I Quit Sugar for Life (50 page)

Food wastage kills me. If you’re ever in a position to need to impress me some day, feed me your scraps, cook me up a ‘fridge surprise’ or repurpose last night’s dinner.

SERVES

You know how you cooked up all those beetroots for the freezer (see
here
)? Well, this is what you can do with the
leaves.

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil

2 onions, sliced

¼ teaspoon chilli flakes

¼ teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed (or caraway seeds, not crushed)

1 small bulb fennel, chopped, green fronds reserved

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

leaves and stems from 1 bunch of beetroots, chopped

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ lemon

5 cups (1.2 litres) Leftovers Chicken Stock (see
here
)

½ cup (125 ml) sour cream, full-fat organic plain yoghurt or 125 g Homemade Cream Cheese (see
here
)

In a large, stainless-steel saucepan over low heat, heat the butter or oil and gently and slowly cook the onion. Add the chilli, fennel or caraway seeds, fennel (not the
fronds) and garlic, then cover and sweat until the fennel is soft, about 10 minutes. Add the beetroot leaves and stems, salt and pepper, lemon (as is; don’t chop or squeeze) and stock. Bring
to the boil, then turn off the heat immediately – the greens should be just wilted. Purée in the pan using a stick blender, or transfer to a blender in batches and blitz. Serve with a
swirl of sour cream, yoghurt or cream cheese, garnished with the reserved fennel fronds.

NOTE:
This soup is brilliant served cold, too.

MAKES ABOUT
LITRES

Bone broth is like normal stock but made with big, cheap bones you can get from your butcher (mine gives me them for free; yours will
likely do the same or charge a minimal amount). The bones are simmered for a super loooong time (at least 12 hours), which leaches out a stack of minerals. These minerals are easy to digest in this
soupy form and boost the immune system. Bone broth also contains glucosamine and chondroitin, which help those with arthritis and joint pain, and the gelatine is a boon for rebuilding the gut
lining (hello, IBS sufferers!). And on and on go the benefits. I drink the stuff, warmed, when I’m run-down and feel the benefits immediately. It courses through my very being and I’m
instantly energised.

2–3 kg bones (beef marrow, knucklebones, meaty ribs, neck bones – whatever the butcher will give you]

½ cup (125 ml) white vinegar

2–3 onions, coarsely chopped

3 carrots, coarsely chopped

3 celery stalks, coarsely chopped

several sprigs of thyme, tied together

1 teaspoon dried green or black peppercorns, crushed

Preheat the oven to 200°C (gas 6). Place the bonier bones (those with not much meat) in a very large stockpot with the vinegar and cover with cold water. Let stand for 1
hour. Meanwhile, put the meaty bones in a roasting pan and place in the oven until well browned. Add to the pot when they’re ready, along with the vegetables.

Add additional water, if necessary, to cover the bones, but the liquid should come no higher than within 2.5 cm of the rim of the pot, as the volume expands slightly during
cooking. The water should be cold – slow heating helps bring out the flavours. Bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and add the thyme and crushed peppercorns, then simmer for 12–72
hours.

When cool enough, use tongs or your hands to pull out the bones, then strain the rest into a large bowl. Refrigerate until cool and then, using tongs or large spoons, remove
the layer of congealed fat on top – you can literally pick it up in chunks (like ice over a pond) – and toss it. Divide the remaining liquid into 1-cup (250 ml) portions and freeze for
up to 6 months.

Here’s a clever idea: freeze your stock in 1-cup (250 ml) jumbo muffin tins. Once frozen, pop them out and store in zip-lock bags labelled with the date ready to use in
soups and dishes.

SERVES
MAKES 1.5 LITRES