Beef ragu with pappardelle and fùtbol: a perfect combination

Some years ago, one of my besties (AZ) and I took up a membership with Melbourne Victory, a fùtbol team in the Australian national league.  As part of our fùtbol following ritual, prior to every home game which was played at the sporting arena (the name of which is now long forgotten in my memory) in The Docklands area of Melbourne we would eat at an Italian restaurant (name also forgotten).  Creatures of habit, or perhaps recognising a good thing when we've got it, we always ordered the same dish:  beef ragu with pappardelle.  We are no longer MV members and haven't gone to this restaurant for some years, but this morning I found a similar recipe in the online version of The Age newspaper.  Check it out here.

So, in saying all this, I'm putting this on my to do list, together with pain au chocolat.

My new best friend

I have just discovered the wonders of using fresh turmeric!  And in so doing, I have - inadvertently - renovated my kitchen, my hands and my apron a lovely rich amber colour!

This came about when I was searching for an immunity boosting soup.  Melbourne is in the midst of winter.  I acknowledge that those from the northern climes, accustomed to temperatures below zero, will laugh at me when I say I am suffering dreadfully with our 15 degree temperatures, but this time of the year is a tough one for me and with my dodgy lungs I am susceptible to colds and flus and much worse.

So, here is the soup I mentioned.  Sounds all rather delicious.  I made a basic version last night - all a bit hurried as I was trying to cook three dishes simultaneously (lamb rogan josh, chicken stock and a quick chunky chicken soup).  And so my very rushed and very simple version is below.  Make sure you wear food handling gloves when dealing with the turmeric otherwise your hands will look severely jaundiced!

• half a grated turnip
• half a grated swede (not the Dolph Lundgren variety)
• half a grated parsnip
• whole grated carrot
• a generous knob of turmeric, peeled & grated
• ditto for the ginger
• as much freshly crushed garlic as you can handle
• roughly diced chicken thighs (quantity up to you)
• a couple of bay leaves
• teaspoon of chicken stock powder
• teaspoon of Podravka vegeta stock
• teaspoon of Massel's vegetable stock
• a few litres of water
• chuck it all in a pot - cook :)

Clearly I have a pretty laissez faire attitude when it comes to ingredient quantities.  I just go by the taste and smell and feel.  Oh heck, let's be honest I'm not a follower of rules!  If it feels good just do it!

Anyhow, I just let the soup simmer for a few hours and then sit overnight (in Melbourne's winter my kitchen is like a refrigerator anyhow).  It always tastes better the next day. Then I freeze it in small quantities and always remember to take some home to Mum and Dad.