challenge, and so I came with the idea of substituting the typical Italian flavours of pesto with asian flavours that are so complimentary with Kale.
Squash, Feta and Rosemary Pastry Tart
It was a truth that I had previously never doubted that I would never be any good at making pastry. “It’s just too difficult” I thought, “It’ll just always go wrong and then it’ll be a waste”. But then I thought – how hard could it be to make some harmless pastry. Turns out that all I really needed to do was roll up my sleeves and go for it.
Turns out that I’m actually pretty darn good at making my own pastry. Not as an every day thing you understand – I’m not that committed, but certainly in a batch and ahead of schedule and freezing down portions for later use is right up my street and the kind of vision of effortless mid-week cookery that I can handle without working myself up into a frenzy!