Hot Sweet Potato and Halloumi Sandwich

8 01 2011

I’ve been thinking about this a quick family tea for a few weeks. I plan on making it, then for some reason everyone’s plans change, people are in, out, who knows where, and I end up not cooking or doing something a bit boring like pizza. Hardly the most original or inspiring snack ever invented but very tasty all the same. The sweetness of the sweet potato works really well with the saltiness of the halloumi and the peppery rocket. I also added a generous smear of mayonnaise and a wonderfully tangy chili and ginger salsa from Daylesford Organic I was given as a late Christmas present. It would work equally as well with FoodFrom4 Chili Jam – available from me if you ask me nicely.

The quantities below made lunch for two people.

2 baps/rolls of your choice. I used wholemeal seeded baps from Waitrose
1 pack halloumi – cut into four equal portions
1 small sweet potato – peeled and cut into thinnist discs
chili jam
mayonnaise or natural yogurt
1 tablespoon olive oil
rocket, watercress or similar

Heat the oil in a frying pan then add the sliced sweet potato and fry on both sides until soft on the inside and slightly charred on the outside.
Put the grill on and place the slices of halloumi under until browned, turn and repeat until the otehr side is brown too.
Split the baps. Place one slice of halloumi on each, then the sweet potato, then some chili jam, then the other piece of halloumi and top it off with a good handful of leaves and a dollop of mayonnaise or natural yogurt.


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Puy Lentil and Sweet Potato Lattice

30 10 2010

A friend of mine once said that the only way to make vegetarian food interesting was to wrap everything in pastry. Perhaps she was right as this is great. The flakiness of the puff pastry works well with the smooth and lightly spiced lentil, sweet potato and crumbly cheese filling.

You could substitute feta or Lancashire for the Wensleydale cheese and coriander for the parsley.

Quantities will serve 4-5 people for a light lunch with a little spinach and watercress salad.

1 bay leaf
2-3 handfuls of puy lentils
1 teaspoon vegetable bouillon
1 green chilli – finely chopped
1 clove garlic – finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium sweet potato – peeled and cut into small dice
1 puff pastry sheet
200g Wensleydale cheese
Handful parsley – roughly chopped

Place bay leaf, lentils, sweet potato and bouillon in a small pan. Cover with water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 -20 minutes until the lentils are soft but hold their shape and the sweet potato is cooked through.

Strain then add the crumbled cheese and chopped parsley. Season with salt and freslhy round black pepper and leave to cool.

Heat the oil in a small frying pan. When hot add the garlic and chilli and fry gently for 3-4 minutes. Add to the lentil mixture.

Heat over to 200C.

Roll out puff pastry sheet onto a baking tray. Cut one edge off so the pastry is a square. Score round the edge of the pastry – about 1cm in from the edge. Prick the middle area all over with a fork. Then place in the oven for 15 minutes until slightly browned.

Remove and leave to cool a little.

Spread the lentil mixture over the middle section of the pastry base.

Taking the off cut of pastry, cut into narrow strips and arrange into a lattice over the top of the lentil mixture. Return to the oven until heated through and the lattice has browned.


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Sweet Potato and Three Bean Stew

30 08 2010

This year I decided to break with the norm on our allotments and not grow runner beans. Instead I’ve been growing borlottis, and two types of french – one purple and one green. This recipe uses all three though you could substitute runners or any tinned varieties.

A cross between a soup and a stew this is one of those few dishes I make that doesn’t have garlic or cheese (or both) in them. I ate this two days running. Day one as a stew with saffron infused basmati rice and day two as a soup with olive focaccia. My advice is to make too much as it tastes better if left in the fridge for a day.

3-4 tablespoons good olive oil
1 onion – finely chopped
2 sticks celery – finely chopped
½ yellow pepper – diced
½ red pepper – diced
1 sweet potato – peeled and diced
1 chilli – finely chopped – de-seeded if you don’t want it too hot
beans – I used about 40 french beans and the beans from about 20 borlottis
4-5 tomatoes – chopped
a tablespoon each of thyme, oregano and basil
vegetable stock
teaspoon salt

Heat the oil in a large casserole dish then fry the onion and celery until soft. Add the sweet potato, peppers, chili and herbs and continue to fry, stirring occasionally until the peppers soften. Add the tomatoes and beans, stir for a few minutes until the tomatoes start to break up then add enough stock to just come up to the same height as the vegetables. Put the lid on and transfer to the oven at 180C. Leave in the oven for about an hour. Remove and add salt as required.


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Categories : General, soup

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Wraps

7 03 2010

I fancied a change from the usual veggie chili stuffed wraps. This makes 6-8 wraps. 1-2 wraps per person depending on greed!

2 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 onion – finely chopped
1 clove garlic – finely chopped
2 sweet potatoes – peeled and chopped into 1cm dice
1x400g tin black beans or the same amount dried, soaked overnight and boiled (life is too short!!)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon oregano
chili powder/cayenne pepper – up to you how much depending on how hot you like it
2 tablespoons tomato puree
6-8 wheat or corn wraps
cheddar cheese
mozzarella

Heat the oil then fry the onion and garlic until soft. Add the sweet potato and stir gently, frying for a further ten minutes. Now add the spices, drained beans and tomato puree. Add a little water – the mixture should be fairly dry – and bring to the boil. Simmer with the lid on for 15 minutes of so until the sweet potatoes are tender.

Allow to cool a little the divide the mixtire evenly between the wraps and roll them up, tucking in the sides.

Arrange on an ovenproof dish which has been lightly greased. Top with grated cheddar and mozzarella. Add a few jalapenos if you like – I am the only one in our house who likes them so I only put them onto my wraps.

Place in oven at 200C for 25 minutes until the cheese has melted and starts to brown.

Serve with rice, shredded lettuce and soured cream.


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Black Bean and Sweet Potato Stew

4 10 2009

DSC_0549

From the wonderful World Food Cafe in Covent Garden.

I have only made this two times in the past 4 or 5 years since I was given the World Food Cafe cook book. I had the urge last night to make it again then took it over to a neighbours house to eat.

This made enough to feed 6-8 with rice and soured cream.

2x400g tins of black beans (or aduki) – drained
1 large red onion – chopped
4 cloves garlic – finely chopped
3 red chilis – finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
knob of butter
450g sweet potatoes – peeled and cubed
1 small squash – I had a red kuri squash from the allotment which I peeled, seeded and cubed
2 carrots – peeled and cubed
1 red pepper – cubed
1x400g tin chopped tomatoes
vegetable stock – about 300ml
lots of coriander and parsley – chopped
2 bay leaves
salt and black pepper

Heat the oil in a large saucepan then fry the onion, garlic and chili until soft. Add the drained beans, then the tomatoes and stock. Simmer gently.

In a large frying pan, heat the butter then fry the sweet potatoes, squash, carrot and pepper until they start to soften. Add to the beans, then top up with stock if needed. Simmer until everything soft. Then add the coriander and parsley and season with salt and pepper.


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