My good friend Katalin gave me this recipe for the most delicious way to cook dried beans. She uses black beans. So far I’ve tried it with haricot and black-eyed beans. It tastes great whichever beans you use.  I try to make a batch each week, especially at the moment when I can’t exercise and need to not over-eat. After a meal of these beans there is no room for chocolate! They taste lovely with a dollop of plain yoghurt or raita (yoghurt, cucumber and mint). I also eat them with steamed vegetables followed by fruit for a simple nutritious meal.

Katalin’s Beans

• 1 large cup dried beans
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 green capsisum, chopped finely
• 1 red capsicum, chopped finely
• 2-3 cups unsalted chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• Salt
• 1/4 cup vinegar (I use red wine vinegar)

Soak beans in plenty of water overnight.

Heat a little olive oil in a large fry-pan on medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook 2-3 minutes then add celery and capsicums. Cook 5-6 minutes until softened. Drain beans and add to fry-pan. Pour in enough stock to cover. Cover and simmer on low for 1-2 hours, adding more stock or water when necessary. The beans should end up quite saucy. Once cooked add cumin, vinegar and salt to taste.

This is my favourite bread to make. It tastes delicious on its own and even better with a hard Parmesan or soft goats cheese.  This loaf which I made a few days ago was not quite up to standard because I used ordinary white flour from the supermarket. It’s much more authentic if you use top quality flour – usually from a health food shop.

This is my adapted version of a recipe by Patricia Wells from her book ‘At home in Provence‘. She has great recipes. You don’t need to use the exact amounts of the dried fruit and nuts – just whatever you prefer. You make the dough in the evening, then leave it overnight in the fridge.

Friday night is pizza and movie night in our family. Although I love the yeast bases of traditional pizza I can’t be bothered spending that much time. Here’s my quick and easy recipe. It  makes 3-4 thin and crispy pizzas.

Step 1

• Turn oven on to 220C (400F) and pour yourself a glass of wine – it’s Friday night!

Step 2 – The Base

• 1 – 1.5 cups flour (I use half wholemeal, half white)
• 1 dessertspoon baking powder
• A few shakes of Tuscan seasoning or some oregano
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• Enough milk to mix to a dough. (I have used water)
• Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Make a well and add olive oil. With a knife, stir in milk until it forms a dough. Turn out onto floured bench. Divide into 3 or 4. Roll out each piece to desired shape. Place on baking tray lined with greaseproof paper.

Step 3 – The Topping

• Spread with reduced salt tomato paste. Sprinkle each piece with 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese. Add your favourite toppings: chopped ham, kalamata olives, marinated artichokes, pineapple pieces (fresh or canned), semi-dried tomatoes, sliced mushrooms, anchovies. Finish with a few slices of bocconcini (fresh mozzarella) or mozzarella cheese.

Step 4 – The Oven

• Bake at 220C (400F)for 10-15 minutes. Just before pizzas are ready, throw a handful of fresh basil leaves, rocket or baby spinach on top. Cook for another couple of minutes, then serve.

The jacaranda trees are in full bloom in Sydney. These elegant trees are a mass of beautiful mauve flowers. If you park your car underneath one you won’t feel quite so enchanted as the sticky flowers fall from the tree but the purple pavements look amazing. In the fruit and vegetable world, purple is usually made by anthocyanins – think eggplant, berries and purple grapes. Anthocyanins are powerful antioxidants. But the purple colour of beetroot comes from another group of antioxidants called betacyanins.

I never wear white when cooking beetroot. Its colour is so potent that it stains hands, chopping boards and even urine. I remember freaking out one morning when my toddler had the most disturbing coloured wee. For a shocking moment I thought it was blood until I remembered that we had eaten beetroot for dinner the night before.

Beetroot and beetroot juice sales have apparently been increasing since research has revealed that it can help reduce high blood pressure by relaxing blood vessel walls – sort of like widening the hose pipe so the water flows more easily. Beetroot contains natural nitrates which chewing converts to nitrites which then get converted to nitric oxide. Here’s another reason to chew your food like your grandma told you to!