Spiced Roast Parsnip and Carrot Soup

It has suddenly turned a bit nippy in the south of England (snow and blizzards in Scotland - brrrrr!) so a good soup is what is needed to warm you from the tip of your nose to the ends of your toes, and this one certainly did.  If you like Curried Parsnip Soup, if you like Carrot and Coriander soup, and if you like a bit of a warm chilli kick in your food, then this is just the ticket.  You need to peel and dice 2 large parsnips (and I mean large - the mud-encrusted ones in our veg-box probably weighed 250g each) and you then need to peel and dice the equivalent weight of carrots.  Also peel a couple of garlic cloves, but keep them whole.  Now, toss them all in a tablespoon of oil (I like English cold-pressed rape seed oil, but then again, I am a food snob!) and roast on a baking sheet for about 20 minutes until nearly tender and tinged with a little brown here and there.  Whilst this is happening, peel and chop a large onion and also a leek, if you have one (white part only).  Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large pot over a medium heat and allow the onion and leek to sweat and soften - don't colour them.  Trim and de-seed a red chilli (we had some wonderful Devon-grown hot little ones delivered in the veg box) and add to the onions too.  Now, assemble the following in a little bowl: 1 heaped teaspoon of ground coriander, 1 level teaspoon of ground cumin, 1 level teaspoon of ground ginger and half a teaspoon of turmeric.  Boil the kettle.  When the veg have roasted, remove from the oven.  Add the spices and veg to the onions and leek in the pan and stir well for a minute or two - don't let the spices catch, but allow them to release their fragrance in the oil.  Pour over boiled water from the kettle to cover the veg by about half-an-inch, then add a couple of teaspoons of Marigold stock powder or your preferred brand of veggie stock (or make your own!).  Allow to simmer for about 15-20 minutes, then blend in your usual way (I use a stick blender).  Thin with a little more stock if it is too thick.  Reheat and serve with a little natural yoghurt swirled in, and fresh coriander leaf if you have any.  Spme naan bread to dunk is good, too.   Lovely, and there is plenty for hubby to take to the rugby tomorrow evening to keep the chill out.

Roasted Squash with Merguez-Spiced Chickpeas

I am so in love with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's "Veg Every Day" cookbook - a constant source of inspiration for using up the veg from my Riverford box.  We've eaten much more healthily (and cheaply) with the arrival of both these essentials in our lives!  The party last night gave us another opportunity to try out one of the recipes, and this was a delicious, cheap and filling dish to plonk on the table alongside all the other goodies.  I was so busy yesterday, I forgot to take pictures of most of the food, so I will simply link to the channel 4 website which gives both the recipe and a nice picture of the finished dish.  There is no meat in this - the reference to merguez relates to the classic seasoning for the North African sausage, which is put to use in a seasoned oil to dress the veg and pulses - a heady blend of garlic, caraway, fennel seed, cumin, smoked paprika, rosemary and Cayenne pepper.  I used tinned chickpeas rather than cook my own (I never seem to be able to get the chickpeas soft when I prep them from dry, and the 'East End' brand provides lovely soft, yielding peas) and I also cheated massively by using a bag of frozen butternut squash from Waitrose - what a BRILLIANT timesaver!  Anyway, a really nice dish, and one for the under a fiver thread too.

Spiced Parsnip and Butternut Soup

Curried parsnip soup is a classic, invented by the late, great Jane Grigson.  The original recipe calls for 1 parsnip and I always puzzled about that, thinking it was an exiguous quantity for a whole pot.  And then I got my Riverford deliveries and realised that she meant proper parsnips, great big beasts, with the earth clinging damply to them.  Anyway, I had some to use up, along with half a butternut squash.  They both take well to spicing and, together, made a lovely sweet, silky soup that would easily serve 4 people in big bowls with lots of crusty bread or a warm buttery naan.  It is made in the usual way - 1 large onion, chopped, a large or 2 medium parsnips, peeled and chopped, and an equivalent quantity of butternut, peeled and chopped (a small specimen or half a large one).  Sweat in a tablespoon of oil and a good knob of butter until softening.  Stir in a couple of cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped and an inch or so of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped.  Add a teaspoon each of cumin seeds (ground or whole, according to your preference), a teaspoon of ground coriander and a little chilli powder (to taste - you don't want it too hot, in my opinion).  Now, just cover with veg stock (marigold, as always, is fine) and simmer for 20 minutes.  Blend, add masses of chopped fresh coriander or parsley, squeeze a little lemon in and serve with a blob of yoghurt.

Aloo Tikki

Oh. My. Goodness.  Where have these been all my life?  Now, mashed potatoes are delicious, FRIED mashed potatoes are on the way to heaven, and fried mash with Indian spices, dipped in breadcrumbs, is surely Nirvana.  Well it is for me.  After our duck-fest over the previous 3 days, we were in serious need of some veggie food, and had lots of Riverford veg to use up.  I also had some mash lurking in the fridge from Sunday that needed using - probably the equivalent of two large potatoes, mashed.  Well, to this, I added a finely chopped spring onion, and a tablespoon of finely chopped coriander, with half a finely chopped hot red chilli.  A mini-chopper is very handy for this stage.  This is mixed into the mash with a wooden spoon, along with half a teaspoon each of turmeric, ground cumin and garam masala.  Season well with salt and pepper.  Now, divide the mixture into 4 or 6 equal portions, oil your hands and shape each into dumpy little patties.  Dip in breadcrumbs - no egg needed, cos of the light coating of oil left from your hands.  Use fresh breadcrumbs or good bought Panko ones, not the orange stuff in a packet!  Heat a couple of tablespoons of light oil in a non-stick pan over a medium heat, and fry the patties until golden-brown, flip carefully and cook the other side.  Serve hot from the pan with a saucy curry (we made a cauliflower, red pepper, pea and tomato curry) and some Naan bread to scoop everything up with.  The little Aloo Tikki were sooooooo delicious.  The whole lot, including the cauli curry, came in under a fiver, and would have fed 4 - we have leftover curry too.

Spiced Jerusalem Artichoke and Squash Soup with Parsley Pesto

People are really divided by Jerusalem Artichokes - over on the Riverford forum, people either look forward to their arrival, or they chuck them in the compost as soon as they arrive.  I am definitely in the former camp.  They have 2 downsides - the difficulty of peeling them and the farting - I find husbands are eminently suited to both of these activities.  I love them in soups (artichokes, not husbands) and a quick check of my recipe index throws up some real favourites - with carrots, in a Cranks-inspired recipe with Bouillabaise flavours, and also combined with watercress.  Today's variation is a blend of roughly equal quantities of leeks, roasted squash and artichokes, flavoured with garlic, cumin seed, ground coriander and a chilli for a little warmth - ideal on a frosty January day for lunch.  Make it pretty much the usual way by sweating the leek, garlic and artichokes in a little butter and olive oil until soft, add the chunks of roasted squash (I used a Crown Prince pumpkin, but butternut is fine too) and the spices, about a heaped teaspoon of each, and the chopped chilli.  Just cover with veg stock (Marigold is fine, as always) and simmer until tender.  Blend and serve as is or with a spoonful of parsley pesto: a bunch of parsley, with the tougher stems removed, a handful of toasted pine nuts, a clove of garlic, all blended quickly in a mini processor with a little oil, salt and pepper.  I didn't use Parmesan as I thought its flavour wouldn't go with the spices in the soup, but you can add the cheese to serve with tomato or red pepper soup, and with pasta, of course.  This is an 'under a fiver' dish that will feed 4-6 people (maybe the pesto pushes it a little over that cost threshold?).

Spiced Roasted Roots

One of my most useful stand-by ingredients is Bart Spices Garam Masala Spice Mill which allows you to grind whole spices just like you would black peppercorns.  It is perfect for this treatment for roasted root veg.  This is a moveable feast, so use whatever root veg you have to hand.  Last night, we used carrots, potaotes, parsnips and butternut squash, along with a red onion.  Chop them into equal-sized pieces, around an inch or so in size.  For 2, we used 1 large spud, 2 medium parsnips, some Chantenay carrots, about a third of a squash and one onion.  In a bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of oil with a teaspoon of garam masala, freshly-ground if possible, and two cloves of garlic, crushed.  Add some salt and pepper.  Mix well, then add the prepared veg and toss around, so they are all covered in the spicy oil.  Tip onto a parchment or foil-lined baking sheet, and spread into one layer, then roast at around 170 degrees for about 40 minutes.  I don't like them to be too charred so you can increase the temperature if you like them that way.  Turn once or twice during cooking.  This makes a lovely, easy and cheap side dish and accompanied a quick chicken coconut curry really well.  Alternatively, you can tip it all into a pot, cover with stock and then blend into a lovely, spicy veg soup.

Chickpea, Chorizo and Spinach with Poached Eggs

Inspired by a recipe from the wonderful Mark Hix, this is a simple, yet full-on flavoured dish for a quick supper.  You saute a sliced onion in a tablespoon of olive oil, with about 120g of chopped chorizo - let the onion soften and the sausage render its smoky paprika oil.  Add a clove of garlic, crushed, and half a teaspoon each of ground cumin and coriander, along with a pinch of cinnamon.  Tip in a tin of drained chickpeas (I use the dead cheap but brilliant East End brand) and add 200ml of water.  Allow to simmer for 10 minutes to amalgamate the flavours and reduce the liquid a bit.  Now throw in about 100g of rinsed baby spinach leaves and allow to wilt.  Finish with a tablespoon of chopped coriander leaf, and serve with a poached egg per person.  With crusty bread to mop up the oily juices, this is ample for 2 people.

Moroccan Chickpea and Squash Soup

This is a little like the famous Moroccan soup, Harira, which is used to break fast during Ramadan.  I make no claims for its authenticity, but this version, made with odds and ends from the fridge, was most delicious.  It would be great to give to a vegan, but very nice for everyone else, too, especially if you suspect you might be coming down with a cold!  Simply sweat a large onion in some olive oil, and stir in the following spices: ground cumin, ground coriander, ground ginger, paprika and chilli powder - a teaspoon of each, and a half teaspoon of ground cinnamon.  Add a tin of tomatoes and a couple of cloves of garlic, chopped.  Now, add some butternut or other squash - a small one, or in my case, half of a 'sweet mama' squash used in a risotto earlier this week.  Add a tin of drained chickpeas, and a litre of water mixed with a couple of teaspoons Marigold stock powder.  Simmer all nicely for 20 minutes or so, blend half of it and return to the pot, with lots of chopped fresh coriander leaf and a spritz of lemon juice.  Yummy!

Cabbage Masala

There is no way to make this dish look pretty - shredded white cabbage slowly cooked with onion and spices has a face only its Mum could love, but it tastes delicious - sweet, savoury and mellow, and a lovely counterpoint to a spankingly hot chicken Thai curry.  I based this on a recipe of my friend, Anu.  (She won't let me say Anu's recipe - oops!  Sorry!).  Finely chop an onion, and gently saute in a tablespoon of sunflower oil.  Whilst it is cooking, shred half a white cabbage and rinse well.  Add a teaspoon of black mustard seeds to the onion and turn up the heat, letting them pop a little.  Now stir in a teaspoon of garam masala, quite a bit of black pepper and also some salt - more than you might think is needed.  Add the cabbage and toss it all together.  Now add a little water - Anu uses the upturned lid of the pot as a measure.  Clamp the lid on and allow it to cook over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is soft and translucent and has shrunk down a little - probably around 15 minutes.  Taste and check seasoning, and cook for the last minute or so with the lid off to drive off any remaining liquid.  Anu does this with halved sprouts, which is a really nice way to eat them.  Leftovers, by the way, make the BEST bubble and squeak!

Baked Salmon with Spiced Chickpeas and Spinach

I wonder why Alex Mackay isn't better known? He is a Kiwi chef who worked for many years with the legendary Raymond Blanc. He has written a great book on Provencal cooking, and also writes from time to time for Sainsbury magazine. A couple of years ago, I cut this recipe from there and cooked it tonight - simple and delicious! Make a 'papillote' of a big sheet of foil per person, lined with another sheet of baking parchment. On this, lay a handful of spinach leaves per person. Take a tin of chickpeas, rinse, and mix in a bowl with half a tin of good chopped tomatoes, a chopped clove of garlic, a chopped spring onion and a half teaspoon of garam masala powder. Divide this amongst the spinach parcels - this quantity serves two. Place a salmon fillet (organic if possible) on each pile of chickpeas and dot with a wee bit of butter, and some salt and pepper. Scrunch up the parcels, sealing well, and place on a baking sheet. Bake in a really hot oven, 200 C, for 20 minutes, and then unwrap. The smell is glorious as the fragrant steam puffs out.

Marrakesh Meatballs and Eggs

Thirty years ago, way before Nigella, we had a 'posh' cook in the guise of Josceline Dimbleby. She is a great, innovative cook and I can't understand why she isn't more widely known and more highly regarded. Sainsbury's published several of her books in the early Eighties, and I still find inspiration from them, nearly thirty years later. This recipe, spiced lamb meatballs in a thick spicy tomato sauce, with eggs cooked in with them, is a stunner. Make meatballs from 200g minced lamb with garlic, mint, coriander, chilli and cumin. Roll into small, marble sized meatballs, and brown in a little oil. Mix a tablespoon of tomato puree with 200mls of boiling water. Now, mix a teaspoon each of ground cumin, coriander and paprika with a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon and stir into the meatballs, followed by the tomato water. Transfer all to an ovenproof dish and bake for about 20 minutes. Now, break eggs into the dish (I'll leave you to decide how many) and return to the oven for 10 minutes until set. Serve with rice or crusty bread.

Meredith's Zucchini Cake [#251]

This week's cake comes from Rachel Allen's book, 'Bake'. At first, one might think "eeuch" at the idea of a cake with courgette in, but it is no more odd than using carrot or beetroot, and is a well-established favourite in the States and in Australia. It makes for a moist and lightly spiced cake, with chopped walnuts added for texture, and a little cinnamon, clove and nutmeg to warm proceedings up. The recipe makes a lot - I got two cakes out of the mix but one will be safely stashed in the freezer. Can't find an online version of this, so let me know if you want the recipe and I'll email it separately

Roast Spiced Chicken

I wanted something along the lines of tandoori chicken as a change from just a simple roast chicken. I knocked up a paste of lemon juice, fresh ginger, garlic, onion, garam masala, paprika and turmeric. A free-range chicken was skinned and slashed, then the paste was rubbed in and all was left for several hours to flavour and tenderise the meat. A slow-roasting with a little oil and water to stop sticking and burning, and we were presented with a gorgeous, juicy, spicy bird - no jokes, please. Served with Roast Butternut Squash with Ginger (see next entry) this made a great alternative Sunday dinner.

Fragrant Persian Chicken Pilaff [#241]

I made chicken biryani recently and wondered if this might not be too similar, but it was a different dish altogether - milder, gentle and very soothing. Brown chicken thighs very well, then sautee an onion in the residual juices in the pan. Add quite a lot of crushed cardamom pods - about 10 - a stick of cinnamon and a few cloves, plenty of black pepper and some salt. Then add part-cooked basmati rice (boiled for about 4 minutes, after soaking in cold water for 2 hours). Also add 2 bay leaves, and a handful each of sultanas and toasted pine nuts. Return the chicken to the rice, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of water in which some saffron has been soaking, then clamp a lid on and cook over a very low heat for 3/4 of an hour. At the end, the rice has fluffed up, and a lovely spiced rice crust will have formed on the bottom of the pan. We'll definitely make this Alastair Hendy recipe again.

Lentil and Winter Vegetable Soup [#235]

Well, British Summer Time allegedly started on Sunday - outside, it is cold, dark, wet and with sleet forecast for later in the week! So, what better than a pot of lentilly, vegetably goodness, with tomato and spices? This has the added advantage of being low fat, and is from Judith Wills. Cheap too! Let's hope this will be our last Winter soup of the season though. This time last year, we were about to start the English asparagus season - it has been such a harsh winter this year, that I doubt we'll be eating it until nearer the end of April.