Delicious Italian Soup with Onion Focaccia

We are supposed to be heading towards spring here in New Zealand, but winter is refusing to leave and hit us with another cold wave (hopefully it’s one for the road). So I needed something warm and comforting and what can be warmer and more comforting than a nice bowl of soup with some freshly baked bread? I can’t think of anything else…

 

I decided to make this really easy Italian soup with some focaccia bread. Yum. It’s really healthy and good for you too. It’s filled with sausage (which you can leave out for a delish vegetarian/vegan version), beans and Tuscan kale, which looks like this in case you are wondering:

What’s your favourite soup? Send me your ideas, I love hearing from you guys 🙂

Serves 2

Ingredients:

For the soup:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 chorizo sausage (or an Italian sausage of your preference, I like a little bit of a kick, so chorizo was perfect), chopped. Leave the sausage out for vegetarian option.
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 red chile, chopped (seeded if you want less heat)
• 1 rib celery, chopped
• 2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 can tomatoes
• 1 cup of beans (use the ones you prefer, or what you have in the pantry, I used black eyed beans; you can also use canned beans, just add them at the end if you do, rather than in the beginning)
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 small bunch Tuscan kale
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh or dry thyme
• 1 large bay leaf
• Salt, pepper to taste

For the focaccia:

• 2 1/2 cups plain flour
• 2 tsp dry yeast
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp thyme
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small red onion, finely sliced
• 2 tsp coarse sea salt flakes
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Preparation:

First begin with the bread, as it will take couple of hours to rise.

Sift the flour into a large bowl; stir in the yeast, parmesan cheese, salt and thyme. Gradually stir in the warm water and olive oil. Knead well on a floured surface 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Put the dough into a large greased bowl, cover with cling wrap and then wrap the bowl with a towel. Place somewhere warm to rise for about an hour or until doubled in size. Once it’s doubled, pinch the dough, and knead it lightly. Cover and place into warm place again for another 1-1 1/2 hours to let the dough rise again.

Grease a 24cm-round cake tin. Press the dough into the tin.

In another bowl combine the thinly sliced onion, sea salt flakes and olive oil; sprinkle over the bread dough. Cover and set aside for another 10-15 min. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 200C.

Bake the bread for 25 min or until cooked when tested with a wooden skewer. Cool on wire rack.

While the bread is baking you can make the soup.

In a frying pan heat up the olive oil. Add the onion and stir until fragrant. Add the grated carrot,garlic and chile. Cook for 2-3 min until soft and golden. Add the chorizo and cook for further 2-3 min until the sausage is browned. Set aside.

Meanwhile bring the stock to boil in a soup pot. Add the beans (if using dried beans, otherwise add canned beans right at the end when soup is almost ready) and cook until they are half cooked (the bean should still be hard, but you should be able to bite through it). Add the potatoes, celery, tomatoes and the chorizo/onion mixture, 1-2 cups of water (if the soup is too thick). Bring to boil. Add the Tuscan kale, thyme and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper as needed. Reduce the heat and simmer for further 20-30 min or until potatoes and beans are tender.

Serve immediately with fresh focaccia.

Yum!

Za’atar chicken with pilaf, flat bread and green harissa

Well hello again my friends! After my last post, where I taught you something quick to make, I thought I’d share something which would be more of a usual for me (but more timely) recipe. As I mentioned before my time in the kitchen is my therapy! This dish, while a ‘little’ time consuming, will throw a party in your mouth and I promise you that!

I wondered whether I should write some food for thought but who needs it when you have this in front of you! So give this beautiful Middle Eastern flavoured chicken a go and as usual I look forward to your comments, messages etc. Much love xx

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For chicken:

• 2 heads of garlic, top cut off to expose the cloves
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp fresh or dried rosemary leaves, chopped
• 1 fresh chile, seeded and finely chopped
• Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon (or orange)
• 1 whole chicken
• Za’atar spice blend (recipe follows)

For Za’atar spice blend:

• 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 2 tbsp ground sumac
• 2 tbsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp fresh oregano, finely chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Combine all the ingredients. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.

For flat breads:

• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/3 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 1/2 tbsp milk
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup plain yoghurt

For pilaf: 

• 1 tsp butter
• ¹⁄₂cup finely chopped onion
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp tumeric
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 3-4 whole cloves
• 1 cup basmati rice
• 1 ¹⁄₂ cups stock (chicken or vegetable)
• Salt/pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup raisins

For green harissa:

• 1 cup coriander (cilantro) leaves
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 fresh chillies (seeded for milder flavour)
• 1 small bunch spinach, stemmed and chopped
• Juice of 1/2 lemon

Combine the ingredients in a food processor and refrigerate until serving.

Preparation:

I start this dish the night before because it has to marinate overnight.

For chicken: 

Preheat the oven to 200C (400F). Drizzle the garlic heads with oil. Wrap in foil, and bake for about 45 min, or until tender. Let those cool.

Butterfly the chicken by removing the backbone and opening the chicken. (You can get your butcher to do this, if you’ve never done this before, although its pretty easy). I usually remove the backbone with a pair of strong kitchen scissors by cutting along each side of the backbone. Place the chicken inside down on a board or a plate and press on it to flatten it.

Squeeze the garlic out of the skins and mash with the 4 tbsp of softened butter. Combine with 1/4 cup olive oil, rosemary, chile, and lemon zest. Loosen the skin all over the chicken by gently putting your fingers under the skin and moving it around. Rub the butter mixture onto the meat under the skin. Do this gently as you don’t want to break the skin. Pierce the chicken with 2 metal skewers, diagonally through the leg breast and wing to help keep it flattened. Cover and let the chicken stand for an hour or overnight in the fridge.

I cooked this chicken on a charcoal barbecue, so if you are confident to do so, go ahead, if not, cook it on a gas barbecue or the oven at 180C (250F).

Sprinkle the chicken with half of the Za’atar mix. Roast it until the skin is crispy and juices run clear. The timing of this will be different for your chosen method, but usually around 1.5 hours. Let the chicken rest once it’s cooked for about 15 minutes, then cut into quarters.

For pilaf: 

Preheat a deep pan on medium heat. Melt butter in the pan. Fold in onions and stir well. Add in the carrot. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the onions and carrots are softened but not browned.

Add cumin, turmeric, cloves, paprika and cayenne pepper. Stir in the rice so it’s all evenly coated.

Stir in hot stock (it should be at the boiling temperature) and raisins. Cover the pot with a lid and let pilaf cook until rice is just under al dente. Turn off the heat and let it stand for 10 minutes or so. Fluff with a fork before serving. Add salt/pepper if needed.

For flat breads:

Once the chicken is ready (whether you are using a barbecue or an oven) you can cook these breads.

Mix flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl.

In a small saucepan heat milk together with butter until melted. You can also do this in a microwave. Let the milk cool down slightly.

In a big bowl add yoghurt and stir in warm (not hot!) milk until smooth.

Add the dry ingredients and stir with a spoon, until the ingredients come together.

Knead the dough until soft. Cover and let it rest for at least 1/2 hour at room temperature.

Split dough in 8 equal parts, form each of them into a ball, flatten with your fingers and then roll out into a disk, flipping it over occasionally. Sprinkle with flour now and then. Your bread should be about 10 cm in diameter more or less ( don’t worry about getting it perfect).

Pick up the bread, remove excess flour by slapping the dough between your hands and put it on the barbecue (or into the oven). Cook until bubbles have formed on top and the bottom side gets lightly coloured. Then flip, and cook until done, about 1 minute.

Serve the chicken with pilaf, flat breads, green harissa and a sprinkle of za’atar spice. Enjoy and be proud of all the effort you put in!

Ossobuchi alla milanese (or Osso Bucco)

You have probably noticed, I am quite fond of Italian food. Who isn’t though, right? Well let me introduce you to my old time favourite osso bucco, which translates into “bone with a hole”. Although traditionally made with veal shanks, it is basically a beef stew, which sounds much sexier pronounced in Italian 🙂 Nevertheless, it’s delicious in every language. Enjoy.

Note: the traditional accompaniment for osso bucco is risotto milanese, however I prefer it with some freshly baked focaccia or rosemary mash potato. 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 90g butter
• 2 medium carrots, chopped finely
• 2 large brown onions, chopped finely
• 3 trimmed sticks celery, chopped finely
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2kg veal shin (you can use regular beef shin)
• plain flour
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cans of crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1 3/4 cups beef stock
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

Preparation:

Heat a third of the butter in a large saucepan. Add onion, celery, carrot, and half of the garlic and cook until onion is golden brown. Remove from heat. Transfer vegetables to large ovenproof dish.

Coat beef with flour. Heat the remaining butter and oil in pan. Add beef and brown well on each side. Carefully pack the meat on top of the vegetables.

Add the crushed tomatoes, wine, stock, basil, thyme, bayleaf and the lemon to the remaining fat in the pan, stir well and bring to boil.

Pour the sauce over the meat and the vegetables. Cover casserole and bake in about 160C for 1 1/2 – 2 hours or until the meat is very tender and falling off the bone.

To serve, sprinkle with combined remaining garlic, parsley and grated lemon rind.

 

Neapolitan spaghetti

Neapolitan pasta sauce is a simple Italian tomato based sauce, which slightly varies from region to region. I have decided to give it my own twist, while still using authentic ingredients. This is a vegetarian sauce but it can be served over meat such as mince or sausages. It is a great way to get your kids to eat the vegetables too, as they are hidden.

Simple, delicious and quick meal, which is a real family pleaser. Let me know how you go.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped,
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 2 celery sticks, chopped
• 1 mild chilli pepper (or you can use a hot one if you wish)
• 1 capsicum, chopped
• 130ml white wine
• 2-3 large, ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• pinch of each dry oregano and thyme
• handful of chopped fresh basil
• salt, pepper to taste
• 350g dried spaghetti
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese to serve

Preparation:

Preheat a tbsp of olive oil in a heavy-based saucepan to med-high heat. Fry off the onions and garlic until golden and fragrant. Add the carrots and celery and fry for another couple of minutes. Add the wine, tomatoes, thyme, oregano and bay leaf. Close with a tight fitting lid, lower the heat and simmer for 40-45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, but not mushy. Take off the heat and set aside.

Cook spaghetti in a boiling seasoned water until al dente. You do not want to over cook the pasta, as it will continue cooking in the sauce. Drain the pasta when it’s ready reserving about a cup of the starchy water, as it will help to marry your pasta and the sauce (how romantic!).

Add the fresh basil to the sauce and blend the sauce to a desired consistency. You can leave it a bit chunky, or you can have a nice smooth sauce if you wish. Return the sauce to the saucepan and reheat. Add the spaghetti and the starchy water and mix well with the sauce.

Dish into bowls, garnish with some Parmesan and serve immediately.

Happy days!

 

 

Clams in a white wine sauce with chorizo, pepper and parsley

I can’t think of a simpler and quicker meal that tastes this good. I love seafood and clams are a good and sustainable source of iron. The broth is delicious so make sure you get some good fresh bread to mop up the juices (you won’t regret it).

Final tip: don’t use wine you wouldn’t usually drink, there is a reason you choose to leave the cheapest wine on the shelf…

Ingredients: 

• 500g clams (for 2 people)
• 1 capsicum, sliced
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 chorizo sausage chopped finely
• ½ cup white wine
• Salt, pepper
• Parsley, fresh, finely chopped

Preparation:

Heat some olive oil in a pan. Fry the onion and chorizo till fragrant and golden. Add the capsicums. Fry for further 2 minutes. Add the white wine and bring to boil. Add the clams. Cover with the lid and cook until clams open.

Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately. Delish!

Super quick and easy beef noodle soup

I absolutely love the freshness of Asian cooking! The spices, the aroma, the zing…I have to admit that my travelling around China, South Korea and Indonesia involved a lot of eating. I was brave enough to eat street foods from rural areas, where English was not spoken, and that was the most delicious food I have ever had. I couldn’t get enough. Unfortunately, all holidays come to an end and I had to return home…but I brought back memories, knowledge and nostalgic hunger.

One thing that fascinates me about Asian cooking is how fast they make everything. None of this 5.5 hours of Boeuf Bourguignon preparation, although it tastes delicious. No, Asian meals tend to be quick…just what we need for a weekday evening. This meal took me 15 minutes to make, including all the chopping…Can’t get better than that!

Give it a go, leave me some feedback. I love to experiment with different flavours in the broth, so if you aren’t a fan of spicy food, reduce the chilli (although, I will question your living choices in that case…kidding!…not really..). Of course you can swap the beef for shredded chicken or prawns, or take them all out for a delicious vegan meal.

Serves 2.

Ingredients:

• 300g Rump steak, fat trimmed
• Salt and pepper to season
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 brown onion, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves of garlic, grated or finely chopped
• 2cm piece of ginger, grated
• 1 hot chilli (of your preference)
• 1/2 tsp Five Spice powder
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 4 cups of boiling water
• 1 carrot, sliced
• 3-4 mushrooms (use shiitake or just plain white button ones)
• 1 packet of hokkien noodles (or noodles you prefer)
• Fresh mild chilli, spring onion and handful of coriander, chopped for garnish

Preparation

Heat a griddle pan on a high heat until it’s very hot. Meanwhile make sure your water is boiled for your broth and ready to go.

Season the steak well on each side with salt, pepper and paprika. Put on the griddle pan and listen to that sizzle sound….mmmmm….ok back to reality. Fry the steak for about 3 minutes on each side, which will take it to medium/rare, cook it longer if you like it cooked more. And then about a minute on each side again. I know they say not to turn your steak…but it’s a myth. We want all the juices and flavours on our steak and not in the pan.

While the steak is sizzling, heat the olive oil and the sesame oil in a sauce pan to a med/high heat. Add the onion and let it fry for a min or two, add the ginger, garlic and chilli. Give it a good stir for couple of minutes. Now add the five spice and stir well for about a minute. We do this to wake up the spices. Smell the aroma? Now, that’s what I’m talking about.

Now add the soy sauce and watch the magic happen. I always feel like a wizard at this stage. Ok now that the steamy cloud is gone, add the fish sauce and boiling water. Add the carrot and let it cook for about a minute. Add the mushrooms and noodles. Your broth is now 2 minutes away.

Your steak should be ready now. Take it off the heat and let it rest until the broth is ready. Taste the broth. Is it up to your liking? Add a squeeze of lime for an extra zing.

Divide the noodle broth between two bowls. Slice the steak and place on top of the broth. Garnish with mild chilli, coriander and spring onion and serve immediately.