Easy Dishes to Make You Feel Good
Lentils and sausages; broccoli pesto pasta; infused honey dressing and 2 salads to serve it with
February is one of those months where I need things to be really easy, and if they also happen to be good, that’s a bonus. I fully admit to being fairly burned out on cooking recently, possibly the cleaning up more than the cooking, but these few dishes have helped me through the month. They are simple and delicious and don’t take too much brainpower or washing up.
Broccoli Pesto Pasta
This is a good one for weeknights when you want something quick and relatively fuss-free while tricking the kids into eating a vegetable.
1 head of broccoli, roughly cut, woody stem discarded
A couple of stalks of kale, if you have them (optional)
A large handful of basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons of pinenuts or pistachios
A good handful of grated Parmesan, plus more to serve
Juice 1/2 a lemon plus more to taste
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Pasta of you choice (makes enough for at least a pound/450g of dried pasta)
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, season well with salt- it should be salty like the sea- and then add the broccoli and kale of using for about 2 minutes. Remove vegetables from the water and add the pasta, cook as directed, saving a splash of the cooking water when you drain the pasta.
Meanwhile make the pesto: add the broccoli and kale to the food processor along with the other pesto ingredients excluding the oil. Add a good pinch of salt and blend, drizzling in a bit of oil as you go until fairly smooth. Taste and adjust as needed- it may need more lemon, salt or olive oil.
Combine the pesto and the pasta and stir through adding a little of the pasta cooking water and olive oil to thin if needed. Season with extra Parmesan, pepper and salt if needed.
Any extra pesto is best frozen day-of as the broccoli tends to become rather pungent if left hanging around the fridge. To use, simply thaw in the fridge the day/morning before use.
Infused Honey Dressing
Infusing honey with some herbs is one of those things that in the wintery months gives my mood a little boost. It’s such a simple thing, but it imparts a lovely flavour to the honey that feels greater than the effort required. I love to make rosemary honey and just drizzle it over oranges, serving it with ice cream or wintery pavlova or just some greek yoghurt.
2 T honey
1 small sprig of Rosemary leaves, finely chopped (or use thyme leaves or a fat pinch ground toasted Corriander seeds)
1/2 tsp Dijon
2 T good red wine or sherry vinegar
3 T olive oil
Salt and pepper
In a small pan, gently heat the honey and rosemary (or thyme or Corriander seeds) until it just comes to a boil, then turn off the heat and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
Add the mustard and vinegar and a good pinch of salt and gently whisk, then whisk in the olive oil. Taste- the dressing will probably be quite sweet and tart, which is how I like this one, but feel free to add more oil and/or vinegar if you like.
Orange, Fennel and Radicchio Salad
2 oranges (it’s nice to use a blood orange and a cara cara if you can get them, for their colour)
1/2 bulb fennel
1/2 head of radicchio
Handful of chopped toasted pistachios
Infused honey dressing (recipe above)
To compose the salad, remove the top and bottom from the oranges and then place on the cutting board cut side down. Working in strips from top to bottom, remove the peel. Slice the oranges into thin slices.
Finely shave the fennel, ideally using a mandolin if you have one. Separate the radicchio leaves and tear into bite size pieces.
Lay half the radicchio on a serving plate followed by half the fennel, orange and pistachios, sprinkle with a little salt and drizzle with dressing and then repeat with the remaining ingredients. You may not need all of the dressing.
Additions: some nice big shaving of hard cheese like parmesan or Manchego is also nice here
Grilled Zucchini, Plum and Mozzarella Salad
4-5 small zucchini
2 plums
1/2 ball of mozzarella
Good handful of parsley leaves
Infused honey dressing (recipe above)
Olive oil
Sat and pepper
finely slice the zucchini lengthwise into 1/2cm/1/4inch strips. Heat a skillet and fry the zucchini in a little olive oil in batches until softened and a little caramelized.
Slice the plums into thin pieces. Arrange the zucchini and plum slices on a large platter, scatter with parsley and tear over chunks of mozzarella. Drizzle over dressing. Finely chopped chili would be a great addition if you have some.
Lentils and Sausages (or mushrooms)
I have made this dish 3 times in the past couple of weeks. Lentils and sausages are natural friends and I love keeping them separate like this so that the lentils act more like a bed of mashed potatoes might. I serve it with nothing more than a big dollop of mustard and a few herbs but you could add a slice of good, buttered bread on the side if you like.
I have made the same dish using mushrooms in place of sausages which is also excellent in the cool months. To cook the mushrooms simply slice your mushrooms and chop up a clove or two of garlic. Heat a pan large enough to easily hold the mushrooms, then melt a good pat of butter and a little olive oil (just oil if you want vegan). Add half the garlic and the leaves of a large sprig of thyme, then add the mushrooms. Cook quickly, tossing occasionally until softened and beginning to brown. Add the remaining garlic, season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat.
4 good quality sausages of you choice- I prefer pork sausages, an Italian or German style is ideal but I also love to use fresh chorizo sausages
2 cups French lentils
Olive oil
A good pat of butter (sub oil for vegan)
1 onion, finely diced
A stalk of celery, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic
A few good sprigs of thyme, leaves removed
A few stalks of kale or other greens such as spinach, finely chopped.
1 lemon
A good handful of cilantro leaves and stalks (or parsley)
Mustard of your choice to serve
Rinse the lentils.
Heat your favourite soup or casserole pot over medium heat, add a good lug of olive oil and the butter followed by the onion, carrot, celery and thyme and a good pinch of salt. Cook for about 15 minutes until the vegetables have softened and are just starting to caramelize. If using kale, add it to the pot now, cooking for a few minutes to soften. Add the lentils and enough water to cover by an inch or so and season with another good pinch of salt or two. Place a lid over the pot and cook for 20 minutes or so until softened, checking occasionally to make sure there is enough water. If using spinach, add 5 minutes before the end of cooking.
Zest the lemon into the lentils and finely chop the stalks of the cilantro or parsley and stir them both through. Allow to sit for a few minutes, then season to taste.
To cook the sausages, I have taken to cooking them in my toaster oven, I’m sure a regular oven would be just the same or you can cook them in a pan. To cook in the oven, place in a pan and drizzle over a little olive oil. Cook at 400F/200C for 10-15 minutes, turning once. Check they are just cooked though and then allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing into thick pieces.
To serve, place a good scoop of lentils to the bottom of a dish and top with sausage and a dollop of mustard. Scatter a few cilantro or parsley leaves over the top and drizzle with a little olive oil.
Any more recipes coming up?