Spiced Lentil and Butternut Squash Soup

Posted by Mrs Rees in Butternut Squash, Coriander, Cumin, Garlic, Lentil, Lentils, Olive oil, Paprika, recipe, Spices, Stock, Tomato, Vegetarian, Winter

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Serves 6

Ingredients
1.5L Vegetable stock (bouillon works well if you don’t have home-made vegetable stock)
200g dried red lentils
1-2tsp Crushed sumac* (optional)
1.5kg butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cubed
75g tomatoes, halved
6 garlic cloves, peeled
1 carrot diced
4tbsp olive oil
½ tsp dried chilli flakes
2 tsp ground cumin
2tsp ground coriander
2 tsp paprika
salt and pepper
6 tbsp Greek yoghurt (to serve)
small handful of fresh coriander (to serve)

Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C/375°F/gas 6.

In a large roasting tin (you may need two), place the squash, tomatoes, garlic and carrot, sprinkle over the spices, season with salt and pepper, and pour over the olive oil. Mix it all up together. Bake in the oven for about 1 hour and 30 mins, or until the vegetables are soft and beginning to caramelise.

In a magimix or blender, pulse the vegetables to a pulp, adding a little of the stock to make a smooth paste.

Place the vegetable mix into a large saucepan, adding the remaining stock, and bring slowly to the boil. Add the lentils, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the lentils are tender, stirring every now and again. If it becomes too thick, add some more stock or a little water. Check for seasoning.

Ladle into serving bowls, topped with a tbsp of yoghurt and a few leaves of fresh coriander. Delicious served with fresh bread.


*Sumac is an unusual spice that comes from the ground fruit of the sumac shrub, found across the Mediterranean. It is often used as the souring element in recipes, replacing citrus fruits.

Chickpea Fritters

Posted by Mrs Rees in Chickpea, Chili powder, Cook, Coriander, Cumin, Home, lunch, Olive oil, Onion, Paprika, recipe, Spices, starter, Vegetarian

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Clean and aromatic this easy vegetarian dish can be served as a starter or as a main course. Great with a dry white wine it is the perfect addition to any ones repertoire. You can easly make up the patty's the day before you need them, throw them in the fridge and they will keep for two days. Recipe adapted and cooked by Mrs Rees

Ingredients

For the fritters:

600g cooked, tinned chickpeas

1 tbsp red thai curry paste

½ red onion, dices

juice ½ lime

15g fresh coriander, chopped

3 tbsp olive oil

4 tbsp plain flour

1 egg, lightly beaten

For the tikka sauce:

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground turmeric

2 tbsp paprika

½ tsp chili powder

5 tbsp water

3 tbsp sunflower oil

2-3 garlic cloves. Crushed

1 tsp tamarind paste

½ chili, chopped finely

25g fresh coriander

6 tbsp yoghurt

Method

1. Place ¾ of the chickpeas in a food processor, and pulse until the chickpeas are broken down. Mash the other ¼ with a folk, so they are only loosely crushed. Mix both sets of chickpeas together.

2. Blanch the red onion in boiling water for 1 minute.

3. Mix the chickpeas with the thai curry paste, red onion, lime juice, fresh coriander and season with salt and pepper. Set aside for 20 minutes.

4. Mix all the ingredients for the tikka sauce, except the yoghurt together.

5. Work the chickpea mix into patties about 7cm wide x 2 cm high. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to set.

6. Brush the fritters with the beaten egg, and coat in the plain flour. Shake off the excess. Heat the oil, and fry the fritters for 3-4 minutes each sides, until golden brown and crisp.

7. Add the yoghurt to the tikka sauce and drizzle over the fritters on the serving plate.

Chicken in parchment with Moroccan aromatics and lentils

Posted by Mrs Rees in Chicken, Lentils, Moroccan, recipe, Spices

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Serves 4

Ingredients

100g French puy lentils

½ onion

1 cinnamon stick

4 stalks thyme

1kg chicken pieces on the bone (i.e. 4 legs, halved)

70g plain flour

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp salt

4 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

400g potatoes, peeled and cut into 5mm dice

200g carrots, peeled, and cut into 5mm dice

2 tbsp Chermoula*

1x400g can chopped tomatoes ½ lemon, skin peeled and finely chopped

½ litre chicken stock

300g butternut squash, peeled, cut into 2mm dice

salt & pepper

small handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped

small handful of fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped

Equipment

1 large saucepan with lid

1 small saucepan

Sieve

Small bowl

4x40cm squares of baking parchment

Kitchen string

Deep bowl

Baking tray

Tin foil

Method

Put the lentils in a large saucepan, with three times their volume of cold water. Add the onion half, cinnamon stick and thyme. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until tender. Strain. Discard the onion and thyme. Mix the flour with the paprika and season with salt and pepper. Dust the chicken pieces in the flour and shake off the excess.

Heat 4 tbsp olive oil in a large pan. Add the chicken pieces, a few at time. Fry them until golden all over. Deglaze the pan by pouring a cupful of water in the pan, and stir to remove sediment. Pour off the water.

Heat another 2 tbsp olive oil in the saucepan, and sweat the chopped onions on a low heat. When soft, add the potatoes and carrots, and cook for 5 minutes. Mix in the Chermoula, then add the tin of tomatoes, chopped lemon rind and the chicken stock. Replace the chicken pieces. Mix well. Bring to the boil then lower the heat and simmer, covered for 10 minutes. Add the lentils and squash, cook without the lid for another 15 minutes. Check to see if the chicken is cooked, then remove the pan from the heat. Allow to cool and place in the fridge overnight.

Preheat the oven to 180°C Fold each baking parchment square in half, and half again, four times over, so the tip becomes the centre. Trim around the end, and open to form a circle. Place the circles, one at a time in the deep bowl, and heap in a quarter of the mixture, arrange the chicken on the top. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and coriander. Gather the edges of the paper together and tie together with the string, so you have bag. Place the parcels in a baking tray and cover with tin foil. Cook for 30 minutes. Serve in individual parcels for each person.

To Make The Chermoula

11g cumin seeds, roasted and finely crushed

4g coriander seeds, roasted and finely crushed

6g paprika

4g ground ginger

½ garlic cloves

1 chili

½ lemon, de-seeded and juiced

25ml olive oil

pinch of pepper

pinch of salt

Put all ingredients in a food processor, and pulse until it forms a smooth paste, adding a little more olive oil if necessary.

Marmalade

Posted by Tris in Bitter orange, Cooking, Fruit preserves, Home, Marmalade, Orange, Oranges, Preserves, recipe, Seville marmalade, Spain, Sugar

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Its that time of year again when you can fill up your stock cupboard with delicious home made marmalade, so here's a great recipe that my mum uses to make her marmalade. The trick to great marmalade is Seville oranges, these large bitter oranges grown throughout the mediteranian have a higher pectin content, giving you a higher yield and a better set when you make your marmalade.

Marmalade as we know it was first made poular by Dundee jam maker James Kellier in 1797. Although the Greeks and the Romans were making quince marmalade thousands of years before. What we imagine as marmalade; clear sweet orange jelly with tart orange peel, was probably invented by Kellier's wife after a large batch of bitter orange arrived from Spain, and were sold cheap at the docks in Teyside.

Ingredients

2kg Seville Oranges

2 Lemons

4kg Suger

4l Water

Method

Wash the fruit, then cut them in half. Squeeze out the juice and remove the pips. Cut the peel into thin strips and put in a large preserving pan with the water, and fruit juice. Put the pulp and the seeds in a muslin bag and add them to the preserving pan too (If you don't have any muslin then boil them in a separate pan with some water, then strain this into the preserving pan before you add the sugar). Simmer the fruit for about 1 hour and a half.

Remove and strain the muslin with the pulp and seeds. Then add the sugar into the pan when it has all dissolved bring it to the boil. Boil until the marmalade reaches a setting point, skimming the marmalade to make sure the scum doesn't stick to the peel. Setting point usually takes about 15 to 20 mins. --> The setting point is when the marmalade reaches 105 degrees. It is easier to test this using a cold plate, when the marmalade is cool you will be able to push your finger through it and the marmalade will wrinkle slightly and not run back straight away.

When the marmalade is set. Let the marmalade stand for ten minutes, and then transfer into sterilised jars, cover with waxed preserving papers and leave to cool. When cool add a lid and a label and keep in a cool dark place for up to a year.