07/02/2010 by D.

1 clove garlic
1 onion
1 stalk celery
1 tbsp olive oil
300g sprouts
1 pint veg stock
100g Stilton or similar blue cheese

Mince garlic, finely chop onion and celery.  Fry in oil gently for a few minutes, then add cleaned, halved sprouts and stock.  Ensure stock covers veg.  Simmer for around 20 minutes. 

Crumble in Stilton and stir for a couple of minutes.  Blend.  Check seasoning.  Serve with fresh, crusty baguette.

Posted in Olive Oil, Stilton, Celery, Soup, Onion, Garlic, Recipe | Print | 1 Comment »

31/01/2010 by D.

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion
1 clove garlic
10 mushrooms
1 mug pearl barley
1 pint chicken or veg stock
juice of half a lemon
small bunch parsley
1 cup greek yoghurt
1 tomato
1 cup grated cheddar

This is a bit like a baked risotto, made with pearl barley instead of rice.  It is less intensive and more forgiving than making a risotto as you don’t have to permanently stir it.

Finely chop the onion and crush the garlic.  Clean the mushrooms and slice.  Wash and chop the parsley.

Fry the onion and garlic gently in the oil, then add the barley and stir for a couple of minutes.  Add about a third of the stock and leave to simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the mushrooms and lemon juice.

Continue to stir and add stock until the barley is tender (it will still remain slightly chewy).  The barley should be plump and there should be some liquid, but it won’t get stodgy like a risotto.  The whole process takes around 40 minutes.  Add the parsley, check for seasoning and adjust as necessary.

Heat the oven to 200c.  Wash and thinly slice the tomato.  Pour the mixture into an oven proof dish, cover with the yoghurt as a thin layer, top with a layer of the sliced tomato, then sprinkle the cheese on top of that.  Bake for around 20 minutes until the cheese has browned.

Serve with a fresh mixed salad.

This is a lovely, tangy, chewy, mushroomy supper dish.  It is good reheated for lunches too.

Posted in Yoghurt, Stock, Cheese, Olive Oil, Supper, Pearl Barley, Parsley, Garlic, Recipe, Toddler, Onion, Vegetarian, Mushroom, Lemon, Weaning | Print | No Comments »

19/01/2010 by D.

This is my take on the delicious Moro omelettes.  Apart from the hour macerating the courgettes, it is a very quick supper to make.

Filling:
4 courgettes, finely sliced and mixed with 1/2 tsp salt (and left for 1 hour)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lightly toasted pinenuts
1 bunch parsley, chopped

Omelette mixture:
6 eggs
2 tbsp milk
100g butter
1 tbsp olive oil

Prepare the courgettes, toast pinenuts and chop parsley.

Whisk together the eggs and milk to make the omelette mixture.  Put a plate in the oven to warm.

Squeeze the water out of the courgettes, heat the oil and fry courgettes and garlic for 5 - 10 mins until soft.  Mix in parsely and pinenuts, season with pepper and keep warm.

You are going to make four omelettes with this mixture.  Use a small frying pan, heat some butter and oil until really hot.  Swirl a quarter of the egg mixture into a thin layer over the bottom, then spoon in a line of the courgette mixture (again, use a quarter of the mixture).  Roll the omelette into a fat sausage and slide onto warmed plate.  Repeat 3 times.

Serve with sumac sprinkled on top.

These are so nice, a really cheap, but extraordinarily tasty supper.  Lovely with a plain green salad tossed with a bit of oil and vinegar.  And popular with both the toddler and the baby, so a good family meal too.

Posted in Milk, Butter, Courgette, Olive Oil, Sumac, Pinenuts, Eggs, Recipe, Toddler, Vegetarian, Garlic, Parsley, Weaning | Print | No Comments »