Archive for November, 2009
November 7, 2009 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged Lentil
Ingredients
- 15 g (½ oz) butter, plus 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 450 g (1 lb) parsnips, cut into small cubes
- 340 g (12 oz) carrots, cut into small cubes
- 150 ml (5 fl oz) dry sherry
- 85 g (3 oz) red lentils
- 1.2 litres (2 pints) vegetable stock, preferably home-made light or rich
- salt and pepper
- fresh chives to garnish
- To serve:
- 2 tsp grated horseradish
- 6 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche
Preparation method
- Melt the butter and olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, stir well and cover the pan. Sweat the onion over a gentle heat for 10 minutes or until softened. Stir in the parsnips, carrots and sherry. Bring to the boil, then cover the pan again and leave to simmer very gently for 40 minutes.
- Add the lentils, stock, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and cover the pan. Simmer for a further 15–20 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Purée the soup in a blender until smooth or use a hand-held blender to purée the soup in the pan. Return the soup to the pan if necessary, and reheat it gently until boiling. If it seems a bit thick, add a little stock or water.
- Stir the grated horseradish into the crème fraîche. Snip some of the chives for the garnish and leave a few whole. Ladle the soup into warm bowls and top each portion with a spoonful of the horseradish cream. Scatter snipped chives over the top and add a few lengths of whole chive across the top of each bowl. Serve at once.
November 7, 2009 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged Onion soup
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, chopped into small pieces
- 300ml (1/2 pint) milk
- 1 heaped teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 30g (1 oz) butter
- 1 tablespoon cornflour
- salt (if required to taste)
- black pepper
Preparation method
- Chop the onion into small pieces (saving some of the onion near to the root). Add to a pan of boiling water and boil on a moderate heat for approximately 15 minutes to soften slightly.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan, and when melted add the cornflour and stir into a thick ‘paste’.
- Slowly add the milk a little at a time stirring continually to combine with the ‘paste’.
- When the onions are cooked add them to this white sauce. Add the Dijon mustard, black pepper and salt (to taste), turn down heat and continually stirring, cook until sauce thickens.
- Remove saucepan from heat and grate the remaining onion into the sauce, this will give it a stronger flavour.
November 7, 2009 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged cookies
Ingredients
- 60g butter
- 40g dark brown sugar
- 50g caster sugar
- 75g plain flour
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 40g rolled oats
- 1/4 tsp vanilla paste
- 75g white chocolate, chopped
- 40g dried cranberries, chopped
- 25g pecans, chopped
- 1 small egg, beaten
Preparation method
- Cream the butter and sugar with a whizzer.
- Fold in the dry ingredients.
- Add enough of the egg to make a consistency that you can roll.
- Scoop out 5 evenly sized spoonfuls from each 1/4 of the mixture so you have 20 golf ball sized balls, and put onto 2 lined baking trays. Press them down slightly with a fork.
- Bake at 160 C for 12-15 minutes – they should just be turning brown at the edges. Leave for a couple of minutes on the baking tray then cool on a rack.
November 7, 2009 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged soup
Ingredients
- 1 small white onion, chopped
- 3-4 large beetroots (approx. 250g)
- 1 large sweet potato
- 1-2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1.25L vegetable stock
- 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
- 3 tbsp sunflower oil
- fresh coriander
Preparation method
- Gently heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions and sweat until tender (5 mins should do it). Add in the cumin seeds and allow to infuse for a minute.
- Meanwhile, chop the beetroot and sweet potato into cubes. Add to the onions and stir briefly.
- Add the stock and gently simmer for 15-20 minutes (until the beetroot is soft). Remove from the heat and blend with a hand held blender.
- Return to the hob, add the sherry vinegar and some chopped coriander leaves. Serve immediatel
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