Category: Side-dishes

Grilled and buttered fennel bulbs

I grew bulb fennel this year with varying success. To get the fennel to make nice tight little bulbs, it needs to be well watered, well fed, not overcrowded or stressed at all. I feel very accomplished with each perfect bulb. This is an excellent way to prepare them. For each person, allow one small fennel bulb. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 fennel bulb per person
  • 20g butter per person
  • 20g grated parmesan per person
  • salt and pepper

METHOD:

  • Put the fennel in a pan of boiling salted water and cook for 15 to 20 minutes. 
  • Cut the fennel bulbs in half, and place in an oven proof dish, cut sides up. 
  • Melt the butter and pour this over the fennel bulbs
  • Add a layer of grated parmesan to each fennel bulb, and grill under a hot grill until the cheese is browning and crisping up. 

That is all. I served as a side dish with a rich stew and potatoes. 

Clapshot (posh version)

Clapshot is a traditional dish of boiled and mashed potatoes and turnips, and it is very fine. It could be regarded as Orkney’s national dish, although there are many versions from all over the British isles. It is best made with winter turnip (known in England as Swede) and with dry, floury potatoes.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 700g potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 700g turnips, peeled and diced
  • 50g butter
  • 1 tbsp double cream
  • salt and pepper

METHOD:

  • Cook the potatoes and turnips together in boiling salted water until tender (about 15 minutes) then drain well.
  • Mash together wtih butter and cream and season to taste with salt and pepper. If you have chives, chop them finely and sprinkle over the top.

All done.

Soy bean sprout salad with sesame oil

I had a packet of soya beans on the shelf for a while, wondering what to do with them. This is one of the recipes that work well. I began with a recipe from Madhur Jaffrey’s ‘Eastern Vegetarian Cooking’, a book that I have had for more than twenty years. It is old and scorched, and full of recipes I like.

INGREDIENTS:

  • Soy beans
  • Sesame oil
  • Soy sauce
  • Sesame seeds, toasted.
  • Stock

METHOD:

  • I started by sprouting the soy beans for several days, rinsing them at least twice a day in fresh water, and keeping them in a cool shaded area of the kitchen. Once the roots were about two inches long, and the beans were beginning to colour green, I put them in the fridge until I was ready.
  • Next I simmered the sprouts in stock for about seven minutes, and drained them.
  • When they were almost cool, I sprinkled the sprouts with sesame oil and a little soy sauce, and garnished with a teaspoonful of toasted sesame seeds.

Apparently you can add mung bean sprouts for the last couple of minutes of cooking. I served this slightly warm, and it was excellent.

Broad bean salad

I have a lot of broad beans at the moment; I planted them late and I’m just picking the last of them now. We used some to make this salad, which was perfect with barbequed food: we had shish kebabs, nan bread, yoghurt and cucumber salad, humus, lots of things. I got the idea from a Jamie Oliver Recipe, but he had added some other ingredients at the end. I stopped short of the full thing, as the salad was delicious enough without the extras. I made it at the last minute, as it is good slightly warm.

INGREDIENTS:

  • Allow around 30g beans per serving
  • Lemon juice to taste (1 lemon for 4 servings)
  • olive oil (ratio of lemon juice:olive oil is 1:3)
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 sprig of fresh mint per serving
  • 1 spring onion per serving

METHOD:

  • Pod the beans, and blanch them, unsalted, in boiling water for a minute or two. Drain and set aside to cool.
  • Put the warm beans in the serving dish, and dress with lemon juice and olive oil. For every 1 tbsp of lemon juice, add 3 tbsp olive oil.
  • Season with salt and pepper, and add finely shopped mint. Slice the onions very finely, and fry in a little olive oil, until the onions are soft and starting to colour. Stir them into the salad.

This works really well served with sour cream or greek-style yoghurt.

Spicy Cabbage, Hungarian style

The recipe is adapted from Judy Ridgway’s Quick After-work Vegetarian Cookbook. Some of the recipes have become standbys., an excellent book.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 onion, peeled and sliced
  • 1 hot green chilli
  • 2 tsp sweet paprika
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 head white cabbage, shredded
  • 1 can chopped tomatoes
  • juice of 1/2 a lime
  • 75ml stock
  • Salt and pepper

METHOD:

  • fry the sliced onion and chilli in the olive oil over a high head for 4-5 minutes, until lightly browned
  • Add the rest of the ingredients, and bring to a simmer. Cook over a medium heat, turning the vegetables from time to time, for about 8 minutes, when the cabbage will be tender.

This recipe is best as a side-dish.

Red Lentil Dal with ginger

This is another Madhur Jaffrey recipe from Curry Easy, a great side-dish for other curries. It is a good idea to make this early on in the meal preparation, as it can sit cooking slowly, and will stand in a warm spot once it is ready.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 1 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger
  • 1 tbsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
  • 3 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 140g chopped tomatoes, or 140g tinned chopped tomatoes
  • 200g red lentils
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 4 tbsp chopped coriander

METHOD:

  • Combine the garlic, ginger, ground coriander, cumin, cayenne and turmeric in a small bowl, ready to add to the pan. 
  • Pour the oil into a medium pan over a medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the chopped onion, and fry until it is beginning to turn golden at the edges. 
  • Add the spice mixture from the bowl, stir for a minute, add the tomatoes and continue to cook until the tomatoes have softened. 
  • Now add the lentils, 800ml water and salt and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer over a low heat for 45 minutes. Check from time to time, stir to prevent it from sticking, and possibly add a litte water if you think it is getting a bit too thick. 
  • For the last five minutes of cooking, uncover and stir, and then add in the fresh coriander. 

Cabbage, celeriac, carrots and cream

Delicious. Another Gordon Ramsey creation, I watched this on a youtube clip and tried it without knowing the quantities. It was excellent

INGREDIENTS:

  • 30g butter
  • Half a savoy cabbage, shredded
  • A couple of carrots, diced
  • A celeriac, diced
  • 100g pancetta, diced
  • Salt and pepper
  • 150ml cream

METHOD:

  • Fry all the vegetables and the pancetta in the butter at a high temperature for about four to five minutes. 
  • Pour the cream around the edge of the pan, season with salt and pepper and stir to mix. 

You could add a wee grating of nutmeg, but it is delicious without. 

Mustard Mash

I added mustard, cream and butter to mashed potatoes, to serve with some sausages and broccoli. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • about 600 to 800g potates 
  • around 20g butter
  • chopped parsley
  • 150ml double cream (you could use more, or use single cream)
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp grain mustard
  • Salt and pepper

METHOD:

  • Peel, chop and boil the potatoes as usual
  • Meanwhile, in a small pan, melt the cream and mustard together
  • When the potatoes are done, drain them, return them to the pan and mash with the butter, parsley, salt and pepper  until smooth
  • Mix and mash in the cream and mustard. 

 

Carrots with Marsala

I have some enormous carrots in the garden, and this was a delicious side-dish. It is great with lamb. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • about 500g carrots, peeled and chopped into large batons
  • 50g butter
  • salt and pepper
  • 150ml Marsala wine, (madeira or sherry might do instead)
  • Chopped parsley or a pinch of dried tarragon

METHOD:

  • Melt the butter in a saute pan, and when it is foaming, add the carrots. Mix well with the butter so that the flavour is taken up by the carrots. Season with salt and pepper. 
  • After a couple of minutes, add the Marsala, simmer for five minutes, and then add water so that the carrots are not quite covered. Bring back to a simmer, put the lid on the pan and cook the carrots until they are tender. 
  • Take of the lid, turn up the heat and reduce the liquid so that it becomes a syrupy sauce. 
  • Add the chopped parsley or tarragon, and serve. 

 

Carrot salad with mustard seeds

This is a very simple recipe, great as a quick side-dish to add freshness to any meal. It is great to add to a summer picnic, a cold buffet, or with a range of Indian dishes. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • Approx 350g carrots
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 tbs rapeseed oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp mustard seeds

METHOD:

  • Peel and grate the carrots, and put them in a salad bowl, sprinkle in the salt and toss to ensure it is evenly distributed.
  • Heat the oil in a small pan, and when it is hot, add the mustard seeds. Cook the mustard seeds until they begin to pop. 
  • Pour the hot oil and seeds over the carrots, and mix well.