Soondubu Jjigae (Korean Soft Tofu Soup)

Date Published: April 12th, 2025 | Last Updated: April 12th, 2025
Author: Abby |Category: soup, asian, easy, healthy, low cal, mains, quick
Serves: 4 | Prep time: 15 mins | Cook time: 30 mins

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What is Soondubu/Sundubu Jjigae?

Soondubu or Sundubu or Soon tofu is an extra soft type of tofu that is very fragile when handled, but has a lovely soft texture.

Jjigae = Korean style stew usually made with meat, seafood, or vegetables. There are a variety different ‘jjigae’ out there, named according to what their ingredients are. This dish is called a ‘soondubu jjigae’ because it’s made with the classic soft tofu.

A Soondubu jjigae is a healthy and easy to make Korean soup made with bonito soup stock (fish based) and kimchi (fermented Korean cabbage) as the main flavours of the dish which results in a savoury but slightly acidic soup. The ingredients of the soup can vary from place to place but commonly you’ll find tteok (Korean rice cakes), seafood or meat (or both in this case), and of course the soft tofu. I’ve also added two types of mushrooms to mine for added texture but feel free to leave them out.

Bonito Soup Stock

Bonito is a type of fish that is in the same family as mackerel and tuna. One of the most common forms of bonito is bonito flakes which are the thin brown flakes sprinkled on top of okonomiyaki or takoyaki. Bonito stock, also known as dashi, is a Japanese soup stock made from bonito flakes, kelp, and other ingredients. It packs tons of umami flavour and is a key component of many Japanese dishes, including miso soup. HonDashi is the most popular brand of bonito soup stock/dashi that you’ll find in most Asian grocery stores and it comes in a powder/fine pellet form packaged in small glass jars (as pictured), or in packets. They usually need to be kept refrigerated once opened.

What are Garaetteok/Tteok (Korean rice cakes)?

Garaetteok/tteok are Korean rice cakes that are made from non-glutinous rice flour and come in skinny long cylinders. On their own they don’t have much flavour so they’re often added to a flavourful saucy dish (such as this dak galbi recipe) or a soup. They have a soft and chewy texture once cooked and make a great textural addition to many dishes. You’ll most commonly see garaetteok/tteok served in a dish called tteokbokki which is a spicy rice cake dish.

You can find these vacuum-sealed in the refrigerated section of most Asian grocery stores. They will be very hard coming out of the package and need to be soaked for at least 10 minutes in warm water to slightly soften before cooking them. If you’re lucky and your Asian grocer have these fresh, you can put them directly into the dish without soaking.

Don’t worry if you can’t find any garaetteok/tteok. Simply omit them from the recipe altogether. It won’t change the flavour of the dish. It’s mainly to add an extra textural component.

A Quick Note on Gochugaru – Korean Chilli Powder

This recipe uses Gochugaru, a Korean chilli powder, which is not too spicy and it gives the dish a deeper orangey/red colour. It can be easily found in most Asian grocery stores, but if you don’t have any, a good substitute is Kashmiri chilli powder (an Indian variety). Do NOT substitute with cayenne pepper which is a MUCH spicier chilli powder. If you absolutely can’t find Gochugaru or Kashmiri chilli powder, then you can substitute with 1 part cayenne powder: 3 parts paprika, or consider skipping it altogether.

Anyways, without further ado, here’s the recipe! If you have any comments or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section! You can follow me on instagram, youtube and facebook to see all the recipes I post!

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

300g chuck steak, sliced into 3-4 cm long strips
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
1 cup (~250g) kimchi, chopped with juices
1 Tbsp Korean chili powder
400g button mushrooms, sliced
1 bunch enoki mushrooms (optional)
2.5 tsps Hondashi bonito stock powder
2 cups water
1 handful of tteok (Korean rice cakes), rinsed
150g raw shrimp, deveined and deshelled, cut in half width-wise
2 x 313g/11oz packages of soft soon tofu (extra soft Korean tofu), halved and sliced
For garnish: 1 green onion, sliced fine

Directions:

In a medium sized soup pot (enough to accommodate 6 cups) on HIGH heat, add a drizzle of oil and quickly sauté the steak until just browned on the outside – do not cook all the way through (2-3 minutes). Remove from the pot and set aside.

In the same pot on MED-HIGH heat, add another drizzle of oil and sauté the garlic and onion for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Then add in the 1 cup chopped kimchi, 1 Tbsp chili powder, button mushrooms, and enoki mushrooms. Continue to sauté for another few minutes until the onion softens.

Dissolve the 2.5 tsps bonito stock powder into 2 cups of water and add it to the pot along with the tteok. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Add in the shrimp, tofu, and sautéed steak (from step 1) into the pot and carefully mix it around without breaking the tofu. Let the soup simmer until the shrimp is cooked and the tteok is soft (~another 3-4 minutes), then turn off the heat.

Taste and adjust salt or sugar as needed (the amount of adjustment will depend on the type of kimchi you’ve used). Garnish with chopped green onion. Enjoy! Serve with a side of white rice.

Optional: crack an egg at the surface while the shrimp is cooking at the same time for 3-4 minutes, or otherwise poach an egg separately and add it to the bowl when serving.

Summarized Recipe

Soondubu Jjigae (Korean Soft Tofu Soup)

Ingredients:

300g chuck steak, sliced into 3-4 cm long strips
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
1 cup (~250g) kimchi, chopped with juices
1 Tbsp Korean chili powder
400g button mushrooms, sliced
1 bunch enoki mushrooms (optional)
2.5 tsps Hondashi bonito stock powder
2 cups water
1 handful of tteok (Korean rice cakes), rinsed
150g raw shrimp, deveined and deshelled, cut in half width-wise
2 x 313g/11oz packages of soft soon tofu (extra soft Korean tofu), halved and sliced
For garnish: 1 green onion, sliced fine

Directions:

In a medium sized soup pot (enough to accommodate 6 cups) on HIGH heat, add a drizzle of oil and quickly sauté the steak until just browned on the outside – do not cook all the way through (2-3 minutes). Remove from the pot and set aside.
In the same pot on MED-HIGH heat, add another drizzle of oil and sauté the garlic and onion for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Then add in the 1 cup chopped kimchi, 1 Tbsp chili powder, button mushrooms, and enoki mushrooms. Continue to sauté for another few minutes until the onion softens.
Dissolve the 2.5 tsps bonito stock powder into 2 cups of water and add it to the pot along with the tteok. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes then add in the shrimp, tofu, and sautéed steak (from step 1) into the pot and carefully mix it around without breaking the tofu. Let the soup simmer until the shrimp is cooked and the tteok is soft (~another 3-4 minutes), then turn off the heat. Taste and adjust salt or sugar as needed (the amount of adjustment will depend on the type of kimchi you’ve used). Garnish with chopped green onion. Enjoy! Serve with a side of white rice.
- Optional: crack an egg at the surface while the shrimp is cooking at the same time for 3-4 minutes, or otherwise poach an egg separately and add it to the bowl when serving.

April 12, 2025February 15, 2025

AbbyLeave a comment

Colcannon (Irish Kale Mashed Potatoes)

Date Published: Jan 1st, 2025 | Last Updated: Jan 1st, 2025
Author: Abby |Category: sides, vegetarian, easy
Serves: 8 (1 large bowl) | Prep time: 15 mins | Cook time: 40 mins

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Happy New Year everyone!!!!🥳 I hope everyone had a great 2024, if not, here’s to a better 2025! To kick off the new year, here’s a twist to an old staple.

Colcannon is a traditional Irish mashed potato dish that incorporates kale (or cabbage). It sounds weird, but trust me, it actually works. Think of the kale as an excuse to pile on that butter. 😉

I learned of this dish when I found myself with a large bunch of kale taking up half the space in the vegetable drawer and some potatoes threatening to sprout. A quick search of these ingredients led me to this dish and now this is my go-to mashed potato dish to serve at any occasional to make an interesting twist to a classic.

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

1kg Yukon gold potatoes, diced (peeled or unpeeled depending on how like it)
6 Tbsps (85g) unsalted butter
1 large bunch (~6-8 cups, semi-packed) of kale (curly or lacinato), stems removed and chopped small
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 spring onions, sliced
1/2 cup milk
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Place the potatoes in a pot and add enough water to cover and a sprinkle of salt. Bring the heat up to HIGH to let the water come to a boil, then turn it down to MED and continue to simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender (~15-20 mins). Drain and set aside.

In a medium sized pot or deep pan on MED-HIGH heat, melt the butter and add in the kale. Sauté for a few minutes until the leaves are wilted. Add in the garlic and spring onions and continue to cook for another 2 minutes until fragrant and the spring onions have softened.

Add in the cooked potatoes (from step 1) and milk into the pan and mix it all together. Once everything is heated through, turn off the heat and mash the potatoes until smooth. Taste and adjust salt and pepper to your preference. Done!

Summarized Recipe:

Colcannon (Irish Kale Mashed Potatoes)

Ingredients:

1kg Yukon gold potatoes, diced (peeled or unpeeled depending on how like it)
6 Tbsps (85g) unsalted butter
1 large bunch (~6-8 cups, semi-packed) of kale (curly or lacinato), stems removed and chopped small
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 spring onions, sliced
1/2 cup milk
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Place the potatoes in a pot and add enough water to cover and a sprinkle of salt. Bring the heat up to HIGH to let the water come to a boil, then turn it down to MED and continue to simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender (~15-20 mins). Drain and set aside.
In a medium sized pot or deep pan on MED-HIGH heat, melt the butter and add in the kale. Sauté for a few minutes until the leaves are wilted. Add in the garlic and spring onions and continue to cook for another 2 minutes until fragrant and the spring onions have softened.
Add in the cooked potatoes (from step 1) and milk into the pan and mix it all together. Once everything is heated through, turn off the heat and mash the potatoes until smooth. Taste and adjust salt and pepper to your preference. Done!
Melt 2 Tbsp of butter and drizzle on top with green onion garnish before serving.

January 1, 2025December 15, 2024

AbbyLeave a comment

Herb-Crusted White Fish with a Lemon Cream Sauce

Date Published: Dec 17th, 2024 | Last Updated: Dec 17th, 2024
Author: Abby |Category: mains, vegetarian, easy, <30 mins, healthy
Serves: 4 | Prep time: 20 mins | Cook time: 20 mins

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Get ready to save this to your repertoire, because this easy one pan herb-crusted baked fish recipe is so simple and quick to put together that you’ll end up with a 5 star dish with loads of flavour in very little time! There’s also minimal clean up, perfect for a busy weeknight dinner (or just those days you just don’t feel like putting in much effort).

The fish is cooked in a rich lemony creamy sauce that melds perfectly with the juices released from the fish while baking and the crust provides the aroma of herbs while giving a crunchy texture that contrasts the soft fish. Feel free to pair it with whatever side you like – I’d recommend something with a crunch such as asparagus or broccolini.

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

4 portions (roughly 750g/1.6lbs) of fillets of any mild white fish, cut to the same size, skinless & boneless (ie. cod, tilapia, halibut, barramundi, sole…etc.) – I use cod but any white fish will do
Salt & pepper
Herb Crust:
- 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- Pinch of salt
Sauce:
- 113g (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup yellow onion, finely minced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 Tbsps lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/2 – 1 tsp mayonnaise over each fillet
To garnish: fresh parsley, chopped
Serve with: any crunchy vegetable side dish (ie. green beans, cabbage, roasted fennel…etc.)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400˚F/200˚C.

Rinse and pat dry your fish fillets then salt and pepper both sides and set aside.

Make the crumb mixture: In an oven-proof wide base pan*, mix the crumb mixture together: 1/2 cup panko, 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1 Tbsp olive oil, pinch of salt. Toast the mixture in the pan on LOW-MED heat for 3-5 minutes until golden brown then transfer it to a shallow bowl or plate and set aside to let it cool.

Make the sauce: In the same pan you used to toast the breadcrumbs, melt the 1 stick of butter on LOW-MED heat. Then add in the minced onion, and garlic and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant. Next add the 1/2 cup heavy cream, 3 Tbsps Dijon mustard, 2 Tbsps lemon juice, 1/4 tsp ground black pepper, and 1/4 tsp salt. Mix everything around and taste to adjust salt, pepper, and lemon as needed. Turn off the heat. Don’t worry if your sauce tastes a bit too strong at this point, it will mellow out once you bake it with the fish.

Crumb the fish: Apply a thin layer of mayonnaise onto one side of each fish fillet (~1/2 – 1 tsp of mayonnaise depending on the size of your fillet), then place the fillet mayonnaise-side down into the toasted crumb mixture (from step 3) and gently press down to get the crumb mixture to stick to the fish. Place the fillet crumb side up into the sauce in the pan (from step 4). Repeat with the rest of the fillets until they are all crumbed.

Bake in the preheated oven until the fish is fully cooked (~10-15 minutes for a 2cm thick fillet). The fish is done when it is no longer translucent and flakey, or the internal temperature reaches a minimum of 145°F/63°C.

While the fish is baking, you can prepare a quick side dish such as blanched green beans or steamed broccoli. I recommend something crunchy to contrast the soft texture of the fish.

Sprinkle fresh chopped parsley overtop the fish before serving and pair with the vegetable side dish of choice. Enjoy!

*Note: if you don’t have an oven-proof pan, make everything in a regular pan and pour the sauce into a 9×13″ baking dish and lay the fish overtop.

Summarized Recipe:

Herb-Crusted White Fish with a Lemon Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

4 portions (roughly 750g/1.6lbs) of fillets of any mild white fish, cut to the same size, skinless & boneless (ie. cod, tilapia, halibut, barramundi, sole…etc.) – I use cod but any white fish will do
Salt & pepper
Herb Crust:
- 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- Pinch of salt
Sauce:
- 113g (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup yellow onion, finely minced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 Tbsps lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/2 – 1 tsp mayonnaise over each fillet
To garnish: fresh parsley, chopped
Serve with: any crunchy vegetable side dish (ie. green beans, cabbage, roasted fennel…etc.)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400˚F/200˚C.
Rinse and pat dry your fish fillets then salt and pepper both sides and set aside.
Make the crumb mixture:
- In an oven-proof wide base pan*, mix the crumb mixture together: 1/2 cup panko, 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1 Tbsp olive oil, pinch of salt.
- Toast the mixture in the pan on LOW-MED heat for 3-5 minutes until golden brown then transfer it to a shallow bowl or plate and set aside to let it cool.
Make the sauce:
- In the same pan you used to toast the breadcrumbs, melt the 1 stick of butter on LOW-MED heat.
- Then add in the minced onion, and garlic and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Next add the 1/2 cup heavy cream, 3 Tbsps Dijon mustard, 2 Tbsps lemon juice, 1/4 tsp ground black pepper, and 1/4 tsp salt. Mix everything around and taste to adjust salt, pepper, and lemon as needed. Turn off the heat.
- Don’t worry if your sauce tastes a bit too strong at this point, it will mellow out once you bake it with the fish.
Crumb the fish:
- Apply a thin layer of mayonnaise onto one side of each fish fillet (~1/2 – 1 tsp of mayonnaise depending on the size of your fillet), then place the fillet mayonnaise-side down into the toasted crumb mixture (from step 3) and gently press down to get the crumb mixture to stick to the fish.
- Place the fillet crumb side up into the sauce in the pan (from step 4). Repeat with the rest of the fillets until they are all crumbed.
Bake in the preheated oven until the fish is fully cooked (~10-15 minutes for a 2cm thick fillet). The fish is done when it is no longer translucent and flakey, or the internal temperature reaches a minimum of 145°F/63°C.
- While the fish is baking, you can prepare a quick side dish such as blanched green beans or steamed broccoli. I recommend something crunchy to contrast the soft texture of the fish.
Sprinkle fresh chopped parsley overtop the fish before serving and pair with the vegetable side dish of choice. Enjoy!

*Note: if you don’t have an oven-proof pan, make everything in a regular pan and pour the sauce into a 9×13″ baking dish and lay the fish overtop.

December 17, 2024December 10, 2024

AbbyLeave a comment

Roasted Garlic (a how-to guide)

Date Published: July 20th, 2024 | Last Updated: July 20th, 2024
Author: Abby |Category: how-to, easy
Prep time: 5 mins | Cook time: 40 mins

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Roasted garlic is one of those magical ingredients that’s packed with so much flavour and yet so easy to make. It’s so versatile and easy to use – you can put it in so many things to easily add an extra depth of flavour or just spread it over plain toast with a drizzle of olive oil for a quick snack. You’ll be amazed how easy it is to make and the best part is that it keeps well in the fridge for up to a week covered in olive oil so you can make a bit extra and continue to use it throughout the week without putting in the effort. 🙂

If you have any comments or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section! You can follow me on instagram, youtube and facebook to see all the recipes I post!

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

Garlic bulbs – however many you’d like to roast
Drizzle of olive oil
Pinch of salt
Pinch of black pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375˚F (190˚C).

Prepare a small square baking tray and pour in a drizzle of olive oil.

Slice the base off of the garlic bulbs (the flat side – see photo) and dip the exposed side into the olive oil and place the bulbs in the tray, cut side up.

Sprinkle salt and pepper over top. Make sure all the exposed garlic cloves are covered in oil so it doesn’t burn.

Cover the tray with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes.

After 40 mins, take it out of the oven, carefully remove the foil and let the roasted garlic cool down. Once cool enough to handle, gently remove the garlic cloves from the outer layer. Done!

Summarized Recipe:

Roasted Garlic (a how-to guide)

Date Published: July 20th, 2024 | Last Updated: July 20th, 2024
Author: Abby |Category: how-to, easy
Prep time: 5 mins | Cook time: 40 mins

Ingredients:

Garlic bulbs – however many you’d like to roast
Drizzle of olive oil
Pinch of salt
Pinch of black pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375˚F (190˚C).
Prepare a small square baking tray and pour in a drizzle of olive oil.
Slice the base off of the garlic bulbs (the flat side – see photo) and dip the exposed side into the olive oil and place the bulbs in the tray, cut side up. Sprinkle salt and pepper over top. Make sure all the exposed garlic cloves are covered in oil so it doesn’t burn.
Cover the tray with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes.
After 40 mins, take it out of the oven and carefully remove the foil and let the roasted garlic cool down. Once cool enough to handle, gently remove the garlic cloves from the outer layer. Done!

July 20, 2024July 20, 2024

AbbyLeave a comment

Korean Sweet Pickled Radish (“Chicken-mu”)

Date Published: April 16th, 2024 | Last Updated: April 16th, 2024
Author: Abby |Category: Asian, easy, sides, vegetarian, quick, healthy, low cal, vegetarian
Serves: 6 | Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: marinate for 2 days

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Toby and I are obsessed with Korean Fried Chicken. Whenever we move to a new town, we are always on the lookout for a good Korean fried chicken spot (and also a good ramen spot). Throughout our travels around Australia, our favourite Korean chicken spot still remains to this day, 7 Grams Chicken in Perth, Western Australia. It’s just so damn good and the chicken is always cooked perfectly – there’s no comparison. With every serving of Korean fried chicken, a little bowl of sweet cold pickled radishes always accompanies it. This little bowl of radishes is the perfect accompaniment to cut the grease – it’s not too sour and not too sweet, and the refreshing crunch of the perfect little white cubes makes you forget that you’re gorging on oily fried chicken and that somehow you’re still being healthy by eating your vegetables. We love our pickled radishes so much that we always get extra orders, but now that I’ve learned how to make this, I can stop paying extra for the pickled radishes and make it myself ahead of time!

We’ve never been to Korea, but when I was researching this recipe I found that it is also often called “Chicken-mu”. ‘Mu’ means radish in Korean and this specific pickled radish dish is pretty much only served with fried chicken, which is why they call it ‘Chicken-mu’!

What type of radish?

It is no surprise that a Korean radish is used to make this recipe. It is generally smaller and rounder than the common Chinese style daikon radish and has a green colour on the top half. A Korean radish has a little less water content which results in a crunchier texture and holds up well in the pickling liquid. If you can’t find a Korean radish, substitute with daikon instead, but results may differ a little.

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

Pickling liquid:
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup white vinegar
- 2/3 cup water
- 2 tsps kosher salt
450g (1lb = 1 small) Korean radish, peeled and cut into 1.5 cm cubes

Directions:

In a large glass container (with a lid), add in the sugar, vinegar, water and salt. Shake the container until the sugar and salt have dissolved.

Rinse the radish and peel it, then chop it into 1.5cm cubes.

Add in the cubed radishes. Ensure all of the radish is submerged into the pickling liquid – if not, double the amount of pickling liquid. Close the lid and let it marinate for at least 24 hours (flavours will be better after 48 hours). Store up to 10 days, flavours will be best if eaten within 4 days.

Summarized Recipe:

Korean Sweet Pickled Radish (“Chicken-mu”)

Ingredients:

Pickling liquid:
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup white vinegar
- 2/3 cup water
- 2 tsps kosher salt
450g (1lb = 1 small) Korean radish, peeled and cut into 1.5 cm cubes

Directions:

In a large glass container (with a lid), add in the sugar, vinegar, water, and salt. Shake the container until the sugar and salt have dissolved.
Add in the cubed radishes. Ensure all of the radish is submerged into the pickling liquid – if not, double the amount of pickling liquid. Close the lid and let it marinate for at least 24 hours (flavours will be better after 48 hours). Store up to 10 days, flavours will be best if eaten within 4 days.

April 16, 2024December 30, 2024

AbbyLeave a comment

Roasted Cabbage with Pickled Mustard Seeds and a Parsley Cream Sauce (a Dominique Crenn recipe)

Date Published: Mar 27th, 2024 | Last Updated: Mar 27th, 2024
Author: Abby |Category: mains, vegetarian
Serves: 4 | Prep time: 24 hours before | Cook time: 1 hour

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In August of last year Toby and I went to LA for the first time to attend my friend Mehdi’s wedding. We stayed at a nice hotel called Short Stories and they happened to be hosting a pop-up restaurant called Netflix Bites! It was a restaurant that served dishes from celebrity chefs that appeared on a Netflix series. There were quite a few exciting dishes to choose from so naturally we over-ordered and had 3 main dishes between the two of us. My favourite of the night was a roasted cabbage dish by Dominique Crenn. I had never had cabbage like this before and the flavours were so unique! I was instantly obsessed and knew I had to recreate it somehow. Lucky for me, it’s one of the dishes on her Masterclass – yes, I subscribed to Masterclass just to cook this dish. It was worth it. 🙂

Strap in, this is a lengthy recipe. There are 5 components and it takes some time to put them all together but each step on its own is actually quite simple and you can make most of these components ahead of time and keep it in the fridge if you don’t want to jumble 5 different things at once in the kitchen.

Although there are a lot of components, each one has a purpose:

How it all began – the roasted cabbage dish served at the restaurant

Homemade Sauerkraut – this adds extra tartness and a bit of crunch. You have to make this 2 weeks ahead. Dominique Crenn teaches us to appreciate the humble cabbage by making our own sauerkraut. It’s surprisingly easy and you only need 2 ingredients!
- Here’s a great website if you want to learn about the fermentation process and lacto-fermentation: https://urbanfarmandkitchen.com/how-to-make-sauerkraut-lacto-fermented-cabbage/
Pickled Mustard Seeds – these add a little pop (kind of like caviar or roe on sushi) and sweetness to balance out the texture and flavours of the dish. It takes a minimum of 2 hours to marinate but it tastes better if left overnight so definitely make this ahead of time.
Parsley Oil – this is pretty easy to make and results in a beautiful deep green oil, super concentrated in parsley flavour. You will need a powerful blender like a Vitamix to break down the parsley fine enough. You can either make this the day-of or up to a week early.
Crème Fraîche Sauce – this is the creamy tart sauce that makes the base of the dish. The parsley oil will be mixed through this to complete the flavours. You can either make this the day-of or up to a week early.
Roasted Cabbage – the cabbage is first seared with thyme and garlic to bring out extra flavour, then finished off in the oven to cook through.

Happy cooking!

Ingredients & Tools you’ll need:

Sauerkraut:
- A small or medium savoy cabbage (depending on how much you want to make)
- Kosher salt
- Tools: a kitchen scale and maybe gloves, fermenting container with weights or glass jar with a lid and something heavy in a ziploc bag.
- A knob of butter (~30g) – used later on for heating up the finished sauerkraut before serving
Pickled Mustard Seeds:
- 1/2 cup (100g) yellow mustard seeds
- 2 Tbsps (30g) rice vinegar
- 2 Tbsps (30g) sherry vinegar
- 1.25 Tbsps (20g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp (3g) kosher salt
Parsley Oil:
- 50g flat leaf parsley leaves
- 100g grapeseed oil
- Tools: a powerful blender
Crème Fraîche Sauce:
- 2 Tbsps sauerkraut liquid
- 500g crème fraîche
- 2 Tbsps (30g) Sherry vinegar
- 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- Salt & pepper to taste
Roasted Cabbage:
- 1 large cabbage, cleaned
- Grapeseed oil for searing (or any other neutral flavoured oil tolerant to high heat)
- 2 + 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 4 + 4 sprigs of fresh thyme

Directions:

A. Optional: Homemade Sauerkraut (Make at least 2 weeks ahead, it will keep in the fridge for up to 3 months):

This step is optional. You can use store-bought sauerkraut as well for the recipe, the flavours will be similar.

Ingredients & Tools you’ll need:
- A small or medium savoy cabbage (depending on how much you want to make)
- Kosher salt
- Tools: a kitchen scale and maybe gloves, fermenting container with weights or glass jar with a lid and something heavy in a ziploc bag.

Cut: Peel away any wilted, dirty outer leaves of the cabbage. Cut the cabbage in half and cut out the core. Chop the rest of the cabbage thinly.

Weigh & Salt: Weigh the amount of sliced cabbage you have on a kitchen scale. Calculate 2.5% of the weight of your cabbage and that will be the amount of salt you will add to the cabbage.

Example: my sliced cabbage weighed 1033g (or 1.033kg) x 0.025 = 25.8g. I rounded up and used 26g of salt.

Massage: Make sure your hands are thoroughly washed and cleaned (you can wear disposable kitchen gloves if you’ve got some) – we don’t want to introduce contaminants into our cabbage. Once you’ve added in your salt, massage the cabbage with your hands to mix the salt through, lightly crushing the cabbage as you massage. Do this for about 5-10 minutes until you get a slightly softened and wet cabbage mix.

Pack and Compress: Transfer your sauerkraut to a clean fermenting vessel or glass jar. Use the back of a ladle and compress down the sauerkraut to allow the juices to come up and surround the cabbage. Add a weight* to the top and close the lid. If your container is not light-proof, put your jar in a dark cool place.

*You can get special glass weights for fermenting purposes, but if you don’t have any on hand you can just fill a clean ziploc bag with water, salt, sugar – or anything that will add weight, seal it tight and use it as a weight.

Check on it regularly: If you’re not using a fermenting vessel and if your lid is air-tight, you will need to check on it at least once a day to quickly release any built up gasses. Do not leave the lid off too long to introduce excess air. If you have a special fermenting vessel then you don’t need to do this because the lid will allow the gasses to escape on its own. However, you do need to check on it at least once every 3-4 days to see if any mold has developed or there is any odd discolouration patches. If so, you will need to start over and ensure all your instruments are clean.

2 week final check: After 2 weeks, the sauerkraut should be ready! Do a final inspection for any mold or weird dark patches. The sauerkraut should be a uniform colour and a pale yellow/brown colour (like regular sauerkraut). Give it a taste! This will keep in the fridge for up to 3 months.

B. Pickled Mustard Seeds (Make the day before – this step takes some time and patience and needs to marinate at least 2 hours, so make it early – it will keep in the fridge for 1 month):

Ingredients you’ll need:
- 1/2 cup (100g) yellow mustard seeds
- 2 Tbsps (30g) rice vinegar
- 2 Tbsps (30g) sherry vinegar
- 1.25 Tbsps (20g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp (3g) kosher salt

Blanch the seeds by simmering for 5 minutes

Blanche the mustard seeds: Place your mustard seeds in a saucepan and add enough cold water to submerge the seeds and cover it by about 2-3cm. Turn on the heat to HIGH to bring it to a simmer, then turn the heat down to LOW and continue to simmer for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, strain and discard the water. Repeat this step 3-8 more times until the seeds are no longer bitter and softened but with a crunchy/pop like caviar. The seeds themselves will not have much of a flavour. Once done, strain the seeds and set aside.

The amount of water doesn’t matter too much but if you use too little, the seeds will absorb it all and you won’t be able to simmer, but if you use too much then it will take much longer for the water to come to a boil and you will be waiting for ages.

Yes, this will take a while depending on how many times you have to do it. I did it 6 times. Dominique Crenn said to do it 10-20 times!! 🤯

Prepare the vinegar brine: In the same saucepan on LOW heat, add in the rice vinegar, sherry vinegar, sugar, and salt. Stir together until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Add in the blanched mustard seeds and simmer on LOW heat for 15 minutes, until the majority of the vinegar brine has been absorbed by the seeds. Turn off the heat.

Marinate & Chill: Transfer the mustard seeds and all of the liquid into a heat-proof container and allow it to cool. Put on an airtight lid and let it marinate and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before using. This will keep in the fridge for up to 1 month.

C. Parsley Oil (Make ahead or the day-of. It will last in the fridge up to a week):

Ingredients and Tools you’ll need:
- 50g flat leaf parsley leaves
- 100g grapeseed oil
- Tools: a powerful blender

Remove the stems off the parsley so you’re left with just the leaves. Wash and thoroughly dry all the parsley.

Get out your blender and add a third of the amount of grapeseed oil into the the blender, then the parsley, then drizzle the remaining grapeseed oil over top. Start the blender off slow until everything is broken up, then turn it up to HIGH for 2-3 minutes until you get a smooth paste.

You want a 1:2 ratio between the leaves and the oil. The recipe calls for 50g leaves and 100g oil. If you don’t quite have 50g or have more than 50g, just weigh it and multiply it by two and that will be the amount of grapeseed oil you’ll need.

Once blended, line a fine mesh strainer with a cheesecloth/muslin/coffee filter. Strain the blended parsley in oil through this. You can squeeze the bag to release all the oil, but be careful not to squeeze any chunks. You should have a beautiful smooth deep green-coloured oil.

D. Crème Fraîche Sauce (Make ahead or the day-of. It will last in the fridge up to a week):

Ingredients you’ll need:
- 2 Tbsps sauerkraut liquid
- 500g crème fraîche
- 2 Tbsps (30g) Sherry vinegar
- 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- Salt & pepper to taste

In a saucepan on LOW-MED heat, add the sauerkraut liquid and let it come to a simmer. Add in the crème fraîche and whisk until smooth.

Add in the sherry vinegar, lemon juice, pinch of salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. Taste and add more salt if needed – it should be a creamy tart and slightly salted sauce. Once the sauce is hot, turn off the heat – you do NOT want the sauce to come to a boil, just heated through.

E. Roasted Cabbage (Make the day-of):

Ingredients you’ll need:
- 1 large cabbage, cleaned
- Grapeseed oil for searing (or any other neutral flavoured oil tolerant to high heat)
- 2 + 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 4 + 4 sprigs of fresh thyme

Slice the cabbage into wedges, each wedge will be an eighth of the cabbage – cut it in half, then half of each piece, then half again (see photo). Do NOT remove the core of the cabbage. You want to keep it intact so the leaves all stay together when you’re cooking.

Preheat the oven to 160˚C/325˚F and prepare a lined baking tray.

Sear the cabbage: In a wide-based pan on HIGH HEAT, add a drizzle of grapeseed oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Heat the oil until it starts to shimmer then add in 2-3 cabbage wedges depending on the size of your pan (you do not want to crowd the pan or else the moisture released from the cabbage will end up steaming it). Add in 2 peeled garlic cloves and 4 sprigs of fresh thyme to the oil. When fragrant, tilt the pan and baste the hot oil over the cabbages as it sears. As you sear the cabbage on HIGH heat, you will have to move the pan on and off the heat intermittently when the pan gets too hot to control the heat. Watch out for oil splatters and check the underside of the wedges after 2-3 minutes. Once the underside is a nice brown colour, flip it over and sear the other side, continuing to baste with the oil as it cooks. When both sides are seared, transfer the cabbage to a lined baking tray. Repeat with the rest of the cabbage wedges, adding in more grapeseed oil as needed and replacing the garlic cloves and fresh thyme if they get too browned.

Roast the cabbage: Once all the cabbage wedges have been seared, bake them in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until the cabbage is cooked through – use a fork to check the centre for doneness. The fork should go through with a bit of resistance – not too hard that you can’t poke through, but not too soft that it’s mushy. Turn off the oven when done.

While the cabbage is cooking, start heating up the sauerkraut and the crème fraîche sauce to prepare it for plating (see next steps below).

F. ASSEMBLY (finally!):

Heat up the sauerkraut: Take out about 2 cups of sauerkraut and squeeze out the liquid a little. Add the sauerkraut to a saucepan on MED heat with 30g of butter and mix until the butter has melted and the sauerkraut has heated through. Turn off the heat.

Warm up the crème fraîche sauce (if it isn’t already): Pour the crème fraîche sauce into a saucepan and heat on LOW-MED heat until hot. Do not let it come to a boil.

Add 2 Tbsps of parsley oil to the crème fraîche sauce and lightly mix together – don’t mix too thoroughly, you want to see specks and streaks of the green oil contrasting with the white sauce.

Plating: In a wide base bowl or plate, place 2 roasted cabbage wedges in the centre, followed by a big spoonful of warmed sauerkraut beside it. Add a few spoonfuls of the parsley oil/crème fraîche sauce around the cabbage and finish it off with small spoonfuls of pickled mustard seeds around the plate. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Summarized Recipe:

Roasted Cabbage with Pickled Mustard Seeds and a Parsley Cream Sauce (a Dominique Crenn recipe)

Date Published: Mar 27th, 2024 | Last Updated: Mar 27th, 2024
Author: Abby |Category: mains, vegetarian
Serves: 4 | Prep time: 24 hours before | Cook time: 1 hour

A. Optional: Homemade Sauerkraut (Make at least 2 weeks ahead, it will keep in the fridge for up to 3 months):

This step is optional. You can use store-bought sauerkraut as well for the recipe, the flavours will be similar.

Ingredients & Tools you’ll need:
- A small or medium savoy cabbage (depending on how much you want to make)
- Kosher salt
- Tools: a kitchen scale and maybe gloves, fermenting container with weights or glass jar with a lid and something heavy in a ziploc bag.

Cut: Peel away any wilted, dirty outer leaves of the cabbage. Cut the cabbage in half and cut out the core. Chop the rest of the cabbage thinly.
Weigh & Salt: Weigh the amount of sliced cabbage you have on a kitchen scale. Calculate 2.5% of the weight of your cabbage and that will be the amount of salt you will add to the cabbage.
- Example: my sliced cabbage weighed 1033g (or 1.033kg) x 0.025 = 25.8g. I rounded up and used 26g of salt.
Massage: Make sure your hands are thoroughly washed and cleaned (you can wear disposable kitchen gloves if you’ve got some) – we don’t want to introduce contaminants into our cabbage. Once you’ve added in your salt, massage the cabbage with your hands to mix the salt through, lightly crushing the cabbage as you massage. Do this for about 5-10 minutes until you get a slightly softened and wet cabbage mix.
Pack and Compress: Transfer your sauerkraut to a clean fermenting vessel or glass jar. Use the back of a ladle and compress down the sauerkraut to allow the juices to come up and surround the cabbage. Add a weight* to the top and close the lid. If your container is not light-proof, put your jar in a dark cool place.
- *You can get special glass weights for fermenting purposes, but if you don’t have any on hand you can just fill a clean ziploc bag with water, salt, sugar – or anything that will add weight, seal it tight and use it as a weight.
Check on it regularly: If you’re not using a fermenting vessel and if your lid is air-tight, you will need to check on it at least once a day to quickly release any built up gasses. Do not leave the lid off too long to introduce excess air. If you have a special fermenting vessel then you don’t need to do this because the lid will allow the gasses to escape on its own. However, you do need to check on it at least once every 3-4 days to see if any mold has developed or there is any odd discolouration patches. If so, you will need to start over and ensure all your instruments are clean.
2 week final check: After 2 weeks, the sauerkraut should be ready! Do a final inspection for any mold or weird dark patches. The sauerkraut should be a uniform colour and a pale yellow/brown colour (like regular sauerkraut). Give it a taste! This will keep in the fridge for up to 3 months.

B. Pickled Mustard Seeds (Make the day before – this step takes some time and patience and needs to marinate at least 2 hours, so make it early – it will keep in the fridge for 1 month):

Ingredients you’ll need:
- 1/2 cup (100g) yellow mustard seeds
- 2 Tbsps (30g) rice vinegar
- 2 Tbsps (30g) sherry vinegar
- 1.25 Tbsps (20g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp (3g) kosher salt

Blanche the mustard seeds: Place your mustard seeds in a saucepan and add enough cold water to submerge the seeds and cover it by about 2-3cm. Turn on the heat to HIGH to bring it to a simmer, then turn the heat down to LOW and continue to simmer for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, strain and discard the water. Repeat this step 3-8 more times until the seeds are no longer bitter and softened but with a crunchy/pop like caviar. The seeds themselves will not have much of a flavour. Once done, strain the seeds and set aside.
- The amount of water doesn’t matter too much but if you use too little, the seeds will absorb it all and you won’t be able to simmer, but if you use too much then it will take much longer for the water to come to a boil and you will be waiting for ages.
- Yes, this will take a while depending on how many times you have to do it. I did it 6 times. Dominique Crenn said to do it 10-20 times!! 🤯
Prepare the vinegar brine: In the same saucepan on LOW heat, add in the rice vinegar, sherry vinegar, sugar, and salt. Stir together until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Add in the blanched mustard seeds and simmer on LOW heat for 15 minutes, until the majority of the vinegar brine has been absorbed by the seeds. Turn off the heat.
Marinate & Chill: Transfer the mustard seeds and all of the liquid into a heat-proof container and allow it to cool. Put on an airtight lid and let it marinate and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before using. This will keep in the fridge for up to 1 month.

C. Parsley Oil (Make ahead or the day-of. It will last in the fridge up to a week):

Ingredients and Tools you’ll need:
- 50g flat leaf parsley leaves
- 100g grapeseed oil
- Tools: a powerful blender

Remove the stems off the parsley so you’re left with just the leaves. Wash and thoroughly dry all the parsley.
Get out your blender and add a third of the amount of grapeseed oil into the the blender, then the parsley, then drizzle the remaining grapeseed oil over top. Start the blender off slow until everything is broken up, then turn it up to HIGH for 2-3 minutes until you get a smooth paste.
- You want a 1:2 ratio between the leaves and the oil. The recipe calls for 50g leaves and 100g oil. If you don’t quite have 50g or have more than 50g, just weigh it and multiply it by two and that will be the amount of grapeseed oil you’ll need.
Once blended, line a fine mesh strainer with a cheesecloth/muslin/coffee filter. Strain the blended parsley in oil through this. You can squeeze the bag to release all the oil, but be careful not to squeeze any chunks. You should have a beautiful smooth deep green-coloured oil.

D. Crème Fraîche Sauce (Make ahead or the day-of. It will last in the fridge up to a week):

Ingredients you’ll need:
- 2 Tbsps sauerkraut liquid
- 500g crème fraîche
- 2 Tbsps (30g) Sherry vinegar
- 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- Salt & pepper to taste

In a saucepan on LOW-MED heat, add the sauerkraut liquid and let it come to a simmer.
Add in the crème fraîche and whisk until smooth.
Add in the sherry vinegar, lemon juice, pinch of salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. Taste and add more salt if needed – it should be a creamy tart and slightly salted sauce. Once the sauce is hot, turn off the heat – you do NOT want the sauce to come to a boil, just heated through.

E. Roasted Cabbage (Make the day-of):

Ingredients you’ll need:
- 1 large cabbage, cleaned
- Grapeseed oil for searing (or any other neutral flavoured oil tolerant to high heat)
- 2 + 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 4 + 4 sprigs of fresh thyme

Slice the cabbage into wedges, each wedge will be an eighth of the cabbage – cut it in half, then half of each piece, then half again (see photo). Do NOT remove the core of the cabbage. You want to keep it intact so the leaves all stay together when you’re cooking.
Preheat the oven to 160˚C/325˚F and prepare a lined baking tray.
Sear the cabbage: In a wide-based pan on HIGH HEAT, add a drizzle of grapeseed oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Heat the oil until it starts to shimmer then add in 2-3 cabbage wedges depending on the size of your pan (you do not want to crowd the pan or else the moisture released from the cabbage will end up steaming it). Add in 2 peeled garlic cloves and 4 sprigs of fresh thyme to the oil. When fragrant, tilt the pan and baste the hot oil over the cabbages as it sears. As you sear the cabbage on HIGH heat, you will have to move the pan on and off the heat intermittently when the pan gets too hot to control the heat. Watch out for oil splatters and check the underside of the wedges after 2-3 minutes. Once the underside is a nice brown colour, flip it over and sear the other side, continuing to baste with the oil as it cooks. When both sides are seared, transfer the cabbage to a lined baking tray. Repeat with the rest of the cabbage wedges, adding in more grapeseed oil as needed and replacing the garlic cloves and fresh thyme if they get too browned.
Roast the cabbage: Once all the cabbage wedges have been seared, bake them in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until the cabbage is cooked through – use a fork to check the centre for doneness. The fork should go through with a bit of resistance – not too hard that you can’t poke through, but not too soft that it’s mushy. Turn off the oven when done.
- While the cabbage is cooking, start heating up the sauerkraut and the crème fraîche sauce to prepare it for plating (see next steps below).

F. ASSEMBLY (finally!):

Heat up the sauerkraut: Take out about 2 cups of sauerkraut and squeeze out the liquid a little. Add the sauerkraut to a saucepan on MED heat with 30g of butter and mix until the butter has melted and the sauerkraut has heated through. Turn off the heat.
Warm up the crème fraîche sauce (if it isn’t already): Pour the crème fraîche sauce into a saucepan and heat on LOW-MED heat until hot. Do not let it come to a boil.
Add 2 Tbsps of parsley oil to the crème fraîche sauce and lightly mix together – don’t mix too thoroughly, you want to see specks and streaks of the green oil contrasting with the white sauce.
Plating: In a wide base bowl or plate, place 2 roasted cabbage wedges in the centre, followed by a big spoonful of warmed sauerkraut beside it. Add a few spoonfuls of the parsley oil/crème fraîche sauce around the cabbage and finish it off with small spoonfuls of pickled mustard seeds around the plate. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

March 27, 2024

AbbyLeave a comment

Sausage Mushroom Zucchini Tian (kinda like a risotto but easier)

Date Published: Feb 28th, 2024 | Last Updated: Feb 28th, 2024
Author: Abby |Category: easy, healthy, low-cal, mains, vegetarian
Serves: 4-6 | Prep time: 1 hour | Cook time: 40 mins

Jump to recipe |

‘Tian de Courgettes au Riz’ is a recipe from the great Julia Child. I came across this recipe randomly through my search for healthier meals in this new year and found many adaptations of it. From those adaptations, I played around with the recipe, added in mushrooms and sausage (because why not) to make it a more rounded and hearty meal, and out came yet another adaptation of her recipe 😛. According to the internet, a “tian” is a French word used to describe a shallow baking dish but also the name of a baked vegetable dish (Martha Stewart compares the wordplay to a casserole and a casserole dish).

In its essence, this dish is pretty much rice cooked in zucchini liquid mixed with mushroom, meat, and cheese. It’s kind of like a risotto, except much easier to achieve. This recipe seems long, but I promise it’s just wordy and not difficult at all. Once you get into it, you’ll realize that it’s quite easy and not at all intimidating unlike other Julia Child recipes.

This recipe is a fantastic way to use up an overflow of zucchinis in the summer season. For 6 portions, it uses up about 6 large zucchinis. I wish I discovered this recipe sooner when Toby and I were staying on the farm. His dad grew sooooo many zucchinis that we were gifting them to everyone we see (he was seriously harvesting at least 6-8 a day at peak season!).

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

*You will need an oven-proof pot or dutch oven with a lid – I used a 5 1/4 quart dutch oven.

1.5kg zucchinis (roughly 6 large ones)
500g portobello mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
Roughly 1/2 a cup of milk (amount will vary depending on how much liquid is released from your zucchini and mushrooms)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium brown onions, diced
3 Tbsps all purpose flour
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated + extra for sprinkling
Salt & pepper to taste
3/4 cup medium grain rice (I use arborio/risotto rice, but any medium grain will do)
300-400g kielbasa (Polish sausage), diced
- You can use any protein you like (ie. sausage, ground beef, shredded rotisserie chicken…etc.), but make sure your protein is cooked, dry, and doesn’t add any extra liquid or else it’ll throw off the liquid ratio to cook the rice.

Directions:

Cut the fibrous ends off the zucchinis and grate each one using a large hole grater (this is a whole lot quicker if you have a food processor with a grating function). Place a colander over a bowl and put the grated zucchini into the colander with 3 tsps of salt. Use your hands and massage the salt through the zucchini, making sure its mixed well. Set aside for 1 hour, allowing the liquid from the zucchini to release and collect in the bowl below.

After 1 hour, squeeze out as much zucchini liquid as you can and save this liquid. Rinse the grated zucchini under cold water to remove any excess salt and squeeze until dry and set aside (do not save this liquid).

While you’re waiting for the zucchini to release its liquid, cook the mushrooms: in a large pan on MED-HIGH heat, add a drizzle of oil and sauté the mushrooms until cooked (4-5 minutes). Place the cooked mushrooms in a strainer and reserve any liquid.

Measure out the amount of collected zucchini liquid from step 2 and add in the released liquid from the mushrooms in step 3 until it makes 3.75 cups. If the combined liquid is not enough to make up 3.75 cups, then add enough milk to make up the rest of the amount. Pour the liquid into a saucepan and heat it up on the stove until warmed. Do NOT let it come to a boil, otherwise it may split. Only heat it up until warmed. Keep on LOW heat until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 220C/425F.

In an oven-safe pot or dutch oven (make sure there’s a lid, I used a 5 1/4 quart size dutch oven) on MED-HIGH heat, add a drizzle of oil and sauté the garlic and onion together for 3-4 minutes until the onion turns translucent. Then add in the grated zucchini and continue to sauté for another 5-6 minutes.

Add in the cooked mushrooms and 3 Tbsps of flour to the pan and continue mixing for 2 more minutes until everything is well combined then turn off the heat.

Mix in the Parmesan cheese, rice, and kielbasa (or your choice of cooked protein).

Pour in the warmed zucchini/mushroom/milk liquid over top. Mix it all together then cover with the lid and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Add Parmesan and bake uncovered for another 20-25 mins

After 20 minutes, remove the lid and add a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese over top and continue baking without the lid for another 20-25 minutes, or until the liquid has been absorbed and the top is slightly golden brown. Once it’s done, take it out of the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes for any remaining liquid to absorb before serving. When dishing it out, add another sprinkle of Parmesan cheese before serving. Enjoy!

Summarized Recipe:

Sausage Mushroom Zucchini Tian (kinda like a risotto but easier)

Ingredients:

*You will need an oven-proof pot or dutch oven with a lid – I used a 5 1/4 quart dutch oven.

1.5kg zucchinis (roughly 6 large ones)
500g portobello mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
Roughly 1/2 a cup of milk (amount will vary depending on how much liquid is released from your zucchini and mushrooms)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium brown onions, diced
3 Tbsps all purpose flour
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated + extra for sprinkling
Salt & pepper to taste
3/4 cup medium grain rice (I use arborio/risotto rice, but any medium grain will do)
300-400g kielbasa (Polish sausage), diced
- You can use any protein you like (ie. sausage, ground beef, shredded rotisserie chicken…etc.), but make sure your protein is cooked, dry, and doesn’t add any extra liquid or else it’ll throw off the liquid ratio to cook the rice.

Directions:

Prepare the zucchini: Cut the fibrous ends off the zucchinis and grate each one using a large hole grater (this is a whole lot quicker if you have a food processor with a grating function). Place a colander over a bowl and put the grated zucchini into the colander with 3 tsps of salt. Use your hands and massage the salt through the zucchini, making sure its mixed well. Set aside for 1 hour, allowing the liquid from the zucchini to release and collect in the bowl below. After 1 hour, squeeze out as much zucchini liquid as you can and save this liquid. Rinse the grated zucchini under cold water to remove any excess salt and squeeze until dry and set aside (do not save this liquid).
Cook the mushrooms: While you’re waiting for the zucchini to release its liquid, cook the mushrooms: in a large pan on MED-HIGH heat, add a drizzle of oil and sauté the mushrooms until cooked (4-5 minutes). Place the cooked mushrooms in a strainer and reserve any liquid.
Prepare the liquid: Measure out the amount of collected zucchini liquid from step 2 and add in the released liquid from the mushrooms in step 3 until it makes 3.75 cups. If the combined liquid is not enough to make up 3.75 cups, then add enough milk to make up the rest of the amount. Pour the liquid into a saucepan and heat it up on the stove until warmed. Do NOT let it come to a boil, otherwise it may split. Only heat it up until warmed. Keep on LOW heat until ready to use.
Preheat the oven to 220C/425F.
In an oven-safe pot or dutch oven (make sure there’s a lid) on MED-HIGH heat, add a drizzle of oil and sauté the garlic and onion together for 3-4 minutes until the onion turns translucent. Then add in the grated zucchini and continue to sauté for another 5-6 minutes.
Add in the cooked mushrooms and 3 Tbsps of flour to the pan and continue mixing for 2 more minutes until everything is well combined then turn off the heat.
Mix in the Parmesan cheese, rice, and kielbasa (or your choice of cooked protein).
Pour in the warmed zucchini/mushroom/milk liquid over top. Mix it all together then cover with the lid and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, remove the lid and add a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese over top and continue baking without the lid for another 20-25 minutes, or until the liquid has been absorbed and the top is slightly golden brown. Once it’s done, take it out of the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes for any remaining liquid to absorb before serving. When dishing it out, add another sprinkle of Parmesan cheese before serving. Enjoy!

February 28, 2024February 28, 2024

AbbyLeave a comment

Easy Balsamic Vinaigrette

Date Published: July 4th, 2020 | Last Updated: July 4th, 2020
Author: Abby |Category: sauces/dips
Serves: enough for 4 big salads | Prep time: 5mins | Cook time: 30 seconds

Jump to recipe | Watch the video

Since moving onto Toby’s parents’ family farm a couple months ago, we’ve been cooking nearly everyday. They have an amazing small greenhouse here that has been booming with lettuce. As a result, we’ve been making salads nearly everyday! I usually don’t make much salad as part of our normal meals because I find it hard to keep fresh for long enough in the fridge and I also find it hard to pack for lunch and dinners when you have to keep the dressing separate (but maybe that’s just an excuse). Now that we have so much time off, I actually quite enjoy experimenting with different salads and toppings.

This balsamic vinaigrette is my go-to salad dressing. It’s super easy and comes together very quickly. The only real effort you need to put in is to mince a garlic clove (unless you’ve got a garlic crusher). The rest of the work is just to mix it all together which takes less than 30 seconds. The beauty of this recipe is that you probably have nearly all the ingredients at home already and you can tweak it to your liking depending on what kind of salad you’re making (ie. if you have sweeter ingredients in your salad like fruit, you can increase the amount of vinegar to offset the sweetness and vice versa if you have saltier or sour ingredients, you can increase the amount of honey). You can also make this dressing as fancy as you like by whisking in other ingredients (ie. crushed raspberries). My favourite variation is to mix in a tablespoon of softened goat cheese. 🙂

Anyways, without further ado, here’s the recipe! You can watch the video below to guide you through the recipe. If you have any comments or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section! You can follow me on instagram, youtube and facebook to see all the recipes I post!

Happy cooking!

Ingredients you’ll need:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
1 clove garlic, minced
salt & pepper to taste

Remember, this is enough dressing for 4 big salads. If you’re making small side salads, I’d recommend halving the recipe.

Directions:

In a bowl, whisk together all the ingredients together until combined. Done!

Drizzle over your favourite salad. You may not need the full amount depending on how big your salad is. Taste as you mix until it’s enough. As mentioned above, you can tweak any of the ingredients to suit the flavours of your salad to make it more sweet, sour or salty.

Watch the Video Tutorial!

Summarized Recipe:

Easy Balsamic Vinaigrette

Date Published: July 4th, 2020 | Last Updated: July 4th, 2020
Author: Abby |Category: sauces/dips
Serves: 4 big salads | Prep time: 5mins | Cook time: 30 seconds

Ingredients:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
1 clove garlic, minced
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

In a bowl, whisk together all the ingredients together until combined. Done!

July 4, 2020July 4, 2020

Abby1 Comment