Make mine Minestrone

When it comes to soup, is there anything more wholesome and heart-warming than minestrone? I made a pot on the weekend and have been enjoying it ever since. Recipes abound (my favourite is Marcella Hazan’s), and I do think it’s worth being a little bit careful and not just chucking a whole lot of vegetables in a pot. I forgot to get zucchinis so used a bit of cauliflower that I had on hand, and it was just as nice. White beans (like cannellini) are essential, and if you add brown rice to beans, there’s your high-quality protein. A leafy vegetable like spinach or cabbage is good too. You can keep it entirely fat-free if you like, or use a little olive oil or ghee; onions and garlic are optional. I call it ‘Italy’s gift to the Yoga Diet’.
Ingredients
3 T olive oil
15g (1/2 oz) butter or ghee
1 onion, sliced thinly
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 large stick celery, washed and diced
2 medium zucchinis (courgettes), washed and diced
½ a small head of red cabbage, shredded
250g (1/2 lb) spinach
250g (8 oz) canned cannellini beans, drained
3 canned Italian plum tomatoes, chopped, with juice
2 litres stock
a handful of brown rice
a handful of small stubby pasta
a handful of finely chopped parsley to garnish
freshly grated parmesan cheese for the table (optional)

1. Put the oil, butter, onion into a pot and cook until the onion softens and turns gold.
2. Add the diced vegetables and stir well.
3. Add the spinach, cabbage, and chopped tomatoes with their juice, season with salt and pepper
4. Add the stock to cover (add a bit of water if there’s not enough).
5. Cover the pot and simmer gently for at least an hour.
6. Add the rice and simmer a further half hour.
7. Add the pasta and the canned beans, simmer for 15 minutes.
8. Garnish with parsley and serve with freshly grated parmesan.
It should be quite thick, and is definitely better the next day. It can be served piping hot, or at room temperature in warmer weather. Thanks Marcella!

Lentil soup

2 tablespoons olive oil 60 g (2 oz) butter, ghee or oil
1 onion, chopped small
1 carrot, chopped small
1 stick celery, chopped small
30 g (1 oz) pancetta or bacon, chopped (optional)
250 g (8 oz) canned Italian tomatoes, cut up, with juice
250 g (8 oz) dried brown lentils, washed and drained
1 litre (1 and 3/4 pints) stock freshly ground pepper
1 bay leaf a few sprigs of thyme
3 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Sauté the onion in oil and butter till soft, add celery and carrot and continue to sauté for a couple of minutes, stirring from time to time.

2. Add the pancetta or bacon and sauté 1 minute more.

3. Add the tomatoes and cook at a gentle simmer for 25 minutes, uncovered. Stir from time to time with a wooden spoon.

4. Add the lentils, stirring and turning them over a couple of times.

5. Add stock, bay leaf, thyme and pepper.

6. Cook for about 45 minutes or till lentils are soft, adding more stock or water if necessary.

7. Serve with parmesan cheese and wholemeal bread.

Bircher Muesli

Serves 5

250 g (1/2 lb) rolled oats
2 apples, grated
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup sultanas
1 cup milk
or juice of 2 lemons
155 g (5 oz) chopped or slivered almonds
whipped cream (optional)
fresh or stewed fruit

1. Mix the first 6 ingredients and refrigerate overnight.

2. Just before serving, fold in cream, add fruit and sprinkle with almonds

Cherries and berries in brandy

2 handfuls of cherries, stems removed and pitted
1 punnet raspberries
1/2 cup caster sugar
a dash of brandy

1. Carefully mix the cherries, raspberries and caster sugar in a bowl.

2. Add brandy to taste.

3. Cover and chill for 30-40 minutes.

4. Serve with vanilla ice cream or cream.

Tropical fruit salad

1 red papaya
1 mango (optional)
1-2 bananas
1-2 kiwi fruit
1-2 passionfruit (optional, may be canned)
1 punnet strawberries lemon, orange or lime juice

1. Peel and seed the papaya, cut into cubes and place in a serving dish.

2. Add peeled, sliced mango.

3. Add peeled and sliced banana and kiwi fruit.

4. Cut the passionfruit in half and scrape out the pulp, add to dish.

5. Hull and quarter the strawberries, add to dish.

6. Add sugar to taste and the juice of a lemon, orange or lime.

7. Serve with yogurt, cream or ice cream.

Kicheree

For 4 – 6 servings

1 cup brown rice
1/2 cup lentils or mung beans
2 tablespoons ghee or oil
1 onion, finely sliced
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 clove garlic, squashed
1/2 teaspoon each of cumin, garam masala and/or chilli (fresh or dried)
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon soy sauce
500 g (1 lb) vegetables such as cauliflower, potatoes, kumara, eggplant, peas or green beans
1 cup stock (use stock cubes or make your own)
parsley and roasted cashews to garnish

1. Cook rice in your preferred way.

2. Put the rinsed lentils or mung beans in a small pot, cover with water and bring to the boil.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon ghee or oil in a large saucepan and fry onion, garlic, ginger and spices till the onion has softened.

4. Lower heat, add the other vegetables and the soy sauce to the pan, and stir fry for approximately 5 minutes.

5. As the mixture dries out, add the stock a little at a time.

6. When the mung beans have softened and started to split, add them and a little of their water to the pan. Keep stirring.

7. Add the cooked rice and stir to combine.

8. To serve, swirl in another tablespoon of ghee or oil.

9. Garnish with cashews, parsley and/or dookah (fried and ground seeds and spices, available from spice shops and health food stores.)

Macerated orange slices

Serves 4

6 oranges
grated peel of 1 medium lemon
4 tablespoons sugar
juice of 1/2 medium lemon

1. Peel four of the oranges, using a very sharp knife to remove both skin and pith.

2. Cut the oranges horizontally into thin slices and remove any seeds.

3. Put the slices in a bowl and then grate the lemon peel into the bowl.

4. Add the sugar.

5. Squeeze the other two oranges and add their juice to the bowl.

6. Cover the bowl with a plate and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, even overnight.

7. Serve chilled, turning the slices once or twice in the liquid before serving.

Vietnamese chicken & prawn salad

2 chicken breasts, left on the bone
250 g (1/2 lb) cooked small-to-medium prawns, peeled and de-veined
1 large onion, cut in half and thinly sliced (red is best)
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped lettuce leaves
3 cups finely shredded cabbage
1 grated carrot
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon water 1 small chilli, seeded and finely diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon finely chopped mint
1/3 cup roasted peanuts (optional)

1. Cover chicken with lightly salted water, bring gently to the boil and simmer 7-10 minutes. When cool enough to handle, remove bone and shred.

2. Place the onion in a bowl with the vinegar and sugar, and allow it to marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.

3. Line a platter with lettuce leaves.

4. Scatter evenly over the lettuce the shredded cabbage, carrot, cucumber, mint and onions, saving the marinade.

5. Add the chicken and prawns.

6. Mix the fish sauce, onion marinade liquid, garlic and chilli, then drizzle over the whole plate.

7. Scatter with peanuts and torn mint leaves.

8. To serve, use salad servers to gather up a good mixture of all the ingredients and place in a tidy heap on each plate.

Lassi

Lassi is a delicious cold drink often taken with or after a meal. It is both nourishing and helpful to the digestion.

1. Mix one part yogurt into two parts water.

2. Sweeten with honey and a pinch of ground cardamom.

3. May be made in the blender with fruit added (e.g., mango, strawberries, soft dates etc.)

4. Add 1/2 teaspoon rosewater for a special touch.