Month: Apr 2023

Bean sprouts

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

I know right? I’m so excited that you can make these easily at home in small quantities, rather than buying a giant bag (why is the bag always so big?!) using it twice and then watching as the rest turn to slime in the veg drawer. These are so crunchy and delicious!

  • Some dried mung bean – that’s literally it. As many of them as you like. I usually do about a quarter of a cup
  1. Tip your dried beans into a sieve and rinse them thoroughly under running water
  2. Put the beans into a large-ish jar and fill it up with water, leaving the lid off
  3. Leave the beans there overnight at room temp (in a cupboard to stop the cat from drinking from the jar)
  4. Drain and rinse the beans
  5. In the empty jar, put a layer of damp paper towel, then some beans, then some paper towel, then some beans etc
  6. Finish with a layer of paper towel and put the jar back in the cupboard – it needs to be stored in the dark
  7. Leave them there for 4 days, dribbling a little water over every day to make sure they stay damp
  8. Then tip them out of the jar, wrap them in a new piece of paper towel and store in a sealed bag in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Pide

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Turkish pizza-type tastiness – and the best Sunday supper you’ll ever eat. Fillings/toppings can be whatever you like, but I love using the one from a spanakopita. The world is your oyster (but maybe don’t top with oysters?) Makes 6 pides.

  • 600g strong bread flour
  • 1 tbsp golden caster sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp dried yeast
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 350ml lukewarm water
  1. Mix the dry ingredients together in a big bowl, and the wet ingredients together in a jug
  2. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet
  3. Combine to form a dough and knead for 5 mins until smooth
  4. Form into a ball
  5. Clean the big bowl and lightly oil the inner surface
  6. Pop the dough into the bowl, cover with clingfilm and prove for at least an hour in a warm place until risen to twice the size
  7. Preheat oven to 220C fan (240C)
  8. Divide the dough into 6 and roll each one out into a thin rectangle approx 40x15cm
  9. Spread over the filling, leaving a 3cm border
  10. Fold up the sides and twist together the ends to make a boat shape
  11. Bake on a preheated baking sheet for 12-14 mins until brown and toasty

Potato and sweet potato dauphinoise

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Savoury, creamy, mellow and marvellously adaptable. Make the same recipe with swede, parsnip, celeriac or a combination of all of them. (But maybe not beetroot on account of it ending up looking a bit like a crime scene.)

  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 onion, finely sliced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • ½ tsp dried thyme
  • 150ml single cream
  • 150ml double cream
  • 150ml milk
  • Salt and pepper
  • 500g floury potatoes, peeled and finely sliced
  • 500g sweet potatoes, peeled and finely sliced
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 150C fan (170C)
  2. Heat the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat
  3. Stir in the onion, garlic and thyme and cook for 7 or 8 mins until soft and golden
  4. Pour in the cream and milk and bring gently to a simmer. Season well
  5. Tip the sliced potatoes into the pan and simmer for 5 mins then add the sweet potatoes
  6. Stir everything together then tip into a 1.5l baking dish
  7. Bake for 1 hour until the top is golden and the vegetables tender. Allow to stand for 5 mins before serving, just so it’s not quite as volcanically hot and it holds together a little better.

The most delicious puy lentils

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Inspired by a trip to Duck and Waffle where I blissfully ate their incredible puy lentils with toasted buckwheat, spinach puree, sweet onion, organic yoghurt, miso and nasturtiums – accompanied by a spectacular view across London. This is 100% less fancy than that, but still delights with maximum flavour and deliciousness.

  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 carrot, finely diced
  • 1 stick celery, finely diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 150g puy lentils
  • 350 ml veg stock
  • 1 tsp white miso
  • 1 sprig thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 onion, finely sliced
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 pinch sugar
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • Handful chopped parsley
  • 100g baby spinach
  • Plain yoghurt
  1. Heat 1 tbsp butter in a saucepan over a medium heat
  2. Tip in the diced onion, carrot, celery and garlic, stir and cook until beginning to caramelise
  3. Add the puy lentils and stir in the stock and miso. Add the thyme and bay leaf
  4. Bring to the boil, turn down to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 mins until lentils are soft
  5. While the lentils cook, cook the sliced onion slowly in butter with a pinch of salt and sugar until golden brown
  6. When the lentils are soft, stir in the caramelised onions, red wine vinegar, spinach and parsley and heat through
  7. Serve with a spoonful of plain yoghurt on top. This is amazing alongside roast veg and/or roast chicken

Swedish meatballs in the slow cooker

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

So savoury, so soothing. A bowl of these tender meatballs in gravy could solve almost anything. Feeds 4

  • 1 onion, minced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 350g beef mince
  • 350g pork mince
  • 100g breadcrumbs
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ tsp allspice
  • Salt and pepper
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 2 tbsp plain flour
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • 500ml beef stock
  • 100ml single cream
  1. Add all the ingredients for the meatballs in a bowl, mix until combined and homogenous. Shape into small walnut-sized meatballs.
  2. Add 1 tbsp butter to a big frying pan on a medium-high heat and fry the meatballs until browned all over but not necessarily cooked through. Fry in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan.
  3. Transfer the meatballs to the slow cooker and get as much of the juices in too
  4. Then to make the sauce (you can use the same pan if it’s fairly deep, or just use a saucepan – I love not having to wash more things up, so I’ll always re-use pans if possible) – melt 2 tbsp butter over a low heat and slowly mix in the flour.
  5. When fully incorporated, add the stock and mustard. Heat to a bubble whilst continuously stirring. Mix in the cream, taste for seasoning and then pour over the meatballs in the slow cooker.
  6. Cook on low for 6 hours. Serve with mashed potato, rice or (for the full Ikea experience) chips!

To reduce the meat content in this dish, substitute 1 drained and pureed tin of green lentils for either the beef or pork.

And to make it gluten free, substitute the breadcrumbs for 3 heaped tbsp of uncooked basmati rice. Then cook the meatballs in the beef stock and cream without making a roux with the 2 tbsp butter and flour – instead, once it’s finished cooking, remove the meatballs and decant the sauce into a saucepan or deep frying pan. Heat the sauce to a bubble and whisk in a slurry of 2 heaped tbsp cornflour mixed with 2-3 tsp water. Cook gently until it thickens, then return the meatballs to the sauce and serve.