Ingredients

• 2 lbs potatoes
• 1 lb kale or cabbage, shredded
• 2 leeks, sliced
• 4 tbsp butter
• ½ cup milk or cream
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Boil potatoes until tender. Drain and mash with butter and milk.
2. Wilt shredded kale or cabbage in butter, 5 min.
3. Soften sliced leeks in butter until sweet, 8 min.
4. Fold kale and leeks into mash. Season well.
5. Serve with a well of butter in the centre.

Ingredients

• 2 cups dried white beans, soaked overnight
• 1 large bunch kale, chopped
• 2 onions, diced
• 3 carrots, diced
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 cups crushed tomatoes
• Stale bread, torn
• Olive oil, rosemary, salt

Method

1. Cook soaked beans in fresh water until just tender, ~1 hour.
2. Sauté onion, carrot, garlic in olive oil until soft.
3. Add tomatoes and rosemary; cook 15 min.
4. Add beans and kale; simmer 30 min.
5. Stir in torn stale bread; simmer until thick.
6. Rest overnight. Re-heat (ribollita = "re-boiled") for best flavour.

Ingredients

• 4 large beets, grated
• ½ head cabbage, shredded
• 2 carrots, grated
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp cider vinegar
• Fresh dill, salt

Method

1. Sauté onion in oil until soft.
2. Add grated beets and carrots; cook 5 min.
3. Add shredded cabbage and garlic.
4. Cover with 6 cups water or stock; simmer 40 min.
5. Add vinegar to preserve deep colour. Season well.
6. Serve with fresh dill. Add sour cream if available.

Ingredients

• 2 cups dried peas, soaked overnight
• 2 leeks, sliced
• 2 turnips, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• Handful fresh parsley
• Fresh thyme, salt

Method

1. Simmer soaked peas in 6 cups water until soft, ~1 hour.
2. Add diced leeks, turnips, and onion.
3. Cook until all vegetables are tender, 20 min more.
4. Stir in parsley and thyme. Season.
5. Serve thick as a stew or thin with more water as a soup.

Ingredients

• 2 cups green or red lentils
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp coriander
• Olive oil, lemon, parsley, salt

Method

1. Sauté onion and garlic in oil until golden.
2. Add lentils, carrots, spices, and 6 cups water.
3. Simmer 30–40 min until lentils are soft.
4. Finish with a squeeze of lemon and fresh parsley.
5. For a smoother texture, blend half the soup.

Ingredients

• 2 cups dried white beans, soaked overnight
• 4 garlic cloves, whole
• 10 fresh sage leaves
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes
• Generous olive oil, salt, black pepper

Method

1. Cook soaked beans in fresh water until just tender.
2. Warm generous olive oil in a wide pan.
3. Fry garlic and sage until fragrant, 2 min.
4. Add beans and crushed tomatoes.
5. Simmer 20 min until sauce is thick and beans are creamy.
6. Season well. Serve with crusty bread.

Ingredients

• 1 cup green lentils
• ½ cup bulgur wheat or rice
• 3 large onions, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp coriander
• Olive oil, salt

Method

1. Cook lentils in water until just tender, ~25 min. Drain, reserve liquid.
2. Cook bulgur or rice in lentil water until absorbed.
3. Slowly fry onions in generous oil 30–40 min until deeply caramelized and almost crispy.
4. Combine lentils and grain; season with cumin, coriander, salt.
5. Pile caramelized onions on top. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs parsnips, peeled and halved
• ½ cup walnuts or hazelnuts
• 2 leeks, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves
• 4 cups water or stock
• Fresh thyme, olive oil, salt

Method

1. Roast parsnips with oil and thyme at 400°F until caramelized, ~30 min.
2. Toast walnuts in a dry pan until fragrant; set aside.
3. Soften leeks and garlic in oil, 8 min.
4. Add roasted parsnips and stock; simmer 15 min.
5. Blend smooth. Stir in ground walnuts for richness. Season well.

Ingredients

• 2 cups dried split peas, soaked overnight
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 egg (optional — binds for slicing)
• Handful fresh parsley
• Salt, black pepper

Method

1. Boil soaked peas in fresh water until very soft and almost dry, ~1 hour.
2. Drain well. Mash or blend with butter, parsley, salt, and pepper until smooth.
3. Stir in beaten egg if using. Wrap tightly in cloth or press into a bowl.
4. Steam 30 min (with egg) or chill as-is.
5. Serve warm as a thick side dish, or slice cold and pan-fry until golden.

Ingredients

• 1 lb turnip greens (or beet greens, kale)
• 5 garlic cloves, sliced
• Generous olive oil
• Pinch dried chilli (optional)
• Salt
• Crusty bread or cooked white beans to serve

Method

1. Blanch greens in salted boiling water 3 min. Drain; press out water.
2. Heat generous olive oil in a wide pan.
3. Fry garlic (and chilli if using) until just golden, 2 min.
4. Add greens; toss well over high heat 3–4 min.
5. Season. Serve over white beans or with crusty bread to soak up the oil.

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole buckwheat groats
• 2 cups water or stock
• 2 onions, diced
• 2 tbsp butter or oil
• Fresh dill, salt

Method

1. Toast buckwheat in a dry pan, stirring, until nutty and fragrant, ~3 min.
2. Add water or stock; bring to boil, reduce heat, cover.
3. Simmer 12–15 min until all liquid is absorbed. Rest 5 min.
4. Meanwhile sauté onions in butter until golden.
5. Fold onions through kasha; season. Finish with fresh dill.

Ingredients

• 2 cups dried beans, soaked overnight
• 2 cups dried or fresh corn kernels
• 1 medium winter squash, peeled and cubed
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves
• Dried sage, salt

Method

1. Simmer soaked beans in 6 cups water for 1 hour.
2. Add cubed squash, corn, onion, garlic, and sage.
3. Simmer 30 min until squash is tender and stew is thick.
4. Season. Add more water for a thinner broth.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs cabbage, thinly shredded
• 1 tbsp non-iodized salt per 2 lbs cabbage
• Caraway seeds (optional)

Method

1. Shred cabbage finely. Toss with salt.
2. Massage firmly 5–10 min until cabbage releases liquid.
3. Pack tightly into a clean jar, pressing until brine covers cabbage.
4. Weight down to keep submerged. Cover loosely.
5. Ferment at room temperature 1–4 weeks. Taste from day 7.
6. Move to cold storage when tang is right. Keeps months.

Ingredients

• 1 lb small cucumbers
• 1 tbsp non-iodized salt per cup of water
• 4 garlic cloves
• Fresh dill heads and stems
• Optional: horseradish leaf, oak leaf (keeps crunch)

Method

1. Dissolve salt in cold water to make brine.
2. Pack cucumbers into a jar with garlic and dill.
3. Add a horseradish or oak leaf if available — tannins keep pickles crisp.
4. Pour brine over to fully cover. Weight down.
5. Ferment at room temperature 3–7 days. Taste daily.
6. Refrigerate once sour enough. Keeps 3–6 months cold.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs rhubarb stalks, sliced into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup honey or sugar
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated (or ½ tsp dried)
• Juice of 1 lemon (optional — improves set)

Method

1. Toss rhubarb with honey; leave overnight — it draws out the juice naturally.
2. Transfer to a pan with ginger and lemon juice.
3. Bring to a boil, stirring; reduce heat and simmer 20–25 min until thick and jammy.
4. Test set: place a spoonful on a cold plate — it should wrinkle when pushed.
5. Pour into sterilized jars. Seal hot. Keeps 1 year unopened.

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh elderberries (stripped from stems)
• 3 cups water
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3–4 cloves
• 1 cup raw honey

Method

1. Simmer elderberries, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves in water 45 min until reduced by half.
2. Mash berries, then strain through muslin or cheesecloth. Discard solids.
3. Cool liquid below 105°F — heat destroys honey's medicinal properties.
4. Stir in honey until dissolved. Bottle and refrigerate.
5. Take 1 tbsp daily as immune tonic; 1 tbsp every 2–3 hours when ill.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs ripe rose hips
• 6 cups water (split: 4 + 2)
• ¾ cup honey or sugar

Method

1. Trim blossom ends and stems. Chop hips roughly.
2. Boil in 4 cups water for 15 min. Strain through muslin — do not squeeze (fine seed hairs irritate the throat).
3. Return liquid to pan. Add 2 more cups water to pulp, boil again, strain again.
4. Combine both strained liquids. Add honey; simmer 5 min.
5. Bottle hot. Refrigerate after opening.

Ingredients

• 2 cups chestnut flour
• 1½ cups water
• 2 tbsp olive oil + extra for pan
• Pinch of salt
• Handful of walnuts or pine nuts
• Fresh rosemary sprigs
• Handful of raisins (optional)

Method

1. Whisk chestnut flour with water and olive oil until a smooth, thin batter forms. Season with salt.
2. Pour into a well-oiled baking pan (should be about ½ inch deep).
3. Scatter walnuts, rosemary, and raisins across the top.
4. Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 30–35 min until top is cracked and edges pull away.
5. Serve warm or at room temperature. Naturally sweet, earthy, gluten-free.

Ingredients

• 4 cups young nettles or spinach
• 2 medium potatoes, diced
• 1 leek, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves
• 4 cups water or stock
• Salt, butter or cream (optional)

Method

1. If using nettles: harvest young tops with gloves; rinse well.
2. Simmer diced potato and leek in stock for 15 min.
3. Add nettles or spinach and garlic. Cooking destroys nettle sting.
4. Simmer 5 min. Blend until smooth.
5. Season. Finish with a knob of butter or swirl of cream.

Ingredients

• 4 cups fresh sorrel leaves, roughly chopped
• 2 medium potatoes, diced
• 1 leek, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves
• 4 cups water or stock
• Knob of butter, salt

Method

1. Soften leek and garlic in butter, 5 min.
2. Add diced potato and stock; simmer 15 min until potato is tender.
3. Stir in sorrel — it collapses almost instantly and turns olive-green.
4. Simmer 3 min. Blend until smooth.
5. Season. The sorrel provides sharp, lemony acidity — no added acid needed.

Ingredients

• 20 large elderflower heads, shaken to remove insects
• 1 litre water
• 700g honey or sugar
• 2 lemons, sliced (or 2 tsp citric acid)

Method

1. Dissolve honey in hot water; cool to lukewarm.
2. Add elderflower heads and lemon slices. Do not rinse flowers — the pollen carries the flavour.
3. Cover and steep 24–48 hours.
4. Strain through muslin. Bottle in sterilized glass.
5. Dilute 1:10 with cold water to serve. Keeps 4–6 weeks refrigerated; freeze for longer.

Ingredients

• 1 lb asparagus, woody ends snapped off
• 6 eggs
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• Olive oil, salt, black pepper
• Hard cheese to finish (optional)

Method

1. Blanch asparagus 2 min in salted water; drain and cut into 1-inch pieces.
2. Sauté onion and garlic in oil in an oven-safe pan until soft, 8 min.
3. Add asparagus; toss briefly.
4. Beat eggs with salt and pepper; pour over vegetables.
5. Cook on low heat until edges set, ~5 min. Transfer to oven at 375°F; bake 8–10 min until just set in the centre.
6. Grate cheese over top if using. Rest 5 min before slicing.