Lettuce, Lentil, Bacon and Walnut Salad

Back from camping and after a quick scope round the garden hungry for lunch. Surprisingly some  bacon leftover from camping fry ups and for some pretend healthiness a little salad.

There was only a little lettuce left in the bottom of the salad drawer, not enough to make a proper salad,  so I cooked up some lentils. With a balsamic vinegar dressing dressing and few toasted walnuts. Chicory or fennel would work perfectly in this dish too.

Lettuce Lentil and Bacon and Walnut Salad

Serves two

1/2 head of lettuce
150g of puy lentils
1 stick of celery finely chopped
1 tbsp of chopped parsley
1 bay leaf
2 rashers of bacon
1 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp of walnut pieces

Dressing

2 tbsp of fresh parsley finely chopped
4 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp of honey
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 tsp of mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Cover the lentils, bay leaf & celery with boiling water.
2. Simmer gently for 20minutes , they should still have some bite to them.
3. Once cooked cover with cold water.
4. Chop the bacon,  garlic into slices fry until the bacon is crispy for the last few minutes add the walnuts,
5. Mix together the vinegar , honey, oil , mustard , parsley & salt and pepper,  to make a dressing.
6. Dress the lentils in the dressing
7. Layer the lettuce and lentils in a bowl.
8. Top off the salad with the bacon, garlic and walnuts.

St Georges Mushrooms and Asparagus Risotto

Risotto is one of the most cooked dishes on my blog its just one of those fantastically tasty easy ,quick and delicious dishes . The act of cooking it is also wonderfully therapeutic slow addition of stock with meditative stirring.

Requiring only a few simple ingredients rice and a simple stock In restaurants risotto often includes expensive additions truffles & seafood. However for me  risotto due to its simple ingredients is a   a frugal dish that  doesn’t compromise on taste or quality . Using whatever is  seasonal (or in the fridge) inclucing  Leeks ,Mushroom or Squash ,

Todays to ingredient was the best of all frugal  foraged fungi . I am struggling , having foraged since I was a little kid I have watched it become first fashionable then business then the inevitable backlash.

But I still get a kick out of foraging for my food . Up until a few months ago I lived in a tiny city centre studio flat with no garden . Foraging for me was a great was to get fresh food  catching buses into the country and coming back with a little of natures bounty . Check out my tips for feminine foraging

I only ever take enough wild food  for a meal or two , foraged food goes off
quick . This recipe combines the best foraged St Georges Mushrooms and
seasonal English Asparagus . I dried a lot of St Georges Mushrooms
after gathering them by slicing them and leaving them in a colander
over the radiator

.

St Georges Mushrooms and Asparagus Risotto

200g of risotto rice
4 handfuls of St Georges Mushrooms – finely sliced
200g of English asparagus cut into inch long pieces
1.5 pints of chicken stock – recipe for homemade chicken stock
1 tbsp of butter
1 medium onion finely chopped
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
2 tbsp of grated Parmesan

1. Fry the garlic and onion in the butter ,  but do not allow to colour
2. Add the risotto rice , stir to coat well in the butter for about a minute
3. Add 1/4 of the chicken stock and the dried mushrooms , continuously stir until the liquid is absorbed
4. Add another 1/4 of the stock stir well
5. You can then add the rest of the stock with the asparagus spears ( except the tips)  cook for a further ten minute for the last 2 minutes of cooking stir in the asparagus tips
6. Serve with a grating of parmesan

More risotto recipes

Smokey Squash and Black-eye Bean Stew

Sunday night I was putting lambshanks in the oven and anticipating a meaty meal on Monday decided we would go vegetarian for Sunday night . I need something that could go in the oven so opted for a smokey squash & bean stew

Smokey Squash and Black-eye Bean Stew

400g of orange squash ( butternut or golden) skinned and chopped into 1cm cubed
200g of  black eyed beans ( soaked in cold water overnight for 12 hrs)
1 pint of vegetable stock
1 small onion diced
2 crushed garlic cloves
2 tbsp of smoked paprika
400g of tinned plum tomatoes
Handful of fresh parsley finely choppeed
2 tbsp of olive oil

1. Fry the onion and garlic in the olive oil
2. Add the stock ,paprika, squash and tomatoes and bring to a simmer
3. Place in the oven a cook for one hour
4. Finally stir in the parsley and serve with a scattering of feta cheese and warm bread

I was so wowed the delicious looking Focaccia and simple recipe shared by Jules ( Domestic Goddess In Training ) That despite being quite unsuccessful with this bread before ( last one could have been used as floor tile) I decided to have a go.I followed the recipe exactly  ( with the addition of a hanfuld of fresh rosemary .

Spending the day hanging out at home it was fantastic to give the bread plenty of time to prove covered in the sunshine. The  result after just  20 minutes cooking was a delicious airy scented bread.

Smoked Ham Hock with lentil , leeks and peas

Ham Hock , oh the power of suggestion Helen ( Food Stories ) was twittering about how delicious they smelt cooking .  Greensmiths was selling massive hocks  for just £4.50 for a 1kg hock.

Carrying   carrying it home on the train  eachtime I opened my bag the train carriage was flooded with smoked bacon which only heightend my senses.

Cooking the hock

I covered the hock in 2 pints of cider and two pints of water thyme, bay leaves , leeks , garlic salt and pepper and left it to simmer for 3.5 hours . After which removing the skin from the hock I was left with flakey but chewy ham and a delicious stock.

For a quick weeknight meal I made this lentil and vegetable dish quick and hearty , still thinking of other combinations since there is still some delicious meat and stock left .

Smoked Ham Hock with lentil , leeks and peas

1 pint of ham hock stock
1 pint of boiling water
100g of cooked smoked ham hock
200g of dried puy lentils
1 large leek roughly chopped
100g of frozen peas

1. Pour the stock and water over the lentils bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes
2. Add the leeks and and ham
3. In the last 2 minutes stir in the peas
4. Serve with sprinkling of fresh thyme

Sweet Potato and Lentil Curry

Sweet potatoes are making a comeback in the vegebox  though my diets been  meaty recently . This was a quick and delicious dinner which would work well with butternut squash too but the sweet potato held its shape .

Sweet Potato and Lentil Curry

1 Onion finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic
200g of red lentils
300g of tinned tomatoes
100g of sweet potato ,peeled & cut into 1cm cubes
1 pint vegetables stock
2 tbsps cumin seeds
2 tbsp of cardamon pods
2 tbsp of coriander seeds
1 tsp finely chopped fresh red chilli
1 tsp of tumeric

Serves 2

1. Crush the spices in a mortar and pestle
2. Fry in heavy pan with a drop of oil
3. Add the garlic , chilli and  onions, fry until soft
4. Add the sweet potato and lentils
5. Pour over the stock , simmer for 40 minutes
6. Serve with brown rice

Chicken and Lentil Stew

Ok bit of a moan , I have a horrible cold ( its not flu because I am still just about walking ) , yesterday was a long day finished work very late and  missed a train home. Having to wait an extra 45 minutes  I popped into the Sainsburys supermarket at Paddington , for something to eat on the train. However  they had packs of 600g of chicken legs and thighs for £1.50 and a bag of stew vegetables ( carrots , onions, potatoes , parsnips )  for  just £1 . I try not to to much shopping in supermarkets especially for meat and vegetables but it seemed to good a deal  to miss .

Further train delays meant I didn’t get home til 11.30pm but managed to throw in roughly chopped onions , carrots and some green lentils and chicken into my Le Cruset  , pour of half a bottle of leftover red wine , half a pint of water , 1tsp of vegetable bullion  , covered the pot and  simmered it for  45 minutes  , I turned the heat off and went to bed , leaving the stew to do its magic

Home from work today I brought the stew to a simmer for 15 minutes threw in  a sprinkling of  chopped parsley – out the freezer . There was enough for a massive bowl and a couple of portions left for more late nights .

Bunny and Barley Stew

When the whole is greater than the sum of the two parts. This was totally based on needing to put something together in rush tonight.  I had some rabbit joints in the freezer cooked ages ago ,but not a lot.   I had  some of the barley vegetable soup made yesterday but again not a lot.  Bash the two together with plenty of red wine gave me what I am going to call Bunny and Barley stew .

If you were going to make it from scratch enough for four

Bunny (Rabbit) and Barley Stew

2 rabbits
200g of pot or pearly barley
2 carrots roughly chopped
1 onion roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
Half and bottle of red wine
2 tbsp of olive oil
1 pint of stock
Salt and Pepper

1. Turn the oven to 200degC
2. Joint the rabbits and soak overnight in water
3. Drain and pat dry the joints , season well in salt and pepper ,brown in the oil with onions and garlic
4. Add the barley stock wine and carrots
5. Place in the oven for at 1.5 hours serve

Pot Barley Soup

Got home after a horrible day how much did I need a hug but soup had to do ,  hearty and delicious simple vegetable soup with pot barley , this should be a very chunky soup the pot barley gives a chewy texture.

Pot Barley Soup
100g of dried pot or pearl barley
2 medium carrots  roughly chopped
2 leeks roughly chopped
1 medium onion roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
2 pints of vegetable stock
2 rashers of bacon roughly chopped
Fresh soft herbs thyme or parsley
Seasoning to taste

Gently fry the onion , bacon garlic and leeks til soft
Add the carrots and barley with the stock
Bring to the boil and leave to simmer for 30 minutes
Season with salt , pepper and fresh herbs

Slow Baked Madeira Spiced Shoulder of Lamb

Dinner for my mum last night, it had to be this shoulder of lamb since I need to make some freezer space for Xmas ,  sorting through my cupboards found a bottle of madeira which is quite sweet so figured unlike red wine it could take some pretty intense spices 

This is just delicious the meat falls off the bone and the sauce is glossy and unctuous . We ate it with plenty of cabbage but would be lovely with doughy bread

Slow Baked Madeira Spiced Shoulder of Lamb

Half a shoulder of lamb
300g tin of butter beans
100ml of madeira
400ml of water
3 large onions
1 tbsp of brown sugar
1tbsp  ground coriander
1 tbp of dried ginger
1 tbsp of all spice
1 tbsp of cayenne pepper
1 tsp of ground cloves
1 tsp of dried chillis

1. Mix together the spices , sugar  coriander , dried ginger , cayenne pepper , cloves and chilli and rub over the lamb joint
2. Place the joint in a  in a lidded casserole dish with the onions butter beans, madeira and water
3. Place the lid on the dish  place in an oven at 180degC cook for 2 and half hours for the last half hour remove the lid to all the meat to brown and sauce to reduce
4. Cover the dish but turn off the heat and allow the dish to  rest for at least an hour, it should stay warm but you may wish to warm through the onions and butter bean sauce before serving

Chicken Liver with Lentils

How is this for frugal cooking, really smacks of the seventies but trust me its lovely . You could add cream at the end but I don’t think it needs it . Next time for an extra iron hit I might just add some spinach.

Chicken Liver with Lentils

for two
250g of chicken livers
200g of dried green lentils
1 cup of red wine
1/2 small white onion finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp of chilli flakes
1 tbsp of mixed dried herbs
1 tbsp of olive oil
Salt and Pepper

1. Cover the green lentils with water bring to the boil  simmer on a low heat for for 15 minutes
2. Finely chop the onion & garlic ,fry on a pan until until soft
3. Season the chicken livers with the chilli flakes, salt and pepper then add them to the pan fry until golden.
4. Add the lentils and pour over the red wine
5. Serve with french bread