Celia Brooks SuperVeg and Baked Mexican Eggs

Yesterday, I spent much of it in the garden greenhouse up-potting vegetable plants, whilst D made wigwam frames for climbing beans and peas.  I have said it before and I will say it again that we are very fortunate to have a garden in these challenging times, as many people do not have this outdoor green space.

I will share progress in the vegetable garden plot tomorrow, today I want to share what I made for brunch a few weeks back with what I had in the house - Baked Mexican Eggs. 

We don't normally have a cooked breakfast during the working week, often only munching on a oatmeal flapjack.  Cooked vegetarian breakfast is reserved for weekends, but since the lockdown and working from the safety of our homes, we have been having breakfast, or rather brunch quite a lot.  

The recipe for these Baked Mexican Eggs comes from Celia Brooks, but don't ask me which cookbook - I can't remember as I have all 9 of them - Yes, I am a fan. I think it may be Entertaining Vegetarians also called Vegetarian Party Food. 

The eggs are baked into a tortilla, beneath the egg either harissa or chipotles in adobo is smeared. The cracked egg is then topped with grated cheese and spring onions, with a little dusting of paprika.  These are really good and I recommend them.

Those of you who read my blog, may remember the name Celia Brooks.  She is one of my favourite vegetarian food writers and chefs. I have featured many of her recipes on my blog over the years from Rhubarb Lentil Curry  and Avocado Soup with Tortilla Cheese Topping .  See bottom of blog post for further recipes.

Her last cookbook is called SuperVeg:  Over 100 Recipes Celebrating the Joy and Power of the 25 Healthiest Vegetables on the Planet.

Dandelion Honey Mustard Glazed Turnips and Other Vegetables

This is another dish I made early last month when I picked up some local seasonal vegetables from a farmers market, one of which was turnips.  I did not just want to chop and boil the turnip chunks and serve it as a side dish. I wanted to do more with it.  It was then I remembered I had bookmarked a recipe from Sarah Beattie's Neither Fish Nor Fowl, I looked up the recipe and was inspired by it, but instead of honey which is used in the original recipe,  I decided to make the mustard glaze with Dandelion 'honey'.  

Some of you may remember that a generous work colleague had given me some jars of her homemade Dandelion Honey which accidentally happened to be suitable for vegans. 

The dandelion honey was not the only change I made.  I wanted to make more of a meal of the turnip, so I stirred in some sliced new potatoes and cooked shredded cabbage.  It was delicious. The sweetness of the dandelion honey mustard glaze mellowed that strong distinct turnip taste.  

I have made lots of recipes from Sarah Beattie and written about her on my blog before - please see here.  I love her recipes and its hard for me to choose one, so I choose one that is quite season right now - the parsnip and here is a link to her vegan Tamarind Parsnip Curry that I made and she was kind to grant me permission to share the recipe on my blog with you all, but I recommend the . 

I am sharing this with Healthy Vegan Fridays hosted by Rock My Vegan Socks and V Nutrition.

Polenta 'Doughnut' with Puy Lentil Cabbage

Ah the polenta 'doughnut'... I have used it as a cunning ploy to grab your culinary attention!  Ha ha.

Other than cutting it in a circle and then a hole in the middle, its really just pan-fried firm polenta.

What really matters here is the way I have cooked the cabbage with puy lentils.  Its simple, but its a really good accompaniment.  I should know as I've featured its at least twice on my blog, see here and here.

Puy Lentil Cabbage
Serves 2 (can easily be doubled)
Ingredients
60g puy lentils
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
½ Savoy cabbage or other green cabbage, core removed, shredded or sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Cook the lentils in water until tender. Drain and set aside.
Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the garlic and fry for a few seconds, then add in the cabbage and season to taste. Put the lid on and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently until the cabbage is tender. Then stir in the puy lentils.
Keep the heat low to keep warm and make the pan fried polenta. Serve as soon as the polenta is ready.  Its equally good with potatoes, or stirred into some plain white rice.

Quinoa Cabbage Rolls

The past two months or so, I have been relying on public transport to get me to and fro work as D has had the car driving back and fro to Essex to be with his mother. The past two weeks he has been home with me in Snowy Scotland, so I have had access to the car. However, due to the amount of snow - weather forecasters described the roads in the Central Belt of Scotland as treacherous and dangerous to drive on, so driving in these conditions was best avoided. I continued with public transport (both train and bus).

On Monday, I got into work, looking almost like the abominable snow-woman, my purple coat turned white by the sudden flurry of falling snow. I stepped into the foyer and shook like a dog shaking off excess rain water from its fur. Getting home on Monday was such a nuisance, unlike some of my colleagues who got stuck on roads described in the local and national news as 'gridlocked’ (where no vehicles, including buses were moving). I managed to walk to the city centre. It took me about an hour treading slowly through the snow. When I got to the train station, the train was cancelled. It was 2 hours later when one came and I was back in the warmth of my home. (I was one of the fortunate ones who got home that evening, many were stuck on the snowbound roads). The past three days have been similar..transport links cancelled, or heavily delayed and me with many others trudging in the snow to get to work then home. This morning with the roads slightly clear from snow, D decided he was going to drive me into work, but when we got into the car the battery was flat. We have no friends living near by, so no one could help us with jump leads to start the car. We don’t have home start on the car insurance, so we will have to pay a vehicle repair centre to get us moving again. Anyway, I left the car worries to D and walked down to the train station again…to play ground hog day with the bleak travelling conditions.

The ice and snowy weather looks like it here to stay for a while. Right now though, I just want to say Thank goodness for the weekend.
This dish looks much better served on the plate than it appears here. Tucked beneath the deep red tomato vegetable sauce are bundles of green. A bit like a treasure chest covered green in moss and seaweed, once open it inside you will find edible beads that will delight and surprise your taste buds. I am not a devotee of quinoa, but even I have to put my hands up and say that the quinoa chickpea filling in these cabbage parcels was surprisingly tasty, elevated by the salty-stringiness of the melting Gruyere cheese.
I don’t usually have problems wrapping lettuce, cabbage or Swiss chard leaves around vegetable or grain fillings, but for some reason I was feeling rather incompetent at this task. I seemed to have cut off more of the stalk than necessary, as the filling was not well contained and easing out a little. My attitude was a little non fussed and forgiving really. I thought what the heck, I was only feeding D. Funny how once upon a time you do your utmost to win the heart of the person you want through ‘the aesthetics of good food’ but then when you've trapped them under your spell (and won their heart so to speak), its not so much about presentation, but about sustenance and taste. Quinoa Cabbage Rolls
Serves 4

Ingredients

4 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely sliced
2 sticks celery, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
100g chestnut mushrooms, finely sliced
100g quinoa
400ml vegetable stock
100g cooked chickpeas
1 large Savoy cabbage
1 x 400g tinned tomatoes, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
(Optional) 100g Gruyere cheese, grated

Method
Heat the oil in a pan. Add onion, celery, carrots and garlic. Cook over a medium heat until softened. Set aside half of the mix in a bowl. Then add the chestnut mushrooms to the pan and cook for a few minutes. Add the quinoa and cook for a minute, stirring all the time. Pour in the stock and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 20 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the quinoa is tender. Once cooked, adjust seasoning if necessary and stir in the chickpeas.
Fill a large pan of water, add a pinch of salt and bring to the boil. Using a small knife, carefully remove the core from the cabbage, peel away 8 – 12 leaves and cook in boiling water for 5 minutes or until softened. Drain.
Remove the tough centre stalks for each leaf, and lay the leaves on a work surface, vein side down. Place approximately 2 heaped tablespoons of quinoa mix on one half and the leaf, and roll up, folding the sides in as you form a parcel. The size of the leaves will differ so fill and wrap accordingly. Place in a large ovenproof (casserole) dish, seam side down.
Return the softened vegetables that were set aside to a clean pan and add the chopped tomatoes and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until reduced by half. Pour over the stuffed cabbage leaves, cover with lid or foil and cook in the oven Gas Mark 4 until tender, about 40 minutes. Serve hot, sprinkled with Gruyere cheese. Adapted slightly from Maria Elia The Modern Vegetarian.

A vegan North AfricanTagine

When people think of Moroccan tagines or tajines, they generally associate them to be made with Summer vegetables that echo of Mediterranean holidays or Autumnal vegetables, such as this one I made last year. However, this version includes a vegetable associated with cold wintery nights, the Savoy cabbage. I came across this vegan version of the Tagine recipe, whilst looking for inspiring ways to enjoy eating the seasonal Savoy cabbage.
I know the green wrinkly Savoy cabbage in a tagine may not sound as appealing as golden nuggets of butternut squash, but trust me this really works. And please, please don’t be put off by the long list of ingredients, they do all compliment each other. Another thing, please don't think this recipe is not for you just because you don't have a tagine. Although a tagine would be good, it is not necessary. You can still make this at home tagine-style, I often do.

This tagine is neither too sweet or spicy, until of course you top it with harissa and then your tongue is transported for a few moments to another place, but taken with a spoonful of sweet delicate couscous the flavours are mellowed.
This recipe comes from one of my well thumbed cookbooks New Food for Thought by Jane Noraika. Food for Thought is a vegetarian restaurant in Covent Garden that I have yet to frequent should I find myself in London again, but I have been fortunate to try out some of the recipes in the comfort of my home. The book does not have any photographs, this may hinder some people from picking it up, but not me. I like the ‘down to earth’ homely appeal of the recipes. What I also like about this particular book was it makes an occasion of the meal with recommended accompaniments, many of the other cookbooks I have at home fail to do this and you are left wondering what else to put on the plate so it is a proper meal.

The creative people at Food for Thought restaurant have kindly granted me permission to reproduce the original recipe on my blog. I would like to Thank them, especially Vanessa Garrett for permitting me to share it with you all. Please enjoy making this recipe in your home too.
Marrakesh Tagine with Harissa sauce and almond flecked couscous
Serve 4 – 6
Ingredients
2 tablespoons oil
½ red onion, thinly sliced
½ white onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoon cumin seeds, lightly roasted and ground
2 teaspoons coriander seeds, lightly roasted and ground
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 fresh red chilli, finely chopped
2 x 400g tin tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato puree
50g dried apricots, cut into strips
25g raisins
75g black olives, pitted
1 x 400g tin chickpeas,
1 large potato, cut into wedges
225g carrots, cut into rounds (I used home grown baby carrots)
½ medium Savoy cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
Handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
Handful of fresh coriander, finely chopped
Method
Place the oil in a large saucepan with the onions, all the spices and the chilli. Cook gently until the onion is soft. Add the tinned tomatoes and tomato puree and cook for a further 10 minutes. Add the apricots, raisins, olives and potato wedges. Continue cooking until the potato is tender.
Cook carrots in boiling salted water until tender. Drain.
Heat a little oil in a large pan and stir fry the cabbage until it just starts to go limp.
Combine all the vegetables and chickpea with the sauce. Gently bring to the boil and stir in the fresh herbs. Serve immediately with Harissa and couscous

For the Harissa
Ingredients
3 large fresh red chillies
1 clove garlic
2 teaspoons coriander seeds, roasted and ground
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, roasted and ground
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon tomato puree
Pinch of salt
Method
Place the whole chillies in a frying pan without any oil. On a gently heat, dry until the skin begins to blacken and blister. Remove from the heat, allow to cook, then de-seed. Wash your hands immediately afterwards. (I have to admit, because I was impatient, I just added the whole chilli, yes seeds included to the food processor).
Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.
Transfer the harissa to a jar with a lid. It will keep for 2 – 3 weeks in the fridge.
Serve with couscous and preserved lemons if you have some.

Almond flecked couscous

Ingredients

50g sultanas

100g couscous

50g flaked almonds

Juice 1/2 lemon

50g flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

salt and pepper

Method

Cover the sultanas with boiling water and leave to become plump. Drain.

Add enough water to the couscous so that the grains are just moist.

Place the almonds in a frying pan and dry fry until golden.

Fluff up the couscous and gently stir in all the ingredients. Season to taste.

The original recipe has some melted butter added to it, but I have to admit I omitted this as I thought there would be enough moisture and flavour from all the other components.

Savoy cabbage, lentils with veggie sausages

Since coming back from Essex, England the weather in Scotland has dramatically changed. In fact you could visibly see the difference on your drive up. It is certainly not autumn here anymore, but edging very quickly towards winter. The orange, gold and red leaves are no longer clinging for dear life to the trees. Instead the trees are being stripped naked by the strong gush of wind exposing their twiggy branches. To make things miserable, the rain is just coming down so hard that the droplets felt more like bursting water balloons being thrown at me by some mischievous kid. This was making me feel damp and grumpy.

When I got home yesterday, I decided I wanted something rustic, warming and comforting on the plate. In my veg basket I had some carrots and Savoy cabbage; from the store cupboard some lentils and from the freezer, some vegetarian sausages. Yes I did say say vegetarian sausages in the freezer – picked up by D at some point and thrown into the freezer by me.
The recipe looks like it would take an hour or so to make, but honestly this took me just over 30 minutes. I do however think this dish could benefit from being made in advance for the flavours to infuse more, but for a quick after work meal it was very satisfying.

The carrots not only added colour to what could have otherwise been a boring looking dish, but also sweetness. The Savoy cabbage ribbed texture. The lentils bite and the sausages, well substance. Please don’t laugh at the sliced sausages. Due to the poor lighting in the evenings now, I got D to take a picture of the dish today and I do not know what possessed him to slice the sausages in this manner. Yesterday evening the dish was oozing with gravy which made it great served with mashed potatoes. This dish actually reminded me s little of the vegetarian sausages with puy lentils and black cabbage I made last year, just not as intense in flavour.
Savoy Cabbage, lentils with veggie Sausages
Serves 4 - 6
Ingredients2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely sliced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
160g Puy, green or brown lentils, rinsed
1 small or ½ large Savoy cabbage. Core removed, then chopped and sliced
2 carrots, grated
(Optional) 1 tablespoon mushroom ketchup or Vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
2 pints of vegetable stock
Salt and black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon dried thyme or rosemary
MethodHeat a large pot and put in the olive oil. Put in chopped onions and garlic. Cook until slightly brown. .
Add in Puy lentils and dried herbs. Stir well to mix. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Then, put the lid on and turn to medium heat. Cook this for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a pan, fry the sausages according to packet instructions.
After 15 minutes, add in the Savoy cabbage and the grated carrots to the simmering pot. Stir and mix well. When the sausages are cooked, put them into the pot, season to taste and stir with the rest of the ingredients. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until Savoy cabbage is tender. Serve over mashed potatoes. Idea inspired by this recipe.

Braised Savoy cabbage Pilau with puy lentils

I’ve made and blogged about this dish before. I remember really enjoying the nuttiness and bite of the lentils and the texture of the braised cabbage. So I decided to make it again with one of the Savoy cabbages we picked up on Sunday.

This time though I found the flavour of the Savoy cabbage a little bitter. Still it was rather nice, especially the lentils releasing that earthy nutty flavour.
This dish is good at room temperature. I deliberately decided to cook enough for 4 people. As the leftovers were going to be taken into work for lunch the following day.

Optional: It’s a lovely and moist dish, but you could serve with Soured cream, Greek or natural yogurt if you so wish.
Braised savoy cabbage Pilau with lentils
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 pint/550ml vegetable stock made with 1 teaspoon of vegetable stock powder
200g of uncooked Basmati rice, washed
100g puy lentils or brown or green lentils, washed
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 medium onion finely slices
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
A small Savoy cabbage or ½ large one thinly slices, outer leaves discarded and core cut out
100ml of water
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
For the rice
In a saucepan, bring the vegetable stock to a boil. Add rice, the lentils and salt. Bring to a boil. The turn the heat low and cover the pan and cook for 25 – 30 minutes. Do not lift lid or stir during this time, as this will turn it to risotto consistency, rather than soft fluffy rice.
In the last 5 minutes, lift lid, give it a stir and check if the rice and lentils are tender and the stock has been absorbed. Give it a few more minutes if it still has some stock. When the stock has been absorbed, turn off heat.
For the braised cabbage
While the pilau cooks, start the cabbage. In a large frying pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute the onions, stirring frequently until they have softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, the cabbage, water and season to taste. Cover the pan and let the cabbage cook for 10 minutes, checking from time to time, to make sure the pan is not scorching. Remove the lid, and let the cabbage cook for a further 15 minutes or so over medium heat, stirring every five minutes until the water has disappeared and cabbage looks glossy. Turn off heat. Stir the braised cabbage into the rice, season with salt and pepper to taste and serve. Adapted from Didi Eammons Vegetarian Planet.

Savoy cabbage ‘polenta bites’ in a sage butter sauce

You know I want to say its officially autumn, my favourite season. But like the one week of summer enjoyed in Scotland, I have a feeling some of us living in Scotland may miss out on Autumn completely (okay I am exaggerating), but it does look like we’ve skipped straight into winter. Seriously, the monsoon like conditions have been a feature in Scotland now for the past three years. Instead of seeing soft, golden crisp autumnal leaves slowly being shaken of trees and floating to the ground romantically, you get high gusts of wind shaking the branches vigorously, so when the leaves fall, they just become a slippery nuisance - well that’s how it feels right now.

The past few days in the land of WoS have just seen torrential rain. Its grey when I leave home for work and grey when I get back home. At work I look outside of my off window, wanting to go out at lunch for a walk and some fresh air, but am confined to the building watching the rain spank down on the windows from all direction. It is also starting to get cold and its making me miserable that I just don’t want to get out of my bed in the mornings. Ah sometimes I just wish I had enough money to retire and just become a lady of leisure. Keep dreaming woman.
This recipe for 'polenta bites' came about as I had a huge mound of savoy cabbage polenta left over from my last meal. Just imagine polenta gnocchi in a buttery sauce. If I had been more organised yesterday, I would have poured the remaining savoy polenta into a small baking tin to set, so that the pieces could be cut into more uniform shapes, but no today it was a cold grainy slab. But not too worry, with a little thought it would be warm and on our plates.
Actually I think I like the rustic presentation of these 'polenta bites' and it was rather delicious too.

Savoy cabbage ‘polenta bites’ in a sage butter sauce
See savoy cabbage recipe here.
With the left overs that had hardened and become solid, I just cut them up in roughly even size shapes. I placed them on a lightly oiled baking tin and put them in the oven on a moderate high heat just to warm through for 10 minutes. Whilst the polenta is warming though, I made the sage butter sauce.
For the sage butter sauce

For 2

Ingredients
60g Butter
2 tablespoon Olive oil
2 - 3 Garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
6 - 8 Sage leaves(from the garden), some minced, some kept whole
Salt and pepper
Optional cheese for grating
To make the sage butter sauce, fry the garlic in oil and butter until tender and gold. Add the sage and stir for a minute or so, until fragrant.
Place the polenta bites onto warm serving bowls. Ladle the sage sauce over it evenly. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately, passing the optional grated cheese around.

Savoy Polenta with a Smoky chickpea sauce

Its been raining non-stop today
So this big plate of polenta and smoky chickpea sauce was a warming and comforting dish to sit down to late this evening.

If you don’t like the headiness of smoked paprika, you can just use ordinary paprika.
For the savoy polenta
Serves 4
Ingredients

350g shredded savoy cabbage
350g quick cooking polenta
30g butter optional
To serve, optional freshly grated pecorino or vegan alternative.
Method for the polenta
Bring 2 3/4 pints water to a boil in large pan. Add the cabbage and salt and bring back to the boil. Now pour in the polenta in a slow, steady stream, stirring as you do so. Cook for as long as required – it should be 1 to 5 minutes, then stir in optional butter. Taste and adjust seasoning. As soon as it is done, scrape out into warm serving bowls.
Smoky chickpea sauce
Serves 4 - 6
Ingredients
1 onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons (smoked) paprika
1 sprig of rosemary
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 – x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
1 x 400g tin chickpeas
Salt and pepper to taste
Method for the chickpea sauce
To make the sauce, fry the onion and garlic in oil until tender. Sprinkle over the paprika, add the rosemary and half of the parsley and stir for a few seconds. Now add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and simmer gently for 30 – 60 minutes, the thicker the sauce the better. Now mix in the chickpeas and simmer for a further 10 minutes, then turn off. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Reheat when ready to serve. Ladle the sauce over it, and scatter with the last of the parsley. Serve immediately, passing the optional grated cheese around. Slightly adapted from Sophie Grigson's Country Kitchen

Stir fried Savoy cabbage with chilli and ginger

Compared to our previous Saturdays, today has been a relatively quiet day. We visited a different farmers market (about 8 stalls) just on the outskirts of Glasgow where I picked up a loaf of walnut bread, Arran Blue cheese, a green cabbage and some dirty carrots. I was a little disappointed with the gruff response of one of the stall holders when I asked him some questions about the provenance of the vegetables. I dare not ask him the variety.

Anyway, after our visit here. We decided to pop over to another farmers market as this one did not have any free range eggs. When we got to there. There was no farmers market at all. Perhaps I got the dates mixed up. But this did not matter, as the drive was worth it as I stumbled upon yet more 'wild garlic' growing on the roadside. I leaped out as it started to rain and managed to grab a generous bunch. Enough for a couple of meals later this week

Posh Vegetarian nosh with... cabbage

The glorious cabbage - another humble vegetable that is disliked by people up and down the nation. Like the cauliflower yesterday, this cabbage was also grown in Lincolnshire, England.

So what was I going to with this Savoy Cabbage - the King of cabbages? I decided on doing something that would not be too labouring, after all it's Friday evening and I don't want to be in the kitchen all evening. I decided on cooking the cabbage simply with garlic and pine nuts, and this was the final result.

This pretty plate of food had slices of roast potatoes, veggie pie and cabbage with garlic and pine nuts. It really was simple and actually quite delicious. Both the garlic and the pine nuts gave the cabbage a sweetness, to counter that bitterness you often get with winter cabbages.

Cabbage with garlic and pine nuts

Ingredients

1 small cabbage, sliced thinly

6 cloves of garlic, sliced
4 tablespoons of olive oil

2 tablespoons of pine nuts

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Roast pine nuts in oven for 5 minutes, until slightly brown. Remove from oven and leave to cool.

Steam cabbage, until cooked. Drain and leave to cool.

In a large frying pan heat oil with garlic until infused. Then add cabbage stir well to coat in oil and cook for a few minutes until it is warmed through. Add seasoning to taste, along with pine nuts and stir well before serving.

I think next time, I may even use the cabbage cooked this way stirred into pasta. Now that's a thought.

Nutty lentils and braised cabbage pilau

Over the working week, we've consumed the kale, sprouts and parsnips. I am keeping the leeks back for Sundays Burns Supper cock o leekie soup. I have to think a bit more what I want to do with the jerusalem artichokes. But tonight is the turn of the cabbage and here it is - Nutty lentils and braised cabbage pilau.

This dish does not take long, about 45 minutes including preparation. So I think its a good one to keep in mind for after work suppers. Its simple, heart warming food especially on a day like today with the rain being as cold as ice. I think snow is forecast for the weekend. Another short visit to the allotment...

I really like the nuttiness of the lentils and the texture of the cabbage. To make more of a meal of this dish, I sometimes like to serve alongside the the Pilau natural yogurt with grated carrots stirred through it. You could call it carrot tzaki if you wish. Please try this dish at least once. It’s another way to eat and enjoy winter cabbage.

Nutty lentils and braised cabbage Pilau
Serves 4
Start of with the rice
Ingredients
1 pint/550ml vegetable stock made with 1 teaspoon of vegetable stock powder
200g of uncooked rice, washed
100g dried brown or green lentils, washed
½ teaspoon salt to taste
1 teaspoon tarragon or ½ dried tarragon
Salt and pepper to taste

Braised cabbage
2 tablespoons of olive oil (not extra virgin)
1 medium onion finely slices
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
A small Savoy cabbage thinly slices, outer leaves discarded and core cut out
100ml of water
Salt and pepper to taste

In a saucepan, bring the vegetable stock to a boil. Add rice, the lentils, salt and tarragon. Bring to a boil. The turn the heat low and cover the pan and cook for 25 – 30 minutes. Do not lift lid or stir during this time, as this will turn it to risotto consistency, rather than soft fluffy rice.

In the last 5 minutes, lift lid, give it a stir and check if the rice and lentils are tender and the stock has been absorbed. Give it a few more minutes if it still has some stock. When the stock has been absorbed, turn off heat.

While the pilau cooks, start the cabbage. In a large frying pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute the onions, stirring frequently until they have softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, the cabbage, water and salt and pepper. Cover the pan and let the cabbage cook for 10 minutes, checking from time to time, to make sure the pan is not scorching. Remove the lid, and let the cabbage cook for a further 15 minutes or so over medium heat, stirring every five minutes until the water has disappeared and cabbage looks glossy. Turn off heat

Stir the braised cabbage into the rice, season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Not the prettiest looking cabbage

It is really windy here and it's been raining non-stop all weekend. We paid the allotment a quick short, weekend visit and picked a cabbage for tonights meal.

It's not the prettiest looking cabbage you'll see, it's a bit wind burned too. But looks aren't everything, this cabbage will be transformed into little bubble and squeak cakes to warm the insides of our bellies. Just what we need on a cold, windy and rainy day.
From sulking cabbage to individual bubble and squeak cakes. They look pretty good.

Winter digging - I now know why!

We went over to the allotment today for a few hours to do some digging, but the soil was hard from the frost to penetrate, so we focused our attention on cleaning Hut 45.

The allotment is not looking so pretty, but it is still producing - we still have brussel sprouts, jerusalem artichokes, rainbow swiss chard, beetroot, parsnip, carrots, curly kale,purple sprouting broccoli and cabbage, I can't remember whether its January King or Savoy, anyway these are still growing.

I picked a cabbage for todays meal, and some curly kale leaves and enough sprouts for a meal for two later in the week.

This photo above is of the meal I cooked from the cabbage. Cabbage dolmades stuffed with spicy yellow lentils served with plain white basmati rice. It's a bit labout intensive, but the result was delicious.