Despite being the first day of Spring here in Sydney, I’m still freezing! Apparently it’s hitting 25°C today but I’m not holding my breath as all I can see are grey clouds!

If you’re like me and feel the chill or perhaps you’re just feeling a little low, then I guarantee that Mum’s comforting chicken noodle soup will warm you up.

The one thing I need to mention is the unconventional addition of a packet of chicken noodle soup mix. I’m not sure why mum has always included it, as I’m sure it would taste good without, but it tastes so good that I’m not planning on changing a recipe which in my opinion is perfect.

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Recipe

Serves 6-8

Ingredients
4-6 assorted chicken pieces, e.g. wing, neck, drumstick, thigh (with skin and bone in)
1 small onion, peeled and left whole
2-3 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
1-2 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
1 (45g) packet chicken noodle simmer soup mix
100 gm vermicelli egg noodles, coarsely broken
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup (loosely packed) flat-leaf parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
Lemon to serve

Method
1) Soak chicken pieces in cold water for 30 minutes to remove impurities then discard water.

2) Place chicken in a large pot with onion, celery, carrot and 3 litres of cold water. Bring to the boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour. Skim the surface regularly.

3) Remove chicken and set aside. Remove onion, half the celery pieces and discard.
Note: If you prefer discard all the celery.

4) Add chicken noodle soup packet and vermicelli noodles. Bring the boil and turn off heat. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove skin, coarsely shred meat and add to soup. Add parsley and season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

5) Serve while hot with with crusty bread and a generous squeeze of lemon juice or a drizzle of red wine/apple cider vinegar.

Tip: For a thicker consistency whisk 2-3 eggs with a pinch of salt and slowly incorporate into the soup (the soup should be off the heat to avoid curdling).

Here’s a yummy goulash recipe made with leftover BBQ meat. You can use anything from sausages to grilled chicken breast, but pork and beef tend to taste best. I used leftover kjoftinja (meatballs) which incidentally contain a combination of beef and pork mince.

The recipe was conjured up by mum in an effort to make leftovers more exciting, especially after our large European family feasts that often resulted in mounds of leftover meat.

My baba’s whole dried chillies

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Recipe

Serves 4-6

Ingredients
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, thinly sliced lengthways
6 mild died red chillies, seeds removed and roughly chopped (if unavailable replace with 2-3 fresh banana chillies or 1 red capsicum)
2 medium carrots, roughly chopped (optional)
2 heaped tablespoons plain flour
1-2 teaspoons mild paprika
4 tablespoons (80ml) Italian style tomato passata sauce
4-5 cups (1-1.25 litres) boiling water
Sea salt
1 teaspoon dried vegetable stock, e.g. Massel or Vegeta (or replace with extra salt)
Freshly ground black pepper
8-10 pieces of leftover BBQ meat, roughly chopped or left whole (e.g. kjoftinja, pork, beef, chicken breast)
2 bay leaves

Method
1) Preheat oven to 250°C.

2) Heat a medium frying pan over low-medium heat, add oil, onion and a sprinkling of salt, saute onion without colouring (5 minutes). Add chillies and carrots and continue cooking (3-5 minutes). Add flour, stir to coat and cook for 5 minutes. Sprinkle over paprika and cook until fragrant (1-2 minutes). Add passata, stir through, followed by boiling water. Add dried stock and pepper to taste.

3) Transfer vegetables and liquid to large baking dish and arrange leftover meat, push meat under the liquid to ensure all pieces are submerged. Place bay leaves on top.

4) Place in hot oven and cook for 5 minutes then reduce temperature to 200°C and continue to cook for further 30-40 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
Note: Add extra water during cooking if necessary to prevent meat from drying out.

5) Serve while hot with bread, brown rice or potatoes.

Tips:
- Meat can be roughly chopped or left whole (as in this recipe).
- Feel free to use a combination of BBQ beef, pork, sausages etc.

It has always been a family tradition to regularly enjoy a warming bowl of fruit compote on chilly winter nights. Not only is it quick and easy, it’s also sugar and fat free!

There are no hard rules with compote, you can add whatever fruit takes your fancy, I like a combination of dried prunes, sultanas, fresh pear, apple and quince. Feel free to experiment, you may like to add dried figs or apricots.

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Recipe

Serves 2-4

Ingredients
3 cups (750ml) water
1/2 quince, peeled, cored and diced (optional)
2/3 cup dried prunes
1/2 cup sultanas
1 cinnamon stick (if unavailable add 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon)
1 pear, peeled, cored and diced
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and diced
1 Pink Lady apple, peeled, cored and diced

Method
1) Combine water, quince, prunes, sultanas and cinnamon stick in a medium saucepan, bring to the boil then reduce heat and simmer for 5-8 minutes. Add diced pear and apples, bring to the boil and simmer uncovered for further 5 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick, spoon into serving bowls and enjoy while hot.
Note: Drizzle with honey if you prefer your compote a little sweeter.

Tips:
- Fruit can be left unpeeled with skin on.
- For an easy dessert serve fruit without liquid along with double cream or custard.

Recipe

Serves 2 as side dish

Ingredients
400g can of white cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup black olives (I prefer Kalamata)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 Spanish onion, finely sliced lengthways
3 teaspoons dried mild chilli flakes
3 teaspoons dried mint
Sea salt to taste

Method
1) In a medium bowl combine all ingredients and mix well. Serve with fresh bread or grilled meat/fish.

Tips:
- This salad can be prepared ahead of time.
- Serve as a rustic appetiser along with fresh bread.

In theme with last weeks summer Vegan Baked Rice recipe from Leni in the US, here’s my mum’s special winter version with spinach and beef.

Mum has definitely inspired my interest and love of cooking. She’s a wonderful cook that enjoys trying new recipes from all cultures, including Asian, Indian, French etc. Although technically not an old family recipe, as mum has only been making it for a couple of years, her baked spinach and beef rice uses the flavours and techniques she’s familiar with and is a recipe I definitely want to pass on.
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Recipe

Serves 8

Ingredients
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
500g beef, minced (or lamb if you prefer)
1-2 teaspoon mild paprika
1 large bunch silverbeet spinach, washed, stems removed and coarsely chopped
1 cup medium grain rice, washed and drained
3-4 cups (750ml-1L) hot beef or vegetable stock (or 2-3 teaspoons dried vegetable stock e.g. Vegeta/Massel dissolved in boiling water)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method
1) Preheat oven to 250°C.

2) Heat olive oil in a large frying pan (low-medium heat), add onion and season with salt, saute until translucent (5-7 minutes). Increase heat to high, add minced beef, season to taste and cook until liquid evaporates and meat browns (7-10 minutes). Reduce heat to medium, add paprika and stir through until fragrant (1-2 minutes). Add spinach and cook until just wilted (2-3 minutes). Add washed rice and stir through (1-2 minutes).

3) Transfer spinach and rice mix to a large baking dish and pour over hot stock. Check seasoning and add extra salt and pepper if required, cover snuggly with a sheet of foil. Place in hot oven, after 5 minutes reduce oven temperature to 220°C and bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil, add more stock if required and place in the oven for last 5-10 minutes or until rice is cooked.

4) Allow to rest for 10 minutes and serve with natural yoghurt or a lemon wedge.

Tip: For a healthier option use brown rice, be sure to add an additional 20-30 minutes to the baking time.

For many, Friday is a day of fasting. Although a summer recipe, this dish fits with today being Friday. Submitted by Leni from Illinois, USA, she has fond memories of her baba’s Vegan Baked Rice with chilli and tomatoes.

Recipe

Serves 4-6

Ingredients
5 hot banana chillies, seeds and stems removed, roughly chopped
3 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped (blanch and remove the skin if you prefer)
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup (60ml) of olive oil
2 tablespoons sea salt
2 cups (440g) long grain white rice, rinsed and drained
4 cups (1L) water

Method
1) Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).

2) Prepare chillies, tomatoes, garlic and set aside. Heat olive oil in a medium frying pan (medium-high heat), add chillies and stir frequently to avoid from burning or browning too quickly, fry until fragrant (5-7 minutes). Add garlic and tomatoes, stir through and fry for an additional 5 minutes. Add salt, followed by washed rice and mix well, remove from heat.

3) Transfer vegetable and rice mix to a 13 x 9” baking tray/dish, add water and bake for 30-40 minutes or until the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked. If necessary, add an extra 1/4 cup of water during baking if the rice dries out.

4) Remove from oven and cover with foil until ready to serve. Serve while hot or at room temperature with  a fresh garden salad (or grilled meat).

Tips:
- Banana chillies/peppers are also known as Hungarian or bullhorn, if unavailable replace with 2 capsicums and 1 finely chopped Birdseye chilli.
- To de-seed chillies, cut the top off and discard the stem, then cut in half lengthwise to remove the seeds and membrane, you’ll find a helpful image within the Rustic Fried Chillies with Eggs and Cheese recipe.
- To blanch tomatoes, cut an ‘X’ into the base no bigger than 2cm and no deeper than 3mm and place into a pot of boiling water no longer than 1-2 minutes. Remove from water and when cool enough to handle remove skin and stems.

With no sugar or fat, this recipe for baked apples is super easy, healthy and tasty too!

It’s a perfect winter treat and a great way to use up apples that are a little older and have become floury. Coring the apples is not traditional however definitely an option, you can even chop in half and remove the seeds if you prefer. I felt like being old fashioned and sticking to my families village recipe of leaving the apples whole. You’ll just need to remember to avoid the seeds when eating.

Once baked, the soft and mushy flesh is perfectly complimented with ice cream or warm custard.
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Recipe

Serves 6-8

Ingredients
6-8 apples, washed and dried
Ground cinnamon (optional)
Water

Method
1) Preheat oven to 180 °C.

2) In a medium ovenproof dish pour in enough water to completely cover the bottom of the dish and sprinkle with ground cinnamon (optional). Sunggly place the apples upright in the dish and bake for 45-60 minutes or until the apples are tender. Remove from oven and drizzle over the syrupy cooking juices.

3) Serve while warm with a scoop of ice cream or warm custard.

Tips:
- The length of baking will depend on the size and type of apples, test by inserting a fork into the flesh.
- During baking, be sure to check regularly and add more water if necessary to avoid the apples from drying out. If the apples begin to burn cover with a sheet of foil and/or reduce the oven temperature.

My mother-in-law makes a killer chilli pork and it’s safe to say that it’s one of my husbands favourite meals.

It’s a really quick dish and great for rushed mid-week dinners with brown rice, especially if you have your butcher prepare the pork for you. It’s probably also the closest Macedonian cuisine will ever get to a stir fry.

The secret ingredient is Bukovsko, essentially dried chilli flakes. I’m lucky enough to have homemade chilli flakes that my baba prepared with this summers chillies. She removes the stem, cuts each chilli in half and dries in warm sunny spots over several days, the chillies are then lightly roasted in the oven for extra flavour, then ground and stored.

Most often eaten with bread and potatoes, this pork makes a divine warm salad (see recipe tip).
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Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients
400g pork fillet, removed of sinew and fat, roughly chopped into bite size pieces
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 medium onion, thinly sliced lengthwise
1/4-1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes (or Bukovsko Biber)
Sea salt

Method
1) In a medium frying pan heat olive oil (high heat), add pork and stir frequently until brown all over (5-7 minutes).

2) Add garlic and stir through, add onion and fry until lightly browned (3-5 minutes).

3) Add chilli flakes and salt to taste, stir through and cook until chilli is fragrant and the onion begins to caramelise (2-3 minutes).

4) Remove from heat and serve with crusty bread or brown rice.

Tip: For a delicious warm pork salad, allow the cooked pork to slightly cool and add to a salad of mixed greens, sundried tomatoes and olives with a balsamic dressing.

With winter on it’s way, I’m feeling the need for a comforting village-style stew. One that I can enjoy with copious amounts of crusty bread and feta cheese.

My favourite ‘mandza’ (pronounced muhn-juh), is a mix of veal and veggies. I tend to use potatoes, carrots and okra, the deliciously slimy vegetable that so many are afraid of, but I unashamedly love! Although okra is a summer vegetable, I was lucky enough to stumble across some the other day. If you are unable to find okra or prefer not to use it, this stew tastes just as good with green beans.

Feel free to change the ingredients to your taste, other popular combinations are veal and potato, or chicken and rice.

It’s a hearty meal, which like all good stews, thickens and gets better overnight.

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Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients
4 veal cutlets (or veal t-bone steaks)
2 litres water, boiled
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 medium potatoes, roughly chopped
2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
1 large tomato, blanched, peeled and roughly chopped (or 3 tablespoons of an Italian style tomato passata)
1 teaspoon mild paprika
250g okra, tops and tails cut off, blanched in salted water for 1 minute, rinsed and drained (if unavailable replace with green beans)
Olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Roux
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons plain flour
1 teaspoon mild paprika

Parsley, roughly chopped to garnish

Method
1) Season veal with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot (medium-high heat) and cook the veal until evenly browned all over. Pour over hot water, add a tablespoon of salt (you can use a dried vegetable stock like Vegeta/Massel if you prefer) and bring to the boil, skim surface and reduce heat. Simmer for 30-45 minutes.

2) Meanwhile blanch your tomato. Wash, remove the stem and cut an ‘X’ into the base no bigger than 2cm and no deeper than 3mm. Place tomato in a bowl, pour over boiling water until completely covered and allow to stand for 1 minute. Carefully remove from hot water and peel when cool enough to handle. Roughly chop and mix through a teaspoon of salt.

3) If using okra, bring a pot of water to the boil, add 1 teaspoon salt and blanch okra for 1-2 minutes. Refresh under cold water, drain and set aside.
Note: If you are using green beans there is no need to blanch.

4) In a medium frying pan heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil (medium heat). Add onion, season with salt and lightly brown (5 minutes). Add garlic and when fragrant add potatoes and carrots, sprinkle with extra salt, stir and continue cooking (5 minutes). Add paprika, stir to coat and cook until fragrant, taking care not to burn the paprika (1-2 minutes). Add chopped tomato (or passata), mix well so that all the vegetables are evenly coated (2-3 minutes). Add vegetables to the simmering pot, bring to the boil and reduce heat, simmer for 20-30 minutes.

5) After 20 minutes make the roux (thickener). Give the frying pan a quick wipe down with a paper towel. Heat olive oil (medium heat), add flour and stir frequently with a wooden spoon, being careful not to burn the flour (3-5 minutes). Have a ladle close by for the liquid from the stew and a whisk ready to go. When the flour starts to smell like it’s cooking add paprika and stir continuously until fragrant (1 minute). Add a ladle of the liquid from the stew and whisk vigorously, once incorporated add another 2 ladles of liquid and whisk again until incorporated, continue to do this until you have a smooth slurry-type roux (3-5 minutes). Stir the roux in to the simmering stew along with the blanched okra (or green beans). Boil for 5 minutes and then turn off heat. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary.
Note: For roux image see Village-style Spinach Stew recipe.

6) Garnish with parsley and serve hot with fresh bread and feta.

Tip: If you don’t like veal replace with chicken pieces. Or, if you’re vegetarian leave out the meat and add dried vegetable stock for extra flavour.

It’s Easter this week and I have made it my mission to post as many traditional recipes as I possibly can.

While fasting, a staple is homemade bread, but my baba’s bread isn’t any bread. Many (including myself) have tried to replicate her recipe and technique and although it tastes good, we just can’t seem to get it as fluffy. Everyone in my family agrees that no one makes bread better than baba. We all love it so much that we’ve lovingly named it ‘Baba Bread’. There’s no mystery about the ingredients (flour, water, yeast, salt) but it’s the technique that makes this deliciously soft bread a favorite.

Making bread is easy, it’s an ancient technique and I’d love for you to give it a go. You’ll love the delicious and sweet yeasty smell that fills your home.

Baba making bread

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Recipe

Makes 1 medium loaf

Ingredients
Sponge (yeast mix)
1 tablespoon plain flour
1 tablespoon dried yeast (or 2 x 7g satchel)
1/4 cup (60ml) lukewarm water

Dough
4 1/2 cups (560g) plain white bread flour (‘00’), plus extra for dusting
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/4 cups (560ml) lukewarm water

Method
1) Stir yeast, flour and water in a small bowl until smooth (1 minute). Allow to rest (7-10 minutes) or until double in size.

2) Meanwhile sift flour and salt into a large bowl and make a well in the centre.

3) Once the sponge (yeast mix) has doubled in size add to the centre of the well and some of the lukewarm water. Begin to slowly incorporate with your fingers. Gradually add all the water and as the dough starts to come together use one hand to scrunch while the other turns the bowl until the dough starts to feel smooth and moves as one (7-10 minutes). Every so often scrape off some of the dough stuck to your hand with a spoon. To finish, pull the dough from the outside edge into the centre with your finger tips until you have a ball. Using the edge of your hand make a cross on top (baba’s tradition to reminder us that bread is from God). Dust the top with flour and cover with a tea towel. Allow to rest for 30-60 minutes (depending on the weather) or until double in size.
Note: The dough will be wet and sticky, however this makes a very soft bread. For a dry dough which is easier to knead add a little more flour.

4) Oil a 20-24cm round cake tin and dust the base with flour.

5) Once the dough has risen knead for a further 3-5 minutes in the same bowl. To finish, pull the dough from the outside edge into the centre with your finger tips until you have a lovely neat ball. Turn the dough over so that the top is smooth, dust with flour and place into the oiled and flour dusted cake tin. Loosely cover with a clean tea towel an allow to rest for a further 30 minutes.

6) Preheat oven to 200ºc.

7) Bake for 10 minutes at 200ºc. After 10 minutes the top should start to brown slightly, cover the top with a sheet of foil and bake for a further 10 minutes. Remove the foil and reduce oven temperature to 100ºc and bake for a final 10 minutes (30 minutes in total).

8) Remove bread from tin and eat immediately or wrap in a clean tablecloth (or a couple of tea towels) to keep warm.

Tips:
- The wetter the dough the softer your bread will be. For a firmer dough/bread, add more flour.
- Keep any leftover bread in the fridge for up to 5 days and reheat in the microwave or grill.