Tag Archives: toddler food

The Holsby Lunchbox Experiment

28 Feb lunchbox 4 result

lunchbox 4 resultWhen the divine Zanni, at Heart Mama asked if I could do a Nurturing With Food post for her site, I was thrilled. Zanni’s gentle mothering techniques are an inspiration to me, so I wanted to do something really cool for her readers.

I thought I’d do a little study on lunch boxes. I get sick of sammidges, so I wanted to offer some easy, yummy ideas that were sure to be eaten.
I did a 5 day study of before and after shots to see what he was actually eating, and what came home untouched……

It was fun. Sometimes surprising, and sometimes depressing!

My toddler, D Man, started pre-school a couple of weeks ago so I’ve had to turn my hand to the art of the lunchbox.

Easy enough, you may scoff, but alas, I discovered the taste bud of the toddler is most discerning in the matters of the boxed lunch.

The Earl of Sandwich would be sorry to see how outdated his mode of lunch is these days, but if you don’t sandwich, what do you do?

I’m determined not to send any pre-packaged food, and I really want to keep his lunch boxes interesting and delicious, but of course, they must also be healthy, nutritious and nut-free.

To read more, click this.

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Pork and Fennel Pasta Bake…..just a little bit fancy

11 Dec

pork and fennel ing Out here in the Boondocks there are not so many great restaurants. I guess after living in Sydney’s dining epicentre, we were always headed for gustatory disappointment moving to the ‘burbs, but we live in hope, because even sub-urbanites need to eat, right?

For my birthday, back in July (July 7th, feel free to send gifts, money and/or champagne), Mister H and I ventured forth to one of the most expensive and well known dining spots in our locality – Black Water.

People had talked it up as one of the best, if not THE best restaurant in these here parts, and my man thought he’d give me a little birthday treat.

Let me preface this by saying, we don’t mind paying for great food, and great service is always such a delight…..did we experience this here?

Not so much.

The service was a tad underwhelming and the food was, well, it most certainly wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t as great as the price would suggest.

One of the things we ordered was a pork ragout and something timbale. I thought that sounded interesting. I have an extensive experience in fine dining as I worked in about a gazillion great restaurants, so I know the lingo. I knew what to expect when I see the word timbale, but what I didn’t expect was pasta bake.

With a fancy name.

pork and fennel dex

That was a tad well-done and over-caramelised on the edges……..burnt pasta bake.

Fail.

Mister H tried brains, they were ok if you’re into that kind of thing (I’m so not), and the mains were good. Dessert was by far my favourite with an apple tarte tartin and some kind of yummy ice-cream (it was a while ago, I’ve eaten a few meals since!), but I will never forget that regrettable pasta bake.

I thought today I’d show those guys how to make an uptown pasta bake.

pork and fennel to cook

Yield : 6 serves

What you will need :

  • 120g speck or bacon, chopped
  • 600g minced pork
  • 1 spanish onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 350g penne pasta, or whatever shape floats your boat
  • 420g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1/2 red capsicum, sliced
  • 1/2 cup red wine, or white if that’s all you have
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 heaped teaspoon fennel seeds
  • a good handful of fresh herbs like parsley, and/or oregano
  • 100g cheese, grated

If you want to go right uptown, you can add a layer of béchamel. Black Water did not…..nor did I this time, but I have before.

This time I just did a super thin layer of simple white sauce, flavoured only with a bay leaf.

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • a cup and a half of milk
  • a bay leave
  • salt and pepper

Melt butter in saucepan, add flour and stir. Leave to cook for a few seconds. Add milk and whisk to ensure no lumps. Toss in bay leaf and season and continue whisking until it thickens to coat the back of a spoon.

pork and fennel fini

What to do :

Fry up onion and garlic in a large heavy based pan. When translucent, add your speck and cook until fragrant and a little browned. Add your fennel seeds.

Toss in your pork and stir until cooked through. Throw in your capsicum, tomatoes, tomato paste and wine. Stir well to combine.

Chuck in your herbs and season to taste. Bring to boil and reduce to simmer with a lid on for about half an hour until sauce is thick and rich.

Meanwhile, pop on a pot of salted water and getting it to a rolling boil. Add your pasta and cook according to packet instructions.

Drain pasta and toss it into your finished sauce. Toss well to ensure all is well coated and throw into your oven dish

I did a really quick little white sauce that was about half the amount described in my bechemel recipe as I only wanted a thin layer rather than a lasagne type layer, but if you want to keep it simple, just throw on some cheese and be done with it.

Bake in the oven on 200C until it is browned and delicious looking.

Take that Black Water……that’s how you do an uptown pasta bake.

pork and fennel dex 2

 

If you want to see some more Toddler Friendly recipes, why not check out my books here.

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Breakfast of Legends – Red Porridge

14 Jul red porridge

D Man’s all time favourite colour is red. Everything is red. Even blue things are red.

He loves red shoes, red pants, red cars and, although fond of all hats, his favourite – by a country mile –  is his red fire chief hat.

I’ve been feeling like a bit of a fraud lately, you know being a foody/mummy blogger and all…..It would seem that D Man’s tastes have changed and my toddler, who was eating sushi back when his peers were eating rice smoosh and mashed everything (he didn’t use chopsticks though, just in case you were going to call Ripley), has become a bit picky.
I hate picky eaters, as much as I hate dog poo so I sincerely hope it’s just a passing phase.

He still eats sushi with gusto, and pretty much anything that can be eaten on the run with his hands. I think it’s mostly because he’s just so damn busy all the time. He’s currently a cracking multi-tasker. Playing with blocks, whilst watching tv, whilst eating something that will leave crumbs all over the Persian, whilst probably filling his pants.
I wonder if he’ll continue to be able to multi task as he gets older? I think it’s something that most guys lose the ability to do by about 4…..but I digress.
Breakfast has been a real bitch. He might have a couple of bites of toast, a few nuts or half a banana, but he’s gone from devouring large amounts of breakfast to picking like a supermodel. When I asked him yesterday what he wanted for breakfast, he answered,

“Red”

What the f&*k is red? Red is not a food? But instead of going into the semantics of the English language I thought perhaps I could accommodate my little red-loving friend. I made us red porridge….apples, berries and some food colouring. Figured he’d poo poo it and I’d end up eating the lot, but I’m ok with red porridge.

He noshed that red pap right up, muttering “Yummy, red. Niiice”, like a mini, blonde Yoda.

I sure fixed his little red wagon, so to speak.

This morning, when I asked him what he wanted he said, for the first time EVER,

“Blue”

When I put his bowl of banana, date and blue porridge in front of him, he breathed a happy sigh and said,

“Mmmm, red’.

Little weirdo.

So, today’s recipe is nothing amazing for people with no kids (perhaps inner children will be excited?), but for people with kids, this may revolutionise your mornings. If you’re going to be all ‘oh no, we don’t do food colouring because it’s unnatural, and stuff’, then fine. Stick to grey old porridge.
I ain’t bovvered.

Yield : enough for he and me (yes, grammar spotters – I KNOW!)

You will need :

  • 1/2 cup oats
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 small red apple, grated
  • 1/2 cup frozen berries, chopped
  • a few drops of red food colouring

Do you really need me to tell you? Ok, I’d better, just to keep up appearances.

Place all of the ingredients into a pan and cook until thickened, and squidgy. Like porridge…..but red.

Other rocking combinations are banana and date (and blue, if you so desire), and pear and apricot (yellow, I would say – but there are no rules)

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Boot Camp and DateCocoBana Loaf

21 Jun dcb fg

So, I’ve mentioned that Mister H is all, like, triathlon-tabulous and stuff, and I’ve noticed that there has been some rather positive changes in his physique over the last few months, i.e. he looks quite good, like va-va-va-voom quite good.
He’s lean, he’s ripped and he’s really, ridonkulously, fit, you know, if you like that kind of thing. As I sat on the couch eating my ice-cream the other night, I thought perhaps it was time I got back into some form of exercise regime. Although I was a keen workerer outerer before my pregnancy, hip issues prevented much athleticism during my second and third trimester, not even much walking was allowed, so I think we could safely say I’m a little on the pleasantly soft side. My belly is rivalling my cat’s dangly pouch, however, I did just make a person, so pouchy tummies are totally a go-go. It lies beside me when I lie on my side and I’m considering giving it a name. Perhaps, something cute like Waldo.

Yesterday morning was the morning. After a 5 month hiatus, I fished my trainers from the back of the cupboard, donned an appropriate ensemble (think ‘Flo Jo goes ghetto’) and I went to boot camp. For anyone considering doing the same, let me advise you – don’t……or at least if you do, heed your trainer’s advice when she suggests (multiple times) that you take it easy first day back after creating a human being. Someone we know, who shall remain nameless (but is currently typing this with voice command, like Stephen Hawkings, as she is too sore to support her laptop) disregarded said advice. That same someone may today be having extreme difficulty bending, sitting, lifting, walking or indeed, laughing. Which she would do, at herself, if it wasn’t so painful.


It’s such a double edged sword, isn’t it? I know it’s good for me, and, hell, it even feels great at the time – Blood’s pumping, heart is in gear, face is turning beetroot, and pits are springing a leak. You feel alive! This is how humans felt before we became sedentary, ice-cream-on-couch-loving, non hunters. My once strong arms are decidedly T Rex like in their pathetic-ness, and in the aftermath of boot cramp I’m scarcely able to lift my t-shirt over my head. Luckily, I don’t have to go back until friday, when I get to do it all again.

I was feeling most abstemious (and ravenous) after my workout and decided I deserved a teeny, little reward……what I really wanted was a big, fat gooey something naughty, but I opted for something that would satisfy my craving and not undo my good work. Hence the DateCocoBana loaf was born. I used barely any sugar as the dates and banana provide sweetness, and I used half wholemeal so, really, it’s practically a piece of lettuce and perfect for the regime.
Now I just need to get in there and eat it before the boys finish it off. 

Yield : 1 loaf

You will need :

  • 2 over ripe bananas, smooshed with a fork
  • 1 cup self raising flour
  • 1 cup wholemeal flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup skim milk (or whatever you have)
  • 2 eggs, lightly whisked
  • 50g butter, melted and cooled
  • 125 g dates, chopped
  • juice of 1/2 an orange
  • 1/2 cup shredded coconut

Pre-heat over to 180C. Line your loaf tin.

In a small bowl, add orange juice to your dates and leave to soak for 20 mins. Throw your flours, baking powder and coconut into a large bowl. Stir in the sugar and make a little well in the centre. Place your eggs, milk, banana and melted butter into a separate bowl and stir until all is well combined. Add your date mixture. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture. Give it a good stirring until just combined. Spoon into your loaf tin and pop in the oven. Cook until a skewer comes out clean (do not test in a crack), about 40 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack. Spread a slab with butter and pat yourself on the back.

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A Chicken Leg? Sesame Drumsticks

13 Jun

I’ve got a funny story about drumsticks….it’s pretty crass but cracks me up whenever I think of it. Do not read this if easily offended by bottom humour.

I was telling my girlfriend, who shall remain nameless, the story of how Dirty Sanchez (the butthead guys that do dumb stuff, like Jackass but more revolting and idiotic) did this crazy thing where two of them stuck a drum stick up their butts and then had a ‘sword fight’ and whomever lost their drum stick first, had to lick the other one’s. Gross. Awful.
I was relaying the story and my friend looked confused.
‘A chicken leg?’ she queried.
‘No, babe, a drum stick’ was my reply.
‘Oh, an ice cream.’

I laughed so hard I nearly wet my pants.

Anyway, unlike this M15 rated story, this is a recipe that is purely for the kids, or anyone who rates a drumstick. That said, this marinade is awesome on any cut of chicken and I have even been known to marinate salmon in it, before bbqing it.

D Man loves a drumstick, a chicken leg that is, not to be confused with anything else. This is one of those easy ‘go to’ meals that I know he’ll eat. I pick most of the meat off for him, but let him gnaw on the bone like some mini-caveboy.
I learned recently that if you marinate your meat in a zip lock back (with air removed) it only takes a fraction of the time. Handy, hey? If you have zip lock bags it is, otherwise, just do it the normal way and leave it for a bit longer.

Yield : 4 drumsticks

You will need :

  • 4 chicken drumsticks (or whatever cut of chicken you like)
  • 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
  • 1 heaped tablespoon honey
  • juice and rind of 1/2 an orange
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1cm ginger, finely chopped (not pictured)
  • sesame seeds to sprinkle

Combine soy, honey, juice, sesame oil and ginger in a zip-lock bag with the drumsticks and marinate for 20 minutes.
Put chicken onto a tray lined with baking paper and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Place tray in a medium oven (180Cish) for 30-35mins or until chicken is cooked.

So easy……..

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Heartache and Playdough Therapy

5 Jun sleeping baby


My heart broke a little bit yesterday.
Firstly, whoever coined the phrase ‘sleep like a baby’ needs a good kick in the shins. For the uninitiated, babies sound like pygmy hippos when they sleep. They grunt, they groan, they snuffle, they fart, they shart and they sigh. Sleeping right next to that is reminiscent of a night camping in the wilds of Africa. I’m a very light sleeper, but even with earplugs I could hear KiKi’s eyelashes fluttering.

With both my precious babies I had dreams of rooming in for 6 months of cuddles and getting to know each other. It didn’t happen with D Man, in fact after three short weeks I was forced to stretch our imaginary umbilical cord to another room, and yesterday, after a shocking night before, four week old KiKi and my rooming came to an end. I can feel our umbilical cord pulling at my core but I know in just a few days we’ll be used to it. I got even less sleep last night as my ears were awake all night straining to ensure I wouldn’t miss her if she needed me. Alas, our house is not actually that big so we were fine!

D Man and I recently went to a monster playgroup over in North Sydney that was run by the Early Childhood Dept of the TAFE. It rocked. It was seriously playgroup on steroids. There were so many stations set up, many with an Early Childhood Development students sitting there ready to interact with the kidlets and potentially realise that they were seriously insane to covet a career in childcare and have a lifetime of childhood illnesses and other people’s children’s poo.

D Man was practically speed dating in his haste to try all of the available activities in our time there…..and there were so many, it was hard do them all. He totally loved the play dough table. He sat there for the longest time, happily squishing, rolling and cutting the play dough. I loved watching him discovering the textures and the shapes. He also started flirting with the student monitor girl and soon she was putty in his hand, if you’ll excuse the pun.
Naturally, I sat down with him and got into the moulding of the dough and realised how incredibly therapeutic it was to repeatedly squish the dough in my hands. This is a win:win activity. Quiet toddler, Mama stress relief. Perfect for rainy days. perfect for any day for that matter.

It’s easy to make, incredibly economical and your kid will think you’re really cool when you hand over the colourful, doughy balls of joy.

I make half portions of this recipe to get two colours out of one batch. It’s still a good handful of each.

Yeild : 2 portions

You will need :

  • 1/2 cup of salt
  • 1 cup of plain flour
  • 2 tablespoons of cream of tartar
  • 1 cup of water
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • food colouring

Split the ingredients over two bowls and stir, combining well. Place one of the bowls into a saucepan over a medium heat and add your colouring, stirring well. A chemical reaction happens all of a sudden and your gloopy mess will become quite sticky, then clumpy, and then ball up into your Play Dough. Repeat with remaining mixture and a different colour.

There you have it. Instant Fun + Destressed Mum.

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Mother’s Day Every Sunday – Banana and Berry Pancakes

26 May pancakes

Some concepts are worth fighting for. Remember when the French rioted in the name of the four day week? That was totally worth fighting for. They lost, and still work 5 days like the rest of the Western world, but it was definitely worth a shot. I’m going for Mother’s Day every Sunday. You don’t need to give gifts, although they are appreciated. You don’t need to bring flowers, although the dining table looks surprisingly less cluttered with a full vase amongst the crap. Husbands, you don’t need to give foot massages, although you will probably increase your chances of sex……You just need to be nice to Mums, all Mothers, every Sunday.

Now, I really think that’s worth fighting for.

Nothing says Mother’s Day like a spesh breakfast. Preferably made for you…..preferably while you’re still in bed, but sometimes you just need to make yourself feel special if you think you may die waiting for said meal. I will proudly state that I do get a cup of tea in bed every non-training day. Before triathlons, that was every day, after triathlons, it’s twice a week…….stoopid triathlon training.

Anyway, this breakfast is a cracking start to the day. I always keep frozen berries in the freezer. They’re great to throw into muffins, smoothies and bircher muesli to give them a lift. Fresh berries actually dry out a bit when cooked so frozen is the way forward for things like this. If you want to thrown in a spoon full of LSA (linseed, sunflower and almond meal), go for it. I’m out at the moment so I didn’t.

Yeild – 2 adults and 1 toddler

You will need - 

  • 1 ripe banana, peeled and mashed
  • 1 egg
  • 150ml milk
  • 100g self-raising flour
  • 2/3 cup frozen berries, I chop the large ones into bits for even cooking
  • butter for cooking
  • yoghurt for serving
  • maple syrup for serving

Place mashed banana into a small mixing bowl and add the egg and milk. Add the flour, gently mixing as you go. Stir in your berries. Heat a little butter in a fry pan and spoon in your mixture, cooking three or four at a time. Cook until little bubbles appear in the top and flip. Fry until golden brown. Cook remaining pancakes.

Share out the pancakes and top with a dollop of your favourite yoghurt and a splash of maple syrup. If you’re really going for the Mother’s Day sensation, serve with crispy bacon. Mmmmmm, crispy bacon. Oink.

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Love and Carrot Cupcakes

21 May cracking up

Saying goodbye to my parents was tough, but my sadness was sweetened somewhat by the arrival of one my oldest and dearest buddies, Kirsten. You have heard me bang on about her as she’s my friend who’s handy with a camera. I recommend everyone who’s a megalomaniac has a friend who is a great photographer. I never tire of Kirsten’s photos of myself or my family. Call me vain, and well, you’d be about right. Anyway, she’s not here for long so my sadness will only be put off for a couple of days but I will be left with much photographic evidence of how sweet my kids are and how huge my cleavage is.

Before Kirsten arrived, my little family ventured out for our first social outing as a foursome. We went to a BBQ and en route it began to rain, not a great start to our foray. Plan B was born and we had an indoor not-BBQ at our dear friends’ apartment. There were 4 toddler boys running around and KiKi was a hit with the other mum’s, who were super eager for a newborn hit. We were saying how lucky it is that we have a girl in the clan now so we have a lead singer for the band. I took a batch of cupcakes………..

Carrots are healthy, right? And ginger is awesome for gastrointestinal health and stuff ‘n’stuff……And cake is made from eggs and flour, that is also quite good for you……so by that rationale, Carrot and Ginger Cupcakes are a veritable health food, which means I’m in luck because I really love them. As does everyone whose lips these pass. The original recipe is the Best Ever Carrot Cake recipe from the Cake Mistress, but hers does not have the ginger and is a cake. I love the chewy, sticky ginger pieces, but you can leave them out if the original recipe is more your thang. My icing is also a little different from hers. Same vibe, less sugar (more butter, but who’s counting?).

Yeild : 12 cupcakes or one large cake

You will need :

For cupcakes - 

  • 1 cup Brown Sugar
  • 1 cup Vegetable Oil
  • 3 Large Eggs
  • Pinch Salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon Bicarb Soda
  • 2 cups Self Raising Flour
  • 2 cups finely grated Carrot (around 3 large carrots)
  • 1/2 cup Walnuts, finely chopped
  • 1/3 cup crystalised ginger, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon Nutmeg

For icing - 

  • 150g Icing sugar
  • 125g Cream Cheese, cold
  • 100g Unsalted Butter, room temp

Heat oven to 180C degrees.
Beat your sugar and oil until thick, then add 1 egg at a time and keep beating for a few more minutes until it’s thick and luscious. Add salt, bicarb soda, carrots, flour, walnuts and spices and stir with a wooden spoon until all nicely combined.
Put batter into cupcake patties in a cupcake tin and pop into oven for 15-20 minutes. If you’re making a cake, line your cake tin and that will probably need to cook for more like 40 mins or until light golden and a skewer comes out clean. Baking time might vary depending on your personal oven.

For frosting beat the icing sugar and butter together with an electric mixer until well mixed. Add the cream cheese in one go and beat until it is completely incorporated. Turn the mixer up to medium high. Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy. Garnish with a little sliver of crystallised ginger.

Guess who took these awesome shots of D Man and I? …… kirstencox.com

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Quick and tasty lunch……Quesadilla with Guacamole

16 May quesadilla

I get totally over sandwiches for lunch so I endeavour to always have tortillas in the cupboard.  D Man loves when I wrap stuff in them and they’re great toasted and served with my fresh tomato salsa, like a low fat corn chip. A quesadilla is like a sandwich, but with a Mexican accent – el sandwicho, if you will. Tortillas are handy for quick dinners also, fajitas are huge in my house and don’t take long to throw together…..we’ll talk about those another day.

I think the first time I had a quesadilla, it was actually made by my big brother, Emo (like Elmo without the L, not like I Cut Myself To Feel). He was living in Yorkshire at the time and that has no relevance whatsoever to this recipe, but it’s an interesting fact. He made it vegematarian for me that day, and although I’ve made it with all manner of shredded Mexican flavoured meat – chicken, pork, and beef, and even prawns – this lunchtime treat is coming to you vego, just because you’ll probably have all of these things in your fridge and be ready to throw a quickie lunch together and your munchkin can eat it before their afternoon sleep and leave you picking up corn kernels for the afternoon.

I’m giving the amounts for you and a toddler, so two quesadillas, but adjust amounts to the amount of peoples you’re providing for as it’s a yummy lunch for everyone.

Yeild – dos personas (2)

You will need -

For tortillas

  • 85g grated cheese
  • Half a red capsicum, diced finely
  • Half a cob of corn, sliced off cob (or tinned if you have that)
  • A quarter of a spanish onion, finely diced
  • A small tomato, diced
  • 1 large spring onion, finely sliced
  • A handful coriander
  • A squeeze of lime
  • 4 tortillas (for gluten free option use corn tortillas but be sure to read ingredients throughly, most are a mix of corn and wheat)

For guacamole

  • 1/4 ripe avocado
  • Juice of half a small lemon
  • 1 tablespoon of natural yoghurt
  • Half a clove of finely minced garlic
  • A large pinch of fresh chopped coriander
  • Salt and pepper
  • Optional : A little finely chopped spanish onion, tomato and dash of tabasco.

Pop a large fry pan on the stove and heat over a moderate flame. Add a little olive just to oil the pan. Do not pool oil, we’re not frying here, just toasting. Throw into a bowl all of your ingredients and toss well. Lay out two tortillas and divide the mixture evenly between the two. Place the remaining tortillas on top and pop one into pan, keeping an eye on it until it is golden brown. To turn it over, lay a dinner plate on top and flip it. Don’t be hesitant, or fluff about, just flip it quickly or you’ll mess it up and end up with bits of corn and capsicum all over the show. When it’s golden on the outside and the cheese is all melted on the inside and holding all the bits together – we’re good to go.

Repeat with remaining quesadilla. Slice into wedges.

For guacamole put your avocado and yoghurt into a bowl and mash until all squashed and yummy. Add garlic, coriander and lemon juice and stir well (add optional ingredients now also if you’re doing it). Season to taste and place on the side of your plate.

Top each wedge with guacamole (D Man always says ‘dip, dip, dip’. I’ve told you before, I know, but it’s so sweet I’ll tell you again!).

Devour and pretend you’re in sunny Mexican climes sipping a margarita. Ariba!

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More for the Peasants – Sausages and French Lentils

5 May sauso feat

There were many times during my childhood that we were not entirely cashed up. My Mama was a single mother but regardless of the funds situation she was always very aware of our nutrition and food. I was one of those ‘celery and cream cheese in the lunch box’ kids and although now I see it’s given me the tools to make better food choices as an adult, I was super jealous of the fun packs of Twisties other kids had. No one ever wants to swap celery and cream cheese. Now I give Dexter healthy snacks and lentils…….the apple does not fall far from the tree, it seems!

Lentils featured pretty highly on our family table, and I was always super embarrassed when Mum busted out Lentil Bolognaise for my friends. There are many tales of our school buddies coming for dinner and furrowing their brows at the plate and asking ‘What the hell is that?’. I guess not every family ate stinking lentil Bolognaise.

That said, now I have a very healthy respect for the musical fruit and we eat lentils quite regularly. They’re low fat, low GI and an awesome source protein…..not to mention versatile and tasty. I do not, however, mess with Bolognaise. Some things are sacrosanct. When you’re cooking lentils, don’t salt them until they’re tender and cooked. If you salt too early they turn into hard little bullets, and no one wants to eat bullets!

We love a sausage in my house, and the secret is a fine quality one from a good butcher. If you find a good sausage maker, hang onto them for dear life. The difference between a good sausage and an ordinary sausage is so very vast. I love a pork and fennel sauso with this meal but on this occasion I’ve used a good Italian sausage.

Yeild – 2 adult and 2 toddler serves

You will need - 

  • as many sausages as everyone wants
  • 1 cup Du Puy lentils (or just green or brown if that what you have)
  • 1 small onion, finely diced
  • 2 celery stalk, finely diced
  • 1 large carrot, finely diced
  • 1.5 cups stock
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 handfuls parsley, chopped
  • a glug of good olive oil
In a heavy based saucepan, heat a little olive oil and cook your onions until they’re translucent. Add your carrot and celery and give it a little sweat. Add your lentils and stir through the vegetables. Add your stock and bay leaves, and enough boiling water to just cover the lentils. Pop a lid on your saucepan and have a cup of tea.
Check the lentils occasionally. The water will absorb, which is good, add a little more if needed – you don’t want it to be soupy though. Cook your sausages, and when your lentils are tender, turn them off, add your parsley and a glug of olive oil. Season to taste and serve it up and speak all night in a French accent.
Left over lentils are great thrown through a salad with fetta and celery hearts the next day if that floats your boat.

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