Pistachio Chocolate Cookies
The recipe is basically a riff off a Nigella Lawson recipe. Recipes never come out of thin air; we are inspired by mere fact of existing in the world.
A Season for Slowing and Sharing
There was a time in the not too distant past when this time of the year sent my nervous system straight into overdrive. Everything seemed to demand attention at once: work deadlines, family catch-ups, and social obligations stacked up like plates I didn’t remember agreeing to carry. I spent a lot of energy trying not to drop anything.
These days, the season lands differently. Some of that is deliberate—I’ve chosen a softer rhythm — and some of it is simply age and circumstance. My job now eases off in summer instead of accelerating, which is a mercy I don’t take lightly. Especially when I think about the people for whom this season means longer shifts, heavier expectations, and fewer breaks. Retail and hospitality shaped most of my working life; I remember how relentless it can feel. If nothing else, I hope that shows up as patience, eye contact, and a genuine smile when our paths cross.
When everything once felt like too much, my instinct was to retreat. I guarded my time, my energy, myself—sometimes clumsily. It was survival, and it worked well enough but something has shifted this year. Instead of bracing, I feel oddly spacious. Less inclined to squirrel things away. More interested in what happens when you lay the table a little wider knowing there’s enough to go around.
Christmas day in my family is always a shared feast. The planning, the cooking and the dishes all get divided up. Since I enjoy menus, both the dreaming and the co-ordinating, I offered to organise everyone’s contributions. My parents already had their assignments: the reliable ham and Mum’s plum pudding. My sister volunteered a pumpkin gratin and mashed potatoes. My aunt suggested roast duck. One niece is bringing a green side and my niece-in-law offered a vegetarian nut roast.
Thinking through all of this reminded me of a universal gravy I used to make that happens to suit almost everyone. It is vegan and gluten free but it is also rich enough that the committed carnivores welcome it too. In short, it is gravy that everyone at the table can enjoy. It matters to me that no one in the family feels like an afterthought. Having had my own dietary challenges over the years, I know how reassuring it is to sit down to food you can eat without hesitation. It feels like being included and that’s what I want for the people I love.
So, in the spirit of sharing, I am passing the recipe on to you this week. Make it, tweak it or skip it entirely. Store bought gravy is perfectly fine if that is what works for you. The point is simply to enjoy the meal and the company around it.
Universal Gravy Recipe
Roast the sliced vegetables til they achieve a dark colour as this will result in a deeply flavoured demi-glaze. Select a wide array of vegetables for a balanced flavour but avoid too many watery varieties such as zucchini, capsicum and celery.
Keep garlic to a minimum lest it overpower the resultant flavour and the same for beetroot lest its colour dominate. Taste and tweak the flavour as you reduce the volume with salt, pepper, acid etc.
ingredients
- carrots
- onions or other alliums
- mushrooms
- broccoli
- beetroot (but not too much)
- tomato paste (1-2 tbsp)
- olive oil
- kombu
- dried mushrooms such as porcini
- arrowroot starch
Thinly slice all the vegetables and add them to a large deep roasting pan. Rub tomato paste and oil all over the vegetables so they’re well covered.
Roast this at 150 degrees Celsius for 45-60 minutes or until dark in colour. Some charred edges are perfectly fine and in fact will add appetising flavour notes to the stock.
Cover with water, add the kombu and cook for a further 40 minutes.
Strain the liquid into a saucepan and reduce heavily until it tastes just as you want it to. Skim the surface in the first part of the reduction for a cleaner end product. When reduced sufficiently, season with salt and pepper to taste.
If you wish to thicken the demi-glaze, add a slurry of arrowroot starch and water and stir over heat until smooth. I think this is preferable for appearance as well as mouthfeel.
A Season for Slowing and Sharing
At this time of year, I think of everyone working in retail and hospitality. I was one of them for most of my life. The pressure to go the extra mile is real, especially when you are already stretched thin. This year feels different.
Palate Nudges and a Very Good Eggplant Dish
Our ideas of what is normal to eat begin at home. They stretch and shift as we venture further into the world, gathering influences from friends, cultures, travel, and the happenstance of what we’re offered.