Cumin-Roasted Root Vegetables with Pearl Barley

We are due to be driving down South on New Years eve.  This wasn't planned, but welcomed by both our families.  Our first stop will be with my parents in Wales.  Whilst there we will be checking out our new rental accommodation and signing the lease to move in etc.  After that, it onwards to D's mothers, then back up to Scotland to make plans of our official home move.  

In an effort to use up fresh vegetables left over from Christmas (minus the sprouts) I decided to roast some root vegetables and garlic  in cumin seeds.  The combining of the root veg with the pearl barley was quite accidental, as my Basmati rice and Brown rice containers are bordering on empty.  So it was between couscous, to which D wrinkled his face or pearl barley. which also didn't get a good reaction - but that wasn't to last as his first mouthful saw him give the thumbs up. Although he did add it was a tad dry, to which I responded by placing a tub of soured cream on the side.  It was a good compliment to the roasted root veg.

I actually felt positively healthy eating this, a good sign for post Christmas. 

If you have any left, it will be absolutely fine to eat at room temperature too. Just think of it as a Winter Root Veg Barley Salad.

Cumin-Roasted Root Vegetable with Pearl Barley
Serve with soured cream..
Serves 4
200g pearl barley, cooked
1 tablespoon olive oil
Pinch of salt
Method
Cook the pearl barley in water according to packet instructions, when cooked, drain.  Add salt and oil and combine.  Set aside until required.

For the Cumin-Roasted Root Vegetables

1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced

1 medium swede,
3 – 4 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 – 3 parsnips, peeled and sliced
1 bulb garlic, halved
1 tablespoon cumin seeds, whole
1 teaspoon red chilli flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
200ml vegetable stock
Fresh coriander or parsley for garnishing.
Serve with optional : soured cream
Method
Preheat oven to gas mark 6.
In a large bowl, combine all the vegetables and spices and then drizzle on the olive oil.  Mix well, then tip onto a large tray and bake in the oven for 20 minutes for the vegetables to caramelise, stirring from time to time.  After 20 minutes, pour in the vegetable stock, stir and return to the oven for 10-15 minutes until the stock has reduced.  Remove from the oven and stir in the cooked pearl barley, return to the oven for a further 5 minutes.  Then serve with a garnishing of freshly minced coriander or parsley.

Parsnip potato cakes

Look at this strange twisted specimen I pulled out from the soil over the weekend. In case your wondering what it is, it's actually a parsnip.
To my eyes it looks like a 'dirty' toy soldier wielding some kind of sword. Can you see it? Or am I just looking to hard.

Anyway, I made these parsnip potato cakes. I have made them many times before. So knew they would go down well and be good after work food, plus it's very seasonal.
Normally I serve these with garlicky borlotti beans, but today it was with the remainder of the white beans.
Parsnip and potato cakes
340g potatoes, cooked and mashed
340g parsnips, cooked and mashed
1 clove of garlic, crushed or finely minced
2 tablespoons of freshly chopped, coriander (or parsley)
30g cheddar cheese, grated
Salt and pepper for seasoning
Flour for shaping
1 egg, beaten
Dried breadcrumbs
Sunflower oil, for frying
Method
Mix all the mashed vegetables together in a bowl, add the herbs, garlic and cheese, season to taste with salt and pepper and mix well. Divide into 8 even- sized pieces with floured hands, shape into round cakes. Chill. Dip the cakes first into the beaten egg, then coat evenly with breadcrumbs. Chill until ready to eat. Heat enough oil in a frying pan to come up halfway up the parsnip cakes. Fry the cakes on both sides until golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper. To keep warm put in oven at low temperature. Adapted from Leiths Vegetarian Bible.

Winter harvest

I don't want you thinking that a little bit of rain would stop me from venturing to the allotment. So this is the first thing I did this morning while it was still dry. And I am so glad I did.
Look at my winter harvest.
Wow - leeks, kale, cabbage, sprouts, turnips, jerusalem artichokes and parsnips.
Winter roast vegetables for dinner - what do you think?

We dug up some fuseau jerusalem arichokes, pulled out some musselburgh leeks and tender and true parsnips. I also picked some more dwarf curly kale, brussel sprouts and a cabbage. Nestling in the cabbage plot I also found some bonus veg, that I completely forgot I had planted - purple top milan turnips.

We also took a wander over to Ds Plot 11. His plot is not looking so good. Other than being a permanent mud slide. His green house panes have come out, pots were all over the place and part of his fencing has come down. When the winds picks up, chances are the damage will become much worse. He will be lucky if that greenhouse makes it in one piece.

I am so glad we went to the allotment when we did, as by the afternoon it was snowing. But an hour or so later a rainbow came out. Ah Nature.