Hearty Lentil and Sausage Soup with Pesto

I've been had. Got sucked right in along with most Sydneysiders. By the weather, that is. A whole week of blissfully blue skies, mid 20deg C temperatures. Of course I've already put away the thick doona, potted up some blooms, even took the bubs to the beach and stocked up on salad greens. Then brrrrr- the miserably cold and grey days are back.

I should really know by now. Every year it happens. Spring is such a tease, always full of promise but likes to take its time getting here. Not much I can do about the grey so I might as well embrace it. Very well then- the salad menus go back on file and out come the old, tried and tested soup recipes. Yes, they have to be old. Adventurous as I am with food, I like to rely on the familiar when eating for warmth and comfort. You see, I expect a lot from my soups. It may not be fair but I do. My soups not only have to warm but they also have to fill, heal, energise and satisfy. This concoction is one of the hardest-working and ever dependable soups I know.

Lentil soups seem very popular in many cultures. Moroccan harira, Indian dahl and the sausage and lentil combo is apparently 'very Dutch'. My version does not use any herbs while cooking but I like to add a dollop of pesto upon serving.

You will need:

2Tbsp olive oil
100g bacon, chopped
1 clove garlic, sliced thinly
1 medium brown onion, finely chopped
1/2 c cooked chipolata, cut ito small cubes (any sausage of your choice will do, even cubed ham can be used. i just happened to have had left-over chipolatas from the previous night's dinner)
1/2 c chopped fennel bulb
1/2 chopped carrots
400g tin chopped plum tomatoes
1c green lentils (the sort I used did not require pre-soaking, check the label on packaging)
4c bacon stock
freshly cracked black pepper

basil pesto


Heat up the oil in a saucepan and add the bacon. When the bacon is brown and has rendered fat, add the garlic and onion. Stir around until the onion is transluscent. Add the sausage, fennel and carrots and let cook for a couple of minutes. Add the canned tomatoes, cover and leave for two minutes. Add the lentils and bacon stock. Let it simmer on medium heat until the lentil is soft (but not too mushy), around 20mins. Season with black pepper.

Ladle into bowls and top with a teaspoon of basil pesto.
Serves 4.


I am submitting this for the Second Annual Super Soup Challenge hosted by Tami. The photography/food styling in her blog Running with Tweezers are some of the most visually stunning, lip-licking food images I've seen. 'Food Porn' at its best ;-)

Cinnamon-Spiced Beef Phyllo Rolls

Flicking thru a finger-food recipe book the other day (still dreaming that we can go back to hosting regular cocktail/drinks parties once again-maybe when the kids move out in 20years!), I came across a scrumptious sounding recipe for phyllo pastry pillows filled with beef and dried figs. This presented a mini-mission: adapt the recipe for tonight's dinner.

Ok, that means something filling enough to have with just a bowl of salad for hubby and myself, and healthy and interesting enough for little girl L. As usual, the vegetable components started off as ingredients for baby A's dinner-grated zucchini and sweet potato that I was going to boil and puree.

I also wanted to keep the sweet/savoury combo that was in the original recipe so I used some pitted dates, which I already had in the cupboard, instead of the dried figs.

The result was quite delicious and we found the rolls very more-ish. I can see how the mini versions would be great with drinks. L absolutely loved them and I was pleased that she got her quota of vegies in, albeit with a bit of cheating and disguising.
This recipe makes around 12 x 5-inch rolls.

3Tbsp olive oil
500g lean beef mince
1 clove garlic, minced
1tsp ginger, minced
1 medium onion, chopped finely
1tsp ground cinnamon
1/2c chopped dates
1/2c grated zucchini
1/2c grated sweet potato
Salt and pepper

8 phyllo pastry sheets
cooking oil spray


To make the filling, heat the oil in a pan and add garlic, ginger,onion and cinnamon.
Stir around until the onion becomes transluscent. Add the beef and continue cooking until browned. Stir in the dates, zucchini and sweet potato. Season with salt and pepper. Let cook for a further 2 minutes.
Allow the filling to cool completely before wrapping.

When ready to wrap, preheat the oven to 200deg C and line trays withs baking paper.

Take 2 sheets of phyllo pastry. Spray one with cooking oil spray, top with the second sheet and spray again with oil. Cut crossways into 3 even strips.

Take one strip and place 2Tbsp of the beef mixture along the bottom of one narrow edge. Roll the end of the pastry over the filling until covered. Fold in the long sides to enclose the beef mixture and continue rolling until your reach the end of the strip.
Repeat the process with the rest of the filling.

Place the rolls on the lined trays and spray lightly with oil. Bake in the oven until golden (around 15 minutes).


Changes I will try next time:
*Add pistachio nuts and chopped mint in the filling.
*Serve with a yogurt dip

Father's Day Breakfast

I reckon Dads get the short end of the stick when it comes to being properly acknowledged and celebrated with a special day in their honour. For all the hoo-hah, overpriced flowers and elaborate lunches that come with Mothers Day, Father's Day seems to come and go with hardly any fanfare.

So I wanted to fuss a little bit over our favourite man on Father's Day to say thank you (on behalf of L and A) for making bath time so much fun, for having the patience to play the same game over and over (even when Top Gear is on) and for giving the best cuddles ever. I decided to make him Greek tomato fritters for breakfast as a change from our usual toast or bowl of cereal eaten at the break of dawn when our kids get up. Hubby loved the domatokeftedes we were served daily for breakfast during our honeymoon in Santorini. The tasty tomatoes grown on the volcanic soils of the island made these fritters really special.
My version uses Roma tomatoes.

1 1/2c finely chopped Roma tomatoes
1/4 c finely chopped red onion
1 c self-raising flour
2 eggs
1/2c milk
1tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1Tbsp chopped mint
1tsp dried thyme
pepper
olive oil for frying

Beat the eggs into the milk. Add the sifted flour, salt and sugar and mix well. The batter will be quite stiff. Add the tomatoes, onion, herbs and then season with pepper.
Let the mixture stand for an hour.

Pour around 2Tbsp of olive oil into a non-stick pan on medium heat. Ladle some of the batter into the pan . Cook for around 2 minutes or until the underside is brown. Turn the fritter over and cook on the other side. This makes around 4 pancake size fritters.

I served these topped with some baby rocket and crumbled feta cheese.