Fakes Soupa

This is a recipe for Greek lentil soup from Rena Salaman which I have adapted somewhat, the original contained 150 ml (¼ pint) of olive oil. It has been a family favourite in our house for about 20 years and is very tasty and filling.

250g Continental (Green) Lentils washed.

N.B. not Puy or Vert lentils but they would probably be ok

1 litre water

2 onions

2 cloves of garlic chopped

1 large or 2 medium carrots diced

2 sticks of celery diced

400g can of chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp light olive oil

1 tbsp dried oregano

2 Knorr vegetable stock cubes

Extra Virgin Olive oil to garnish (optional)

Put the lentils in a pan with water to cover generously, bring to the boil and boil for 3 minutes. Strain and dispose of the cooking water. Set aside.

In a separate large pan, sweat the diced onion, carrot, celery and garlic in the light olive oil over a low heat for about 10 minutes until the onions become translucent. Add the lentils and the remainder of the ingredients, crumble in the stock cubes and pour in the measured water. Bring to the boil then simmer for 30 to 40 minutes stirring occasionally until the lentils are soft. Season with ground black pepper and salt to taste.

Serve and garnish with a swirl of good Extra Virgin Olive oil if liked.

　

Holly Bell's biscuits

I made Holly Bell's biscuits today. They are absolutely delicious!


http://www.recipesfromanormalmum.com/2011/02/13/cherry-white-chocolate-and-apricot-oaty-biscuits-or-whatevers-in-your-cupboard-biscuits/

Cottage Pie

Sometimes only comfort food will do and one of my favourites is Cottage Pie. This is my version adapted from Delia Smith’s original recipe:

Serves 4 to 6

Filling:

500g minced (ground) beef

1 tbsp oil

2 medium onions chopped

2 carrots finely diced

1 clove of garlic finely chopped

½ tsp powdered cinnamon

½ tsp dried mixed herbs

1 tbsp chopped parsley

1 level tbsp plain flour

1 tbsp tomato purée

275 ml beef stock from cube or a Knorr beef stockpot

Salt and pepper

Topping:

Tomato (optional)

Mashed potatoes, made with plenty of added butter.

The pie filling can be made ahead of time. Brown the minced beef into a non-stick frying over a high heat, constantly turning and stirring the mince until it is no longer pink and the fat has come out. If there is a lot of fat, pour the mince into a sieve and set aside to drain over a bowl. If it is very low fat mince just set aside.

Gently sweat the onion, carrot and garlic in a large covered saucepan stirring occasionally until the onion is translucent , about 10 minutes. Add the mince, season with the salt and pepper and add Delia’s secret weapon, the cinnamon ( this is what makes this pie so special for me), the mixed herbs and parsley. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir it in. Add the tomato purée and the stock and bring to the boil then simmer for 20 minutes. You can make this with minced cooked beef, which was probably the original version, in which case you will only need to simmer the filling for about 10 minutes.

This makes enough pie filling for three meals for us two when served with other vegetables, so I divide the mixture into 3 portions, freeze 2 and put one portion into a well buttered pie dish to cool. The dish I use for 2 people is approx. 15 cm diameter and 5 cm deep.

About half an hour before you are ready to eat, cover the filling with a single layer of thinly sliced tomato (optional) then with a good layer of mashed potato, roughen the top with a fork and put in a pre-heated hot oven Gas Mark 6, 200deg C, 400 deg F for about 25 minutes until golden brown.

You can sprinkle grated cheese over the topping before you bake it, or make the mash with 50/50 potato and celeriac, or swede and carrot, whatever you like. Serve with vegetables of your choice or just enjoy it on its own.

P.S. If you want to make Shepherd’s Pie, just substitute minced (ground) lamb for the beef.

Green Pepper and Cashew Nut Risotto

I made a Spanish style chicken dish the other day which used red and yellow peppers, so having bought a pack of peppers, I had a green pepper that needed using, we also has some cashew nuts lurking about in the cupboard. I came up with this which was a great success

Enough for 2

Ingredients:

½ tbsp olive oil

1 cup risotto rice, (carnaroli or arborio)

1 green pepper, deseeded and finely sliced

1 banana shallot or ½ onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

50g raw cashew nuts

50g pumpkin seeds

50g frozen sweet corn kernels

50ml extra dry vermouth or dry white wine (optional)

1 litre hot vegetable stock made from 2 Knorr vegetable stock cubes

½ tbsp dark soy sauce

Salt and pepper to taste.

Have the hot stock gently simmering in a pan on an adjacent burner. Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the shallot, pepper and garlic and fry gently for about 5minutes until soft . Add the rice and stir for a minute or so to ensure that the grains are coated with oil. Pour in the vermouth or wine and stir until the raw alcohol smell has disappeared and the pan is almost dry. Add a ladleful of the hot stock and keep stirring until it is absorbed by the rice and the rice is releasing its starch. This is what will make the risotto creamy. Add another ladle of stock and repeat the process. Keep doing this until the rice is cooked which will take about 20 minutes in total. About 5 minutes before it is ready, i.e. after 15 minutes of cooking the rice, add the cashew nuts, pumpkin seeds and sweet corn together with the soy sauce. Stir together, cook for the last 5 minutes ( adding more stock if necessary). Check the seasoning and serve. You will probably not need any salt since the soy sauce is very salty.