Author: thuddirect

Roasted Veg with Lentils and a Kumquat Dressing

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Nothing much can beat roasted veg. We have a new found love of brussel sprouts, and roasting them makes them all the more delicious. They are roasted along with beetroot, carrots; all served with lentils and a tasty kumquat dressing.

Ingredients: 2 carrots, 150g brussel sprouts, 1 beetroot, a few stems of flat parsley, 4-5 kumquats.

Larder: 100g puy lentils, ½ a stock cube, olive oil, 1 tsp honey/sugar (optional extra: grilled salmon or chicken).

Instructions:

  • Trim the ends and peel off the outer layer of brussel sprouts. Quarter the sprouts and chop the beetroot and carrots into small chunks.
  • Place in a roasting tin, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roast for 25-30 minutes.roasting-veg-in-tin-600px
  • Cook the lentils in 3 times their volume of water, crumble in half the stock cube and cover. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20-25 minutes until lentils are soft, but still have a little bite to them.
  • If using, grill salmon or chicken while the lentils and veggies cook.
  • While the lentils are cooking and veggies roasting, make a kumquat dressing. Without peeling, thinly slice the kumquats, place in a small sauce pan and cover with water (approximately 150ml), add 1 tsp honey or sugar and simmer until slightly syrupy. Taste for sweetness and add more honey/sugar if desired.
  • Chop flat parsley leaves.
  • When veggies and lentils are ready, mix the parsley into the roasted veg and serve on a bed of lentils with the kumquats on top.

Aromatic Coconut Curry

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Coconut milk and a homemade curry paste forms the base of this lovely curry. Discover some new flavours and enjoy the interesting combo of lemongrass, galangal and turmeric along with tomatoes, potatoes and green beans.

Ingredients: 2 cloves of garlic, 10g galangal, 10g turmeric, 1 Thai chilli, 1 stalk of lemon grass, 2-3 shallots, 120g potatoes, 100g green beans, 120g tomatoes, small bunch of coriander.

Larder: 150g rice, 1 tin coconut milk, lime juice, (optional chicken cut into pieces).

Instructions:

  • Start cooking the rice.
  • Peel 2 garlic cloves, galangal and turmeric. Whizz in a processor with chilli and lemongrass or chop finely and bash into a paste.
  • Start cooking the chicken pieces (if using) and shallots in a wok.
  • Cook the shallots gently until translucent and then add the curry paste.
  • Slice the potatoes, top and tail green beans and halve the tomatoes. Add the potatoes and coconut milk to the curry paste along with a pinch of salt. Simmer for approximately 10 minutes and then add the green beans and tomatoes and continue to simmer until, potatoes are soft, green beans are al denté and tomatoes burst. Chicken should be cooked through and the beans still have a slight crunch.coconut-curry-600px
  • Season and serve with rice, chopped coriander and a squeeze of lime.

Roasted Squash and Mushroom Pasta

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A comforting and easy January supper, this dish is perfect on a busy night as you can chop it all up, pop it in the oven and come back to it for the finishing touches before tucking in.

Ingredients: 200g Butternut squash, 1 clove of garlic, 50g button mushrooms, 40g oyster mushrooms, small sprig of thyme, 70g kale.

From the larder: 175g pasta, 25g Parmesan, 25g breadcrumbs, 3 tbsp crème fraîche and olive oil.

Instructions:

  • Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C and bring a pan of water to the boil for the pasta.
  • Chop the squash into small chunks, halve large mushrooms and crush a garlic clove.
  • Place all in a roasting tin with thyme leaves, salt, pepper and a drizzle with olive oil. Roast for 20-25 minutes.
  • Add chopped kale, after about 10-12 minutes, when you start to smell the roasting mushrooms.
  • At this point start cooking the pasta.
  • During the last 5-10 minutes of roasting, sprinkle breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan over roasting veggies and cook until golden and crispy.added-parmesan-and-breadcrumbs-600px
  • Drain pasta and remove the veg from the oven, mix altogether with the crème fraîche.
  • Serve immediately with a little Parmesan grated on top.

Pak Choi Stir Fry

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Fragrant lemongrass, ginger and garlic wind their way through this stir fry, and compliment the crunch of carrots and pak choi. A healthy start the new year.

Ingredients: Shallots, Thai chilli, garlic, ginger, pak choi, carrot, lemongrass, Thai basil.

From the larder: 3 tsp oil, 175g noodles, 1-2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tsp lime juice, (optional cooked prawns, chicken or pork)

Instructions:

  • Start by cooking the meat.
  • Prepare all the veg: chop the shallot, chilli and garlic. Grate the ginger, chop the pak choi (separating stalk and leaves) and thinly slice the carrot. Remove the tough outer layer of lemongrass and then thinly slice. Chop the Thai basil.chopped-veg-600px
  • Cook the noodles according to packet instructions.
  • In a wok, on a high heat, heat the oil and add shallots, chilli, ginger, pak choi stalks, carrot and lemongrass. Fry for 5 mins, or until the vegetables are just reaching the right level of crunch.
  • Add the pak choi leaves, Thai basil and cooked prawns or cooked meat. Fry for a further 2 mins.
  • Drain the noodles; add to stir-fry and mix, adding the lime juice and soy sauce to taste. Serve immediately.

Padron Pepper Frittata

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This is a great way to ease into the new year: A simple frittata containing padron peppers, tomatoes and potatoes and accompanied by a delicious massaged kale and radish salad. You can make frittatas with any combo of veggies so it’s a great way to use up leftover Christmas veggies.

Ingredients: Potatoes, shallots, garlic, tomatoes, padrón pepper, baby red pepper, basil, kale, radish.

Larder: 5 eggs, 2 tsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp olive oil, ½ tsp sugar, salt and pepper, 40g chopped chorizo (optional).

Instructions:

  • Preheat the grill.
  • Thinly slice the potatoes, slice the shallots, garlic and peppers.
  • Heat 1 tbsp oil in a heavy based frying pan; sauté the vegetables with chorizo for 5 minutes.
  • Halve the tomatoes and add to the pan – cook for a further 2 minutes.
  • Beat the eggs and mix in the salt, pepper and chopped basil leaves. Pour the egg mixture over vegetables and cook for 5-7 mins to set the bottom of the frittata. Then place under pre-heated grill for 5-7 mins to cook the top. If you do not have a grill, carefully turn the frittata and to cook the other side.img_0550
  • To make the salad, massage the kale for a few minutes with 1 tbsp oil, lemon juice and ¼ tsp salt until tender. Tear into small pieces and mix with sugar and thinly sliced radish. Serve with the frittata.

Brussel Sprout Risotto

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You can’t get much more wintry than a brussel sprout focussed meal. This risotto is delicious and made better by buttery brussels sautéed with sage and thyme and optional bacon and almonds, creating the perfect savoury salty combos.

Ingredients: Shallots, garlic, brussel sprouts, lemon thyme, sage, and spinach.

From the larder: Butter, 170g Arborio rice, 600-ml stock, 30g Parmesan, 40g almonds and/or 2 slices bacon chopped into pieces (optional).

Instructions:

  • Chop the shallots and garlic. Sauté in butter for 2 mins then add the Arborio rice and cook until it looks slightly translucent.
  • Prepare stock and add to the rice ladle-by-ladle and cook until rice is al denté and risotto creamy. Stir and allow stock to absorb between each ladle. This process should take about 20 minutes. Half way through cooking, add the lemon thyme leaves stripped off the stems.
  • While the risotto is cooking, slice the brussel sprouts, and chop the almonds and sage leaves. Melt a large knob of butter in a frying pan and fry the sprouts until they are soft and starting to brown. When sprouts are softening, add the almonds and sage and fry altogether.frying-brussel-sprouts-and-almonds-600px
  • If using bacon, start frying that first and add the sprouts followed by almonds and sage.
  • When risotto is ready, take off the heat, mix in spinach and grated Parmesan, allowing Parmesan to melt and spinach to wilt.
  • Stir the brussel sprouts, almonds, sage and optional bacon into the risotto and serve immediately.

Christmas Parcel With Flower Sprouts

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A Christmas Pastry Parcel for the week before Christmas. This pastry is packed full of warm Christmassy flavours created by the parsnips, squash, allspice and rosemary and is accompanied by our favourite flower Sprouts.

Ingredients: 1 Shallot, 250g butternut squash, 4-5 baby parsnips or 1 normal-sized parsnip, handful of kale, 4-5 chestnuts, sprig of rosemary and 100g flower sprouts.

From the larder: 1 roll of ready-made puff pastry, 100ml cream, 1 egg, butter, ¾ tsp allspice, oil, salt and pepper.

Instructions:

  • Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Peel and chop the butternut squash and chop the parsnips all into 1cm pieces. Toss in olive oil; place in a roasting tin and roast for 20 minutes.
  • Pierce the chestnuts with a skewer or cut a line in the chestnut shells and place on the baking tray in the oven. Roast for 8-10 minutes and then remove from the oven. Peel the chestnuts or scoop out their flesh and chop into pieces. Set aside for the pie filling later.
  • Chop the shallot and rosemary and sauté in a large sauté pan until shallots are soft. Finely chop the kale and add to the sauté pan.
  • When the squash and parsnips are soft, remove from the oven and mix into the sauté pan along with the chestnuts. Beat together the allspice, egg and cream. Remove the sauté pan from the heat and stir in the egg and cream mixture.
  • Unroll the pastry and place the whole sheet on a baking tray roughly 20cm x 30cm. Place the filling along the centre of the pastry lengthways. Lightly wet the edges with water and fold the pastry around the veg into tube. Brush with milk or left over egg. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes until pastry is golden and crispy. While baking, steam the flower sprouts for about 3-4 minutes.pie-filling-in-pastry-unrolled-600px
  • Serve the Christmas parcel with the flower sprouts and enjoy!

‘Shroom Pasta with Gremolata

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This is a great quick mid-week meal with delicious mushrooms and gremolata, a wonderful mix of parsley, garlic and lemon zest.

Ingredients: 40g Oyster, 100g chestnut and button mushrooms, 60g cavolo nero, bunch of parsley and 3 garlic cloves.

From the larder: 200g fettuccine or other pasta, olive oil, zest and juice of ½-1 lemon, salt and pepper (optional: 2 tbsp white wine, dollop of crème fraîche).

Instructions:

  • Make the gremolata: finely mince the garlic and the parsley. Add the lemon zest and chop together.

parsley-and-lemon

  • Start cooking the pasta in a large saucepan of salted water.
  • Slice the mushrooms and heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan. When hot, add the mushrooms and fry for a few minutes until browning and starting to sweat. If you have it, add 2 tbsp of white wine and continue cooking until wine has evaporated and mushrooms glazed.
  • Add another tbsp of olive oil and the gremolata and cook for another minute or so.

mushrooms with gremolata 600px

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  • Finely shred the cavolo nero and add it to the pasta water for the last 4-5 minutes of cooking.
  • When pasta is al denté, remove ½ cup (approx. 50ml) of pasta water before draining and add ¼ cup (approx. 25ml) to the mushrooms and stir together along with the juice of ½ a lemon.
  • Drain the pasta and cavolo nero and toss with the mushrooms. If it seems dry, add 2-4 tbsp of the reserved pasta water.
  • Serve in warmed bowls with optional Parmesan grated on top and a dollop of crème fraîche.

Winter Ratatouille with Hasselback Potatoes

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A lovely wholesome rooty ratatouille full of leeks, carrots, parsley root, chervil root, and oregano and served with hasselback baked potatoes.

Ingredients: 1 Shallot, 1 clove of garlic, 8 new potatoes, 1 leek, 2 small carrots, 1 parsley root, 1 or 2 chervil root, sprig of oregano.

From the larder: 1 tin of tomatoes, ½-1 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper, (optional extra: tin of kidney beans and a dollop of yoghurt or grated cheese).

Instructions:

  • Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.
  • Heat a glug of oil in a pan. Chop the shallots and a clove of garlic, sauté for about 5 minutes until soft.
  • Slice the leek and peel and chop the carrot, chervil root and parsley root into small 1-2cm chunks. Add to the pan along with another glug of oil and sweat gently for 7 or so minutes stirring frequently.
  • Meanwhile make the hasselback potatoes: thinly slice half way through the potatoes at 3mm intervals, rub with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and place in the oven on a baking tray for about 25 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to hold the potatoes while you slice them.
  • Add the tin of tomatoes, chopped oregano, balsamic vinegar, honey, salt and pepper to the veggies. Gently simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Optional – after 20 minutes, drain, rinse and add a tin of beans to the ratatouille.baked-potatoes-600px
  • When potatoes are golden and crispy, serve with the ratatouille. Garnish with any remaining oregano and a dollop of yoghurt or a sprinkling of grated cheese if desired.

Rainbow Chard and Sweet Potato Curry

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We can’t really get enough of beautiful rainbow chard and want to make the most of it before the end of the year. This is an absolutely delicious curry using chard, sweet potato, spices and yoghurt to make a healthy creamy yummy curry!

Ingredients: 2 shallots, 1 clove of garlic, 12g ginger, 10g turmeric, 1 green chilli(to taste), 1/2 a sweet potato, 80g rainbow chard, 5-6 cherry tomatoes, a small bunch of coriander.

From the larder: 150g rice or naan bread, 150g plain yoghurt, oil, ½ tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp garam masala, salt and pepper.

Instructions:

  • Chop shallots, de-seed and finely chop the chilli. Finely chop and bash together the garlic, ginger and turmeric with a pinch of salt to make a paste.
  • Chop the sweet potato into 1-2cm chunks and slice the rainbow chard stems and leaves, separating the stems and leaves.
  • Start cooking the rice according to instructions or preheat the oven for the naan.
  • Heat a glug of oil in a heavy bottom pan, sauté the shallots in oil for 5 minutes until soft and then add the paste, chilli and spices and fry for 1-2 minutes. Add the potatoes, tomatoes and chard stems along with approximately 300ml water. Allow to simmer for approx. 15 minutes until potatoes are soft. Finally add the chard leaves and stir until wilted.cooking-sweet-potato-and-rainbow-chard-2-600px
  • Remove the curry from the heat and stir in the yoghurt. Return to the heat and heat gently for a few minutes to bring back to a good temperature. Be careful not to curdle the yogurt by heating it too quickly.
  • When ready to serve, stir through chopped coriander and serve the curry on a bed of rice or with the naan.