Creamy Vegetable Soup with Summer Herbs
(makes 2 – 4 servings)

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium onion, roughly chopped
1/3 head green cabbage, shredded
2 large carrots, sliced
1 1/2 cups of potatoes
1 litre chicken or vegetable stock
salt and pepper
1 handful fresh basil
1 handful fresh parsley

Saute onion in oil for 5 minutes. Add cabbage, carrots and potatoes, a big pinch of salt, and stock. Cover and simmer for 90 minutes.
Remove about 4 cups and blend with a blender or use an immersion blender. Add back to pot. Mince fresh herbs and stir in. Taste and correct for seasoning, you will want, at the very least, a healthy amount of pepper.

Sausage, Sage and Onion Stuffing
(makes 6 cups)

1T vegetable oil
1/2lb pork sausage
300g coarse bread crumbs (we used 300g and it was a bit much)
3/4T salt
1/2t fresh ground pepper
1C diced onion
1/2C diced mushrooms
1/2C diced celery
1/3C fresh chopped sage
1.5T dried sage
1 sprig chopped rosemary
1C chicken stock
2 eggs, beaten
1/3C butter

Combine bread, herbs, salt and pepper, stock and eggs in a bowl. Saute onion, celery and mushrooms in oil and butter until soft. Add sausage and brown. Add sausage mixture to bowl and toss well. Spoon into a lightly greased baking dish. Cover and bake for 40 minutes at 325F. (Apparently you can also stuff the bird with this just bake it for 20 minutes first, then stuff the bird with it.)

Black Bean and Turkey Chili (serves 6)

2T extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 lb. ground turkey
1 lb. ground chicken breast
2 T grill seasoning
½lb mushrooms, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 large red pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 T Worcestershire sauce
3 canned chipotle peppers, chopped
1 T ground cumin
1 bottle beer
1 (15oz) can black beans, drained
1 (15oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 C chicken stock
3 T fresh thyme leaves
3 T cheddar, shredded for garnish
2 T chopped cilantro, for garnish
3 T plain yogourt, for garnish

Heat a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add 1T olive oil, the meat and grill seasoning. Use a fork to crumble the meat together and brown it evenly. Should take about 5 minutes. Remove the meat to a plate and add the other tablespoon of oil. Add the mushrooms and begin to brown for a few minutes. Once they start to soften push them to the outside of the pot and add the onions, celery peppers and garlic. Sweat until soft and then mix all together. Return meat to the pan and add Worcestershire, cumin, chipotle and stir. Then add beer and simmer while you deglaze (scrape up all the bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon). When the beer has reduced by half add the beans, tomatoes stock and thyme and simmer for ten minutes. Season to taste. Serve topped with shredded cheese, yogourt and cilantro.

Fennel, Potato and Leek Soup
(serves 2)

1T olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 leek, chopped fennel bulb, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper
1 small potato, chopped
~750ml chicken or vegetable stock
2T whipping cream (optional)

In a large dutch oven heat olive oil to medium low and sweat onion, leek, garlic and fennel in a pinch of salt. Stir regularly. When vegetables are soft add the potato and stock along with several grinds of salt and pepper. Simmer until potato is soft. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. With an immersion or stand blender pulse the soup. (I like to blend a few ladlefuls only to retain some texture.) Return to heat on low. Taste and correct for seasoning and add cream if desired. Serve hot. I haven’t tried serving this cold but let me know if you do!

Indian Spiced Cauliflower Soup
(makes 3-4 servings)
Adapted from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

2T canola oil
1t garam masala
1t cumin seeds
1 onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 head cauliflower, broken into small florets
salt and pepper
1/2C white wine
3C vegetable or chicken stock
1C yogourt
cilantro for garnish(optional)

Heat a soup pot to medium and add oil to pan. Add garama masala and cumin and stir for 30 seconds. Add garlic, onion, and cauliflower plus a good pinch of salt and some pepper. Stir regularly until onions are soft – about 10 minutes. Add wine and cook down for a minute or two. Add stock, cover, and bring to a simmer. Cook until cauliflower is very tender, 15-20 minutes. Cool slightly and put through blender. Return to pot on low heat and whisk in yogourt. Taste and correct for seasoning. Serve topped with cilantro and pepper.

Pork Shoulder Braised in Sage and White Wine
(makes 6 servings)

2 tablespoons canola oil
1 pork shoulder
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 large onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 large carrot
½ dozen sage leaves, finely chopped
½ dozen thyme sprigs, leaves removed from branches
1 cup white wine
~¾ cup chicken stock
1 small can diced tomatoes, drained of excess liquid
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon flour

Preheat oven to 250F. In a mortar and pestle or spice grinder crush coriander and fennel seeds. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper and the coriander and fennel. Heat oil in a dutch oven to medium high heat. Brown pork on all sides. Remove and set aside. Add onion, carrot, celery, thyme and sage and reduce heat to medium. Cook until vegetables start to soften.

Add wine and cook until half reduced. Add chicken stock, tomatoes, and bay leaf and bring to a gentle simmer. Add pork back to the mix along with any juices. Cover and put in the oven. Cook for 4-6 hours or until fork tender. Turn pork halfway through cooking.

Remove pork and cover with foil, if it has ties remove. Place pot back on the stove and bring to a simmer to reduce excess liquid. Whisk in flour and whisk regularly until it thickens. Taste and correct for seasoning. Serve the pork on a platter covered with the sauce.

Squash, Chickpea & Red Lentil Stew
(makes 8 servings)

3/4C dried chickpeas
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 large carrots, roughly chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1C red lentils
4C chicken or vegetable stock
2T tomato paste
2T ginger, minced
1 1/2T cumin
1t salt
1/4t pepper
1 lime, juiced
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

1. Cover chickpeas in cold water by at least 2 inches. Soak overnight and then drain.
2. Combine the soaked chickpeas, squash, carrots, onion, lentils, broth, tomato paste, ginger, cumin, salt, and pepper in your slow cooker.
3. Cook on low until tender – I left mine on for the full 10+ hours since I had a long day.
4. If you are serving it all stir in lime juice (otherwise add when you serve). Serve sprinkled with cilantro.

Cream-less Salmon, Potato and Corn Chowder
(serves 4)

750ml chicken stock
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 fennel bulb, diced, fronds reserved
1 large carrots, peeled and diced
3 small potatoes, medium dice
1 cob of corn
2 salmon steaks, boned and chopped into half inch pieces
1T minced parsley
1/4C cream (optional)

Throw the olive oil and vegetables in a dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat with a healthy pinch of salt and cook stirring well until fragrant. Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes then check and correct for seasoning. Stir in the salmon until just cooked through. Remove from the heat, stir in the parsley and the cream if using and check for seasoning again. Garnish with the fennel fronds.

Chicken Thighs with Tomatoes, Zucchini and Basil
(serves 4)

1 tablespoon olive oil
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chili flakes
1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise then chopped
1 can whole tomatoes
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons minced parsley
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 handful fresh basil

Because chicken thighs tend to not have an even thickness it is best to pound them out so that they do. This will help them cook more evenly. I use an empty wine bottle or small skillet to pound each piece of chicken so it is an even thinness. It is best to place the thighs between pieces of saran wrap before pounding them. Give each chicken thigh a bit of a pound to even it out and then sprinkle with a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper.

Heat a large skillet with a lid or a dutch oven to medium heat. Add the olive oil to the skillet followed by the chicken. Fry chicken thighs until brown on both sides. Remove to a plate and set aside. Add the onions, garlic, chiles, and zucchini. Saute for 5 minutes or until the onions begin to soften. Add tomatoes and parsley and bring to a simmer. Return chicken and it’s juices to the pan. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, then add peppers. Continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through, it should take about another 10 minutes. Now taste and correct for seasoning by adding salt and pepper as necessary. Chop basil and add to the pot along with lemon juice. Serve hot.