Simply Food: A Life Made Simple

22 April, 2021 Amy Thurlow

With the busy lives that we all lead, it’s easy to get overwhelmed when it comes to dinner time. After a jam-packed day, the last thing we want to think about is putting effort into making a nutritious and tasty meal, which is where those easy heat-and-eat meals come in handy.

However self-taught cook and food blogger, Eleanor Ozich, has made it her mission to bring simplicity back to the kitchen. Leading a busy life of her own with a family of five, Eleanor is all too familiar with being put-off by long ingredients lists and complicated methods, which bought her to put together her sixth cookbook, Simply Food.

Eleanor’s philosophy of simple, approachable and tasty food is obvious through the pages of the book, with all recipes needing no longer than 15 minutes of hands-on time in the kitchen. We spoke to Eleanor upon the release of Simply Food and asked her about her top tips for simple, delicious meals, advice for those wanting to bring the joy back into cooking, and her biggest cooking lessons.

Your new book, Simply Food, focuses on recipes that can be made in a short space of time while staying healthy and tasty. What inspired you to create such a book?
My philosophy when it comes to cooking has always been the same – to keep the ingredient list and method as simple as possible. When I see a recipe that’s fussy or difficult, I immediately feel tired all over – I’m sure I’m not alone! Now that my kids are a little more grown up, and life can get busy with activities and such, the idea for this exciting, new cookbook became beautifully obvious! Why not take my cooking style to a whole new, exciting level? To switch the simplicity up a notch?

You’re a self-taught cook, how do you think your cooking style varies from those who are professionally-`trained?
In many ways I’m happy to have had no formal training. My relaxed approach to cooking has allowed me to discover many clever shortcuts and tricks along the way that ignore most ‘traditional’ methods of cooking. In this book, my food processor, blender and slow cooker get a fantastic workout, and you can bet there’s no faffing around with chopping onions or creaming butter and sugar!

Simply Food is your sixth cookbook, did you ever expect it to come this far when you first started your blog ten years ago?
Absolutely not! It still baffles me sometimes to call myself a cookbook author. I guess this comes down to the feedback I continually receive from my readers: that the recipes I share are down to earth and approachable. Easy to make, yet reliable! The issue, I believe, is that eating ‘healthy’ is so often depicted as being time-consuming, expensive and bland. I’m utterly convinced that creating tasty, satisfying food can be easy for everyone!

What tips do you have for those short on time, but are still wanting to create healthy, delicious meals for their families?

Be strategic. Choose meals that will bless you with leftovers. If you are going to the effort of cooking, you might as well cook more than you need for a second meal. Slow cooks, soup and most sauce-based dishes are fantastic for freezing. These can be the gift that keeps on giving!
Always choose a handful of recipes that you know and love well, and then allow space to try something new. This way, you can cook with confidence for most of the week, and also switch things up a bit when you have the time to get creative. Consider the days where you are time-short, and plan quick tray-bake or slow-cooker meals for those days. Plan to prepare them the night before, or earlier in the day if possible.
Set aside some time to do some meal prep before your week starts. I usually set aside some time on a Sunday to whip up some simple sauces, dips, and healthy snacks in advance. This is what truly helps me to beat cooking fatigue throughout the week. What I prepare depends on what I have planned of course, but you’ll never regret having a few extra dressings, sauces and pre-chopped veggies on hand for last-minute meals.

What are your top five pantry must-haves that no at-home cook should go without?
First and foremost, a colourful variety of fresh fruit and vegetables! We all have our own way of eating, whether it be with meat, without meat, perhaps you’re a cheese lover, or avoid dairy altogether. No matter your preference, I believe that the focus should always be on enjoying simple, seasonal and vegetable-led food!
My second ingredient would be butter, both salted and unsalted. Everything simply tastes better with butter. Even the smallest addition has the ability to make a dish truly sing.
Next on the list is free-range eggs. The humble egg can make a nutritious breakfast, lunch or dinner. It’s not surprising that our family of five enjoy two or three dozen a week!
And lastly, sourdough bread and at least one kind of cheese – parmesan, mascarpone, ricotta and goat’s feta are always on rotation in my kitchen. My go-to lunch during the week is a fancy toasted sandwich, it always satisfies!

What advice would you give to those who want to bring the joy back to cooking?
To consider the thoughts you are having around cooking. If you believe cooking is hard, stressful or time-consuming, this will only continue to be true in your mind!
Mindset shifts can be transformational in all areas of our lives, and the cool thing is that this also applies to how we feel about cooking. Creating a joyful relationship with cooking has less to do with the process itself, and more to do with the thoughts we have surrounding it.
Choose not to think of cooking as another chore, but as an opportunity to be present with creating something that’s going to bring nourishment and joy to your home.
Once you are ready to cook, I would encourage you to consider the small, simple touches you can add to your kitchen space to make it more appealing for you. I often have a few glass jars filled with flowers and herbs on the windowsill, and love to style my collection of cookbooks and knick knacks in a way that is pleasing and inspiring to me. To really get me in the mood, I”ll always have music playing while I’m cooking. It’s the most straightforward way to create a joyful association with the task. Music can instantly shift the way you feel and refresh your mood in minutes!

In your book, you talk about growing to be ok with kitchen failures and mishaps and learning from them. What one kitchen failure has taught you the biggest lesson?
When I first started my blog almost ten years ago, I honestly had no idea how to cook. I had to start from the ground up and let me tell you; I had PLENTY of fails in the kitchen! The first failure that comes to mind, is completely burning out the bottom of my favourite pot. My downfall is always burning things, this has taught me to slow down and be present at the task at hand!

What’s your favourite recipe from Simply Food?
It would have to be one from the dessert section – my lemon delicious pudding! It’s my idea of an easy family dessert that takes minimal effort and provides maximum comfort, and there’s a wonderful surprise that happens when it’s baking in the oven. The sweet almond batter has this magic way of separating into two layers: a light and soft cake on top of the most luscious, lemony sauce. It’s a total crowd-pleaser and I love serving it!

Baked Salmon with Lemon Tomato & Basil

In this recipe, rich and tender salmon is slow-roasted until perfectly cooked, and is accompanied by a gentle, summery sauce. The classic combination of basil and tomato complements the flaky salmon very well — it’s a total winner that you’ll go back to time and time again.

Serves:
4

Ingredients:
3 large sweet potatoes
2 large salmon steaks, about 600g in total
1 punnet cherry tomatoes
1 lemon, sliced into wedges handful of fresh basil leaves
1 cup vegetable stock
3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

How-to:

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Finely slice the sweet potatoes into thin rounds and layer in a roasting dish.
Place the salmon steaks on top along with the cherry tomatoes and a few wedges of lemon, then scatter the fresh basil on top.
Pour the vegetable stock in, around the edges, then drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, then bake until the salmon is nicely cooked, about 30 minutes.