Sunday arvo cooking up a seasonal storm

Silverbeet, cauliflower rice, fennel & sausage (or meat alternative)

Last Sunday after hooning around the place I returned to my Paekakariki sanctuary around 6pm all fired up with enthusiasm to cook up a storm and excited to find a way to use fennel (which is currently in season).  By 7pm I was sitting down to dine and i'd prepared a few bits and pieces for what I can only assume will be a risotto later in the week.....you'll get used to this, I make it up as I go along and are a kitchen multi-tasking maniac.

NB: With all my meal ideas I will add Clever extras: these are little tips for things you can do with leftovers and in preparation for other meals etc

Silverbeet, cauliflower rice, fennel & sausage. It may not look that exciting but it was delish!  Read on to find out how I put it together.

1. Turn oven onto 175deg and add 1D of coconut oil to a roasting dish. 

2. Finely chop cauliflower florets until until they resemble rice, (I did enough to feed me, so in your case do enough to feed your diners, this is in place of rice - if you're starving use rice - preferably brown). Then add to a heatproof bowl and add boiling water to partially soften.                       Clever extra: snack on stalks you don't chop up, or chop them finely and set aside, you can use these to add to a veggie stock or salad later.

3. Chop tops and bottoms off fennel then slice center parts into rings then set aside.         
Clever extra: If you've decided to make a veggie stock roughly chop the leftovers and set aside with cauliflower off cuts.

 

3. Once oven has warmed, drain cauliflower and add to roasting dish.  Add seasoning to your liking (I added salt and tumeric).  It will only need 10-15mins to cook.
Clever extra: If you have some root veggies (e.g. parsnip, pumpkin, kumera, beetroot, swede etc) that need using or you want to cook so they're ready to use with a meal the following day or later in the week, peel, chop and throw them in the oven, either in the same dish or another if you're cooking for a gang. 
  

4. Turn element on to medium heat, add 1D of coconut oil or ghee, then the sliced fennel.  This will take about 10mins to cook through, you want it browned and soft.  Add lemon and salt to season.  At the same time can start cooking your sausages (steak, chop or whatever else you decide to use, Tempeh, tofu (diced, coated in rice flower then lightly fried till crunchy), are yummy vegetarian alternatives), either in the same pan or another one.  You don't want to mix them together so do your best to cook apart.

5. Give the cauliflower (and veggies) a bit of a mix up in the oven.

6. Finely chop up some silverbeet (or another green leafy veg which you prefer or have in the fridge. The objective here is to eat something raw, alternatives in season currently are Kale, Cavalo, baby spinach, Cabbage), you want to make sure you chop it as finely as possible, then you won't feel so much like a rabbit when you're eating it.  Place the chopped greens in a doughnut shape onto the plates of your diners. .

7. When you're happy that the cauliflower is done pile that in heaps in the centre of the silverbeet dressed plates, then the fennel then the meat (or meat alternative).

All you need to do now is eat! I'd love to hear some feedback on this meal if you decide to get involved and make it.

Remember to keep an eye on your roast veggies in the oven, these will come in very handy for a salad the following day, or in my case I added to a risotto.  If you have decided to try your hand at making a veggie stock here's a simple recipe http://allrecipes.com/recipe/basic-vegetable-stock/.  Don't be afraid to add your own flair to recipes and don't be constrained by following instructions fully, if you don't have something a recipe asks for just use an alternative, if you don't know what possible alternatives are just ask google!  Or you could get in touch with me through this blog post and i'll fire you some inspiration.

I've touched on a few things that may be foreign to you here, and in later posts i'll talk about the benefits of using ghee, coconut oil, key components of a meal, cooking using seasonal produce and more.  But as this is a new blog it will take time for me to build up this content.

Thanks for reading and happy seasonal cooking.

xx Bron