Spiced Carrot Soup with Crispy Chickpeas and Tahini

Spiced Carrot Soup with Crispy Chickpeas and Tahini

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2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to taste

2 pounds’ carrots, thinly sliced

2 leeks, thinly sliced and cleaned

6 garlic cloves, smashed

¼ teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon ground cumin

salt, to taste

pinch of red pepper flakes

4 cups vegetable stock

lemon juice

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Garnish

3 tablespoons tahini

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tablespoons water

sesame seeds 

1 ¾ cups spicy roasted chickpeas

2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped

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1. Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium heat.

2. Add the carrots, leek, garlic, coriander, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper flakes, and sauté, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown, about 15 minutes.

3. Add the vegetable stock, scraping the bottom of the pot to deglaze any browned bits, bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to maintain a simmer.

4. Simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the carrots are fork-tender.

5. Meanwhile, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, water, and a pinch of salt in a small bowl until smooth.

6. Set aside.

7. Blend the soup until smooth using an immersion blender.

8. Season the soup to taste with olive oil, salt, and lemon juice.

7. Ladle the soup into bowls, and garnish each bowl with a dollop of the lemon-tahini mixture, a pinch of sesame seeds, roasted chickpeas, and chopped parsley.

Linguine Frittata with Greens

Linguine Frittata with Greens

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1 teaspoon of olive oil

2 teaspoons butter, divided

1 cup thinly sliced leek

1 ½ cups chopped kale 

6 large eggs

1/3 cup milk

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

¼ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1 ½ cups hot cooked linguine

¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

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1. Coat a large ovenproof skillet with olive oil, and melt 1 teaspoon butter over medium heat.

2. Add leek and kale, and sauté 4 minutes or until softened. Set aside.

3. Whisk eggs, milk, Parmesan, oregano, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.

4. Stir in linguine, kale, and leeks.

5. Melt remaining 1 teaspoon butter in a skillet over low heat.

6. Pour egg mixture into skillet; cover and cook 10 minutes or until the top is set.

7. Meanwhile, heat broiler.

8. Sprinkle frittata with mozzarella, and broil 3 minutes or until golden brown.

9. Cut into wedges.

Plantain Soup

Plantain Soup

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3 green plantains, peeled and grated

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, divided

8 cups veggie broth

1 1/2 cups water

1/2 teaspoon of cayenne

1/2 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

8 lime wedges

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.

2. Add garlic and ¼ cup cilantro; cook, stirring, until the garlic is softened, 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Add broth and water and bring to a boil.

4. Stir in plantains and reduce heat to a simmer.

5. Simmer until the plantains are tender and the soup is thickened 25 to 30 minutes.

6. Take an immersion blender and puree soup.

7. Season with cayenne, salt, and pepper.

8. Sprinkle each serving with cilantro and garnish with a lime wedge.

Fennel and Potato Soup

Fennel and Potato Soup

This soup can easily be made vegan by using 2 tablespoons of olive oil versus olive oil and butter.

3 medium fennel bulbs, quartered and sliced, reserving the feathery leaves

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 shallots, peeled and finely chopped

4 cups veggie stock

1 large russet potato, peeled and cubed

dash nutmeg

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat butter and olive oil together in a medium pot over medium-low heat.

3. When butter has melted, add sliced fennel, shallots, and 1 cup of the stock.

4. Cover and simmer gently until fennel is soft and translucent, about 15 minutes.

5. Increase heat to medium, add potatoes and remaining 3 cups stock, and bring to a boil.

6. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently until potatoes are very soft and cooked through about 25 minutes.

7. Season soup to taste with nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

8. Take an immersion blender and blend soup, adding a little stock if it becomes too thick.

9. Remove soup from heat and set aside for 5 minutes to allow flavors to develop.

11. Ladle soup into four bowls, drizzled with olive oil, and a few sprigs of fennel fronds.

Ravioli with Tomatoes White Beans and Escarole

Ravioli with Tomatoes White Beans and Escarole

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9-ounce package fresh cheese ravioli or tortellini

2 cups cannellini beans, cooked

2 cups of tomatoes, diced

½ teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

6 cups chopped fresh escarole or spinach

¼ cup water

¼ cup grated Asiago cheese

What escarole looks like

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.

2. Combine the beans, tomatoes, basil, oregano, and red pepper in a large saucepan.

3. Bring to a boil; stir in escarole.

4. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes or until escarole is wilted.

5. Stir in pasta and water; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated.

6. Sprinkle with cheese as garnish.

Fig and Blue Cheese Savories

Fig and Blue Cheese Savories

Here is an easy recipe using nicer ingredients.  Pretty darn tasty too.  

1 cup flour

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled

1/2 teaspoon oregano

dash of cinnamon

Freshly ground black pepper

About 3 tablespoons fig preserves

1. Heat the oven to 350°F.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

3. Place the flour, butter, blue cheese, oregano, cinnamon, and a few grinds of black pepper in the bowl of a food processor and process until the dough just comes together and starts to form a ball.

4. Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times to pull it together.

5. Then roll out to a 1/8-inch-thick circle with a floured rolling pin.

6. Cut rounds out of the dough with a floured 1-inch round cutter and transfer to the parchment-lined baking sheet.

7. Reroll the scraps (no more than once) and cut more rounds.

8. Using the back of a rounded ½ teaspoon measure or your knuckle, make an indentation in the center of each dough round.

9. Spoon about ¼ teaspoon of the fig preserves into each indentation, using your finger to push the preserves as best as possible into the indentation.

10. Bake the savories until the preserves are bubbling and the pastry is lightly golden on the bottom, 10 to 12 minutes.

11. Let cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Dark Chocolate and Apricot Tarts

Dark Chocolate and Apricot Tarts

1 cup flour

¼ cup cocoa powder

¼ cup sugar

1/3 cup butter, cubed

1 egg yolk

1 ¼ cup dried apricots, finely chopped

2 tablespoon lemon juice

dash of cinnamon

2 tablespoons toasted almonds

2/3 scant cup unsalted butter

¾ cup dark chocolate

2 eggs

¼ cup sugar

2 whole apricots

powder sugar

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1. To make the pastry sift the flour, sugar, and cocoa powder into a mixing bowl, add the butter and blend with fingers until forms a crumb texture.

2. Add the egg yolk and combine, add a splash of water if too dry and bring together with hands. 

3. Form into a ball, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 1 hour.

4. In a pan add the dried apricots and just cover with water and the lemon juice. 

5. Cook for 5 minutes until soft. 

6. Put into a food processor with the almonds and cinnamon and puree, set aside.

7. Grease 4 mini tart pans. 

8. When the pastry has chilled roll it out onto a floured surface, then place over the pans and push into place make sure there are no holes. 

9. Prick the pastry with a fork and leave to chill in the fridge again for 30 minutes.

10. Preheat the oven to 400°F, remove the pastry cases from the fridge. 

11. Line the pastry cases and weigh down with baking beans or rice and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. 

12. Now remove from the oven, remove the baking beans and leave to cool.

13. Spread a quarter of apricot paste onto the base of each tart. 

14. In a bowl over a pan of simmering water melt the butter and chocolate. 

15. In a separate bowl whisk together the eggs and sugar until pale. 

16. Fold the egg mix into the chocolate mixture.

17. Pour the mixture into the tart pans on top of the apricot paste, smooth the top and bake in the oven at 350°F for about 10 minutes. 

18. Whilst cooking pour boiling water over the 2 apricots, peel off the skin, chop in half and remove the stone. 

19. After 10 minutes place an apricot half on top of each tart and then cook for a further 15 minutes. 

20. The tarts will still be slightly gooey inside when they're done.

21. Sprinkle tarts with powder sugar and serve.