Lentils are my favourite pulse, but even I felt the need for some new inspiration in the lentil soup department. Along came thousand-times-blessed Ottolenghi with the answer in this Arabic sour lentil soup with a strong lemon brightness.I used kale and savoy cabbage instead of chard, which also worked well.
Recipe serves 4-6.
200g brown or green lentils
110ml olive oil
2 large onions, peeled and finely chopped
5 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1½ tbsp cumin seeds
3 lemons – finely shave the skin off 1 into 5 wide strips, then juice all 3 to get 75ml
Salt and black pepper
3 firm, waxy potatoes, such as desiree, peeled and cut into 4cm pieces (650g-700g net weight)
400g Swiss or rainbow chard, leaves and stalks separated, then roughly sliced
1 litre vegetable stock
1½ tbsp coriander leaves, finely chopped
2 spring onions, finely sliced on an angle
Put the lentils in a medium saucepan, cover with plenty of cold,
lightly salted water and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to medium
and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until the lentils are nearly cooked but
still retain a bite, then drain.
While the lentils are cooking, put 80ml oil in a large, heavy-based
pot for which you have a lid, and put on a medium heat. Once hot, add
the onions, garlic, cumin, lemon skin, two and a quarter teaspoons of
salt and plenty of pepper. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring often,
until very soft and golden. Stir in the potatoes, lentils and chard
stalks, pour in the stock and 800ml water, bring to a gentle simmer,
then cover and leave to cook for 20 minutes, or until the potato is soft
but still holds its shape.
Turn off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and chard leaves, and
leave to cook in the residual heat for two or three minutes, until
wilted. Divide between four bowls, drizzle over the remaining two
tablespoons of oil, garnish with the coriander and spring onion, and
serve hot.
Saturday, March 9, 2019
Corn pancakes
A fast and easy lunch, and fairly adaptable.
I love corn fritters but sometimes find traditional ones with whole kernels in a flour batter a little stodgy. These are inspired by Isa Chandra Moskowitz's "Fresh Corn Johnnycakes", which are also awesome.
Corn pancakes
1 can sweetcorn kernels
Flour/ finely ground polenta (or a mixture)
1 tsp baking powder
salt
dash of vinegar
seasonings (optional - I like herb salt and paprika)
finely chopped spring onions
(optional add-ins: grated zucchini, fresh coriander)
Preheat a cast iron frying pan (or other reliable non-stick frying pan) on medium.
Dump the sweetcorn in a bowl and whizz for a few seconds with a stick blender so that some of the corn is mashed.
Add spring onions if using, seasonings and salt, vinegar and baking powder and stir thoroughly.
Add enough flour/polenta to glue it all together and adjust with water as necessary to make a scoopable batter. The thicker the batter, the thicker the cakes, I like mine on the relatively thin side.
Add a neutral vegetable oil to the pan. Scoop batter into frying pan to make fritter-sized pancakes and fry on each side until crispy.
Toppings
My favourite is layering the pancakes with a bed of rocket or spinach, topped with sliced avocado and red capsicum or tomato, drenched in a smoky chipotle salsa.
A more Kiwi topping would be vegan sour cream and sweet chili sauce.
I love corn fritters but sometimes find traditional ones with whole kernels in a flour batter a little stodgy. These are inspired by Isa Chandra Moskowitz's "Fresh Corn Johnnycakes", which are also awesome.
Corn pancakes
1 can sweetcorn kernels
Flour/ finely ground polenta (or a mixture)
1 tsp baking powder
salt
dash of vinegar
seasonings (optional - I like herb salt and paprika)
finely chopped spring onions
(optional add-ins: grated zucchini, fresh coriander)
Preheat a cast iron frying pan (or other reliable non-stick frying pan) on medium.
Dump the sweetcorn in a bowl and whizz for a few seconds with a stick blender so that some of the corn is mashed.
Add spring onions if using, seasonings and salt, vinegar and baking powder and stir thoroughly.
Add enough flour/polenta to glue it all together and adjust with water as necessary to make a scoopable batter. The thicker the batter, the thicker the cakes, I like mine on the relatively thin side.
Add a neutral vegetable oil to the pan. Scoop batter into frying pan to make fritter-sized pancakes and fry on each side until crispy.
Toppings
My favourite is layering the pancakes with a bed of rocket or spinach, topped with sliced avocado and red capsicum or tomato, drenched in a smoky chipotle salsa.
A more Kiwi topping would be vegan sour cream and sweet chili sauce.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Go go gazpacho!
The first time I ever made gazpacho, I was thoroughly underwhelmed. "This is basically just wet salad," I thought, and decided that in the future I'd prefer to have the salad. But a pit stop in some small city one hot and hungry day when me and my Mum were driving the length of Germany with friends, we ordered the only vegan thing on the menu - gazpacho. It was served in a glass, with ice, and it was salty and garlicky and tomatoey and hit the spot in a way I wasn't expecting.
Back in Sweden, which actually managed to turn out a few weeks of sweltering summer, I wondered if I could recreate the satisfaction. And I became a gazpacho convert. Not because it is the most delicious thing in the world. But because for a summer's day when you're not super hungry and really don't feel like cooking, gazpacho is a fast, cooling, healthy lunch with enough of a flavour punch to keep you satisfied. And it takes less effort and time to prepare than a salad.
I like my gazpacho thick and a bit less ... wet salad-like. That means I shove the following in a blender:
- tinned crushed tomatoes (unless I have fresh)
- a slice of stale bread
- capsicum if I have it (I even tried it with ajvar once, it was awesome)
- a little vinegar
- a splash of olive oil
- 1-2 cloves garlic depending on size
- a little chilli powder or sriracha
- herb seasoned salt and black pepper
- a little water
And you blend it up, adjust to taste, and you are gold. If you want to eat it right away, put some ice cubes in to make it cold. Otherwise you can of course refrigerate or even put it in the freezer for a bit. I topped mine with chopped olives and basil.
Back in Sweden, which actually managed to turn out a few weeks of sweltering summer, I wondered if I could recreate the satisfaction. And I became a gazpacho convert. Not because it is the most delicious thing in the world. But because for a summer's day when you're not super hungry and really don't feel like cooking, gazpacho is a fast, cooling, healthy lunch with enough of a flavour punch to keep you satisfied. And it takes less effort and time to prepare than a salad.
I like my gazpacho thick and a bit less ... wet salad-like. That means I shove the following in a blender:
- tinned crushed tomatoes (unless I have fresh)
- a slice of stale bread
- capsicum if I have it (I even tried it with ajvar once, it was awesome)
- a little vinegar
- a splash of olive oil
- 1-2 cloves garlic depending on size
- a little chilli powder or sriracha
- herb seasoned salt and black pepper
- a little water
And you blend it up, adjust to taste, and you are gold. If you want to eat it right away, put some ice cubes in to make it cold. Otherwise you can of course refrigerate or even put it in the freezer for a bit. I topped mine with chopped olives and basil.
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Mediterranean bangers and mash
Tonight's dinner:
Home-made chorizos using the recipe from Vegan Brunch (next time I personally would up the garlic a lot, and the spice), accompanied by potatoes mashed with olive oil, roasted root veges and braised red cabbage with coriander seeds.
The last was inspired both by some of the delicious spiced cabbage dishes Mum and I ate in Poland, and by the memory of a Greek pork dish that my Dad used to cook me when I was younger. In the original dish, pork is first fried then cooked in red wine until it reduces, after which crushed coriander seeds are added. I thought it would be yum to do something similar with red cabbage, but living with a teetotaller we don't have wine in the house. I subbed for some vegetable stock, lemon juice and pomegranate molasses. The result came out sweeter than the original, but still hit the spot. I'd love to try it with the wine sometime.
Home-made chorizos using the recipe from Vegan Brunch (next time I personally would up the garlic a lot, and the spice), accompanied by potatoes mashed with olive oil, roasted root veges and braised red cabbage with coriander seeds.
The last was inspired both by some of the delicious spiced cabbage dishes Mum and I ate in Poland, and by the memory of a Greek pork dish that my Dad used to cook me when I was younger. In the original dish, pork is first fried then cooked in red wine until it reduces, after which crushed coriander seeds are added. I thought it would be yum to do something similar with red cabbage, but living with a teetotaller we don't have wine in the house. I subbed for some vegetable stock, lemon juice and pomegranate molasses. The result came out sweeter than the original, but still hit the spot. I'd love to try it with the wine sometime.
Lemon Chick'n and Mango Fried Rice
This is delicious authentic Asian take-away food exactly like the kind you find anywhere except Asia...
Lemon chicken was always one of my favourites when my family got Chinese take-aways, and this is my Mum's recipe for making it at home. I've used Fry's chicken-style strips here, but you can do it with cubes of tofu too, fried salt and pepper tofu style. It makes a pretty fast, impressive and delicious dinner when paired with fried rice, tonight served with a winter vegetable riff on Isa's Mango Fried Rice (with red cabbage and cauliflower and green capsicum, and sans basil).
Chinese Take-away Lemon Chick'n
For the batter, mix together cornflour, salt, pepper and some baking powder (about 1 tsp per 4 Tbsp cornflour). No-Egg is good if you've got it. Add water, one teaspoonful at a time and stirring after each, until a loose batter is formed. Dip your (defrosted) chick'n strips in the batter and fry on each side in hot oil until puffed and golden, and keep warm until ready to serve. You can also deep fry 'em.
For the lemon sauce, combine the following ingredients in a saucepan:
grated rind and juice of 1-2 large lemons (can sub oranges for some or all)*
1/4 - 1 tsp of vege stock powder (be careful here, as stocks vary in strength. Start with a little).
1 Tbsp cornflour
1-3 Tbsp brown sugar (depending on how tart you want it, and if you've put in orange or not)
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 - 1 cup water (again, depending on how concentrated you want it)
Stir until the cornflour has dissolved, then heat until clear and thickened (saucy). Serve the fried chick'n strips with the lemon sauce poured over, and chopped spring onions. Serve with plain rice and fried/steamed vegetables, or for a fancier meal, serve with a dish of fried rice and veges like the one linked to above.
* I like to combine the juices of both fruits so I can cut down the added sugar. It still works out very lemony if you don't put in the orange rind. Obviously, if you sub orange for all, you will have Orange Chick'n, not Lemon, but that's ok. That's a take-away thing too.
The strips:
Lemon chicken was always one of my favourites when my family got Chinese take-aways, and this is my Mum's recipe for making it at home. I've used Fry's chicken-style strips here, but you can do it with cubes of tofu too, fried salt and pepper tofu style. It makes a pretty fast, impressive and delicious dinner when paired with fried rice, tonight served with a winter vegetable riff on Isa's Mango Fried Rice (with red cabbage and cauliflower and green capsicum, and sans basil).
Chinese Take-away Lemon Chick'n
For the batter, mix together cornflour, salt, pepper and some baking powder (about 1 tsp per 4 Tbsp cornflour). No-Egg is good if you've got it. Add water, one teaspoonful at a time and stirring after each, until a loose batter is formed. Dip your (defrosted) chick'n strips in the batter and fry on each side in hot oil until puffed and golden, and keep warm until ready to serve. You can also deep fry 'em.
For the lemon sauce, combine the following ingredients in a saucepan:
grated rind and juice of 1-2 large lemons (can sub oranges for some or all)*
1/4 - 1 tsp of vege stock powder (be careful here, as stocks vary in strength. Start with a little).
1 Tbsp cornflour
1-3 Tbsp brown sugar (depending on how tart you want it, and if you've put in orange or not)
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 - 1 cup water (again, depending on how concentrated you want it)
Stir until the cornflour has dissolved, then heat until clear and thickened (saucy). Serve the fried chick'n strips with the lemon sauce poured over, and chopped spring onions. Serve with plain rice and fried/steamed vegetables, or for a fancier meal, serve with a dish of fried rice and veges like the one linked to above.
* I like to combine the juices of both fruits so I can cut down the added sugar. It still works out very lemony if you don't put in the orange rind. Obviously, if you sub orange for all, you will have Orange Chick'n, not Lemon, but that's ok. That's a take-away thing too.
The strips:
Potatispizza with smoked tofu crumbs
I don't know where potatispizza (potato pizza) comes from, but I will always associate it with a Swedish friend of mine, and vegan mentor, Markus. I have made many variations, with additions of leek or shallots or spinach, but the basic combination of potato, pizza dough, garlic and olive oil is pretty hard to beat. It's sort of garlic bread, pizza and chips in one. I'm not claiming it's healthy, but it's comforting, delicious and pretty easy to make.
To make it, prepare pizza dough using wholemeal wheat flour, or a mixture of rye flour and wheat flour (to make it more Swedish). When risen and all that, roll out thinnish to your desired pizza shape. Put it on a lightly greased oven tray or wherever you usually cook your pizza. Sprinkle with finely chopped garlic, and cover with thinly sliced rounds of potato. They should overlap so that the dough is covered. I usually press down slightly too. Top with extra toppings - spinach, thinly sliced leeks or shallots, herbs (oregano is best), and this week's delicious offering - crumbled smoked tofu which crisped up into crunchy succulent bacon-like morsels. Drizzle with olive oil and top with salt (nice salt if you've got it, table salt if not) and a little pepper. Bung it in the oven at about 250 degrees Celcius and bake until ready (dough is lightly browned, everything else done), about 15 mins maybe?
Pizza served here with lettuce, roasted broccoli and roasted asparagus (in the same oven as the pizza).
To make it, prepare pizza dough using wholemeal wheat flour, or a mixture of rye flour and wheat flour (to make it more Swedish). When risen and all that, roll out thinnish to your desired pizza shape. Put it on a lightly greased oven tray or wherever you usually cook your pizza. Sprinkle with finely chopped garlic, and cover with thinly sliced rounds of potato. They should overlap so that the dough is covered. I usually press down slightly too. Top with extra toppings - spinach, thinly sliced leeks or shallots, herbs (oregano is best), and this week's delicious offering - crumbled smoked tofu which crisped up into crunchy succulent bacon-like morsels. Drizzle with olive oil and top with salt (nice salt if you've got it, table salt if not) and a little pepper. Bung it in the oven at about 250 degrees Celcius and bake until ready (dough is lightly browned, everything else done), about 15 mins maybe?
Pizza served here with lettuce, roasted broccoli and roasted asparagus (in the same oven as the pizza).
Cajun Chickpea cakes with Spicy Tomato Jam
Vegan Dad's Crispy Cajun Chickpea Cakes
Pretty much just followed his recipe, but subbed carrot for capsicum because that's what we had. Subbed cumin for the paprika for the same reason. Also left out the parsley. Ours came out less crispy - possibly an oil temperature/amount issue. But still delicious.
Tomato Jam
Combine the following in a saucepan (measurements are a guide, I usually just dump stuff in according to taste):
500g crushed tomatoes
80mL finely diced onion
1 tsp finely chopped rosemary (or a little less if dried)
30mL sugar (or 1 Tbsp pomegranate molasses)
2/3 tsp salt
pinch black pepper
pinch chilli flakes
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
Simmer on a low heat, stirring occasionally, for 30-60 mins till reduced and jammy.
Pretty much just followed his recipe, but subbed carrot for capsicum because that's what we had. Subbed cumin for the paprika for the same reason. Also left out the parsley. Ours came out less crispy - possibly an oil temperature/amount issue. But still delicious.
Tomato Jam
Combine the following in a saucepan (measurements are a guide, I usually just dump stuff in according to taste):
500g crushed tomatoes
80mL finely diced onion
1 tsp finely chopped rosemary (or a little less if dried)
30mL sugar (or 1 Tbsp pomegranate molasses)
2/3 tsp salt
pinch black pepper
pinch chilli flakes
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
Simmer on a low heat, stirring occasionally, for 30-60 mins till reduced and jammy.
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