Summer Bean Salad

Summer Bean Salad

This recipe makes for a delicious lunch or a light dinner that is perfect for a warm, summery evening (not that we’ve had many of those yet in England). What’s more, it keeps for a few days in the fridge, so you can make lots of it and keep going back for more! It’s also a great one for using up ingredients that you’ve got left in the cupboard and the vegetable draw in your fridge, and can be adapted to suit the flavours and foods you like the most. I prefer to make this salad with a tahini dressing, rather than the usual French dressing, as I think this makes it much more interesting and adds great depth to the overall flavour of the dish. You should be able to buy tahini in your local supermarket, or if you happen to live near the Curry Mile like me, then you will be able to get hold of it very easily indeed!

Salad Ingredients (serves 4)

1 red pepper

1 aubergine

4 cloves garlic

1tsp paprika

1tsp ground cumin

Vegetable/sunflower oil

1 tin flageolet beans

1 tin cannellini beans

1/2 tin artichoke hearts

Handful of cherry tomatoes

4 spring onions

1/4 cucumber

100g feta

Handful of coriander

Handful of mixed seeds (sunflower, sesame, pumpkin etc.)

Dressing Ingredients 

2tbsp tahini

3 tbsp virgin olive oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 garlic cloves

Pinch of salt and pepper

Method

Heat the oven to 190c. Dice the aubergine and pepper, and place in a large roasting tray. Squash the cloves of garlic with the flat side of a large knife, then add to the tray. Toss everything in vegetable or sunflower oil, and sprinkle with paprika, ground cumin, salt and pepper. Pop in the oven for 30 minutes.

Whilst the veggies cook, rinse and drain the flageolet and cannellini beans, and then add them both to a large bowl. Quarter the artichoke hearts, and halve the cherry tomatoes and then add these to the bowl too. Finely slice the spring onions, cucumber and coriander and chuck these into the same bowl. Finally, place the mixed seeds in a frying pan and dry fry for around 3 minutes, so they are warmed through and lightly toasted. Following this, sprinkle the seeds over the rest of the salad ingredients. Lastly, take the feta and crumble it finely over the ingredients in the bowl.

Next up is the dressing. Before measuring out the tahini, be sure to mix it thoroughly whilst it is still in the jar, as it often separates out. Once you’ve done this, take a jam jar or measuring jug and pour in the tahini and olive oil. Stir these together until combined, then add the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Finally, peel and crush the garlic cloves and stir these through the dressing until all the ingredients are combined. Taste to make sure it is as lemon-y and salty as you want it to be – everyone seems to have a different preference!

By now your veggies should be roasted to perfection, so take them out of the oven and tip them into the bowl with all the other ingredients. Pour over the dressing, and mix everything together. Season with some salt and pepper and then tuck in!

Moroccan Tagine & Couscous

 

Moroccan Tagine & Couscous

Once more I must apologise for the Peckish Pescatarian’s silence over the last few weeks. I’m almost finished with my degree and so everything has been pretty hectic and essay-centred. The end is now in sight though, as I’ve begun work on my last ever essay, and finish my degree a week today, which is terrifying! And what better way to counter that terror of being a grownup with some delicious, warming food.

This recipe is adapted from a BBC recipe, as I wanted to select which vegetables made up the basis of the tagine. I opted for carrots, parsnips and sweet potatoes but you can really chuck in anything that takes your fancy. The combination of spices and flavours in this recipe make for a really fragrant, delicious meal and an excellent leftover lunch! I served this with couscous, but it would also work with some crusty bread or just on its own if you’re not that ravenous.

This recipe uses a chermoula pasta, which is normally a marinade for fish, but in this dish, provides the basis of the flavour and acts more like a curry paste I guess.

One last thing – this recipe takes quite a while to prepare, but is really easy and so worth the time it takes. Once you’ve made the paste and fried the veg, you can simply pop it in the oven and go about the rest of your day!

Chermoula Ingredients (serves 4)

1 1/1 red onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves

Thumb-sized piece of fresh root ginger

65ml lemon juice (normally about 2 lemons, if they’re juicy!)

65ml olive oil

1tbsp honey

tbsp ground cumin

1tbsp paprika

1tbsp turmeric

1 tsp chilli powder

Handful of fresh coriander

Tagine Ingredients (serves 4)

1tbsp olive oil

2 carrots, cut into medium-sized chunks

2 parsnips, cut into medium-sized chunks

2 red onions, roughly chopped

2 leeks roughly chopped

8 dried apricots, roughly chopped

Handful of raisins

1 vegetable stock cube

240g couscous

Handful of fresh coriander to serve

Method

Heat the oven to 200c. Chuck all the chermoula ingredients into a blender and whizz until you have a smooth paste.

Chermoula Paste

 

 

Take a heavy-bottomed pan and pour in 1tbsp olive oil and place it on the hob. Once the oil is hot, put the chopped carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, onions and leeks into the pan and fry on the hob for around 1o minutes, making sure to stir so none of the veg catches.

Veggies!

 

Add the chermoula paste, apricots and raisins to the veggies and pour in 280ml water. Put a lid on the pan and bring to the boil. Once the tagine is boiling, take it off the hob and put it in the oven for 45 minutes, with the lid still on. After 45 minutes, turn the oven down to 180c and cook a further 45 minutes.

Whilst the tagine is cooking, why not have a meander through The Dogist. This is a blog dedicated to documenting dogs, rather than people, that the photographer comes across when he’s out and about in the US. If you’re a dog lover like me, then you’ll love these photos and the assortment of furry friends found within them.

Once the tagine has about 10 minutes left of cooking time, make your couscous. Boil the kettle and make 450ml of stock. Put the couscous in a large bowl, and pour over the stock. Cover with a plate or tea-towel and leave for a few minutes. Check the couscous is cooked (if its not, just pour through a bit more stock). Finally, run a fork through the couscous to make sure it doesn’t all stick together in lumps.

Tagine bubbling away!

By now, your tagine should be ready to devour. Serve it with some couscous and fresh coriander and  بالصحة  (bon appetit in Arabic!)

 

 

Globe Artichokes with Vinaigrette and Crusty Bread

Artichokes & Vinaigrette

This is just a quick and easy recipe, but I love it because of how simple is is, and because of how delicious artichokes are! This makes a great starter at a dinner party, or a good snack if you’re feeling a little luxurious. This is a recipe that dates back to when I was little – I remember eating artichokes dipped in balsamic vinegar and thinking it delicious, and also great fun, as artichokes are very much a finger food – especially when you get to the heart and have to rip off all the funny little hairs in order to get to the good bit!

Some people spend forever preparing their artichokes but I personally don’t see the point – it takes too much time, and is unnecessary as there are always going to be bits that you won’t eat, regardless of whether or not you chop off the tips of the leaves before cooking.

I have opted to serve these with crusty white bread, as this can be used to mop any excess oil and vinegar, but it is up to you whether you do the same!

Ingredients (serves 2) 

2 large globe artichokes

2 garlic cloves, peeled

2 bay leaves

1/4 of a lemon

100ml balsamic vinegar

100ml olive oil

Salt and pepper to season

Crusty white bread to serve

Method

Place a large pan of water on the hob, with the garlic cloves, lemon, bay leaves and a dash of salt, and leave until it comes up to the boil.

Meanwhile, try and give your artichokes a good rinse. I realise this is tricky because they are very tightly put together, but if you can get into all the nooks and crannies then that’s great. Once washed, chop the ends of the stalks off – these are the most bitter and dry part, so not worth eating!

Once the water is boiling, pop the artichokes into the water, cover with a lid and turn to a low heat so the water continues to simmer. Leave these to cook for around half an hour – or until the outer leaves come away easily. The bigger the artichoke the longer it will take to cook!

Whilst the artichokes are cooking, mix together your balsamic vinegar and olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Once this is done, why not have a gander at this article about street artist ATM and his recent ‘graffiti’ that has been appearing in London. ATM has created a series of beautiful paintings of Britain’s endangered birds on buildings around the capital city. The result is wonderful, and much better than most of the other street art you will have seen. I for one shall be keeping an eye out for these lovely feathered friends when I head to London next week. These paintings also act as a timely wake up call to the fact we need to stop messing around with the environment, and start acting to prevent climate change, and the extinction of various species of animals and birds.

Once the artichokes are cooked, drain the water and dig in. Pull away the individual leaves and dip the bottom of them in the vinaigrette, then eat the little fleshy bit at the bottom of each leaf. Once you have peeled away and eaten all the leaves (which takes a while – although some of the very inner leaves won’t have any fleshy stuff to eat so can be discarded quickly) you will get to the heart of the artichoke. This is the most delicious part! With a sharp knife, carefully cut away all the hairy stuff and the end of the stalk, until you are left with the smooth green heart. Give this a good soaking in the vinaigrette and enjoy!

 

Pistachio and Herb Falafels

Pistachio and Herb Falafel with Coriander Yoghurt & Paprika Houmous

Falafels are one of my all time favourite things. There is a fantastic falafel restaurant on the Curry Mile in Manchester, that I frequent on my way in and out of uni when I feel like treating myself to more than a cheese sandwich for lunch. I also learnt two years ago that falafels are in fact incredibly easy to make at home, and this has been somewhat of a revelation, as they quickly became one of my regular, and most enjoyed meals.

Today’s recipe is a new spin on the usual falafel, and is based upon another Green Kitchen Stories recipe, although I have changed it somewhat to suit my tastes. This is the last of the pistachio recipes, as I have now run out of pistachios and feel maybe I should take a break from them, otherwise the obsession may reach dangerous levels. The pistachios, and the herbs used in this recipe, give the falafels a wonderful bright green colour, as well making the taste fantastic – the sweet, salty pistachio combined with the nutty falafel and the fresh coriander and mint is more than a winning combination. The texture too is wonderful – the soft chickpeas and the crunchy pistachio contrast with one another excellently. Topped off with smoked paprika houmous, lime and coriander yoghurt and some spinach, then wrapped up in a flatbread, it is a completely delicious, healthy and easy dinner.

Falafel Ingredients (serves 2)

8 sprigs of fresh mint

8 sprigs of fresh coriander

200g pistachio nuts, shelled

400g tinned chickpeas

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 white onion

3tbsp olive oil

1tsp cumin

1tbsp flour

Salt and pepper to season

1tbsp sunflower oil

2 flatbreads

150g smoked paprika houmous

Handful of baby spinach leaves

Sriracha, to serve

To begin with, place the herbs in a blender and whizz until you have a smooth paste. Then add the pistachios and blend again, so you have a pesto like texture. Following this, chuck in the chickpeas, garlic, cumin, flour, olive oil, and onion and blend once more. The end result should have something a bit like a sticky-doughy texture. Take a tablespoon of mixture out of the blender, and shape it into a round ball. Repeat until you have used all the mixture. This will make approximately 10 falafels, maybe more, maybe less depending on how big you make them.

Falafels – shaped and ready to cook!

Heat the sunflower oil in a large frying pan, and once hot, pop the falafels in and leave them to fry. They will take a couple of minutes to brown on each side, but make you sure keep an eye on them and turn them regularly. Whilst the falafels cook, it is time to make the yoghurt.

Lime & Coriander Yoghurt Ingredients

200g yoghurt

Handful of coriander leaves

Juice and zest of 1/2 a lime

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper to season

Finely chop the coriander, then place in a bowl with the yoghurt, lime juice and zest, olive oil and salt and pepper. Stir this together, and add more lime/salt/pepper to achieve the perfect flavour!

If you have any spare time whilst cooking, take a look at this fab blog Humans of New York . It’s a photography blog, set up by a former Wall-Street trader called Brandon, who lost his day job, and decided to start photographing New Yorkers and hearing their stories. The result is a wonderful, eclectic and intriguing collection of individuals, with all manner of stories and backgrounds. Some will make you laugh, some will make you melt and some will make you shed a tear, but you will enjoy reading about all those he has come across since embarking on this wonderful project.

Once the yoghurt is made, heat the oven to 180c. Make sure to watch over your falafels so they don’t burn! You want them to go a medium brown, and they should be hard and crispy on the outside. Once the oven is hot, put the flatbreads in to warm through for a couple of minutes.

Crispy frying falafels

By this point, your falafels should be cooked. Take the falafels off the heat, and take your flatbreads out of the oven. Lay a flatbread out on a plate, spread the humous and yoghurt over it, then top with falafel, spinach and sriracha. Carefully wrap the flatbread up, (being sure to tuck in one end to avoid leaks!) and then tuck in. Happy eating!

Falafels and flatbread

Two quick things before I go – I fry my falafels as I find this is the best way to achieve a crisp outer shell, and a moist, soft middle. I know it’s not as healthy as baking, but it’s also not as delicious, and that must always come first in my books. That said, if you must, then you can bake them, at 200c for 15 minutes, making sure to turn them regularly so as to achieve an even colour.

Lastly, I am aware that posts to this blog are currently few and far between, and this is due to the fact my dissertation is due in just over three weeks, and so everything is a little manic in my head, and my life. The Peckish Pescatarian gets a little forgotten about as a result, but I will try and put recipes up as often as I can, when I remember to!

Spring Vegetable Soup with Pistachio Pesto

Spring vegetable soup with pistachio pesto

So this is the second of my pistachio recipes, as the obsession continues. I don’t often make soups, but every so often a recipe comes along that catches my eye and is delicious. I think I often find soups to be a bit nothing-y, especially for dinner, but this one has vermicelli and cannellini beans in it, which really gives it some bulk, and means it doesn’t leave you hungry. The pistachio pesto infuses through all the other ingredients, making a delicious nutty broth, which complements the freshness of the vegetables perfectly.

Soup Ingredients

1tbsp olive oil

1 leek

1 courgette

100g green beans

1.2l vegetable stock

2 large tomatoes

400g cannellini beans

1 nest vermicelli

Salt and pepper to season

Pistachio Pesto Ingredients

25g pistachios, shelled

25g fresh basil

25g parmesan, grated

3tbsp virgin olive oil

2 cloves of garlic

Salt and pepper to season

Delicious fresh ingredients

Begin by heating the olive oil in a large pan, and then finely chop the leek, beans and courgette. Once the oil is hot, add the leek to the pan and fry for 4-5 minutes, or until soft. Next add the courgette and beans and fry for a further 3 minutes. Pour the stock over the vegetables, cover with a lid and leave to simmer for five minutes.

Meanwhile, you can make the pesto. It’s the same recipe used in the gnocchi, and is very easy. Place all of pesto ingredients into a blender, and blend until you have a smooth paste (or a not so smooth paste if you like a more rustic, homemade feel to your pesto). Season with salt and pepper and then put to one side.

Finely chop the tomatoes and add to the soup, along with the cannellini beans and the vermicelli. Leave to simmer for another 5 minutes or until the vermicelli are cooked and the vegetables are soft.

Whilst the soup finishes cooking, why not have a read of this fab article by Laura Bates, the founder of Everyday Sexism. The article discusses how being sexually harassed in the street is not the same as being complimented, and that people should stop telling women to take it as a compliment when men wolf whistle at them or comment on their appearance. Given what a frequent occurrence this is in probably all women’s lives, it’s really important to recognise the problem, and how damaging it can be, especially when it’s brushed off by those who have never experienced such behaviour, and therefore have no idea how demeaning, threatening and infuriating it can be.

Once the soup is ready, ladle it into two bowls and then divide the pesto between them, and then tuck in!