Each season offers its own enticements, and as autumn sets in, I take pleasure in warm and comforting soups and stews.  In fact, I look forward to tthis seasonal meal so much, that I started gathering recipes several weeks ago when the mercury was still topping 90ºF. This particular recipe from the October 2008 issue of the food allergy magazine, Foods Matter (reprinted with their permission of course!) caught my attention for its inclusion of kale. This green leafy plant is naturally abundant in calcium, which is better absorbed than the calcium from spinach. Not to mention, the recipe is a rich, all-in-one-pot meal that tastes even better when it is cooked in advance and left overnight, allowing the flavors to ‘mature.’ ...

MINCED BEEF WITH CURLY KALE
Wheat, gluten, corn, soy, dairy, egg & nut free

3 tbsp olive oil
4 red onions, peeled and chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
4–6 carrots, scrubbed and sliced in rings
1 large red pepper, cut in large dice
2 small green chillis, deseeded and chopped very small
7oz small button mushrooms, wiped and halved
1/2 head celeriac, peeled and cut in largish dice
3 tsp dried thyme
11/4 lb minced beef
2 x 14oz tins chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup red wine and 100ml Marsala
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 x 14oz tin aduki beans
11oz curly kale, washed, its stalks removed and chopped

Heat the oil in a large pan and add the onions and garlic. Cook gently for a few minutes then add the carrots, pepper, chillies and mushrooms. Continue to cook for a further couple of minutes without burning. Add the celeriac, thyme and the beef. Again, stir well and continue to cook for a further few minutes. Finally, add the tomatoes, wine and Marsala and some seasoning. Bring to the boil, cover, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 40 minutes. Add the aduki beans and the kale, mix well and cook for a further 10 minutes or until the kale is cooked. Serve with baked potatoes and another green vegetable.

SERVES 6 – PER PORTION
428cals – 25g protein
21g total fat – 7g sat / 10g mono / 2g poly
28g carbohydrate of which 18g sugar
10g fibre – 403mg sodium / 1g salt
179mg calcium
GOOD SOURCE OF: Vitamins B1, B2, B6, B12,
C, magnesium, iron, zinc & folate