been meaning to add to the list…
I’ve been relying heavily on the following:
Lentil & Split pea soup:
chop up & fry/sauté off a large onion (throw in s sprinkling of chilli flakes as well just for the hell of it) in EVOO.
rinse 1 cup red lentils and 1 cup yellow or green split peas ( helps if you soak these first)
once onion is done add lentils/pea and add boiling water (start with 1-1.5 litres but check regularly in case it needs more) and add a couple of veg stock cubes. Actual veg stock is better like…
bring to boil and simmer for 45-90 mins or until the peas are soft.
Lentil, celery & ginger soup:
chop up & fry off/sauté a large red onion with 4 sticks celery (chopped) and a couple of carrots (chopped) for about 20 minutes in EVOO.
add a big chunk of ginger (grated) and a couple cloves garlic (also grated) and fry a minute or two longer.
Add 2 cups of rinsed red lentils then approx 1-1.5 litres boiling water.
add 1 veg stock and 1 chicken stock cube.
Bring to boil and simmer for about 30-45 minutes.
Zap with a hand mixer and bingo, soup.
Bean Ratatouille/Stew:
Chop and fry/sauté a large red (or 2 small) onions in EVOL, sorry EVOO.
Add a sprinkling of chilli flakes (or chopped chilli of your choice)
slice 2 courgettes and add.
slice and chop a pepper (or half one them long sweet ones) and add.
You could add (half?) an aubergine (in fact you should but I’m not a fan.
Once you think they’re about done add 3 or 4 cloves crushed, sliced or grated garlic. Also season liberally with black pepper, hell lots of it. Maybe a grind or two of salt wont go amiss.
Add tin/carton of chopped (or cherry) tomatoes and some passata (equally add fresh tomatoes, esp if they are a little past their best for eating ‘raw’, as long you have a reasonable amount of liquid)
add 1 x drained and rinse tin chick peas + 1 x rinsed and drained tin of other bean (cannellini, flageolet, even butter beans will work).
Bring to boil and simmer for about 30 minutes or until it looks about right and the beans have softened enough but not mush.
If you need more liquid add a little water (boiling/hot) to suit. It shouldn’t be runny though…
I’ve also been using the white bean tuna salad although I use half a red onion (or a whole small one) chopped, (couple spoons EV olive oil, a half a lemon juiced, seasoned with black pepper and a little salt), a hand full of fresh chopped tomatoes (cherry, santini or the like) or half a red sweet pepper and a drained tin of tuna (I prefer the M&S in spring water myself).
Tonight I had proper pork sausages with roast parsnip & cauliflower which was really, really good. (pair and slice a parsnip, chop up half a cauli into florets, place in roasting dish with liberal amount EVOO, rummle them all up in the oil and then a fair bit of black pepper ground on top, place in preheated oven 190-200 for, oh half an hour, mmmm).
