Tag Archives: lunch

Pearl barley summer salad

23 Apr

Pearl barley is simply barley with all of the bran removed. Similar to wheat in terms of nutritional value, this chewy grain is perfect in stews and soups. I have just started using it in salads as it gives a great texture and fills you up! It’s also extremely cheap (around 50p for 500g) so provides a delicious meal without breaking the bank.

This recipe was inspired by my recent trip to Petersham Nurseries. The delicious salad that I had there was made with faro but I substituted for pearl barley as it is more widely available.

I’m also substituting my usual olive oil for a lighter and less fruity oil, rapeseed. This adds a light nutty and earthy flavour, which I think works better in a salad. It also contains 50% less saturated fat than olive oil so better all round really.

Ingredients (serves 4)

150g pearl barley
6 vine ripened tomatoes, quartered
1 tbsp sunflower seeds
1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
1 small butternut squash, cubed
6 flat mushrooms, sliced
Rapeseed or olive oil for roasting/dressing – I use Hillfarm
Balsamic glaze
9 garlic cloves (8 for roasting and 1 chopped for frying the mushrooms)
1 red chilli, chopped
6 sprigs of rosemary
70g bag of rocket
200g asparagus
salt and pepper to season

Method - Pre heat oven to 200degrees

1. Place the tomatoes and squash in two separate roasting dishes. Add the garlic cloves and rosemary. Drizzle with rapeseed oil and balsamic glaze and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 45 minutes or until soft

2. Wash the pearl barley well in a colander and place in a pan with cold water (so that the pearl barley is well covered – you may need to add more water during cooking time, if it reduces right down). Add a pinch of salt and bring the water to the boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for 45-50 minutes or until soft

3. Place the sunflower and pumpkin seeds in a hot pan and fry until lightly toasted (the pumpkin seeds will puff up and the sunflower seeds will brown slightly). Set aside once toasted

4. Remove the tomatoes and squash from the oven and leave to cool slightly

5. Add a tsp of rapeseed oil to a frying pan and heat. Add the chilli and fry for 1 minute. Add the garlic and fry for a further minute. Add the chopped mushrooms and fry until soft and they have shrunk in size (they will also turn a darker colour)

6. Drain the pearl barley and rinse with cold water. Once drained, mix with the tomatoes and squash in a large salad bowl. Add the seeds and rocket. Drizzle with balsamic glaze and mix well

7. Heat a large griddle pan and remove the woody ends of the asparagus before placing them in the hot pan. Drizzle with rapeseed oil and sprinkle with salt. Fry until soft and charred

8. Serve the salad on individual plates and place the char grilled asparagus in a separate glass to place on the table for sharing. Enjoy!

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Two ways with Hummus – recipe

10 Feb

I just LOVE hummus. The humble chick pea is one of my favourite legumes because it is so versatile and tasty! I mostly add them to stews, my favourite being a curried chickpea and spinach stew. I haven’t made it for a while but it is sure to make an appearance on here soon.

My recent trip to Hummus Brothers inspired me to make my own hummus dishes. I made enough so that we could have it for dinner and then lunch the next two days! I have always previously used extra virgin olive oil in my recipe but decided to omit it this time and add a drizzle on at the end. I’ll give you the basic recipe for hummus below and show you two ways of serving, one for lunch and the other for dinner.

Ingredients

1 jar Tahini (roughly 250g)
300g dried chickpeas
70ml lemon juice (I used it from a bottle – very easy)
6 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp table salt (you may need more depending on how you want it to taste)
water (amount depends on how you want to consistency but it will be around 50ml)

Method

1. Soak the chickpeas in a large bowl of water overnight
2. Drain and place in a large pan of boiling water. Cook until soft (around 30 minutes)
3. Once soft, drain and place into a large food processor along with the lemon juice, garlic, salt, tahini and a drop of water
4. Blitz until smooth. You may need to add more water, lemon juice or salt to taste

Serving suggestion 1 – lunch

This is so cheap, delicious, easy to make and it will fill you up for hours!

1. Thinly slice a small red onion and marinade it in a splash (1 tbsp) red wine vinegar and a pinch of Cornish Sea Salt for a few minutes
2. Serve hummus with sliced baby vine tomatoes, cucumber, olive oil, paprika, lemon juice, onion and flat bread

Serving suggestion 2 – dinner

Again, extremely inexpensive and delicious. Serve with a side of tender stem broccoli

1. Keep some of the boiled chick peas back and set aside
2. Assemble hummus in the dish, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with paprika, add a squeeze of lemon juice and scatter the boiled chick peas over the top. Finish with half a boiled egg and a warmed flatbread

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Roast tomato, buffalo mozzarella and puy lentil salad

9 Feb

I had never cooked Puy Lentils until I made this salad. We have recently just moved into a new kitchen and the dried pulses now stand proud in kilner jars so that I can actually see them! The Puy Lentils sat neglected at the back of the cupboard in our old kitchen for so long – so I decided that it was time to put them to good use.

I roasted a whole chicken, along with some potatoes and served it with this salad. I roasted the tomatoes first in balsamic glaze, extra virgin olive oil and Cornish Sea Salt. There was also enough left over the lunch the next day, which was a huge bonus!

IMG_4939

Ingredients – serves 4 as a main or 6 as a side

200g Puy Lentils
2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
3 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
1 small red onion
Glug of extra virgin olive oil
5 vine ripened tomatoes
Drizzle of balsamic glaze
Cornish Sea Salt
1 ball of good quality Buffalo Mozzarella
A few sprigs of rosemary
Glug (around 2 tbsp) red wine vinegar)

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 130degrees
1. Chop tomatoes into quarters, place in a baking tray and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, balsamic glaze, sprinkle with salt and place a few sprigs of rosemary on the top. Roast for 1 1/2 hours or until soft. This is what mine looked like before roasting

2. Boil the lentils for 30 minutes, or until soft
3. Slice the onion very finely and place in a bowl with the red wine vinegar and a good pinch of salt
3. Drain the lentils and place in a large bowl along with the herbs, a glug of olive oil and the tomatoes
4. Drain the onions after a few minutes and serve on a large plate
5. Tear up the ball of mozzarella, throw it on a drizzle with extra virgin olive oil
6. Enjoy!

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Crayfish and Mushroom Risotto recipe

6 Feb

I bought a tub of Crayfish tails when I was trying to do my 6 weeks without sugar. I was going to use them for a salad but after giving up (let’s face it I only lasted 6 days!), salads weren’t high on the agenda anymore.

So I decided to cook a Crayfish and Mushroom Risotto. I didn’t have any fish stock in the store cupboard so I used Vegetable Stock instead but it was still absolutely delicious.

Risotto is so easy to make, although you do have to keep stirring the pan so that it doesn’t stick but it’s a delicious treat.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

20g butter
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
handful chestnut mushrooms, chopped in half
250g
100ml dry white wine
1 pint vegetable stock (I used Bouillon)
225g cooked crayfish tails
2 tbsp double cream
2 tbsp freshly grated parmesan
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp flatleaf parsley, chopped

Method

1. In a large frying pan, melt the butter and sauté the onion until translucent (around 7 minutes). Add the garlic after about 4 minutes
2. Add the mushrooms and fry for a further 2 minutes
3. Add the risotto rice and fry for a minute or until the rice becomes translucent. Add the wine and simmer for 2 minutes
4. Start to add the vegetable stock, bit by bit. This is the secret to a good risotto! Stir constantly and reduce to a steady simmer. It should take about 15 minutes to add all of the stock
5. Add the crayfish right at the end, along with the parsley and double cream
6. Sprinkle with parsley, season with salt and pepper and serve

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The first Brunch. Toast, East Perth

24 Dec

I’m probably one of the luckiest people that passed through Heathrow last weekend. Normally I would be so happy that snow had stuck to the ground but not then. Two days before we were due to fly to Australia, the snow came thick and fast and temperatures dropped to their lowest for 20 years. There was carnage at Heathrow airport, which was the worst affected airport in the country. Great. 

We weren’t able to get much information as our airlines phone lines were engaged for two days – finally we got through to Heathrow on the morning who said that our flight was scheduled. We arrived to queues to even get into the airport – they weren’t letting you in unless your flight was going. Struggling to hear the Heathrow workers, we stood behind a mass of people eagerly awaiting an announcement. Then it came, our plane had just landed from Singapore – and we were in. Straight to the check in, straight through security and a short wait before we boarded the plane. We were sat on the runway for 2 hours but as soon as we took off were thanking our lucky stars. I felt awful for the people who were spending a third night sleeping on the floor.

I had done my research before I arrived this time and to my delight one of the best places for brunch in Perth is called Toast and it is right below the apartment. Annoyingly, most cafes in East Perth close over Christmas and don’t open again until 6th Jan so we went on our second day for lunch.

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I had my eye on the French Toast with Ricotta and Blueberries before I even left London so I had that and my boyfriend shared the Roasted Tomato with Basil, Avacado and Feta on Toast with his mum. The portions were pretty large and more than enough for two people sharing – in this heat anyway!

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I became obsessed with brunch after my Australia visit last year. The Auzzies have it right – not a fry up in sight and I love it!

Toast cafe view

Toast is situated on the River, which provides a beautiful setting and next to a bustling restaurant, which provides a fantastic atmosphere. They sell a wide range of foods, amazing hot drinks and milkshakes plus home baked cakes, which looked delicious. It’s such a shame that they’re not open again until the day before I go back to England.

I will be visiting my brother in Melbourne in a couple of weeks so expect more delicious brunch posts!

Toast
21/60 Royal Street
East Perth WA 6004
(08) 9221 0771

Toast on Urbanspoon

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Sunday Upmarket Ethiopian lunch

17 Oct

I wish that the UK had a better street food offering.

I have heard rumours of great street food in countries such as Brazil and Canada and even though I haven’t been lucky enough to visit those places, I truly believe that their offering is better than ours.

How many times have you succumb to the dirty ‘illegal’ hot dog smell that wafts your way after leaving a club at 2am? Similarly, how many times have you had no choice but to purchase a dodgy cardboard burger when at an event? One of the most ridiculous I’ve ever seen is a burger van in the B&Q car park at the weekends. What?!? Surely there could be something tastier to cater for these DIYers food needs?

The best street food I have experienced has been the Mexican trucks that frequent the pavements in New York. I was in my element when, after a few cans of ‘Pabst Blue Ribbon’ at Union Pool in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, I was able to drift out to the terrace and purchase a big juicy, delicious taco, topped with a wedge of fresh lime and a sprinkle of coriander (or cilantro as they call it).

Despite our rather lacklustre offering, it is great to see a range of cuisines available under one roof at Sunday Upmarket on Brick Lane. Each Sunday, a number of food stalls sell their very own homemade traditional dishes from their home country. I will travel all the way from Wembley to Liverpool Street to taste the Ethiopian delights available at one stall in particular.

Ethiopean

A couple of years ago I might have opted for a chicken curry with rice and a dumpling. That was until I was introduced to the ‘three sauce’ Ethiopian wrap. I still haven’t deciphered what the sauces are but they take a injera, a traditional Ethiopian pancake, smother it in the three sauces and wrap it up. It’s served with salad and a couple of dollops of the sauces on offer. I’m told the green one is very hot! It turns out it’s not too bad – I could still taste my food, which was a good sign.

Ethiopean

At £5, I’d say it’s one or the best value dishes on offer at the Market but there are an array of cuisines on offer including Japanese, Mexican and Chinese. Not to mention the cakes – check out Kooky Bakes for a sweet treat to end your lunch on a high note!

Sunday Upmarket
The Old Truman Brewery
91 Brick Ln, London E1 6QL
020 7770 6028

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Meet me on the Towpath in Dalston

21 May

A few weeks ago I arranged a lunch with @MathildeCuisine for today – how lucky were we with the weather! Myself and @foodiestgeorge went along to meet Mathilde at Towpath, a new venture from writer Lori De Mori and photographer Jason Lowe on a less glamerous stretch of Regents Canal.

Upon arrival, I was unsurprised to see mismached furniture and crowd of ‘cool’ punters that looked like artists – most probably residents or workers in a nearby art gallery. I was also unsurprised to see that the bank was full to the brim on what seemed like the hottest day of the year so far.

It didn’t take us too long to get a seat and we were lucky to bag one by the water facing into the sun. The menu isn’t huge and they had sold out of an asaparagus dish (a shame as I am rather partial to a bit of asparagus) but we ordered three dishes to share:

Pork Rillett



Pork Rillette, originally uploaded by Food For Think.


Tabbouleh



Tabouleh, originally uploaded by Food For Think.

Cheese and Spring Onon Toastie

After wolfing the three dishes with not a morsel to spare, we couldn’t go without dessert. A few cakes were on show including one that I believe will become their trademark – Olive Oil cake. I love olive oil but wasn’t convinced enough to opt for it despite being told that it is very moist! Instead, we shared

Rhubarb and Almond Tart



Rhubarb and almond tart, originally uploaded by Food For Think.

Chocolate Pot with Cream



Chocolate pot with cream, originally uploaded by Food For Think.

I am a real sucker for pastry at the moment and this one was was springy, chewy, buttery and creamy – everything I want from a pastry based dessert. I’ve recently started baking with pastry and I’m quite far away from those standards. A little more practice though…

One last bit of fun before we left – young children canooing along the canal and fighting to overtake each other right infront of us (hello – why wasn’t that on my sports syllabus at school?) and lazy barges chugging past. On our departure, we spied the waitress carrying the sandwiches from a house around the corner – I’m guessing it is the house of Lori and Jason – looked like a very nice one too.

Address

Towpath Cafe
42 De Beauvoir Crescent
London
N1 5SB
0207 254 7606

Tow Path on Urbanspoon

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