Creamy Herbed Lentils

Further food from cooking for my mum , I served these creamy herbed lentils with trout baked in the oven .

I love these lentils they just look like beautiful little stones , called Puy , french or continental lentils , they cook in just 20 minutes . Fantastic in tomato sauce with with spaghetti or lasagne , they keep a nutty crunchiness.

Fresh herbs just cannot be beaten , especially when you find a lovely bunch of tarragon was reduced to just 20p . Either thyme or tarragon leaves mixed with a little oil and vinegar tossed over mixed beans is the taste of summer and a lovely accompaniment for fish or meat or simply eaten from a bowl with bread as a scoop

Creamy Herbed Lentils

200g of continental lentils
Dash of white wine
1tsp vegetable bullion stock powder
1tsp of dijon mustard
Handful of fresh herbs ( thyme and tarragon) stalks removed but not chopped .
2 tbsp of low fat soft cheese
Salt and Pepper to season

1. Simmer the lentils until soft in water with the stock
2. Drain the lentils and mix through the soft cheese , mustard and white wine .
3. Finally stir in the herbs
4. Season with salt and pepper
5. Serve warm but these re-heat well too. ta

More Puy/French Lentil Recipes

• Mediterranean Lamb Stew
• Lentil Leek and Potato Warm Salad

• Chicken with lentils , leeks and orzo.

• Quick Lamb and Lentil Stew- with Spelt Bread

Leek, Pea and Feta Fritatta

Long long days and 3/4hr  wait on a very cold train platform got home a little grumpy with ingredients for some easter cup cakes but also needing something to eat for dinner

Heading off for the bank holiday weekend so eating down the vegetable stocks which meant a big pile of leeks and carrots . The carrots are going into carrot cupcakes a “healthy” treat for my step-neice who is being babysat by my mum and stepdad this weekend . However the need to also use the additional eggs not on cupcake duty just screamed posh omlette – fritatta -even the word makes me smile .

The leeks combined with some frozen peas and feta cheese make a lovely fritatta ( have made Courgette Fritatta  which is really lovely too ) on this coldest of days it just looked so summery . Feirceness of leek sweet popping peas and the saltiness of the feta which only seems to improve when warm.

Leek , Pea and Feta Fritatta

3 medium leeks – roughly chopped
3 sprigs of thyme
1 cup of frozen peas
20g of feta  – cubed
cube of butter
4 eggs – well beaten

In a oven proof frying pan sweat the leeks with the butter til softening
Toss over the peas and feta
Pour over the eggs salt and pepper
Place the frying pan  under a medium grill for approx 3 minutes keeping a eye until the egg is set and gently browned
Serve with salad with a tangy dressing (white wine vinegar, wholegrain mustard , honey )

Wild Garlic and Wild Watercress

It feels like spring is just around the corner with an early Easter we are heading back up to Yorkshire, the  site of many a happy childhood holiday  and where I first introduced Nick to the joys of wild garlic  this prolific wild herb is beginning to send up its first tender leaves  and  coming soon to a woodland near you making a stroll in the woods smell like a visit to the local pizzeria .

  This weekend we also found  wild growing watercress amazingly near a site called Cressbrook in the Peak District . If you are harvesting it yourself be sure to wash it well.

I am never happier than when foraging  and cooking with the results by myself the watecress and garlic would probably have been fine as a salad but it was Saturday night and we had scored some lovely mature steaks and as ever trying to get through the vegebox potato mountain  so made a warm potato salad with the wild garlic and let the peppery watercress speak for itself on the side.

Warm Potato and Wild Garlic Salad

10 potatoes freshly boiled
15 wild garlic leaves torn into strips

Dressing this looks like a lot but the potatoes will really suck it up
3 heaped tbps honey
1tbps of mustard
10ml vinegar
10ml olive oil

Mix together the dressing with the torn garlic leaves
After draining the freshly boiled potatoes toss while still piping hot in the dressing and garlic leaves and serve . If you use cut potatoes they will suck up more of the dressing

I have also used wild garlic to make a pesto fantastic in soups , on pasta or potatoes

Wild Garlic Pesto

Finely chopped wild garlic leaves with olive oil, walnuts & roasted lemon ( I half lemons and drizzle them with olive oil baking in the oven on a medium temperature for 30 minutes and then keep them in the fridge covered in oil for up to a few weeks – roasting intensifies and mellows the flavour)

Spinach Soup with Wild Garlic Pesto

Cauliflower Spinach and Tahini Salad

I was thinking about Cauliflower cheese for dinner tonight but there was a abg of spinach begging to be used and some lavash ( flatbread) left over from the weekend

Cauliflower Spinach and Tahini Salad

Half a medium cauliflower
Few handfuls of spinach
1 tsp Tahini ( sesame seed paste)
One fresh lemon – juice
Pinch Dried Chilli

1. Simmer   half a medium cauliflower until cooked a little al-dente
2. Mix together tahini  ,chilli ,  juice of the lemon , for some reason this thickens the tahini so you may wish to add a little water.
3. Pour the tahini mix over the still warm cauliflower
4. Add the  spinach
5. Serve with toasted flatbread

Other cauliflower recipes

• Cauliflower Soup
• Lamb and Cauliflower Salad
• Cauliflower Preserved Lemon and Coriander Salad

Leeks in Vinaigrette with breadcrumbs and bacon

Lots of leeks in the vegebox today wanted something warming but
light for lunch, the leeks are a lovely carrier of the vinagrette with
the breadcrumbs and bacon adding a salty crunch . This would work
nicely with crumbly goats cheese

Leeks in Vinaigrette with breadcrumbs and bacon

Leeks
Vinaigrette – made 2 parts vinegar 1 part dijon mustard 1 part honey
Toasted breadcrumbs toast bread and finely chop
Bacon – grilled and finely chopped

1. Thinly slice leek and steam or boil until softened
2. toss the leeks while warm in vinagrette
3. top with breadcrumbs and bacon

Carrot Turnip and Apple Salad

My heart sank a little when I saw the turnip in the vegebox this week.  They are heavy , dense and woodsy great for  poaching a chicken   and  good in a long slow cooked stew however I have a few weeks home alone and was going to take the opportunity to make light and probably vegetarian food.

I am not sure this even needs and recipe but for anyone else struggling for light flavour packed salad -perfect

Shred equal amounts of carrots , turnip and half the amount of grated apples , add a sprinkling of fresh coriander , ground coriander , walnuts ( toasted in a hot pan for a few minutes)  and a squeeze of lemon juice to cover.

Falafel with beetroot and carrot salad

I have celebrated fixing my oven full story below , by making Falafel , I love falafel but can never made to make the deep-fried variety at home , they always disintegrate in the pan . This recipe is full proof and quick to make.

Baked Falafel

300g of canned chickpeas, drained
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tablespoons of coriander or flat leaf parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons plain flour
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1tbsp olive oil

1. Food process all the ingredients except the chick peas to a paste
2. Add the chick peas and pulse a few times
3. Form into 2cm balls and place on an oven tray
4. Bake at 200degC for 20 minutes , turning the balls over half way through

Carrot and Beetroot Salad

1. Finely shred carrot and beetroot
2. Dress with lemon juice and a teaspoon of tahini

Yogurt Dressing
Yogurt mixed with chopped fresh coriander

This weekend all the fuses blew in the flat , traced the source to the oven , though the fan spinning there was no heat

A quick Internet search showed that the fan element was probably broken , the fan was till working but no heat . I ordered an element online its arrived promptly the next day , there are lots of sites online offering advice and guidance on fitting elements including You Tube vidoes , all with the disclaimer that …. “Attempting work or repairs on electrical appliances can be dangerous and should only be carried by a suitably qualified person using the correct tools and test equipment, with the appliance disconnected from the mains supply.”

I borrowed the correct tools , disconnected it from the mains , strapped on my headtorch and set to 45 minutes later my oven is now working , the thrill is immense

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Leek and Lemon Risotto

Back home to an emptyish fridge ,  but leeks from the vegebox , they do seem to last forever. If the snowdrops are to be belived Spring is on its way….this certainly looks like a Spring dish and tastes light and zingy…….and yet warming in this still damp weather.

Lemon and Leek Risotto

2 medium leeks finely chopped
200g of arborio risotto rice
3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 litre of stock – 1 heaped tsp of vegetable bullion  ( I use Marigold Swiss Vegetable  recommended by both Delia and Nigella ) dissolved in a 1 litre  of boiling water
Lemon -juice of half  and  1 tsp of zest
Few sprigs of fresh lemon thyme
1 tsp of butter

1. Gently melt the butter in a pan on a low heat  , add the leeks , garlic and cook until softening
2. Stir in the rice make sure its well coated in fat
3. Add a ladle full of the stock , stir thoroughly the liquid has been absorbed
4. continue to add a ladle at a time , stirring well all the time until half the stock is gone
5. The rest of the stock can be added in two parts but you need to keep stirring
6. Check that the rice is well softened , you can always add a little extra warm water .
7. Finally  add the lemon zest , juice and lemon thyme stirring in.

Other risotto Squash and Hedghog Fungus Risotto

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Cauliflower Soup

I had to hang around the flat this morning waiting for the telephone engineer so watching  a bit of Nigella Bites,  she was doing comfort food making risotto which meant I then craved it all day and was planning to try a leek and lemon risotto. Got brown rice , white rice , wild rice  even got some Marmite rice cakes but no risotto rice

So instead soup to make a dent in the cauliflower mountain . A surprisingly sophisticated soup that managed to be satisfying filling without being stodgy it came out beautifully pale and delicately lemon scented the tahini adds toasted notes.

Cauliflower Soup

200g of Cauliflower broken into florets
1 pint of vegetable stock
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 tsp  heaped of tahini
1 heaped tbsp flat leaf parsley
1 tsp of lemon zest

1. Gently simmer the cauliflower until soft
2. Puree the cauliflower with the stock and garlic
3. Add the lemon juice , tahini , parsley and warm through
4. Serve.

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Pasta Primavera

Pasta Primavera

1 handful of dried pasta
1/2 handful of Carrots , chopped to matchsticks
1/2 handful of Leek , roughly chopped
1/2 handful of Broccoli
1 tbsp of thyme leaves
1 tbsp of roughly chopped parsley
1tsp on vegetable stock powder

1. Cover the pasta with boiling water and cook until it is beginning to to soften
2. Add the vegetables and cook til al dente.
3. Pour away most of the water leaving a few milimetres in the bottom , stir in the stock power and herbs
4. Season with salt and pepper

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