Warming Lentil Soup

When we were in Azerbaijan last spring, we ate a really tasty lentil soup. I looked up a basic lentil recipe and added ingredients to get to the remembered taste. It came out tasting delicious, if not as thick as I remembered it.

Ingredients >     1 Tbsp olive oil >     1 large onion chopped >     2 garlic cloves, crushed >      2 carrots, grated >     2  tomatoes, chopped (optional) >     1.7 litre vegetable stock >     2 cups orange lentils >     2 bay leaves >     Salt and freshly ground black pepper >     1/2 tsp mixed herbs  >     1/2 tsp garam masala (optional) >     2 Tbsp lemon juice (optional, but recommended)

Steps 1.     Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and add the onions, garlic and carrots. 2.    Cover the pot and let them gently cook, on a small flame, for about 5 minutes. 3.    Add the tomatoes, lentils, seasoning and stock. 4.    Bring to the boil, then cover the pot, turn down the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes until the lentils are soft. 5.    Remove the bay leaves, and check the seasoning. 6.    Add about 1 tsp of lemon juice to each plate when serving. Makes 8 portions.

Sweet and Sour Vegetables with Quinoa

I had a sweet potato and some courgettes (zucchini), and wanted to make something interesting. The following recipe is easy and quick to cook; just prepare all the ingredients in advance.

Ingredients >   3 Tblsp olive oil >   1 packet of firm Tofu, cubed >   1 medium onion, halved, thinly sliced and the slices halved >   2 tsp grated or finely chopped ginger >   4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or chopped >   Any vegetables you have, especially something sweet, cut into thin stripes. I used carrots, sweet potato and courgettes zucchini >   3 Tblsp flour >   2 cups (500 ml) vegetable broth >   1 tsp cumin >   1/2 tsp turmeric >   Pinch of cinnamon >   2 Tblsp (or more to taste)of lemon juice >   2-3 Tblsp Date syrup, Agave syrup or granulated sugar - I used date syrup >   Salt and freshly ground pepper For the quinoa >   1 cup quinoa >   1/2 tsp turmeric (to colour the quinoa) >   2 cups water

Steps 1.  Prepare all the ingredients as listed. 2.  Heat half the olive oil in a large pan (I use the wok), fry the tofu cubes until lightly brown. 3.  Pour the tofu into a bowl and put aside for later. 4.  prepare the quinoa. Follow these instructions so that you have a really tasty quinoa without any bitterness. a.  Put the quinoa in a fine mesh sieve and rinse it vigorously with water, to get rid of the bitterness. Let in drain. b.  Put the drained quinoa, turmeric and water into a saucepan. c.   Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. d.  Turn off the heat and let the quinoa stand for 5 minutes. 5.  In the meantime, heat the remaining oil in  the pan, add the onion and ginger and fry  over a medium heat until translucent. 6.  Add the garlic and vegetables that take longer to cook, and continue frying until the onions are golden. 7.  Lower the heat and cover the pan. Let the vegetables cook until ready. 8.  Sprinkle the flour over the mixture in the pan and quickly stir in. 9.  Add the broth and stir constantly until the liquid thickens. 10.Stir in the turmeric, cumin and cinnamon. 11.Stir in the lemon juice and date/agave syrup. 12.Stir in the tofu, and then the quinoa. 13. Season well and heat through.  14. Check your seasoning and add more salt, pepper, lemon juice or sweet syrup.

Vegan Shepherd's Pie

Even if I say so myself, this is a delicious vegan dish. It is a combination of my old Cottage Pie recipe and my son's 'Humble Pie', but with important additions.

Ingredients >  1 packet of firm tofu, cubed small >  2 medium onions, chopped >  2 large carrots, chopped very small >  2 Tbsp olive oil >  Salt and freshly ground black pepper >  1 teaspoon Baharat spice mixture. If you don't have this use 1/2 tsp cinnamon with generous pinches of ground nutmeg, pepper, cumin, and coriander. >  1/2 tsp mixed herbs >  1 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley >  1 level Tbsp plain flour >  2 Tbsp tomato puree >  275 ml (10 fl oz) hot vegetable stock Tofu Marinade >  1 Tbsp whole-grain mustard >  2 Tbsp soy sauce >  2 Tbsp date syrup (or similar) >  1 clove garlic, crushed >  1 Tbsp water >  1 Tbsp olive oil Topping >  3/4 kg potatoes, peeled >  2 medium leeks, washed and chopped >  3 Tbsp olive oil

Steps 1.  Marinate the tofu for at least half an hour, stirring midway. 2.  Make the topping: a.   Boil the potatoes in salted water for about 20 minutes. b.  Gently cook the leeks in the olive oil.      c.   Mash the potatoes and add the leeks with their fat, and season to taste with salt and pepper.   3.  Heat the oven to 170°C. 4.  Fry the onions and carrots in the olive oil until the onions are soft. 5.  Add the tofu with its marinade and continue cooking for 10 minutes. 6.  Season with salt and pepper, then add the Baharat spice (or alternative mix), mixed herbs and parsley. 5.  Stir in the flour; mix the tomato puree into the stock and add to the tofu mixture, and bring to simmering point. 7.  Put the tofu mixture into a baking dish. 8.  Spread the potato & leek mixture on top. 9.  Put in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the top is gaining colour. Serves six.

Hummus

Hummus is really easy to make. I am lucky in that we have frozen pre-cooked chick peas. Whatever chick peas you use, make sure that you add bicarbonate of soda to the water. This helps the skin come off the chick peas, and that makes all the difference in taste.

Ingredients >   2/3 cup chickpeas >   1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda >   6 Tbsp raw tahina/tahini >   Juice of 1 lemon  >   1 clove garlic crushed >   Water from chickpeas >   Ground cumin and salt to taste

Steps 1.  If using raw chickpeas, follow the instructions on the packet to prepare them. Remember to add the bicarbonate of soda when cooking. Then go to step 4. 2.  Boil water in a small saucepan and add the chickpeas and bicarbonate of soda.  3.  Bring back to a roiling boil, turn off the heat, and let the chickpeas cool.   4.  Using a slotted spoon, take the cooked and cooled chickpeas out of the water and remove any of the skins (by rolling the chickpea between your fingers) that didn't come off during the cooking process. Keep the water. 5.  Put the chickpeas in the small bowl of the food processor.  6.  Mix the tahini garlic and lemon juice. Add enough of the reserved water that the chickpeas cooked in to form a smooth paste.   7. Add the paste to the chickpeas in the food processor and make a puree.   8.  Add a generous pinch of both ground cumin and salt, and if necessary, add some more of the water until you have a soft paste.   9.   Taste and add more seasoning, lemon juice or garlic, if required.