Archive for the ‘Vegetarian’ Category
Aubergine and Red Lentil Curry
Ingredients
- 1 aubergine
- 1 green pepper
- Chilli power
- ½ onion
- ½ tsp black mustard seeds
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 75g red lentils
- 225 ml vegetable stock
- Olive oil
- Fresh coriander
Method
Pre-heat your oven to 190C. Cube the aubergine, slice the pepper and place on a shallow roasting tin, then drizzle with olive oil and cover with chilli powder. Mix thoroughly and place in the oven for 25-30 minutes.
Meanwhile fry the onion for 5 minutes. Then add the mustard seeds and cook for a further minute. Add the curry powder, lentils and stock and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the aubergine and pepper and stir in a handful of chopped coriander.
Serve.
Squash Soup
Adapted from a new Moro cookbook that was previewed in The Metro.
Method
Cut up the squash into cubes. Drizzle with oil and salt and then put on a baking tray and put into the oven (220C) for 30 to 40 minutes.
Fry a sliced onion, add 3 sliced garlic cloves, 1/2 a teaspoon of cinnamon, and a pinch of chili flakes. After a minute or two put in a cubed potato and fry for 5 minutes.
Pour in 1 litre of chicken stock and add the now roasted squash and cook for 20 minutes.
In the meantime fry 30g of pine nuts in 50g of butter and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon.
When the soup is ready blend it and add a large handful or two of chopped coriander.
Dirty Rice
A paella-style rice with beans, okra and celery. A bit of a challenge for the family as the kids don’t usually go for anything too green and my partner doesn’t like celery that you can actually see in any recipe.
Nevertheless, it wasn’t half bad and fed us and a guest with enough left over for a lunch later this week.
Ingredients
- 350 g of rice
- 2 litres of vegetable stock, hot
- 2 tablespoons of cumin powder
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 sliced onion
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 4 sticks of celery, chopped
- 1 tin of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 tin of aduki beans, drained and rinsed
- a handful of okra, blanched
- a pinch of paprika
- a pinch of dried thyme
Method
Put the rice, stock and cumin in a large saucepan on a high heat and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the onion, garlic and celery for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Blanch the okra.
Take the rice off the heat and stir in all the ingredients and serve.
Dirty Rice [pdf]
Squash and Aubergine Pesto
I’ve tended to be a stickler for tradition when it comes to pesto – basil or die – but this has changed my mind.
For four people you’d need:
- a butternut squash
- an aubergine
- 150g of parmesan
- a garlic clove
- a couple of handfuls of pine nuts
- olive oil
Pre-heat the oven to 200C and while it’s heating up peel, take the seeds out of, and cube the butternut squash. Put it into a roasting tin and drizzle with olive oil. Put the tin into the oven and cook for about 10 minutes.
Prick the aubergine all over with a fork and rub olive oil into the skin. Add it to the squash and keep cooking for another 25 minutes.
Meanwhile grate the parmesan and put the water on to boil for the pasta. Cook the pasta when the water starts to boil.
When the veg are cooked (soft) put them in a food processor with the cheese, garlic and pine nuts. Whiz it up and when smooth start adding olive oil until the mixture has the consistency you want.
Add the pesto to the drained pasta and mix together.
Serve.
You might also want to add a chilli to the pesto if you’re that way inclined.
