Relish Mama

I’ve had a rare free Sunday at home and without teaching and I made the most of it.

Not in a big ‘busy-busy’ way but just quietly, happily, pottering around the kitchen for a couple of hours while the massaman beef curry did its thing in the slow cooker. And now I look at the bench and feel genuinely ready for the week.

A spiced lentil and vegetable soup
A vegetarian chickpea curry
Massaman beef curry (slow cooker, barely any effort)
Vegetarian Mexican bean and sweet potato
Mexican beef taco bowl with sweet potato

We have a mix of vegetarian and non-veg eaters in our family so I love having both versions of the same flavours — everyone sits down to something they love and nobody feels like an afterthought.

I don’t cook every night in advance though. I leave room for the other adults in the house to cook too, and it is important to have a little flexibility to see what our bodies might crave.

Preparing this way also means you end up using what’s in the crisper, leaning on leftovers, and rescuing things before they are a little too sad. Nothing going to waste here — you can swipe to see how I think about that and I hope some of these tips might be helpful for you also.

Two hours. A few pots. A new week that feels a lot more manageable & very delicious.

Wishing you a really lovely new week ahead.

💛 Nellie

There is nothing quite like making gnocchi by hand — the soft dough, the little ridges pressed with a fork, and then sitting down to eat what you just made. It’s the perfect way to kick off a Friday night. Two spots have just come up for tonight’s class (5.30–7pm) and I’d love to fill them with lovely people. Includes dinner and vino.
https://relishmama.com.au/cooking-classes/in-person-cooking-classes/

I am home from Sicily — and what a trip it was.

We had such an incredible time, and I was lucky to be sharing it with the most special group of people — all willing to embrace and uncover everything Sicily has to offer. It is always one of my favourite things to watch guests become friends and look out for one another along the way.

I have written a little about the trip in today’s newsletter, going out at 10am. I am also sharing a nourishing pasta e fagioli recipe — somewhere between a soup and a stew, even better the day after you make it, and exactly what I needed after eating my body weight in pasta for two weeks.

The recipe is in today’s newsletter — if you are not yet a subscriber, you can easily sign up over on my Relish Mama website.

And how good is it to hug the people you love when you walk through the door. Our welcome home signs are a family tradition I cherish very much.
❤️

Re-entry can be rough 😆

Some places just stop you in your tracks.

The Valley of the Temples at Agrigento. Ancient Greek temples rising out of the hillside, older than the Colosseum, still standing. Walking among them is one of those moments where you find yourself quiet and just taking it all in.

And then... Planeta. A working wine estate - our new home in Menfi where we are eating, drinking and being looked after so beautifully. The kind of hospitality that makes you never want to leave.

This is what our Sicily tour looks like. Every. Single. Day.

I would love for you to join one of our future tours.
💛