02/05/2010 by D.

These classy little numbers come from the Planet Organic baby & toddler cookbook… but we all love to eat them!

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion
1 carrot
1 green pepper
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp cumin
2 tins beans, drained
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 egg
2 tbsp breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated cheddar

Preheat oven to 200c.  Finely chop, mince or grate veg.  Mash beans and puree.  Fry veg and spices for 5 mins.  Add to bean mixture. 

Mix in the rest of the ingredients and roll into golf ball sized patties and flatten slightly.  You can make larger ones if you prefer, just add 5 mins to the cooking time.  (You can freeze some at this point).

Bake on greased tray for 25 mins and turn them after 15 mins.

Serve with soft rolls or pitta pockets, potato wedges and some crunchy salad.  Ketchup, relish, chilli sauce and additional cheese/tomato/pineapple slices make the burger building fun.

Posted in Cheese, Cumin, Coriander, Green Pepper, Eggs, Beans, Carrot, Onion, Vegetarian, Recipe | Print | No Comments »

18/02/2010 by D.

One for Cat.  This is another recipe from cool green leaves and red hot peppers by Christine McFadden and Michael Michaud.

4 turnips, peeled & quartered, or more whole little ones, unpeeled
1 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp corriander seeds
1 tbsp sugar
1 small orange (grated zest and juice)
3 tbsp stock
1 tbsp fresh coriander or parsley

Boil the turnips for around 5 minutes until tender, then drain.  Melt the butter in a frying pan and sprinkle in the coriander seeds.  Add the turnips to the foaming butter.  Sprinkle on the sugar and orange zest.  Turn up the heat to colour the turnips at the edges.

Pour in the stock and orange juice.  Simmer for a few minutes until the liquid is reduced and syrupy.  Season to taste, then sprinkle with the fresh herbs.

The sweet oranginess really sets of the slightly bitter turnips.  Great with roasts and leafy greens.

Posted in Orange, Coriander, Turnip, Stock, Butter, Recipe | Print | No Comments »

08/02/2010 by D.

- Quick note on the spices; you can use dried chilli and ginger, and pre-ground spices if that’s what you’ve got.  The taste is more zingy with the fresh stuff!
2 Onions
3 fat Garlic cloves
1 inch Fresh Ginger
4 Potatoes
4 Carrots
any other seasonal veg (sweet potato, cauliflower, broccoli, peppers, mushrooms, celeriac, squash, spinach etc)
2 tbsp Oil
2 Fresh Chilli (to taste)
1 tsp Coriander seed
1 tsp Cumin seed
1 tsp Cardamom pods (green)
(optional tin of tomatoes and a tin of coconut cream – the curry is richer with, but equally good and more authentic without these)
2 veg or beef stock cubes
1 litre boiling water
Salt to taste
(to serve: Fresh coriander leaves, chilli, pitta breads, yoghurt, chutney, basmati rice)
 
Chop the onion finely. Peel and crush the garlic.  Peel the ginger and cut into small matchsticks.  Peel, wash and chop all the remaining veg into roughly the same size pieces.  Place all the above in a big pan and drizzle over the oil. Finely chop chillies and add to pan.

Crush the cardamom pods and discard the husks.  Finely grind the cardamom, cumin and coriander and add to the pan.  Boil the water.  Heat the pan slowly and stir for a couple of minutes until you can smell the spices.  Add the tin of tomatoes, the coconut milk and add the stock cubes to the pan.  Stir.  Pour over the boiling water until all the veg are just covered (depending on your pan it may need more or less than a litre).

Bring to boil again and stir every 10 mins or so.  Simmer for 40 minutes or until the hardest vegetable is done.  Taste and season accordingly (eg salt, more chilli etc).  If you want a thicker curry, crush some of the potatoes against the side of the pan and stir them back in.  For a thinner one, add a little more water.  Adjust seasoning.

Serve in pita pockets, wrap in pastry for samosas or boil up some brown or basmati rice.   You could serve it with some thick yoghurt, chutney, fresh coriander or extra chilli, according to your tastes!

A good side dish with this is a basic dhal (red lentils, whole onion, 2 cloves, stock and water, add the lot and simmer for the same time as the curry, stir regularly and don’t let it dry out).

NB this curry is great for children as they love the taste and will eat all manner of veg like celeriac and parsnips, believing them to be potatoes.  For kids leave most of the chilli out and serve the curry with chopped chillis on the side for the adults.

Posted in Cardamom, Ginger, Cumin, Curry, Coriander, Garlic, Chilli, Potato, Carrot, Onion, Vegetarian, Recipe | Print | No Comments »