Not really a soup, not really a stew, this gorgeous red bowlful of pinkish-orange chickpeas is sweet yet savoury and full of earthy, autumnal flavours.
This was a last minute lunchbox filler, and I think the girl did good! I ran out of the delicious kedgeree I made last weekend on Thursday, so Friday needed a no-effort lunch.
Cue: Beetroot and carrot soup in the fridge. Delicious, but not really filling enough. Aah! But I cooked up and batch- froze a huge quantity of chickpeas with garlic, diced carrot and celery (just enough to flavour). 30 seconds of running the chickpeas under the cold tap and they mixed nicely with my soup (which is almost a puree).
Lunchtime at work- chickpeas are defrosted, add a splash of hot water and microwave for three minutes. Not bad!
How to make the chickpeas.
I don't like the thought of tinned chickpeas- I am sure cooking them from dry is much healthier as there are no preservatives to worry about.
I used 500g dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans) which I then soak with two cloves of crushed garlic for eight hours or overnight to plump back up.
Drain them and wash.
I cooked these with a diced carrot, and one diced stick of celery, 2 large bay leaves and some more crushed garlic, so that they would take on good flavours, and not just taste earthy and boring- something which is often labelled at these useful pulses.
I froze these in small batches.
Perfect to add to soups, stews, curries etc- food for thought!
Showing posts with label beetroot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beetroot. Show all posts
Friday, 12 October 2012
Monday, 21 February 2011
Salmon, Beetroot and Orange Pate
I love making canapes- they can look beautiful and be a talking point at a party. This particular party at the weekend had a circus theme (we also watched the film "Butterfly Circus") and I wanted food that was colourful and witty.
One of the canapes I made was smoked salmon based- a lovely pink tinged pate on a bagel slice topped with a piece of smoked salmon and a dab of pistachio-green wasabi.
To make the pate:
240 g smoked salmon trimmings
one box cream cheese
one small beetroot + beetroot juice (you can also get a food colouring made entirely from concentrate beetroot juice)
zest of 1/8 orange (a tiny bit)
black pepper (freshly ground and to taste).
I marinaded the smoked salmon trimming overnight with the beetroot juice and the crushed beetroot, before blending it with all of the other ingredients. This would also be great without the wasabi but mixed with fresh dill and plenty of lemon zest.
To make the canape:
I cut multi seed bagels into 1/3 cm slices- this is more economic than crackers as, after all, it is just a mount for the yummy stuff! Slather the slice generously with pate, top with a piece of smoked salmon, half the size of the slice of bagel and add a dab of wasabi which will counteract the sweetness of the pate.
YUM YUM : )
One of the canapes I made was smoked salmon based- a lovely pink tinged pate on a bagel slice topped with a piece of smoked salmon and a dab of pistachio-green wasabi.
To make the pate:
240 g smoked salmon trimmings
one box cream cheese
one small beetroot + beetroot juice (you can also get a food colouring made entirely from concentrate beetroot juice)
zest of 1/8 orange (a tiny bit)
black pepper (freshly ground and to taste).
I marinaded the smoked salmon trimming overnight with the beetroot juice and the crushed beetroot, before blending it with all of the other ingredients. This would also be great without the wasabi but mixed with fresh dill and plenty of lemon zest.
To make the canape:
I cut multi seed bagels into 1/3 cm slices- this is more economic than crackers as, after all, it is just a mount for the yummy stuff! Slather the slice generously with pate, top with a piece of smoked salmon, half the size of the slice of bagel and add a dab of wasabi which will counteract the sweetness of the pate.
YUM YUM : )
Monday, 5 July 2010
Mumble Jumble Potatoes
For some strange reason do I always find pretty much everything I need for this recipe at home so I love to make it (and it is very tasty and popular with the husband). It is easy to just add more to serve more people and it is really delicious- the ingredients come together to make a really tasty meal!
For two persons:
3-4 large potatoes (~1lb)
spring onions
pickled dill cucumber (gherkins)
1 hard boiled egg, roughly chopped
cooked ham, cut into small pieces
sour cream or creme fraiche
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
horseradish sauce or freshly grated, salt, pepper (quantities according to taste)
optionals:
finely chopped apple
cooked beetroot, diced
salted anchovies, roughly chopped
This recipe is extremely flexible so just use what you have or replace one thing with something else e.g. ham for roast beef leftover; mayonnaise instead of boiled egg, cream cheese instead of sour cream. Just remember than you can always leave things out!
3-4 large potatoes (~1lb)
spring onions
pickled dill cucumber (gherkins)
1 hard boiled egg, roughly chopped
cooked ham, cut into small pieces
sour cream or creme fraiche
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
horseradish sauce or freshly grated, salt, pepper (quantities according to taste)
optionals:
finely chopped apple
cooked beetroot, diced
salted anchovies, roughly chopped
This recipe is extremely flexible so just use what you have or replace one thing with something else e.g. ham for roast beef leftover; mayonnaise instead of boiled egg, cream cheese instead of sour cream. Just remember than you can always leave things out!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)