Greens and Steline Soup with Pork and Thyme Meatballs
Photography Josh Griggs.
Serve a loaf of warm crusty bread with this substantial but light soup for a great midweek meal. Use another leafy green such as spinach if you don’t have silverbeet.
Serves: 4–6
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, sliced
1 carrot, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
4 cups chicken stock
Meatballs
2 slices white toast bread, crusts removed
¼ cup milk
500 grams pork mince
2 teaspoons finely chopped thyme
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard olive oil, for frying
sea salt and ground pepper
To serve
2 big handfuls silverbeet, shredded
1½ cups frozen peas
½ cup steline pasta, or other small pasta, cooked
½ cup sliced piquillo peppers
parmesan, for grating
METHOD
Soup: Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the onion, carrot, garlic and fennel seeds with a good pinch of salt for 5 minutes. Add the stock and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
Meatballs: Break the bread into small pieces and place in a large bowl with the milk, stirring to moisten the bread. Leave for 5 minutes then add all the other ingredients. Season then combine until well mixed and roll into small meatballs. Heat a little olive oil in a sauté pan and cook the meatballs until golden.
To serve: Add the silverbeet and peas to the soup and simmer until tender then stir in the cooked steline. Divide the meatballs between bowls and ladle over the soup. Top with piquillo peppers and a good grating of parmesan.
Pantry note: Jars of piquillo red peppers are available in the condiments aisle in supermarkets.
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This winter issue of dish is about comfort and connection. Celebrating the best of New Zealand and Australian produce, it brings together recipes from some of our most-loved chefs, including Moroccan Chicken Soup, Mint-glazed Roasted Leg of Lamb, Slow Cooker Braised Red Wine and Miso White Chocolate Cheesecake. Find plenty to carry you through the colder months, from flaky sausage rolls and mushroom pie, to soul-soothing pasta, nostalgic baking, weekend market inspiration and dinner party menus. There’s a spotlight on the Outstanding Food Producer Awards, recipes from Caroline Griffiths’ Midnight Spaghetti, and a deep dive into the difference between Kiwi syrah and Aussie shiraz.