Rice and pearl barley stew

This is a very nutrious stew which will give you plenty of energy!

Serve 4-6

100g pearl barley
100g brown rice
450g chard
1 TBSP olive oil
1 onion
800g chopped tomatoes (cans OK)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp herbes de Provence
1 litre vegetable stock
400g mixed sprouted seeds
2 TBSP chopped parsley
freshly cracked black pepper
1 TBSP Parmesan to sprinkle

1. Cook the barley and rice in simmering water for 30-35 minutes until cooked. Drain and set aside.

2. Cut the hard stems of the chard and chop. Shred the leaves.

3. Heat the oil and fry the onion for 2-3 minutes. Add the chard stems and cook for 5 minutes.Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme and herbs. Cook for a further 5 minutes.

4. Add the shredded leaves and vegetable stock and simmer for 20 minutes.

5. Stir in the sprouting seeds, barly and rice and cook for another 10 minutes.

6. Serve into warm bowls and sprinkle Parmesan, parsley and black pepper.

Rice and beans

For our Cuban party yesterday, I made rice & beans.


Serves 6-8 people:

500g long grain white rice
250g black turtle beans (soak overnight)
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, diced
2 tsp chilli powder
1 TBSP coriander
vegetable oil
salt

1. Boil the beans for 45 minutes to an hour, until cooked. Drain.
2. Boil the rice for 10-15 minutes until cooked but firm to the bite. Drain.
3. Fry 1 TBSP of vegetable oil into a wok or large frying pan and fry the onion until translucid. Add the pepper.
4. Add the rice and beans, spices and herbs.
5. Add anything else you think it is missing!

We had some leftovers with a fried egg for Saturday's lunch:

I actually soaked and cooked 500g of beans. With the half I did not use for the rice & beans, I made burritos. More Mexican than Cuban you may say, but it was very nice!

Curried rice patties with tahini dressing

These are incredibly nice. If you like curry and/or spicy food, this is for you!

Ingredients (Makes 4-6 patties)

70g basmati rice, cooked, drained and rinced
2 TBSP olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp chilli powder
1 red pepper, finely chopped
115g peas
1 small leek, finely chopped
1 tomato, finely chopped
300g canned chick peas (rinsed & drained)
90g fresh bread crumbs
1 TBSP chopped coriander
1 egg, beaten
salt & pepper

For the tahini dressing:

120 ml tahini
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
pinch of cayenne pepper
5 TBSP lemon juice
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
~125ml water

=> this makes a very generous quantity of dressing (see picture). Half of this would be sufficient for us but it depends how much you like tahini.

To make the dressing, process the tahini, garlic, cumin, cayenne and lemon juice in a food processor until creamy. Sloly pour in the oil, then gradually add enough water to make a creamy dressing.

To make the patties:

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the onion and garlic and fry until soft. Stir in the curry and chilli powders and cook for 2 minutes. Add the vegetables and cook for another 7 minutes.

2. Process the chick peas in a food processor. Add half of the cooked vegetables and process again.

3. Transfer to a large bowl and add the remaining vegetable mixture, breadcrumbs, coriander and egg. Mix weel. Stir in the rice and season to taste. Leave to chill for 1 hour.

4. Shape into patties and fry. Serve with vegetables, the tahini dressing and lime wedges.

Lentil and rice casserole

This is one of my favourite winter recipes, which has the advantage of being fairly quick to prepare (less than one hour) and there won't be much washing-up to do afterwards, which is always a bonus!

For 4 people:

250g red lentils
60g wholemeal rice
1.2 L vegetable stock
400g canned or fresh chopped tomatoes
1 smal broccoli, cut into small florets
100g French beans, cut in half
100g baby sweetcorn cobs, cut in half
1 red pepper, sliced
1 leek, sliced
1 TBSP chilli powder
1 TSP garam masala
1 TSP ground cumin
Coriander or parsley

1. Place the lentils, rice and stock in a big saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes.

2. Add all the vegetables and spices and cook for another 15 minutes, until all the veg are tender. Season to taste.

3. Serve into bowl and sprinkle with your favourite herb!



Casserole de lentilles corail et riz :

Pour 4 personnes

250g lentilles corail
60g riz complet
1,2 L bouillon de légumes
400g tomates hachées, conserve ou fraiches
1 petit broccoli, coupés en fleurets
100g haricots verts, coupés en 2
100g mini mais, coupés en 2
1 poivron rouge, coupé en lamelles
1 poireaux, coupé en lamelles
1 c. soupe de piment en poudre
1 c. café garam masala
1 c. café cumin en poudre
coriande ou persil

1. Mettre dans une grosse casserole les lentilles, le riz et le bouillon. Faire bouillir puis cuire pendant 20 minutes en remuant de temps en temps.

2. Ajouter les légumes et épices et faire cuire pendant 15 minutes, jusqu'á ce que les légumes soient bien tendres. Assaisonnez.

3. Servir dans des assiettes creuses et saupourdrer de votre herbe favorite !