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Archive for the ‘Recipes’ Category

Red Lentil and Tomato soup

Posted in Food, Recipes, tagged , , on March 7, 2011| 2 Comments »

Comfort food par excellence, adapted from  Rose Elliott’s The Bean Book.

This and her nicely-titled  Not Just a Load of Lentils have been friends for years.

for 4

1 onion–finely chopped

1 stick of celery–finely sliced

1 tablespoon olive oil

4oz/100gm red lentils–thoroughly rinsed

14oz/400gm tin of  tomatoes with their juice

1 1/2 pints/850 litres vegetable stock (I use organic stock cubes)

juice of half a lemon–more if you like

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon parsley–chopped

Soften the onion and celery in the oil over a low heat.

Add the lentils and turn them in the mixture.

Add the broken up tomatoes and the stock.

stir everything thoroughly and bring to a simmer.

Partially cover the pan and cook until the lentils have melted.

Remove from the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes.

Liquidise to a smooth finish and season to taste .

Stir in the lemon juice.

Serve hot in bowls that show off the beautiful colour, with a pinch of parsley in the middle of the bowl.

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Cabbage soup

Posted in Food, Recipes, tagged , , , , on March 5, 2011| 4 Comments »

A simple but delicious soup this, that cooks for a while– deepening the taste.

The recipe is adapted from Carolyn Mcrum’s wonderful  The Soup Book published in 1978.

She writes: “Soup-making is one of the most pleasurable of culinary processes, but it takes time, and that it why it is so little enjoyed in a hurried age. My hope is to persuade people that the soup you make yourself is infinitely superior to soup from a packet or tin, and that making soup is a comforting activity, surpassed only by the activity of eating it”.

For 4

1 cabbage—a Savoy or one of the other “beautiful faced” varieties, rather than the tightly formed White or Green cabbage

Red Drumhead cabbages

2 medium onions—chopped small

1 garlic clove—chopped small

1 rasher (slice) of bacon—chopped small

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 ½ pints/1 ¼ litres—vegetable stock—I use organic stock cubes

Salt and pepper

Grated parmesan cheese to finish

  1. Blanch the cabbage whole for two minutes in lightly salted boiling water—this keeps the cabbage together in the water. Set it aside to cool, before chopping it up.
  2. Soften the onions, garlic and bacon very gently in the oil for at least 10 minutes—this is the taste engine of the soup and needs time for the magic to work.
  3. Add the chopped cabbage and the stock and season well.
  4. Cook at a gentle simmer for at least an hour and a half.
  5. Check the seasoning and serve hot with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese worked in.

The wonderful aroma—though not everyone would call it that—fills the house for hours!

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Griddled leeks with thyme

Posted in Food, Recipes, tagged , , , on March 3, 2011| 1 Comment »

Sonia, our green-fingered friend, brought us leeks from her vegetable garden yesterday. Welcome gifts arrive from time to time all the year round. Much appreciated.

She was here to do the Wednesday Chi Gong class, which has temporarily moved to our converted hayloft during the cold weather, as the room–where it’s usually held–is difficult to heat. Life is never dull in our bit of rural France!

The recipe is adapted from the River Café Pocket Books Salads and Vegetables Pocket Cookbook.

Griddled Leeks with thyme and parsley

for 4 as a starter or side vegetable

6 leeks–damaged leaves removed, sliced in half lengthwise and washed thoroughly
1 tablespoon thyme leaves
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt and pepper

1.Tie the leeks together with a piece of string, and blanch them in salted boiling water for 3 minutes.
2. Remove from the pan, carefully squeeze out the excess water and leave them, cut side down, to dry on kitchen paper.
3. Heat a griddle to hot.
4. When the leeks are dry, season them and place them, cut side down, on the griddle.
5. When they are nicely griddled (should take about three minutes), as below, turn them over and grill for a similar amount of time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Transfer to a serving plate and with a pair of kitchen scissors cut them into threes, which makes them easier to eat.

7. Sprinkle over the thyme; then drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil and season to taste with salt & pepper.

I served them with other grilled vegetables and an egg on top. They were delicious.

 

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Chicken with red cabbage

Posted in Food, Recipes, tagged , , , on March 2, 2011| 1 Comment »

  • Red cabbage is a member of the strangely named cruciferous family of vegetables (the four petals of their flowers are in the shape of a cross), together with broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, kale, and bok choy. These are super vegetables with many health benefits claimed for them.
  • Adapted from a Marcella Hazan recipe it has the advantage of being an all-in-one dish. The chicken stays beautifully moist under its warm overcoat of collapsed cabbage.
  • 1 chicken–cut up into eight or more pieces
  • IMG_4655
  • 1 red cabbage (at least 1lb/450gm)–quartered, the white stem removed, and thinly sliced
  • 1 largish onion–peeled and thinly sliced
  • 2 cloves of garlic–peeled and roughly chopped
  • IMG_4657
  • 6 tablespoons olive oil
  • 8 tablespoons red wine
  • salt and pepper
  • Choose a casserole or terracotta pot large enough to hold the chicken pieces in one layer.
  • Soften the onion and garlic in the oil until the garlic begins to colour–about 10 minutes.
  • IMG_4659
  • Add the cabbage and coat it well with the oily onion and garlic mix. Cook for 15 minutes, turning it over from time to time.

 

  • IMG_4661
  • Season the cabbage well, then bury the chicken pieces underneath it.
  • Pour over the red wine and cover the pot.
  • Cook for 40–45 minutes, turning the contents over from time to time and taking care it doesn’t burn.

IMG_4663

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Sautéed Mackerel with garlic and rosemary

Posted in Food, Recipes, tagged , , on March 1, 2011| 2 Comments »

This recipe is from one of Marcella Hazan’s inspirational cookbooks.

my culinary Bible

To be worthwhile mackerel has to be fresh—nice clear eyes and firm to the touch.

These fitted the bill at the market this morning– and were only four euros for the pair! I cooked them whole in olive oil flavoured with rosemary and garlic—good strong tasting elements to match the richness of the fish.

For 2

2 medium sized mackerel— gutted and cleaned

4 garlic cloves—peeled

6 tablespoons olive oil

Juice of half a lemon

2 sprigs of rosemary

1. Wash and dry the fish.

2. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan and fry the garlic cloves until they begin to colour.

3. Add the fish with the rosemary and brown gently on both sides.

4. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes—checking for doneness by carefully  lifting the flap of the cleaned belly–if it looks pink continue cooking a couple of minutes more.

5. Carefully lift the mackerel out of the pan and lay them on the waiting plates.

6. Spoon over the juices and watch out for the bones!

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Penne with cauliflower, garlic, and anchovy sauce

Posted in Food, Recipes, tagged , , , , , on February 27, 2011| 4 Comments »

Cauliflowers (Choux-fleur in french ) look so appealing –their pure white faces peeking through the outer leafing, daring you not to buy them.

cauliflower

This is the third time in as many weeks that I’ve succumbed.

They usually have to wait awhile to get cooked; often because their green cousin–broccoli–is an easier option.

Steamed, seasoned, olive oil and a little lemon juice poured over, broccoli is quick to do and adds a fresh colour to the plate.

Tonight though–it’s pasta with the patient cauliflower as the basis of a piquant sauce.

This is adapted from a Marcella Hazan recipe.

for 4

1 cauliflower–released from its casing, washed and broken into large florets

8 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves– finely chopped

6 anchovy fillets–mashed

1 or 2 small red chillies–depending on your taste–chopped (discard the seeds)

salt

2 tablespoons parsley–chopped

3 tablespoons of toasted breadcrumbs

300g/12oz wholewheat penne or fafalle

Cook the cauliflower florets in salted boiling water until they are tender.

Remove the cauliflower from the pan, saving the water to cook the pasta in later.

Set the cauliflower aside.

Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the chopped garlic.

Sauté it until it turns colour, then take the pan off the heat and add the anchovy mash and the chillies.

Stir this into a sauce.

Mix in the cooked cauliflower, breaking it up into small pieces and  mashing some of it.

Cook it in the sauce for a couple of minutes, then set aside.

You are going to gently reheat the mixture just before the pasta is ready.

Bring the cauliflower water back to the boil and cook the penne or fafalle to your taste.

Drain and add it to sauce in the pan, turning it over carefully but thoroughly.

Sprinkle over the breadcrumbs and parsley and serve from a heated bowl.

Cauliflower is a super food

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Ismail Merchant’s Chicken breasts sautéed with cinnamon, onions, and parsley

Posted in Diabetes, Food, other sides to this life, Recipes, tagged , , , on February 26, 2011| 1 Comment »

I bought a couple of chicken breasts for lunch in Castres market this morning.

The recipe below is adapted from the late Ismail Merchant’s excellent book, Indian Cuisine.

Ismail Merchant

Ismail, who died too soon six years ago aged 68, was the producer half of the enormously successful film production team Merchant Ivory. I filmed The Europeans with them in New England in the autumn of 1978, with lovely Lee Remick.

Food played an important part in the ebullient Ismail’s modus operandi.

In earlier days he would do the rounds of the established film companies looking for backing, with a homemade apple pie in his bag.  Slices would be produced in exchange for the use of the telephone!

Money was never NOT a problem for them in those days and it was clear, deep into the filming in New Hampshire, that things were tight. Anxious creditors hovered and it was uncertain whether we’d be able to complete the filming.

About five o’clock one Saturday afternoon, I spotted Ismail coming in from the car park laden down with several grocery bags. “What’s up, Ismail?”

“Curry for dinner–everyone’s invited!”

He disappeared into the hotel’s kitchen which he had commandeered for the night.

At eight that evening, the whole company (at least 80 people) plus a few unfamiliar faces entered the dining room where  a wonderful Indian feast was laid out–a fantastic sight!

We finished the film on time, with no further rumours of money worries.

His simple recipe makes the rather bland chicken breasts more interesting with chili and cinnamon.

Chicken breasts sautéed with cinnamon, onions, and parsley

for 4

4 boned chicken breasts (without the skin)– sliced in half, lengthwise

4 tblsps olive oil

1 cinnamon stick– broken up

1 largish onion– chopped

2 to 3 small red chillies

juice of two lemons

Cook the onions gently in the oil with the cinnamon until soft.

Add the chicken breasts with the lemon juice.

Season with salt and pepper.

Turn them over after three minutes and cook for a further three minutes; then add the parsley and chillies.

Turn the breasts in the sauce and continue cooking for a further 5 minutes–the exact cooking time depends on the thickness of the chicken breasts.

In the pan...

(I just cooked two today.)

Cut into the thickest part of one to check. If it is still very pink, continue to cook another couple of minutes.

I served it with a salad of  raw fennel, radish, avocado and rocket  dressed with 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, a tablespoon of freshly-squeezed lemon juice, half a teaspoon of Dijon mustard,  salt and pepper,  whisked together.

On the plate....

A healthy & delicious dish for diabetics–and everyone else….

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Roasted Cauliflower with coriander seeds, garlic and dry roasted sunflower seeds

Posted in Food, Recipes, tagged , , on February 17, 2011| 4 Comments »

I was looking for a new way to cook the seasonal cauliflower, patiently waiting its turn in the fridge. The much used cheesy white sauce, though tempting, is not so good for diabetics. It’s a lovely looking thing, the cauliflower, but is one of those “what on earth am I going to do with it this time” vegetables…!  A recipe in Delia Smith’s Winter Collection gave me the idea for this, which I tried last night. It was so good, we’ll have it again this evening with a salmon fillet.

I sprinkled some dry roasted sunflower seeds over the finished dish.

 

For 4 as a vegetable or 2 as a main course

 

1lb/450gm cauliflower–broken up into florets

1 generous tsp coriander seeds—pounded in a pestle and mortar

2 tblsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves—pulped with a small teaspoon of salt in a mortar and pestle

salt and pepper

Set the oven at 200C/400F/gas mark 6

1  Put the cauliflower florets in a large bowl.

2   Sprinkle over and mix in the crushed coriander seeds.

1.  Whisk the crushed garlic and olive oil together.

2.  Mix in this little sauce, coating the vegetables thoroughly.

3.  Spread the vegetables on a roasting tray in a single layer.

4.  Season with salt and pepper.

5.  Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes—checking for doneness after 20 minutes; the vegetables should be tender and charred a little.

6.  Dry roast the sunflower seeds in a pan on the hob and sprinkle them over the roasted vegetables.

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Frittata

Posted in Diabetes, Recipes, tagged on February 14, 2011| 1 Comment »

Frittata

Frittata is an egg tart without the pastry—a handy dish for diabetics, that everyone can enjoy.

It’s an Italian omelette for four to share and, unlike the French version, is cooked slowly. We had it for lunch today, just the two of us– a Valentine’s Day offering.  It went down well with the Taster in Chief!

I was a little nervous because the filling was left-over Swiss chard and onions, based on an Indian recipe, and mildly spicy, not Italian; but then you can add whatever you like to the basic cheese frittata or just enjoy as it stands. Here’s it is.

Cheese Frittata

For 4

7 eggs

100gms/3.5 parmesan cheese—grated.  This could be a mix–parmesan and swiss gruyere, for a little richer taste.

2 tblsp olive oil

salt and pepper

1. beat the eggs in a bowl, add salt, pepper and the cheese.

2. heat the oil in a 30cm/12” sauté pan.

3. add the egg and cheese mix.

4. turn the heat down to the lowest level.

5. cook until only the surface of the frittata is liquid– about 15 minutes.

6. place the pan under a hot grill for a minute or so, or just slide it carefully onto a plate, place a second plate over the top and turn them over, then slide it back into the pan for a minute or so.

7. The surface should be golden not brown, and the frittata moist.

8. serve with some steamed broccoli –green with the yellow–and your best olive oil sprinkled over it.

I sometimes cut the frittata in strips and serve them over the salad

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Socca (chick pea) pancakes

Posted in Food, Recipes, tagged , , on February 14, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Socca Pancakes—the recipe below is from my book “Delicious Dishes for Diabetics” (available for pre-order on Amazon.co.uk)

socca pancake

These little discs are handy landing pads for pretty much anything you fancy. Today I had some left over roast chicken (also in the book) in the fridge; which I sautéed with some sweet onion slices, dry roast walnut pieces and some sliced celery in a little walnut and olive oil. The pancake base ( I covered mine with a pancake hat) added a slightly crunchy interest to the chicken filling.

The other day I added the spicy cauliflower recipe from my book—see below–and served a poached egg on the side.

Sauted cauliflower

Farinata or Socca (Pancake)

Serves 4

This is street food and is still sold on the streets of Nice and Marseille in southern France. These pancakes are about 20 cm/8 inches wide and are good for parking things on – a fried egg or some bacon bits or, as I did recently for a light supper, thinly sliced roast tomatoes.*

170 g/6 oz chickpea flour

400 ml/14 fl oz/1½ cups sparkling water

80 ml/2.5 fl oz/ cup olive oil

salt and pepper

1 tbsp rosemary leaves

olive oil

1. Put the flour in a mixing bowl. Add the water and whisk it in until smooth.

2. Add the oil and whisk it in. Add pinches of salt and pepper and the rosemary. You will have roughly half a litre (20 fl oz) of batter. Leave to soak for 20–30 minutes.

3. When you are ready to make the pancake, heat a swirl of olive oil in a 25 cm/10 inch frying pan. When hot, put a tablespoonful of the stirred mixture in the pan and turn the heat down a little. Cook for a few seconds until you can ease the pancake loose with a spatula or fish slice. Now you have to turn it over! Be bold! Practice makes perfect and anyway the first attempt, if not completely successful, will be edible.

Cook the pancake a further few seconds and remove from the pan.

Both sides should be a golden brown. Add a few twists of the pepper mill on each.

* Cook the tomatoes, sprinkled with a little salt and olive oil, for 20 minutes in a low oven (140°C/275°F/Gas Mark 1).

Cauliflower with Mustard Seeds and Fennel

Serves 4

Madhur Jaffrey, the Indian actress and cook, brings a touch of the sub-continent to the Mediterranean. This version of her recipe stands on its own and would be good served on the socca pancake or with the “comfort” lentils, and is excellent as a vegetarian main course.

6 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp black mustard seeds

2 tsp fennel seeds

3 cloves of garlic – finely chopped

¼ tsp turmeric

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

1 largish cauliflower – dismantled into small florets

4 tbsp hot water

salt to taste

1. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan. Put in the mustard and fennel seeds.

2. As soon as the mustard seeds begin to pop, add the garlic cloves. As they begin to turn colour, add the turmeric and cayenne and stir them in.

3. Add the cauliflower florets and turn them in the oily mixture. Add the water and turn the heat down.

4. Cook on a gentle heat, covered, for 20 minutes or until the cauliflower is just tender.

5. Uncover the pan and let any remaining water evaporate. Add salt to taste.

Socca (chick pea) pancake with sauted spicy cauliflower

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