"It’s difficult to find the inspiration, day after day, to put a nutritious dinner on the table (and lunchboxes are a whole other thing). It’s confusing hearing conflicting information at every turn. It’s exhausting (and triggering) to cook for picky eaters. And keeping the right balance when faced with allergies or intolerances is a grind.
"In short, the task of successfully nourishing your tribe, with limited time and money and often with your own tank running near empty, is a lot. It can be overwhelming."
Winter, who is New Zealand’s best-selling cookbook author, set out to write a cookbook that would help everyone, but especially families, to thrive.
"It made me think — if I’m struggling, and I’m a weapon in the kitchen, with a fair amount of understanding about creating wholesome food, then how the hell is everyone else managing it?"
She hopes her new book Nourish will help families with the constant dilemma of what to cook or bake and feel good about what they have created.
Some of her "classics" from her previous books — she is on to her eighth — have been re-imagined to align with more of a wellbeing focus. In this book she has included meat, eggs, dairy and fish, a departure from her last plant-based cookbook.
Moderation is essentially the key and ultimately the less processed food people eat the better.
"Home-made and natural is where it’s at — and now I’ve become very clever about that.
"Simple ingredient swaps, like using spelt flour instead of bleached white flour, make a difference. Subbing out cane sugar makes a difference."
She has also included, along with chapters for lunches, snacks and celebrations, a section on home remedies that can be made with a few kitchen staples from wellness shots to gut-loving gummies and another section on ingredients she celebrates such as fermented foods, bone broths and organic and unrefined foods and products.
The book
Extracted from Nourish by Chelsea Winter. Photography © Tamara West. RRP$49.99.Published by Allen & Unwin NZ.
Wild venison madras
I can’t believe it took me this long to include a venison recipe in one of my books! *hangs head in shame* If you, like me, know a hunter (or four) and have access to incredible wild venison, you’ve probably wondered what you can do with it. Well, rejoice because this gorgeously spiced, slow-cooked version of a madras is an absolute knockout. Venison’s a rich, lean and iron-packed meat that holds up beautifully to the aromatic spices and slow-simmered sauce, creating a hearty, nourishing curry that’s so good most people won’t even realise it’s not beef (if you’re worried about that). Served with fluffy rice or millet, steamed greens and a cooling dollop of yoghurt, it’s about as satisfying as a meal can get.
Serves 6-8
Prep time 20 min
Cook time 3 hr 15 min
Suitable for GF/DF/EF/NF
Ingredients
¼ cup refined (flavourless) coconut oil
1.2kg stewing venison, sinew removed, cut into 5cm chunks
2 cups beef, chicken or vegetable stock
2 onions, finely diced
6 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
1 Tbsp ginger, minced or finely grated
madras spice paste (see below)
1 Tbsp coconut sugar
¼ cup tomato paste
400g can chopped tomatoes in juice
1½ tsp sea salt
4 curry leaves (optional)
½ cup full-fat coconut cream
1 Tbsp garam masala
zest and juice of 1 lemon, or 2 wedges preserved lemon, finely diced
Madras spice paste
2 Tbsp cumin seeds
2 Tbsp coriander seeds
10 whole black peppercorns (or ½ tsp fine black pepper)
2 Tbsp mild smoked paprika
1 Tbsp ground turmeric
½ tsp mixed spice
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp lemon or lime juice
1 green chilli, deseeded, chopped roughly (use red for spicier)
½ packed cup chopped fresh coriander
½ packed cup chopped roasted capsicums (look for one without seed oils)
To serve
cooked rice or millet
steamed greens (e.g. broccoli or green beans)
natural yoghurt or coconut yoghurt (or another dollop of coconut cream and a squeeze of lemon)
chopped fresh coriander
green chillies, finely sliced (optional)
Method
Preheat the oven to 150°C regular bake.
Prepare the madras spice paste by toasting the cumin seeds, coriander seeds and peppercorns (if using) in a dry pan over a medium heat, giving the pan a few shakes until the spices are fragrant (2-3 min).
Transfer to either a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle, and crush (or sandwich the spices between two paper towels and smash with a rolling pin). Add, along with the remaining paste ingredients, to a mini food processor and blitz until a smooth-ish paste forms. Set aside.
Add 2 Tbsp of oil to a heavy-based casserole dish or dutch oven over a medium heat (or use a large pan and transfer it all to a casserole dish later). Add enough venison to cover the base of the pan without being overcrowded — you’ll need to do it in 2-3 batches depending on how large your pan is. Sear the meat on both sides, then transfer to a bowl.
Add ½ cup of stock to the pan and stir to deglaze all the cooked-on bits, then tip it into the bowl of meat.
Return the pan to the heat and reduce to medium-low. Add the remaining oil and saute the onions for 4 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and madras spice paste and saute for another 3-4 min, stirring constantly. Add a little stock if it begins to stick.
Using a slotted spoon, lift the venison out of the bowl and return it to the pan, gently mixing to ensure the meat is thoroughly coated with the aromatics.
Add the coconut sugar, tomato paste, tomatoes, stock (including the stock in the meat bowl), salt and curry leaves (if using). Stir and cover with a lid.
Place in the oven and cook for 1.5 hours. At the 1.5-hour mark, remove from the oven and stir through the coconut cream, then cover again and return to the oven for another 1.5 hours. Remove from the oven and stir through the garam masala, and lemon zest and juice/preserved lemon.
Season to your liking and serve hot with rice or millet, steamed greens and a generous dollop of yoghurt and chopped coriander. Add thinly sliced green chilli if you like (not for children).
TIPS & SWAPS
• Use a trimmed stewing beef (like chuck) in place of the venison.
• If your family loves hot curries, add ½ tsp chilli powder to the madras spice paste
Savoury muffins
These are so filled with goodness, it’s nearly a meal in a muffin. I’m very picky when it comes to savoury muffins; they’re not something I’ll generally order when out and about because I like them (need them) to be a certain way. Lightish, not stodgy or crumbly. Moist (obviously, I had to use that word somewhere in this book!) but not soggy. And with the right balance of flavours. These ones are loaded with veges and fresh herbs, and the dollop of tomato relish on top is a final little savoury taste explosion that makes them look a million bucks, too.
Makes 6 Texas-sized or 12 regular muffins
Prep time 20 min
Cook time 30 min
Suitable for DF/NF/VG
Muffins
1 packed cup grated zucchini
2 cups white spelt flour
⅓ cup hemp seeds
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder (or 1 clove garlic, crushed)
½ tsp baking soda
1¼ tsp salt
½ tsp fine black pepper
¾ cup unsweetened milk of your choice
2 free-range eggs
½ cup melted butter (or ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil)
3 Tbsp tomato relish, pesto, or zucchini pickle, plus extra for topping
1 Tbsp lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar)
1 packed cup grated carrot (or orange kūmara)
1 cup finely chopped rocket or kale
1 cup grated cheddar cheese or crumbled feta (dairy free if preferred), plus extra for topping
¼ cup finely chopped fresh chives, coriander or parsley (or a mixture)
Topping
extra relish/pesto/pickle
½ onion, finely sliced, tossed in a little olive oil
3 Tbsp pumpkin/sunflower seeds, coriander seeds or hemp seeds
Method
Preheat the oven to 190°C regular bake and line a 6- or 12-hole muffin tray with cases (or grease with coconut oil/butter and dust lightly with flour).
Add the zucchini to a small bowl with a large pinch of salt, toss to combine and leave for 5 min. Before using, squeeze all the excess liquid out of the zucchini.
Measure the flour, hemp seeds, baking powder, paprika, onion and garlic powders, baking soda, salt and pepper into a large mixing bowl. Stir with a whisk to combine.
In a smaller bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, melted butter/oil, relish and lemon juice.
Make a well in the dry ingredients. Add the egg mixture and stir to combine evenly.
Add the squeezed zucchini, carrot, kale/rocket, cheese and herbs. Gently fold until it comes together into an evenly combined batter. The mixture will seem very firm, especially if you’ve used oil. Almost like a dough. Don’t worry, this is normal.
Using a ⅓ or ½ cup measure (or scooping/rolling slightly with your hands), fill the muffin holes with the mixture.
Dollop each one with a generous amount of relish, arrange some of the sliced onion over the top and scatter with extra cheese. Sprinkle with your choice of seeds, then finish with a little salt and pepper.
Bake for 35 min for regular muffins, or 40 min for Texas-sized muffins.
Cool in the muffin tray until you can handle them, then transfer to a cooling rack.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple of days. Best reheated the day after and served with a little butter.
TIPS & SWAPS
• You can use cup very finely diced red capsicum in place of some of the other veges if you like.
• If you use a Texas-sized muffin tin, add ¼ tsp xanthan gum to the dry ingredients to give them structure.
• You can use 2 Tbsp ground flaxseed/linseed soaked in 6 tbsp water in place of the eggs
Apple and raspberry breakfast crumble
You know how whenever you make an apple crumble, you tend to want to splash out and eat leftovers for breakfast the next day? And maybe you sometimes do, but you know it’s probably not ideal. Well, I wanted to create a crumble that you actually could eat for breakfast every now and then and feel good about! Instead of being a guilty pleasure, this recipe is a pretty nourishing choice. No refined sugar, and the topping is a powerhouse of nutrients: walnuts provide healthy fats and antioxidants, beloved hemp seeds offer plant-based protein and essential fatty acids; pumpkin seeds are rich in magnesium and zinc, and dates add natural sweetness along with fibre and potassium. And that’s not even mentioning the fruit! The crumble can be made the night before and simply reheated in a flash for the morning.
Serves 6
Prep time 20min
Cook time 45min
Suitable for V/NF
Filling
1kg apples (use a sweet variety)
25g butter, ghee or extra virgin coconut oil
2 Tbsp pure maple syrup or 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
pinch salt
2 Tbsp custard powder or cornflour
400g can peach slices in fruit juice, drained
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
zest of 1 lemon
Topping
¾ cup walnuts (see tip for nut free)
¾ cup pitted dates, finely chopped
¾ cup hemp seeds
½ cup extra virgin coconut oil (solid or soft, doesn’t matter) or 75g softened butter
½ cup pumpkin seeds
⅓ cup ground almond meal (see tip for nut free)
⅓ cup spelt flour
⅓ cup desiccated coconut
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
½ tsp salt
To serve
coconut yoghurt or natural yoghurt
Method
Preheat the oven to 170°C regular bake and have a 20cm baking dish ready.
Peel, core and slice the apples and add to a saucepan with 2 Tbsp water and the butter/ghee/oil, maple syrup/vanilla and salt. Place over a medium heat, cover, and simmer for about 5 minutes until starting to soften, stirring often.
Set aside to cool a little, then stir through the custard powder/cornflour. Transfer to the baking dish. Scatter over the peaches, raspberries and lemon zest.
Add the topping ingredients to a food processor and pulse until you have a coarse sticky crumb. Tip out over the fruit and press gently into an even layer.
Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes to get the top golden brown.
Serve hot, warm or cold with your favourite yoghurt. Store for a few days in the fridge, well covered.
TIPS & SWAPS
• You can use blueberries or any other type of berries in the place of raspberries — even sliced stone fruit in summer — or just use a couple of extra apples.
• You can sub in some sliced pears for apples, too.
• For a nut-free option, replace the walnuts with the same quantity of sunflower seeds, and replace the ground almond meal with extra desiccated coconut and hemp seeds (combined to make cup).
