Posts tagged lentils

Pheasant, braised lentils, parsnip puree

December 24, 2018 Comments Off read Poultry

his recipe opitimises Autumn and seasonal eating. I’m in dangerous territory of sounding like we make a regular event of it, but my more manly other half spent last weekend trekking the Wiltshire countryside surrounded by more tweed than the Queen’s wardrobe and enough flatcaps to make Prince Philip smile. Long story short, if you can’t invisage this little gathering, he went on a shoot day and…you guessed it… brought home some pheasants!

This time of year is a great time to start indulging in warming comfort food and eating what the seasons dictate. I heard pheasant, my stomach thought, bacon, parsnips, chestnuts and all things festive.

o out came the trusty Le Creuset for what might be, its last outing in this Putney kitchen. As you’ve probably not noticed, I’ve not been as active as I have been this past year. Having spent the past year arranging our membership into the first time buyers club, we are finally nearly there. Touching distance. Packing distance. But just enough time for one more roast before my faithful kitchen that has served me so well these past years in London, gets packed away and upgraded to a new humble abode.

WINE: We were feeling a little like we’d overindulged in the alcohol that night, but this would have been lovely with a Pinot Noir.

Serves 2

1 whole pheasant, gutted and plucked
1 red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
4 rashes or smoked, streak bacon OR 1 small pun net lardons
1 bunch thyme, leaves picked
Handful of dried mixed mushrooms
1 glass dry white wine
500ml chicken stock
4oz Puy lentils
2 parsnips
1 bay leaf
200ml milk
Beurre manie – 1 knob of butter, mashed into a paste with 1 tsp flour. Use at the end for thickening the sauce without creating lumps. The butter will also add a gloss.
Steamed greens – kale, savoy cabbage etc (opional)

Start by preheating the oven to 200. In a large heavy based casserole dish, heat a knob of butter and some oil. Season the pheasant and then brown the whole bird on all sides until its looking golden and the skin is crisping. Remove to a plate and set aside.
Turn to heat down to a medium level and add the chopped onion and fry quickly until beginning to soften.
Add the bacon/lardons and cook for a few minutes.
Finally, add the garlic and thyme and cook gently for just a few more minutes.
Turn up the heat, add the wine to deglaze the pan. Gentle simmer to reduce the alcohol.
Add the pheasant back to the pan, chuck in the dried mushrooms and then add a good 200ml or so of the hot chicken stock.
Place in the oven for 50minutes or so until cooked through. Baste a few times during cooking.
When the bird has been in for about 30 minutes, start on the lentils. Simmer in the remaining chicken stock for about 18 minutes until just tender but with a definite crunch.
Once the pheasant has cooked, remove onto a plate to rest. Pop the casserole dish back onto the hob and simmer the juices and roasted ingredients. Add the lentil (liquid and all) and simmer to combine. Simmer until reduced. Then add the beurre manie and cook out until beginning to thicken and turn glossy.
Serve with steamed greens like kale or savoy cabbage

Parsnip Puree

Peel and roughly chop the parsnips.
Add to a saucepan with about 200ml milk and then top up with water until covered.
Add a few whole peppercorns from your grinder if you can OR a good pinch of cracked black pepper.
Add the bay leaf
Simmer (watching as the milk has a tendency to over boil) for about 10 minutes or until they are very tender but not waterlogged.
Once the pheasant is at its resting stage, you’re ready to make the puree.
Remove the parsnips from the liquid which you need to reserve.
Add to a processor with seasoning, a good splash of reserved milk and a knob of butter. Blend to get the desired consistency adding more milk if needed (You can also use a masher).

Scallops and Herb Crusted Cod

April 12, 2017 Comments Off read Seafood

ast weekend really did spark the start of a British summer…hopefully….Blues skies, dog walks, reading in the garden and cheeky trips to the local pub. Although they’re never cheeky in our household. More of a requirement. I escaped home to Wiltshire for the briefest of visits. Just 36 hours but I packed them full with foodie treats. Gorgeous weather means simple, fresh food. Torn between my love of the kitchen and my sun worshipping, I found a speedy recipe to prepare for Saturday supper. Time to indulge in the kitchen but also to balance my sunbathing. Priorities.

Jazz and apron on, cool white Muscadet in hand….recommendations below….

Music to cook to: St Germain – Tourist (see here)

Wine recommendation: Muscadet or something zesty and fresh! Recommended from Armit Wines specifically is my favourite- Bianca di Evro Inzolia, a Sicilian wine (see here)

n the topic of wine (I feel like I say that a lot) I’d eat this starter with a zesty, fresh, citrus wine. Nothing flashy….Muscadet is perfect. After a planned and cheeky G&T(sssssss) at the local pub in the setting sunshine pre dinner, this starter was very much a miracle on its own let alone anything too time consuming or thought provoking. A classic combination I’ll admit but I wasn’t looking for a trophy for originality. I did however omit the generic bacon wafer or chorizo cubes….whilst admittedly it was because I was too gin fuelled to bother, I did in fact pass it off as unnecessary to my guests but I do in fact agree (…with myself…) it is! It doesn’t need it. The greens, lemon, a Muscadet and the hearty fried capers are perfectly indulgent enough and allow the scallops to take the show without bacon raining on the parade.

Scallops and Greenery

Ingredients (serves 4 as a starter)

12-16 scallops (roe removed if wanted)
Large bunch rocket
300g ish peas (frozen)
Bunch mint leaves, picked
2 large knobs butter
1 heaped tbsp capers
1 lemon
Salt and pepper

Boil the peas for a few minutes. Drain immediately and add to the bowl of a food processor. Add the mint, seasoning and 1 large knob of butter. Blend until smooth – or chunky, mine was rustic. If too thick, add a splash of milk. Set aside and keep warm.
Get a sharing platter and scatter over the rocket. Squeeze over just a little of the lemon juice.
Season the scallops and heat a splash of oil and the rest of the butter in a frying pan until hot.
Add the scallops and fry on a high heat for just a few minutes each side until golden brown. For the last minute, add the capers and fry briefly.
Remove the pan from the heat and add a good squeeze of lemon (it will sizzle). Baste the scallops in the buttery juice.
Serve immediately. Spoon 12-16 spoonfuls of the pea puree onto the rocket and top each with a juicy golden scallops. Drizzle with the buttery capers and juices. Serve!

This next recipe is very easy but again and complements a pub visit. However, I did do a little pre pub prep just to make sure.

Herb Crusted Cod with Puy Lentils and Balsamic Onions

Ingredients (serves 4)

4 fillets of cod/haddock/hake (or any meaty white fish)
2 slices brown bread
1 large garlic clove, peeled
2 x packets (or bunches) of parsley (I used 1 bunch flat leaf and 1 bunch curly)
1 lemon
1 egg
8oz Puy lentils
2 large red onions, sliced
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Serves 4

Begin by making the crust. Blitz the bread in a food processor into crumbs. Add the garlic, the herbs and the zest of the lemon. Season and blend until everything is chopped and combined finely.
Add the egg and blend again.
Cut your fish into 4 fillets. Take a good spoonful of the herb topping – it should be fairly sticky with the bread and the egg – and compact onto the top of each fillet. Chill in the fridge for about 20 minutes until needed.
Preheat the over to 190°C.
Meanwhile, simmer the Puy lentils for about 20 minutes until just cooked and tender but with a bite. Drain and keep warm. Season.
Meanwhile, heat a little oil in a frying pan and gently sweat the onions for a good 10 minutes until soft. Start to add some colour until caramelised. Season.
Turn the heat up a little and add the balsamic which should sizzle and begin to reduce. Coat the onions then remove from the heat.
Tip the balsamic red onions into the warm lentils and stir to combine.
Remove the fish from the fridge about 5 minutes before ready to cook. Place on a greased or lined baking tray, and cook in the oven for about 15 minutes depending on the thickness of the fillet (15 minutes for those sized above).
Remove from the oven when just cooked and beginning to flake. the fish will keep cooking when removed from the oven with the residual heat so don’t over cook initially.
Place a spoonful of the lentils into deep warm serving bowls and top with the fish. Serve with a good wedge of lemon for squeezing over the crunchy crust! Enjoy!

Dahl, Roasted Curried Cauliflower, Shredded Duck in Lime

May 1, 2016 Comments Off read Meat

ou won’t be surprised to hear it was another week of stressful and busy work so the long weekend glowed like a beacon on Friday evening with promises of yoga, long runs in the sun and some experimental time in the kitchen to blog and relax the mind. I woke to a beautiful sunny day and after a long run to clear the working cobwebs I was already on my way to some downtime. All that was required was some time in the kitchen.

With a stressful period at work keeping 90% of my mind on the task it was time to start planning my second supper club to focus and begin that excitement again! With the date confirmed and inked in the diary I was more than eager to start developing the menu! With just over 2 month before the (second) big day it might seem premature but to get the invites and advert out as soon as possible and the ticket confirmations rolling in the menu was vital. Starter done. Dessert done and obviously featuring ice cream the main needed some attention. With the somewhat limited kitchen facilities and equipment of my cosy, niche and atmospheric chosen venue the dish needed some attention. Ambition needs to be carefully managed and focussed int he right direction.

While flavour is key here using wholesome ingredients cooked from scratch I wanted a menu that would make my potential guests salivate on reading and be booking tickets on autopilot before they could say ‘Deliveroo’! Flavour vital but practicality is also a contender here when cooking solo for 30 paying guests. And in addition economics, aesthetics and style are also important. Factoring all these competing aspects and a love of all things spice this punchy dish was created. I won’t give anything away but the next supper club main with feature something along these lines…

Serves 4

4 duck legs
1 x speedy dahl recipe (see here) with juice of 1/2 lime added at the end.
1 cauliflower, cut into florets
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp of black mustard seeds and cumin seeds
3 spring onions, sliced on the diagonal
Handful of mint leaves, roughly chopped
Handful of coriander leaves, roughly chopped
1 large lime

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Season the duck legs and roast for about 40 minutes in the oven.
Scatter the cauliflower florets in a large baking tray and drizzle with a good glut of olive oil.
Toss in the curry powder, turmeric cumin and mustard seeds and stir to coat. Add some seasoning.
After the duck has had 20 minutes of roasting add the cauliflower to the oven and roast for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile make the dahl and set aside to keep warm.
Once the duck and cauliflower are ready remove from the oven. leave the duck to rest for a few minutes before shredding the meat into a warm bowl with two forks and quickly squeezing over the juice of the fresh lime.
Toss the warm cauliflower in the spring onions and herbs.
To plate up, ensure you have warm shallow serving bowls or plates and spoon a generous spoonful of dahl onto the bottom and let it ooz out onto the plate. Top with a handful of the cauliflower before finally topping with a quarter of the shredded duck
Serve immediately while still warm and devour! Serve with warm homemade flatbreads or roti if needed.

WINE: This would be great with an aromatic white such as a Riesling or a Gervertz to balance the spice.

Indian Lamb Cutlets, ‘Speedy’ Black Daal, Roti and a Mango Salad

October 29, 2014 Comments Off read Meat, Vegetables and Salads

After countless (well 4) visits to London’s Dishoom – a modern buzzing Indian restaurant – it was only a matter of time before I attempted an Indian themed supper blog post. The first time I visited this spice scented hub I was recommended to sample their ‘house black daal’. I was blown away. It was delicious: ‘dark, rich and deeply flavoured’ (their words) It certainly was. I’ve since geekily been dreaming about it and so I have attempted my own version here with homemade (albeit thicker) roti.

Made with black lentils (urda dal) unlike your normal daal, they are hard to find it seems? Ok I admit I didn’t look that hard but if they are casually (and naively) added to your shopping list don’t expect them to conveniently locate themselves on the shelf for you. In my haste I ended up buying a packet of ready to serve (I KNOW! This won’t become a habit, it was my only option) Merchant Black Beluga Lentils which have a slightly more gelatinous texture when cooked. I used these to make my own ‘speedy’ daal. I hear Dishoom simmer theirs long and slow for 24 hours which clearly makes these the ‘bees knees’ but my version was surprisingly and deliciously a very close match. Packed with spice and comforting cinnamon for a devine creation served loose textured with homemade roti. Daal can actually be served as a main dish but I made mine here as a side to a fresh lime dressed salad full of mango, mint, shaved fennel and radish and the most tender and succulent Indian spiced lamb cutlets I’ve had to date.

NOTE: I’m always thoroughly impressed at the quality of the meat at my local butchers back home. It really drums home the emphasis to buy your meat locally and not from your average Tesco not just for local support but the quality is infinitely better.

Serves 2

Daal

1 x 200g packet of beluga black lentils
1 cinnamon stick
3 cloves
1 small red onion, finely chopped
2 x garlic cloves, finely chopped
½ red chilli, chopped
Knob ginger, grated
1 tsp turmeric
1 small tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp garam masala
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp tomato puree
Small handful chopped coriander
1 tbsp salted butter

Put the lentils in a pan with the cinnamon stick and cloves and cover with enough boiling water just to cover. Simmer for about 10 minutes to allow the spices to infuse and the lentils to continue to turn mushy.
Meanwhile fry the onion in a little oil until soft. Add the garlic, chilli and ginger and fry for a few more minutes until everything is soft and the raw each has been cooked out.
Add all the dry spices and fry for 2 minutes.
Add and cook out the tomato puree and then remove from the heat.
Drain the lentil and keep any cooking water. Remove the cinnamon stick and the cloves ideally if you can.
Use a masher to coarsely mash the lentil to break them down.
Add enough of the drained juices (and more boiling water as I had to do) to create a creamy loose texture.
Stir in the spice mix and coriander.
Make sure it is sloppy in texture before whisking in a knob of butter for a glossy finish to the dish.
Serve scattered with coriander and with homemade roti.

Lamb Cutlets

1 heaped tsp garam masala
1 ½ heaped tsp dukka (see here or buy locally)
6 lamb cutlets

Marinade the lamb in the spices with a tbsp or so of oil.
When ready to cook at the very last minute, heat a pan until hot (use the one that cooked the daal spices for a nice base flavour)
First render the fat from the outside by standing eat cutlet on its side until the fat is crispy. Then cook for 2 minutes each side on a high heat for deliciously pick meat and crispy outside.
Leave to rest for 5 minutes wrapped in foil.

Mango Salad

1 mango, peeled and sliced
½ fennel bulb, shaved or thinly chopped
6 radishes, sliced
½ red onion, sliced thinly
Cucumber, sliced
Handful mint, chopped
Handful coriander, chopped
Juice 1 lime

Mix the ingredients together and squeeze over the lime. Drizzle with a little oil is needed.

Roti

225g self raising flour
140ml water
1 tbsp Nigella seeds
Salt and pepper

Mix the flour, seasoning and seeds together in a bowl.
Mix in the water or enough to bind the mixture together to form a dough. Use a fork to do this.
Knead lightly until smooth and rest in a bowl for 30 minutes or so.
Roll out on a floured surface very thinly.
Heat a frying pan until hot. Fry for a few minutes on each side untileach is golden and beginning to char. The roti will puff up and form lovely bubbles.
If not eating immediately, once cooked, pop in a preheated warm oven to keep warm and supple until ready to dip generously in your daal.

Balsamic Beets, Lentil and Hazelnut Salad

August 23, 2014 Comments Off read Vegetables and Salads

This can only be described as a super hearty salad. A man salad if you will. Bits and pieces foraged from both the allotment, the pantry and the dark saddened depths of the vegetable fridge draw. Not sure if its just me but does anyone else suffer from the wilting and unappetising reduced packet of dill sitting shyly in the bottom draw of the fridge? Often usually buried beneath the more popular and beautiful fresh non-reduced delights…

Put to good use here however:

Serves 2

4oz Puy lentils
2 raw beetroot, washed
1 large garlic clove, crushed
Handful dill, chopped,
Handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped
Handful chives, chopped
1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Handful hazelnuts
Olive oil
Salt and fresh black pepper

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Chop the beetroot into wedges and place in a roasting tray. Season and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for about 20-30 minutes until tender and beginning to crisp.
Meanwhile, simmer the lentils in water for about 18 minutes until tender but with a slight bite.
Roast the whole hazelnuts in the hot oven for about 8 minutes. Remove and if skinned, wrap in a tea towel and rub them until the skins peal away easily then leave to cool before roughly chopping.
After the beetroot is tender enough turn the oven down to 180°C. Add the garlic and coat the beetroot in the balsamic vinegar. Continue to roast for 5-10 minutes until the balsamic begins to glaze the beetroot slightly. Remove from the oven and set aside to keep warm.
Drain the lentils when ready. Season well (it will need it) and add the roasted garlicy beetroot and any balsamic juices. Add the chopped herbs and the chopped hazelnuts.
Combine all well and serve. I served mine topped with some lovely pan fried sea bream and a raw shaved fennel and pea salad! Delicious…

Dukka Spiced Mackerel, Parsley Lentils, Roasted Hazelnuts

July 12, 2014 Comments Off read Seafood

Mackerel isn’t everyone’s first choice when choosing fish from the supermarket counter. A brownish muddy coloured complexion doesn’t exactly win any beauty competitions and ball your over with a sense of freshness and health. Although popular these days as being cheap people often give it grief for being a ‘dirty fish’. However…its full of excellent healthy oils, is reasonably priced and can importantly handle bold flavours such as Thai marinades, soya sauce and curried spices. Crusted in dukka and served on some nutty lentils here made a satisfactory Friday night supper.

Serves 2

2 mackerel fillets, scored on the skin side
1 tbsp dukka (see here, leave out the mint)
4 oz Puy lentils
1-2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
Very large bunch flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
½ lemon
25g hazelnuts
Mint leaves for garnish
Coconut/light olive oil

If large, cut your fillets in half and season in a shallow bowl. Scatter over the dukka and add a slash of olive oil and massage the spices over the fish. Set aside until ready to cook.
Simmer the lentils for about 18-20 minutes until tender but still with a bite/texture and the drain.
Meanwhile, roast the hazelnuts in a very hot oven for about 8 minutes until toasted and the skins are beginning to peel off. When cool enough to handle rub off the skins and chop roughly into halves and set aside.
Saute the crushed garlic in a little oil in the pan you cooked the lentils in until soft. Return the lentils to the pan and season generously. Add the parsley and lemon juice and mix to combine the flavours. Cover the pan to keep warm and set aside while you cook the fish.
Heat a frying pan with a little coconut or olive oil until hot. Fry the fillets scored (to prevent them curling up) skin side for about 3 minutes until crisp. Turn for the final minute or so to finish the cooking and add the chopped hazelnuts to the pan at this stage also. (The mackerel will take a matter of minutes so don’t overcook of they will dry out)
Serve the lentils topped with the mackerel fillets and scattered with the toasted hazelnuts and a few sprigs of mint. Could do with a dollop of lemony homemade mayo and some wilted greens.

Creamy Dijon Lentil Gratin

July 7, 2014 Comments Off read Vegetables and Salads

Like many of my dishes this one came about from a fridge of leftovers and a willing pantry. With a craving for a side dish with a little extra added effort I knocked out this gratin. In an almost ‘mystery box’ Masterchef challenge, some simply simmered lentils, a dousing of deep creamy Dijon dressing, some soft goats cheese speckled with parsley and all liberally blanketed in some cheesy breadcrumbs and butter and baked could only taste delicious.

Serves 2

4oz Puy Lentils
1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
4 tbsp creme fraiche OR 4 large tbsp creamy goats cheese e.g. Chèvre
Handful chopped flat leaf parsley
2 large handfuls breadcrumbs
1 large handful grated parmesan
Knob of butter
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Simmer the lentils in boiling water for about 20 minutes or until soft but with a slight bite and not mushy
Drain and return to the pan. Stir in the parsley, creme fraiche, mustard and plenty of cracked black pepper and salt.
Spoon into an oven proof dish.
Mix the breadcrumbs and cheese in a bowl and season. Scatter over the lentils and top with a few knobs of butter.
Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes until golden and crispy on top.

WINE: If using Sancerre’s famous Chèvre, this dish is perfect with a beautiful crisp Sancerre wine to match. Try Fernand Girard, 2014 Sancerre which is available at Armit Wines.

Chorizo and Balsamic Lentils

March 23, 2014 Comments Off read Meat, Vegetables and Salads

This weekend I journeyed home for a village pig feast that has been vigorously and unheathily circled in the diary for a while! I’ll explain. My home village where I grew up and spent my life can be imaged as a hybrid of the ‘Vicar of Dibley’ and ‘Hot Fuzz’ (without the killings I stress!) A Wiltshire village with a stereotypical local pub, glorious fields and the strong signature smell of manure tainting the air like the smell of perfume at the duty free! For the past few years we’ve shared the caring, feeding and more importantly eating, of two village pigs who we take in turns to feed and water only to butcher respectfully 6 months down the line and divide up the takings. From piglets to healthy happy curly tailed porkers the sausages and juicy joints of pork that have filled our freezer for a long while have been some of the best I’ve had. We’ve had some teathing issues along the way but nothing can beat the taste of happy wholesome and local meat. So this weekend we saved a giant leg to roast and feast on with all the team! It was delicious and I have nothing else to add.

However, after a rich and fatty roast with shards of caramel cracking, sweet and sharp apple sauce and lashings of wine (perhaps too many lashings?) I craved the fresh flavours of fish and vegetables. This little dish is so simple to knock out but so tasty and pleasing in many ways.

Serves 2

2 seabass fillets, seasoned
4oz Puy lentils
100g chorizo
1 large garlic clove, chopped
Bunch flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
4-5 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Zest of 1 lemon
Vegetables to serve

Simmer the Puy lentils for about 15 minutes until soft and tender but with a slight bite (don’t let them get mushy). Drain and keep warm.
Chop the chorizo into hearty chunks and fry in a medium hot pan until they begin to release their scarlet oils. Add in the garlic and fry for a few more minutes but don’t burn so keep an eye out.
Turn up the heat a little and add the vinegar (and stick on the extractor fan as it will be pungent!). Simmer the vinegar until thickened and syrupy.
Add this chorizo mix with the oily balsamic juices to the lentils. Grate in the zest of the lemon and add the herbs and season. Set aside and keep warm.
Fry the seabass fillets, lightly seasoned, in a tsp of hot oil for a matter of 2-3 minutes on the skin side until crisp turning for the last 30 seconds to finish off.
Serve the lentils topped with the seabass and some freshly steamed and buttery asparagus or green beans.