Tag: vegetarian

New potatoes with peas, coriander, pickled lemons

I sourced some pickled lemons from Eriskay shop, amazing well-run and well-stocked little shop at the hall. (Other local retailers may also stock them). I used them in this dish from Ottolenghi’s book ‘Simple’, which also made use of some fantastic fresh new salad potatoes from Tagsa Horticulture Project. I served this with some sausages, absolutely lovely. They would also be good as a side dish with lamb. 

INGREDIENTS: 

  • 300g frozen peas
  • 2 green chillies, finely chopped
  • 1 preserved lemon, pips out, 
  • 15g coriander leaves, roughly chopped
  • 60ml olive oil
  • 1 small lemon, use zest from 1/2 the lemon, and around 5ml juice
  • 750g new potatoes, chop the larger potatoes in half if required.
  • salt and pepper to taste

METHOD:

  • Add boiling water to the peas in a small pan, bring back to the boil and cook for one minute before draining. Set aside until you need them. 
  • In a food processor, add 2/3 of the peas, the preserved lemon, green chillies, coriander leaves, olive oil, the lemon juice and zest, and give the mixture a buzz to create a rough paste, and set aside until needed. 
  • Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and add the new potatoes, with their skins still on. Boil them for around 15 minutes, and then drain. 
  • Return the potatoes to the large pan, and give them a squish with the masher so that some of the potato chunks are still whole. Stir in the cooked peas and the blitzed pea mixture, stir and season to taste. You could add another squeeze of lemon and a coriander leaf garnish. 

 

Chanterelle mushrooms with fried potatoes.

It is chanterelle season on the mainland. Chanterelle mushrooms grow in damp acid soil, usually woodland, with lots of leaf litter. The mycelium lives in symbiosis with the tree roots, and in the later part of the summer, it produces delicious yellow mushrooms. We were lucky enough to be given a large container full, so I split it with my daughter. I think she cooked hers with spaghetti. I went with this recipe from ‘Dear Francesca’ by Mary Contini. 

This recipe is very free in quantities. Use what you have and divide it between the people who are with you. Add other options to the plate, such as hot-smoked salmon, or an omelette, or a steak. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • Chanterelle mushrooms, cleaned and sliced, around 200g
  • 2-3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • Chopped parsley
  • black pepper
  • a squeeze of lemon (optional)
  • 4-5 salad potatoes, such as charlotte potatoes
  • A blob of butter

METHOD:

  • Boil the potatoes until firm and tender. Cool and chop into bite-sized cubes. 
  • Warm the oil in a wok or wide-based saucepan, and fry the garlic with a little parsley.
  • Once the garlic is beginning to cook, turn up the heat and add the sliced mushrooms. Keep stirring. As they cook they will release quite a bit of water. Once the mixture is at its wettest (you’ll have to guess a bit) scoop out the mushrooms and set them aside. 
  • Add the blob of butter, and once it has melted, add the potatoes, and cook on a high heat until the potatoes are browned and crispy on the outside. 
  • Return the mushrooms to the pan, warm through and season with black pepper and a little lemon juice. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve. 

Pasta, peas, tarragon, mushrooms

I sometimes buy very freshly picked vegetables from the Tagsa Horticulture Project, a local charity working to improve our food security. It includes community gardens, polytunnels, and it is inclusive, working with groups and volunteers of all ages. 

Anyay, I digress. I got some mange tout peas, and I made this pasta dish. 

INGREDIENTS PER PERSON:

  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil 
  • 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
  • 75 to 100g mange tout, chopped into large pieces
  • 75 to 100g mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • 100g pancetta or bacon, in small cubes
  • 1/2 tsp dried tarragon
  • 1 tsp thick cream
  • salt and pepper
  • A grating of nutmeg
  • 75g pasta such as spaghetti or linguini
  • 25g grated parmesan

METHOD:

  • Boil a pan of salted water, and cook the pasta for around 8 to 9 minutes, according to the instructions on the packet. 
  • While the pasta is boiling, start cooking the rest of the dish. Over a medium heat, fry the garlic in the oil, then as it starts to colour a little, add the bacon. When the bacon fat begins to run, add the mushrooms. When the mushrooms begin to brown, add the peas.
  • Add the cream to the vegetables, along with salt, black pepper and a grating of nutmeg and the tarragon. Keep warm while the pasta finishes cooking.  
  • When the pasta is done, drain it and add it back to the pan with a spoonful of pasta water. 
  • Stir the vegetables through the pasta, then stir the cheese in. Really delicious. 

 

Courgette omelette with pinenuts, herbs and sumac

This is a recipe from the Moro cookbook, cooked as part of a plan to use up a lot of lovely fresh local eggs. I made this for two, and I think I need a bit of practice to get it perfect. I used herbs from the garden, which was a big bonus. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 4 courgettes (small to medium)
  • olive oil
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 6 eggs
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 100g butter
  • a bunch of parsley
  • a bunch of mint
  • a bunch of dill
  • 1 tbsp or slightly more of toasted pinenuts
  • salt and pepper
  • sumac powder

METHOD: 

  • Slice the courgettes thinly, and then sprinkle them with a teaspoon of salt, toss and leave to sit in a colander to drain for at least half an hour.
  • Meanwhile, prepare other ingredients:
    • Beat the eggs with the milk
    • Chop the garlic finely
    • Chop the herbs together
    • Toast the pinenuts
  • Squeeze out the excess liquid from the courgettes and pat dry. 
  • Heat some olive oil in a laarge pan and fry the garlic until it begins to turn a little brown at the edges.
  • Add the courgettes and cook until softening. Season with salt and pepper and set aside in the pan. 
  • In an omelette pan around 20cm across, heat a little olive oil with a little butter on a high heat until it starts to foam. Add about a quarter of the egg mixture, swirl and poke it around until it forms a thin layer at the bottom. 
  • Add a quarter of the courgettes, herbs, and pinenuts. Fold the omelette to keep all the filling inside, and serve on a warm plate, garnished with a sprinkle of sumac
  • Repeat for the next three omelettes. 

I served with new potatoes. 

 

Potatoes and spinach

More potato recipes. Charlotte potatoes work so well in these dishes, their flavour is great, they hold their shape and their texture is so smooth when they are cooked. I had spinach in the freezer. Buying packs of fresh spinach at their expiry date is a good deal. I break up the brittle and frozen spinach leaves in the bag before use. 

INGREDIENTS: 

  • 600g charlotte potatoes, or similar waxy potatoes, peeled and diced (1cm dice)
  • salt
  • 300g spinach leaves
  • 4 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 1/2tsp black mustard seeds
  • 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

METHOD:

  • Boil the potatoes in salted water for around 6 minutes, then drain and spread them out to cool
  • Steam the spinach until it is wilted, only takes a few minutes. Once it is cool enough to handle, squeeze out as much liquid as possible, and then chop, and set aside. 
  • Heat the oil in a wok or heavy frying pan, and when it is hot, add the mustard seeds. When they pop, add the onion and garlic, turn the heat down and fry for a couple of minutes
  • Add the spinach, and keep cooking and stirring for another 10 minutes. 
  • Add the potato, 1 tsp salt, the garam masala and the cayenne pepper. Stir and mix until the potatoes are heated through and soft.  

 

Potato and aubergines

Another recipe in the quest to try all of the potato recipes. This was very easy, but the original recipe didn’t make much, so I scaled it up. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 4 tbsp vegetable oil, such as rapeseed oil
  • 2 tsp mustard seeds
  • 450g potatoes, peeled and diced into 1cm dice (I used Charlotte potatoes)
  • 450g aubergine, cut into 1cm dice. 
  • 2 tbsp ground coriander
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • fresh coriander leaf to garnish

METHOD:

  • In a large frying pan, heat the oil over a high heat and then put in the mustard seeds and stil. When they pop add the potatoes and aubergine, stir to mix and add all the other spices and salt. Continue to stir and mix for a minute or so, ensuring that the spices are evenly dispersed. 
  • Add 200ml water, bring it to the boil and then turn the heat down to a simmer. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. It is worth stirring just before the end to ensure it isn’t sticking. 

Serve as part of a larger meal, in small bowls. 

 

Orache

I have been continuing my adventures with wild food, and finally overcame my anxiety about trying orache. I am not 100% sure which variety I picked in the end; it was not exactly like the pictures in any of my wild food books. For reference I looked at ‘Food for Free’ by Richard Mabey, Prehistoric cooking by Jacqui Wood, and ‘Edible Seashore’ by John Wright. This last book is one of the River Cottage Handbooks. All three books recommend orache as a wild food, similar to spinach but not producing as many leaves per plant. The Orache plant family is related to ‘Fat Hen’, an edible weed that I find on my compost heap, and other plants in the goosefoot family.

This was also the first road test of the Richard Mabey book, and it let me down by not discussing or referring to the huge range of orache plants. The Prehistoric cookery book also hints at the possibilities, but it was the Edible seashore book and google that were the most helpful.

Anyway, off we set with our bucket, across the dunes and down to the shore to see what we could find. We found a lot of orache, several varieties, growing in the dune grasses, on the edge of the machair, and then on the higher parts of the shore. We found a whole area of frosted orache (Atriplex laciniata), good big plants with lots of shoots. The plants were low, lying, growing straight out of the sand. The leaves were frosted and rough, and there were clusters of small buds towards the tips, arising in the joints where the leaves leave the stem. I took one shoot of each plant we saw, and ended up with about three good bunches. This was enough to feed three people; like spinach, it cooks down a lot.

When I got home, I rinsed it off to remove the sand, and then cooked it in garlic butter for about three minutes. It was very good indeed, better than spinach, and a good side dish. Next time I see it growing well, no worries, I would pick it again.

In terms of nutrition, it was extremely fresh and extremely local, so there was minimal wastage of nutrients. It was better cooked, and the books agreed with me on that one. It is hard to get data on the nutritional value of Orache, but it is reputed to be rich in calcium, vitamin c, vitamin b1, and iron.

Beetroot, cumin and coriander soup

A nod to the BBC good food site, which is a source of reliable recipes. I was looking for new ways to cook beetroot, of which there is a plentiful supply in one of our local supermarkets. I had also grown a few more puny specimens which I added to the mix. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 red onions in wedges
  • 1kg raw beetroot (about 3 very large beetroot) peeled and diced (or you can add a carrot if you don’t have enough beetroot)
  • 2 tsp chilli flakes
  • 1 tbsp cumin seeds
  • 1 1/2 tbsp coriander seeds
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1.2 litres marigold stock, or other vegetable stock
  • 30g hazelnuts
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds
  • natural yoghurt
  • salt and pepper
  • (I also added some chopped celery)

METHOD:

  • Heat the oil in a large soup pan, and gently fry the onions, optional celery, and a good pinch of salt.  Cook for around 10 minutes
  • Add the Chilli flakes, and 1 tbsp each of cumin and coriander, turn up the heat and cook for a few minutes until the smell is fragrant with spice.
  • Add the vinegar, stir and add the stock. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for an hour. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. 
  • When the beetroot is tender, use a soup wand to blend. 
  • Meanwhile, chop the hazelnuts roughly. In a dry frying pan, add the nuts, sesame seeds and 1 tsp cumin, and 1/2 tsp coriander, and gently toast until the nuts are golden. 
  • Serve the soup with a swirl of yoghurt in each bowl, topped with a good sprinkling of spiced toasted nuts. 

Mushroom and leek risotto

I had guests and a lot of leeks, so we made this as a quick after-work dish. It was delicious. The leeks were the end of season weeny ones left in the ground, we’d enough to make a substantial dish.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 litre marigold stock
  • 2 x 25g butter
  • 200g mushrooms (one punnet)
  • salt and pepper
  • Chopped fresh sage, thyme and parsley
  • 200g leeks, cleaned and chopped
  • 200g arborio rice
  • 100ml dry white wine 
  • 50g grated parmesan cheese
  • Another 25g butter

METHOD:

  • Heat a large saucepan over a medium heat, and add the first 25g butter. Hwn it melts , add the chopped mushrooms, salt and pepper, and fry for around 4 minutes, until browned. Remove from the pan and set aside.
  • In the same pan, add another 25g butter, and add the leeks and herbs and saute for 2 minutes, until browning. 
  • Add the arborio rice and keep on cooking until the rice is glossy and coated in butter
  • Add the white wine and bring to a simmer, stirring until the liquid is absorbed
  • Add the hot stock a ladle-ful at a time, stirring until the liquid is absorbed, and then adding the next scoop. Kepp on with this with the mixture just about simmering. When the rice is tender and al dente, stop there, and add the cheese, 25g butter, mushrooms and stir. Check the seasoning and leave to rest for a couple of minutes 
  • Serve garrnished with herbs. 

Spicy lentil and bulgur wheat soup

This is a Turkish dish, very quick and simple, from Anatolia. There are several variations, depending on the region. Essentially, it is a thick lentil soup flavoured with mint, red pepper flakes and olive oil. I find it is better with bulgur wheat added. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 300g red lentils, rinsed
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 4 tbsp bulgur wheat, rinsed
  • 2 litres of water 
  • 4 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp red pepper paste (I buy this online and freeze it in portions)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp dried mint
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon, or to taste
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes
  • Another tbsp extra tasty olive oil

METHOD:

  • In a large soup pan, heat 2 tbsp olive oil, and fry the onion over a medium heat for a couple of minutes. 
  • Add the chopped garlic, and fry, stirring, for another minute. 
  • Add the lentils and the water and bring to the boil, and cook for around 30 minutes. 
  • Stir in the bulgur wheat, tomato paste, red pepper paste, dried mint, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Cover and cook for another ten minutes, until the bulgur wheat is cooked. Add water if the soup appears too thick. When the bulgur wheat is cooked, give the soup a whisk with a large beater to mix well.
  • Add the lemon juice and adjust the seasoning. 
  • To serve, add a swirl of olive oil and a garnish of mint and red pepper flakes.