dip theory (a)*

for dip heads everywhere... i ran out of houmous (shock! middle class disaster!) and decided to go off road with an alternative with random items.

Ingredients

1. can of cannellini beans, drained
2. juice of half a lemon
3. couple of good handfuls of spinach
4. seeds from a couple of cardamon pods - bash up to get the seeds out
5. splash of olive oil
6. 1 tbsp tahini
7. pepper
   

Method

• toast the cardamon seeds in a dry frying pan.
  
• if you're a jessie, heat the oil in the very same pan and gently fry the garlic. hard core garlic nuts can just chop it up.
  
• bung it all in a liquidiser and process until squish. serve with pitta.
  

that's it .... you can add salt if you want but i tend to leave it out, given that the pitta usually comes with quite a lot of added salt (read the label ...)

* the theory is that pretty much everything can be dipified.

you're having pilaf

made-up randomness with rice, spice and veg; the hardest bit is getting the rice right, and i finally seem to have cracked it. you can make this with whatever random veg, and it would also be nice with brown and/or wild rice. if you're of the bizarre opinion that coriander is a Good Thing and not the spawn of the herb devil, bung some in. If you were craving more protein, you could stir in a few hardboiled eggs to get some kedgeree echoes happening.

the recipe uses at least 3 pans, so don't offer to make it if you have to do the washing up as well ...

Ingredients

1. basmati rice (brown if you're going offroad)
2. 1 medium onion
3. glug of oil, sunflower or olive
   
4. 3 cloves garlic (or less if you're a wuss)
5. 1 hot chilli (ditto)
6. 1 tsp lazy ginger (the ready-squished stuff in a jar)
7. selection of veg - i used a red pepper and some elderly mushrooms
8. 3 tbsp sunflower seeds
9. 1 tbsp cumin seeds
10. 2 tsp veg stock powder
11. a lemon
    
12. pomegranate molasses (optional - i seem to schloop it into everything)
    
13. pepper
    

Method

• cook the rice the best way you know how. i normally suck at it, but this time i slooshed it around with clean water, then added water to about an inch above the rice, bunged it on the stove until it boiled, then turned it down to the lowest heat and put a lid on until all the water had disappeared
• while the rice is cooking, put the chopped onion in a pan with a glug of olive oil on a medium heat- i wouldn't normally use olive oil in an indian dish cos it tastes funny, but the spices hid it ;)
• when the onion's softened, add the garlic, chilli and ginger and stir for a minute until the spices belt you in the nose
• bung in the rest of the veg and cook on a highish heat
• when the rice and veg are approaching being done, put another small dry frying pan on the heat. dry-fry first the sunflower seeds, and then the cumin, adding each ingredient to the veg once it's toasty
• when the rice is done, stir it into the veg. stir the veg stock and pomegranate molasses into a cup of hot water, then stir that in along with some pepper and the juice of half a lemon.
• put the rice into an ovenproof dish, cover with foil to stop it drying out, and heat for about 10 mins until all the flavours have all combined.
• also awesome the next day in a lunchbox.
  

not rocket science guacamole salad

i accidentally bought a bag of 20 avocados for a quid at the market at the end of the day ... so expect a rush of guacamole. here i added it to some leftover couscous, with a bit of apple for fresh crunch, which you can of course leave out if you fear fruit in salads (and yeah, yeah, i know the tomato's really a fruit). you could also add in something toasted - pine nuts or sunflower seeds - for extra protein if you were feeling like heating something.

Ingredients

• 1/2 small bowl couscous, already rehydrated with some veg stock and cooled
  
• 1/2 a ripe avocado, chopped into quite fat chunks
  
• 1/4 - 1/2 red chilli (depending on how much of a wuss you are), finely chopped
• 1/2 granny smith apple, chopped (you could use any variety, except golden delicious cos they are horrible)
  
• 1 tomato, chopped
• handful rocket, roughly chopped
• squish of lime juice
• splash balsamic
• salt, pepper
  

Method

1. place the couscous in a bowl and toss in the rest of the ingredients. This ain't rocket science.

leftova tortilla

a spanish-esque tortilla is a proper recycling way to use up the random stuff hanging round the fridge - basically all you need on top is eggs, potatoes and onions. it takes a while but it's really nice the next day for lunch ...this serves 2 with some leftover for lunch the next day, or no lunch if your other half porks it all.

Ingredients

• 6 eggs, free range naturally. i used medium, but don't stress if they are larger or smaller
• 2 onions
• 5-6 medium potatoes (use any cooked leftover ones if you want - just add them later in the process)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 red chilli (optional)
• leftover veg - i had some borderline spinach but you could use anything
• salt & pepper

Method

1. Chop the onion and put in a small squat frying pan to soften in olive oil over medium heat for about 5 mins
2. If you're using raw potatoes, chop small and bung into onions
3. Add the chopped garlic and chilli, salt and pepper and fry gently for about 15 mins until the potatoes are cooked
4. Add your random veg and stir to cook
5. Beat all the egss in a large bowl
6. Once the veg is cooked, tip everything out of the frying pan into the eggs and mix well. If you're using cooked potato, add it now.
   
7. Sloop the eggy mixture back into the pan and turn the heat down very low.
8. Leave for 15-20 mins until set on the bottom. Either slide onto a plate and flip upside down back into the pan, or - much easier - put the pan under the grill to cook the top.
9. Serve in wedges.

spinach sort-of pesto = spesto? spinesto? spinachesto?

pulverise spinach, especially spinach that's looking a bit sorry for itself, with toasted seeds, lemon, oil and garlic for an irridescent sauce - here i bunged it on some egg noodles but it's also good with pasta, or simply as a dresssing for veg.

Ingredients

• 1/2 bag spinach - about 100g, plus any other nearly-dodgy salad knocking around - rocket works well
• juice of half a lemon
• handful sunflower seeds (or pine nuts or any other tasty nuts you have that need using up)
• glug of olive oil
• clove garlic
• spinkling dried chilli
  
• salt, pepper

Method

1. toast the seeds (or nuts) lightly in a frying pan. if you burn them, you'll have to chuck them out because they taste really nasty.
2. once they're toasted, bung in a food processor or liquidiser. put the olive oil in the still-warm frying pan and lightly fry the garlic - again, if it overcooks it'll be bitter so keep an eye on it. cooking the garlic takes the edge off...
3. place everything else in the processor and squish on high until it's a sauce. serve ...

tomato³ sauce

a lush tomato sauce, given depth with 3 types of tomatoes (canned, sundried and pureed) and various green flavours chucked in ... ace with pasta or spread on a pizza base. The pomegranate molasses brings out the sweetness of the tomatoes but it's probably only on sale in poncy-ish delis so you can use sugar instead. It's also a good recipe in which to hide veg that you or your recalcitrant other halves might dislike (I hid half a marrow in this one).

Ingredients

1. medium onion, chopped
2. 2 cloves garlic, chopped
3. teaspoon of capers, chopped
4. handful of green olives, chopped
5. sprinkling dried chilli
6. sprinkling of herbes de provence
   
7. can of tomatoes
   
8. large handful sundried tomatoes (6-8)
9. teaspoon tomato puree
10. any spare veg that needs eating up
    
11. pinch of sugar or glug of pomegranate molasses
12. salt & pepper to taste
    

Method

• If your sundried tomatoes are dried (rather than in oil), cover them with hot water and leave to sit for a few minutes.
• Heat a glug of olive oil over a lowish heat and fry the onions for a few mins until soft
• Turn up the heat and chuck in the garlic - stiring to prevent it burning and tasting horrible.
  
• When you can smell the garlic, add the capers, olives, chilli and dried herbs and stir for a further minute.
• Add the can of tomatoes, tomato puree, chopped sundried tomatoes and sugar or molasses. If you've soaked the sundried tomatoes, bung the tomatoey water in too.
• Add the requiring-hiding veg and stir together.
  
• Let simmer for at least 20 mins ,stirring occasionally, to go all gloopy and delicious. Season with salt and pepper.
  
• Use with your favourite pasta, bung in a lasagne or spread on a pizza base.
  

confusingly tasty cottage sprout salad

i wasn't going to blog this, cos it didn't taste that interesting until i added the last ingredient - the caramelised onions, which really sorted out the flavours ... and even made plain cottage cheese vaguely edible.

Ingredients

1. a medium onion
2. large handful sprouts (i had cress, mustard, beansprouts)
3. 2 tbsp plain cottage cheese
4. 1 tsp capers
5. sprinkling dried chilli
   

Method

• chop the onion and spread on a plate. bung in the microwave for at least 5 mins on high to caramelise.
• put the sprouts in a bowl, add the chopped capers and cottage cheese. add the chilli, if using, and squish it all together.
• when the microwave goes bing, stir in the warm onions. the sweetness of the onions balances the tartness of the sprouts.... mmmm.