Indian pea soup
Ingredients
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic clove
1 teaspoon finely chopped green chilli
1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
1 shallot finely chopped
200 g peas
400 ml vegetable stock
1 bunch coriander (leaves only)
½ teaspoon garam masala
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon black mustard seeds
3 tablespoons sunflower oil
Method
Heat the sunflower oil and add the cumin seeds. When they start popping, add the finely chopped garlic, green chilli, ginger and shallot and gently fry for about 2 minutes (do not let it colour).
Add the peas and fry for 2 minutes. Add the stock and cream to the peas, bring to the boil. After a couple of minutes, add the coriander, garam masala and season with salt and pepper. Remove the pan from the heat. Blend the soup in a blender until smooth.
For the "Indian Caviar"
Heat the sunflower oil and add mustard seeds. When they pop, lower the heat and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
Creamy polenta with radicchio and mushrooms
A warm and comforting wintery dish. Make it vegetarian by substituting the pancetta with raddichio
Ingredients
5 g dried porcini mushrooms (5 grams)
500 ml milk
500 ml vegetable stock
125 g polenta
6 slices pancetta or 1 radicchio
2 portobello mushrooms or 500 g mixed wild mushrooms
10 g fresh oregano
1 bunch winter purslane
50 g soft goat cheese
4 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
50 g butter
50 g grated Parmesan
Method
1
Put the dried porcini in a small bowl and add enough warm water to cover the mushrooms. Soak the porcini until they are soft. Put 30 ml of the soaking liquid aside. Finely chop the porcini. Cut the portobello into thin slices or wash and tear the wild mushrooms.
2
Place the milk and stock in a pan. Bring to boil. Stir in the polenta and cook over a low heat for about 10 minutes until the polenta becomes thick and creamy.
3
Heat a frying pan over medium heat and fry the pancetta for 2 minutes on each side. Remove them from the pan and place them on a plate. Alternatively, cut the raddichio in half, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill in a grill pan for 2 minutes on each side. In the frying pan over high heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan. Fry the portobello or wild mushrooms together with the porcini and half of the oregano for 2-3 minutes. Add the porcini soaking liquid and let it reduce slightly. Season with salt and pepper.
4
Put the mushrooms in a bowl and carefully mix in the winter purslane.
5
Stir the butter and grated Parmesan through the polenta and season with salt and pepper. Divide the polenta between 2 plates. Spoon the mushroom mixture on top and place the fried pancetta or grilled raddichio on top. Sprinkle with the crumbled goat cheese and the remaining oregano leaves. Drizzle over some olive oil over it and serve immediately.
Hummus
Hummus is an amazing dish. It's cheap to make, full of protein, healthy, vegan and can be taken in all directions with the addition of different spices and herbs.
Here is the definitive basic recipe for hummus.
Serves 6
Ingredients
250g dried chickpeas
10g baking soda
2 cloves garlic, crushed
275g raw tahini
the juice of 1-1,5 lemons
1 teaspoon salt
1 sprig flat leaf parsley
selection of toasted seeds -we used equal quantities pine nuts, sunflower and pumpkin seeds
olive oil
Method
Soak the chickpeas for a minimum of 12 hours in water with 5g of the baking soda. Drain off the water and bring the chickpeas to a boil with fresh water and the remaining 5g baking soda. Ensure that the chickpeas are covered with at least a 3cm layer of water. Once boiling, cover with a lid and simmer over a low heat. The chickpeas are ready when they start to fall apart, about 45 minutes but don't be alarmed if it takes double the amount of time.
Drain the chickpeas but make sure you save all the cooking water. Allow to cool slightly and blend the chickpeas in a food processor. Add the garlic, raw tahini, and the juice of 1 lemon. Blend for at least 10 minutes in the food processor. Add small amounts of the reserved cooking liquid to thin the hummus. Make sure to leave it a little thicker than the creamy puree it will eventually become.
Season with about 1 teaspoon salt and a little extra lemon if necessary. Only when the hummus is perfectly seasoned, then you can thin it down for the last time with some of the reserved cooking liquid.
If you're not going to eat the hummus immediately, store covered in the refrigerator. Taste the hummus before your serve it. It will most likely need a little extra salt and lemon juice and a touch of the cooking liquid to get the right consistency.
Smear the hummus with the rounded part of a spoon neatly on to a plate. Make crator in the middle. The trick is to hold the spoon still while your turn the plate. Garnish the hummus with parsley leaves, the toasted seeds and olive oil.
You can also garnish with cooked chickpeas, parsley and paprika powder, slow cooked pulled beef or hard cooked eggs.
Panzanella
As we near the end of summer, tomatoes are at their ripest and best. Keep cool yet satisfied on a warm day with this delicious and flavourful salad Italian bread salad.
Serves 2
Ingredients
1 tin tomatoes
2 red peppers
700 g mixed coloured tomatoes
2 ciabatta rolls or 1 ciabatta bread
1 bunch basil
1 ball buffalo mozzarella
4 tablespoons olive oil (4 tablespoons)
red wine- or Sherry vinegar (to taste)
salt
pepper
Method
1
Preheat the oven to 220 °C. Place the peppers in a roasting tray and roast until black. Alternatively, blacken over an open flame on a gas stove. Transfer to a bowl and cover with cling film. Allow to stand for a few minutes.
2
Lower the oven temperature to 180 °C. Cut the ciabatta into rough cubes. Place them in a roasting tray and bake in the oven until they have dried out and are crunchy. Set aside to cool.
3
Place the tinned tomatoes in a bowl and blend until smooth using a stick blender. Season with salt, pepper, red wine- or sherry vinegar and the olive oil. This dressing should be slightly too sour.
4
Peel the peppers; discard the seeds and slice into strips. The juices that have been released from the peppers can be added to the dressing. Slice the tomatoes into wedges.
5
Pick the basil leaves from the stalks. Tear the mozzarella into pieces. Mix the ciabatta cubes, tomatoes, peppers and basil in a bowl with the dressing. Season with salt and pepper.
6
Divide the salad between two plates and top with the torn mozzarella.
Vegetarian Hamburger with Pickled Carrot Slaw
We've all spent the summer barbecueing and the likes of hamburgers, sausages and steaks but sometimes it's time to take one of those familiar items and give it a more conscious twist. Here is our recipe for vegetarian hamburgers. There are a number of good versions available in the supermarkets. It's best to try out a few and find out which your favourite is.
Serves 2
Ingredients
2 hamburger buns
2 vegetarian hamburgers
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon miso
1 large carrot (300 g)
75 g rocket
2 tablespoons olive oil (2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar (2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon sugar
salt
pepper
Method
1
Peel the carrot and coarsely grate. Place in a bowl with 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon sugar, salt and pepper. Set aside to pickle.
2
Place the mayonnaise in a bowl and whisk through the miso. Set aside.
3
Cut the hamburger buns open. Heat a frying pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil and toast the buns on the cut side until golden. Remove from the pan.
4
Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and fry the hamburgers until golden, about 2-3 minutes on each side.
5
Spoon the carrot slaw on to the bottom half each bun. Lay a hamburger on each followed by a spoonful of miso mayonnaise. Top with the rocket and serve.
Cold Roasted Beetroot and Fennel Soup
A refreshing summer soup made with ingredients usually associated with the colder months.
Serves 2
Ingredients
500 g pre-cooked beetroot
1 fennel
3 celery stalks
1 onion
2 vegetable stock cubes
1 bay leaf
1 small cucumber
1 small red onion
1 bunch radishes
1 orange
4 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
dark country bread to serve
Method
1
Preheat the oven to 200 ° C. Cut the beetroot into chunks. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and roast for 15 minutes. Cut the fennel in half, remove the hard core. Keep the green twigs separate. Cut the fennel and celery into small pieces. Peel and chop the onion.
2
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan. Add the fennel, celery, onion and bay leaf and sweat for 5 minutes over medium heat. Dissolve the bouillon cubes in 1 liter of hot water.
3
Pour the warm stock into the pan and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the beets to the pan, remove the bay leaf. Blend the soup with a stick blender until smooth. Add a little extra water if the soup us too thick.
4
Cut the cucumber, red onion and radishes into small cubes. Chop the green fennel fronds and stir through the cubed vegetables. Grate the zest from orange and mix it through the finely chopped vegetables.
5
Season the soup with salt and pepper.
6
Divide the soup between 2 bowls and sprinkle the cucumber mixture. Drizzle with a little olive oil and serve with dark farmhouse bread.
Eyal Shani's World Famous Roasted Cauliflower and Pita Breads
Most of you have come across the whole roasted cauliflower in some form or another. It's actually the creation of famous Israeli chef, Eyal Shani. It's served in his restaurants in Israel and around the world.
Here is the definitive recipe as well as a recipe for traditional pita breads to have alongside. After making these, you'll never buy pita from the supermarket again.
Roasted Cauliflower
Ingredients
2 small cauliflower with leaves attached
extra virgin olive oil
coarse sea salt
Method
Preheat an oven to 250 C.
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Use 2 teaspoons salt per liter of water. Place the cauliflower with their leaves still attached upside down in the pan and cook the cauliflower for about 10 minutes.
Drain the cauliflower and allow to stand for a minute or so until all the water has drained out. Rub your hands with a generous amount of olive oil and massage it into the cauliflowers, then sprinkle them with coarse salt.
Scrunch up 2 pieces of grease proof paper and shape into 'bowls' to go around the cauliflowers. Roast them in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes so that the top gets dark and charred.
Remove from the oven and drizzle with a little extra olive oil. You can also sprinkle over a little extra salt if you wish. Serve the cauliflower in the baking paper with a bowl of tahini and pita bread on the side.
Pita Bread
Makes 14 small or 10 large pita breads
Ingredients
500 g wheat flour, plus extra for dusting
25 g fresh yeast or 7 g instant dried yeast
15 g castor sugar
10 g salt
300 ml cold water
45 ml olive oil
Method
Place all the dry ingredients in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix all the ingredients and add the water and olive oil.
Knead for about 10 minutes on a low speed until the dough is elastic.
Place the dough on a wooden board, cover with a damp tea towel and allow to rise for about an hour or until doubled in size.
Dust the work surface with flour and cut the dough into 14 pieces of about 60 grams (for small pitas) or 10 pieces of about 80 grams (for large pitas).
Roll each portion of dough into a ball. Spread the dough balls over the work surface leaving enough space between them as they will expand. Cover once again with a damp tea towel and leave for about 20-20 minutes until they have doubled in size. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 240 C.
Roll the dough balls out with a rolling pin into circles with a 12 cm diameter for small pita breads and to 16 cm diameter for large ones. All the breads should be the same thickness so that they rise evenly in the oven.
Line 2 large baking trays with grease proof paper. Place on the dough circles and allow to rise for a further 10-15 minutes.
Bake the pita in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes until well risen and ballooned. This usually means they are cooked through. To give them a good brown colour, you cam leave them in the oven for a further 1-2 minutes.
Remove the pita breads from the oven and place in a deep dish covered with a clean tea towel. This will ensure that the pita's get softer before serving.
Red Lentil and Swiss Chard Soup
Keep the cold at bay with this warm and comforting soup which is also happens to be incredibly healthy.
Serves 2
Ingredients
200 g red split lentils
1 vegetable stock cube
1 red onion
200 g swiss chard
1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
2 garlic cloves
1 lemon
1 bag coriander
4 tablespoons olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Finely chop the onion and garlic. Dissolve the stock cube in 1 litre hot water.
Heat a pot over medium heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Sweat the red onion for 2 minutes. Add the chopped garlic and fry for a further 1 minute.
Add the spices, lentils and stock to the pot. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 – 15 minutes. If necessary, remove the froth with a soup ladle.
Slice the stalks away from the leaves of the swiss chard. Wash the chard and drain in a colander. Finely slice the leaves and slice the stalks on the diagonal into 1 cm pieces. Heat a frying pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil and fry the chard stalks for 4 minutes, add the leaves and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Blend the cooked lentils with a stick blender to a coarse soup. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the fried chard to the lentil soup and add lemon juice to taste. Pick the coriander leaves. Divide the soup between 2 bowls and garnish with the coriander.
Preserved Tomatoes
A great way of preserving tomatoes when they are at their best during the summer months. Use them during the winter in pasta sauces, on cheese sandwiches or in a tomato salsa.
Ingredients
2 litres water
60 gr caster sugar
30 gr salt
4 bay leaves
5 cloves
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
130 ml white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 kg firm ripe tomatoes, cut into pieces
10 sprigs dill, roughly chopped
100 g celery, roughly chopped
6 cloves garlic, peeled
2 onions, finely sliced
Method
Bring a large pan with the water, sugar, salt, bay leaves, cloves and mustard seeds to the boil. Once the water has boiled, turn off the heat and allow the water to cool so that all the flavours are released.
Once it's completely cooled, add the vinegar and mix well. Pour the sunflower oil into a 2 liter preserving jar. Place the tomato, dill, celery and garlic in the jar. Add the onions last, so that they are on top. Pour over the cooled liquid, close the lid and place the jar in a warm place (25 C) for 10 days.
The tomatoes, if well sealed, can keep for up to 6 months.
Lentil Salad with Avocado and Goats Cheese
A delicious salad which combines both the end of winter and beginning of spring.
Serves 2
Ingredients
200g puy lentils
1 shallot
2 cloves garlic
1 bunch carrots
2 sticks celery
1,5 teaspoons caraway seeds
3 sprigs thyme
2 avocado's
1oo g soft goats cheese
75 g purslane
7 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine- or sherry vinegar
Salt and pepper
Method
1
Preheat an oven to 230° C. Finely chop 1 carrot, the shallot, garlic cloves and celery sticks. Peel the remaining carrots and cut lengthways in half. Place on a roasting tray with 3 tablespoons olive oil, salt, pepper and the caraway seeds and roast for 15 minutes.
2
Heat a pan over medium heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil and sweat the shallot, carrot and celery for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and fry for a further 1 minute. Add the thyme and lentils and enough water until the lentils are covered. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for about 15 minutes until the lentils are al dente.
3
Drain off any excess liquid and return the lentils to the pan. Season with 2 tablespoon olive oil, 2 tablespoons red wine – or sherry vinegar, salt and pepper. Set aside to cool off slightly.
4
Peel the avocado's and slice thinly. Crumble the goat’s cheese and remove any hard stalks from the purslane.
5
Mix the purslane through the lentils and spoon on to a plate. Place the sliced avocado on the side and top with the roasted carrots. Sprinkle over the crumbled goats cheese and serve.