My Petite Kitchen Cookbook - two recipes for you to try

I have written about this marvellous book earlier and now the publishers have allowed me to reproduce two recipes from the book for your interest:;

Apple and sage pork cassoulet

1 tablespoon ghee, butter or olive oil
6 French shallots, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 large handful of sage leaves
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) organic pork shoulder, cut into 2.5 cm (1 inch) cubes
2 tablespoons plain (all-purpose) brown rice flour (see Note)
185 ml (6 fl oz/3/4 cup) sweet white wine or apple juice
1 litre (35 fl oz/4 cups) Home-made vegetable stock (page 207) or chicken stock (page 206)
2 carrots, chopped
2 apples, skin on, cored and cut into wedges
175 g (6 oz) frozen or shelled fresh peas

This delectable winter meal will leave you feeling warm, comforted and satisfied. The rich, creamy slow-cooked  pork just melts in your mouth, the sage adds an earthy undertone, and the soft sweetness of the apple shines through perfectly.
I love to serve the cassoulet with freshly steamed millet, brown rice or Creamy cauliflower mash (see page 97).
Serves 4

Melt the ghee in a large flameproof casserole dish over medium heat. Add the shallot, garlic and sage and sauté for 10 minutes, or until the shallot is soft and slightly browned.
Add the pork, then sprinkle the flour over. Continue to cook, stirring regularly, for about 10 minutes, until the meat is browned all over.
Stir in the wine, then simmer for about 5 minutes, until it has evaporated.
Add the stock, carrot and apple, then reduce the heat to low.
Simmer, uncovered, for 11/2 hours, or until the meat is tender and the sauce is lovely and thick, adding a little more stock if needed.
Stir in the peas and cook for a further 5–10 minutes, or until the peas are just tender. Serve hot.
NOTE
You could use any flour of your choice — buckwheat, spelt, wholemeal (whole-wheat) and tapioca flour all work well.

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Charred mushrooms with black pepper and cream

2 tablespoons ghee, butter or olive oil
270 g (91/2 oz/3 cups) chopped mushrooms
2 handfuls of roughly chopped cavolo nero
juice of 1/2 lemon
125 ml (4 fl oz/1/2 cup) thin (pouring) cream

Try these delectable mushrooms as a side with eggs for breakfast, on buckwheat toast for lunch, or alongside a delicious organic steak for dinner. I like to mix it up a little and experiment with different types of mushrooms, but you can just use portobello mushrooms if you are unable to get your hands on anything fancier. Any dark leaf greens work well here; instead of cavolo nero, try kale, spinach or silverbeet (Swiss chard).
Serves 3–4 as a side

Melt the ghee in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and slightly charred.
Add the cavolo nero and cook for another minute, or until wilted.
Stir in the lemon juice, cream, a pinch of sea salt and a generous sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper.
Serve immediately.

My Petite Kitchen Cookbook - simple wholefood recipes
Eleanor Ozich
Murdoch Books - Hardback - NZ$45.00