NOURISH ME

Eat well for body and soul with these deeply nourishing and comforting winter meals

Feed body and soul with these comforting winter dishes

RECIPES & FOOD STYLING ANDREW M CK ENNA PHOTOGR APHS RACHAEL HALE-MC KE NNA

MENU

SMOKY MINESTRONE SOUP

BUTTERNUT & SAFFRON SOUP WITH SWEET PUMPKIN SEED DRESSING

WINE-BRAISED BEEF CHEEKS WITH ROOT VEGETABLE MASH

CRISPY CHICKEN BREASTS WITH POTATO GRATIN

ROASTED QUINOA & CRISPY KALE SALAD

WARM BEEF & VEGE SALAD WITH BRAZIL NUT DRESSING

SMOKY MINESTRONE SOUP

This hearty, healthy soup is loaded with beans and vegetables. The smoked paprika intensifies the tomato colour and creates a lovely smoky undertone. If you can’t find thick-cut pancetta, regular thinly sliced pancetta will create the same flavour. For a vegetarian version, use vegetable stock and omit the pancetta. 2 tablespoons ghee or olive oil 4 x 1cm-thick slices pancetta (about 200g ), cut

into chunks 2 carrots, cut into roughly 1cm cubes 1 red onion, finely chopped 2 sticks celery, finely chopped 2 teaspoons sweet smoked paprika 2 teaspoons fennel seed, ground in a mortar and

pestle 400g (1 bunch) rainbow chard or silverbeet,

shredded 4 cloves garlic, crushed 2 sprigs fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary or sage),

leaves chopped finely 1 large glass red wine 400g can chopped tomatoes 1 teaspoon salt 400g can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 1½ litres (6 cups) chicken bone broth or stock Shaved parmesan to serve (optional) Heat ghee or oil in a large, heavy-based pot and fry the pancetta for 3 minutes. Add carrots, red onion, celery, paprika and ground fennel seed and gently fry for 10 minutes.

Add chard, garlic and half the chopped herbs. Stir for a couple of minutes then add wine, tomatoes and salt. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.

Add beans and broth. Bring back to the boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Check seasoning and stir in remaining herbs. Serve topped with shaved parmesan if desired. Serves 6-8

BUTTERNUT & SAFFRON SOUP WITH SWEET PUMPKIN SEED DRESSING

The sweetness of the pumpkin seed dressing drizzled on top is a perfect complement to the slightly earthy flavour that saffron gives this silky-smooth soup. 2 medium butternut squash 1-2 tablespoons olive oil 1 sprig each rosemary and thyme, leaves finely

chopped 1.5 litres (6 cups) chicken bone broth or stock Large pinch of saffron threads Ghee or butter for frying 1 leek, chopped 1 onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Pumpkin seed dressing:

½ cup pumpkin seeds, plus extra for garnish 1 clove garlic, chopped Thumb of fresh ginger, chopped About ½ cup water 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 1 tablespoon maple syrup or runny honey 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon lemon juice ½ teaspoon ground cumin Heat oven to 220°C. Halve butternut lengthways and scoop out seeds. Brush butternut flesh with oil, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with herbs. Place on a baking tray flesh side down and roast 30-45 minutes or until tender and the skin can be pierced easily with a fork. Set aside to cool. Heat chicken broth in a pot. Take 1 cup of the hot broth, add saffron and set aside to infuse.

Heat a knob of ghee or butter in a large, heavy-based pot and sauté leek, onion and garlic 8-10 minutes until soft and golden.

Scoop out butternut flesh and add to pot. Stir for a minute then add saffroninfused broth and remaining broth. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes then purée until smooth.

Dressing: Toast pumpkin seeds in a dry frying pan and allow to cool. (At the same time, toast an extra handful of seeds for the garnish.)

Place garlic and ginger in a blender with cooled pumpkin seeds and blitz 30 seconds. Add ¼ cup water and blitz again. Mix in remaining ingredients and more water as needed to reach desired consistency. Season to taste. (Dressing will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days and is also great on roasted vegetable or salads.)

To serve, ladle soup into warm bowls, drizzle generously with dressing and sprinkle with toasted seeds. Serves 6-8

For the mash: WINE-BRAISED BEEF CHEEKS WITH ROOT VEGETABLE MA SH

These melt-in-your-mouth beef cheeks have a rich sauce that is transformed by the cacao powder. 2 beef cheeks (around 500g each) Ghee or butter for frying 1 large carrot, cut into small chunks 1 onion, chopped 1 stick celery, chopped 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 teaspoon cacao or cocoa powder 750ml bottle red wine, chianti or shiraz 2 cups beef bone broth or stock 1 sprig each rosemary and thyme ½ whole bulb of garlic 1 bay leaf 2 sprigs thyme Olive oil for drizzling 5 large carrots, peeled and chopped ½ celeriac, peeled and chopped ½ swede, peeled and chopped 1 parsnip, peeled and chopped 60g butter Season beef cheeks with salt and pepper. Heat a knob of ghee or butter in a large, heavy-based pan and sear beef until well browned all over. Remove from pan.

Add carrot, onion, celery and garlic to pan and sauté 8-10 minutes until softened and golden. Add cacao or cocoa and stir for a minute then remove vegetables from pan.

Add half the wine to the pan, scrape the bottom to loosen all the goodness, then add remaining wine and simmer until reduced by almost half.

Add stock and herb sprigs, beef cheeks and sautéed vegetables. Cover and simmer over low heat for 4-5 hours. The beef is done when you can push a fork into the meat and it breaks apart easily. Remove from pan and blitz remaining stock and vegetables with a stick blender to make a smooth gravy. For a thicker consistency, simmer until reduced. Serve beef cheeks with the gravy and root vegetable mash.

Mash: Heat oven to 200°C. Wrap garlic in tinfoil with bay leaf, a few thyme leaves and a little olive oil. Roast 40 minutes or until soft.

Cook carrots, celeriac, swede and parsnip in boiling water until soft. Drain and mash with roasted garlic (squeezed from skins), butter and remaining chopped thyme. Season to taste. Serves 4

CRISPY CHICKEN BREASTS WITH POTATO GRATIN This way of cooking chicken breasts gives a tasty and succulent result every time. Potato gratin:

2 onions, finely sliced 50g butter 1 sprig thyme 1 garlic clove, finely chopped ½ lemon, juiced ¾ cup chicken bone broth or stock, heated 3 potatoes, peeled 4 slices streaky bacon or thinly sliced pancetta

For the chicken:

2 large chicken breasts, skin on Handful of thyme and/or rosemary, leaves finely

chopped Ghee or butter for frying 1 cup chicken bone broth or stock, heated ½ lemon, thinly sliced (skin on) Heat oven to 200°C. Place onions in a pot with butter, thyme sprig and garlic and cook over low heat for 20 minutes until very soft but not coloured, stirring often. Add lemon juice and cook 2 minutes. Add ½ cup of the hot broth and cook 5 minutes. Take off heat and discard thyme.

Thinly slice the potatoes (about 2mm). Don’t wash the slices; the starch will help hold the gratin together. Layer in a shallow oven dish: begin with 2 layers of potato, add a layer of onion mixture then the bacon slices or pancetta. Repeat until you run out of ingredients, seasoning each layer with salt and pepper and finishing with potatoes. Drizzle remaining hot stock over and bake 30 minutes or until tender.

About 20 minutes into the cooking time, increase oven to 220°C and prepare chicken. Pat breasts dry with paper towels and season with salt, pepper and some of the herbs. Melt a knob of ghee or butter in an ovenproof pan and fry chicken, skin side down, 2-3 minutes until the skin is crispy. Turn and fry another 2 minutes.

Add the hot broth, some more herbs and the lemon slices. Transfer to the oven and bake 15-20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Cool chicken and gratin slightly before slicing and serving with other vegetables of your choice. Serves 2 >

ROASTED QUINOA & CRISPY KALE SALAD

Quinoa is a wonderful ingredient as it’s so versatile and packs a protein punch. Toasting it adds another dimension and interesting crunchy texture. This recipe uses two kinds of quinoa but you can use just white. Be sure to serve this salad warm. After all, it is winter. 1 punnet cherry tomatoes, mixed colours

if possible 2 tablespoons olive oil 5 sage leaves, finely sliced ½ cup black quinoa ½ cup white quinoa 1 tablespoon ghee or butter 1 bunch baby kale or cavolo nero (or use larger

leaves, torn into pieces) 150g feta 1 tablespoon dukkah 2 tablespoons capers 1 lemon, juiced Extra olive oil for drizzling Heat oven to 200ºC. Cut cherry tomatoes in half, season with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil and toss through the sage. Spread in an oven dish and roast for 20 minutes or until tomatoes are browned and softened.

Meanwhile, prepare quinoa. Place quinoa in a sieve and rinse under cold water (do black and white separately).

Tip into separate pots and add 1 cup water to each. Bring to the boil then simmer 10-15 minutes. The white quinoa will get fluffier and bigger than the black; the black quinoa will have more of a crunch to it. They are cooked when the water has evaporated and the seeds are tender. If they need longer, add a little water but don’t overcook or they will turn mushy.

Spread quinoa on a lined baking tray and roast for 20 minutes or until slightly crispy and brown, stirring after 10 minutes.

Lower oven temperature to 75-100°C and place tomatoes and quinoa in the oven to keep warm until serving.

Heat ghee or butter in a frying pan until sizzling and briefly fry kale leaves until crisp. Place in oven to keep warm.

Cut feta into cubes. Spread dukkah on a small plate and press feta into the dukkah to coat.

When ready to serve, arrange quinoa, tomatoes and kale on a platter and top with feta and capers. Squeeze over lemon juice and add a splash of olive oil. Serves 4

WAR M B EEF & VEGE SALAD WITH BRAZIL NUT DRESSING If baby vegetables aren’t available, chopped regular carrots and beets are fine to use in this beautiful salad.

500g piece beef rib eye, at room temperature 500g baby beetroots (mixed colours if possible) 250g baby carrots (mixed colours if possible) 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 1 tablespoon runny honey 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for leaves Ghee or oil for frying 150g haloumi, thickly sliced 1-2 handfuls rocket leaves 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, toasted

Brazil nut dressing:

1 cup (140g) brazil nuts ½ clove garlic Small thumb of fresh ginger 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 1 tablespoon olive oil ½ lemon, juiced Heat oven to 200°C. Season t he beef generously all over with salt and pepper.

Toss beetroots and carrots in a bowl with vinegar, honey, oil, salt and pepper. Spread in a foil-lined baking tray, cover with foil and bake 25 minutes. Uncover and roast 20 minutes or until tender.

Heat an ovenproof frying pan until smoking. Add a knob of ghee or oil and sear fillet until well browned all over. Transfer to oven and cook 15-20 minutes or until medium-rare. Set aside to rest.

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in another pan and briefly fry haloumi slices on each side until golden.

Place rocket in a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil and half the cumin. Add warm beetroot and carrots and gently combine. Slice and add meat along with the haloumi. Sprinkle with remaining cumin seeds. Serve with lashings of the dressing.

Dressing: Soak nuts in 1 cup boiling water for 10 minutes. Place garlic and ginger in a blender or food processor and blitz for 30 seconds. Drain nuts, reserving water. Add nuts, vinegar, oil, lemon juice and half the reserved water to the blender and whizz until combined. Add more water as needed to create desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Serves 2-3