Luiza recently made Kibe, a popular Brazilian dish, and I was lucky enough to try it. It was absolutely delicious and a lovely opportunity to experience a taste of Brazilian food and learn about a dish I hadn’t tried before.

One of the nicest things about food is how it brings people together and gives us a chance to discover different flavours, traditions and ways of cooking. After enjoying Luiza’s Kibe so much, I asked if she would share her recipe with us so that others could try making it at home too.

Thank you, Luiza, for sharing a little taste of Brazil with us. We hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

INGREDIENTS

• 1kg minced meat
• 500g bulgur wheat

• 2 large onions, finely diced
• 1 bunch fresh mint, finely chopped
• Salt, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste
• 1 pinch za'atar seasoning
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Juice of 1 lime
• Butter, for greasing and baking

METHOD

1. Soak the bulgur wheat in water for at least 3 hours.
2. Drain the bulgur thoroughly. Squeeze out as much excess water as possible using a sieve or clean cloth.
3. In a large bowl, combine the minced meat, bulgur wheat, onions, mint, salt, pepper, za'atar, lemon juice, and lime juice. Mix well until all ingredients are evenly combined.
4. Lightly grease a baking tray with butter, using just enough to coat the base.
5. Transfer the mixture to the tray and spread it evenly, pressing it down to create a smooth, level surface.
6. Using a sharp knife, score the mixture into diamond-shaped portions.
7. Place a small amount of butter (about 1 tablespoon in total, divided between the cuts) over the scored surface.
8. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the meat is fully cooked.
9. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

 
 
Serving Suggestion
Serve warm with a fresh salad (labneh – or strained yoghurt), or a squeeze of lemon juice.

Luiza Verillo
 
Picture source: receiteria.com.br

This smoky harissa peanut butter romesco is so gorgeous and full of flavour. We love it with roasted cauliflower but it's so versatile for sambos, salad bowls and brightens up the simplest of leftovers!
 
Romesco:

• 1 slice stale bread
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1 jar of roasted peppers (maybe 3-4 peppers if you’re roasting yourself)
• 1/2 cup Nutshed Smoky Harissa Peanut Butter
• 1 tsp tomato purée
• Juice of a lemon
• Sea salt & pepper

Cauliflower:

• Fresh herbs (we used mint, coriander, flat parsley)
• Toasted pumpkin seeds

 
Toast your bread in the air fryer or pan to crisp it up and then add all the romesco ingredients to a food processor. Blend into a paste, I like it kept chunky but add a drop of water or oil if you want a smoother paste. Have a taste and adjust the seasoning to your taste, if you roasted peppers fresh you might need a few tablespoons of red wine or cider vinegar but lots jarred peppers contain vinegar already.
 
Chop up your cauli into wedges & toss with some olive oil, keeping the soft inside leaves to add in the last few minutes. Either air fry at 170c for 15-20 mins or roast on a high heat until charred in places.
 
Plate up the romesco, top with your roasted veg, fresh herbs & toasted pumpkin seeds are great here if you have them and finally finish with some extra virgin olive oil
Keep any leftover romesco & smother on eeeeverything
 
nutshed.ie

It's that time of year – but let's elevate it up a bit!

• Fresh cream – raw if you can
• 1 bottle of kefir or a homemade batch of the same
• Frozen pack of strawberries

 
Whizz up the ingredients in a processor and freeze in a tray for another hour.

So simple but gut-healthy and delicious! 

Anne Maher

I make a lot of yoghurt at home and often use it as a marinade. I find it so useful to revive frozen meat I have located in the freezer. Not one to waste there are recipes that help to keep things going!
 
Here is a recipe I am very fond of, not only because it is easy but because it is delicious.
 
While of course you can amplify flavours with a multitude of spices, this is the simple version that works every time.
 
This is how I make it.

• 1 pack of diced lamb
• 1 500g tub natural yoghurt
• 1 tblsp sweet curry spice sonnentor
• 2 onions peeled and sliced.
• 3 blubs garlic grated
• A piece of ginger grated
• Ghee
• Fresh coriander leaves to garnish

 
To serve

• Boiled rice
• Low Carb version: Boiled cauliflower rice.

 
Marinate the lamb in yoghurt overnight. Melt the ghee and sauté the ginger and garlic for a few minutes. Add the onion and sauté until soft and perhaps a little browned. Add in the curry spice and cook for a few minutes. Add in the lamb. Usually, I slow cook for about 4 hours here, but 1.5 hours can do it. Serve with chopped coriander and rice. 

Anne Maher

It is no surprise I am a fan of pancakes. Mostly because they are a way to get maximum nourishment with minimum effort. I’m not talking about the hijacked ultra-processed versions we see once a year in the supermarkets. Here it is a way to mix eggs with something to make a batter and cook it in butter on a pan…

My latest is chicken pancakes. You may be lucky enough to get the organic chicken in recently. One way to use up leftovers (!) is to make these delish snacks.. Ideal as a high protein breakfast… I keep it simple, but you can add any extras you want.
 
Ingredients

• Cooked chicken pieces
• 3 eggs
• A pinch of cayenne pepper

 
Blend until you get a smooth batter. Heat some butter on the pan and pour the batter to shape small pancakes. Cook on one side until set. Turn over and cook on the other side. They will be thick, so it may take a few minutes to cook…  Serve with butter ( of course).
 
Anne Maher

Beef for breakfast? Why not? This hearty and filling dish makes a great breakfast or lunch, and uses ingredients you are likely to have in your pantry and freezer.

It is enjoyed by everyone in our house and extended family.
 
Ingredients

• 500g ground beef
• 6 eggs
• 1 tin of tomato sauce
• 1 yellow onion, finely diced
• 6 small or 3 large potatoes, yukon gold or red, diced into 1/4 inch cubes
• 3/4 cup grated cheese (I used sharp cheddar)
• water
• ghee
• salt and pepper

 
Method
Add 1 tbsp ghee to the pan on medium heat. When ghee is hot, add onion and saute for 3 minutes. Add ground beef. Crumble the beef and stir. Keep stirring and breaking up the beef until it is fully cooked through, about 10 minutes. Add potatoes and stir. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add tomato sauce and mix. Add enough water to almost cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cover. Cook until potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes. Open and boil off some of the liquid if there is too much. When the tomato sauce is nice and thick, crack 6 eggs on top of the hash. Sprinkle hash with the cheese, make sure it is simmering, and cover. Check every minute, and turn off when eggs have just set and turned white on top. This will make for a delicious runny egg yolk. Serve and enjoy!
 
Taken from https://www.westonapricerecipes.com/post/breakfast-beef-and-egg-hash

Anne Maher

RECIPE

• 1 litre of milk (raw or pasteurised)
• 1 small tub of plain yoghurt (I use Mossfield)
• A thermometer
• A saucepan

METHOD 
This is my version of yoghurt. Safe to say that over the years, I have made quite a bit, but I have a renewed interest in it with Jersey milk, which is a different level altogether! If you haven’t made yoghurt before, do give it a go. The process and the outcome are a revelation!

Pour milk into saucepan. I mostly use raw milk to make it, and I have two techniques. Either bring it up to over 80 degrees and then cool to about 45 degrees. This pasteurises the milk before adding the yoghurt to inoculate. Or if the milk is very fresh, I heat it to 45 deg. Using a food thermometer here is so useful.

I mix in a tub of plain yoghurt into the milk. Then I cover with a lid and put the saucepan beside the tank in our hotpress where it is warm. I sometimes cover the lid with a towel. That is it. Come back the next day, and you will have yoghurt! I strain it through muslin and a sieve to make a Greek yoghurt version. 

Anne Maher

Soup for breakfast? What a thought! But you would be surprised how common it is around the world. A nourishing broth though and I absolutely love this! Real beef broth is the secret!!! Here is the Sally Fallon Morell version from the Weston A Price Foundation. Irish measures.
 
Ingredients

• 4 to 5 red onions
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 litres beef stock
• ½ cup cognac
• ½ cup red wine
• 2 tablespoons arrowroot mixed with
• 2 tablespoons water
• sea salt or fish sauce and pepper

 
Instructions

1. Use your food processor to slice onions very thinly.
2. Melt butter in a large, stainless steel pot.
3. Add the onions and cook on the lowest possible heat, stirring occasionally, for about 2 hours, or until the onions are very soft and slightly caramelized.
4. Raise heat a bit and cook a few minutes longer, stirring constantly. The onions should turn brown but not burn.
5. Add wine, cognac and stock.
6. Bring to a rapid boil and skim off any foam that may rise to the top. Add the arrow root mixture and season to taste.
7. Serve with round croutons and a platter of raw cheeses.

​Anne Maher