Kale & White Bean Soup

I love catching snippets of other peoples stories. I often find the words of strangers floating over the air and past my ears. Sometimes they are wickedly funny, and sometimes tender. They can be heartbreaking too and deeply relateable. 
I wouldn't call it eves-dropping. I'm not leaning in close to hear a bit of juicy gossip or craning my neck to get a good look at the person on the phone. Its more passive than that, more like receiving a gift. A gift because it makes the individuals I am sharing the space with seem more real and just simply less like, the masses. 

Often, these little soundbites are good enough that I don't want to let them pass by and so jot them hastily down. And every once in a while, I feel like I was meant to hear those words. That I was standing or walking past in that exact moment to hear that exact phrase. 
The other day it happen. As I was gazing out of the window at the London skyline: gherkin, shard, cheese grater ... on a seemingly deserted train into Waterloo I heard, as if from nowhere, "Do you face into the wind?"

Do you know that feeling?When you stand, arms glued to your side, ridged as a board, bald faced with the wind whipping past your ears so fast its dizzying and all you can do is just brace. 

It stuck with me, I didn't even need to write it down. I just kept repeating it over and over to myself. All day, and the next - turning it over, smoothing it down, wearing it away - until it shone. 

This recipe for Kale & White Bean Soup is for those days where you feel like you have spent the entirety of it facing into the wind. 
I have made it possibly hundreds of time - I don't measure anything, I don't count or figure, I just do. And in doing, is has become less of a recipe and more like a salve. 
It is a soup to warm the belly, clear away the cobwebs and bring you back into your self. The cumin and vinegar are the important parts really. You could use anything on hand otherwise (cabbage if not kale, kidneys if not cannellini, faro instead of potato) but below is my preferred ingredient list.

Kale & White Bean Soup

serves 4(ish)

1 large bunch of lacianto kale, chopped
1 16oz can cannellini beans
3 medium potatoes, chopped into 1/4 pieces (preferably scrubbed with skin on)
4 cups good quality stock
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic 
2 tsp cumin 
knob of ghee (or butter or evoo)
salt & pepper to taste 








In a large stock pot saute chopped onion in the ghee over low heat until soft and transparent. Add minced garlic and cook a few minutes more. Add in the cumin and toast until fragrant. Pour in the red wine vinegar. Cook until liquid is reduced by half and then add in the chopped potato. Saute a few minutes more stirring to coat the potatoes in the butter and vinegar mixture. Add the stock and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender and nearly cooked. Then add the kale, cannellini beans and salt & pepper to taste. 
Simmer until kale is tender and potatoes are cooked through. 

Serve topped with a slice or two of parmigiano reggiano, a drizzle of olive oil & crusty bread. 

Winter Citrus Salad

This salad is inspired by my many winters spent in California. The citrus fruits there are excellent this time of year but in truth they are the world over and that makes this salad very transferable. The sharp bright flavor of the grapefruit and orange is a welcome contrast to many of the heavier dishes of the season. 
The avocado and the roasted garlic in the dressing are grounding and lend earthiness to the dish. It would not be amiss on the table alongside smoked salmon, cream cheese and a dark rye bread. It also pairs quite nicely with fizzy prosecco. 

I quick pickle red onion often and usually have some on hand. It keeps well in the fridge for a few days. It is a more mellow accompaniment to salads or on top of chili. One small red onion makes quite a lot. Add a few ice cubes to a bowl, a heaping tablespoon of red wine vinegar, good pinch of salt, a couple of tablespoons of sugar and cold water. Swish ingredients together, add thinly sliced onion, I run mine over the mandolin and let is sit for at least 2 hours before using. Leftovers can be stored with some of the liquid in a jar in the fridge.  

Winter Citrus Salad
serves 4

1 large orange
1 large of each red, white and pink grapefruits
2 ripe Hass avocados or 1 larger one.
1 heaping table spoon of pickled red onion slices

For the dressing:
juice of one lime
2 tsp honey
1 medium sized clove of roasted garlic, smashed.
1/2 tsp salt
scant pinch of red chili pepper
1/8 cup of olive oil


To make the dressing
Combine the lime juice, honey, garlic, salt and chili. Stir to combine until the garlic is mostly mixed through. Then slowly whisk in the olive until emulsified.

To prepare the salad
cut the top and bottom of the orange and grapefruits to just expose the flesh. Standing each on end, moving the knife in a vertical direction, cut away the skin and pith until only the flesh is left on the fruit. Then turn each on its side and cut into 1/4 thick round slices.
Next slice the avocado in half an remove the pit, then cut into 1/4 thick slices and remove the skin.

Arrange the grapefruit & orange slices on a plater alternating with some of the avocado slices. Top with a few of the pickled red onion slices and pour over the dressing, serve immediately.

Seeded Rye Bread

I find a change of scenery can sometimes spark a renewed interest in the familiar. This recipe for Seeded Rye Bread was born out of a trip to Copenhagen and an instant love for the gorgeous Rugbrod I encountered on my visit there.  

The city of Copenhagen is full of amazing design to look at, open friendly people to chat to and some of the most beautifully plated and oh so delicious food I have had to date. I loved that many places lavished dishes with visual attention and created unique visual compositions but  when the flavors hit my palette there was a welcome familiarity of flavors. Of the restaurants and cafes we visited, there was a consistent focus on whole, healthy foods which I was also very excited to find. I particularly loved Grod, Coffee Curators & Host.

                  

Many places served up thick slices of Rugbrod with various dishes. It is a dark hearty fermented style loaf bread. Scattered through the bread are nuts and seeds of various types and a gorgeous crisp top crust. I found it particularly satisfying dunked into a hot bowl of soup during one of my lunches. But is also conjured up thoughts of an old familiar recipe for Irish brown bread and I begin thinking about marrying different aspects of the breads together. 

The resulting bread comes together quickly even though there many ingredients. I prefer to measure the ingredients by weight as I find it the most efficient and accurate method. 
It is also preferable to bake the bread in two small loaf tins. It is dense and the baking times are more accurate when using 4" x 8" loaf pans. Grease them well on the bottom and sides. 

7oz dark rye flour
2oz self raising white flour
2oz oat bran
2oz porridge flakes 
2oz sesame seeds
2oz pumpkin seeds
2oz sunflower seeds plus a handful to sprinkle on top of the bread
15 hazle nuts halved 
1 1/2 teaspoons bread soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp brown sugar
1 egg beaten 
285ml butter milk 
285ml of plain natural yogurt 

Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl to combine. In a separate bowl, lightly beat egg then add buttermilk and yogurt. Stir to combine. Slowly combine wet into dry mix. IT will be quite thick and sticky but be sure to stir well so that there are no pockets of dry ingredients at the bottom of the bowl. If the mix needs more moisture add a tablespoon or two more yogurt. 

Pour equally divided mixture into the two greased loaf tins. Sprinkle remaining sunflower seed on top of each and gently pat into the mixture. 

Bake at 200 celsius/400 fahrenheit for 1h 15m - 1h 30m (depending on your oven temperature or until a tester stick comes out clean.  After 45 take the tins out of the oven an cover with foil. Then return to bake for the remaining time. 

Root Vegetable Chowder

This simple bowl of chowder is full of  deeply earthy, satisfying flavors  - it craves a brisk walk in the steely sunshine and a thick cut slice of dark brown bread. 

Chowder is something which feels synonymous with my New England roots. The ubiquitous clam chowder is ingrained in the food culture of the region as much as fish & chips are here in London. I grew up eating simple corn chowder and on other occasions a more robust oyster chowder. I like that they are quick to make and can usually be made with things already in the larder - the staples - butter, milk, water, potatoes. 

The origins for this chowder came on a walk through Richmond Park. I can understand why King Henry VIII used it as his hunting grounds- so beautiful & so varied in such proximity to the city. After an earnest walk, I wanted something delicious but unfussy. I used what I had around for this root vegetable chowder. One of which was a large amount of whey left over after making cheese the day before. Instead of dumping the protein rich whey, I used it as the stock base for this chowder. Water or a light stock work equally well. 

Serves a group (4-8 depending on serving size)

1 1/2 pounds parsnips
1 1/2 pounds turnips (or swedes as they are known here)
2 sm/medium sized potatoes 
1 large yellow onion. chopped. 
3 springs of thyme
1 bay leaf
3/4 tsp garam masala 
4 cups whey, water or light stock
2 cups milk (whole recommended) 
knob of ghee or butter
sea salt & fresh black pepper


Melt ghee in the pan and when it starts to bubble add the chopped onion, thyme and a pinch of sea salt. 
Sweat the onions until they are translucent. Stir in the garam masala, toast until fragrant, then add the bay leaf and thyme. Stir everything together then add the washed and chopped parsnips, potatoes & turnip. It is up to you if you would like to peel them or not. I usually don't. Just make sure to use a turnip that is unwaxed, otherwise it should be peeled.  
Stir veg together until it is well coated in the ghee & spices. Let it cook for a few minutes more to blend all the flavors together. 
Add your stock liquid, which ever you are using and a dash of salt. Bring it to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer for about 25 minutes or until turnips, parsnips and potatoes are very soft. 
Liquid should have reduce down quite a bit. 
Once the vegetables are done, remove pan from the heat and let it cool a few minutes. Using your preferred method, blend into a smooth but still quite textured mixture. 
Return pan to a low heat and slowly add in the milk. You may need to add a little more milk depending on your preference. Heat milk through but do not scald or boil it.  

Salt & pepper to taste. 

optional - I serve each of the bowls topped with toasted leeks, a drizzle of herb oil and a few dried cranberries. 

Kuri & Quinoa Porridge

This month I worked on a recipe for the lovely ladies at The Pressery. If you aren't familiar with them, they supply London with gorgeous, all natural almond milk. It make using almond milk accessible and easy in my daily routine since I don't make it myself. Typically it goes into smoothies, but since fall and winter aren't great for fresh fruit and berries, I wanted to find a way to keep using it in my morning routine. 

The recipe below has been the stand out favorite -  a lovely autumnal breakfast; warm, comforting and deeply flavorful. It is gluten & dairy free and uses only natural sugar from the sultanas. I start this the night before - when using kuri squash to top salads or accompany a risotto - reserve around 200 grams for the mornings breakfast. I really like the savory element that the salt, black pepper & olive oil lend the breakfast. 

The same is true for the quinoa - soak it over night (add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to the water) and in the morning drain and rinse before cooking. It makes nutty fluffy quinoa and cuts down cooking time. 

I have been experimenting with other grains for breakfast such as amaranth & millet but the quinoa has been my favorite

Serves 2 - 4 

You will need:

200g roasted Kuri squash cut into chunks. 

1 cup quinoa soaked over night (if not soaked in water, anticipate needing more almond milk during cooking. rinsed & drained)

2 cups almond milk (1/2 cup reserved for serving)

1/4 tsp fresh ground cinnamon 

1/4 tsp of vanilla paste 

1/4 cup sultanas 

1 small apple washed & chopped into small pieces.

handful each of shredded coconut, pumpkin seeds & chopped raw walnuts 

****

Place a medium sized sauce pan over moderate heat & toast the cinnamon until fragrant. Next, add chopped apple & stir to combine, about 2 minutes. Then add the rinsed quinoa and toast for another 2 minutes. Add the kuri squash & sultanas, stir to combine and quickly add 1 1/2 cups of almond milk  & 1/4 tsp vanilla - bring to a quick boil and reduce the heat to low. Cook until quinoa is the desired tenderness, stirring occasionally - approx 10 - 15 minutes. 

Keep an eye on the mixture while it cooks as you may need to add a bit more almond milk. 

Spoon porridge into individuals bowls and pour a bit of the remaining almond milk over each, making sure it is equally divided. Top with some of the shredded coconut, pumpkin sees & chopped walnuts. If desired, drizzle with a bit of maple syrup.