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Spiced apple pie, by Donna Hay +++++ I’m very late posting today, because I went to a thanksgiving dinner and I wanted to wait until I got a side-shot of this pie. As it happens I couldn’t even get one as it disappeared too fast, to the sound of much oohing and aahing from around the table. Most audible was the host who, although not really a dessert person, went in for three helpings while saying how good it was. The secret, which for some reason feels like an extremely guilty one, is lard in the pastry - it makes it just the right amount of flaky to encase the soft, melted, tart Granny Smith apples. The pastry also has cinnamon in it, so it tastes just the right side of Christmassy. Not too sweet, not too spicy, with a balanced amount of crunch and ooze. It was an absolute hit. +++++ #apple #pie #tradition #showstopper #lard #thanksgiving #mum #mumsspacefrance #kids #dessert @donna.hay Get the recipe at https://www.donnahay.com.au/recipes/desserts-and-baking/spiced-apple-pie

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Veggie fried rice, sesame, tofu & chilli eggs, from Super Food Family Classics, by Jamie Oliver +++++ Nothing will ever be as good as the tofu that I ate in a seedy izakaya in deep Ikebukuro, but I do think that tofu gets too little attention. Whether you’re a vegetarian or not, tofu is a great tool for soaking up textures and flavours, especially crunchy sesame and spicy chili. I messed with this fried rice quite a lot, it was larder cooking at its finest. So instead of exotic mushrooms I just used the bog standard button mushrooms I had leftover, then I threw in frozen green beans because I had no mange-touts. Couldn’t find any chilli sauce, so I reached for my favourite, yep the gochujang. With the golden crispy tofu and the spring onions, it didn’t really matter which ingredients were supposed to be, this was an absolute feast in every sense. +++++ #tofu #stirfry #spicy #eggs #vegetarian #easyvegetarian #comfort #mum #kids #mumsspacefrance #superfoodfamilyclassics @jamieoliver @penguinukbooks

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Soupe au giraumon, inspired by On va déguster la France, by François-Régis Gaudry & ses amis +++++ Last weekend we went to the Bordeaux SO GOOD food festival, and I fangirled out at the France Inter stand of the On va déguster food show. Starry eyed, I went home with the show’s amazing new (signed, swoon) book under my arm, or rather in the pushchair because it weighs as much as a small child. Seriously, it’s huge and absolutely packed to the gills with morsels of French food facts, from what they serve at the Élysée to the different types of sea urchin and how much coffee Balzac used to drink. There’s also an encyclopaedic section at the end detailing each region’s food specialities, and this is France - there are many. Anyway, I swiftly turned to my region and had a flashback to when I served my grandmother pumpkin soup. She said “but you forgot the milk!” and I just moved on thinking she was having a senior moment, but she was right! Soupe au giraumon (which is the name of a type of pumpkin) is a traditional soup around here that cooks the chunks in butter before covering them in milk and, when blended, serves them over stale bread. I forwent the stale bread in favour of tartines of my favourite local creamy goat cheese (bigup Mr Drouet), and I do have to admit that because my tastebuds have strayed too far from home I found it needed a sprinkle of chili flakes to fight the bland. I know, sacrilège etc, but the next generation has to throw in its “grain de sel” as we say... +++++ #thanksgiving but in the #charente #charentemaritime #igerscharentemaritime #giraumon #soup #pumpkin #fangirl #mum #kids #mumsspacefrance @bordeauxsogood @frgaudry @franceinter @maraboutcuisine

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Millas Charentais, from Desserts des grand-mères de Poitou-Charentes by Julien Thomas +++++ It recently came to my attention that despite being completely obsessed by food from all around the world, I know nothing about the food of my own family’s region. Someone asked me about the specialities of my town, and I was stumped... I rummaged around the bookshelf and found this book, an old gift from a long lost relative that had been buried under more recent (and, frankly, more attractive) entries. I chose this cake as I remember my grandmother talking about it, but I have to confess that after making the book’s version and almost losing an arm from vigorous combining of flour and milk, I made it again with a much easier one - instead of pouring the maize flour into the boiling milk and mixing, it was way easier to mix the dry ingredients with a little milk first and then add the paste to the boiling milk. It’s a little like a custardy flan, between polenta and semolina, with a healthy dose of cognac, being charentais and all. Let’s see if the boozy taste of their new region helps the kids sleep tonight... +++++ #millas #charente #charentemaritime #igerscharentemaritime #dessertdegrandmere #mamieskitchen #mum #mumlife #mumspacefrance #kids #julienthomas #lescheminsdelamemoire

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Millas Charentais, from Desserts des grand-mères de Poitou-Charentes by Julien Thomas +++++ It recently came to my attention that despite being completely obsessed by food from all around the world, I know nothing about the food of my own family’s region. Someone asked me about the specialities of my town, and I was stumped... I rummaged around the bookshelf and found this book, an old gift from a long lost relative that had been buried under more recent (and, frankly, more attractive) entries. I chose this cake as I remember my grandmother talking about it, but I have to confess that after making the book’s version and almost losing an arm from vigorous combining of flour and milk, I made it again with a much easier one - instead of pouring the maize flour into the boiling milk and mixing, it was way easier to mix the dry ingredients with a little milk first and then add the paste to the boiling milk. It’s a little like a custardy flan, between polenta and semolina, with a healthy dose of cognac, being charentais and all. Let’s see if the boozy taste of their new region helps the kids sleep tonight... +++++ #millas #charente #charentemaritime #igerscharentemaritime #dessertdegrandmere #mamieskitchen #mum #mumlife #mumspacefrance #kids #julienthomas @lescheminsdelamemoir

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Apple and fennel salad, from Fresh and light by Donna Hay +++++ A mandolin really is a great thing. As long as you don’t get the tips of your fingers too close to the blade (ouch!) you can take an apple and create a paper thin slice of beauty, with a tiny star in its middle. This does the same thing with fennel, and layers them up with maple glazed bacon (which you can omit if you’re vegetarian, but gosh that sweet crunch!) and candied pecan nuts before adding a light vinaigrette. Simple ingredients, only slightly modified to make a tower of flavour and texture. Yes, a mandolin is a great thing. +++++ #autumnsalad #apple #fennel and #themightymandolin #maple #onmytable #instafood #mumlife #mum #kids #delicious @donna.hay @freshandlight

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Roasted butternut squash and quinoa salad, by One Sweet Mess (http://www.onesweetmess.com/2015/11/16/roasted-butternut-squash-quinoa-salad/) +++++ This week, and probably month, is all about the salad, to make up for all the indulgence that’s happening during the run-up to Christmas. The first recipe I’m trying was recommended by my domestic role model @dembunker and it was a corker - a ton of delicious autumnal ingredients all tossed together in hues of orange, deep red and yellow... It looks just as colourful as the garden does right now. I added bulgur to the quinoa (just because they were mixed together in the packet), but without it the recipe is gluten free. Then there’s roasted butternut squash squares (always a winner), creamy crumbled feta, tart dried cranberries, fresh spring onion and crunchy jewels of pomegranate and pumpkin seeds. A feast of flavours and textures, just what I (and you) need right now. +++++ #butternutsquash #quinoa #glutenfree #meatlessmonday #vegetarian #easyvegetarian #instafood #onmytable #mum #mumlife #kids @onesweetmess

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Pecan pie, by Martha Stewart (https://www.marthastewart.com/342408/pecan-pie) +++++ I can’t believe that I don’t own a single book with a recipe for pecan pie. Perhaps it’s because it is such a quintessential American classic, and I don’t often cook American dishes, but when I fancied trying it out in advance of Thanksgiving, I searched high and low and none were to be found. But I guess reading recipes online still count in this case, and who else to turn to for an America classic but Martha? I wasn’t wrong - this is rich and nutty, pretty with its toasted nuts all gently placed atop it, and almost like a treacle tart in its dark, custardy filling. I read somewhere that it should only be eaten once completely cool, but this definitely needs to be a little warm to work for me, especially if it’s to be paired with some ice cream. Hmmm this year, I’m thankful for Martha. +++++ #pecanpie #thanksgiving #thanksmartha #onmytable #mum #mumlife #kids @marthastewart

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Dak dori tang (Korean chicken and potato stew), from A Healthy Appetite by Gizzi Erskine +++++ This is the book I cook the most from in my collection, a mouthwatering mix of recipes that are all well balanced yet impossibly enticing, and alway with an interesting lesson to learn along the way. This recipe is basically a classic western chicken stew that has been fired up with some Korean gochujang (my new addiction) and a clever base of onion, garlic and ginger that is whizzed up into a paste before welcoming the other ingredients for a good bubble. The recipe suggests serving it with rice but with the carrots and potato already bulking it up, I think it works just as well on its own. Winner winner hot and spicy chicken dinner. +++++ #korean #gizziforthewin #gochujang #instafood #onmytable #mum #mumlife #kids @gizzierskine #mitchellbeazley and my favourite @marimekkodesignhouse fabric in the background

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Creamy carbonara, from Deliciously Ella Every Day by Ella Woodward +++++ Can it really be called carbonara if it contains no eggs, cheese or bacon? I’m not sure. It can certainly be called creamy though, despite the fact it contains absolutely no cream at all. It’s sort of a magic trick in fact - cashew nuts are soaked for a few hours before being blitzed with a bit of butternut squash and hey presto! Creamy pasta sauce! Ok so Ella adds nutritional yeast and tamari to be that bit trendier (and nutritious yes) but basically, nuts can become cream. Bonkers. It’s almost impossible to take a good photo of this, and my kids took one look and said “that looks disgusting”, but they then admitting that it was absolutely delicious. My son even wants me to teach him the recipe so that he can spread the word at school. We all learned something today. +++++ #vegetarian #vegan #dairyfree but still #creamy #gofigure #easyvegetarian #instafood #onmytable #mum #mumlife #kids @deliciouslyella @yellowkitebooks

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Corn chowder, from LEON Fast Vegetarian by Jane Baxter and Henry Dimbleby +++++ I’ve never really been a fan of chowder, as I’ve always found it too bland. Or maybe just too beige? Enter this version, with its red pepper and red chili and its corn caramelised in butter before adding the stock. It’s as colourful a chowder as the restaurants the book is from, and full of flavour too. And any soup that has the word chowder in it always launches my kids into a rendition of the Mighty Boosh’s soup crimp, so that’s my main reason for cooking this again right there. All together now, “soup super tasty, soup super spicy”... +++++ #soup #soupertasty #chowder #easyvegetarian #instafood #onmytable #mum #mumlife #kidfood @leonrestaurants @baxcooka @henry_dimbleby @octopus_books_

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Pâte à tartiner au cacao et à la noisette, from Megalow, by Ella Hagege +++++ This is an historic day! For it is today that I finally made the best ever healthy(ish) recipe replacement for Nutella I have found so far! The secret seems to be to buy the hazelnuts already puréed, in a jar, for absolute smoothness. They are then mixed with agave for sweetness, unsweetened cacao, and milk - I even used some almond milk that I needed to finish off, so it was extra nutty and accidentally dairy free! There’s a touch of vanilla at the end to bring it all together, and it is all whipped to make a smooth paste, something I didn’t think would happen when it was so liquid to begin with. Honestly it’s a revelation, smooth and indulgent and wholesome. Thanks @chachamms for pointing me in this direction and thanks Ella Hagege for the revelation. My kids salute you both. +++++ #chocolatehazelnut #inyourface #nutella #inmyface #wholefoods #indulgence #mum #mumlife #healthy #vegan #vegetarian #easyvegetarian #kids #happykids #onmytable #instafood @megalowfood @editionsalternatives and shout out to my baby daughter for lending me her @ikeafrance doll blanket for the background

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Ombellico di venere in brodo, from Simple cooking, by Antonio Carluccio +++++ When trying to finding a recipe to honour the memory of the brilliant Antonio Carluccio, who left us only a few days ago, I thought this was a perfect example of his genius - it’s the simplest of recipes, just fresh ready-made pasta chucked in broth with a bit of Parmesan cheese, but in just a few lines the man teaches you that boiling the broth a little beforehand until it reduces from 1 litre to about 600 ml, you will intensify and concentrate the flavours. Five minutes and you’ve transformed a banal broth into a complex base for your stuffed pasta, or tortellini. And then the “godfather of Italian cooking” casually teaches you that the shape of the pasta also earns them the nickname of “venus’ belly button”, so you get a poetic history lesson at the same time. Simple cooking, simply brilliant. +++++ #soup #pasta #brodo #broth make it vegetable broth to make the soup #vegetarian #Carluccio #italian #ciaobello #mum #mumlife #kids @cookcarluccio @quadrillebooks

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Soupe de champignons au thym, from Megalow, by Ella Hagege +++++ There is absolutely no cream or butter in this soup. I had to keep repeating that to myself as I was eating it, because it was deliciously creamy and autumnal, but it had absolutely no dairy to make it that way. Just the mushrooms themselves… It’s also coincidentally gluten-free, vegan (if you use vegetable stock instead of the suggested chicken)… All the things that usually make me brace myself for the worst, but in this case, it’s really warm and pleasing. Weirdly it gives proportions for three people, but actually that works well for me with my half portion kiddies. Just brown some onion and garlic with mushrooms before adding thym, bay and stock and you have a crowd pleaser that caters for absolutely every type of eater. I’ll be diving into this peppy book about low GI dishes more and more I think. +++++ #mushroom #soup #glutenfree #dairyfree #vegan #vegetarian #easyvegetarian #onmytable #mum #mumlife #kids @megalowfood @editionsalternatives

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Lemon meringue mess, from Cook yourself thin, by Sophie Michell +++++ They say you should always start a diet on a Sunday, so that’s what I’m doing. Starting with, um, dessert. That’s a healthy way to start a diet, right? This is lovely - a cross between Eton mess (with less sugar and less cream) and lemon meringue pie (which, let’s face it, is hardly diet friendly) and it’s got a tangy crunch that you don’t usually associate with trying to cut back on calories. Ok so I think I should concentrate on no desserts rather than diet desserts, but I have to start somewhere... +++++ It’s time for a #diet let’s start with #dessert #sweetsunday #onmytable #mum #mumlife #kids #instafood @sophiemichell @penguinukbooks

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Beef, guinness and mushroom pie, from The New Classics, by Donna Hay +++++ It’s cold outside, the kids are all coughing and sniffling and for once we have nothing planned except a snuggle on the sofa under a blanket. This calls for pie. A melting hot interior of braised beef with thick, dark beer and meaty mushrooms, all in a hot water pastry case. Spot. On. Just use a better cut of meat than I did, brisket is ideal (my stewing beef was a bit too tough for the ultimate comfort food “don’t even need to chew” experience). And make sure you do make the pastry - the hot water method is very forgiving and the result is so much better than store bought... +++++ #beef #meatontheweekends #pie #cold #comfortfood #onmytable #whoateallthepies #instafood #thenewclassics #mum #mumlife #kids @donna.hay @harpercollinsaustralia

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Sandwichs aux boulettes d’aubergine alla parmigiana, from Presque Végétarien (Marabout) +++++ This is from the “un jour sans viande” chapter of this great book that helps you transition slowly to vegetarianism (as well as cook crossover dishes that can be converted for meat eaters who might be sharing). I have the French version, but it was originally published in English as “Almost Vegetarian”. Anyway, maybe I’m becoming more vegetarian than I thought, or maybe it’s because they were slathered in tomato passata and parmesan cheese, but I promise you, these aubergine balls could so easily be mistaken for classic meatballs. The aubergine is roasted and then blended with chickpeas, breadcrumbs, onion, garlic and rosemary to make meat(less)balls that are then pan-friend before going under the grill from within the sandwich. I didn’t have the right bread, but a bit of baguette did just fine. The result is a “meatball” sub that could convert even the most carnivorous of Joey Tribiannis... +++++ #meatlessballs #vegetariansub #howyoudoin #vegetarian #easy #easyvegetarian #cookingbooks #almostvegetarian #presquevegetarien #adaywithoutmeat #unjoursansviande #nomorejunk #onmytable #instafood #mum #mumlife #kidfood @edition_marabout @maraboutcuisine