Join Danielle van den Dolder from Australia as she shares her warm and welcoming approach to hospitality! Danielle talks about how her church cares for visitors, the charming Dutch tradition of eating cake first, and a hot tip for perfect caramel frosting. Plus, she reveals a delicious meal she serves and offers tips on welcoming people into your life. With plenty of laughs, kitchen item recommendations, and a look at Christmas down under, this episode is one you don't want to miss! Merry Christmas! We're so glad you're here!
Zuppa Toscana Soup
(From Dinner recipe book by RecipeTinEats/Nagi Maehashi)
Ingredients:
120g streaky bacon, chopped into 1cm pieces
1 large brown onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
500g good-quality Italian pork sausages, meat removed from casings (sausage is key for flavor, aim for 90%+ meat, can also work with beef, lamb or chicken)
2 tablespoons plain flour
4 cups (1L) low-salt chicken stock
500g Sebago potatoes, peeled and cut into 1.5cm cubes (or any other type of potato, though not sweet potato, too mushy)
¼ teaspoon cooking salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup (250ml) thickened cream
2 lightly packed cups (50g) kale leaves, chopped into 2cm pieces
Directions:
1. Cook bacon – Scatter the bacon across the base of an unheated, heavy based pot, then place the pot over medium-high heat. (As the pot starts heating up, the bacon fat will melt and cook the bacon in its own fat) Stir for 3 minutes until golden, then use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Leave the bacon fat in the pot.
2. Cook aromatics and sausage – Add the onion and garlic to the pot and cook for 2 minutes. Turn the heat up to high and add the sausage meat. Cook for 4 minutes, breaking it up as you go (mince masher tool is great for this!) until the sausage meat is cooked and there are some golden bits.
3. Simmer – Add the flour and stir for 1 minute. Add the stock, potato, most of the bacon (reserve some for garnish if desired), salt and pepper, then bring to a simmer. Cover with a lid, reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 1 hour. Stir in the cream, add the kale and simmer for a further 2 minutes until just wilted.
4. Serve – Ladle into bowls and garnish with the reserved bacon if desired.
Serve with:
Chocolate Cake - RecipeTin Eats (Add caramel ice cream topping in buttercream for a caramel chocolate frosting!)
Other recipes discussed in this episode:
Recommended items:
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God Rest Ye Merry: Why Christmas is the Foundation for Everything