In-a-hurry Naan Bread

This is a really quick naan bread recipe based on Caroline's In-a-hurry Pizza Base.

Serves 6 (2 medium pieces of naan each)

750g plain flour
500g natural yoghurt (4 pots)
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp paprika
knob of butter

Mix the flour and the spices together in a bowl. Gradually add the yoghurt, mixing it all together with your hands, until a good dough mixture is achieved. Divide into 12 equal-ish sized balls. Roll each ball out to the size of a hand. Place onto baking sheets, melt the butter and brush over the top of each naan. Bake in a hot oven for 20-25 mins.

Spiced Red Lentils

This is a Bethanie fave! And surprisingly very filling.

Serves 4

200g split red lentils

1 1/2 tsp mustard seeds

4 tbsp olive oil

salt

70g butter

juice of 1 lime

PASTE:

25g fresh coriander

1 onion, peeled, roughly chopped

40g ginger, peeled, roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled

SPICE MIX:

1 1/2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp paprika

1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes

1/2 tsp fenugreek (optional)

Wash lentils, drain and soak in 350ml of fresh water for 30mins.

Roughly chop up the leafy part of the coriander bunch. Put the stems into a food processor with the onion, ginger and garlic, pulse to an almost paste.

Put the mustard seeds in a heavy based pan and place over a medium. When they begin to pop, add the onion mix and the oil, stir and cook on low heat for 10 mins.

Add spices and continue cooking and stirring for 5 mins longer.

Add the lentils and their soaking water, the tomatoes, fenugreek (if using) and salt. Cover and simmer for 30 mins or until lentils are cooked and sauce is not watery. If the mixture is catching before lentils are cooked, add more water.

Before serving, stir in the butter, lime juice and chopped coriander.

Serve in bowls with a side of fresh green salad, raita and our In-a-hurry Naan Bread.

Smoky Walnut Pasta

We have a sack full of walnuts from a neighbour at the moment, so I have been looking for some good recipes to help us use them up.

This pasta recipe is delicious and is so warming at this time of year. Based on a recipe from Gennaro Contaldo.

Serves 4

400g Pasta (penne or fusilli works well)

70g butter

1 clove garlic, squashed

200g smoked lardons

75g walnuts (shelled weight)

1 egg, beaten

150ml single cream

parmesan to serve

lemon thyme leaves to garnish

Put the pasta on to cook. Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, heat the butter, add the garlic and saute until golden. Remove the garlic and discard. Add the lardons and walnuts to the butter and saute until lardons turn a golden-brown, taking care not to burn the walnuts.

In a bowl, mix together the beaten egg and the cream and set aside.

Cook the pasta until al dente and drain. Add the walnuts and lardons to the pasta and stir through. Then stir in the egg and cream mixture. Season well and place back on medium heat for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly, making sure sauce doesnt burn at the bottom of the pan.

Remove from heat and serve immediately with lots of parmesan and lemon thyme to garnish.

Brown Butter Sage Pasta

This recipe is great if you have lots of sage growing and/or if you want a really quick and tasty supper.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

400g pasta (spaghetti/penne work well)

150g butter

1 tsp brown sugar

30g sage leaves, roughly chopped

Parmesan, to serve

Cook the pasta in well salted water. Meanwhile, heat the butter in a medium saucepan over a medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to make sure the butter doesnt burn. When the butter is bubbling, add the sugar and stir to combine.

Continue cooking and stirring the butter until it turns a light caramel colour and darker brown flecks start to appear. Add the sage, wait for the bubbling to subside then continue to cook until sage starts to go crispy then remove from the heat immediately.

Drain the cooked pasta and toss through the butter sauce. Serve with a sprinkling of parmesan.

Caroline's in-a-hurry Pizza Base

We have been having a lot of pizza recently at Bethanie, thanks to bless' Caroline Gwilliam and her very quick and easy Pizza Base recipe...the interns have been loving it!

Makes 4 x 12" Pizzas

Ingredients

1 kg Plain flour

750g (6 pots) Natural Yoghurt

seasoning (salt and pepper)

Place the yoghurt into a large mixing bowl. Gradually mix in the flour and some seasoning to the yoghurt until good dough mixture is achieved. Divide into 4 balls and roll out on lightly floured surface to 12 inches. Place bases on suitable baking trays and add desired topping. Bake in hot oven for around 20-25 mins.

RADishes

There's radishes galore on the patch at the moment...

found a great recipe in Sarah Ravens garden cookbook using radishes and their leaves

For 4:
25 radishes with their leaves
350g pasta
3 tbs olive oil
1 onion, choppd
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
75g pine nuts, toasted
75g parmesan cheese, plus more to serve

-cook pasta
-heat oil in pan
-sweat onions for 3 -4 mins
-add sliced radish, chooped leaves, garlic & pine nuts and cook until the tops wilt and soften
-remove from heat and season
-drain pasta and add radishes & parmesan

Yummy

Spiced Courgette

This is so quick and simple and tastes great served with my cous cous salad and merguez sausages!

Serves 4

Olive oil
2 courgette, diced
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1x400g tin chopped tomatoes

Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the courgette. When courgette start to soften, add the spices and mix through. Cook for a couple of minutes then add the tomatoes. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 15 mins or until sauce has started to thicken.

Sausage Penne

One of my fave meals!

Serves 4

Glug of olive oil
350g Penne pasta
4 good quality chunky sausages
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 fennel bulb, stalks removed, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
350ml passata
150ml red wine
handful fresh basil, roughly chopped
50g parmesan, plus extra to serve
100g Ricotta (optional)

Put the sausages in a pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 mins. Remove sausages and set aside to cool. Once cooled, remove skins and crumble the meat with your fingers.
Fry the onion, fennel and garlic in the oil until soft. Add the crumbled sausage meat, wine and passata and cook for 10-15mins. Add the basil and season.
Cook the pasta in boiling water until al dente, then drain. Stir the sauce into the pasta. Add the parmesan into the pasta and stir through.
Place tbsp of ricotta (if using) on each plate. Spoon the pasta over the top of the ricotta, but do not combine. Serve with the extra parmesan.

Normandy Pork Stew

I love cooking this as it uses so much local food.

Serves 4-6

olive oil

1 large fennel bulb, top removed, roughly chopped into large chunks

2 onions, roughly chopped

3-4 carrots, peeled, chopped into chunks

500g diced stewing pork

1 heaped tbsp plain flour

500 ml dry Normandy cider

1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes

a few sprigs of fresh sage or 3 fresh bay leaves

salt and pepper

Put a large heavy-based pan over a medium heat with a glug or two of oil. Add the onion, carrot and fennel and fry for 10 mins. Add the pork and the flour and stir through. Add the cider and the tomatoes. Stir well and then add the sage/bay and salt and pepper.

Bring to the boil then put a lid on and turn heat down to low. Leave to simmer for about 1.5-2hrs, stirring often to prevent sticking. Remove lid for the final half hour. Cook until sauce has thickened and pork is tender. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

Creamy Chickpea Bake

This is originally a chicken dinner which i made changes to to make a lovely veggie dish

Serves 6

1 tbsp olive oil

2 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed

3-4 large leeks, sliced

250g button mushrooms, halved or thickly sliced

50g butter

2 tbsp plain flour

200 ml dry white wine

200 ml vegetable stock

100 ml double cream

bunch of tarragon, roughly chopped

2 tsp dijon mustard

50g white breadcrumbs

few sprigs parsley, finely chopped

Heat oven to 190C. Heat oil in a large frying pan. add the leeks and mushrooms and fry until softened. Add the chickpeas and fry for another 5 mins. Transfer to an ovenproof dish.

Melt the butter in a pan, then add the flour and stir for 1 min over a medium heat. Pour in the wine and cook, stirring until thick, then gradually add the stock, a splash at a time. stirring until smooth. Cook for 1 min before stirring in the cream, mustard and tarragon. Season to taste, then pour over the chickpeas and veg.

Mix together the breadcrumbs and parsley, then scatter over the top. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 25-30 mins, until bubbling and golden.

Serve with rice or potatoes and a crisp green salad.