From plot to pot

At this time of year fresh vegetables from the allotment are scarce. I still have some leeks in so I decided to put them together with onions, chickpeas and potatoes harvested earlier in the autumn to make a simple but delicious winter soup.

This recipe is not precise so adjust it to your taste. I sliced up 2 small onions, 7 leeks and 3 medium potatoes and a clove of garlic. The onions and leeks are fried in a heavy duty pot in rapeseed oil until softened, 7-10 minutes.

Add the cubed potatoes and continue to fry for a further 5 minutes.

Then drain a tin of chickpeas and add to the pot. Stir in 1.5 pints of vegetable stock and bring to boil. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes with lid on.

 Season to taste and the soup is then ready to eat.

I prefer to blend half of the soup and then mix it back in. This gives a creamy consistency which is perfect for serving with homemade bread rolls.

Has bean hummus

This is a good way of using up excess beans whether they are from the garden or from a tin. On this occasion I used a tin of red kidney beans but have also used butterbeans, broad beans  and french beans.

1. Place one drained can of beans or two cups (if using fresh) in the blender.

2. Add one clove of garlic, two teaspoons of lemon juice, two teaspoons of cumin and two tablespoons of tahini. 

3. Blend until smooth consistency is attained.

4. Taste. Add salt and pepper if necessary.

5. If hummus is too dry add sesame oil or liquid from can. Reblend to acheive desired consistency.

6. If you are using white beans a tablespoon of tomato puree can be added to give a nice pink colour.

7. Refrigerate until required. Will keep for a week at <5 degrees. (Not in my house though!)

Tagine

This is a nice warming winter dish with a taste of North Africa. Felt like we were on holiday when we were eating it!

 

Ingredients

 

1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed

1 large onion, diced

2 tbsp. veg oil

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

450 ml veg stock

12 dried apricots, chopped

2 red peppers chopped

200g tinned chickpeas

1 tsp honey

3 tbsp. chopped coriander

2 tbsp. chopped mint

 

Fry the onion in the oil until softened.(5 minutes)  Add the squash and spices and fry for 5 minutes. Add the stock and honey, season well, cover and simmer for 8 minutes.

 

Add the peppers and cook  until tender. Stir in the coriander and mint.

 

 

We served it with couscous:

 

Pour 450 ml of boiling water over 250g of couscous. Add 1 tsp of harissa paste and 1/2 tsp salt plus 200g tinned chickpeas. mix, cover and leave for 5 munutes. Sprinkle with toasted flaked almonds and serve.

 

 





You can vary the recipe to suite your taste. Prunes or sultanas can be used instead of  apricots. If you prefer your Tagine a bit hotter then add half a deseeded jalapeno pepper with the onion at stage one.

 

Enjoy!

 

 



 It is sometimes not much fun having an allotment in the Yorkshire Dales. On a day like today the westerly wind is battering the plot at up to 50 miles per hour. However for a few months each year  life on the allotment is absolute bliss.   Being close to nature and reaping the fruits (and veg) of your labours is one of the best experiences that you can have.

 

Coming not far behind in the experience stakes is taking veg out of the ground and cooking it within a few hours, Home grown, home cooked food is wonderful. I just love converting this:

 

 

Into a warming and nutritious meal - just what we need on a blustery November day! Today's offering:

 

 

 

I counted 11 vegetables went into this stew, 5 of them grown on my plot. My ambition? 11/11 of course! Homemade bread rolls and Spanish wine completed the meal. Oh and the recipe?

 

 

Fry onion leeks and garlic in oil. Chop up whatever veg are available. Add to pan plus lentils and boiling water. Cook long and slow. Season to taste. Et voila!