Colourful Beetroot Risotto for a veggie meal or side dish
If you’ve seen my Beet, Carrot and Barley Salad you’ll know that thanks Grigson’s Vegetable Book, my bible for all things vegetable, I now know how to prepare and cook beetroot! This recipe brings together the heavenly combination of beetroot and goats cheese with risotto.
Parmigiana with a pinch of healthiness. A great vegetarian option on its own or as a side dish
The origins of this traditional dish are disputed. Jamie Oliver refers to it as a “classic northern Italian recipe” and is in good company: Antonio Carluccio confesses “I’ve never known whether this dish is called ‘parmigiana’ because it comes from Parma, or because it’s made with Parmesan cheese”. But although the name may be claimed by the north, Carluccio concedes that the recipe stems from Sicily in the South.
My own Parmigiana story has less exotic origins! Continue reading
As a child I hated potato salad. I don’t know if it was the dry, floury potatoes or the combination of cold potatoes, raw onion and mayonnaise that put me off, but nothing would entice me to eat it! Today I still approach potato salad with a certain degree of trepidation and have yet to find a traditional potato salad recipe that I love. When spending some time in Germany as a teenager a fairy godmother (and fabulous domestic cook) thought me to make a potato salad that doesn’t require any mayonnaise at all. This is my version of that salad: it’s my desert island salad! It’s one that Lentil loves too (even if he picks out a few of the gherkins) and so hopefully he won’t grow up with my potato salad phobia!
The what:
330g baby new / Charlotte potatoes
2 slices bacon
4 spring onions, sliced
10 mini gherkins, topped and sliced
For the dressing:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tbsp of the pickled juice from the gherkin jar
pinch of ground black pepper
Tip: When serving salads, I normally wait until shortly before serving to add the dressing so they don’t become soggy. However, this salad tastes best if the potatoes are left to soak in the dressing for a while.
The how:
Put the potatoes in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Then simmer for about 15-20 minutes until cooked. Remove from the heat, drain and leave to cool.
Meanwhile saute the spring onions in a little olive oil, remove, add the bacon to the saute-pan and cook, turning over half way through. Once cooked, remove any rind from the bacon and dice.
Once the potatoes have cooled a little, slice and add to your salad bowl. Toss in the spring onions, bacon and gherkins.
To make the dressing, add the mustard, gherkin juice to a jar, close the lid and shake well. Then add the olive oil and pepper and shake well again. Taste test with a potato slice. Pour over the salad, mix and leave to soak a little before serving (see tip above).
Since starting my blogging journey, I’ve been inspired by (and in awe of!) the many fabulous health food bloggers out there, creating amazing recipes with deliciously fresh ingredients, and sharing drool-inducing photos of their creations. It was while perusing some of these awesome foodies’ websites and salivating over their culinary endeavours that I came across spiralizing. Clearly, I am way behind the times – how have I missed all the hype about fruit and veggie ribbons and spaghetti styled courgettes?? I wondered if the spiralizer was just the latest kitchen gadget: something I would use once and then retire to the cupboard over the fridge, which is rarely opened: I need a stool to reach it!
I reasoned that I use my mandolin regularly and love Japanese food. Surely something food-related originating in Japan can’t be bad? So after a little research on the various brands and models I purchased a spiralizer online and eagerly awaited its arrival!
I’m certainly not giving up on my yummy homemade pasta (mon Dieu!) or carbs altogether. I think they are an important part of a balanced diet, especially for children. However, I am bursting with ideas for new recipes using my spiralizer and it is a fun way to introduce kids to new ways of eating fruit and veg.
So here is the first of my spiralizer creations……[drum roll!]
I’ve made this salad both with and without chicken and it’s as tasty either way so if you’re vegetarian just simply leave out the chicken.
Serves 2 adult & 1 child portion.
The what:
2 large (3 smaller) chicken fillets, diced
handful of spinach leaves, stems removed
12g flaked almonds
150g strawberries, topped and quartered
2 courgettes, topped and tailed
3 tbsp natural yoghurt
For the dressing:
juice from 1/2 an orange
juice from 1/2 lime
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
a pinch of ground black pepper
Tip: If you don’t have a spiralizer, a mandolin or julienne peeler are just as good for thinly slicing the courgette. If using a julienne peeler, you may find it easier to slice the courgette length-ways.
The how:
Marinade the chicken in the yoghurt for a couple of hours / overnight.
You can also prepare the dressing in advance: just give it a good shake / stir again before using as the oil will have settled on top. Add all the ingredients to a jar and shake well. Taste test with a spinach leaf.
Pre-heat the oven to 220 (200 fan) and back for about 8 minutes and then flip the chicken pieces over, draining off any excess liquid and bake for a further 8 minutes. Be careful not to let the chicken dry out.
Meanwhile slice the courgettes, either using a using a spiralizer to make courgetti, a mandolin or a julienne peeler (see tip above). Heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a pan and cook the courgette on medium heat for a couple of minutes to soften. If you have used a mandolin and have very thin courgette slices, cook on a lower heat and stir and toss continuously in the pan to avoid too much browning, or burning. Take of the heat and set aside.
toast the almonds in a dry saute pan on medium heat for about 1 minute, tossing regularly, and again being careful not to burn!
To assemble the salad, add the courgetti / courgette slices to your salad bowl. Place the spinach leave on top and then add the chicken and strawberries. Sprinkle the almonds over the salad and pour the dressing on top.
Enjoy!
The beetroot of my childhood was the pickled variety out of a jar. I thought that was the only way to eat beetroot and I was not a fan!
Thanks to the superfood revolution, fresh beetroot has become very popular again having found favour with chefs and food writers alike. According to an article by Khaleda Rahman in Mailonline weekly sales of beetroot in the UK now exceed £1 million.
I had a lovely beetroot and lentil salad in Gail’s cafe recently, which prompted me to have a go at creating my own salad with this purple taproot of the beet plant. I’ve never cooked beetroot before so had to refer to my trusty “Vegetable Book” by Grigson to learn how!
It takes a while to cook the ingredients for this salad, but you can do everything in advance. The beetroot and carrots are oven baked so once you set the timer you don’t need to watch over them. Of course, I also think the flavours in this yummy salad are worth the cooking time and I hope you’ll agree.
4 beetroot, gently washed (see below)
400g Chantenay carrots, washed
160g Barley (pearl barley is fine, but hulled barley is supposed to retain more nutrients although can be harder to find).
100g Feta cheese
a handful of blanched hazelnuts
a handful of spinach or mixed leaves
squeeze of lemon juice
a handful of mint, finely chopped
1 tbsp mirin
1 1/2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1cm ginger, finely sliced
3 tbsp olive oil
pepper to season
I usually make my dressings in an old jam jar so I can close the lid and give it a good shake to mix it well. Always taste your dressing too with a piece of fruit or veg from the salad before adding to the rest of the salad and adjust, if necessary.
Gently wash the beetroot to remove any dirt, place in a baking tray and cover with tinfoil. Bake the beetroot in oven for about 3 -3 1/2 hours at 150 (130 fan). To test if the beetroot is cooked Grigson suggests wrinkling the skin and if it easily comes away from the root it is cooked. Leave to cool, peel and chop.
Meanwhile add the carrots to boiling water and boil for about 10 minutes to soften. Then drain and place in a baking tray. Drizzle with some olive oil and lemon juice and sprinkle with the mint. Cook in the oven for one hour at the same temperature as the beetroot. Remove and leave to cool. Remove the ends and chop.
To cook the barley, first rinse it in cold water, place in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, drain, return to the saucepan and cover again with about 300 ml cold water. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for about 1 hour (until tender), stirring occasionally.
To make the dressing add all the ingredients except the olive oil to a jar, close the lid and shake well to combine. Then add the olive oil, close and shake again. Test the flavour with a carrot or piece of beetroot.
To construct the salad, arrange the spinach / mixed leaves at the bottom of your bowl. Place the barley, beetroot and carrots on top. Then break in the feta cheese and add the hazelnuts. Drizzle with the dressing or serve on the side.
Enjoy!
Despite rather cloudy, overcast days, the sun has been making a consistent appearance in the evenings of late providing a great opportunity for some al fresco evening dining! I’ve been experimenting with a few different salads to have on their own or as an accompaniment to a barbecue. Here is the recipe for one that passed the Lentil and Papa Lentil test (after a few goes at the dressing!).
Brown, green or puy lentils are usually best for salads as they retain their shape and texture after cooking. However, I had run out of all of the above and only had split-red left in the cupboard. The colour actually works well with the butternut squash! Although they do go a little mushy when cooked: good for Coco and her three front teeth!
The What:
1 aubergine, chopped into chunks
1/2 butternut squash, seeds removed
40g lentils (brown, green or puy – see above)
100g hard goat’s cheese (or you can use feta as an alternative)
1 red onion, sliced
a knob of unsalted butter
Olive oil for drizzling
Some spinach leaves (optional)
For the dressing:
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
5 tbsp olive oil
a little black pepper
Tip: I usually make my dressings in an old jam jar so I can close the lid and give it a good shake to mix it well.
The how:
Preheat the oven to 200 (180 fan).
Place the butternut squash on a baking tray and brush with the melted unsalted butter. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes initially.
Meanwhile, place the aubergine chunks on another baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. When the butternut squash has cooked for 10 minutes, add the aubergine to the oven and cook both for a further 25 minutes.
Rinse the lentils and then put the lentils in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes (until soft).
Heat a little olive oil in a saute pan and cook the onion on medium heat until caramelised. Set aside to cool.
Once the butternut squash is cooked, chop into chunks and place in a salad bowl along with the aubergine, lentils, onions and spinach leaves (if using). Break up the goat’s cheese and place on top.
For the dressing add the balsamic vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard and pepper to the jar (or a bowl) and mix well. Next add the olive oil, close and shake well to fully combine. Drizzle the salad with the dressing or serve on the side.
For the adults a chilled glass of fruity white wine is a good accompaniment to this salad!
xx
CocoandLentil 