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Lentil Bolognese

16th May 201816th May 2018
by thefoodwife

Serves 6

It is National Vegetarian Week and Iâ€™ve been trying to experiment with more meat-free meals and had come across references to a bolognese made with lentils rather than minced beef. The type of lentil seemed to vary from red, to puy to green. Personally I would have thought red lentils would make it too mushy, so I would suggest using puy or green (this is what I used).

I gave it a go and I have to say I enjoyed it. Iâ€™m not going to say that it was just like a beef bolognese but it was very tasty and it struck me that the sauce would also be good as an accompaniment to a piece of meat or fish instead of potatoes etc.

Whilst I wonâ€™t be trading in my normal bolognese I will definitely revisit this recipe and it is vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free, so perfect if youâ€™re catering for a variety of dietary requirements.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp oil
2 sticks of celery
1 onion
1 carrot
10 chestnut mushrooms
1 red pepper
1/2 leek
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
250g lentils (green/puy)
1 tbsp tomato purÃ©e
500g passata
500ml water
1 tbsp rosemary, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper

Step 1: Chop all of your vegetables into a fine dice (aim for the rough size of the lentils you are using).

Step 2: In a heavy bottomed pan, heat the oil and add the diced vegetables. Soften on a medium-low heat for 20-25 minutes.

Step 3: Add the rosemary and tomato purÃ©e and stir, cooking out the purÃ©e for a couple of minutes.

Step 4: Add the lentils, pastas, water and bay leaves, put a lid on and cook for about 30 minutes until the lentils are tender. Season to taste. Stir every five minutes or so, and add more water if necessary.

Serve with spaghetti or accompaniment of your choice.

Creamy Potato Salad

14th May 201814th May 2018
by thefoodwife

Serves 4-6

This potato salad is a great addition to a range of dishes including a barbecue, or as we have had it recently, roasted chicken and salad.

Whilst this is adorned in a luxuriously creamy dressing, by using light mayonnaise and half-fat crÃ¨me fraÃ®che, itâ€™s not as bad for you as you might fear. It is delicious served warm, but is good cold also. If you donâ€™t fancy the chives and spring onions, then a tea spoon of wholegrain mustard is a good addition to the dressing.

Ingredients:
500-750g salad potatoes
2 tbsp light mayonnaise
2 tbsp half-fat crÃ¨me fraÃ®che
1 tbsp finely chopped chives
3 spring onions, sliced
2 tsp cider or white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Step 1: Cook the potatoes, bringing cold, salted water to the boil, and simmering them for 15-20 minutes. The potatoes will be cooked when you can easily pierce them with a sharp knife.

Step 2: Make the dressing by combining the mayonnaise, crÃ¨me fraÃ®che, vinegar, spring onions and chives in a bowl. Season to taste.

Step 3: When the potatoes are cooked, drain them and then chop them in half/thirds to make them roughly one inch in size.

Step 4: Add the potatoes to the dressing and combine. Serve warm or cold.

Halloumi and Courgette Salad with a Lemon and Chilli…

12th May 201811th May 2018
by thefoodwife

Serves 3-4

Recently Iâ€™ve served Deliaâ€™s Fried Halloumi Cheese with Lime and Caper Vinaigrette for friends at lunch time. Itâ€™s a real favourite of mine in the summer as the dressing is so zingy it makes the cheeseâ€™s flavour really come alive. But this week I decided to come up with a recipe of my own that celebrates this wonderfully squeaky cheese. I was having a couple of friends over for lunch and had already decided to serve my Spiced Butternut Squash, Feta and Pomegranate Salad with flat breads on the side, but wanted another salad to accompany it.

I think raw courgette is fantastic in salads and it creates a lovely bed for the halloumi on this occasion. The dressing compliments both the courgette and the halloumi and is fresh with lemon and spiked with chilli to give a pleasing heat.

Ingredients:

For the salad:
1 large courgette
225g halloumi
2 tbsp plain flour (gluten-free if required)
Salt and pepper
Olive oil for frying

For the dressing:
1 unwaxed lemon (zest and juice)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 red chilli, finely diced (with or without seeds; if you leave them in then the result will be hotter)
1 tbsp chopped parsley

Step 1: Using a vegetable peeler, peel the courgette into long strips (avoid using the core) and arrange on a large plate.

Step 2: Cut the halloumi into slices about half a centimetre thick, place between two sheets of kitchen paper and pat dry.

Step 3: Season the flour with a little salt and pepper and press the slices of cheese so they have a light coating of the flour.

Step 4: Heat 1-2 tbsp of olive oil in a non-stick frying pan on a medium-high heat, and fry the slices of floured halloumi for a couple of minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove and put on a sheet of kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil.

Step 5: Make the dressing by combining all of the ingredients in a jar with a lid and shaking until amalgamated; alternatively, whisk in a bowl.

Step 6: Arrange the fried halloumi over the strips of courgette and drizzle the dressing over the top (you may not want to use it all – I used about two thirds – the rest will store for a few days in the fridge).

Thai Red Curry Fish Cakes

10th May 20186th June 2018
by thefoodwife

Makes/Serves 2

My husband has to be in the mood for seafood and so I usually eat fish when he is out for the evening, or I choose it in restaurants because I donâ€™t have it nearly enough as I should like to at home.

I persuaded him a few months back to try a Thai flavoured fish and potato cake from a supermarket. He liked it (hurrah!) and so it became a bit of a regular in our weekly meals. The problem is, I would prefer them if they contained more fish, so I decided to have a go at making my own. This is the result; a fish cake that is fragrant and spicy and very satisfying.

Ingredients:
1 large or 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into one-inch dice
1 fillet of white fish (approx 70g) (I used Pollock)
12 king prawns (raw or cooked)
2 lime leaves (optional)
2 spring onions, finely sliced
1 tbsp chopped coriander
1/2 – 1 tsp Thai red curry paste (depending on your taste; I used 1 heaped tsp and the result was very spicy)
3 tbsp panko breadcrumbs
1 tbsp sesame seeds

Step 1: Cook the potatoes in salted cold water, bring to the boil and simmer until cooked (a knife should easily pass through). Drain and mash till smooth.

Step 2: Whilst the potatoes are cooking, see to the fish. In a shallow pan put the 2 lime leaves and cold water (about 2cm), enough to cover the fish fillet. Add the fish and bring to a simmer until the fish is cooked (if putting in from cold this will take 3 or 4 mins once simmering).

Step 3: Remove the fish and flake gently with a fork. Set aside to cool.

Step 4: If you are using raw king prawns, add these to the simmering water and cook for a couple of minutes until just cooked. If you are using ready-cooked prawns skip to step 5.

Step 5: Remove and roughly chop half of the prawns and halve the rest. Set aside to cool.

Step 6: Add your Thai red curry paste to the potatoes and mix thoroughly until evenly combined. Leave to cool.

Step 7: Now mix the spiced potatoes, flaked fish, chopped prawns, sliced spring onions and chopped coriander in a bowl.

Step 8: Divide equally in two and shape in to your fish cakes.

Step 9: Mix the panko breadcrumbs and sesame seeds on a plate.

Step 10: Coat the fish cakes all over with the breadcrumb and sesame seed mix.

Step 11: Place in the fridge to chill and firm up until youâ€™re ready to cook them.

Step 12: Cook on a baking sheet in a preheated oven (180c) for 25 minutes. Alternatively these could be fried in a non-stick pan for 3-4 minutes on each side, which would result in a crisper coating, however I was aiming for a fat-free meal.

You could up the fish content more still, and lower the potato accordingly.
This is perfect served with my Asian Noodle Peanut Salad.

Asian Noodle Peanut Salad

8th May 20188th May 2018
by thefoodwife

Serves 2

Noodles, check. Peanuts, check. Chilli, check. Vegetables, check. What more could you want? Meat or fish? Simply serve some on the side with this versatile dish.

This salad is quick to put together and the dressing makes it so delicious, youâ€™re sure to go back for seconds. With a few tweaks it can be both gluten-free and/or vegan by using gluten-free soy sauce and leaving out the fish sauce and replacing the honey with caster sugar.

I could happily eat this salad on its own, but we often have it as an accompaniment to some Thai curry-inspired fish cakes (which, luck would have it, are the focus of the next blog!).

Ingredients:

For the dressing:
1 heaped tbsp crunchy peanut butter
1 tbsp runny honey (or caster sugar if required)
1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce (gluten-free if required)
1 tsp fish sauce (optional – leave out for vegan/vegetarian)
Juice of 1 lime
2 drops of sesame oil

For the salad:
100g vermicelli rice noodles (or noodles of your choice)
A variety of salad ingredients, e.g. sliced red pepper, carrot ribbons, cucumber ribbons, sliced spring onion, salad leaves
Fresh herbs e.g. coriander

Step 1: Cook or soak the noodles as per the instructions on the packet. Drain and run cold water through them until they are cool.

Step 2: Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly.

Step 3: Add the cold noodles and your chosen salad items to the dressing and toss to ensure everything is coated with the dressing.

Iâ€™ve also tried adding some fresh mango as part of the salad, which adds a lovely sweetness, so if youâ€™re a fan of fruit in savoury dishes, why not give it a go!