Greens make me feel good
four mean green recipes to boost the mood this winter
This won’t come as a surprise to those of you who know me personally, but it’s been a restless couple of weeks for me….
Partly because I’ve been on night shifts these week (yay), but more importantly, it’s been WIMBLEDON baby!!!!!!!!!!!! I am a bit of a tennis fanatic, just a tiny bit, so there’s been a fair few late nights staring at little people scrambling around on a big rectangle of GREEN. Let’s just say the green grass of SW19 has hypnotically etched into my brain and onto the frying pan.
While Pimm’s cups, strawberries and cream are the usual fare of Wimbledon, that doesn’t quite sit with an Aotearoa winter, so instead this week’s newsletter takes inspiration from the finest green lawns in London.
And holy guacamole, have I got some blimmin good recipes in store for you today. If you’ve been on the fence about becoming a paid subscriber, this is probs the week to take the metaphorical plunge.
Why are green foods so good for us?
It’s a tale as old as time. We’ve all heard it before, probably as children, lectured at the family dinner table by one too many adults:
“Make sure you eat your greens, darl”
Pushing around wilted silverbeet or boiled-to-a-pulp cabbage and Brussels sprouts on the plate, as if swirling paint on an easel. Anything to delay shovelling their wretchedness into our gobs like good boys and girls ought to do.
Believe it or not though, and I apologise profusely to that inner child who doesn’t want to hear this, there is a rather large amount of truth to the advice that eating your greens is good for you ~ especially when we look at it through the lens of mental health (as I tend to always do).
Of all the foods out there that you can eat, leafy greens are right up there as showing the most promising dietary association with positive mental health and improved cognition.
Some significant studies released last year, based on the MIND (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) Diet, showed that those with a higher intake of leafy green vegetables (eg 7 servings a week) had significantly less Alzheimer’s-associated plaque deposits in their brains on posthumous neuroimaging.
This 2024 meta-analysis study, looking at the association between fruit/vege intake and depression incident in adults across different populations, showed that a multitude of studies have shown that there is evidence for green leafy vegetables having a particularly strong association with a lower risk of depression, alongside other fruits.
And the proof extends beyond the journal article and onto our plates and eating experiences. My own experience of eating leafy greens is undoubtedly that they make me feel better. It’s such that I often get cravings for them if I go a couple of days without. If you’d told me 10 years ago I’d be getting cravings for cabbage and kale…
As I alluded to earlier, obviously some of our negative association with these foods is how they’ve been cooked or prepared for us when we first tried them. It’s incredible how early food experiences have such an impact on our relationship to something as rudimentary as a vegetable. Just last week, a friend was round for dinner and discussing how they never cook Brussels sprouts because of the negative soggy boiled memories they conjure up. When I presented them with roasted-then-pan-fried-till-crispy sprouts with a punchy mustardy yoghurt base and lime-hazelnut topping, it had them feeling very different about the little green fellows.
So this week, with green on the mind, I’m sharing with you a few recipes to help you cook deliciously with leafy greens ~ perfect for the winter season, where cavolo Nero, kale and chard are at their absolute best. From a rocking palak matar (spinach & pea) paneer curry, to the most luxe silverbeet side dish with spiced brown butter and toasty hazelnuts, you’ll be falling back in love with the greens again in no time. Plus, something sweet and very green (but without vegetables, obvs) for your sweet tooth too.
Cooking from Good Vibes: With my partner moved to the North Island and whānau overseas, not wanting to be alone for Matariki, I invited some new work friends around for a Matariki homemade pasta-making feast. Needing a dessert to fit the Italian theme, I went straight for my Saffron yoghurt panna cotta with honey-mint oranges & almond crumble, from the Delight chapter of Good Vibes. I spoken before about how much I love saffron, and this really is one of my favourite recipes in the book. It’s perfect for dinner parties, as all three components can be made in advance - so it’s literally just a 5 minute assembly and you’re in panna cotta heaven.
Be sure to remember to scroll down to the bottom for links to other interesting foodie reads I’ve spied from recent media/articles, and some recommendations for recent food system films/presentations and a new cookbook that I highly recommend! I’ll be settling into the Wimbledon men’s final this evening, maybe with a slice of pandan roll to boot ~ I hope your week is looking just as delicious.
Much love,
Alby xx
Palak matar paneer
There’s something undeniably comforting about a spinach curry. Its verdant greenness makes me feel supercharged, like nature’s goodness is humming to my core with every spoonful. Palak paneer has become a mainstay of kiwi Indian restaurants, and if in doubt it’s always a solid choice. As a student in Dunedin 10 years ago, the go-to BYO spot was always India Garden, and I have fond (albeit slightly patchy) memories of their palak paneer that was an iconic favourite. My version sees matar (peas) snuggling into bed with spinach, providing you with extra vegetable value and adding some pleasant brightness to the sauce. Incredibly easy to whip up on a busy weeknight and utterly satisfying. Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek) I think is rather essential to its signature flavour, and can be found at all Indian food stores.
Hands-on Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
serves 4-5
Cost Estimate: $20 (about $4-5 per serve)
Ingredients
2 tbsp canola oil
400g paneer, cut into 2-3cm cubes
250g spinach leaves
250g frozen peas
50g ghee or butter
1 large or 2 small brown onions, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
1-2 long green chillies, finely chopped
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garam masala
½ tsp ground turmeric
150g tomatoes (about 2 small), diced
1 tbsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
1 tsp sea salt, plus extra to taste
75g yoghurt, plus extra to serve
juice of ½ lemon
Method
First fry the paneer. Place the oil in a large high-sided frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the paneer and fry for a few minutes, turning regularly, until golden on each side. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
For the sauce, place the spinach and peas in a large bowl. Cover with boiling water and leave for 5 minutes to blanch. Strain in a colander, then rinse with cold water to cool and refresh. Strain again and return the spinach and peas to the large bowl.
Return the frying pan with the ghee/butter over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for about 7 minutes, until the onion is nicely softened. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli, fry for 2 minutes, then add the coriander, cumin, garam masala, turmeric and tomato. Stir through and cook for a minute to soften the tomato a little. Transfer the contents of the frying pan to the bowl with the spinach and peas. Add 300ml cold water and blitz with a stick blender (or similar), until the sauce is as smooth as you can make it.
Pour the sauce back into the frying pan and return over medium heat. Add the kasuri methi and salt, stirring through. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, to allow the sauce to reduce and thicken a little. Add the yoghurt and fried paneer, stirring through, and simmer for a further 5 minutes, until the sauce is nicely thickened. Squeeze in the lemon juice and adjust seasoning to taste with a little extra salt as needed. Drizzle with a little extra yoghurt and serve warm with your favourite rice, roti or naan.
Alby’s Advice:
You can easily make this plant-based - just swap the paneer for extra-firm tofu, use oil instead of ghee/butter, and coconut cream in place of yoghurt.
Feel free to use ground chilli instead of fresh chillies, adjust to desired heat.
Pandan, kaya & kiwi chiffon roll
As soon as I made this chiffon roll, I instantly regretted it… because after one slice I literally couldn’t stop myself. It was gone in 24 hours!! If that’s not enough encouragement to get in the kitchen and give this recipe a go, I don’t know what is :) the chiffon roll is light and fluffy, the perfect canvas for flavours of fragrant pandan, sweet-yet-tart kiwi and creamy vanilla Chantilly.
Hands-on Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes (includes 2 hours chilling time)
serves 8-10
Cost Estimate: $14 ($1.50 per serve)
Ingredients
Pandan coconut milk
50g (about 10) frozen pandan leaves
400ml can coconut milk
Quick kaya (pandan coconut jam)
200ml pandan coconut milk
4 egg yolks
75g soft brown sugar
Pandan chiffon roll
4 eggs, separated
50ml canola oil
75g caster sugar
75ml pandan coconut milk
¼ tsp sea salt
50g plain flour
25g cornflour
Cream & kiwi filling
200ml cream
1 ½ tbsp icing sugar, plus extra to serve
1 tsp vanilla paste
3 kiwifruit
Method
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan-forced (or 180°C conventional). Line a 33cm x 23cm Swiss roll tin with baking paper.
First make the pandan coconut milk. Run the pandan leaves under warm water to defrost, then cut into pieces. In a bowl, using a stick blender, blitz together the pandan leaves and coconut milk until the milk turns a beautiful pale green and the leaves are very finely chopped. Strain the pandan milk through a sieve into a separate bowl, squeezing any pulp with the back of a spoon to extract as much of the milk as you can. Discard the pulp. You should have about 300ml pandan coconut milk, enough to make the kaya and chiffon roll.
For the quick kaya, pour 200ml of the pandan coconut milk into a small saucepan and place over medium heat. Gradually warm until just starting to bubble. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until pale. Once the pandan milk is just bubbling, remove from the heat and very slowly pour the hot milk over the egg mixture in a steady stream, whisking continuously, until smooth and combined. Return to the saucepan, place over medium-low heat and gently cook, whisking regularly, until the mixture boils and thickens to form a luscious thick custard, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a shallow bowl and refrigerate to cool.
For the pandan chiffon roll, in a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, oil, 25g caster sugar, 75ml of pandan coconut milk and salt. Sift the flour and cornflour into the mixture and whisk together until smooth. In a separate bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites and remaining 50g caster sugar to form soft peaks. Using a spatula, gently fold one-third of the egg whites into the pandan mixture, being careful to keep as much air as possible. Add the remaining egg whites and gently fold through.
Pour the batter evenly into the prepared Swiss roll tin, gently spreading out if necessary. Lift and drop the tray onto the bench a couple of times, to get rid of any air bubbles. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden and the sponge springs back when lightly touched.
Place a sheet of baking paper the size of the Swiss roll tin on your kitchen bench, with the short side facing towards you. Remove the sponge from the oven and use a knife to loosen the outer edge of the sponge from the baking paper. Leave to cool for 2 minutes, then carefully tip the sponge out onto the baking paper on the bench, peeling off the baking paper from the underside of the sponge. Carefully roll up the sponge with the baking paper. Leave the rolled sponge to cool for 30 minutes at room temperature.
For the filling, using an electric hand mixer, beat the cream, icing sugar and vanilla to form medium-soft peaks. Cut the kiwifruit in half, scoop out the flesh, cut into 2cm pieces, and place in a separate bowl.
To assemble, unroll the sponge and spread two-thirds of the kaya over the sponge in an even layer (keep the rest of the kaya in the fridge for future deliciousness), followed by the cream filling (I tend to keep the layer of cream thinner at the edges as it will push out a little as you roll up the sponge). Arrange the chopped kiwifruit evenly over the cream in a single layer. Carefully roll up again into a tight log, using the baking paper underneath to wrap the sponge as you go. Tuck the baking paper under the roll to tighten. Refrigerate for 2 hours to set.
To serve, unwrap the baking paper and transfer the roll to a serving platter. Dust the top with sifted icing sugar, and slice into thick rounds. Any leftover sponge is best kept refrigerated, then bring to room temperature before serving.
Alby’s Advice:
Frozen pandan leaves can be purchased from most Asian supermarkets, in the freezer section.
Be careful as you whip the cream to ensure you don’t take it too far - no one wants over-whipped cream.
When you peel off the baking paper after chilling the roll, don’t worry if the thin golden crust peels off with it. You’ll be dusting the roll with icing sugar so will still look beautifully delicious.
Glorious greens with spiced hazelnut brown butter
Silverbeet can often feel a little ordinary; boiled, grilled or steamed and slapped on the side without too much thought or care. This recipe is all brought together in 20 minutes, and for the little bit of extra effort, it really does turn the humble silverbeet into something special. Let’s be honest, brown butter tends to make everything taste good, and does a lot of the heavy lifting here, but the addition of paprika, turmeric, hazelnuts and lime really gives it a lift rather than feeling too rich and heavy.
Hands-on Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
serves 6 as a side
Cost Estimate: $13 (about $2 per serve)
Ingredients
1 medium-large bunch silverbeet
2 tbsp olive oil
¾ tsp sea salt
100g sprouting broccoli/broccolini
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
75g butter
75g hazelnuts, roughly chopped
1 tsp ground paprika
¼ tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp maple syrup
juice of 1 lime, to serve
Method
To prepare the silverbeet, trim the end off the bunch of silverbeet to separate the leaves. Wash under running water to remove any dirt. Cut the leaves off the stalks. Slice the stalks into 1cm pieces. Chop the leaves roughly into large 5cm strips.
Heat the olive oil in a large high-sided frying pan over medium heat. Add the silverbeet stalks and leaves, along with the salt. Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the stalks are softened and leaves are wilted. Most of the water from the silverbeet should have evaporated. Add the sprouting broccoli and garlic. Toss through and cook for a couple of minutes until the broccoli is just tender but still with some bite. Transfer the contents of the frying pan to a large serving platter.
Place the butter and hazelnuts in a small frying pan over medium heat. Stir to melt the butter, then leave for a couple of minutes, until the butter starts to foam and lightly brown (beurre noisette). The hazelnuts should also be turning golden and toasty. Remove from the heat and stir through the paprika and turmeric. Leave for 30 seconds then stir through the maple syrup. Pour the warm spiced butter and hazelnuts over the greens. Toss gently to evenly coat. Squeeze over the lime juice and serve warm.
Alby’s Advice:
Frozen pandan leaves can be purchased from most Asian supermarkets. Just run the frozen leaves under some warm water to defrost.
Black glutinous rice is also found at Asian supermarkets.
The rice pudding can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Loosen with a little water when reheating.
Pom molasses yams with almonds & green feta whip
I know, I know, where have the leafy greens gone in this recipe?? Unapologetically, I’m cooking for one now, and have had a host of yams sitting in the fridge for the past 10 days begging to be used. Given the yam season is fleeting and we’re right in the middle of it, I thought this week would be the perfect opportunity to share with my special paid subscribers this knockout yam recipe. Roasted with pomegranate molasses, cumin and chilli, and to keep with the green theme of the week, served on a bed of green feta whip, made green by fresh mint, parsley and blitzed peas. It’s bringing the sweet, salty, crunch and freshness that we all crave.
Hands-on Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
serves 4-6 as a side
Cost Estimate: $13 ($2.50-$3 per serve)
Ingredients
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp pomegranate molasses, plus extra to serve
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp chilli flakes
large pinch sea salt
600g yams
70g almonds, roughly chopped
100g frozen peas
100g feta
100g Greek yoghurt
1 large handful mint leaves, plus extra to serve
1 large handful of flat-leaf parsley, plus extra to serve
juice of ½ lemon
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan-forced (or 200°C conventional). Line a large roasting dish with baking paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, pomegranate molasses, cumin, chilli flakes and salt. Add the yams and toss to evenly coat. Transfer to the lined roasting dish, spreading out the yams in a single layer. Roast for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, add the almonds, and toss through the yams. Rearrange in a single layer and roast for a further 8 minutes until the yams are tender and almonds golden.
As the yams roast, make the green feta whip. Place the frozen peas in a tall container or medium bowl, cover with boiling water and leave for 5 minutes. Strain the water from the peas and return to the bowl. Add the feta, yoghurt, mint, parsley and lemon juice. Blitz with a stick blender until smooth.
To serve, spread the green feta whip over the base of a serving dish. Pile the yams and almonds on top. Drizzle with a little extra pomegranate molasses, and finish with some finely chopped flat-leaf parsley and fresh mint leaves. Serve immediately.
Alby’s Advice:
Pomegranate molasses can be found at some supermarkets and most Indian or Mediterranean food stored. Substitute this for maple syrup and a little balsamic or red wine vinegar, if you don’t have any available.
To make this vegan, replace the feta and yoghurt in the whip with Greek-style coconut yoghurt and a little salt, to taste.
Best of the season this fortnight (NZ):
Citrus - lemons, early grapefruit, late mandarins
Yams
Late pears
Persimmons
Late pumpkins
Leeks
Carrots
Brassicas (broccoli, caulis, cabbages, Brussels sprouts)
Hardy greens - cavolo nero, silver beet, kale
Kiwifruit
Celery
Brain Food:
An epic visual illustration of 5 key food policy ideas for a healthier Aotearoa, taken from The Healthier Lives – He Oranga Hauora National Science Challenge
A recent lecture I attended by world-leading professor emeritus of food engineering, Dr Singh, worth a watch (available online)
A recent award-winning documentary, Feeding Tomorrow, about people attempting to tackle the food crisis in the USA, that I stumbled upon on a plane trip and very much enjoyed
Some transparency on Fonterra’s plans to reduce food waste
A recently released cookbook, Agak Agak, that’s a must-add to your collection
Hmmmmm… Saffron yoghurt Panna Cotta❤️
Green is good