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Category Archives: Recipes

My amazing friend, Ashley Rodriguez, writer and curator of Not Without Salt blog, and shop, has a new cookbook out today!! To say I’m proud of her is a massive understatement. Ashley and I became friends just before the publishing of her first book Date Night In, and since then have become friends who talk almost daily. In spite of the physical distance between us (I’m here in England, she’s in Seattle), we’ve grown closer than ever. I read over the beautiful essays she wrote for this book, and tested dozens of the incredible recipes. I watched her work and cook and chop and photograph and edit and retest, her passion constantly on display. Now, so many months later, she’s releasing her second cookbook, Let’s Stay In – More than 120 Recipes to Nourish People You Love! I want to jump for joy, or attend one of her book release dinners or events, but mostly I want to give Ashley a big, huge hug… and sit down at the table with her.

One thing we talked about a lot this year was the importance of sitting down at the table with our families, friends, and maybe even strangers. To share food, connect, and talk, to use servings of Sour Cream and Seedy Mustard Mashed Potatoes, peeled layers Garlic Miso Butter Flake Rolls, hearty and rich helpings Breakfast BLTs on bouncy Classic White Bread, offers of bold and fragrant Baked Camembert with Blackberries and Rosemary, sips of delightfully tart Cardamom Cream Soda, and scoops of Charred Scallion Dip to transmit love to those other souls at the table. Her passion for connection, for feeding others, and for serving a table full of people is inspiring and heartfelt – and so needed in this particular cultural season.

I tested and fell in love with at least 40 of the recipes in this book, I made everything I could given my access to kitchen appliances and groceries here in England. One of our very favorites is the Roasted Potato & Cauliflower Burrito. It sounds… not that exciting, but let me tell you, it’s delicious! The potatoes and cauliflower are sprinkled with cumin seeds, cider vinegar, and fish sauce and roasted to a caramelized, fragrant crisp. A tart and spicy cream sauce that includes lime juice, chipotle, garlic, cumin, Dijon, and more fish sauce is slathered over the tortillas. If that weren’t enough there’s also the corn and herb salsa (the recipe for which didn’t fit on the page of the book, but I have it here for you)!

I can’t wait to get my hands on Let’s Stay In, I already know it will become one of my oil spattered, dog-eared favorites.

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER AND POTATO BURRITOPINROASTED CAULIFLOWER AND POTATO BURRITOPINROASTED CAULIFLOWER AND POTATO BURRITOPINROASTED CAULIFLOWER AND POTATO BURRITOPIN

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER AND POTATO BURRITO
Burrito Filling

2 large potatoes, cut into roughly 1/2-inch pieces
1 head cauliflower cut into small florets
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
1/4 C apple cider vinegar
2 tsps cumin seeds
2 1/2 tsps sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp fish sauce

Burrito Sauce

1/2 C sour cream
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1/2 tsp chipotle powder (use less if you don’t like heat)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp lime juice
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp Dijon
1 tsp ground cumin

Corn and Herb Salsa

2 cups corn kernels (thaw completely if using frozen)
1 jalapeño, finely diced
4 scallions, white and green parts sliced
1 Tbsp olive oil
Zest of 1 lime
1 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 cup cilantro
1/2 tsp sea salt

To Serve:

1 can drained and rinsed black beans
6 to 8 large flour tortillas

For the vegetables:

Preheat the oven to 425°F

Combine the potatoes and cauliflower in a large bowl. Then add the olive oil, cider vinegar, cumin seeds, salt, pepper and fish sauce.
Toss everything to combine well.
Roast on a large sheet pan for about 45 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and deeply colored.

For the burrito sauce:
In a small bowl combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, chipotle powder, garlic, fish sauce, lime juice, salt, Dijon, and cumin. Stir well to combine.
This sauce will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week.

For the corn salsa:
In a medium bowl combine the corn, jalapeño, scallions, olive oil, lime zest and juice, cilantro, and sea salt.

Assemble:

Slather a couple of tablespoons of the burrito sauce on the tortilla then top with the roasted vegetables, a small scoop of black beans and the corn salsa. Roll it up then serve with extra burrito sauce.
Serves 6 to 8
PRINTABLE RECIPE.

I’m closing out on eight days of solo-parenting, and I’m so proud of myself and of the kids for getting through it so well. It’s an odd thing when Kyle goes back to America for work and we’re here in England on our own. If you recall last fall when he went back to the States things didn’t go so well. He’s been back a few times since that first trip last September, and things have gone fine, but never great. This trip was particularly strange because Kyle spent the week back “home” in the Pacific Northwest. He stayed with our family and friends, ate at favorite restaurants, sipped familiar beer, got those far away longed for hugs. Unlike the times he’s been away before, the times where it just felt like surviving and counting down the days until he came back, this time we had a wonderful time and that is no small thing.

Kyle’s plane is set to be touching down at Heathrow any minute, and we’re buzzing and excited to see him again. We’re spending our last hour on our own tidying up, making cookies, and I’m trying to figure out what’s for dinner. Because, while we did get out of the house for some lovely little adventures to the Jane Austen’s House Museum, the lake, the church park, and the farm shop, one place I did not brave with the kids was the grocery store. Somehow all of the places we went seemed inviting and easy in ways the grocery store does not.

farm shop living in englandPINYesterday at the farm shop we picked autumn raspberries from the bushes and pulled muddy carrots from the ground, and bought broccoli, cauliflower, corn, romancesco, and zucchini. You might have thought that I was done writing about Roasted Cauliflower, and perhaps so did I, but apparently I’m not. When we got back from the farm shop I cut up a head of the cauliflower, along with a head of broccoli, and after tossing it in a mustard vinaigrette, got it roasting in the oven.

farm shop living in englandPINfarm shop living in englandPINfarm shop living in englandPINfarm shop living in englandPINfarm shop living in englandPINI’d gotten the idea from one of my favorite cookbooks, It’s All Good, in which there’s a recipe for roasted cauliflower and chickpeas. I love roasted broccoli so I added that too, and made some other additions and adaptions and I’m head over heels for my version. I whipped up the vinaigrette and tossed the vegetables with it before popping them into a hot oven to roast and caramelize. The chickpeas were added towards the end, just long enough to become crunchy and toasted, finally – and I personally think this is where things got amazing – I sautéed up some halloumi and tossed the lot together with some fresh Italian parsley, lemon zest, toasted pine nuts and a tiny bit of reserved dressing. The whole plateful is varied, salty, rich – and yet somehow light – and completely comforting and satisfying. Come to think of it I think I just figured put what we will have for dinner tonight, with Kyle.

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER AND BROCCOLI WITH HALLOUMI, PINE NUTS AND A MUSTARD VINAIGRETTEPINROASTED CAULIFLOWER AND BROCCOLI WITH HALLOUMI, PINE NUTS AND A MUSTARD VINAIGRETTEPINROASTED CAULIFLOWER AND BROCCOLI WITH HALLOUMI, PINE NUTS AND A MUSTARD VINAIGRETTEPINROASTED CAULIFLOWER AND BROCCOLI WITH HALLOUMI, PINE NUTS AND A MUSTARD VINAIGRETTEPINROASTED CAULIFLOWER AND BROCCOLI WITH HALLOUMI, PINE NUTS AND A MUSTARD VINAIGRETTEPINROASTED CAULIFLOWER AND BROCCOLI WITH HALLOUMI, PINE NUTS AND A MUSTARD VINAIGRETTEPIN

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER AND BROCCOLI WITH HALLOUMI, PINE NUTS AND A MUSTARD VINAIGRETTE

Ingredients.
1 medium head of cauliflower cut or broken into small pieces, about 3/4 lb.
1 medium head of broccoli cut or broken into small pieces, about 3/4lb.
1/2 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoon seedy mustard
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
flat leaf Itlalian parsley, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
8oz (250grams) halloumi, cubed
lemon zest (optional)
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Directions.
Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar and mustards, season with a small pinch of kosher salt and a few turns of black pepper. Whisking continuously, pour the olive oil in in a steady stream. Reserve 1/3 cup of the dressing.

Add in all of the cut up broccoli and cauliflower to a large roasting pan, drizzle with all but 1/3 cup of the dressing and tossing until the vegetables are well coated. Roast for 25 minutes, tossing occasionally.

Add the chickpeas to the roasting pan with the vegetables, drizzle with one tablespoon of the reserved dressing, toss together and return to the oven for an additional 15-20 minutes, until the chickpeas and the vegetables are crispy and caramelized.

Transfer the vegetables to a serving plate.

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium high heat, sear the halloumi, browning it on (almost) all sides before adding it to the vegetables. Top with some fresh parsley, toasted pine nuts, the last of the dressing, and a bit of lemon zest if you have it! Enjoy immediately.

PRINTABLE RECIPE.
ROASTED CAULIFLOWER AND BROCCOLI WITH HALLOUMI, PINE NUTS AND A MUSTARD VINAIGRETTE

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I keep meaning to share this recipe, but every day everyday life seems to pull me in several different directions, often at the same time. Then, before I have a chance to sit down and focus on any given project, I find that it’s 7:30pm and the kids are in bed and all I can muster energy for is scrolling through the maddening Netflix homepage trying to find something to watch. But tonight, here I am at nearly 8:00pm and the house is mostly quiet. I can hear the girls playing with their dolls in bed and I’m alone in the living room with a glass of red wine, and stormy spring clouds filling what I can see of the sky above the identical brick houses and tall trees outside the front window. Maybe it’s because I’m still a little hungry, or maybe because it’s cozy and quiet, but here I am finally ready to tell you about my adventures with cauliflower.

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER - FIVE RECIPESPINIt might seem that those two words: “adventures” and “cauliflower”, don’t really belong together. But I’m here to tell you that they do. I never ate cauliflower before we moved to England; it was not even on my radar. I can’t remember my mom ever cooking it when I was younger. I think the few times I had it as a child it had been practically boiled into a bland paste, or served like sad white cardboard alongside the flashy cherry tomatoes and dull-but-safe baby carrots on a grocery-store-assembled vegetable platter. I may have braved a piece here or there but it wasn’t until the last few years that I started to become more aware of its’ possibilities.

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER - FIVE RECIPESPINIt’s no secret that my cooking experience here has been filled with the challenges of learning new names for ingredients, cooking temperatures, a spiteful convection oven, and mostly packaged and precut vegetables. But, back in the fall, we went to a farm shop on the last day it was open before closing for the fall and winter. We wandered around with a pitchfork in search of anything we could pull from the ground and take home to cook. We ended up with a few end of the season carrots, beets, and a head of cauliflower. The cauliflower didn’t look particularly appealing or special, but it wasn’t sealed in plastic, and it was something I suspected I could prepare fairly easily given the stand off I was having with the oven, and the limited cooking equipment we’d purchased.

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER - FIVE RECIPESPINThe cauliflower sat on the counter for a couple of days, looking a bit sad and lonely. I felt for the cauliflower because, at the time, I felt quite like the cauliflower. I picked it up and started to pull away the leaves from the slightly waxy core. I pruned the florets from the stalk and cut them into smaller pieces. I tossed them on a sheet pan with olive oil, flake salt, and freshly ground pepper, then I opened the oven and said a little prayer that it wouldn’t turn them into lumps of coal, and closed the door. They roasted, I tossed them, they roasted a bit more. I decided it was time to pull them from the oven when they were significantly caramelized, their centers were tender and their edges crisp and almost burnt.

I divided them into bowls, sprinkled the lot with a little more flake salt, and topped them with a frizzled edged olive oil fried egg. From that humble and very simple beginning, my roasting sheet has seen a lot of cauliflower action. I’ve attempted to pull together my favorite roasted cauliflower recipes below. These recipes would do well topped with a fried or poached egg, tossed with pasta, or on their own. Also, it should be noted that each of these recipes sound like a lot, but the vegetables cook down so much that each recipe will serve two adults. I don’t recommend trying to double them as that will cause the vegetables to steam rather than roast properly!

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER – FIVE VARIATIONS

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER - FIVE RECIPESPINROASTED CAULIFLOWER WITH FENNEL, GARLIC, ONION, AND HERBS DE PROVENCE

Ingredients.
1 large head of cauliflower, trimmed and chopped into small pieces
1 yellow onion, halved and sliced pole to pole
1 bulb fennel, trimmed and sliced
1 teaspoon herbs de Provence
2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
extra virgin olive oil
flake salt
freshly ground black pepper

Directions.
Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Toss the chopped vegetables with about 1/4 cup olive oil, season with salt, pepper, and herbs de Provence. Spread onto a roasting sheet and bake for 30-45 minutes, until the vegetables are caramelized and crispy. Season to taste, and serve immediately.

 

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER - FIVE RECIPESPINROASTED CAULIFLOWER - FIVE RECIPESPINROASTED CAULIFLOWER WITH ROASTED GARLIC

Ingredients.
1 large head of cauliflower, trimmed and chopped into small pieces
6 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
extra virgin olive oil
flake salt
freshly ground black pepper

Directions.
Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Toss the cauliflower and garlic cloves with a couple tablespoons of olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Spread onto a roasting sheet and bake for 30-45 minutes, until the vegetables are caramelized and crispy. Carefully peel the garlic cloves and toss them with the cauliflower. Season to taste, and serve immediately.

 

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER - FIVE RECIPESPINROASTED CAULIFLOWER - FIVE RECIPESPINROASTED CAULIFLOWER WITH FENNEL, ONION, ZUCCHINI, AND PARMESAN

Ingredients.
1 large head of cauliflower, trimmed and chopped into small pieces
1 medium zucchini, quartered and chopped
1 red or yellow onion, halved and sliced pole to pole
1 bulb fennel, trimmed and sliced
freshly grated Parmesan
extra virgin olive oil
flake salt
freshly ground black pepper 0r red pepper flakes

Directions.
Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Toss the chopped vegetables with about 1/4 cup olive oil, salt and either black or red pepper. Spread onto a roasting sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Toss with 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, and roast for another 15-25 minutes, until the vegetables are caramelized and crispy. Sprinkle with a bit more Parmesan. Season to taste, and serve immediately.

 

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER - FIVE RECIPESPINROASTED CAULIFLOWER - FIVE RECIPESPINROASTED CAULIFLOWER WITH FENNEL, CHORIZO, AND MANCHEGO

Ingredients.
1 large head of cauliflower, trimmed and chopped into small pieces
1 bulb fennel, trimmed and sliced
1/2 cup diced chorizo sausage
shaved Manchego cheese
extra virgin olive oil
flake salt

Directions.
Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Toss the chopped vegetables with a few tablespoons of olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Spread onto a roasting sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Toss in the chorizo, and continue to roast for another 10-15 minutes, until the vegetables are caramelized and crispy. Top with shaved Manchego. Season to taste, and serve immediately.

 

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER - FIVE RECIPESPINROASTED CAULIFLOWER WITH RED ONION, ZUCHINNI, AND GORGONZOLA

Ingredients.
1 large head of cauliflower, trimmed and chopped into small pieces
1 red onion, halved and sliced pole to pole
7oz lardons (or bacon thinly sliced)
4oz crumbled Gorgonzola
extra virgin olive oil
flake salt
freshly ground black pepper

Directions.
Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Toss the chopped vegetables with a drizzle of olive oil, and the bacon, and season with a pinch of pepper and salt.* Spread onto a roasting sheet and bake for 30-45 minutes, tossing often, until the vegetables and bacon are caramelized and crispy. Sprinkle with the Gorgonzola. Season to taste, and serve immediately.

*Alternatively you can toss the vegetables with a couple tablespoons of olive oil and roast them, while cooking the bacon in a pan on the stovetop, draining it, and tossing it together at the end – this is definitely more healthy as you use olive oil for the veggies to roast in, rather than bacon fat.

PRINTABLE RECIPE.
ROASTED CAULIFLOWER

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Time is flying by so quickly. It feels like Roux was just born, and it feels like he’s been a part of our family forever. It feels like we were just unwrapping Christmas presents, and now we’re getting ready to have a cozy Valentine’s Day weekend. A week from today I turn 34, and then there’s Valentine’s Day to follow what I assume will be a very quiet birthday. I’m genuinely looking forward to a nice birthday/Valentine’s weekend with my little, slowly growing family. I’m soaking up all these sweet newborn days with the knowledge that they’ll pass too quickly. You’d be surprised how many hours a day can be spent smooching a sweet baby face.

PINJust before Roux was born I whipped up a batch of homemade Almond Roca. The recipe came from my friend, Linda, along with her special Caramel Corn recipe. She taught me to make the caramel corn, but was too fatigued by her battle with cancer to make the Almond Roca with me. She gave me her recipe and talked me through it. I made it on my own last Christmas, and again this Christmas. I meant to share the recipe around the holidays, but since I was 5,000 weeks pregnant I never did. We also meant to send out Christmas cards, but that didn’t happen either. The Almond Roca is incredibly rich and sweet, it’s decadent but actually quite easy to make.

homemade almond roca recipePINhomemade almond roca recipePINLast week, Kyle said, “Why don’t we send out Valentine’s Day cards to our family and friends like Paul and Julia Child did.” Did I marry my perfect match or what? For those who haven’t read Julia Child’s memoir, her biography, or watched Julie and Julia two dozen times, Julia and her husband sent out Valentine’s cards every year from wherever Paul was stationed at the time to their friends all over the world. Slightly off-topic, but this (hilariously) edited version of Julie and Julia called Julia Sans Julie is pretty wonderful.

Anyway, when Kyle suggested we make cards, I immediately reached out to Artifact Uprising to see if they’d be interested in collaborating with me. I’ve admired their gorgeous cards for a long time. I decided to make a custom card so that we could combine a Valentine’s Day card and a birth announcement for Roux. Sending Valentine’s Day cards is something we’ve decided to make a tradition for our family since I never seem to be able to get Christmas/holiday cards out in time! If any of you want to make cards Artifact Uprising is offering a 10% code: KAAU13 – if you’re in the UK/EU you may need to select priority international shipping to get the cards for Valentine’s Day.

artifact uprising valentinePINartifact uprising valentinePINartifact uprising valentinePINartifact uprising valentinePINThe cards I created, and the Cork + Brass print stand arrived here in England surprisingly fast. Over the weekend I addressed and mailed them out. For our local friends, I made a batch of Almond Roca to be delivered with their cards, and since we have a grand total of maybe five friends here we still have more than enough Almond Roca to have with our afternoon tea through this week and into next. In fact a quiet weekend of board games, tea, and Almond Roca sounds just about right for easing into my 34th year.

homemade almond roca recipePINhomemade almond roca recipePINhomemade almond roca recipePINhomemade almond roca recipePINhomemade almond roca recipePINHOMEMADE ALMOND ROCA

Ingredients.
1 pound unsalted butter
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup chopped raw almonds, toasted
6.5 oz milk chocolate (preferably Hershey brand)
10 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup ground/very finely chopped raw walnuts, toasted
vegetable or canola oil

Directions.
Grease a rimmed baking sheet (a baker’s half sheet size is perfect) with a bit of vegetable or canola oil.

Boil sugar and butter on high in a heavy medium sized saucepan. Stir constantly for about the first five minutes. Add the almonds all at once stirring to thoroughly combine.

Reduce the temperature a bit and continue to boil the caramel, stirring often and watching closely, until it turns a rich caramel color and your candy thermometer reaches between 300-310˚F (the crack stage).

Working quickly and carefully pour the caramel out onto the greased baking sheet, and use a rubber spatula to spread the caramel evenly onto the sheet. Allow the caramel to cool completely.

When the caramel is cool, melt the chocolates together in a double boiler. Once the chocolate is melted remove it from the heat but leave the chocolate over the hot water while you work to frost the candy.

Frost the top side of the candy with the melted chocolate, sprinkle with half of the ground walnuts, and pat the walnuts gently to set them into the chocolate. Allow the chocolate to set and cool completely.

Carefully flip the candy out onto a clean surface or cutting board. You may need to flex the sheet a bit to get it out. Don’t worry if the candy cracks in half. Frost the second side the same way you did the first side. Allow to set and cool completely before breaking the candy up into small pieces.

*Candy can be stored in an airtight container at cool room temperature for a week or two, but it’s best in the first week.

PRINTABLE RECIPE.
HOMEMADE ALMOND ROCA

It’s nearing the end of January, and today our sweet baby is already four weeks old. There’s lots of frost on the ground each morning, and I can still see it hanging on in the shade into the evening (or rather until the sun goes down around 4pm). We’re spending lots of time focusing on comfort and coziness. I’m a baby person, so I wish I could freeze time. If I could I’d buy more time – more time for snuggling him, for smelling his sweet head and breath, for watching him sleep.

sleepyhead dock a tot nuna senaPINbabyPINFor the past four weeks we’ve mostly laid low. We took a long day trip into London to apply for Roux’s passport, but other than a few little walks around in the countryside, we’ve been hunkered down in our fleece pajamas, slippers on our feet, enjoying the newborn loveliness.

solly baby wrapPINsolly baby wrap traveling with kidsPINtraveling with kids londonPINtraveling with kids london solly baby wrapPINI have to admit, it feels amazing to be not pregnant anymore! It feels like a huge weight has been lifted – both figuratively and literally. I knew, but I didn’t know, just how stressful it was being pregnant and trying to plan for a birth in a foreign country. All that wild unknown, the logistics of childcare, not knowing where exactly to go in the hospital, all of it added up to be almost too much. Now that Roux is in our lives, we are feeling exponentially more comfortable in all facets of life.

We’re able now, more than ever, to focus on comfort. Getting more comfortable here in our temporary home in England. Getting more comfortable creating a little space for Roux, which at the moment consists of a cozy corner in our master bedroom. We’ve got our little guy close by at night, snug in his Nuna Sena Travel Cot (which may just end up being this crib forever), and his Sleepyhead bed (in the States it’s called Dock-A-Tot). The Sena/Sleepyhead combo is proving to be really wonderful. The Sleepyhead is sometimes used as a “crib reducer” which makes the space feel really cozy and secure for the baby, and I don’t worry about him squirming around or rolling over in the night. Both the Sena and the Sleepyhead will also be great for different types of travel once we get out of the house and back to our passport stamp collecting ways. Anyway, each night I swaddle him up, and lay him down, and for the most part he complies, giving us some good stretches of sleep between nursing. While we’re on the subject of sleeping newborns, I have to tell you how much I love and rely on my Snuza Hero… it’s a movement and breathing monitor that, for an anxious person like me, helps me feel way more relaxed and get way more sleep because I’m not stressed about the baby. I got one when Lulu was a newborn and it was life-changing for me in regards to post-partum anxiety. Anyway, all that said, Roux ends up in bed with me, snug and warm on my chest, by the middle of most nights. So I wake up with his little breath tickling my arm or neck, and his little hands gripped onto my t-shirt. Have I mentioned how much I love babies?

sleepyhead dock a tot nuna senaPINsleepyhead dock a totPINPart of feeling and getting more comfortable in our home, is our continued focus on simple comfort food. I’m trying new recipes that I can make with easily found ingredients, and simple cooking equipment like this Sticky Braised Pork (all you need is a dutch oven and knife), and soups like this Sausage Barley Soup (all you need is a pot and a knife). Baby Roux is a bit fussy in the evenings, so I also like anything that I can start ahead of time. Soups and slow roasts that spend a good while simmering on the stovetop or in the oven, the rich flavors being coaxed out by the low heat, provide wonderfully easy ways to get a delicious dinner on the table without too much stress.

SAUSAGE BARLEY SOUPPINSAUSAGE BARLEY SOUPPINSAUSAGE BARLEY SOUPPINThis Sausage Barley Soup is in regular rotation these days, Gigi loves it, and with enough Parmesan cheese on top, so does Lulu. The basic aromatics are sautéed in olive oil, spiked with a bit of garlic, and then the vegetables and joined by dried herbs and a bay leaf, tomato paste, crushed plum tomatoes, a Parmesan rind, (preferably homemade) chicken or vegetable stock, and pearl barley. It’s really pretty darn simple, so simple that you hardly need a recipe to make it! In fact, I’ve made variations of this soup for years, and this is the first time I’ve written it down. The same soup can be made with puy lentils (also called French lentils) in the place of barley if you’re looking for more protein or if you want to make the recipe gluten free. The barley version is a bit more comforting, it has a toasty, warming quality that I love and seem to be craving these days. The lentil version is a bit heartier, more earthy and robust than the barley one. Whichever direction you go with it, I recommend serving this soup with a good crusty French bread or a heaping plate of fragrant garlic bread, and topping the soup itself with a little grated Parmesan (or a lot if you’re Lulu), and a drizzle of olive oil.

SAUSAGE BARLEY SOUPPINSAUSAGE BARLEY (OR LENTIL) SOUP

Ingredients.
1 lb (450g) ground sausage
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
2-3 celery stalks, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley, sage, and thyme
1 bay leaf
pinch of ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 14oz can peeled plum tomatoes
1 parmesan rind
2 1/2 pints (6 cups) chicken or vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups pearl barley (or puy lentils)
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Directions.
Season the ground sausage with salt and pepper. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Brown the sausage in the pot, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until it’s golden brown. Transfer the sausage to a bowl and set it aside.

Add a bit more olive oil if needed before adding in the onions. Sauté the onions until they are translucent, about 5-7 minutes.

Add in the carrots and celery and sauté for another few minutes. Toss in the garlic and sauté another few minutes. Add the sausage back into the pot along with dried herbs, the bay leaf, and the pinch of nutmeg, and stir to coat the vegetables and meat with the herbs.

To the pot add the tomato paste, and crush the peeled plum tomatoes by hand into the pot, discarding the cores, as well as any tomato juice in the can. Toss in your Parmesan rind if you have one.

Add the stock to the pot and bring the soup up to a low simmer before adding in either the barley or the lentils. Cook until either the barley or the lentils are tender but retain a bit of bite – this will vary based on the ingredient. I find that the barley takes about 30-40 minutes, and the lentils take about 20-30 minutes to cook perfectly. As the soup simmers, stir it occasionally, and check the done-ness of the barley/lentils as you go.

Serve the soup piping hot with a shower of freshly grated Parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil.

PRINTABLE RECIPE.
SAUSAGE BARLEY (OR LENTIL) SOUP

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