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Initially, I cooked up some barley with chopped tomatoes with the intention of using it to stuff some courgettes, but it tasted so good that I decided to serve it as it was. Still, if you fancy trying out my original idea, lightly cook some whole courgettes, halve them and hollow them out, and fill the cavity with the barley mixture (you want it drier than when making risotto, say). Top with a good melting cheese and finish off in the oven.
Serves 4
3 tbsp olive oil, plus an extra trickle at the end
2 whole heads garlic, cloves separated, peeled and quartered
750g fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped
200g passata
½ tsp smoky paprika
⅛ tsp dried chilli flakes
1 tbsp picked thyme
4 strips fresh lemon zest
1½ tsp caster sugar
1 tsp salt
270g pearl barley, well rinsed in cold water and drained
Roughly 200ml water
20g chopped coriander leaves, plus extra to garnish
Black pepper
200g feta, crumbled roughly
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a medium-sized saucepan and sauté the garlic quarters for about two minutes, or until golden. Add the tomatoes, passata, paprika, chilli, thyme, lemon zest, sugar, salt, barley and a ladleful of water; stir and bring the mix to a simmer. Cook over minimal heat for 50-60 minutes, until the barley is tender but still firm to the bite. You'll need to stir it from time to time, so it doesn't stick to the pan, and add water occasionally, making sure there is always just enough liquid left in the pot to cook the barley. At the end of the cooking, the mix should be runny enough easily to spoon into bowls.
Once done, remove the pan from the heat, stir in the coriander and some freshly ground black pepper. Add most of the feta, stir gently so the cheese doesn't break up too much and stays in largish chunks, taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly.
Spoon into serving bowls, sprinkle with the reserved feta and coriander, and drizzle over a little olive oil.
[FONT=times\ new\ roman]* [/FONT]There will be many more vegetarian recipes to come, so hang in here homies.
Here are some of aunty Fiona's lovely soups. They are cheap and nutritious, easy to make and you'll be wanting more.
Velvety Leek Soup
by Nigel Slater
Illustration only
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Ingredients:
3 large leeks
40g butter
3 medium potatoes
parmesan rinds*
1 1/2 litres vegetable stock
handful of parsley leaves
6 tablespoons grated parmesan**
* On Nigel’s advice in his book I never throw away my parmesan rinds, keeping them for adding to soups like this when you want an extra layer of flavour. I added 5 rinds which have accumulated over the past few months.
** I forgot this but the soup was cheesy enough from the rinds!
Trim the leeks, slice them into thick rings and wash well under cold running water. Melt the butter in a heavy-based pan then tip in the washed leeks and let them soften slowly, covered with a lid, over a low to moderate heat. After about 20 minutes and with some occasional stirring they should be silkily tender.
While they are softening, peel the potatoes and cut them into chunks. Add them to the leeks when they are soft and let them cook for 5 minutes or so before adding the cheese rinds and stock. Season with salt and black pepper, partially cover and leave to simmer for a good 40 minutes.
Remove and discard the undissolved cheese rinds, scraping back into the soup any cheesy goo from them as you go. Add the parsley leaves and blitz the soup in a blender. Check the seasoning – you may need a surprisingly generous amount of salt and pepper – then bring briefly to the boil. Serve piping hot with the grated parmesan.
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Smaller and nicer than those dark yucky lentil, yellow-splits are great and is comfort food on the real cheap. Nutritious too.
Ingredients: 25g butter (or oil if you want a vegan soup)
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
125-225g yellow or orange-coloured split lentils
850ml unsalted stock (I used marigold bouillon powder)
1 bay leaf
up to 275ml milk
2 teaspoons lemon juice
sea salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
for the croutons:
3 slices bread
oil for shallow frying
1 teaspoon curry powder
Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the onion and carrot and fry until they are lightly browned. wash and drain the lentils and mix them in with the carrot and onion. stir for a minute or two so the lentils get coated with the butter then add the stock and bayleaf. Bring up to the boil then turn down the heat and let the mixture simmer gently for 30 minutes, until the lentils and vegetables are cooked.
While the soup is cooking, make the croutons. Remove the crusts from the bread then cut it into 1cm dice (about half inch). heat a little oil in a frying pan and add the bread. sprinkle with the curry powder and turn the bread in the oil so it gets crispy all over and the curry powder is well-distributed. drain the croutons on kitchen paper.
When the soup is ready, remove the bay leaf and liquidize it to a smooth texture. Add enough milk to bring it to a creamy consistency then mix in the lemon juice and plenty of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. reheat the soup gently but don’t let it boil. Serve the soup in individual bowls with a few croutons on top of each.
Get some crusty bread to mop the bowl up afterwards. Immensely tummy satisfying, comforting and cheerful in the bowl, this unusual but very lovely soup originated by Nigel Slater, our very favourite British cook and food writer. Serves 4
50 g butter
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 large or 2 small cauliflower, broken into florets
2 bay leaves
1 large potato, peeled and cubed
4 tablespoons creme fraiche
1 heaped tablespoon seed mustard
200 g punchy farmhouse cheddar, grated
2 thick slices of bread, cut into 1 cm cubes
50 g butter
melt the butter in a saucepan. add the onion and fry until soft, then add the garlic and fry another minute. meanwhile, boil the cauliflower florets for six to eight minutes, until almost tender. add the cauliflower and its cooking water to the onion, along with the bay leaves and potato. bring to the boil and add salt. simmer for fifteen minutes.
remove from the heat, fish out the bay leaves and puree the soup. pour back into the pan. stir in the creme fraiche, mustard and a grinding of black pepper. bring back to the boil. fry the bread cubes in the butter until golden.
ladle the soup into deep warm bowls, stir in the cheese, taste - add salt, pepper or mustard as you wish - and scatter with croutons.
Recipe by Nigel Slater again. Serves 6
First though, aunty's note about sweet potatoes: Although potatoes contain several nutrients, sweet potatoes may be a better option for those watching their weight. While ordinary potatoes are high on the glycemic index, so can lead to energy slumps and cravings, sweet potatoes are a complex carbohydrate with a much lower GI ranking. In addition to this, sweet potatoes are packed with minerals and vitamins including antioxidant beta-carotene. Try swapping your jacket spud for a baked sweet potato, and chips for sweet potato wedges.
Ingredients for Ginger & Sweet Potato Soup
25g butter
1 large onion, diced
4 green chillis
2 cloves garlic, peeled
4 inches ginger, peeled
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teapsoon coriander powder
1 litre vegetable stock
500g potatoes, peeled and diced
500g sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
200ml coconut milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
zest and juice of 1 lime
melt the butter and fry the onions until they begin to soften. finely chop the garlic, 2 chillies and half the ginger (or blitz it together in a mini food-processor) and add to the onions. add the spices, stir and cook for a few minutes.
add the chopped potatoes and stock and bring to the boil. simmer gently until the potatoes are cooked (it takes around 10 minutes if you dice the potatoes into 2cm pieces). leave the soup to cool and then blend until smooth.
return the blended soup to the pan and reheat, adding the coconut milk. meanwhile finely chop the remaining ginger and chillies and fry briefly in the oil (30 seconds). before serving add the ginger and chilli mix, lime zest and lime juice to the soup. season to taste.
Illustration from BBC Good Food
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This is a richly flavoured soup, spiced with curry powder. Perfect for a cold day, serve with a dollop of tangy sour cream. It's a family favourite. :thumb:
Takes less than 30 mins prep time
Cook time: 30 mins to 1 hour
Serves 4, or 2 with seconds.
Ingredients
25g/1oz butter
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 medium carrots, cut into 1.5cm cubes
2 celery sticks, thinly sliced
1 medium sweet potato, peeled, cut into 1.5cm cubes
1 eating apple, peeled, quartered, cut into 1.5cm cubes
1 tbsp medium curry powder
1 vegetable or chicken stock cube (low-salt is best)
1litre/1¾ pints boiling water
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp mango chutney
100g/3½oz basmati rice
100g/3½oz natural yoghurt or soured cream, to serve
fresh coriander or flat-leaf parsley, to garnish (optional)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Melt the butter with the oil in a large saucepan and stir in the onion, garlic, carrots, celery and sweet potato. Cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring regularly until the vegetables are beginning to soften and brown lightly. Stir in the apple pieces and sprinkle over the curry powder. Cook for a further 2 minutes more, stirring as it cooks.
Crumble the stock cube into a measuring jug, and pour over the boiling water. Mix to combine. Pour into the pan, and stir in the tomato purée and mango chutney. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat slightly and leave to simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook until the vegetables are tender.
While the soup is simmering, half-fill a medium pan with water and bring to the boil. Add the rice and return to the boil. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Drain the rice in a sieve and rinse under running water until cold.
When the soup is ready, cool the soup for a few minutes and blend with a stick blender or in a food processor until smooth before stirring in the cooled rice. If you want a more rustic texture to the soup, do not blend.
Add enough water to give a good consistency, (about 150-200ml/5½-7fl oz). Heat the soup for 3–4 minutes until piping hot and check the seasoning, add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Ladle the soup into deep bowls and top each with a spoonful of natural yoghurt or soured cream. Garnish with sprigs of coriander or flat-leaf parsley if you like.
Recipe ref: http://dishbydish.net/2014/11/24/rainbow-vegetable-rolls-spicy-peanut-sauce/
Crunchy vegetables wrapped in a thin, translucent rice paper wrapper, served alongside with a thick and chunky spicy peanut sauce..finger-licking good!
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Words fail me to describe the sense of comfort and familiarity I get when eating these rolls, and I think the only way you’ll understand is if you try them yourself. I hope you’ll enjoy them as much as I do!
Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of roasted, salted peanuts
- 4 tablespoons of vegetable cooking oil
- 3 tablespoons of Asian sesame oil
- 1 large clove of garlic, roughly chopped
- 4 tablespoons of soy sauce
- 4 tablespoons of fresh lime juice (approx 2 limes)
- 1 tablespoon of room temperature water
- 1½ tablespoon of honey
- 1½ tablespoons of Siracha or other spicy chili garlic sauce
- 1½ cup of finely shredded white cabbage
- 1½ cup of finely shredded red cabbage
- 1 large red bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
- 1 large yellow bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
- 1 cup of fresh cilantro, leaves only
- 8 sheets of rice paper
StepsGlad you like then, @Aife. Check out my latest Indian recipe and the one below. They're gooduns! :thumb:
Here is another vegetarian meal - Indian in origin, too - and it really is lovely.
[FONT=times\ new\ roman]Monisha Bharadwaj's Vegetable Biryani as made by cook and food writer Nigel Slater
A lovely recipe from India's Vegetarian Cooking, but with a few cheeky alterations of my own, (says Nigel Slater). The small aubergines are available at Indian food shops. Serves 4.
12 green cardamoms
a stick of cinnamon
6 cloves a few shavings of nutmeg
1 tsp of fennel seeds
3 bay leaves
4 tbsp milk
a large pinch of saffron
4 tbsp rosewater
3 tbsp ghee
3 medium onions, sliced
1 tbsp of ginger-garlic paste
1 tbsp tomato puree
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp garam masala
500g mixed vegetables
(see intro)
400g small mushrooms
300g basmati rice
a large handful of mint leaves
a large handful of coriander
3 tbsp flaked almonds
Preheat the oven to 220C/gas mark 7. Put the first six ingredients - reserving half of the cardamoms - into a pan with 600ml of water and bring to the boil. Turn off the heat, cover and allow to infuse into a savoury liquid.
Crush the reserved cardamoms finely in a mortar and mix with the milk, saffron and rosewater. Set aside. This is the sweet liquid. Heat one tablespoon of the ghee in a pan and fry the onions until light brown.
Remove half of them and reserve for the garnish. Add the ginger-garlic paste to the remaining onions and stir for a couple of minutes. Whiz the mixture in a food processor until smooth.
Heat another tablespoon of the ghee in a pan and fry the onion mixture over a high heat. Add the tomato puree and ground spices and season with salt. Cut the aubergines in half and add to the pan, letting them soften.
Add the mushrooms and continue to cook for a few minutes. Heat the remaining ghee in another pan and fry the rice over a high heat. In a few minutes, when it is shiny, strain half the savoury liquid into the pan. Boil, reduce the heat, cover and cook for about 6 minutes, until the liquid has evaporated.
It is time to assemble the dish. Put a layer of rice on the bottom of an ovenproof dish. Sprinkle over the remaining savoury liquid and some of the sweet liquid.
Top with a layer of the vegetable curry. Sprinkle over some of the fried onions, mint leaves and coriander. Repeat with another layer of rice. Dot the almonds on top. Keep going until everything is used up and the top layer is rice. Seal the dish with tin foil. Cook the biryani for 40 minutes in the oven, reducing the heat to 190C/gas mark 5 after 20 minutes.[/FONT]
Thanks, Shaunie- it would be great to hear back from her, see what she thinks.
Nutloaf
Serves 6
Takes 40 minutes to make, 1 hour in the oven, plus chilling
The problem with nutloaf is that it tastes of nuts – and not much else. So what I've done is add more of the ‘meatloaf’ methods, such as soaking the bread in milk, a nice crisp polenta crust and lots of flavour. Give it a try.
50g fresh white bread, crusts removed and cubed
50g white breadcrumbs
1 medium egg
150ml milk
25g butter, plus extra, melted, for greasing
200g chestnut mushrooms, wiped clean and finely chopped
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 onion, finely chopped
2 small celery sticks, finely chopped
Handful finely chopped fresh parsley
100g blanched hazelnuts, chopped
350g pecans, chopped
75g vegetarian Parmesan, grated
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 large carrot, grated
1 tbsp Tabasco sauce
1 medium egg white, lightly beaten
Polenta, for lining the tin
Put the bread and breadcrumbs in a large bowl. Beat the egg and milk together in a jug, pour over the bread and set aside for 15 minutes to soften. Mash really well with a fork.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for 3-4 minutes, until softened. Cool slightly, then add to the mashed bread, along with the mustard, dried herbs, nutmeg, onion, celery, parsley and plenty of seasoning. Mix well. Add the nuts, Parmesan, lemon zest, carrot, Tabasco and egg white and gently fold in. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours, or ideally overnight.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Brush a 20cm x 13cm loaf tin with melted butter, then dust the inside all over with polenta – tap out the excess. Spoon in the nutloaf mixture, pressing it in firmly. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Rest for 5 minutes, before turning out.
Thickly slice and divide between plates. Serve with buttery mash and a good-quality tomato sauce.
Sweet fruit mingles so well with fresh-tasting courgettes.
30 ml olive oil
1 large red onion , thinly sliced
700 gram(s) courgettes, trimmed and cut into even-sized batons (spongy seeds discarded)
50 plump golden raisins
30 mls pine nuts, toasted
Add 1 tbsp olive oil to a frying pan, along with onion. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook for 10-15 mins till it softens and turns golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and put aside. Add remaining oil and throw in courgettes. Toss to coat and cook on a medium heat for 5-8 mins, till soft. Add onions back to pan and stir in sultanas and pine nuts. Season, if needed, then transfer to a plate.[/FONT]
I sent her one of these the other day. But yeah she is too lazy to make these ah and she just replaces meat with quorn.
Oh well, each to their own. :razz: