Dahl

Here it is again! Lovely dahl for dinner tonight. I thought it was about time I put the recipe up. There are lots of ingredients but it is really easy to make.

25g butter
2 cloves garlic
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp tumeric
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
175g red split lentils
2 tsp lemon juice
600ml vegetable stock
1 can coconut milk

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan and saute the garlic and onion for 5 minutes.
2. Add the spices and cook for a further minute.
3. Stir in the tomatoes, lentils, lemon juice, vegetable stock and coconut milk and bring to the boil.
4. Reduce the heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes until the lentils are tender.
5. Season to taste and serve with naan bread.

Veggie Mexican

A warming and quick veggie Mexican tonight before braving the very cold weather for a Carol service.




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Popcorn

So we went to watch the latest Harry Potter movie last night and it did disappoint. It was long and boring in places and most importantly not true to the book. Oh well! The popcorn on the other hand was fantastic. It is so easy and great fun to make and the fresh stuff is so much nicer than shop or cinema bought stuff. 

We followed the instructions on this website as best we could with a ceramic hob. We tried two toppings, one was butter and salt and the other was agave nectar. Both were delicious and despite my sweet tooth I liked the salted 'corn as much. The agave nectar was VERY sticky! How do you like yours?

Spinach and ricotta tortellini with tomato and mascarpone sauce

I was supposed to be eating out with a friend on Monday and Mr VST bought himself some stuffed tortellini and sauce from Asda to eat. We had it tonight instead as a quick meal before braving the cold to go and see the latest Harry Potter film. The food was ok. I'm hoping the film is better. Off to pop some popcorn to take with us now. I'll let you know how it goes.




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Mince Pies

I know it's not even December yet but mince pies have been in the shops since August and I gave in and bought some the week before last.

There were jars of mincemeat on special offer when I went shopping last week and I gave in and bought some and made my first batch of pies at the weekend.

I used the following pastry recipe:

50g icing sugar
125g butter
1 egg yolk
175g plain flour

You cream the butter and sugar together, add the egg yolk and mix it in and then add the flour.

Unfortunately I baked them for a little bit too long and the Tesco Finest mincemeat is a little sweet for my taste but they're still OK.

Tagliatelle bolognese

I tend to make my bolognese with linguine but there was some tagliatelle left in the cupboard so I used that instead


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Carrot, parsnip and cumin soup

My first semi-original recipe! This is a variation on my friend's Carrot and Garlic Soup recipe. It's soooooo creamy and smooth, a perfect Winter warmer.

500g carrots
500g parsnips
4 large cloves garlic, crushed
120g butter
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 litre swiss bouillon vegetable stock

1. Boil or steam the carrots and parsnips until just tender and drain well (remembering that the parsnips only need about half the boiling/steaming time of the carrots).

2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan and cook for one minute with the garlic and cumin.

3. Add the carrots and parsnips and cook over a medium heat for five minutes.

4. Add stock and simmer for 10-15 minutes

5. Blend together and serve.