Keep the family warm, healthy and happy with this creamy fruity carrot soup topped with chopped parsley and pink peppercorns. Adding fresh orange juice to the soup to bring out the sweetness of carrots. I also added some white beans because they make the soup even creamier and richer when blended! Next time I will for sure add a few pinches of chilli flakes for some extra heat.

2 tbsp Olive oil 400 g Carrots, peeled and chopped 2 Garlic cloves, sliced 250 g Cooked white beans 1 tsp Fresh ginger, grated 1 tsp Curry powder 650 ml Chicken broth 100 ml Freshly squeezed orange juice 100 g Crème fraîche Sea salt Cayenne pepper powder 2 tbap Fresh parsley, choped (for topping) 1/2 tsp Pink peppercorns (for topping), optional Extra-virgin olive oil

1. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add in olive oil. Cook chopped carrots and sliced garlic, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until just soft.
2. Add in white beans, grated ginger, and curry powder. Stir briefly. Pour in broth and freshly squeezed orange juice. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 20 minutes or until carrot is tender.
3. Use a stick blender to puree until smooth. Stir in crème fraîche and season with salt and cayenne pepper.
4. Ladle into serving bowls, then scatter with chopped parsley and pink peppercorns if using. Drizzle with a little olive oil and serve immediately.

The blend of Belgian endive (aka chicory or witloof), fresh herbs, red chilli pepper and roasted pecans makes a colourful and refreshing salad. I would have added some pomegranate seeds for the colour and sweetness if I had some.
Belgian endive tastes juicy, tender, crisp with subtle bitterness which is beautifully offset by sweetness from honey in dressing. If you like, use walnut oil in the dressing and crumble some blue cheese over the salad.

3 Belgian endives 25 g Whole grain Dijon mustard 25 g Clear honey 25 g White Balsamic vinegar 50 ml Extra-virgin olive oil Sea salt and white pepper to taste Fresh herbs (savory, arugula, parsley, or chives) 1 tbsp Fresh red chillip pepper, finely chopped Pecans, toasted, optional

1. Cut the bottoms off of endives and discard any withered outer leaves. Separate the leaves and wash in cold water. Spin or pat the leaves dry.
2. Whisk the Dijon mustard, honey and white Balsamic vinegar in a mixing bowl. Slowly drizzle the olive oil into the mixture as you whisk to emulsify. Season with sea salt and white pepper to taste.
3. Drizzle half of the dressing with endive leaves. Toss gently and pile them on a large platter or divide them into two dinner plates. Sprinkle the chopped herbs, chilli pepper and pecans, if using, over. Serve immediately.

To yield the best result, use a Dutch-Oven with a tight-fitting lid. If you don’t have one, use an oven-proof, heavy duty pot with a lid. Baking the bread with a lid on traps steam inside the pot, creating the perfectly crispy crust. The bread is best eaten the day it is baked but can be wrapped in aluminum foil and stored in a cool, dry place for up to 3 days.

No Knead Craisin Pecan Bread

adapted from taste of home

300 g Organic bread flour 200 g Whole spelt berries, finely milled plus additional for dusting work surface 30 g Coconut sugar 10 g Fresh yeast, crumbled 1 tsp Ground cardamom (or cinnamon) 1 tsp Black salt 80 g Craisins 80 g Pecans, toasted and roughly chopped 480 ml Water (21C-24C / 70F-75F)

1. In a large bowl, whisk bread flour, whole spelt flour, coconut sugar, yeast, cardamom and salt. Stir in craisins and pecans. Add water to form a moist, shaggy dough. Do not knead. Cover and let rise in a cool place until bubbly and doubled, 7-8 hours. I left the dough, covered with a plastic film, in the fridge for 16 hours and 4 hours on my kitchen counter at room-temperature.
2. Preheat oven to 230C/450F. Place a Dutch oven with lid onto center rack and heat for at least 30 minutes. Once Dutch oven is heated, turn the dough onto a generously floured surface. Using a dough scraper, quickly shape into a round loaf. Gently place on top of a piece of parchment.
3. Using a sharp knife, make a 1/4 in. deep slash across top of loaf. Using the parchment, immediately lower bread into heated Dutch oven. Cover and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake until loaf is deep golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped, 20-30 minutes longer, partially covering if browning too much. Remove loaf from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

For a savoury snack or breakfast that's delicious, nutritious, and quick and easy to make, these spinach muffins with goat's cheese really hit the spot. They pair perfectly with soup or salad. For an extra flavour kick, add 1-2 finely chopped chillies (green or red) together with crumbled cheese. Instead of goat's cheese, you can use other cheese made with sheep's milk, for example, real Feta or even Roquefort.

40 g Bacon fat (or butter) 185 ml Full fat milk 100 g Baby spinach leaves 250 g White spelt lour 1 tbsp Baking powder 1/2 tsp Baking soda 1/4 tsp Black salt 50 g Finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 2 Small eggs 2 tsp Dijon wholegrain mustard 150 g Soft goat's cheese (plain or herb flavoured) 6 Cherry tomatoes

1. Preheat oven to 190C/375F. Lightly grease 6 holes of a jumbo muffin pan or 10 holes of a regular one.
2. Heat bacon fat or butter and milk in a pan over medium heat. Add the spinach and stir for 1 minute until wilted. Remove from heat, cool slightly, then blend until almost smooth.
3. Sift spelt flour, baking powder, baking soda and black salt into a large bowl. Add grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, eggs, wholegrain mustard and spinach mixture.
4. Crumble in goat's cheese, then mix gently until just combined. Divide the mixture among 6 muffin holes. Prick tomatoes several times, then place one in the centre of each muffin.
5. Bake for 22 minutes for jumbo pan, and 16 minutes for regular, or until muffins are risen and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Turn out onto a rack to cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Tender, juicy and full of flavour, a leg of lamb is an extremely versatile and budget cut of meat that’s great for feeding a crowd. I personally like bone-in because of its intense lamb flavour, but you can use boneless if you prefer. You can use boneless leg if you prefer. Try not to overcook this lean meat or it will get tough and dry. To ensure a leg of lamb cooks evenly, you want to remove it from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for two hours before cooking.
Herbs de Provence, a staple in French and Mediterranean cooking, is an aromatic mixture of dried Provençal herbs and spices, which traditionally includes thyme, basil, rosemary, tarragon, savory, marjoram, oregano, and bay leaf. If you don't have this spice blend on hand, you can easily make your own.

5 Garlic cloves, finely chopped 3 tbsp Herbes de Provence 2 tbsp Dijon wholegrain mustard 3 tbsp Olive oil Salt and pepper to taste 1 New Zealand grass-fed leg of lamb, bone-in, about 1.5kg 1 cup Homemade beef broth 500 g Potatoes, cut into bite size chunks Lamb's lettuce Red cabbage salad

1. Combine chopped garlic cloves, herbs de Provence, mustard and olive oil together in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Score lamb leg with a sharp knife and place it in a roasting pan. Generously spread the herb mixture, reserving 1 tablespoon for the potatoes, all over the leg of lamb. Cover, and refrigerate for overnight.
3. Two hours or so before you plan to roast the lamb, remove it from the fridge so that it can warm to room temperature.
4. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F. Add the broth to the roasting pan. Roast the lamb in the middle of the oven for about 55-60 minutes for medium or until internal temperature registers 60C/140F when an instant read thermometer is inserted into the center of the thickest part of the meat. Roast for 10 more minutes if you want it medium-well. Toss the potatoes with the reserved marinade and add into the roasting pan after 15 minutes.
5. Remove the meat from the oven and loosely tent with foil. Allow it to rest for 15 minutes. This helps the juices redistribute throughout the meat instead of over the cutting board. Slice and serve with roasted potatoes and lamb's lettuce or red cabbage salad.