Katie White | Contributors - Nourish plant-based living

Katie White

Katie has a down-to-earth approach towards vegan food, sharing gardening inspiration and deliciously decadent recipes that celebrate seasonal produce. She earned a diploma in Plant-based Culinary Arts through Le Cordon Bleu London and is also a singer and songwriter. Her first print book, The Seasonal Vegan, is coming out on 26 April 2023.


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Pizza with homemade mozzarella

Katie White

Make the perfect summery pizza by topping with seasonal veggies such as eggplant, zucchini, chilli, and fresh basil. Homemade tomato sauce and mozzarella is a treat, but feel free to cheat and use store bought if you like.

Ingredients

Makes 4 pizzas

MOZZARELLA

Tomato sauce

TOPPINGS (optional)

Method

  1. Make the mozzarella ahead of time. Strain the soaked cashews and blitz them along with yoghurt, water, tapioca, agar, and salt until completely smooth. Leave to culture for about 24 hours at room temperature.
  2. Add the mozzarella mixture to a saucepan over medium heat and stir continuously for at least 10 minutes, until it becomes super thick, stretchy, and a bit glossy.
  3. Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath in a large bowl. When the mozzarella mix is ready, use an ice cream scoop to drop balls of the mixture into the ice bath where they will take shape. Leave to cool for 30 minutes, then transfer to a jar.
  4. Make a brine by mixing 2 tbsp of salt with 1–2 cups of water, depending on the size of your jar. Fill the jar containing the mozzarella balls with the brine and add the rosemary, garlic, and peppercorns to taste, if using. You can store these in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
  5. To make the tomato sauce, preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the tomatoes and garlic cloves into a baking dish, drizzle with the olive oil and vinegar, and sprinkle with the sugar and salt. Roast for 40 minutes. Allow cool before blitzing in a food processor. Set aside.
  6. To make the dough, combine the yeast, sugar, and water in a jug and leave for 10 minutes, at which point, bubbles should start to form.
    In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt then make a well in the centre. Add the yeast mixture and stir through. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead lightly into a ball then place back in the bowl.
  7. Rub the top with olive oil to prevent it from drying out then leave in a warm place to prove for about 2 hours.
  8. When ready to make your pizza, knead the risen dough for 5 minutes on a floured surface. Divide into 4 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball then roll out into a flat pizza base with a rolling pin.
  9. Preheat the oven to 200°C. To assemble the pizzas, layer each base with tomato sauce, your choice of veggie toppings, and mozzarella. Place each pizza on a preheated baking tray and cook in the oven for about 10 minutes, or until the base is cooked through and the cheese is slightly golden. Top with fresh basil and a little olive oil and salt before serving.

Katie White

Katie has a down-to-earth approach towards vegan food, sharing gardening inspiration and deliciously decadent recipes that celebrate seasonal produce.

This recipe was originally published in Nourish plant-based living, Issue 68 • View magazine

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Apricot custard tart with Persian glaze

Katie White

This beautiful custard tart can be adorned with any stone fruit you please. We’ve used apricots, but peaches or nectarines would be wonderful, too.

Ingredients

serves 8

Pastry

filling

glaze

Method

  1. To make the pastry, place all the ingredients in a food processor, except for the milk. Pulse until a breadcrumb-like consistency forms. Then add the cold milk and pulse to combine.
  2. Remove the blade from the processor then turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Roll the dough out with a rolling pin to form a round that is 3 mm thick.
  3. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
  4. Brush a 20 cm loose base tart tin with a little of the butter and gently lay in the pastry. Press the pastry firmly into the base and up the sides of the tin. Remove excess pastry from around the sides. Line the pastry shell with baking paper and fill with baking beads. Bake for 30 minutes. When done, remove the baking beads and set aside to cool.
  5. Meanwhile, make the custard filling. Combine all the filling ingredients except the apricots in a medium saucepan with a whisk then place over a medium heat. Use a spatula to stir continuously until the custard thickens then remove from the heat.
  6. To assemble, pour the custard into the pastry shell and give it a gentle wiggle to level it out. Slice the apricots not quite all the way through, so you can fan them out. Arrange them on top of the custard, pressing them down lightly.
  7. Place in the fridge to set overnight.
  8. To make the Persian glaze, combine all the glaze ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Reduce on a low heat for about 1 hour, or until a syrup forms. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
  9. Use a pastry brush to brush the glaze over the top of the tart, repeating until you can see the shine of the glaze.
  10. Serve straight away or place back in the fridge until required.

Katie White

Katie has a down-to-earth approach towards vegan food, sharing gardening inspiration and deliciously decadent recipes that celebrate seasonal produce.

This recipe was first published in Nourish plant-based living, Issue 68 • View magazine

Enjoying our inspiring stories? Sign up to our newsletter and receive our latest editorial and offers directly in your inbox.

Mulberry cordial

Katie White

There’s no artificial anything in this bright, refreshing four-ingredient mulberry cordial. Serve on ice with a sprig of mint for the ultimate refreshing cooler on a sunny day.

Ingredients

Method

  1. Add all ingredients except for the lime juice to a saucepan and combine. Simmer for 45 minutes over a low heat.
  2. Strain the mulberry mixture through a fine sieve over a bowl, then add the lime juice through the sieve. Press down on the mixture in the sieve to help release additional juice. Leave the sieve over the bowl overnight to completely drain.
  3. Remove the sieve and discard the fruit pulp. Pour the strained liquid back into the saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and pour straight into small, sterilised jars. Seal the lids very tightly.
  4. As the jars cool, the lids will seal further, resulting in a long-lasting cordial. Store in the pantry for up to 6 months. To serve, mix some cordial with water or soda, to taste.

Katie White

Katie has a down-to-earth approach towards vegan food, sharing gardening inspiration and deliciously decadent recipes that celebrate seasonal produce.

This article is an edited extract from Nourish plant-based living, Issue 66 • View magazine

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Beetroot galette with greens

Katie White

Create a visual and flavour sensation with this light and crispy ‘root-to-stem’ beetroot galette.

Ingredients

Serves 6 

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
  2. Lay the pastry out on a large baking tray, pressing the 2 pieces together to form 1 long rectangle.
  3. Top and tail the beetroots, then cut them into small cubes. Remove the stems from the beetroot leaves, then roughly chop the leaves.
  4. Boil the cubes of beetroot in water until a skewer can pierce them easily. At the same time, steam the leaves for 5 minutes in a steamer placed over the boiling water, then set aside.
  5. In a food processor, pulse the beetroot cubes for a few seconds until chunky crumbs form.
  6. In a bowl, mash the silken tofu then crumble in the feta. Add the processed beetroot, nutritional yeast, thyme, and salt, then combine.
  7. Spread the beetroot mix over the pastry, followed by the steamed leaves and a sprinkle of pine nuts. Bake for 30 minutes, then enjoy!

TIP: We used YAY! Foods vegan feta.


Katie White

Katie has a down-to-earth approach towards vegan food, sharing gardening inspiration and deliciously decadent recipes that celebrate seasonal produce.

This article is an edited extract from Nourish plant-based living, Issue 66 • View magazine

Enjoying our inspiring stories? Sign up to our newsletter and receive our latest editorial and offers directly in your inbox.

Spring harvest

Spring is here, and it feels so good to enjoy the warmer weather and longer days! It also feels great when we eat fresh, seasonal produce. Here’s what to look out for in spring.

As the days begin to warm up, dormant deciduous trees awaken, flower buds unfurl, and the fruit trees lying in wait prepare for this year’s fruiting. It’s also time for us to step out into the fresh air, enjoy the longer daylight hours, spruce up our gardens, and enjoy fresh seasonal produce.

If you have access to one, check out your local farmers’ market to see what fruits and vegetables are being harvested locally. One seasonal spring treat to look out for now is asparagus, which only graces us with its deliciousness at this time of year. If you’re shopping at the supermarket or a fruit and veggie store, check the labels for produce grown and harvested right here – believe it or not, you may still find imported items that could potentially be from last season in the other hemisphere!

Here’s what to shop for to get the best tasting and freshest seasonal produce this spring:

WHAT’S IN SEASON?

  • Asparagus
  • Brassicas, such as cauliflower, broccoli, and cabbage
  • Lettuce
  • Potatoes
  • Beetroot
  • Carrots
  • Mulberries
  • Radish
  • Artichokes
  • Silver beet
  • Cape gooseberries
  • Broad beans
  • Peas

Spring veggie box

Image: Brent Hofacker on Shutterstock

IN THE SPRING VEGGIE PATCH

For those of us who love to grow our own food, now really is the time to get your hands dirty. Spring is the time to replenish the soil after harvesting winter crops, such as brassicas, that have eaten up some of the nutrients. Then it’s time for planting, and lots of it.

You can start planting your summer crops at the beginning of spring in temperate zones and by about mid-spring in cooler parts of Australia. Remember that it is important to rotate crops so that the same family of plants don’t repeat themselves within one garden bed. This can help prevent diseases and pests proliferating by disrupting their life cycle.

Another great tip is to stagger your crops. For example, if you are planting tomatoes, plant a few seedlings every two weeks, so that they mature at different times, giving you abundant produce throughout their season.

IT’S TIME TO PLANT!

  • Solanaceae such as tomatoes, capsicums, eggplants, and chillies.
  • Cucurbits such as cucumbers, zucchini, rock melon, and pumpkin.
  • Lettuce, rocket, and spring onions (although they will bolt to seed if it’s too hot).
  • Herbs, including basil.
    French (dwarf) beans and climbing beans.
  • Silverbeet and chard.

There is a lot of work to do in a spring garden, but just think about the delicious sun-ripened tomatoes coming your way. And if you don’t have a veggie patch, you can still enjoy all the benefits of eating seasonally knowing what produce to look out for at the farmers’ market or supermarket.

SPRING RECIPES

Here are a few of my favourite spring recipes:

Simple and satisfying, this mouthwatering pasta dish is zinging with the flavours of spring.

Asparagus fettuccine in bowl

This focaccia-style pizza is a gorgeous way to enjoy fresh seasonal artichokes.

Artichoke pizza focaccia

Deceptively simple, this crowd-pleasing creation stars whole beetroot (leaves included), and is as pretty as it is delicious.

Beetroot galette on wooden board

Lead image: Anna Shvets on Pexels • Recipe images: Katie White


This article is an edited extract from Nourish plant-based living, Issue 66 • View magazine
Katie White

Katie has a down-to-earth approach towards vegan food, sharing gardening inspiration and deliciously decadent recipes that celebrate seasonal produce.

Enjoying our inspiring stories? We always love to hear from you with suggestions for the content you want more of. Suggest a topic here.

Sign up to our newsletter and receive our latest editorial and offers directly in your inbox.

YOUR INPUT