Cannellini Beans with Thyme

A Claudia Roden recipe.  She pairs it with hake but it's a quick and versatile store-cupboard accompaniment

• 400g Tin of Cannellini beans
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• Fresh thyme
• 100ml water
• Olive oil

Fry the chopped onion in olive oil over low heat until soft. Drain and rinse (?) the beans,  add to the onion and season with salt and pepper and some fresh thyme leaves to taste

Add 100ml water and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes.

Serve with 1-2 tbsp olive oil drizzled over

Alternatives: e.g. add crushed whole seeds (coriander, cumin, fennel, mustard, etc.), woodsy herbs (thyme, oregano, rosemary, sage), red pepper flakes, crushed garlic cloves, parmesan cheese

Turkish Carrot and Lentils

Based on a Diana Henry recipe.  Diana uses 50% more carrot and gives 25 min cooking time but I find it takes a bit longer to get the lentils cooked - about 40 minutes (probably depends on the lentil type)

Serves 4

• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, cut into slim crescent moon-shaped slices
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 ½ tsp coriander seeds, crushed
• 1 tsp cummin seeds
• ½ tsp chilli flakes
• 125g Puy or green lentils
• 4 carrots, cut into rounds (not too thickly)
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• Pinch sugar (optional)
• 275ml water or vegetable or chicken stock
• Salt and pepper (if you’re using chicken stock you won’t need much salt)
• 2 tbsp chopped herbs (parsley or dill or a mixture)
• Good squeeze of lemon and a bit of extra virgin olive oil to finish

• Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and saute the onion until it’s soft and pale gold. Add the garlic and spices and cook for another two minutes. Add everything else – except the herbs, lemon and extra virgin olive oil – and bring to the boil. Immediately turn the heat right down and cook gently for about 40 minutes. 
• The liquid should have been absorbed by that stage (add a little water if you need to. You don’t want the lentils to burn but you do want all the liquid to have disappeared by the time the lentils and carrots are tender). Keep a close eye on the lentils – they can go from just right to mushy in a matter of minutes. The lentils should retain their shape. If they get soft they're still fine - edible - but you lose structure and that makes the dish a bit flat.
• Add the herbs, some lemon and extra virgin olive oil and taste – you might want to adjust the seasoning. This is when you really 'make' this dish, when you add the lemon and extra virgin olive oil and check the seasoning. These final adjustments can take this from bland to exceptional.
• Serve warm or at room temperature with a bowl of Greek yoghurt (stir some crushed garlic into it if you want to).

Carb Portions

Cous Cous

• Small portion 35g cous cous with 50g water
• Medium portion 50g cous cous with 70g water

      Stir the cous cous into boiling water or stock and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff up

Rice

• Small portion 50g rice with 75g water
• Medium portion 75g rice with 110g water

Pasta

• Small portion 80g dry pasta
• Medium portion 100g dry pasta