Some delicious recipes for both Isolation and Mothers day

I have hand picked a few simple but comforting recipes from my cookbooks and classes.

A little Mothers day gift and a little help and gentle

cuddle to all of us in isolation.

Love Nellie & the Relish Mama team x

My Nana’s best ever pumpkin soup

What I have changed from my Nana’s original recipe is that I roast the pumpkin, onion and garlic in the oven. Nana used to

cook these ingredients down on the stove top and stir continuously until softened, before

adding the liquid. Maybe I am just lazy and am avoiding the continuous stirring, but I like

to call it ‘generational efficiency’.

We are unable to visit this gorgeous lady whilst we are in lockdown but we speak

each week on the phone and she is as beautiful as ever.

Serves 4-6

1 x 2kg whole butternut pumpkin

1 red onion, sliced length ways

2 garlic cloves, skin on

Olive oil, for drizzling

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Pinch of chilli flakes

Sea salt

1 litre chicken stock

1cm piece ginger, freshly grated

250ml single (pouring) cream

1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup

To serve

Single cream

Preheat oven to 220°C.

Cut the pumpkin in half length ways and scoop out the seeds. Place the onion slices on a baking tray and place the pumpkin on top, cut-side up. Place the garlic on the tray and drizzle all ingredients with a little oil and sprinkle with cumin, chilli flakes and sea salt. Bake for 55–60 minutes or until the pumpkin is just soft and starting to brown.

When cooked, scoop the pumpkin out of the skin into a blender or food processor and add the onion slices. Squeeze the garlic out of the skins (using your finger tips) and into the blender. Add 250ml of the chicken stock and blend until smooth.

Pour the mixture into a saucepan, add remaining stock, ginger, cream and honey. Place over medium heat until soup is heated through. Serve with cream.

Tip: A lovely addition to this soup is serving it topped with toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

Dukkah crusted lamb cutlets with

pomegranate molassesThese are a winner every single time.

Serves 8 as a canapé / starter

1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses

1 tablespoon honey

8 small lamb cutlets, well trimmed

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons dukkah

Yoghurt dressing

½ cup natural or Greek yoghurt

¼ cup tahini paste

Juice of ½ lemon

Sea salt

Whisk pomegranate molasses and honey in small bowl and set aside.

To make the yoghurt dressing, mix together the yoghurt with 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice as well as ¼ cup tahini paste.

Season lamb well with salt and olive oil while your barbecue grill is reaching optimum temperature. You are looking for direct heat (all burners are on).

Once ready to grill, place cutlets on barbecue and cook for 2 minutes on each side (total 4 minutes). This a delicate cut of meat so following the timing above will ensure medium rare.

Transfer lamb to a plate and very loosely cover with foil to rest and keep warm for just 1-2 minutes. Holding each cutlet by bone end, dip both sides of meat in dukkah to coat and transfer to platter. Drizzle pomegranate mixture over cutlets and serve and dollop on the tahini yoghurt.

Ensure you have a little of the minty or tahini yoghurt ready to go in your fridge.

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Heat the oil, over medium heat, in a large, heavy based pan that is also oven-proof. Cook the chicken for a couple of minutes, each side & transfer to a plate.

Add the ground spices and stir for approx. 2 minutes. Add the mustard seeds and stir for a further 2 minutes. Add the onion and stir for a couple more minutes, ensuring the spices do not burn. Add the vinegar and wine and allow to cook for a minute or two. Add the cous cous and stock and stir to combine. Remove from the heat.

Place chicken neatly in the same pan, along with any pan juices. Place the garlic and lemon zest in the pan, along with lemon juice. Season well with salt and pepper. Place a lid on or cover with a double sheet of foil. Transfer to the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes. Allow to sit for a few minutes before serving in the same pan.

Serve with additional herbs and either tahini or minty yoghurt.

50ml olive oil

4 chicken breasts, halved, through the

centre to make 8 thinner pieces

2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 heaped teaspoon brown mustard seeds

1 brown onion, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon Sherry vinegar

100ml white wine

¼ bunch flat leaf parsley (or use tarragon),

leaves picked, washed and roughly

chopped (plus extra to serve)

200g pearl cous cous

1 litre chicken stock

1 head of garlic, skin left on and halved

through the centre

Zest & juice of 1 lemon

Minty or tahini yoghurt, to serve

You just have to love a one-pot dinner. This one is a cracker.

Serves 4

One pan chicken with pearl cous cous

1 x 400ml can coconut milk

2 tablespoons red curry paste

700g peeled, deseeded pumpkin,

cut in to 3cm chunks

100g fresh or frozen peas

2 tomatoes, each cut into eighths

100g baby spinach leaves

1 teaspoon brown sugar

2 teaspoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

To serve

2 tablespoons chopped basil or coriander

Jasmine rice

Heat a wok or large saucepan over a medium heat. Pour in half the coconut milk and allow to simmer for 5–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it is reduced and thick. Add the curry paste and cook, stirring for 2 minutes or until fragrant.

Add the remaining coconut milk and stir to combine. Bring to the boil then add the pumpkin. Pour in water as needed, so that the pumpkin is barely covered, then return to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender.

Add the peas and tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes if the peas are fresh and only 5 minutes if the peas are frozen. Add the baby spinach, sugar, fish sauce and lime juice, and stir until the spinach has wilted. Serve with the basil and steamed rice.

Tip: For extra protein, add cubes of tofu with the pumpkin.

This is a delicious and satisfying vegetarian curry and a great dish to

whip up on ‘Meatless Mondays’.

Serves 4–6

Pumpkin & peas in a light coconut curry

My very best falafelsServes 4-8

Just a week before lockdown, I had the pleasure of teaching my Moroccan and Middle Eastern class to the lovely guests

who joined us.

One of the recipes that I particularly love to teach in this class are these falafels.

One of the main worries and complaints about homemade falafel is the problem that they either lose their shape, break into pieces or disintegrate completely during cooking.Falafel disaster is a real concern to a lot of people and sadly, it’s keeping many from cooking falafel at home. A few things to remember and you are on your way to

falafel perfection:

Do NOT use canned chickpeas for homemade falafel. To make perfect falafel, start with quality (organic) dried chickpeas, soak them overnight, drain, process and shape. You use them as is – You do not worry about cooking the chickpeas, simply process and use. They’ll hydrate overnight and once processed

properly, they’ll cook beautifully in the oil all while retaining their shape and texture. You’ll not only save time, you’ll get much more nicely textured, pliable and spongy yet crunchy falafel balls. The major

secret to great falafel is to not overly process the chickpeas. Canned chickpeas have been cooked, processed and brined which makes for an undesirable texture for falafel. Rehydrated, uncooked

chickpeas on the other hand? There’s your key to falafel fame!

To make the green tahini dressing, place all ingredients (except for the water) into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add some or all of the water, if needed for consistency. Add water until the mixture becomes a sauce-like consistency.

Green tahini yoghurt dressing

1/2 cup of baby spinach

4 tablespoons of fresh dill

1/3 cup of tahini

1/2 cup of Greek yoghurt

1 clove of garlic

1 lemon, juiced

1 tablespoon of honey or maple syrup

1 tablespoon of Chardonnay vinegar

½ cup of water

300 grams chickpeas, soaked overnight in

plenty of cold water

1 medium onion finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped or crushed

with a garlic crusher

2 long red chillies, seeds removed & finely

chopped

1 large handful of parsley – leaves picked

1 large handful of coriander – leaves picked

1-teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1-teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon sweet smoked paprika

2 tablespoons of sesame seeds

2 eggs, whites only

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

Zest of 1 lemon

Oil for frying

To serve

Green tahini yoghurt dressing

Place the chickpeas in a bowl, cover with plenty of water and leave to soak overnight. Drain in a colander.

To make the falafel, use a food processor and blitz the onion, garlic, chilli and herbs until finely chopped. Add the chickpeas and whiz to a coarse texture, similar to couscous. Transfer to a bowl and add the baking powder, spices, sesame seeds, egg whites, sea salt, pepper and lemon zest. Mix together.

Using 2 tablespoons, shape falafel mixture into 20 portions or simply use your hands.

Heat oil for deep frying into a large saucepan or deep fryer and heat to 170°C. To test, drop a cube of bread into the oil and if it is golden in 20 seconds, you are ready to cook your falafels. If the oil is not hot enough, the falafels will break apart. Fry the falafels no more than six at a time for about 3-4 minutes per batch or until golden brown on all surfaces.

Leave falafel to drain for about a minute on a cooling rack or paper towel.

Serve with green tahini yoghurt dressing.

Preheat the oven to 170°C fan forced or 190°C conventional. Lightly grease friand moulds.

Whisk the egg whites for 10 seconds to lightly combine. Add the butter and almond meal and icing sugar and flour and beat very lightly, to combine.

Pour into prepared moulds or pans, filling each hole two-thirds full.

Place 2-3 raspberries on top of each friend and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool in the moulds for 15 minutes before cooling on a wire rack.

Dust with icing sugar.

5 free range eggs, separated

150g unsalted butter, melted and cooled

90g ground almonds / almond meal

185g icing sugar, sifted plus extra for dust-

ing

50g plain flour, sifted

125g raspberries (fresh or frozen)

Friands are fantastic for being so quick and easy to make. The key is remembering that

friands should be moist.

Makes 9

Raspberry friands

Fruits

3 peaches, halved and seeds removed

3 nectarines, halved and seeds removed

3 Royal Gala apples, peeled and sliced into

large wedges

3 Beurre Bosc pears, unpeeled and sliced into

large wedges

150g melted butter

1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped

150g icing sugar

Syrup

150g caster sugar

1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped

Pinch of ground nutmeg

Pinch of ground cloves

150ml water

Zest of 1 lemon

For the labne, line a mesh strainer with a piece of muslin or a clean cloth and set over a large bowl. Place the yoghurt in a bowl and then mix in the honey. Place the combined yoghurt and honey into the muslin or cloth, then gather the cloth up around the yoghurt and secure it tightly with string or a rubber band. Place in fridge and allow to drain for at least 12 hours (but preferably 24 hours) until thickened and creamy. Remove labne from cloth and discard the liquid left in the bowl.

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Place the butter in a medium sized saucepan. Cut the vanilla bean through the centre length ways, without cutting all the way through. Scrape the seeds of the vanilla bean and add to the butter in the pan, as well as the remaining vanilla pod. Melt the butter over a low heat.

Place the fruit in a large baking dish. Pour the melted butter and vanilla over the top of the fruits and gently mix to evenly coat. Roast in the oven for approximately 25 minutes or until tender and golden in colour. Stir once during the cooking time.

Roasted fruits with honeyed labne yoghurt

A great way to highlight the fruits of the season. Since your local cafe is closed, why

not make this for mothers day brunch?

Serves 6

For the syrup, place all the ingredients in a small saucepan. Stir over a medium heat to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking for a further 5 minutes. Chill until needed – it will keep for 3–4 days.

To serve, place the fruits onto the serving plate, drizzle with some of the spice syrup and dust with icing sugar. Serve with labne and chopped pistachios or roasted almonds on top.

Tip: Alternative savoury serving optionsThese roasted fruits are also wonderful served with meat. You can gently heat any leftover fruits in a saucepan with a splash of red wine vinegar and serve with your meats. They are also absolutely fabulous served as part of a cheese board. In autumn, the addition of roasted figs and plums is truly lovely.

Leftover labne lasts for up to 1 week in the fridge.

Honeyed labne

(Start this the day before or you may

simply serve with your choice of yoghurt

instead.)

1kg natural or Greek yoghurt (full fat and

preferably organic)

½ cup honey

To serve

Chopped pistachios or chopped

roasted almonds

Icing sugar, for dusting

Roasted fruits with honeyed labne yoghurt

continued...

Preheat oven to 160°C (fan forced). Line the base a loaf tin (I use a 21.5 x 11.5cm tin) with baking paper and then butter and flour the sides.

Cream the butter, sugar and lemon zest, using an electric mixer, until pale in colour and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and combine well. Add the juice of 1 lemon and gently fold through the sifted flour and baking powder.

Place the batter in the lined loaf tin and bake in the preheated oven for approximately 35 minutes or until golden and a cake skewer comes out clean.

During the last few minutes of cooking time, place the additional sugar with the juice of the remaining lemon in a saucepan and stir until the sugar dissolves. Pour this over the hot cake and then allow the cake to cool completely before slicing and serving.

Tip: This cake will keep well in an airtight container for several days, but trust me, it is pretty unlikely to even make it into the container.

190g butter, softened

150g caster sugar

Zest and juice of 2 lemons

3 free-range eggs

190g plain flour, sifted

1 teaspoon baking powder

100g caster sugar (additional)

I made this simple and elegant (not to mention, easy) teacake for our daughter

Grace many years back. We enjoyed this on an evening when she took my breath away with not only how beautiful she looked but

also how she composed herself. They are growing up so fast, our girls, this is for sure. This is a cake I think of with immense love, as the memory that goes with it – the very

moment I first caught a glimpse of my darling Grace on that special evening – is

very dear to me.

Lemon teacake

Gift Vouchers While the cooking school is shut down for the short term, you can still by gift vouchers online which are great for Mothers day, birthdays, anniversaries or anything else that you need to celebrate. The vouchers are valid for 3 years . . . so you’ve got plenty of time to self-isolate, change the world in the process and reward yourself when you

get out of your home/bunker.

We also have vouchers for our delicious ready made meals. So, if you choose to ignore all of these recipes, it’s not the end of the world and we will still feed you.

Visit: https://relishmama.com.au/gift-voucher/

Ready-made Meals Let us nourish you. Now more than ever, we’d love to cook you dinner.

Relish Mama can still come to you (well our meas can anyway). Home cooked meals delivered to your door (Melbourne metro).

Visit: https://relishmama.com.au/homemade-ready-made-meals/

The Blog This special place celebrates cooking, and aspires to help you cook, nourish & share

(it’s what is all encompassing at Relish Mama). This is my space to share recipes for everyday meals and experiences.

Visit: https://relishmama.com.au/blog/

Cookbooks No time like the present to get your cooking game on.

We can post our books direct to you.

Visit: https://relishmama.com.au/the-relish-mama-cookbooks/

We’re stil l here... right now and when al l of this is over