The Recipe Room

This spinach and warm veggie salad recipe, smothered in a delicious creamy mustard sauce, makes a great starter or side dish for any occasion.  The warm vegetables make a welcome change to a typical cold salad and provide the perfect contrast to the bed of tender fresh spinach leaves.

If you have more of an appetite, you could also try this pita bread with fried vegetables, coriander and ricotta cheese. The extra carbs will give you an energy boost.

What you’re going to need:

• 2 medium-sized red onions
• 100g cherry tomatoes
• 1 fennel bulb
• 110g fresh tender spinach  leaves
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 bunch fresh parsley
• 1 slice whole-grain bread
• 65ml vegetable stock
• 2tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2tsp grainy mustard
• 2tbsp crème fraîche
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Pinch of ground coriander

What you have to do:

1. Chop the red onions.
2. Trim the fennel, wash and cut into eighths lengthwise.
3. Wash and trim the spinach. Remove the thick stems, and wash thoroughly in cold standing water. Allow to drain thoroughly and transfer to plates.
4. Wash the lemon with hot water, remove a thin layer of zest, and chop finely. Squeeze out the juice and set aside.
5. Wash the parsley and finely chop the leaves.
6. Sprinkle the lemon zest and parsley leaves over top of the spinach.
7. Soak the bread in the vegetable stock.
8.  In a blender, finely purée the bread with the extra virgin olive oil.
9. Mix in the grainy mustard and crème fraîche and season to taste with 1.5 tablespoons of the lemon juice, along with the salt, pepper, and coriander.
10. In a wide pot, bring about 5cm of salted water to the boil for the vegetables.
11. Cover and cook the vegetables 5 minutes, or until they are tender and crisp.
12. Drain the excess water from the vegetables and arrange them on top of the spinach leaves.
13. Pour the mustard cream over the salad or mix it all together so that the entire dish is coated with the dressing.
14. Serve immediately.

 

Preparation Time:  20

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Serves:  4

Difficulty: Easy

I remember loving the meatballs in tomato sauce that my mother used to make when I was growing up, so the other day I decided to try and make a vegetarian version.  This chickpea falafel with tomato sauce recipe was the result.  The texture is, of course, slightly different than the lamb-based or peri-peri meatballs my mother specialised in, but the lemon, garlic and Italian parsley give them a subtle flavour that  is offset nicely by the tomato and thyme sauce.  Enjoy!

What you’re going to need:

For the falafel:

• 400g cooked chickpeas
• 1/2 medium onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 bunch fresh Italian parsley
• 1tsp grated lemon zest
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3tbsp extra virgin olive oil

For the tomato sauce:

• 500g tomatoes
• 1/2 bunch fresh thyme
• 1tbsp pine nuts
• 170ml crème fraîche
• Salt and pepper to taste

What you have to do:

1. Drain the chickpeas well.
2. Peel and mince the onion and the garlic.
3. Wash the parsley and finely chop the leaves.
4. Place the chickpeas, onion, garlic, parsley, and lemon zest in a food processor and blend to a paste.
5. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Let the mixture stand for about 30 minutes.
7. Form the mixture into walnut-sized balls.
8. In a pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat.
9. Add the falafel and sauté for 10 minutes, shaking the pan at regular intervals so that they brown evenly.
10. Remove the falafel from the pan and keep them warm in the oven at the lowest setting.
11. While the falafel is frying, prepare the tomatoes for the sauce by removing the cores.
12. Submerge the tomatoes in boiling water for a few seconds, then transfer to a bowl of cold water to loosen the skin.
13. Remove the skin, cut into quarters, and chop finely.
14. Wash the thyme and strip the leaves from the stems.
15. Add the remaining oil to the pan.
16. Add the pine nuts and thyme and sauté for 20 seconds.
17. Add the tomatoes and simmer the mixture for 10 minutes over medium heat.
18. Mix in the crème fraîche and season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper.
19. Arrange the falafel on 4 plates. Pour the sauce over them and serve.

 

Preparation Time:  15 minutes + 30 minutes setting

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Serves:  4

Difficulty: Medium

These potato and Gruyère cakes are a satisfyingly filling starter that are sure to delight the whole family, young and old alike.  The tangy crème fraîche offsets the earthy flavour of the potatoes in just the right way, making for a true taste sensation.  For a sweeter presentation, try serving them with an added dollop of raspberry jam, or any other jam you like.  These were initially intended as an appetiser, but I have found they make for a great breakfast too.

If you are a fan of Indian food, you might want to try out this Malai Kofta recipe as well. They are special potato dumplings with cheese in a special gravy. The texture isn’t as delightfully crunchy as with my cakes, but the flavour of the gravy is amazing!