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THRIFTY COMFORT FOOD

Stuffed cabbage leaves with carrot-ginger sauce

Minestrone

Cassoulet

Roast beets with garlic & thyme polenta & horseradish crème fraiche

Potato colcannon gratin with kimchi

Sprouted seed salad with linseed & chilli dressing

 

Stuffed cabbage leaves with carrot-ginger sauce

serves 6

12 Savoy cabbage leaves

150g sprouted spelt

175g mushrooms, finely sliced

2 red onions, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 teaspoon chopped thyme

1 teaspoon chopped parsley

5 finely shredded sun dried tomatoes

3 tablespoons olive oil

extra oil and a little stock

 

Cook the onions, mushrooms and garlic in the olive oil until soft. Add the thyme, parsley, sun dried tomatoes and sprouted spelt. Set aside.

Trim the stalks off the cabbage leaves with a sharp knife or vegetable peeler to make them match the thickness of the leaves and take a slice off the base to give a flat edge. Bring a pot of water to boil and drop in leaves, leave for 3 mins, remove and the drop leaves into cold water. Lay a cabbage leaf on a table, put a tablespoon of filling at the base, turn the sides in and roll up. Put the parcel in an oiled dish, sprinkle over some more oil and stock, cover and bake for 25 mins.

 

Carrot-ginger sauce

1 onion, chopped

1 tablespoon of olive oil

2 carrots, chopped

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon grated ginger

splash lime juice

750ml stock

salt and black pepper

 

Gently cook the onion in the olive oil until just caramelizing. Add the remaining ingredients, bring to boil and cook for 40 minutes, tip into processor and blend until smooth, season as necessary.

Serve two stuffed leaves per person with a little sauce

 

Minestrone

serves 6

2 red onions, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

350g diced carrot

2 tablespoons olive oil

11/2 litres vegetable stock

1 bay leaf

1 sprig rosemary

1 x 400g chopped tin tomatoes

1 x 400g tin white haricots beans

350g frozen peas

100g cauliflower florets

100g wholemeal pasta

8 finely shredded sage leaves

pepper, salt, herbs

 

Cook the onion, carrots and garlic in olive oil, until they begin to soften, add the stock, bay leaf and rosemary. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Add the tomatoes & white haricots to the soup and cook for 10 minutes, add the pasta, peas, cauliflower & sage and cook for a further 10 minutes. Season well, ladle into bowls, throw on some herbs and serve.

If you have any kale or spinach that needs using up add 5 minutes before the end.

 

Cassoulet

serves 6-8

400g dried white haricot/cannellini beans

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 red onions, finely chopped

4 celery sticks chopped

4 cloves garlic chopped

4 carrots chopped

2 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes

1 piece of wakame seaweed

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon chopped thyme

6 sage leaves finely chopped

500g of winter squash, peeled, seeded and cut into small pieces

1 teaspoon cumin

1 tablespoon seed mustard

1 tablespoon tamari

extra olive oil

salt & black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic finely chopped

1 tablespoon chopped thyme

4 tablespoons breadcrumbs

 

Soak the beans overnight, drain, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes, cover tightly and set aside.

Gently cook the onions, celery, garlic and carrots in 3 tablespoons of olive oil until soft, add the tomatoes, wakame and herbs.

Drain the beans reserving the liquid and stir into the tomato mixture adding enough of the reserved liquid to make sure the beans are completely immersed in the liquid. Simmer gently for an hour.

Toss the squash in 1 tablespoon of olive oil season with cumin, salt and black pepper and roast until tender and crisp.

When the beans are cooked stir in the mustard seed, butternut squash adding liquid as necessary to make the beans really moist and turn into a baking dish

Gently cook the garlic in the olive oil for a few minutes, add the thyme and tip in the breadcrumbs, then spread over the beans and bake in a preheated oven 200°C/400°F/Gas 6 for 20 minutes.

 

Roast beets with garlic & thyme polenta & horseradish crème fraiche

Serves 6

polenta

2 onions, finely chopped

1 head garlic, roasted & cloves squeezed

1 litre vegetable stock

1 teaspoon chopped thyme

250g polenta

2 tablespoons olive oil & extra for oiling the tin

 

beets

6 medium beetroot – peeled & quartered

3 red onions – peeled & cut into 8 segments

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 dessertspoon balsamic vinegar

sea salt

small tub crème fraiche

25g fresh horseradish, grated

 

First make the polenta

Gently cook the onion in the olive oil until soft add the garlic thyme and stock and bring to the boil. Slowly, in a continuous stream, pour in the polenta beating all the time. Cook gently for 1 minute, cool slightly then pour into a well oiled tin, spread out and allow to cool. At this stage you can cover the polenta and keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days.

 

Set the oven 180°C/350°F/Gas 4

 

Put the beetroot into a stainless steel roasting pan with a lid. Toss them in the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with sea salt, cover and pop in oven for 20 mins. Remove, toss well and add the onions cook for a further thirty minutes. Turn up the oven heat to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6 and return uncovered to oven for 10 mins.

Cut the polenta into triangles and place on an oiled baking sheet and roast alongside the beetroot for the last 10 minutes.

Divide the beetroot between 6 plates. Mix the horseradish into the crème fraiche and put a spoonful on top of the beetroot then place 2/3 pieces of polenta on top.

 

Potato colcannon gratin with kimchi
serves 4/6

1 kilo potatoes
small head of spring cabbage
4 spring onions, chopped finely
4 cloves garlic, chopped finely
bunch parsley roughly chopped
8 sage leaves shredded
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
salt & pepper
200ml oat milk
extra olive oil
4-6 tablespoons kimchi

 

Scrub potatoes and boil until tender. Chop the cabbage and steam until tender. Cook the onion and garlic in the olive oil for a few minutes, add cabbage and remove from heat.
Remove the skin if you prefer or mash the potatoes with their skin. Heat milk and butter and beat into mash with cabbage mixture, season well. Put into oven proof dish, sprinkle oil over top and bake 15 minutes. Serve with kimchi

 

Sprouted seed salad with linseed & chilli dressing
serves 4

4 handfuls sprouted seeds (lentil, mung, wheat, spelt, sunflower, aduki)
1 medium apple quartered, cored and chopped
2 handfuls chard or spinach very finely shredded

Flax seed & chilli dressing

2 tablespoons flax seed, soaked overnight in water

1 medium carrot – grated

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 small red chilli

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

 

Place the sprouted seeds, apple & shredded leaves in a bowl

Blend all the dressing ingredients together until smooth adding a little water if necessary.

Add the dressing to the sprouts mix well and serve.

Serve with a bowl of rice or jacket potato

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