Mangia Con Elena

  Pasta with Italian Sausage and Fennel/Pasta con Salsiccia e Finocchio IG @ mangia.con.elena Fennel is as Mediterranean  as the sea itself. Eaten raw it has a slightly black licorice flavour and a crunchy texture. When cooked, the flavour becomes  more delicate and the texture is softened. It can be sautéed, baked, braised and added to pastas, soups and stews.  Fennel tea is a great digestive tea when your tummy is feeling upset.  Fennel  is a large part of the Italian Mediterranean diet as it is packed with  plant based nutrients and aids in digestion, bloating and inflammation.  My mother always served fennel as part of the antipasto platter that stayed on the table throughout our meal. We snacked on it between courses and afterwards. Another exceptional pairing with fennel is Italian sausage when cooked with caramelized fennel, toasted tomato paste, spicy peperoncino and a good sprinkle of parmigiano reggiano. I first tried this pasta dish several years back and it quickly became a

  Cabbage, Potato and White Bean Soup IG: @mangia.con.elena I have never really been one to plan meals a week in advance. I know many that do, but it just does not  work for me. Even when the children were little, when I know that it would have alleviated so much stress, I just didn't. I tried, but it never stuck.  I do my meal planning in the grocery store. I start with the fresh produce and if something looks good that week, I will buy it and decide what to make with it while in the store so that I can get the rest of the ingredients if needed.  That is exactly how this delicious soup came to be this week. I saw a gorgeous savoy cabbage and put it in my cart.  knew I needed carrots so as I went to grab them, this soup popped into my head and voila!  This is a simple soup with few ingredients and a unique flavour.  The trick to its success is to saute the cabbage slowly for a lengthy time until it caramelizes. It becomes buttery and melts in your mouth.  Another great trick is to