zucchini and butterbean soup

Crumpets are a surprisingly delicious soup accompaniment.

While summer might have taken its last breath, weather-wise, down here, the zucchini are still holding strong. Continuing my fierce wish to make use of everything I have, I made this delectable soup with some thick-skinned zukes that were verging on marrowhood. It was so good it made me wish zucchini season would last forever.

Zucchini and butterbean soup

Makes at least 4 generous bowls

Oil and butter (sufficient to brown the vegetables, how much depends on desired richness)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 small green chilli, finely chopped
650g zucchini (roughly two large ones), chopped
3 large leaves silverbeet, stems and leaves, chopped
1 x 420g can butter beans, drained
A handful of frozen peas (about half a cup, or thereabouts)
Stock of choice (vegetable, chicken or even old pesto jars rinsed out, or a combo of all three), to cover
Fresh dill, parsley, thyme and mint, a handful of each, chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
A wedge of fresh lemon per person, to serve
Grated parmesan, to serve

I melted some butter in a saucepan for a different recipe and was so determined to use every skerrick of precious fat, that I decided I’d use the same saucepan to make the soup. To each their own. I added a splash of olive oil too.

Place the pan with oil and butter (in your desired quantity, but a tablespoon of each would be ample) on a medium-high heat and saute the onion, garlic and chilli briefly until they are starting to soften but not brown. Add the zucchini and silverbeet and cook, stirring fairly constantly, for a few minutes or until the vegetables start to soften and colour slightly.

Add the drained butter beans and frozen peas, stir to combine, then cover with the stock. I take this opportunity to rinse out any jars with only a teaspoon or so left in them (pesto is ideal for this recipe) and add that in too.

Bring the pot to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes until the vegetables are soft and completely cooked.

Add the fresh soft herbs, stir to combine, and cook a moment or two longer. Season to taste, then puree with a hand blender until completely smooth.

Ladle into waiting bowls, squeeze a little fresh lemon and sprinkle with a bit of grated Parmesan.

Savour, with some good bread (or crumpets) alongside.

tomato, coconut and silverbeet dhal

Sorry, it’s not the best picture. This is why I should cook dinner while it’s still light outside.

I have made many a dhal in my time and I am not exaggerating when I say this is one of the best I’ve ever made. It’s comforting, spicy, delicious and filling - everything I want in a home-cooked meal.

If you have a bag of lentils that’s been waiting in your pantry for its moment in the sun, this is the dish! Red lentils are my preferred lentil but as they are harder and harder to come by at the supermarkets at the moment, you can use yellow split peas, green lentils, brown lentils, or indeed, any lentil you can find. Red break down faster and tend to transform into the delectable creaminess that you want for the comfort factor in a dhal, but regardless of what kind of lentils you use, it will still be delicious.

I cooked my rice with a little turmeric, cinnamon and a star anise and I will be making rice this way to serve with dhals and curries from now on - it was spectacular. Just a shake of each spice, whack in the star anise and make your rice in the usual way. As Jamie Oliver would say, happy days.

Tomato, coconut and silverbeet dhal

Serves 4

1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
4 large leaves silverbeet, stalks and leaves, finely chopped (use spinach, chard, spring greens, whatever greens you have)
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon curry powder or garam masala
2 teaspoons Kashmiri chilli powder (or other hot chilli powder)
200g red lentils
2-4 tablespoons tomato paste (depending on the other tomato components you have)
400g tomato passatta or chopped tomatoes
Whatever other fresh tomatoes you have that need using up, chopped
Boiling water, to cover
1 cup shredded coconut (more if you like it extra coconutty)
Salt, to taste
Lemon juice, to taste
Basmati rice, cooked as detailed above, to serve
Yoghurt, to serve (optional)

In a large stockpot, melt the coconut oil then saute the onion, garlic, carrot (plus any other vegetables you want to use up) and silverbeet stalks (reserve the leaves for later) until starting to soften. Add the spices, and a little water, and allow to cook and release the aromas for a minute or two. Don’t let the spices burn, add water if it’s getting a bit dry.

Add lentils, tomato paste and tomatoes, stir to combine, then cover the lot with boiling water from the kettle. You want it to be very soupy, remembering that the lentils will absorb some of the liquid as they cook. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, put a lid on and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the shredded coconut, stir in well, then replace the lid and continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes, or until the lentils are soft. Add the silverbeet leaves, stir and cover again for 2 minutes or until the silverbeet is wilted. Add salt and lemon juice to your taste.

Serve with rice, a dollop of yoghurt and pride. You made this wholesome, delicious meal for yourself! You’re awesome.

mexican barley soup

This is a fabulous soup for using up that bag of pearl barley you’ve possibly had lurking in your pantry for a few years. Or, it might have been the only grain you could find at the supermarket recently!

Cheap, filling and nutritious, I personally LOVE barley and particularly love it in this spicy, warming soup.

I like to use Pasilla chilli powder in this soup because it’s fruity and mild so as not to cause offence to the less-enthusiastic chilli lovers in the house. By all means make it as hot as you like and use your favourite chilli powder. A Mexican one will naturally give it a more authentic flavour. Chipotle and Ancho are widely available and both very good.

And please note, when I say “finely chopped”, I mean however finely you like/can be bothered! I don’t mind chunky onions and pieces of garlic in my soup.

Mexican barley soup

Makes at least 6 servings

2 red onions, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 stalks silverbeet (or chard, or spring greens, or kale, whatever greens you like/have), finely chopped, leaves and stalks
2 teaspoons Pasilla chilli powder or your preferred chilli powder (see note above)
2 teaspoons ground oregano
1 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon hot chilli flakes
250g pearl barley
1 x 800g tin peeled tomatoes
1 litre of stock - vegetable or “beef style” (I use the widely available Massel powder)
Worcestershire sauce (or vegan equivalent) to taste
1 red capsicum (pepper), finely chopped
1 cup frozen or canned corn kernels
1 zucchini (courgette), finely chopped
Spring onions, green part only, chopped
Pickled jalapeños, to serve
Greek yoghurt or sour cream and grated cheese, to serve

Drizzle some olive oil in a large, heavy-based stockpot and place over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic and silverbeet stalks (reserve the softer green leaves for later) and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften. Add the spices and pearl barley, stirring to coat. Add the tomatoes and stock, then bring to the boil.

Once boiling, add some Worcestershire sauce (to your taste, I like it for the umami factor), the red capsicum, corn and zucchini. Stir to combine, add a little more stock if you think it needs it (I usually take this opportunity to clear out the dregs of jars of appropriately flavoured sauces/pastes/chutneys I have lurking in the fridge with water, such as tomato paste, tomato chutney, chilli sauce, etc. It all adds great flavour) and return to the boil.

Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for approximately 20 minutes or until the barley is cooked (it will still have a little bite but it will be soft). Add the chopped silverbeet leaves (or whatever greens you’re using) and the chopped green spring onions. Simmer for another 5 minutes.

Taste, season with salt and pepper, and then ladle into soup bowls, topping with a swirl of yoghurt/sour cream, grated cheese and pickled chillies.

vegetarian lentil and nut ragu

Another cooking-from-the-pantry staple in this household. I wanted to use up some nut roast mixture from two weeks ago, and had the dregs of a jar of tomato paste to use (tomatoes of any kind are proving hard to find right now!) so I chucked that in but you can use just lentils, if you prefer.

vegetarian lentil and nut ragu

Makes heaps - enough for at least 6 hungry people - I find it makes one lasagna, one shepherds pie and at least two containers of sauce to freeze

2 onions, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 sticks celery, finely chopped (or parsley leaves and stalks, they have a similar flavour!)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Any other vegetables you like, finely chopped (I used marrow from my garden and a red capsicum)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Leftover uncooked nut roast mixture (about 300g) or 250g chopped walnuts or one bag of frozen Quorn vegetarian mince
1/2 - 1 cup wine (whatever you’ve got, you can even use Chinese cooking wine or dry sherry)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg
250g lentils (red, brown or green, I like red)
2 cups vegetable stock, vegetarian “beef” stock or tomato juice
4 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 x 400g can whole plum tomatoes or equal amount of passata (get an organic one with less sugar)
4 tablespoons tomato paste
Fresh thyme, rosemary and oregano (or dried if you don't have fresh)
Fresh basil, for serving

Saute the onion, carrots, celery (plus any other vegetables) and garlic in the olive oil in a large saucepan until soft. Add the nut roast mixture or walnuts or the Quorn mince from frozen and stir until the mixture/mince breaks down from large lumps into smaller, grainy ones. Add the wine, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Increase heat and stir until the liquid has evaporated.

Add lentils, stock, tomatoes, tomato paste and the thyme, rosemary and oregano (reserve basil for the end). Reduce the heat and simmer for 1-2 hours, tasting and stirring regularly. Taste for seasoning. Add fresh basil leaves and stir until slightly wilted.

Now you can use it however you like! It also freezes well.

Here are some suggestions:

• Veggie bolognese: Serve with your favourite pasta and lots of veggie-friendly Parmesan.

• Lasagna: layer the ragu with fresh or dried lasagna sheets, a white sauce/ricotta/thick Greek yoghurt and some sauteed greens like kale.

• Shepherd’s pie: place the sauce in a baking dish and cover with mashed potato or other mashed root vegetables.

• Thick lentil stew: add some chia seeds to thicken it slightly and serve in wide bowls with mash, couscous or bread.
  
  

five breads that are easy to make at home

Well, this isn’t quite the content I thought I’d be writing in March 2020. What strange, frightening times we’re living in at the moment.

I live in a small city where not a great deal changes, but nowhere, it seems, is immune to what is going on. Yesterday, I walked (I didn’t dare take the car) to a supermarket a few kilometres away. I was horrified by what I saw. Signs everywhere announcing restrictions on purchases, and that abuse to staff wouldn’t be tolerated (as it shouldn’t be, but it’s sad that people’s conduct necessitates such reminders). Crowds. Trolleys. People grabbing what they could, from bare shelves.

Most confronting of all was seeing an elderly couple, perhaps in their late seventies, with masks on, pushing their trolley together, looking terrified. It was heartbreaking. I got what I’d come for (the upside to taking soy milk in your coffee, it’s always there!) and then had a bit of a cry on the walk home. Fortunately, it had started to rain by then.

Australia is one of the most self-sufficient countries in the world when it comes to food. Nothing was going to completely run out any time soon - it’s because of the panic-buying that stocks have dwindled and the shelves are empty. And the elderly, the disabled, the most vulnerable in our communities - they are the ones suffering. It’s a disgrace.

Yet, at the same time, I understand why people have panicked. If you know something is in short supply, or going to be, it’s natural to want to get as much as you can, so your needs will be taken care of. It’s natural, when everything is so uncertain, to want to control what you can, to feel safe and prepared.

Every day I have to remind myself that the tightness in my chest is anxiety and panic, not the onset of the virus. I work from home 90% of the time anyway, but I am finding myself restless, unable to focus for long periods of time.

In times of stress, I turn to food, in a good way. Reading about it is soothing. Cookbooks have replaced dystopian fiction as my bedtime reading - the latter feels all too real at the moment.

And I love to cook. I can make bread, I can preserve a glut of fresh fruit and vegetables, I can make nourishing and delicious meals from the bare minimum of ingredients. Right now, it feels like those skills are very, very valuable. I am grateful to have them.

I’m also grateful for my vegetable garden which, in early autumn for us here, is still giving us silverbeet, cavolo nero and zucchini like nobody’s business. There’s even a few tomatoes left on the vine. And Tom’s work colleague gave us extra from her garden - rhubarb, carrots, apples, chillies - in exchange for some of my famous apricot and date chutney (recipe coming soon!). So we have plenty. The key is to use it well.

In a bid to be useful, I thought I’d share some cooking from the pantry ideas - as well as any interesting and helpful resources that I stumble upon.

Let’s start with bread.

I’m not surprised that one of the things that’s hardest to find in the supermarkets at the moment is flour. Because if you have flour, you can make countless things, including bread. And making bread is, in my opinion, one of the most useful skills you can ever learn.

And it doesn’t have to be complicated. I love to cook but I absolutely hate getting my hands dirty, getting dough in my fingernails or in my wedding rings, that kind of thing. Therefore, easy breads are the order of the day around here. Preferably no kneading!

These five are my absolute favourite breads to make at home. And perhaps apart from number 4, the flours are interchangeable. Use what you have! It will be slightly different of course but it will still be edible and that’s what matters!

1) Leftover porridge bread

I found myself with half a saucepan of porridge leftover from our breakfast last week, when things were still relatively normal. If it were just a spoonful or two, I’d just put it in our compost but it looked like enough for another serve, at least. I abhor waste but cold porridge was not appealing. I seemed to remember reading a recipe for bread you could make with leftover porridge, so I googled it and there it was! The brainchild of Claire Thomson, this bread is absolutely magnificent. Tom and I devoured it. Perfect with butter and jam, or just plain. It’s even nicer if your porridge was made with a hint of cinnamon in it, as ours was!

2) Seedy soda bread

I have been making this bread for years. It’s one of the easiest things in the world to make - I’ve even made it when recovering from the flu. No yeast, the lovely tang of bicarb soda and the goodness of seeds. You can add raisins or sultanas too if you like, but as my husband is averse to dried fruit, I go for all seeds. It’s amazing with ricotta and jam, or just plain.

3) Dutch oven bread

Everyone’s heard of this one, surely? There are many recipes from it, including one from the New York Times, but the one I’ve linked to is the one I’ve used the most. Lots of useful tips if you’re a first-timer. This is a bread I make all the time. Again, no kneading involved but just a longer prove so you’ll have to be a bit organised with this one and start it the night before. You can also add some sourdough starter to it if you have some. It tastes like you’ve put way more effort into it than you actually have!

4) Easy gluten-free bread

I don’t make this as often as I used to, as I find gluten-free flour more expensive here in Australia than it was in the UK (or maybe it’s because I still see the £ sign instead of $?) but it’s still a lovely easy loaf to make when you want a GF option. It’s more like making a cake than a loaf of bread, really. And if you have a breadmaker, like I do, there’s practically no labour involved at all!

I love it a day old, toasted, smothered with avocado and chilli, like the picture!

5) Banana bread

Counts as a bread, surely? If you’ve got lots of bananas to use up at home, look no further. Super easy and absolutely delicious. We all need a sweet treat right now, I think.

I hope you enjoy these and please let me know if you try any of them!

Stay well and hopeful my friends xx