Tender by LUCY TWEED is a new take on old classics – with over 90 heart-warming, rib-sticking recipes for soups, stews, braises, and more.
Read on for a delicious recipe for French Onion Rigatoni.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Tenderness is at the heart of why we cook.
Slowly allowing flavour to unfold, letting simple ingredients meld into something special is a kind of magical alchemy. So is building something nourishing with minimal effort midweek that still turns out rich and generous. Tender is here to help create just that magic with ease, with over 90 nurturing, comforting recipes, so you can feed your soul while also satisfying hungry friends and family members.
The gorgeous, heartfelt and flavour-packed meals in this book run the range from hearty stews to zippy braises and curries, as well as a wide world of soups and ragus – everything is designed to warm you up and to hold you together, all designed with no need for special equipment – just a stove or oven will do. Recipes are by style of protein to keep it practical, and ranging from easy weeknight dinners to banquet-worthy centrepieces.
Start with a flexible and fool-proof basic braise recipe that you take in any direction you choose, or be led lovingly into the arms of a steak and peppercorn stew with mash, or a French onion fettuccine. Get ahead with a dal that begins its life in a jar in your pantry, or enliven the whole house with a Thai-style bouillabaisse. This is warm food for cold times – or any time of year at all. Sometimes we all just need a little tenderness.
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FRENCH ONION RIGATONI
Serves 4 – Cook Time: 45 Mins
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 large red onions, quartered
8 baby (pearl) onions, halved
200 ml (7 fl oz) dry white wine
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
(if making this dish strictly vego, use a vegetarian Worcestershire sauce)
30 g (1 oz) butter
2 tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour
3 thyme sprigs
2 garlic cloves
400 ml (14 fl oz) beef stock
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) rigatoni
11/2 teaspoons sea salt flakes
freshly ground black pepper
100 ml thickened (heavy) cream
90 g (2/3 cup) grated smoked gruyère
50 g (1/2 cup) grated parmesan
Cheesy thyme crumb
1/4 sourdough loaf, crusts removed, torn into small pieces
6 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
salt
freshly ground black pepper
35 g (1/4 cup) grated smoked gruyère
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) fan-forced.
For the cheesy thyme crumb, combine the torn sourdough,
thyme, olive oil and a little salt and pepper. Spread on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for 15 minutes, without turning, until golden. Scatter with the grated smoked gruyère and return to the oven for 3–5 minutes. Allow to cool and crisp fully before crumbling into shards. (You can make this a few hours ahead of time or cook this at the same time as the onions, on a lower shelf.)
Heat the olive oil in a large casserole over medium–high heat. Add the onion quarters, cut-sides down first, turning to colour all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Deglaze the pan with the white wine, scraping up any bits stuck to the base. Whisk in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, butter and flour until smooth and slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.
Return the onion to the pan along with the thyme and garlic. Pour in the beef stock and sherry vinegar and stir well to combine. Transfer to the oven and bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Switch to the grill (broiler) setting and grill (broil) for 10 minutes until the onion becomes jammy and browned on top.
Meanwhile, cook the rigatoni according to the packet instructions. Reserve a small cup of the pasta water, then drain.
Remove the pan from the oven and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the pasta and stir it through, using just enough of the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce.
Add the cream either now or at the table, stirring it through for desired richness. Scatter with the gruyère and parmesan.
Top the pasta with the cheesy thyme crumb just before serving.
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Images and text from Tender, photography by Rob Palmer, Murdoch Books RRP $39.99’.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lucy Tweed is the creator of Every Night of the Week, an Instagram account full of recipes for people who don’t like recipes. She began her career as a food stylist at donna hay magazine, and since then has worked in food styling, menu creation, travel writing and art direction for countless major food brands. Her first book, Every Night of the Week, was an international bestseller, followed by Every Night of the Week VEG which expanded Lucy’s culinary world into a new dimension. Tender is her third book.
Follow Lucy Tweed on Instagram
Visit Murdoch Books’ website here.
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