Masterchef mania is sky-high at the moment, with season 12 reaching its finale. Inspired by the delicacies we're seeing on the telly, we thought we'd request Sam Goodwin, foodie and Masterchef from Season 9, to inspire us with a #podtoplate recipe to add to our series.
Scroll down to see his recipe for Cavolo Nero Pici - a healthy yet delicious winter warmer that incorporates veggies beautifully and is great for the kids.
But first, let's get to know a little more about Sam and where his passion for food, and Vegepods, come from. Turns out he's been a fan of the Pods for a while.
Hi Sam, tell us a bit about who you are and what got you into food?
I was born & raised down on the Bellarine Peninsula on the south coast of Victoria.
The region is renowned for its agricultural & wine industries, so an interest in food and cooking seemed destiny. This led me to competing on MasterChef back in 2017, and subsequently pursuing a career in the food industry.
Previously working as a Project Manager in commercial construction, I now spend
my days as a freelance food creative & home economist – developing recipes, styling, and photographing my own creations. My ethos is pretty simple – I like to create achievable yet flavour-packed food that gets people involved and opens a conversation around the dinner table.
You will always find me using local produce wherever possible, and it can’t get any
more local than your own backyard, so working with Vegepod only seemed fitting.
You can read more about my work at www.samgoodwin.com.au
Great to know you buy local, how did you hear about Vegepod?
My parents purchased a Vegepod after seeing them on Shark Tank back in 2016.
After a few years of seeing their bumper crops season-after-season, I had to invest
in my own; I started with a singular medium pod for culinary herbs and that’s when
the love affair with Vegepod began – previously fragile & hard-to-grow herbs like
coriander were thriving. Recently, when I moved into a new rental and found
myself with backyard space to fill, I quickly added two more large pods to my
quiver, and you’re about to see the impressive results.
Cavolo Nero Pici with Pancetta
I’m starting off my series with a Cavolo Nero Pici with Pancetta. Cavolo Nero, or Tuscan Kale as it is commonly known, is the perfect leafy green to kickstart your Vegepod harvest – I grew these from seedling in just 6 weeks!
After travelling through Italy for 6 weeks last year I came back inspired to create simple fresh seasonal recipes and a new found love of pasta. This dish is exactly that, without the need for any special equipment. Pici is a traditional Tuscan pasta that is rolled by hand – it's a great one to get the kids involved with as it incorporates kale into the dough to hide veg and give it a green accent.
Cavolo Nero is also bursting with antioxidants and is very high in vitamins and minerals, making it the perfect healthy base for a dish of winter comfort food. When paired with bold companions like pancetta, garlic, anchovies (optional) and lemon it really takes the humble vegetable up to another level and packs a flavour punch.
Pair this dish with your favourite leafy green side salad & a glass of zesty white wine. Give it a go, and don’t forget to share a photo with the Vegepod team and myself!
Thanks Sam for an amazing #podtoplate recipe. In the words of Masterchef judges everywhere, "Cooking...Starts...Now!"
Again if you'd like to check out Sam's creations you can find him on www.samgoodwin.com.au. See our other #podtoplate recipes with the wonderful Georgia Barnes for more recipe ideas.
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