Gobi Paneer

15 02 2012

Cauliflower seems to be the perfect ingredient for making curry. I added paneer here to make it a little more interesting. Serve with Bhatura or other Indian bread, natural yogurt and spicey mango chutney.

2-3 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 head of cauliflower – chopped into rough chunks
1-2 tablespoons root ginger – finely chopped
200g or so of paneer – cubed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon chili powder (more if you like it a bit hotter)
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon gorund coriander
½ teaspoon salt
bunch (about 50-90g) of fresh coriander (chopped)

Take a large frying pan that has a lid.

Heat the oil then add the cauliflower and fry until it starts to brown. Add the ginger and spices and fry 2-3 minutes longer. Now add the paneer and salt and give it a good stir. I like my cauliflower crunchy in most things, but in this it needs to be soft I think so take about 50-100ml water. Add to the pan and cover with the lid. Cook this way for 5 minutes. Remobve the lid, stir in the fresh coriander and serve hot.


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iPad Version of FoodFrom4 Cook Book

15 01 2012

For those of you that follow me on twitter you can’t help but notice the number of tweets on the topic of my cookery book which is now available as a download for iPad, iPod and iPhone users.

You can buy the book here – in traditional print format or iBook format (for only £3.49).


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Quick and Easy Chana Dal

8 01 2012

Well, when I say quick I mean it’s quick once you have done the prep. You can eat this as a side dish or almost like a soup with some warm nan bread.

2 large handfuls of chana dal (or yellow split peas)
2-3 cloves garlic – finely sliced
2 tomatoes – diced
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon chili powder – vary the amount depending on how hot it is and how hot you like it
1 teaspoon salt
Large bunch fresh coriander – chopped

Soak the chana dal in cold water for a few hours – this is not essential but it reduces the cooking time a little.

Rinse the dal then cover with water, add a teaspoon of ground turmeric and bring to the boil. Cover, reduce the heat and simmer for half an hour or so until the dal is soft and soupy. If too wet, take the lid off and let some of the water evaporate off while cooking. If dry, add more water, a little at a time.

When the dal is done, heat a little oil in a small frying pan. When hot add the garlic and chili powder and fry until just starting to brown. Now add the tomatoes and salt. Fry until the tomatoes start to break up then tip the contents of the frying pan into the dal. Add the chopped coriander, stir well and serve hot.


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Buttery Pilaf with Purple Sprouting

2 01 2012

Based on Simon Hopkinson’s recipe. As he says in his book, one of my favourite dishes from the book (The Vegetarian Option).

This dish is made in three stages, but in spite of this it still quite simple.

Start with the green paste

bunch Coriander
bunch Mint
2-3 green chilis
2-3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cumin
juice of 1 lime

Roughly chop all the solid ingredients and place in a blender/food processor with all the other ingredients. If the mixture is a little dry add some olive oil. Once blended into a paste, put to one side.

Now cook the purple sprouting

Take a few stems of purple sprouting and simmer in boiling water for about 10 minutes until tender. Drain and put to another side.

For the main dish

60g butter
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
400g basmati rice
2 medium onions – finely chopped
400ml vegetable stock
1x400g can of coconut milk
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons of the green paste above
3 spring onions finely sliced
zest of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 180C.

Heat butter and olive oil in a large saucepan. When hot and melted add the onion and fry until soft and staring to brown. Now add the rice nd stir to coat the rice with the butter and oil. Now add the stock, coconut milk and lemon zest. Bring to boil then remove from heat, cover and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Take out of the oven, add the green paste, salt, pepper, finely sliced spring onion and cooked purple sprouting, stir well and put the lid back on. Leave for about 10 minutes then serve.


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Christmas Lunch

27 12 2011

Meat free Christmases….. I’ve done a lot of them now, and each year try to think of something new to make. The trouble is, having to serve a centrepiece with all the trimmings, etc restricts us somewhat as it just isn’t natural to make meat free food in the same way as meat. That is, to have the meat as the centrepiece and a bunch of accompaniments around the edge of the plate. Anyway, to please the other meat free guests at the table, and having exhausted my variations of nut roasts over the years, I decided on something involving puff pastry. I usually try to avoid pastry as it is so rich and so high in fat, but hey, it’s Christmas. I can go running more regularly in the New Year.

I settled on a giant mushroom, filled with garlicky spinach and pine nuts and a slice of roasted butternut squash. Then encased the whole thing in a big sheet of puff pastry and bake until crisp and golden.

1 butternut squash
6 large flattish mushrooms
1 pack boursin garlic and herb cheese
100g or so pine nuts
2 big bunches of spinach
3 packs of ready rolled puff pastry

Start by roasting the butternut. Take the thin end (without the seeds), peel and cut into six slices about 1cm thick. Drizzle with a little olive oil, season then roast in the oven at 200C for about 20 minutes.

While the squash is roasting, wash the spinach then wilt in a large pan. Squeeze out as much liquid as you can, then chop roughly.

Take a small frying pan and place over a medium to high heat. Add the pine nuts and toss them gently until toasted. remove from the heat and add to the spinach. Now stir in the pack of Boursin, season with salt and black pepper. Leave to cool.

Peel the mushrooms and remove the stems. Divide the spinach mixture evenly between the six mushrooms then top each with a slice of butternut.

Now take the puff pastry. If using ready rolled, cut each sheet in half then place the filled mushroom, mushroom side down, in the middle of half a sheet. Now carefully fold in each corner in the middle ensuring there are no gaps. Turn the filled ball over and place on a foil or parchment lined baking tray.

When all the mushrooms are wrapped, brush the pastry with a little milk, cut a small steam slit in each then bake for about 25 minutes at 200C until browned.

I served this with a platter of mixed roasted vegetables (beetroot, turnip, parsnip, carrot), roast potatoes, peas, sprouts, brocolli and a gravy made from caramelised onions, vegetable stock, marmite and conrflour.


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Leek and Gruyere Stuffed Mushrooms

27 11 2011

Yeh I know, stuffed vegetables….. very retro. There was a time when I could first afford to eat out where the meat free option (yes there was generally only one) was some vegetable or other filled with a bland concoction of rice and diced frozen vegetables then smothered in cheese. I kept the cheese in for this one (it helps everything to stick together) but removed the rice and used a few fresh breadcrumbs to absorb some of the liquid instead. These go rather well with oven chips!

To make four mushrooms – which is enough for four people…

4 large flattish field or portobello mushrooms – peeled and the stem cut out
2 medium leeks – cut in half lenthwise then cut into thin slices
3 spring onions – finely sliced
100g or so of Gruyere cheese – grated. You could use a strong Cheddar here too or Emmenthal would probably work quite well
a few glugs of olive oil – about 4 tablespoons
2 large handfuls of fresh breadcrumbs – about 3 slices worth
a pinch of nutmeg
black pepper
assorted seeds for sprinkling

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan then add the leeks and spring onion, put the lid on and sweat down until tender. This should take about 10-15 minutes. Take the lid off, remove from the heat and allow to cool. Add a pinch of nutmeg, some pepper. Salt isn’t really needed as the cheese has a saltiness about it. Add the grated cheese and mix well.

Place the mushrooms round side down on a lightly oiled oven tray. Divide the leek and cheese mixture equally between the mushrooms, pressing the stuffing down well. Sprinkle some seeds over the top – I used pine nuts and sesame. You could also use pumpkin, sunflower, flax. Drizzle with a little oil then place in the oven at 200C for about 20 minutes until the mushrooms are cooked through and the tops are browning.


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Mashed Beetroot with Yogurt and Za’atar

12 11 2011

Following my brilliant day with Yotam Ottolenghi in the Summer, I finally got around to making this delicious earthy, yet fresh and spicy beetroot dip. Serve as part of a mezze or as a light lunch or evening meal with some baked feta and pitta or khobez. Makes a welcome change to the ubiquitous hummus.

You can find za’atar in any Arab or Middle Eastern grocers. There are several different versions around but most are based on thyme, sesame seeds and sumac.

250g cooked (roasted or boiled) beetroot – peeled and cut into chunks
1 clove garlic – chopped
1 red chili – chopped (remove the seeds if you don’t want it too spicy)
125g or so of grrek yogurt
75g mashed potato – not essential but takes a bit of the edge off the earthiness of the beets
1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon za’atar
a little black pepper
salt to taste
2 spring onions to garnish – finely sliced

Place the beetroot, chili, garlic and yogurt in a food processor and blend until smooth. Don’t worry if you have a few smallish lumps of beetroot. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the potato, vinegar, olive oil, maple syrup, za’atar, salt and pepper.

Transfer to a flattish plate and spread evenly. Top with sliced spring onion. You can also add some chopped hazelnuts and crumbled goat of feta cheese.


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Puy Lentil and Roasted Beetroot Salad

5 11 2011

The allotment is a sorry sight this time of year. A few cabbages sitting amongst the weeds seem to be keeping the mice fed through the long nights and the purple sprouting is a favourite for the pigeons. I did however manage to salvage the last of the beetroot before the slugs got to them.

This is a simple dish and in the style of Nigel Slater and Hugh FW, it just uses things that work well together. Earthy beetroot and puy lentils, sweetness from the tomatoes and pesto and the creamy coolness of the mozarella.

Makes enough for 2 for lunch or 3-4 as a starter.

3-4 handfuls puy lentils
vegetable stock
½ red pepper – finely diced
3 spring onions – finely sliced
handful fresh coriander – roughly chopped
3-4 beetroot
125g mozarella – buffalo of cow
3-4 ripe tomatoes – cut into quarters
1 tablespoon pesto
4-5 tablespoons olive oil

Put the lentils in a pan, cover with stock, bring to the boil then simmer for approx 20 minutes until tender but still retaining their shape.

Drizzle the beetroot with a little olive oil then roast in the overn at 200C for 30-45 minutes depending on their size until the are soft are the skin has blistered.

While the lentils and beetroot are cooking put the peppers, tomatoes, coriander and spring onions in a large bowl.

Drain the lentils and add to the bowl. Mix well and season with salt.

When the beetroot is done, allow to cool a little the remove the skins and cut cut into dice.

Mix the pesto and olive oil to make the dressing.

To assemble, place the lentil mixture in the centre of a large plate. Arrange the beetroot on top, then add torn pieces of mozarella. Finally drizzle the pesto dressing over the top.


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Chick Pea, Tomato and Bread Soup

5 10 2011

From Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty. This reminds me of a vegetable stew and paprika dumpling recipe I used to make as a student – in the days when vegetarian food hadn’t really been invented! – only this is simpler as the bread acts like a dumpling wihtout having to do any of the work.

Serves 4-6
1 onion – halved and finely sliced
1 fennel bulb – finely sliced
120ml or so of olive oil
1 carrot – peeled, halved lengthwise and sliced
2-3 sticks of celery – finely sliced
1 tablespoon tomato puree
250ml white wine
1 x 400g tin tomatoes
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon thyme
1 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons sugar
1 litre vegetable stock
approx 160g stale bread – sourdough, ciabatta, anything will do really – remove the crusts
1 x 400g tin chick peas – drained
salt, pepper
4 tablespoons pesto

Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large pan and gently fry the onion and fennel until softened. Add the carrot and celery, soften for a few minutes then add the tomato puree and wine and bring to boil for a couple of minutes.

Next add the tomatoes, herbs, sugar, stock and some salt and pepper. Bring to the boil again, cover and simmer for half an hour.

While you wait, break the bread into rough chunks, toss in a little oil and salt and place in a roasting tray in the the oven at 180C for 10 minutes until dry. Set aside.

Now drain the chick peas, mash them slightly with a fork so some are crushed while others remian whole then add to the simmering soup. Once the soupd has simmered for a further 5 minutes add the bread, stir, cook for a further 5 minutes then add salt and pepper to taste.

Divide into 4-6 bowls and finish with a blob of pesto and a drizzle of olive oil.


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Borlotti Beans with Spring Greens and Grilled Cheese

3 10 2011

The weather may be summer like but the end of my borlotti beans on the allotment tells me it’s definitely autumn and time to start clearing and preparing the plot for the colder, shorter days. Borlottis are the only beans I grow now. In fact they are one of the very few successes this year. The young beans can be eaten pod and all like a runner bean, but without the occasional dodgy stringy one that ruins the entire meal. Later in the year as the pods turn a beautiful dark red the beans can be prised from their pods and used in soups, stews and even burgers.

This dish is made in three parts but none of them take long. The quantities should feed four with a bit of nice bread on the side.

Start with the beans.

approx 300g fresh borlotti beans (or a drained 400g tin if you can’t get fresh)
3-4 ripe tomatoes – chopped
1x400g tin of chopped tomatoes
2-3 cloves garlic – finely chopped
1 medium onion – chopped
olive oil – about 4 tablespoons
handful of parsley – coursely chopped
salt and pepper

Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan or frying pan, but use one that has a lid. Fry the garlic and onion gently until softened then add the beans and tomatoes. Cover a simmer gently for about 40 minutes. Add the parsley, salt and pepper and cook for a further 10 minutes. Add the remainder of the oil and leave to one side with the lid on.

Take 2-3 heads of spring greens. Slice finely and drop into boiling water for 10-12 minutes until tender. Drain, season and add a splash of chili infused oil – or olive oil if you aren’t into heat. Cover and set to one side.

Take 1 250g pack of halloumi, cut into four slices and place under the grill, turning once. When and brown, remove from the heat and now plate up the dish.

Start by dividing the greens between the four plates, making a small crater in the middle of each pile. Fill the crater with the beans then place a slice of halloumi on top. Finish with a drizzle of oilive oil of chili oil.


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