3/4 cup (190 ml) Puy or other small green lentils
1 stock cube, tsp stock powder or gel pot
About 1/3-1/2 cucumber
1 bunch spring onions
125 g (roughly) Feta or similar cheese
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs Balsamic vinegar
Cook the lentils in plenty of water with the stock added. They will take about 30-35 minutes. Drain, then stir in the chopped cucumber, spring onions and cheese. Add the oil and vinegar. Stir well and leave to cool before serving.
24 May 2011
23 May 2011
Summer rice salad
This is adapted from a Rose Elliott recipe.
1 cup Basmati rice (250 ml)
500 ml boiling water
Pinch salt
4 large tomatoes (best quality, please; ideally vine-ripened)
2 medium-sized avocadoes
1 large or 2 small bunches locally-grown asparagus
2 tbs olive oil
2-3 tbs lemon juice
Salt
Pepper
Dried garlic.
Put the rice in a large pan with the pinch of salt and the boiling water. Bring back to the boil, then reduce the flame to the merest candle, as low as possible, and leave undisturbed for 15 minutes (45 if you are using brown rice, which is excellent in this salad).
Meanwhile, stand the tomatoes in boiling water for 1 minute, then refresh, so that the skins slip off easily. Chop. Peel and chop the avocados, and sprinkle with at least 1 tbs of the lemon juice, to avert discolouration. Steam the asparagus, and then chop.
When the rice is cooked, let stand for 5 minutes to absorb any surplus water, then sprinkle with the garlic (the original recipe calls for you to crush a clove of garlic into it, which I usually do, but thought it would overwhelm the asparagus. Nevertheless, it does need a touch), salt and pepper, then stir in the oil and the rest of the lemon juice. Then stir in the vegetables and mix thoroughly. Allow to cool before serving.
1 cup Basmati rice (250 ml)
500 ml boiling water
Pinch salt
4 large tomatoes (best quality, please; ideally vine-ripened)
2 medium-sized avocadoes
1 large or 2 small bunches locally-grown asparagus
2 tbs olive oil
2-3 tbs lemon juice
Salt
Pepper
Dried garlic.
Put the rice in a large pan with the pinch of salt and the boiling water. Bring back to the boil, then reduce the flame to the merest candle, as low as possible, and leave undisturbed for 15 minutes (45 if you are using brown rice, which is excellent in this salad).
Meanwhile, stand the tomatoes in boiling water for 1 minute, then refresh, so that the skins slip off easily. Chop. Peel and chop the avocados, and sprinkle with at least 1 tbs of the lemon juice, to avert discolouration. Steam the asparagus, and then chop.
When the rice is cooked, let stand for 5 minutes to absorb any surplus water, then sprinkle with the garlic (the original recipe calls for you to crush a clove of garlic into it, which I usually do, but thought it would overwhelm the asparagus. Nevertheless, it does need a touch), salt and pepper, then stir in the oil and the rest of the lemon juice. Then stir in the vegetables and mix thoroughly. Allow to cool before serving.
22 May 2011
Mum's Trout
My mother may be 83, but she is still a marvellous cook, and this is one of her specialities, so I hope I do it right. These are her instructions:
1 trout
Butter, salt, pepper, lemon-juice
Tinfoil
Butter the tinfoil and add salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Put the trout down on it, and add more butter, salt, pepper and lemon juice to it. Fold the foil so it encloses the tail section of the trout, but don't close it up so that the steam can escape. Bake for about 20 minutes at 180 C (in a fan oven) - that's 200 C in an ordinary one, mark 6. Open the foil to allow the steam to escape while it cools.
To serve cold, she removes the skin, and sometimes the spine as well ("But it never looks so tidy!") and covers it with sliced cucumber so the joins don't show. With little rolls of smoked salmon on the side, and perhaps some prawns as well (you'll be lucky, in this household - I don't eat prawns!). And lots of different kinds of salads.
1 trout
Butter, salt, pepper, lemon-juice
Tinfoil
Butter the tinfoil and add salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Put the trout down on it, and add more butter, salt, pepper and lemon juice to it. Fold the foil so it encloses the tail section of the trout, but don't close it up so that the steam can escape. Bake for about 20 minutes at 180 C (in a fan oven) - that's 200 C in an ordinary one, mark 6. Open the foil to allow the steam to escape while it cools.
To serve cold, she removes the skin, and sometimes the spine as well ("But it never looks so tidy!") and covers it with sliced cucumber so the joins don't show. With little rolls of smoked salmon on the side, and perhaps some prawns as well (you'll be lucky, in this household - I don't eat prawns!). And lots of different kinds of salads.
21 May 2011
Texas Caviare
I haven't abandoned this blog; it's just that I have been very dull about food this month, mostly because we are between holidays and the plainer the better! However, I have a family dinner tomorrow, and am making salad, and since some of my friends list had no idea what Texas caviare was, I thought I would post my recipe. Obviously, if you google, you'll see everybody else's take on it, and mine is a bit of a synthesis thereof!
3/4 cup (I do use American cups for things like beans; it's about 190 ml in a measuring jug) dried black-eye peas
1/2 small red onion
1 chilli pepper
1 yellow or red pepper
1 punnet cherry tomatoes
1 small tin sweetcorn (or an equivalent amount of frozen sweetcorn that you have microwaved)
3 tbs bought salad dressing - Italian dressing is the classic, but I only had honey mustard in a bottle, so used that!
Soak the peas overnight. Next day, rinse thoroughly and cook in plenty of water, boiling fairly hard, for about 30 minutes - they may need more if you have had the packet for awhile, so taste after 30 minutes and then see. If they are cooked, drain, rinse, and allow to cool.
Chop the onion and peppers and halve the tomatoes. Drain the sweetcorn. Mix everything together and let sit overnight for the flavours to mingle.
3/4 cup (I do use American cups for things like beans; it's about 190 ml in a measuring jug) dried black-eye peas
1/2 small red onion
1 chilli pepper
1 yellow or red pepper
1 punnet cherry tomatoes
1 small tin sweetcorn (or an equivalent amount of frozen sweetcorn that you have microwaved)
3 tbs bought salad dressing - Italian dressing is the classic, but I only had honey mustard in a bottle, so used that!
Soak the peas overnight. Next day, rinse thoroughly and cook in plenty of water, boiling fairly hard, for about 30 minutes - they may need more if you have had the packet for awhile, so taste after 30 minutes and then see. If they are cooked, drain, rinse, and allow to cool.
Chop the onion and peppers and halve the tomatoes. Drain the sweetcorn. Mix everything together and let sit overnight for the flavours to mingle.
07 May 2011
Pasta with asparagus, Parmesan and pine nuts
This was inspired by our recent holiday in Italy, Austria and Germany, where every restaurant offered a wide range of dishes containing asparagus! And most also offered wild garlic soup, too!
Serves 2:
100 g pasta (I used tagliatelle, but whatever!)
1/2 tbs olive oil
Small piece butter
1 tbs pine nuts
60 g Parmesan cheese, grated
1 bunch locally-grown asparagus
Cook the pasta as directed on the packet, and steam the asparagus (on top of the pasta, if you like, but I used a microwave steamer). Meanwhile, put the butter and oil into another saucepan, and when heated, add the pine nuts and toast gently for a few moments. Drain the pasta, and stir into this mixture, then stir in the Parmesan. Serve in bowls with the steamed asparagus on top.
Serves 2:
100 g pasta (I used tagliatelle, but whatever!)
1/2 tbs olive oil
Small piece butter
1 tbs pine nuts
60 g Parmesan cheese, grated
1 bunch locally-grown asparagus
Cook the pasta as directed on the packet, and steam the asparagus (on top of the pasta, if you like, but I used a microwave steamer). Meanwhile, put the butter and oil into another saucepan, and when heated, add the pine nuts and toast gently for a few moments. Drain the pasta, and stir into this mixture, then stir in the Parmesan. Serve in bowls with the steamed asparagus on top.
15 April 2011
More variations - Farmyard Macaroni
The French call toasted goats' cheese "Hot Goat", so I thought of calling this "Macaroni goat", but with the addition of the bacon, it turned into a farmyard medley! Serves 2.
100 g macaroni or similar pasta
1 packet (180 g) lardons
1 large leek
1-2 tomatoes
330 ml goats' milk
1 tbs plain flour
1 small goats' cheese (Le Petit Chebra, from Lidl)
Cook the macaroni according to the instructions on the packet. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a saucepan (no need to add fat), then add the chopped leek and a couple of spoonsful of water, cover, and leave to cook in its own steam for a few minutes. Whisk the flour into the milk, together with some mustard or pepper (no need to add salt), then pour this mix on to the leeks/bacon, and bring to the boil, stirring all the time. Add the cooked pasta, and transfer to an oven-proof dish. Topped with sliced tomato and slices of goats' cheese, and bake in a moderately hot oven for about 30-45 minutes (it's pretty forgiving).
100 g macaroni or similar pasta
1 packet (180 g) lardons
1 large leek
1-2 tomatoes
330 ml goats' milk
1 tbs plain flour
1 small goats' cheese (Le Petit Chebra, from Lidl)
Cook the macaroni according to the instructions on the packet. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a saucepan (no need to add fat), then add the chopped leek and a couple of spoonsful of water, cover, and leave to cook in its own steam for a few minutes. Whisk the flour into the milk, together with some mustard or pepper (no need to add salt), then pour this mix on to the leeks/bacon, and bring to the boil, stirring all the time. Add the cooked pasta, and transfer to an oven-proof dish. Topped with sliced tomato and slices of goats' cheese, and bake in a moderately hot oven for about 30-45 minutes (it's pretty forgiving).
13 April 2011
Lentil Curry
I hadn't been planning on having curry tonight, but my day was upset by a failure of UPS to deliver - was unable to get to the supermarket! So two vegan meals two days running (last night was a vegetable stew served with Tesco's quinoa/bulghur mix with tahini dressing stirred through).
2 tbs olive oil
2 tsp hot curry powder
1/2 tsp each garam marsala, turmeric and asafoetida
1 large onion
1 apple
1 banana
1 green pepper
1 courgette
1 carrot
1 tin tomatoes
About 3/4 cup red lentils (dhal)
350 ml vegetable stock
1 tbs coconut milk powder
1 tbs each sultanas and dried cranberries
Fry the spices in the olive oil for a minute or two, then add the fresh fruit and vegetables which you have previously chopped into small pieces. Stir well, and allow to cook until they almost burn, at which point add the rest of the ingredients. Season to taste - if it lacks umami, add a bit of soya sauce - and allow to simmer for an hour or so. Serve with rice, and natural yoghurt if liked (but obvs it's not vegan unless you use soya yoghurt!).
2 tbs olive oil
2 tsp hot curry powder
1/2 tsp each garam marsala, turmeric and asafoetida
1 large onion
1 apple
1 banana
1 green pepper
1 courgette
1 carrot
1 tin tomatoes
About 3/4 cup red lentils (dhal)
350 ml vegetable stock
1 tbs coconut milk powder
1 tbs each sultanas and dried cranberries
Fry the spices in the olive oil for a minute or two, then add the fresh fruit and vegetables which you have previously chopped into small pieces. Stir well, and allow to cook until they almost burn, at which point add the rest of the ingredients. Season to taste - if it lacks umami, add a bit of soya sauce - and allow to simmer for an hour or so. Serve with rice, and natural yoghurt if liked (but obvs it's not vegan unless you use soya yoghurt!).
08 April 2011
Variations on a theme
I thought this would be nice, but it was even nicer than I thought it was going to be!
Serves 2
1 small leek
1 small head cauliflower
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
2 "skinless, boneless" coley fillets
250 ml milk
2 tsp plain flour
1/4 tsp mustard powder
Salt and pepper to taste
About 30 g grated Cheddar cheese
100 g tagliatelli or other pasta
Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet. Separate the cauliflower head into florets and steam. Chop the leek, and cook in about 1/2 tbs olive oil (I added 2 tbs water from the pasta when it was hot). Thaw the fish until you can dice it, and chop the hard-boiled eggs. Whisk the flour, milk, mustard, salt and pepper together, and pour on to the leeks. Bring to the boil, stirring all the time. Add the fish and allow to cook for a minute or two. Then add the eggs and the drained pasta, and the cauliflower if there's room. If not, put the cauliflower into an ovenproof dish, and pour the rest of it over it. Stir well to mix. Top with grated cheese and bake in a moderately hot oven for 30 minutes.
Serves 2
1 small leek
1 small head cauliflower
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
2 "skinless, boneless" coley fillets
250 ml milk
2 tsp plain flour
1/4 tsp mustard powder
Salt and pepper to taste
About 30 g grated Cheddar cheese
100 g tagliatelli or other pasta
Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet. Separate the cauliflower head into florets and steam. Chop the leek, and cook in about 1/2 tbs olive oil (I added 2 tbs water from the pasta when it was hot). Thaw the fish until you can dice it, and chop the hard-boiled eggs. Whisk the flour, milk, mustard, salt and pepper together, and pour on to the leeks. Bring to the boil, stirring all the time. Add the fish and allow to cook for a minute or two. Then add the eggs and the drained pasta, and the cauliflower if there's room. If not, put the cauliflower into an ovenproof dish, and pour the rest of it over it. Stir well to mix. Top with grated cheese and bake in a moderately hot oven for 30 minutes.
07 April 2011
Inauthentico
When you haven't got what you need, you need to make do with what you have! This is probably not risotto as Italians know it, but it is good!
Serves 4.
A little butter
1 large onion
1/2 pack chestnut mushrooms
1/2 small butternut squash
1 cupful arborio rice
Dregs of a bottle of red wine (about 1/2 glass, I think)
Roughly 1 litre chicken or vegetable stock
1 packet Feta cheese
Seasoning
Chop the vegetables and cook in the butter for a few minutes. Add the rice and stir until everything is well mixed. Add the red wine and stir, then add all the stock, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Then stir, and if it's still rather liquidy, reset timer for a further 10 minutes. Meanwhile, chop up the Feta. Once the liquid is all absorbed, stir again, and stir in the Feta cheese.
Serves 4.
A little butter
1 large onion
1/2 pack chestnut mushrooms
1/2 small butternut squash
1 cupful arborio rice
Dregs of a bottle of red wine (about 1/2 glass, I think)
Roughly 1 litre chicken or vegetable stock
1 packet Feta cheese
Seasoning
Chop the vegetables and cook in the butter for a few minutes. Add the rice and stir until everything is well mixed. Add the red wine and stir, then add all the stock, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Then stir, and if it's still rather liquidy, reset timer for a further 10 minutes. Meanwhile, chop up the Feta. Once the liquid is all absorbed, stir again, and stir in the Feta cheese.
01 April 2011
Etta's Seafood Restaurant, "Brixton Village"
I clearly fail as a food blogger, as I so seldom have my camera with me.
The Swan Whisperer was taking me out for dinner to celebrate our wedding anniversary, and after much discussion and wandering round, we ended up at Etta's Seafood Restaurant in what is now poncily called Brixton Village, but always used to be Granville Arcade. The Arcades stay open late on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, and there is no shortage of choice about what to eat. We could have had Japanese curry, or Thai, or several kinds of Italian, or general foodie-English, or vegetarian.... but in the end we chose fish. Most places appeared to charge between £7.00 and £10.00 for main courses, and this was no exception.
We were warmly welcomed - even though it is a fine Friday evening, the arcades were very quiet; I suppose Brixton just isn't used to eating there on a Friday night yet, as they've only recently started late night opening any time other than Thursdays. The café isn't licensed, but does operate a BYO policy, although as we hadn't known where we were going to eat we were unable to take advantage of this. So I drank fizzy water, and the Swan Whisperer had what was called tropical fruit juice but he said he thought was squash. Starters were £4.95 each - I ordered crab fitters and he ordered calamari rings, but as we had said we were going to mix and match, they came all on one plate, with mayonnaise and sweet chilli sauce for dipping. The batter was absolutely gorgeous - really light and crisp and delicious and seriously fattening.
I then opted for plain fish and chips, which were equally good - I did manage to leave some of the batter, which I thought was incredibly self-controlled of me, and the chips were lovely, thick cut, delicious. I couldn't eat them all, alas. The plate was garnished with what I always think of as West-Indian style salad - shredded lettuce, grated carrot and slices of cucumber (I think I have seen it at too many Church buffets, which is why I think of it as West-Indian style). And rather more coriander than I like - I don't exactly dislike it, I just find it rather overpowers everything else.
The SW ordered a mixed seafood linguine, which looked lovely if you like mussels and prawns and crab claws. I don't eat prawns, and only quite like mussels. The SW was quite convinced he had never had them before, but I'm sure he has. Anyway, he enjoyed it and cleaned his plate, although he was nearly as messy as The Boy by the time he was done.
All this came to about £30 for the two of us, with excellent and friendly service.
And on the way home we stopped off at the new ice-cream parlour in Market Row, which does a scoop of ice-cream for £1.75 with a cone for an extra 25p. And a topping, if you like. I had rum'n'raisin, and the SW had mint choc chip, both with caramel sauce. Very, very nice.... I do like rum'n'raisin!
The Swan Whisperer was taking me out for dinner to celebrate our wedding anniversary, and after much discussion and wandering round, we ended up at Etta's Seafood Restaurant in what is now poncily called Brixton Village, but always used to be Granville Arcade. The Arcades stay open late on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, and there is no shortage of choice about what to eat. We could have had Japanese curry, or Thai, or several kinds of Italian, or general foodie-English, or vegetarian.... but in the end we chose fish. Most places appeared to charge between £7.00 and £10.00 for main courses, and this was no exception.
We were warmly welcomed - even though it is a fine Friday evening, the arcades were very quiet; I suppose Brixton just isn't used to eating there on a Friday night yet, as they've only recently started late night opening any time other than Thursdays. The café isn't licensed, but does operate a BYO policy, although as we hadn't known where we were going to eat we were unable to take advantage of this. So I drank fizzy water, and the Swan Whisperer had what was called tropical fruit juice but he said he thought was squash. Starters were £4.95 each - I ordered crab fitters and he ordered calamari rings, but as we had said we were going to mix and match, they came all on one plate, with mayonnaise and sweet chilli sauce for dipping. The batter was absolutely gorgeous - really light and crisp and delicious and seriously fattening.
I then opted for plain fish and chips, which were equally good - I did manage to leave some of the batter, which I thought was incredibly self-controlled of me, and the chips were lovely, thick cut, delicious. I couldn't eat them all, alas. The plate was garnished with what I always think of as West-Indian style salad - shredded lettuce, grated carrot and slices of cucumber (I think I have seen it at too many Church buffets, which is why I think of it as West-Indian style). And rather more coriander than I like - I don't exactly dislike it, I just find it rather overpowers everything else.
The SW ordered a mixed seafood linguine, which looked lovely if you like mussels and prawns and crab claws. I don't eat prawns, and only quite like mussels. The SW was quite convinced he had never had them before, but I'm sure he has. Anyway, he enjoyed it and cleaned his plate, although he was nearly as messy as The Boy by the time he was done.
All this came to about £30 for the two of us, with excellent and friendly service.
And on the way home we stopped off at the new ice-cream parlour in Market Row, which does a scoop of ice-cream for £1.75 with a cone for an extra 25p. And a topping, if you like. I had rum'n'raisin, and the SW had mint choc chip, both with caramel sauce. Very, very nice.... I do like rum'n'raisin!
Lentil Pie
This is a very old friend - an adaptation of a Rose Elliottrecipe.
1/2 cup red lentils (125 ml by volume)
1 onion, peeled and chopped
300 ml water or (preferably) vegetable stock
1 tbs lemon juice
1/2 tsp Marmite or 2 tsp soya sauce
1/2 pack mushrooms, sliced
2 large tomatoes, peeled and sliced
2 slices wholemeal bread
60 g cheese
(optional) 1 tbs sesame seeds
Cook the lentils and the onions in the stock for 20 minutes, or until tender. Meanwhile put the sliced mushrooms and tomatoes in the bottom of an oven-proof casserole, and sprinkle with salt and pepper, and perhaps some herbes de provence. Whizz the bread and cheese together until breadcrumbed, and stir in the sesame seeds, if using.
When the lentils are cooked whizz with the lemon juice and Marmite/soya sauce, and any other seasonings you fancy. Pour this mixture over the top of the tomato/mushroom mixture, and top with the breadcrumbs/cheese. Bake in a moderate oven for about 40 minutes.
Serve with salad or a green vegetable or two, according to taste.
1/2 cup red lentils (125 ml by volume)
1 onion, peeled and chopped
300 ml water or (preferably) vegetable stock
1 tbs lemon juice
1/2 tsp Marmite or 2 tsp soya sauce
1/2 pack mushrooms, sliced
2 large tomatoes, peeled and sliced
2 slices wholemeal bread
60 g cheese
(optional) 1 tbs sesame seeds
Cook the lentils and the onions in the stock for 20 minutes, or until tender. Meanwhile put the sliced mushrooms and tomatoes in the bottom of an oven-proof casserole, and sprinkle with salt and pepper, and perhaps some herbes de provence. Whizz the bread and cheese together until breadcrumbed, and stir in the sesame seeds, if using.
When the lentils are cooked whizz with the lemon juice and Marmite/soya sauce, and any other seasonings you fancy. Pour this mixture over the top of the tomato/mushroom mixture, and top with the breadcrumbs/cheese. Bake in a moderate oven for about 40 minutes.
Serve with salad or a green vegetable or two, according to taste.
29 March 2011
Tahini dressing
This is a lovely way of adding flavour and protein to a vegan dish; my thanks to Heidi of 101 Cookbooks, whose recipe I have adapted:
2 tbs tahini (Sesame seed paste, rather like a sesame seed version of peanut butter; you can get it in the World Foods section of Sainsbury's, and occasionally in Tesco's)
2 tbs lemon juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tbs boiling water
Shake everything together until it goes more-or-less solid. Is wonderful stirred through, say, bulghur wheat and chickpeas.
You could also make a similar dressing with peanut butter; Heidi suggests using rice vinegar instead of lemon juice with this - also very good, but quite different!
2 tbs tahini (Sesame seed paste, rather like a sesame seed version of peanut butter; you can get it in the World Foods section of Sainsbury's, and occasionally in Tesco's)
2 tbs lemon juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tbs boiling water
Shake everything together until it goes more-or-less solid. Is wonderful stirred through, say, bulghur wheat and chickpeas.
You could also make a similar dressing with peanut butter; Heidi suggests using rice vinegar instead of lemon juice with this - also very good, but quite different!
24 March 2011
Leek and broccoli barley bake
This is normally a variation on macaroni cheese; however, as I had cooked pearl barley from the lemon-barley water I'd made earlier, I thought I would see whether using barley instead of pasta would work - and it did! This variation also had mushrooms and tomatoes!
1/2 cup (125 ml) pearl barley, uncooked.
1 litre water
c 20 g butter
1/2 pack button mushrooms, sliced
1 leek, chopped
1/2 head broccoli, divided into florets and the stem chopped
2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
250 ml milk
1.5 tsp plain flour
(Allegedly) 60 g grated cheese (Cheddar and/or Emmenthal - but I think I used rather more than that, and it may even have been as much as 60g of each!)
Cook the barley in plenty of water, which you might then use to make lemon barley water. Or not. In either event, put the barley in an oven-proof dish.
Meanwhile, steam the broccoli, and cook the mushrooms and leeks in the butter. Whisk the flour and milk together with seasoning (salt, pepper and 1/4 tsp dry mustard will do), and pour on to the mushrooms/leeks. Stirring constantly, bring to the boil and allow to thicken. Turn off the heat and add half the cheese. Put the broccoli in with the barley and pour the sauce on the top. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Top with the sliced tomatoes and the rest of the grated cheese.
Bake in a moderately hot oven for 45 minutes.
1/2 cup (125 ml) pearl barley, uncooked.
1 litre water
c 20 g butter
1/2 pack button mushrooms, sliced
1 leek, chopped
1/2 head broccoli, divided into florets and the stem chopped
2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
250 ml milk
1.5 tsp plain flour
(Allegedly) 60 g grated cheese (Cheddar and/or Emmenthal - but I think I used rather more than that, and it may even have been as much as 60g of each!)
Cook the barley in plenty of water, which you might then use to make lemon barley water. Or not. In either event, put the barley in an oven-proof dish.
Meanwhile, steam the broccoli, and cook the mushrooms and leeks in the butter. Whisk the flour and milk together with seasoning (salt, pepper and 1/4 tsp dry mustard will do), and pour on to the mushrooms/leeks. Stirring constantly, bring to the boil and allow to thicken. Turn off the heat and add half the cheese. Put the broccoli in with the barley and pour the sauce on the top. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Top with the sliced tomatoes and the rest of the grated cheese.
Bake in a moderately hot oven for 45 minutes.
23 March 2011
Lemon Barley Water
This is lovely when you are not very well. Actually, it's lovely even when you are well, but I do try not to have drinks with calories in them (other than alcohol and maybe fruit juice) when I am well!
1/2 cup pearl barley
1 litre water
Generous pinch salt
3 large unwaxed lemons
100 g sugar
Another litre or so of water or ice!
Put the barley, water and salt into a saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer for about 40 minutes, until the barley is cooked. Drain, and put the barley to one side to use in something else.
Using a potato peeler or lemon zester, peel the lemons, being careful not to get any of the pith. Put the peel and the sugar into a plastic jug, then bring the barley water back to the boil and pour over it. Stir to dissolve the sugar, and leave to steep for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, squeeze the lemons.
Strain the barley water into the lemon juice, then top up with ice-cold water (or ice) to make about 1.5-2 litres. Serve as cold as you can (stir before serving if it's sat for a bit).
1/2 cup pearl barley
1 litre water
Generous pinch salt
3 large unwaxed lemons
100 g sugar
Another litre or so of water or ice!
Put the barley, water and salt into a saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer for about 40 minutes, until the barley is cooked. Drain, and put the barley to one side to use in something else.
Using a potato peeler or lemon zester, peel the lemons, being careful not to get any of the pith. Put the peel and the sugar into a plastic jug, then bring the barley water back to the boil and pour over it. Stir to dissolve the sugar, and leave to steep for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, squeeze the lemons.
Strain the barley water into the lemon juice, then top up with ice-cold water (or ice) to make about 1.5-2 litres. Serve as cold as you can (stir before serving if it's sat for a bit).
12 March 2011
Spicy tomato soup with noodles
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
1 red pepper
1 large bag tomatoes (1 kg, probably)
1 chilli pepper
A bit of butternut squash, if you have any spare
1-2 litres boiling water
1 Knorr Vegetable Stock pot
Seasoning, including a little chilli sauce, if liked.
1 tbs olive oil
For the noodles:
1 cup flour (I like gram flour)
1 egg
Enough water to make a stiff dough
Chop onion and garlic, put in large pan with oil. Cook gently for 5 minutes, then add the rest of the vegetables, also chopped (the tomatoes can be cut into 1/4s). Allow to cook for about 10 minutes until everything is soft and the tomatoes have shed their juices. Now add the water and stock, and seasoning. Run through a blender.
Bring back to the boil. Make the noodles by mixing the ingredients together, then passing them through a potato ricer. If you put too much water in, which is what I did, it goes all clumpy and doesn't make separate noodles, but still tastes good! You could, of course, use a packet of instant noodles and throw away the flavour sachet which is what I often do!
Bring back to boil, and simmer for about 3-4 minutes. Keeps well in fridge.
2 cloves garlic
1 red pepper
1 large bag tomatoes (1 kg, probably)
1 chilli pepper
A bit of butternut squash, if you have any spare
1-2 litres boiling water
1 Knorr Vegetable Stock pot
Seasoning, including a little chilli sauce, if liked.
1 tbs olive oil
For the noodles:
1 cup flour (I like gram flour)
1 egg
Enough water to make a stiff dough
Chop onion and garlic, put in large pan with oil. Cook gently for 5 minutes, then add the rest of the vegetables, also chopped (the tomatoes can be cut into 1/4s). Allow to cook for about 10 minutes until everything is soft and the tomatoes have shed their juices. Now add the water and stock, and seasoning. Run through a blender.
Bring back to the boil. Make the noodles by mixing the ingredients together, then passing them through a potato ricer. If you put too much water in, which is what I did, it goes all clumpy and doesn't make separate noodles, but still tastes good! You could, of course, use a packet of instant noodles and throw away the flavour sachet which is what I often do!
Bring back to boil, and simmer for about 3-4 minutes. Keeps well in fridge.
11 March 2011
Baked falafel
I love falafel, and they are incredibly easy to make. I don't deep fry, though.
1/2 cup chickpeas, soaked overnight in cold water
1 tbs gram flour (chickpea flour)
A large bunch of parsley or coriander
1-2 cloves garlic
Seasoning (spicy Moroccan style is good).
A little oil for cooking
Rinse the chickpeas and put in bowl of a food processor, along with flour, parsley, garlic and seasoning. Blitz until it is like fine breadcrumbs. Form into patties - 1 large, 2 small, 4 titchy, whatever.... and then bake on a greased baking tray for about 30 minutes at mark 6, turning once. Serve with hummus and salad.
1/2 cup chickpeas, soaked overnight in cold water
1 tbs gram flour (chickpea flour)
A large bunch of parsley or coriander
1-2 cloves garlic
Seasoning (spicy Moroccan style is good).
A little oil for cooking
Rinse the chickpeas and put in bowl of a food processor, along with flour, parsley, garlic and seasoning. Blitz until it is like fine breadcrumbs. Form into patties - 1 large, 2 small, 4 titchy, whatever.... and then bake on a greased baking tray for about 30 minutes at mark 6, turning once. Serve with hummus and salad.
10 March 2011
Ash Wednesday stew
It's delicious at any time of year, but I call it Ash Wednesday stew as it is a good one to make when you don't want to eat animal products, and it will sit in the slow cooker until after the Ash Wednesday service!
1 tin aduki beans
1 clove garlic
1 onion
1 chilli pepper
1 sweet red or yellow pepper
2 sweet potatoes
1 leek
A cube of frozen ginger, or a piece of grated/chopped ginger root
500 ml vegetable stock
To serve: 1 tbs peanut butter; 1 tbs roasted peanuts or cashew nuts.
Put all the ingredients in the slow cooker and forget about them; when ready to eat, stir in the peanut butter, and sprinkle each bowlful with roasted peanuts or cashew nuts.
1 tin aduki beans
1 clove garlic
1 onion
1 chilli pepper
1 sweet red or yellow pepper
2 sweet potatoes
1 leek
A cube of frozen ginger, or a piece of grated/chopped ginger root
500 ml vegetable stock
To serve: 1 tbs peanut butter; 1 tbs roasted peanuts or cashew nuts.
Put all the ingredients in the slow cooker and forget about them; when ready to eat, stir in the peanut butter, and sprinkle each bowlful with roasted peanuts or cashew nuts.
09 March 2011
Gram flour pancakes
These were rather nice! You can make them vegan by replacing the egg with 1 tbs of oil.
c 1 cup gram flour (chick pea flour)
c 1.5 cups water
1 egg
Mix to a pancake-batter-like consistency, and cook as you would ordinary pancakes. They are nicest with something savoury - I served them with chilli beans with chopped frankfurters in them.
c 1 cup gram flour (chick pea flour)
c 1.5 cups water
1 egg
Mix to a pancake-batter-like consistency, and cook as you would ordinary pancakes. They are nicest with something savoury - I served them with chilli beans with chopped frankfurters in them.
05 March 2011
Chicken Casserole
Really fancied this last week!
1 packet chicken pieces (thighs or breast fillets, up to you)
1 large onion
1-2 cloves garlic, if liked
2 large carrots
1 leek
1 tbs cooking oil
1 tbs plain flour
Seasoning
1/2 litre chicken stock (I used Knorr Stock Pot)
Mix the seasoning with the flour, and toss the chicken pieces in it (I just put the flour on a plate and vaguely stir the chicken around in it.
Heat up the oil in a casserole dish and add the floury chicken, stirring a bit so it doesn't stick, while you chop up and add all the other vegetables. Lastly, add the stock, bring to the boil, and put in a moderately hot oven (Mark 5, 190 C) for about 45 minutes. Serve with a starchy carbohydrate and a green vegetable (we had rice and cabbage).
1 packet chicken pieces (thighs or breast fillets, up to you)
1 large onion
1-2 cloves garlic, if liked
2 large carrots
1 leek
1 tbs cooking oil
1 tbs plain flour
Seasoning
1/2 litre chicken stock (I used Knorr Stock Pot)
Mix the seasoning with the flour, and toss the chicken pieces in it (I just put the flour on a plate and vaguely stir the chicken around in it.
Heat up the oil in a casserole dish and add the floury chicken, stirring a bit so it doesn't stick, while you chop up and add all the other vegetables. Lastly, add the stock, bring to the boil, and put in a moderately hot oven (Mark 5, 190 C) for about 45 minutes. Serve with a starchy carbohydrate and a green vegetable (we had rice and cabbage).
02 March 2011
Leek and fish casserole
This was our St David's Day meal, adapted from this recipe some years ago now!
2 frozen coley fillets (or other white fish, as liked)
2 large leeks
500 g baby new potatoes
1 small pot creme fraiche (ideally 1/2-fat, but Lidl doesn't sell 1/2 fat creme fraiche, so....)
1 tbs olive oil
Seasoning to taste
Thaw the fish just enough to be able to cut it into small pieces. Trim and chop the leeks, and cook them in the olive oil for a few minutes, then add a little water and reduce the heat so they simmer in more or less steam for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, steam or boil the new potatoes until they are cooked.
Put the potatoes, fish and cream into the pan with the leeks, and bring to the boil, stirring well, and simmer for a minute or two until the fish is cooked - this really doesn't take long. Serve in soup bowls as it's a bit liquid!
I appear to have stopped keeping my food diary again - which is okay, as long as I don't start snacking and eating between meals. Which so far I haven't been.
2 frozen coley fillets (or other white fish, as liked)
2 large leeks
500 g baby new potatoes
1 small pot creme fraiche (ideally 1/2-fat, but Lidl doesn't sell 1/2 fat creme fraiche, so....)
1 tbs olive oil
Seasoning to taste
Thaw the fish just enough to be able to cut it into small pieces. Trim and chop the leeks, and cook them in the olive oil for a few minutes, then add a little water and reduce the heat so they simmer in more or less steam for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, steam or boil the new potatoes until they are cooked.
Put the potatoes, fish and cream into the pan with the leeks, and bring to the boil, stirring well, and simmer for a minute or two until the fish is cooked - this really doesn't take long. Serve in soup bowls as it's a bit liquid!
I appear to have stopped keeping my food diary again - which is okay, as long as I don't start snacking and eating between meals. Which so far I haven't been.
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