Cauliflower Crusted Moroccan Shepherd's Pie and a PN update

Hello!  Well, you may have never believed it but Pantry Narrative is back in business. Apologies for the rather long break if you missed us.   As you may or may not be aware, up until now Pantry Narrative has been the work of both Danielle and Camilla, a couple of friends going about our lives in Auckland.  However, last month the lovely Danielle and her husband boarded a jet plane for two years of travel adventures.  They will be settling down in London where Danielle plans to continue to explore her passion for nutrition and wellbeing.  Because of pure logistics, I (Camilla) will be continuing on with PN and Danielle will be creating recipes from the Northern Hemisphere over on http://www.danielleheyhoe.com/
so be sure to save her website in your favourites!  I most certainly shall be missing her and her amazing creativity in the kitchen however it is reassuring to know we will still be getting her recipe updates.


To add to the bad news I, along with what seems like everybody else in Auckland have been struck down by a cold and have been cooped up inside all day.  On the upside, it has given me some time to
play in the kitchen and create a few dishes to warm the soul.

This version of shepherd's pie is a mix between a Moroccan tagine and your traditional version.  I topped it off with a goats cheese cauliflower mash that makes it slightly lighter, however traditional mashed potato/kumara or any root vegetable would be just as delicious.  If you make it do tell me how it goes!

Eggplant, lamb and pistachio "pizza"

Feel like a different spin on pizza?  How about you try using an aubergine base -  it's just as easy and less processed than your normal pizza base.  You can top aubergine bases with whatever you like. One recipe we recently stumbled upon had a tomato base, bacon, spinach and mozzeralla topping.

This recipe is something a little bit different, but just as delicious and it adds a bit of a Moroccan spin pizzazz.  Feel free to adjust ingredients as you like.  We were considering using sliced lamb fillet but went for a slightly more affordable option > mince.

We are sad to say we didn't have any pomegranate seeds to sprinkle on top of the pizzas pictured above, but just imagine how great they will look and taste if you have some!

Enjoy and experiment!

The Almond and Egg Pancake

Behold! The Almond and Egg Pancake.

Each Sunday morning, upon awaking, my husband and I prepare for a sit-down brunch together. This is a time each week we set aside to reflect on life, love, and good food.

Hence, more often than not, I vouch for the Almond and Egg Pancake topped with full-fat yoghurt, goji berries, blue berries, and coconut flakes.

These pancakes are completely void of sugar and sweetener and are therefore great for children as well and adults. You could say they are fit for the whole family, especially considering how easy they are to make.

I'll also take this time to suggest alternative toppings: grilled bananas, berry compote, or if you want something particularly decadent, a homemade cacao coconut syrup.

Classic Kiwi Chicken Curry on Sunday

Camilla and I had a great Sunday afternoon preparing some delicious meals for the blog last weekend. The sun was out, we had a full kitchen to ourselves, and let’s just say, creativity flowed. There is a little “behind the scenes” shot of us cooking in the kitchen over on instagram @rachael_courian. It’s pretty much like this every time we cook.

This simple recipe goes out to a good friend of ours who requested a curry to go with our Cauliflower Coconut Couscous recipe – see here. Curries make a great ‘inter-season’ dish as they retain fresh flavours as well as warm the soul, and considering summer in New Zealand has been looking a bit drizzly recently, to say the least, we thought it would be appropriate. We love to take on requests, so if you would like to see a certain kind of recipe up here, please let us know.

This recipe is incredibly simple and best of all, you’re likely to have most of the ingredients sitting in your cupboard. Here goes…

Little Quinoa and Kumara (sweet potato) Cakes

I love a good poached egg.  It's my go-to when I'm out for breakfast.  Why I pay $13 for someone to crack two eggs into a pot of boiling water and put them on a slice of Vogel's when there are far more original options available,  I do not know.  But I do, almost every time, because they are awesome.

These little cakes are a lovely, slightly more interesting, slightly less refined, alternative to toast (and a little bit of a twist on a potato rosti).  The quinoa and hazelnuts add a lovely crunchy texture to these sweet treats.  They are versatile and can be used in place of falafel, feel free to add them to  a salad, a wrap, anything your little heart desires! Please play around with the ingredients (I've added a few alternatives).