Archive for June, 2006

Courgette omelette with dill

June 16, 2006 at 8:06 am · Filed under Eggs and cheese

This is simple summer food, delicious with bread and salad.  I made it last night with only two eggs, simply because I didn't have any more, but it should really have four eggs in.

Serves 2-3

1 large onion

2 cloves garlic

3 medium courgettes

1 yellow pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp chopped fresh dill

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsely

4 eggs

salt and pepper to taste

1.  Finely chop the onions and garlic, and slice the courgettes.

2. Soften in the olive oil in a large frying pan, stirring frequently.

3. When the onions and courgettes are nearly cooked, add the chopped yellow pepper.

4. When all the vegetables are cooked, add the dill and parsely and continue to stir for 2 minutes.

5. Beat the eggs together with the salt and pepper.

6. Turn up the heat and add the eggs to the pan, making sure that they are spread evenly across the base of the pan.

7.  Cook on a high heat until the bottom appears to be cooked.

8. Place the pan under a pre-heated grill, and cook the top of the omelette on high heat until golden brown.

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Onion and kalonji bread

June 15, 2006 at 9:27 am · Filed under Bread

Kalonji seeds (sometimes called nigella seeds) are little black seeds used a lot in Indian cookery.  Apparently they're the seeds of the rather poetically named 'Love-in-a-mist' plant.  They're often used to sprinkle on naan bread, but here I've used them to enhance the flavour of a wholewheat onion bread.  You can buy them in specialist food stores and in most large supermarkets.  I made the bread in a bread machine, but the recipe could easily be adapted for hand baking.

1 3/4 cups warm water

3 tbsp dried skimmed milk powder

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

4 cups wholewheat flour

1 1/2 tsp fast action dried yeast 

3 tbsp sunflower oil

1 tbsp malt extract

75g crispy salad onions (ready-fried onions, sometimes sold as 'onion crispies')

2 tsp kalonji seed

1. Add the ingredients in the order specified in your bread machine's instructions (generally this means addding the water first, then the flour, and the yeast and other ingredients last, the idea being that the yeast doesn't come into immediate contact with the water).

2. Cook the bread on your machine's 'wholewheat' setting.

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Potato salad with dill

June 14, 2006 at 8:07 am · Filed under Potatoes, Salads

I have to confess that potatoes aren't my favourite food.  To my mind they can be a bit bland.  The exception is the Jersery Royal – that new, waxy potato which is great in salads like this one.

Serves 2-3

1lb small new potatoes

1 tbsp chopped fresh dill

1 tbsp chopped fresh parsely

2 spring onions

1 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tbsp Greek yoghurt

Pepper to taste

 1. Boil the potatoes in a pan of lightly salted water until tender.  Leave to cool.

2. When the potatoes are cold, mix with the chopped herbs, sliced spring onions, mayonnaise, yoghurt and pepper.

3. Serve cold

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Buckwheat noodle and tofu salad

June 13, 2006 at 7:53 am · Filed under Pasta and Noodles, Salads, Tofu, Vegan

I have to confess that this is a slight modification of the recipe I made last night, as I didn't get it quite right.  Japanese buckwheat noodles, or soba, are available from health food shops and large supermarkets. 

Serves 3

1 pack (250g) plain tofu

Sunflower oil for deep frying

100g buckwheat noodles

8 heads baby corn

2 medium carrots

2 medium leeks (white parts only)

200g beansprouts

1/2 medium cucumber

Juice 1 lime

1 small bunch fresh coriander

2 tsp dried chilli flakes

1 tbsp soy sauce (I use Kikkoman, as it's made from all natural ingredients and has a distinctive rich taste, but any soy sauce would do)

2 tbsp chopped salted peanuts

Sesame oil to sprinkle

1. Heat around 2cm of sunflower oil in a large pan.  While it's heating, divide the tofu into eight evenly sized cubes.  When the oil is hot, add to the pan. 

2. Deep fry the tofu until brown, turning occasionally.  Drain with a slotted spoon and leave to cool on a double layer of greaseproof paper.

3. Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil.  Add the leeks, baby corn and carrots, and boil for 2 minutes. 

4. Turn off the heat and add the noodles.  Leave to stand for 4 minutes.

5. Add the beansprouts, leave to stand for 30 seconds, then drain immediately.

6. Put the drained vegetables and noodles in a large bowl.

7. Slice each cube of tofu into two or three slices.

8. Chop the cucumber and coriander and add to the vegetables, along with the tofu, peanuts, lime juice, soy sauce and chilli flakes.

9. Drizzle over the sesame oil.

Serve cold

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Minted mediterranean vegetables

June 12, 2006 at 1:38 pm · Filed under Pulses

This was made late last night, when I got home from holiday and realised that I didn't have half the food in the house that I thought I had. It was a bit of a rushed job, but the result was surprisingly good. The mint makes it reminiscent of food I've had in a Turkish restaurant. I didn't have any dill, but that would have tasted good in this dish too.

Serves 2-3

1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
olive oil
1 medium aubergine
1 medium courgette
1 large head fennel
1/2 red pepper
6oz frozen broad beans
1 tsp dried mint
salt & pepper
20z mature cheddar cheese

1. Chop the onion and garlic, and gently fry in the olive oil until softened.
2. Slice the aubergine, courgette, fennel, red pepper and add to the pan together with the broad beans.
3. Put a lid on the pan and cook all the vegetables until tender, stirring frequently.
4. When the vegetables are nearly done, add the mint and seasoning.
5. Transfer to an oven-proof dish, sprinkle over the grated cheese, and put in the oven at gas mark 5 until the cheese is nicely melted

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Roasted vegetable salad with chickpeas

June 12, 2006 at 1:35 pm · Filed under Pulses, Salads, Vegan

This recipe was born of a problem I had last night – about the only food I had in the house was 1/2 a tin of chickpeas, a few courgettes and shed loads of red onions. Here's my solution.

Serves 2-3

3 medium courgettes
6-7 medium red onions
1 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 can chickpeas
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 small bunch basil

1. Thickly slice the onions and courgettes, and place in a large non-stick roasting dish.
2. Season with salt and pepper, and dribble over the olive oil.
3. Roast in the oven at gas mark 6 until tender. This will probably take about an hour. You'll need to take them out of the oven and give them a stir every 15 minutes or so.
4. Leave to cool, then add the chickpeas, vinegar and roughly torn basil.
5. Serve luke warm or cold, as you prefer.

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Chickpeas with broccoli, ginger, tomatoes and pine nuts

June 12, 2006 at 1:35 pm · Filed under Pulses, Vegan

I made this in a hurry last night, leaving it to cook by itself while I read my children a bedtime story. It's a very simple dish, but surprisingly, it works. I've recently discovered that pine nuts were – apparently – used in British cooking in medieval times. Nowadays they mostly seem to come from China.

Serves 2-3
5 shallots
1" piece of fresh ginger
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large head broccoli
1 lb fresh tomatoes
1/2 can chickpeas
1 oz pine nuts
salt to taste

1. Finely slice the onions and chop the ginger as small as you can (or grate it, if you feel the urge).
2. Fry gently in olive oil in a large frying pan for 1-2 minutes.
3. Break the broccoli into florets, and slice each floret into thin slices. Add to the pan.
4. Slice the tomatoes and add them to the pan. Stir well, and cover with a lid.
5. Cook over a gentle heat until tender, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. This will take about 10 minutes. Be careful the broccoli doesn't go too mushy.
6. Toast the pine nuts under a hot grill. They burn easily, so keep a careful watch on them.
7. Add the drained chickpeas and pine nuts to the pan, and season to taste.

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Layered buckwheat galettes with mushrooms, asparagus and stilton

June 12, 2006 at 1:34 pm · Filed under Entertaining, Pancakes

Buckwheat isn't used much in this country, which is a shame. No relative of wheat (and entirely gluten free), buckwheat is grown extensively in Eastern Europe and Russia. It's also used to make these traditional galettes, or Breton buckwheat crepes. Apparently true galettes are only cooked on one side, but these ones are cooked on both. Unlike ordinary wheat flour pancakes, which can be a bit temperamental, these are virtually fool-proof, and never seem to break or collapse. The batter makes four, although you'll only need three of them. In my experience, leftover pancakes rarely survive for long before being eaten up.

4 rounded tbsp buckwheat flour
pinch salt
1 egg
1/2 pint skimmed milk
1 tsp olive oil
Butter for frying

1. Place the flour and salt in a bowl, and gradually beat in the egg. Don't worry if it's a bit lumpy at this stage.
2. Gradually add the milk, beating continually with a wooden spoon to make a smooth batter.
3. Beat in the olive oil (this will help stop the pancakes sticking).
4. Leave to stand for 1/2 an hour.
5. Heat the butter in a large frying pan, or even better an omelette pan, until brown and bubbling. It's important to get it very hot.
6. Measure out a ladle full of the batter into the pan, and spread across the entire pan. When bubbles start appearing on the surface, turn the pancake over using a spatula (or toss it if you feel adventurous). The other side will only need cooking for a few seconds.
7. Repeat until all the mixture has been used up.

25g dried wild mushrooms (porcini or mixed)
1 clove garlic
1/2 red onion
2 tbsp olive oil
2 bunches thin asparagus spears
250g chestnut mushrooms
250g button mushrooms
2 tbsp chopped parsely
1 tbsp plain flour
75ml dry white wine
200g half fat creme fraiche
50g stilton
pinch nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

1. Soak the dried mushrooms in boiling water for 20 minutes
2. Finely chop the garlic and onion, and soften gently in the olive oil in a large frying pan for 2 minutes.
3. Chop the asparagus and add to the pan. Fry for 5 minutes over a gentle heat.
4. Slice the fresh mushrooms and add them to the pan, together with the drained dried mushrooms. Fry gently until all the vegetables have softened.
5. Add the chopped parsely, then stir in the flour.
6. Gradually add the white wine, followed by the creme fraiche, until the sauce is smooth and thickened.
7. Turn off the heat, then add the grated stilton, nutmeg and seasoning.
8. Place one pancake in the bottom of a large flan dish, and spread half of the mushroom and asparagus it. Top with another pancake and another layer of sauce, and finish with another pancake.
9. Cover with foil and place in the oven, gas mark 5, until heated through.

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Ambrosial salad

June 12, 2006 at 1:33 pm · Filed under Salads, Tofu, Vegan

This is named in reference to my partner, who upon eating it declared it 'better than ambrosia'. He's a bit like that. One of the ingredients in this warm salad is tofu, or soya bean curd, which seems to be an ingredient that even veteran vegetarians rarely know what to do with. Although it's often overlooked as an ingredient in this country it's widely eaten in the Far East, by vegetarians and meat eaters alike. In itself it's quite bland, but it absorbs flavours beautifully and has a lovely succulent texture. This recipe was my first experiment with smoked tofu, and if my partner's comments are anything to go by, it was a success.

1 pack Cauldron beechwood smoked tofu (220g) (other smoked tofu would do, but make sure it's really smoked and not just smoke flavoured)
sunflower oil for frying
3 medium sized tomatoes
1/2 cucumber
1 bunch spring onions (6-8)
1 bunch radishes (10-12)
2-3 tbsp good olive oil
1/2 lettuce (cos or similar)
1 large bunch watercress
1 small bunch fresh coriander
Juice 1/2 lemon
salt & pepper to taste

1. Heat around 2cm of sunflower oil in a large pan.
2. While it is heating, cut the tofu into quarters, then cut each quarter in half, giving you 8 evenly sized rectangles.
3. Fry the tofu in sunflower oil, turning regularly until brown on each side.
4. Drain with a slotted spoon, and leave on a double sheet of kitchen towel.
5. Slice the radishes, spring onions and tomatoes, and slice the cucumber into strips (as if you're making crudites). Set aside.
6. Roughly shred the lettuce, coriander and watercress. Set aside.
7. Heat the olive oil in a large wok, and pan fry the radishes, spring onions, tomatoes and cucumber for 2-3 minutes. You want the tomatoes to be warm, but not mushy.
8. Turn off the heat and add the lemon juice, seasoning, tofu, lettuce, coriander and watercress.
9. Serve warm.

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Bean salad with artichokes, basil and peppers

June 12, 2006 at 1:33 pm · Filed under Pulses, Salads, Vegan

This is excellent for a summer's day, and uses one of my favourite ingredients – artichoke hearts. Good with crusty bread or new potatoes.

1 red pepper
1 orange or yellow pepper
1 can cannellini beans
1/2 large red onion
1 can artichoke hearts
1 medium sized bunch basil
2 tbsp good olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce (I use Kikkoman, as it's all natural and has a distinctive rich taste, but any soy sauce would do)
pepper to taste

1. Grill the peppers until slightly charred on top, but not so black that the skins will be inedible. You could char and peel them, but it takes ages and isn't really necessary.
2. Leave aside the peppers to cool.
3. Drain the beans and put in a large bowl together wtih the chopped red onion, halved artichoke hearts, roughly torn basil leaves, oil, vinegar, soy sauce and freshly ground pepper.
4. Roughly chop the cooled peppers and add them to the bowl.

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