08/10/2011 by M P.

A bumper (and belated) August Holidays edition.

 Menemen…it’s Turkish and Tasty

apo-kale-ipse now..   not bad for the bad-boy-of-the-bag: kale and potato soup  

For those of you scrutinising the contents of the bags as we go by - the tattie tally:  

10th August 

Fruit: Victoria Plums, Galia Melon, lemon, apples, bananas

Vegetables: onions, Charlotte potatoes, Sweet Bite peppers, courgettes, carrots, tomatoes, mushrooms

Short and sweet…the sweet bite peppers lived up to their name. I’ll look out for them in future.

17^th August

Fruit: lemons, Discovery apples, nectarines, Jubilee plums, bananas

Vegetables: carrots, cucumber, red onions, Nicola potatoes, cauliflower, salad bag, spinach, round beans

24th August 

(AbsentWithLeave) 

31st August

Fruit: pears, apples, lemoon(or lemon, it was quite a large one though), grapes, Laxton Cropper plums

Vegetables: salad bag, kale, plum tomatoes, red onions, carrots, courgette, sweetcorn cobs, Charlotte potatoes, green pepper

Posted in Onion, Organic Box | Print | No Comments »

20/02/2011 by D.

2 tbsp olive oil
2 lamb shanks
4 carrots
4 potatoes
2 onions
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp coriander seed
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tin chickpeas
1 tin tomatoes
500g couscous

Preheat oven to 150c.  Peel and chop the carrots, potatoes, onions and garlic.  Heat the oil in a heavy pan (or hob and oven proof dish) and brown the shanks on all sides.  Remove the shanks, and add the veg to the pan and brown a little for a few minutes.  Add the ground spices.  Give it a good stir, then add the chickpeas, salt and tomatoes.  Deglaze the bottom of the pan with some water or wine.

Tip the veg mixture into a casserole dish and nestle in the shanks.  Top up with water so that liquid comes within a centimeter of the top.  Put the lid on and cook it for 3 hours, until the meat is very tender.

With about 30 mins to go, rinse the couscous, and place in a fine metal sieve over a pan of gently boiling water, with a lid on top (or in a steamer, should you have such a thing).

Test the shanks for softness and seasoning.  Fluff through the couscous and add a little butter or olive oil.

Serve with some Harissa and a fresh green salad.

Posted in Cumin, Coriander, Chickpeas, Couscous, Supper, Lamb, Potato, Carrot, Onion, Garlic, Recipe | Print | No Comments »

02/02/2011 by D.

2 sweet potatoes
1 large onion
1 tsp olive oil
2 tsp coriander seed (or ground)
1/2 pint chicken (or veg) stock
1/2 chilli (optional)

Bake the sweet potatoes whole at 180 degrees for 40 mins or until soft.  Cut in half and scoop or squeeze out cooked flesh.  Discard the skins.  Grind the coriander in a pestle and mortar.

Peel and finely chop onion.  Gently fry the onion in a saucepan, then add the coriander.  Stir for a moment, then add the sweet potato and stock.  Add chilli, if using.

Leave to simmer for 30 mins then blend.  Check seasoning before serving with crusty rolls and butter.

Posted in Stock, Coriander, Sweet potato, Soup, Onion, Vegetarian, Recipe | Print | No Comments »

23/12/2010 by D.

1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
3 cups lentils (I use a mixture of white urid dal, orange dal and puy lentils)
1 tin chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
1 litre chicken (or veg) stock
15 dried apricots (chopped)
juice 1/2 lemon
1 tsp honey
2 tsp Ras El Hanout (Morrocan spice mix)
1 tsp salt

Chop onion and crush garlic.  Fry them in a big pot with a the olive oil for a minute or two.  Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to boil.

Boil for around an hour until everything is tender, adding more stock or water as necessary.  It should be a fairly thick soup.  Check the seasoning before serving with hunks of buttered, crusty bread.

Posted in Urid dal, Soup, Dried Apricot, Chickpeas, Ras El Hanout, Garlic, Lemon, Recipe, Onion, Lentil, Vegetarian, Organic Box | Print | No Comments »