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Butternut squash soup with cumin, ginger and crispy butternut

When I was making this soup I was thinking about the food I eat. I grew up eating the simplest of foods. I was reminiscing about how simple the food was when we were little. We ate rye bread with a slice of goats cheese and pepper every day for lunch. No packed lunch boxes, our open bread sandwiches were wrapped in brown paper and sealed with an elastic band. We got an tangerine or an apple as our pudding. There were no special drinks just the water fountain at school. Treats were baked at home or a simple raisin bread bun from the bakery. We had weekly meal planners on our fridges and dinner was cooked at home. Breakfast was porridge or homemade muesli with plain yogurt and berries. Bread was thick and dark and wholesome.

Eating whole, fresh, natural food isn’t a fad to me. It was the way I was raised and is the way that I understand. It is the way I know how to nourish myself and those around me. It isn’t anything revolutionary or exciting. It is just stripping away, holding back and making the most delicious combinations. It is eating food in its natural, unrefined state, not because someone tells me to, but rather because its best that way. Its food as energy, love, togetherness and nourishment. Its the opposite of a diet, its eating more of the good.

This soup is simple. It is based on one vegetable that is in abundance at this time of year. Butternut squash packed with nutrients known as carotenoids which are often shown to help protect against heart disease. Butternut boasts very high levels of beta-carotene which your body converts to vitamin A. Vitamin A is important for healthy eyes and a strong immune system. This soup uses ginger to give the soup a little bit of heat and also to help keep us winter fit. I love this butternut soup served with crispbreads or chunky slices of sourdough. If you are extra hungry then simply add in some cooked butterbeans or chickpeas for an added boost. The crispy butternut peel takes the place of croutons..extra delicious, extra nutritious. To make the butternut ‘croutons’ all you have to do is simply rub the peel with a little coconut oil and then roast in the oven for 10 minutes at 180C.

Ingredients
1 medium butternut squash – peeled and diced
1 onion
1 tsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp grated ginger
1ltr vegetable stock

Method
Place the oil into a large pan with the cumin seeds
Over a medium heat stir the cumin seeds until they begin to pop
Add in the diced onion
Stir for a few minutes until the onions just begin to soften
Add in the butternut squash and stir for a minute or two
Add the stock and stir well
Bring to the boil and then simmer for 15 minutes before adding in the ginger and simmering for a further 5 minutes
Place into a blender and blend until silky smooth

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Sexy roasted cauliflower

Have you had a nice weekend? We had a lovely one as my sister and her family came to visit. We headed down to Tegernsee one morning to have time at the lake, to drink locally roasted coffee and drink pale beer. We cycled the kids around in the bike box, hung out at the swings and celebrated the littles ones first birthday again. My sister made the most epic cake topper version of our bull terrier Nanuk and we had round two of lemon cake this time with fresh strawberries in the middle.

Each night once the kids were asleep we could sit and eat together. One night we had german ‘brotzeit’ but the second night I made sexy roasted cauliflower. I have been making roasted cauliflower for a few months now. Alex had a ‘cauliflower steak’ in California last year dressed with herby,tahini lemon salad and it had been on my ‘must recreate’ list since then. Its called sexy roasted cauliflower because Alex thought that cauliflower was an aphrodisiac…I had to break it to him that most of the cabbagy/brassica family is probably considered the opposite for rather unfortunate reasons.

This meal though. Seriously. This meal. Firstly cauliflower has never been top of my food list. Its one those vegetables that I normally ignore if I am honest, but all that has now changed and this is now my go to dinner/dinner party/easy meal. Somehow boiling and then roasting a cauliflower turns it into a thing of beauty and there is also a actual beauty to it when you place it down on the table. The entire head, slightly charred and golden. We have been serving it up with lemon dressed salad but it is delicious with a tangy goats cheese too. A large cauliflower head with serve 4 adults but dont be afraid to make it just for two, its delicious cold the next day…and you might be surprised how much you eat. You can use a standard cauliflower or a romanesco….or do both when you have friends over. Place them on the table whole, slice like a loaf of bread, serve with a huge salad and a chilled rose.

This is simple,delicious week night meal or a phenomenal alternative to a sunday roast. Let me know if you make it…we love it!

Ingredients
1 large cauliflower head
1 tbsp salt
3 tbsp olive/rape seed oil
salt and pepper to taste

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C
Place the whole cauliflower (leaves removed) into a large pan of salted boiling water
With the lid on, simmer for 10 mins
Remove the cauliflower, drain, and then place onto a large baking tray lined with baking paper
Coat the cauliflower in salt, pepper and olive oil
Place into a hot oven for approx 40mins or until golden brown

 

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Yogi Pie

I has been a funny old week and to be honest I am glad that its Friday. The last two and a half years have been full of upheaval for us as a couple. We finished a project in Germany and were set to move back to London when we were informed that Alex would need to spend at least 7 months of the year in Germany. I moved to London and Alex visited. A few months in and I was in Germany for the weekend when we found out I was pregnant after years of trying. We went to bed overwhelmed with joy but the next morning I had to be at the airport. A week after announcing that I was pregnant we realized that we couldn’t spend 7 months apart each year with a new born and that would mean giving up my beloved London and us all moving together to a new city in Germany. We planned all this whilst on holiday in LA. We also got married whilst we were there. We flew back together and then alex flew back to Germany the next day. Those weeks in LA was the longest period that we had together whilst I was pregnant. We picked a flat in a city we didn’t know from separate countries. We met in Munich for one weekend in order to find a doctor willing to deliver the baby (you have to book early in Germany) and to secure a hospital place. I got here 6 weeks before the baby arrived (2 weeks late) and we have been a family here ever since.

The thing is though, we miss London and yet we daren’t say it. To the outside world we have all that we could ever hope for. We have the most amazing daughter, we are healthy and we are financially stable. But life is about connections. Its walking down streets that make you look up from your phone and smile. Its customs and traditions that you understand, that you recognize. It is a way of life.It is the white van driver that waves you across the road and the corner shop that lets you pay tomorrow. Life is fuller with your tribe and your community. I miss my city. I miss the city that made me who I am. I miss my family and my friends and most of all I miss that they don’t see the baby every week. But most of all I miss my husband. He isn’t the same here. Not as happy, not as inspired, not as relaxed. I miss his jokes and his cheekiness, I miss his drive and his selflessness. We never thought it possible but he misses London more than I do.

This week was a week when he felt it and there was nothing much I could do except hug him and watch from the sidelines. I think its time to book a little trip, to have a day or too eating sushi, walking the streets of soho and showing the baby our favorite haunts. But for today I will make this yogi pie, because nothing seems more British than a pie. This yogi pie follows the same base as a cottage or shepherds pie but replaces meat for lentils. I used cooked red lentils but you could use any colour or a mix of all. If your little one is just starting out on food, then simply puree the veggies and lentils and then serve with a little spoon of mashed potato. This is warm, autumn food. Serve with a green salad tossed with vinaigrette and a side of love. Happy weekend x

Ingredients (serves 4)
4 large mashing potatoes
1 tbsp milk
1 large tin red lentils drained (400g)
1 onion finely chopped
1 carrot finely chopped
1 courgette
1/2 yellow pepper finely chopped
1/2 red pepper finely chopped
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp grated ginger
2 tomatoes
1 tsp tumeric

Method
Peel the potatoes, cut into chunks and boil until soft
Preheat the oven to 180C
Whilst the potatoes are boiling, heat the oil in a large frying pan and add in the onion, carrots and courgette
Allow the vegetables to soften and then add in the ginger, peppers and tumeric
Cook for a few minutes and then add in the chopped tomatoes and the lentils
Cook for another few minutes and then transfer to a baking safe dish
Take the cooked potatoes, add in some milk and mash till smooth
Top the lentil mix with the potatoes leaving peaks
Sprinkle on some cheese if you fancy and then bake for 25mins

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YNBO- barely baked bakewell tart

Val has exited the tent. I realize that she was probably never going to win, but I did have a soft spot for her. I love that fact that baked from memory and challenged Paul “we like our Danishes a little soft in the middle in our house”. It also turns out that she makes a Bakewell tart weekly. Who makes any tart weekly? Let alone a Bakewell? To be perfectly honest I don’t think I have ever tried bakewell tart, but I do love the combination of fruity jam, marzipan and a biscuity base.

I thought about tackling danish pastries or filo pastry this week, but filo seemed like a crazy crazy idea and most filo that you can buy ready made is plant based anyway, and danish pastries just don’t excite me. Lets not lie, if there was only one option for a Scandinavian treat it would OBVIOUSLY be the cinnamon bun!

So this morning I set about making the YNBO version of the bakewell tart. Knowing that the case would be holding marzipan and a sweet jam layer I didn’t want to make the dough too sweet. I used oats, ground down into a flour, added ground almonds and then used a ripe banana to bind it all together. A teaspoon of coconut oil and one date for added stickiness and I had the perfect consistency. If you can’t tolerate nuts you could easily not add them. This dough tastes amazingly good, not too sweet but somewhat decadent. It would be great rolled into balls or made into bars as a post or pre workout snack….

I pressed the dough into mini muffin tins and baked for 15 minutes until they were golden and crunchy. Then all I had to do was fill them with a spoonful of homemade marzipan and top then with a spoon of extra thick cherry and damson chia jam. So simply, so delicious. These barely baked bakewell tarts are the perfect afternoon treat, paired with a rich espresso and shared with friends.

 

Barely Baked Bakewell Tart – makes 24 mini tarts

Ingredients (base)
200g oats
3 tbsp ground almonds
1tsp coconut oil
1 ripe banana
1 date

Method
Preheat your oven to 160C
Place the oats into a food processor with the almonds and grind down into a flour
Add in the banana and the oil and process until a dough begins to form
Add in the date and pulse until combined
Press the dough into mini muffin tins and bake for 15mins
Remove and allow to cool

Ingredients (Marzipan)
150g blanched almonds
1.25 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp rosewater

Method
Place the almonds into a food processor & pulse until you have a fine flour like powder
Add in the syrup & rosewater
Pulse until you have a dough
Roll into balls or any shape you like
Store in the fridge for up to a week

For the chia jam I used this recipe but substituted the blueberries for half cherries and half damsons. I also added an extra tbsp of chia to make it extra thick.

 

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Family friendly ratatouille

Ratatouille makes me think of my mum, and to be honest I’m not even sure why. I don’t think she made it much, as she isn’t a fan of tomatoes, but somehow thoughts of her are wrapped up in this dish.

It’s strange how evocative food can be, how a taste can transport you. Pistachio icecream takes me to France. To waiting in the supermarket laundrette for another load to be done. The laundrettes were always glass boxes, heated by the summer sun & the driers on full pelt. Pre smart phone days, there were few entertainment options whilst you waited for the weekly wash other than a game of uno & a tub of icecream.

Cinnamon and cardamom will always take me straight to Oslo. To bakeries & snowy days. To Sunday afternoons when we would “go for a run out” in the car, a flask of coffee and some buns packed to keep us going (probably alongside the snow shovel & the thermal blankets…just in case).

To be honest I’m not sure where ratatouille fits in. Maybe it makes me think of France, maybe it’s because the smell of freshly picked tomatoes is one of my absolute favourite smells. Maybe we did eat it a lot growing up but I have forgotten. Either way, this was the perfect meal to share with the baby today as we woke up to the arrival of autumn here in Munich. It is seriously chilly. Nippy hands, rosy cheeks, thick jumper chilly. Ratatouille is warming, comfort food. Perfect as the evenings get longer, and perfect for the end of season tomatoes.

This recipe is a simple one. The best usually are. Serve with doorsteps of crusty bread or another grain. Puree or mash if needed for the little ones. Dish up, snuggle up and enjoy.

Ingredients (serves 4)
6 large ripe tomatoes chopped

1 large courgette cubed

1 aubergine cubed

1 red pepper cubed

2 tsp herbs de Provence

3 tbsp rapeseed oil

1 shallot

Method
Finely chop the shallot and add to a large pan with the oil and herbs

Gently soften and then add in the aubergine

Cook the aubergine for 4 mins and then add in all the other vegetables

Stir well and cook on a medium heat until the tomatoes begin to break down

Turn down the heat, cover and allow to cook on a low heat for 25-35 minutes until all the vegetables are soft and well cooked

Serve and enjoy

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