Egyptian Red Lentil Soup

 

Serves: 6-8

This soup originated from a woman who lived in a little village on the Nile; it is in Claudia Roden’s latest book Med and it is wonderful. The cooked down lentils bring a creaminess to the soup, the spices bring a warmth and it’s finished off with the (optional) sharp sweetness of the caramelised onions 

Ingredients

1 large onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
300gms cup of dried red lentils
2 litres vegetable stock
2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
Pinch of chilli
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and Pepper to taste

Ingredients- caramelised onions

3 large onions, sliced
Splash of balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar

Method

1. Soften the onions, carrots and garlic in olive oil in a large pan on low heat for about 10 mins.
2. Add the lentils and stock and bring to the boil and then simmer for 40mins, until the lentils have disintegrated. As foam appears on the top skim it off.
3. Meanwhile cooked the caramelised onions in a pan on low heat with a bit of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and brown sugar until dark and soft, about 30-40mins.
4. Stir in the cumin, coriander, chilli and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. If the soup needs thinning add a bit of water, it shouldn’t be too thick.
6. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with caramelised onions.

Moroccan Aubergine Chickpea Tagine

 

Moroccan Aubergine Chickpea Tagine

• PREP TIME: 30
 
• COOK TIME: 40
 
• TOTAL TIME: 1 HOUR 10 MINUTES
 
• YIELD: 6 1X

---

DESCRIPTION

Delicious, healthy Tagine Recipe with Aubergine and Chickpeas- seasoned with Moroccan spices and served over couscous. 

---

INGREDIENTS

• 1 extra-large aubergine (or two small)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2–4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 6–8 garlic cloves, rough chopped
• 100g celery
• 1 red pepper (or large carrot)
• 1 tablespoon, ras el hanout, more taste
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 14-ounce can tomatoes
• 60g raisins (or chopped dried apricots)
• 1 teaspoon salt, more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 14-ounce can chickpeas, drained, rinsed.
• 240 ml vegetable stock 

Garnishes: Cinnamon scented couscous, flat-leaf parsley, olive oil, optional yogurt, optional Aleppo chili flakes

Cinnamon-Scented Couscous (serves 4) 

• 400 ml vegetable stock 
• 1–2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small cinnamon stick  ( or 1/2 teaspoon)
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic ( or onion)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, more to taste
• 265 gms dry couscous

---

Preheat the oven to 190C

Instructions:

Prepare the  Aubergine: Quarter the aubergine, and cut into large chunks (1 1/2 inches at widest part). Place in a big bowl, cover with cool water just to enough to cover,  and stir in the salt. Place a plate over top to keep the aubergine submerged 20 minutes. Drain and pat dry. (Don’t rinse.)

Pan Sear: In a large ovenable pot over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons oil. Working in 2 batches, brown two sides of the aubergine, until golden, then set these aside. No need to cook through.

Make the stew: Add more oil to the same pan, and the onion and saute 2-3 minutes, stirring. Add the garlic, celery and red pepper and lower heat, cook until tender about 5 minutes. Lower heat to low. Add the spices, canned tomatoes (and juices),  raisins, salt, pepper, chickpeas and vegetable stock . Bring to simmer, stirring.

Nestle in the aubergine and give the pan a good shake so the stew levels. It should be like a stew-like. If it seems dry, add a little water. Drizzle with a little olive oil, cover tightly and place in the warm oven.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until aubergine is tender and cooked through. While it’s baking make the couscous.

Remove the lid, taste adding more salt to taste, keeping in mind the couscous will soak up some of the salt. If you feel the stew needs more flavour overall, add a little more ras el hanout, a 1/2 teaspoon at a time, tasting as you go. If it seems watery, bake uncovered for a few minutes. If dry, add a little water. To serve, Sprinkle with optional  Aleppo chili flakes and fresh Parsley. I like adding an additional drizzle of olive oil, or a dollop of yogurt, up to you.

Serve with the cinnamon-scented couscous.

To make couscous: Place broth, oil, spices and salt in a medium pot, and bring to boil. Stir in couscous. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand 7 minutes. Uncover and fluff with fork. Adjust salt.

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).

Emergency Microwave Cake

 

Ingredients

• 30g butter
• 1 large egg*
• 30ml milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 50g granulated sugar
• 50g flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• Tiny pinch of salt

• Instructions

  • Microwave the butter it until just melted.

    Whisk in the egg

    Stir in the milk, vanilla, almond and sugar.

    Add the flour, baking powder and salt.

    Whisk the batter until smooth..  It can be kept in the fridge for up to a couple of days at this stage.

    When ready to serve, divide batter into 3 ramekins.

    Microwave for 1 minute and 20 seconds

    Top with whipped cream and fresh berries or just have it with strong coffee.

    
    

Baked Leeks and/or Cauliflower in Cheese Sauce

 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 4 medium leeks, halved lengthways  (and/or cauliflower florets) 
• 30g butter
• 4 tablespoons plain flour
• 350ml whole milk
• 50g strong cheddar, grated
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• salt and (lots of) pepper

Method

• Grease an oven dish and lay leeks (cut side up) in a single layer
• Melt butter, stir in flour until smooth.  Gradually stir in milk over a high heat, whisking all the time and then add the cheese, garlic and salt & pepper
• Pour sauce over the veg and bake for 30 mins at 200C.  

Walnut Cake (Claudia Roden)

 

Fast, simple, light, delicious dessert.  There is no flour so is it a cake at all? No matter, the fusion of walnut and orange flavours is very Mediterranean.  Make sure the nuts are fresh as they have a tendency to spoil with age.

It's a very thin cake  - about 2cm

Serves 4-6

• 200 g walnuts
• 3 large eggs
• 200g caster sugar
• grated zest of 2 medium oranges
• icing sugar for dusting

Method

• Preheat oven to 200C.  Grease a 24cm round non-stick cake or tart tin with a removable base with butter or oil .
• Grind walnuts in a food processor - not too finely
• Whisk the eggs and sugar until pale and thickened.  Add the orange zest and fold in the walnuts until well mixed.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake until firm to the touch.  Claudia says about 40 mins but more like 20 mins in my experience
• Leave to cool before removing from the tin. Dust with icing sugar before serving

Spiced Lentil & Carrot Soup

 

An RTE Recipe

Ingredients

·         1 tbsp Coconut Oil

·         2 celery stalks, diced

·         2 cloves garlic, minced

·         1 medium onion, diced

·         400g carrots, diced

·         140g red lentils

·         2 tsp cumin

·         3 tsp smoked (or plain) paprika

·         1200ml hot vegetable stock

·         1 tbsp Glenisk Natural Yogurt

·         Salt & Pepper

Method

1.    Heat a teaspoon of coconut oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat.

2.    Add the garlic, celery and onion to the pan, reduce the heat and allow the vegetables to sauté.

3.    Once the onions and celery become translucent, add the carrots and allow to sauté for about 5 minutes.

4.    Mix the spices and lentils through and heat gently for about 3 minutes.

5.    Add the vegetable stock and bring the pan to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover with a lid for about 20 minutes until the lentils have absorbed the stock and plumped up

6.    Remove from the heat and blend the soup with a handheld blender or food processor to your preferred texture.

7.    Serving suggestion: topped with a dollop of yogurt & sprinkle of smoked paprika served with slice of Oat & Seed Yogurt Loaf.