Fresh Fruits & Vegetables in Winter
Winter
Marvellous mushrooms
Create nutritious and tasty winter dishes with versatile mushrooms.
Nutritient-dense mushrooms add a flavoursome boost to classic winter meals. Pop in a mushy or 5 to your favourite casserole, soup, stir-fry or risotto.
- Cook mushrooms with garlic and potatoes in chicken stock for a creamy mushroom soup.
- Add mushrooms to Asian-inspired ramen or spicy laksa.
- Finely dice mushrooms into Bolognese sauce, chilli con carne or meatballs to enhance the nutritional value of these hearty winter staples.
- Roast mushrooms with olive oil and serve with eggs, tomatoes and wilted baby spinach for breakfast.
- Sauté mushrooms with sage and garlic and toss through gnocchi or pasta.
Fancy more mushy magic? Simply view the recipes available here.
Make your own vegetable stock
Don’t waste your vegetable trimmings – use them to make stock!
Nourishing home-made vegetable stock is all natural and free of any preservatives. Use any leftover veggies in your fridge and remember, all your vegetable trimmings can be frozen over time until you are ready to make your stock.
- Pack a large saucepan with washed vegetable trimmings from leeks, celery, carrots, mushrooms and onions.
- Add a few black peppercorns, a couple of bay leaves and some sprigs of fresh herbs like thyme and flat-leaf parsley. Add a little lemon rind if liked.
- Cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and gently simmer for 1 hour (skim off any scum that comes to the surface).
- Strain the stock through a fine sieve into a large heatproof bowl. Cover and refrigerate until cold. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze in airtight containers.
Fresh and in season
What's best in ...
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Strawberry winter cheer
Plump, rich-red strawberries are especially sweet and juicy in winter.
Eat straight from the punnet or add to your favourite home-baked goodies. Delicious in crumbles, muffins, pies and puddings, now is the time to cook with this rosy fruit.
EASY ROASTED STRAWBERRIES
Simply place 500g hulled strawberries onto a lined baking tray. Mix 2 tbs caster sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract in a small bowl. Sprinkle strawberries with the sugar mixture.
Toss and roast at 200°C for 12−15 minutes until tender. Serve roasted strawberries for breakfast with granola or porridge, or as a decadent dessert with waffles and ice-cream. Serves 4.
Warming winter fruit bake off time!
Beurre Bosc pears, Golden Delicious apples, Navel oranges (Cara Cara and Rosey Red varieties), rhubarb and strawberries are in abundance during winter. Team these fruits with cinnamon and vanilla in this warming winter fruit tray bake. Chill any leftover roasted fruit and serve on hot porridge for a deliciously filling breakfast.
Halve 2 Beurre Bosc pears and 2 Golden Delicious apples lengthways. Remove the cores and cut lengthways into wedges. Chop 1 bunch trimmed washed rhubarb into 5cm pieces. Discard the leaves. Assemble fruit on a large baking tray lined with baking paper.
Combine the juice from one Cara Cara or Rosey Red navel orange, ¼ cup caster sugar and the seeds from 1 halved vanilla bean (or 1 tsp vanilla extract) in a bowl. Drizzle over fruit and toss to combine. Roast at 200°C for 20 minutes.
Add 250g hulled strawberries and roast for a further 10 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly and serve with Greek-style yoghurt or vanilla ice-cream. Serves 4−6.
Green veggie minestrone with basil & parmesan oil
Preparation 30 mins | Cooking 45 mins | Serves 4-6
A hearty soup packed with fresh rejuvenating baby spinach, celery, peas, zucchini and fragrant leafy basil, this winter one-pot meal is nourishing and satisfying.
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 leek, trimmed and thinly sliced (white part only)
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 long green chilli, deseeded and chopped
- 2 celery sticks (including leaves), thinly sliced
- 300g zucchini, quartered lengthways and sliced
- 1 large potato, peeled and diced
- 6 cups chicken or vegetables stock
- 400g can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 75g baby spinach leaves, chopped
- 350g green peas, podded
- Char-grilled bread, to serve
- Basil & parmesan oil:
- 1 cup basil leaves (+ extra to serve)
- ½ cup finely grated parmesan (+ extra to serve)
- 50ml extra virgin olive oil
STEP 1 To make basil & parmesan oil, place basil and oil in a small food processor. Process until finely chopped. Stir in parmesan. Stir in parmesan and set aside.
STEP 2 Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add leek, garlic, chilli and celery and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes until leeks softens.
STEP 3 Add zucchini and potato and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Add stock, cover and bring to the boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20-25 minutes until vegetables are tender. Add cannellini beans, spinach and peas. Simmer for 5 minutes. Stir through half of the basil and parmesan oil.
STEP 4 Ladle soup into bowls. Drizzle with remaining basil and parmesan oil. Sprinkle with parmesan and basil and serve.
Fresh For Kids
Creamy Carrot & Chickpea Soup
Boost kids’ daily veggie quota with this no-fuss yummy soup!
Enriched with carrots that are a good source of vitamin C, high in beta carotene(vitamin A) and antioxidants, plus chickpeas for protein, this soup is extremely nourishing.
Preparation 15 mins | Cooking 1 hour | Serves 4-6
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1 medium brown onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 750g carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- Reduced fat sour cream and wholegrain toast, to serve
STEP 1 Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes until tender. Add garlic and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
STEP 2 Stir in stock and chickpeas. Cover and bring to the boil. Reduce heat, partially cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 45-50 minutes until vegetables are very tender.
STEP 3 Using a stick blender, blend soup until smooth. Stir through cream. Gently heat until hot. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into serving bowls, top with a dollop of sour cream and serve with wholegrain toast.
Know your potatoes . . .
Desiree – A very popular all-rounder with pink skin and pale yellow flesh. It’s particularly suited to crafting gnocchi, mashing and roasting. Use Desiree potatoes in casseroles, soups and spicy curries.
Kestrel – With a distinctive purple-blushed skin, the Kestrel is a stand-out spud. There is no need to peel this potato. Simply wash then steam or gently boil then roast and smash.
Brushed – Brushed potatoes are sold unwashed and are mainly the Coliban and Sequoia varieties. Suitable for French fries, mashing and roasting. They’re also the preferred choice for jacket potatoes.
Toolangi Delight – The versatile Toolangi Delight makes delicious gnocchi, and is ideal for frying, mashing or roasting.
Coliban – Best for crunchy French fries and mashing, this potato is quite floury. Add it to bakes, casseroles, gratins and soups.
Kipfler – This elongated potato is favoured for its buttery flavour and waxy texture. Perfect for boiling or steaming, the Kipfler is the go-to salad spud.
New Potatoes – These washed gems have creamy skin and firm flesh. New potatoes are harvested when young and tender. Great for boiling and drizzling with pesto, pan-frying or steaming.
Creamy potato & leek soup
We used Desiree potatoes but you may wish to try brushed potatoes in this deliciously smooth classic soup. The leeks impart a subtle flavour which complements the potato. For a vegetarian option, substitute the chicken stock with vegetable stock.
Heat 1 tbs olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add 2 trimmed and thinly sliced leeks (use the white part only) and cook, stirring occasionally over medium heat for 8–10 minutes until tender. Add 2 chopped garlic gloves and 750g peeled and chopped Desiree potatoes. Cook for 5 minutes.
Stir in 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock, cover and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes until potatoes are tender. Set aside to cool slightly.
Purée soup until smooth with a stick blender. Season to taste. Stir in 1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream. Top with grated cheddar cheese and toasted seeds. Serve with wholegrain toast. Serves 4–6.
