This is a rather low effort, quick recipe and the ingredients are cheap. You can get the meaty flavour without buying actual meat. Hooray for resourcefulness and for a good effort-to-tastiness ratio!
Ingredients:
2 tbsp oil
1 tspn butter
1kg bones
1 onion
2 big stalks of celery
5 carrots, chopped
2 potatoes, chopped
5 turnips, peeled & chopped
1 big head of broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup brown lentils, cooked (without salt)
1 medium aubergine, chopped and lightly fried
Method:
Brown the bones with some oil and melted butter in a hot pot or pressure cooker.
Take the browned bones out and then start to brown the onions.
Add the chopped carrots and celery at this stage to make a mirepoix.
Once those look nicely fried, add the bones back in and then also the rest of the roots (potatoes and turnips).
Add enough water to almost cover the vegetables. We used a pressure cooker, so these ingredients only took 20 minutes to get cooked. A stove might take one to two hours.
Once the pressure is released from the cooker, take out the bones and discard them.
Add the broccoli, cooked lentils and fried aubergines.
Put the pressure cooker on for one minute (it takes a few minutes to get up to pressure as well). Don't over do the broccoli or else it will turn into green mush.
Enjoy this hearty meal with a piece of buttered, crusty fresh bread or with grated Parmesan on top.
Showing posts with label lentils. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lentils. Show all posts
Thursday, August 14, 2014
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Moroccan Chicken with Lentils
At the moment we are trying to cut down on carbs, one of the yummiest and healthier ways to do that is to eat lots of lentils! So, I found a recipe and adapted it a bit.
Ingredients
2 tbsp oil
8 - 10 little skinless, boneless chicken thighs (or leave this out and keep it vegetarian)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander seeds
1 tbsp paprika
3 whole thai chillis
1 large onion , finely sliced
1 cup dry split red lentils
400g can chopped tomato
1 tbsp tomato sauce / paste / puree
Some chicken stock
1 cinnamon stick (about 4 cm long)
100g whole dried apricots
Method:
Fry the onion, garlic and chicken in the oil and add the ground spices. After about 10 minutes of frying, the chicken should be cooked. Add the tomatoes and let it cook for another 15 minutes to combine the flavours.
In another pot, cook the lentils in some chicken stock (they need to be covered). Add the apricots and the chilies there too. Cooking lentils takes about 30 minutes. Once it was cooked, I let the stock reduce and thicken for a while.
Mix it all together in a casserole dish and put it in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for about a half an hour (this isn't a necessary step,but maybe it helps the flavours mix better).
Because if the large amount of lentils, you can eat it just like that, or you can have it with rice or bread.
A Note on Lentils:
Lentils have the third-highest level of protein, by weight of any legume or nut. So, lentils are a source of inexpensive protein and also of iron for vegetarians. They are also healthy because of the of the folate, vitamin B1, other minerals and fiber (consisting of 11% - 31% fiber depending on the colour - red is the least fibrous).
They are mentioned many times in the Hebrew Bible, the first time being the time when Jacob purchases the birthright from Esau with stewed lentils (they are tasty indeed).
In Jewish mourning tradition lentils and eggs are considered as food for mourners because their round shape symbolising the life cycle from birth to death.
In Italy, eating lentils on New Year's Eve traditionally symbolizes the hope for a prosperous new year, most likely because of their round, coin-like form.
Original recipe:
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1860/moroccanstyle-chicken-with-lentils
Ingredients
2 tbsp oil
8 - 10 little skinless, boneless chicken thighs (or leave this out and keep it vegetarian)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander seeds
1 tbsp paprika
3 whole thai chillis
1 large onion , finely sliced
1 cup dry split red lentils
400g can chopped tomato
1 tbsp tomato sauce / paste / puree
Some chicken stock
1 cinnamon stick (about 4 cm long)
100g whole dried apricots
Method:
Fry the onion, garlic and chicken in the oil and add the ground spices. After about 10 minutes of frying, the chicken should be cooked. Add the tomatoes and let it cook for another 15 minutes to combine the flavours.
In another pot, cook the lentils in some chicken stock (they need to be covered). Add the apricots and the chilies there too. Cooking lentils takes about 30 minutes. Once it was cooked, I let the stock reduce and thicken for a while.
Mix it all together in a casserole dish and put it in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for about a half an hour (this isn't a necessary step,but maybe it helps the flavours mix better).
Because if the large amount of lentils, you can eat it just like that, or you can have it with rice or bread.
A Note on Lentils:
Lentils have the third-highest level of protein, by weight of any legume or nut. So, lentils are a source of inexpensive protein and also of iron for vegetarians. They are also healthy because of the of the folate, vitamin B1, other minerals and fiber (consisting of 11% - 31% fiber depending on the colour - red is the least fibrous).
They are mentioned many times in the Hebrew Bible, the first time being the time when Jacob purchases the birthright from Esau with stewed lentils (they are tasty indeed).
In Jewish mourning tradition lentils and eggs are considered as food for mourners because their round shape symbolising the life cycle from birth to death.
In Italy, eating lentils on New Year's Eve traditionally symbolizes the hope for a prosperous new year, most likely because of their round, coin-like form.
Original recipe:
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1860/moroccanstyle-chicken-with-lentils
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Sweet Potato Shepard's Pie
Serves 2 very hungry people
I made this the other day and it was so very tasty and so it's highly recommended. It's filling and tasty, and mostly healthy. The original recipe is from Good Food, and as I usually amend the recipes a bit depending on the state of my ingredients, or purse. So, here's my own version:
Ingredients:
250g beef mince
1 onion, chopped
1 leek, chopped
3 carrot, in rondels
2 cloves of chopped garlic
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Marmite
1 cup dry lentils, cooked
3 medium-large sweet potatoes
Butter & milk for the sweet potato mash
Method:
Fry the onion & leek until translucent. Add the garlic, Marmite, Worcestershire & mince and fry until brown and almost crispy. Add the carrots and cook until soft. Add a little water if necessary. It should be a little bit saucy.
In the meantime boil the sweet potatoes. If you can cut them into 2cm slices they cook through quite fast. Drain & mash with butter & milk and a pinch of salt if you like.
And, then for the lentils: If you have a can or 2 you can use that, but if you are cooking dry lentils, it will take about 30 min. Put a cup of lentils into a pot with lots of boiling water. If you add a whole cup it will really make a lot of lentils but it will make your meal go further (my husband and I were particularly hungry this day and ate the entire pie in one night). Anyway lentils are tasty and a healthy source of protein. But if you want less lentils to meat ratio, then use only half a cup.
Mix together the lentils and the vegetables and pour into a baking dish. Top with the mash & flatten. The butter in the mash is what should help it to brown and crisp a little bit under the grill. Grill for 10 min and enjoy hot!
Here is the original recipe: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1718633/sweet-potato-shepherds-pie
I made this the other day and it was so very tasty and so it's highly recommended. It's filling and tasty, and mostly healthy. The original recipe is from Good Food, and as I usually amend the recipes a bit depending on the state of my ingredients, or purse. So, here's my own version:
Ingredients:
250g beef mince
1 onion, chopped
1 leek, chopped
3 carrot, in rondels
2 cloves of chopped garlic
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Marmite
1 cup dry lentils, cooked
3 medium-large sweet potatoes
Butter & milk for the sweet potato mash
Method:
Fry the onion & leek until translucent. Add the garlic, Marmite, Worcestershire & mince and fry until brown and almost crispy. Add the carrots and cook until soft. Add a little water if necessary. It should be a little bit saucy.
In the meantime boil the sweet potatoes. If you can cut them into 2cm slices they cook through quite fast. Drain & mash with butter & milk and a pinch of salt if you like.
And, then for the lentils: If you have a can or 2 you can use that, but if you are cooking dry lentils, it will take about 30 min. Put a cup of lentils into a pot with lots of boiling water. If you add a whole cup it will really make a lot of lentils but it will make your meal go further (my husband and I were particularly hungry this day and ate the entire pie in one night). Anyway lentils are tasty and a healthy source of protein. But if you want less lentils to meat ratio, then use only half a cup.
Mix together the lentils and the vegetables and pour into a baking dish. Top with the mash & flatten. The butter in the mash is what should help it to brown and crisp a little bit under the grill. Grill for 10 min and enjoy hot!
Here is the original recipe: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1718633/sweet-potato-shepherds-pie
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Creamy Lentils
I pretty much just made this up right now and now I'm eating it and blogging about it at the same time so that I don't forget what I did.
Serves 2
Ingredients:
1 large carrot, chopped
2 peppers, chopped
5 tomatoes chopped / 440g can
2 tsp vegetable stock powder
2 tsp herbes de provence
1 bay leaf
1 cup water
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 cup dry, brown lentils
white sauce (1/2 c milk, 2 tbsp butter, 1 tsp flour)
1/2 block feta cheese
black pepper
Method:
Throw all herbs, garlic and vegetables in the pot with the dry lentils, water and stock. Boil for 45min until the lentils are soft. I think that the acid in the tomatoes and the salt in the stock makes them take longer to cook - usually they take about 30 min.
Make some white sauce with about half a cup of milk, 2 tbsp butter and then gradually add in the flour and stir quickly to prevent lumps on a medium heat. As the butter melts, and the flour cooks, the sauce will thicken. Let it boil for 5 min, stirring. Honestly, I am not sure about the quantities, I have never made white sauce from a recipe, I just throw stuff together and stir it until it's thickened. Sometimes I like to stir in black pepper as well.
Serve white sauce on top of the lentils and top with crumbed feta. Enjoy with some toasted pieces of baguette.
Serves 2
Ingredients:
1 large carrot, chopped
2 peppers, chopped
5 tomatoes chopped / 440g can
2 tsp vegetable stock powder
2 tsp herbes de provence
1 bay leaf
1 cup water
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 cup dry, brown lentils
white sauce (1/2 c milk, 2 tbsp butter, 1 tsp flour)
1/2 block feta cheese
black pepper
Method:
Throw all herbs, garlic and vegetables in the pot with the dry lentils, water and stock. Boil for 45min until the lentils are soft. I think that the acid in the tomatoes and the salt in the stock makes them take longer to cook - usually they take about 30 min.
Make some white sauce with about half a cup of milk, 2 tbsp butter and then gradually add in the flour and stir quickly to prevent lumps on a medium heat. As the butter melts, and the flour cooks, the sauce will thicken. Let it boil for 5 min, stirring. Honestly, I am not sure about the quantities, I have never made white sauce from a recipe, I just throw stuff together and stir it until it's thickened. Sometimes I like to stir in black pepper as well.
Serve white sauce on top of the lentils and top with crumbed feta. Enjoy with some toasted pieces of baguette.
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