Italian Sausage, Yellow Split Pea and Kale Soup

Posted on May 29, 2011 by Nicole

Sooo hearty and delicious. This warms my cockles!

How wonderful is winter. Don’t get the wrong idea, I’m not saying that I love the cold. On the contrary I prefer it far less to the warmer months, but I do however just love the opportunity to cook up stews and soups and get things going in the slow cooker. I love winter cooking so much, that I had a cast iron french oven at the top of my birthday wishlist. It has since been purchased – hooray – but I’m not allowed to use it yet *stomps feet* until after my birthday, which is only fair considering I’m not really meant to even know about it.

Reluctantly I accepted this soup was to be made in the clunky old saucepan. Ok then I guess it’ll have to do. Lucky for me I had a fridge full of fabulous ingredients to make up for it. I’d picked up the sausages on my last visit to see Sam the Organic Butcher in Bondi, specifically for making this soup. It’s not the first time I’ve made it, originally inspired (and loved) by the recipe on The Nourishing Gourmet, I have slightly modified this recipe by adding a few more veggies and this time some rissoni – just to make it even heartier. Which it was.

Ingredients (all organic if possible)

You’ll need quite a large soup pot for this
Serves: A very large family

  • 8 thin italian pork sausages, casings removed
  • 2 cups of yellow split peas, soaked overnight and washed
  • 1/2 cup of rissoni (optional)
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 leek, chopped
  • 1 bulb fennel, finely sliced (optional)
  • 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 3 tablespoons ELOO
  • 3 carrots, chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • 2 zucchinis, chopped (optional)
  • 1 bunch of kale, white stems removed and chopped
  • 1 400g tin of crushed tomatoes
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds (optional)
  • 1/2 bunch fresh basil, torn roughly
  • 2 tsp ground sea salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 Massel organic vegetable stock cube

1. Heat oil over medium heat. Add the onion, leek and fennel and cook, stirring often, until they start to soften. Add the chopped carrots and celery and stir through for a few minutes.

2. Next add the chopped garlic, fennel and cumin seeds and stir for another minute until fragrant. Then add the split peas, 6 cups of water and the tin of crushed tomatoes. Dissolve the stock cube in another cup of boiling water and add to the mix. Bring to the boil and set to simmer, covered for about 35-40 minutes until the split peas are soft but still firm.

3. At about 35 minutes, cook the sausage in a frying pan over medium heat. Stir frequently to make sure this doesn’t stick and break up any clumps with a wooden spoon. Take that!! (Tip: I used some paper towel to soak up the excess fat from the pan).

4. Add the rissoni and the zucchini to the saucepan and stir through, after 5 minutes add the kale and cook for a further 10 minutes until the kale and rissoni are soft.

5. Stir in the cooked sausage and vinegar, and roughly tear the fresh basil into the saucepan right at the end. Add the sea salt and some fresh ground pepper to taste.

This soup thickens up nicely the second day. Hearty indeed. I took some to my mums today with a bag of Iggy’s fresh baked sourdough rolls. They were still warm when we broke them open. Need I say more? In fact, the only way these rolls could taste better is if you mix up the following: crushed garlic, butter, rosemary, grated parmesan, salt, pepper. Spread in the centre and wrap individual rolls in foil and bake in the oven! Amazing.

Was I disappointed I had to make it in the old saucepan? A little, but the soup still tasted pretty darn good. If you’re not a fan of the sausage, like my mum – as I found out today – you can omit it from the recipe for a vegetarian version which is still hearty as hell! I’ve also placed an ‘optional’ beside the ingredients you don’t really need to include,
in case you’re put off by the ridiculously long ingredients list.

You’ll find the original yummy recipe that inspired me here. Thank you Nourishing Gourmet!

Pay a visit to Sam the Butcher:
Bondi Store
129 Bondi Road
Bondi, NSW
Phone: 02 9389 1420
http://www.samthebutcher.com.au/

If you haven’t tried Iggy’s bread, you haven’t lived. Don’t be fooled by the trading hours.
If you’re not there early be prepared to wait. I drove past at midday yesterday to find a sign on the door that read ‘SOLD OUT’. Yes, it is THAT good.

Iggy’s Bakery Down Under
Hours: Wednesday to Saturday, 8am-4pm
49 Belgrave St
Bronte, NSW
Phone: 02 9369 1650
Link to google map

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Autumn Korma Curry with Vegetables and Organic Chicken

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Nicole

Brrrrrr. It’s officially cold. The hats and the scarves are out. You’ve all probably got your coats out. I would have except for the fact that I am seriously lacking a heavy duty cold- busting winter coat (I feel there’s a very necessary shopping trip coming on). In the meantime I am keeping myself warm with loads of wonderful warming food, like this Autumn Korma Curry. The great thing with this dish is it’s really easy to prepare, and takes hardly any time to cook, so you can make it tonight. Not to mention it’s also ‘Coook Once, Eat Twice’ with enough left for lunch the next day when two of us eat it for dinner. However, if you’re feeding a family of four, I really don’t forsee there being any leftovers
for the lunchbox. Sorry.

Note: Originally, when I first came about this recipe in an old ACP book, it was using fish. I’d use any kind of white fleshy fish from Barramundi fillets to Perch. If using fish there is no need to pre-cook. In the method I say to pre-cook chicken, but the fish cooks very quickly and this goes in right at the end and cooks for a very short time. 

Ingredients:
Coconut oil
½ cup Sharwoods Korma Curry Paste
1 400 ml can of coconut milk
1-2 cups of water
2 brown onions, chopped
Large knob of Ginger
3 garlic cloves
1 sweet potato
1 zucchini
Large bunch of green beans, halved
Punnet of cherry tomatoes
½ bunch coriander, chopped coarsely
Himalayan sea salt
Steamed Basmati rice to serve

You can either go straight veggie – in which case I’d add pumpkin and cauliflower – which would be magic. I just love cauliflower in curries. Otherwise this works with nice white fish, organic chicken or tofu. If it’s the chicken or tofu option you need to cook it (brown lightly) first.

Method:
Heat coconut oil in wok, or deep pan. Add sweet potato and onion and cook for 8 mins. Add the chopped garlic and roughly cut (knobs) of ginger and paste. Stir through for another 5 minutes. Add the coconut milk and water. I add this gradually until I get the taste/flavour I want. Simmer, covered for 20 minutes or until sweet potato is tender. Add the zucchini, beans, tomatoes and protein of your choice. Mix through and simmer until the veggies have softened slightly. Remover ginger knobs. Season to taste. Add chopped coriander and serve on steamed basmati. Delish

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I want a Hippy Platter NOW!

Posted on April 14, 2011 by Nicole

With the onset of this much cooler weather i’ve been craving warmer, heartier meals like my lunch today – Tofu and Veggie Don ($10) from Sakura on Pitt Street – a trusted haunt for many years and this is one of my all -time favourite dishes. The mere fact that it sends me into a small food coma after eating it does not deter, and it never disappoints.

I’m also craving for it to be the weekend. NOW. So I can go to Brave Cafe in Bondi to immediately devour this ridiculously large and wonderful Hippy Platter ($34), below.

Now don’t be alarmed, I do not eat this all on my lonesome. It is after all a hippy platter for two! Usually I’m accompanied by one other veggie loving hippy, like my friend Abbie. Only thing is she upped and moved to the UK, and as much as I’m sure she wishes she took this breakfast with her, she didn’t and she’s no longer here to share it with me (she’d want me to insert a sad face here). Which means my lovely boyfriend has taken her place as my partner in this platter conquest, and if he didn’t like veggies before, he does now.

The platter itself comes with four eggs, done any style. I like poached, personally, alongside roasted tomatoes, sauteed baby spinach, caramelised onions, mushrooms, beans, hash browns, avocado, and homemade pesto. Did I forget anything? TOAST! Whatever kind of toast you fancy.

I know what you’re thinking, that still sounds like a lot of food, even for two people. I’m actually not a fan of roasted tomatoes with breakfast as there aren’t a lot of cafes that use a quality vine ripened tomato, so, more often than not they’re a watery tatesless waste of space on the plate. That said, I remove the tomatoes and the hash browns too, they’re just not my thing.

Hash browns and tomatoes aside, if you like fresh, organic produce and some fair trade coffee with your breakfast then you really need to give Brave a go. If you go this weekend you may even run into me, i’ll be scoping the menu wondering if I should actually be ‘brave’, branch out and try something new. I won’t. Because the Brave Hippy Platter is just too good for words, and this craving won’t be satisfied until I have one.

Brave Cafe
68 Gould Street
Bondi Beach NSW 2026

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Andrew’s Pasta ‘Concoction’

Posted on March 14, 2011 by Nicole

At times when I’m home, I like to challenge my creativity by cooking something with whatever I can rummage up in the kitchen. I call it a concoction. Then, depending on how well received it was and by whom, I give it a name. Which makes this dish Andrew’s Pasta. Simply because he loved it, and ate more than I thought was humanly possible. I’m not sure what would happen in the event that a dish wasn’t well received but with a sigh of relief (phew) I can gladly say, that hasn’t happened yet.

I started with sauteeing some garlic cloves (many) red onion and fennel in olive oil. Then I diced up some bacon and threw that in and cooked until it started to get crispy. A dash of leftover red wine stirred through until it evaporated. To follow, I threw in some diced up cherry tomatoes, mushrooms and zucchini; because I really do love a pasta sauce brimming with vegetables!

Next I poured in some chopped tomatoes (of the organic tinned variety) and let this simmer on a low heat until the vegatables had softened and the sauce was starting to thicken. When the sauce is done, I tossed through the al dente ‘casarecci’ pasta, fresh baby spinach leaves and oregano. Then it was ready to serve with some grated pecorino.

top with freshly grated pecorino and serve!

Well received (twice) by my boyfriend: Andrew, this dish now bears the name of ‘Andrew’s Pasta’ and i’m sure with the coming cooler months it won’t be long before he’s nudging me to make it again. It just depends, of course, on what I can find in the kitchen.

CASARECCI: A typical pasta of Puglia, the name, meaning “home style,” refers to two-inch-long thin twists.  Pronounced cah-sah-RECH-ee.

Ingredients:
Garlic cloves (loads)
1 red onion, finely sliced
1 small bulb of fennel, finely sliced
free range bacon rashers, diced
fresh oregano
baby spinach
cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 tin of organic chopped tomatoes
1 zucchini, sliced
1 punnet of button mushrooms, sliced
Casarecci, or some kind of pasta – Penne would work well too
Pecorino, freshly grated

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Shankleesh: yoghurt or cheese?

Posted on March 13, 2011 by Nicole

Baked Eggs and Bloody Mary Breakfast at Birdman Eating

Food Writing with John Newton – Week One Assignment

One weekend away in Melbourne that already feels like too long ago, I was surprised to encounter shankleesh on the menu at two of-the-moment restaurants. Cumulus Inc had a side dish featuring grilled zucchini, mint, sumac and shankleesh – a winning combination, while Birdman Eating offered a baked eggs special with spiced pumpkin and spinach, topped with crumbled shankleesh. Having never tried it on a hot dish before (it’s traditionally served cold as mezze) I was delighted by the changed texture, softening so it melted forthwith in my mouth. Apparently, this was the new ingredient du jour and I was thrilled to see this old world delicacy about to become food fashion.

So what is shankleesh? Where did it come from and how are these tantalising balls of yoghurt made? Or, are they actually cheese? Being a specialty of Northern Lebanon, and having family originating from there, my grandma or Sita as we called her, was trained in the ‘art’ of making them. I say art because the method by which they are made, step-by-many-steps, is long and laborious, but anyone who’s ever tasted one will agree it’s well worth the trouble. Painstakingly, she’d dry out the herbs – a mixture of dried thyme and oregano usually from her own garden – mixed with toasted sesame seeds. Meanwhile, the yoghurt is left hanging in a muslin bag above the sink, awaiting the transformation from laben to labneh.

The resulting labneh is then formed into tennis-sized balls and dried in the sun until firm. The balls are then stored in jars until a layer of mould (yes mould) forms and they soften, become more fragrant, and, of course, delicious! When ‘ripe’ the mould is rinsed off and the balls are ready for rolling in the dried herb mixture. In our family, these balls were a specialty to be savoured, and beyond words, except for maybe one – unforgettable. It wasn’t so much the taste that was memorable; as a child I didn’t appreciate such ‘exotic’ fare, but the pungently strong aroma that wafted out as soon as Mum took a fork to it and crushed the ball into small chalky pieces, ready to be drowned in olive oil and mopped up with bread immediately.

I might not have loved it then, but I certainly do now. If you don’t happen to have a Sita to make you shankleesh, you can buy it ready-made, marinating in a big bucket of oil at your local Lebanese grocer. I say local in jest, they’re not exactly on every corner. My ‘local’ is in Granville, Abu-something-or-other. The drive from Bronte isn’t short, but what makes it enticing is that a bucket costs around $12, significantly less than the fancy labneh balls sold in David Jones, and definitely more delectable, making the long drive worth the effort.

My garden salad with crumbled shankleesh and fresh oregano leaves

You could enjoy shankleesh in a sandwich with some soft boiled eggs and spinach leaves, or you could try mixing it with eggs, diced tomato and parsley for a deliciously healthy omelette. Personally, my favourite way to eat shankleesh is to make it into a salad, like so: take one ball, some finely chopped onion and tomato and then crumble the shankleesh on top, drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Finally top with fresh herbs: parsley and oregano. Devour! Not only will shankleesh liven up the simplest salad, and revamp it into a Phoenician taste sensation, but I think you’ll be seeing more of it on menus soon.

That said, I still can’t work out if it’s yoghurt or cheese …

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