The Recipe Room

With winter now in full swing, what better way to warm up after coming in from the cold than with a piping hot dish of red split lentils and potatoes, fresh out of the oven?! Although I also enjoy a hearty bowl of lentil soup, this Red Lentil and Potato Bake, seasoned with thyme and rosemary, is just the thing to warm your bones and satisfy your belly, all without putting too much of a dent in your pocketbook!

As with most recipes that use potatoes, you’ll notice that I suggest just washing them, not peeling.  This a trick I picked up from a Canadian friend who assures me that’s the only way to eat potatoes, and the truth is, I have to agree with her!  Not only do the potato skins add depth of flavour to the dish, they also contain lots of nutrients and help to keep the nutrients of the potatoes themselves from leaking out as they tend to do during cooking.

What you’re going to need:

• 3 medium potatoes, washed, sliced or chopped
• 500g dried split red lentils
• 4 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 plum tomatoes, chopped
• 2 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 litre of water

What you have to do:

1. Preheat oven to 200ºC.
2. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.
3. Add the onions and garlic and fry for 2 minutes, stirring continuously.
4. Add the celery and continue frying and stirring for another minute.
5. Add the tomatoes, herbs, salt and pepper for 2 more minutes.
6. Add the lentils and the water and bring to a boil.
7. Cover the frying pan and cook for 5 minutes.
8. Place all the ingredients except for the potatoes in a 2 litre baking dish.
9. Carefully lay the potatoes on top of the lentil mixture with their edges overlapping.
10. Splash a little olive oil over the potatoes and sprinkle on a little thyme and salt.
11. Bake in the preheated oven on the bottom shelf for 70 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
12. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Prep Time:  10 minutes

Cooking Time: 1 hour

Serves: 4-6

Difficulty: Easy

Perfect for when you need a quick and easy, but still tasty and healthy, meal for unexpected dinner guests. This Broccoli and Feta Rice dish is a family favourite that’s sure to please even the pickiest of palettes.  I came up with this one summer evening a few years back when we organized a spur of the moment dinner party with some friends we’d invited over for drinks, only to realise that purple sprouting broccoli, cherry tomatoes and feta cheese were quite literally the only things I had in the fridge!  After a quick inspection of the cupboards I found a bit of Basmati Rice and inspiration struck!  Not much more than 20 minutes later and we were happily stuffing our bellies with this tangy, cheesy delight.

Ever since that day, this has been my “go to” dish for any last-minute meal requirements.  As an alternative you can replace the cherry tomatoes with sun-dried tomatoes, preferably the kind that come in a jar with olive oil.  If you have the loose, dry kind, be sure to rehydrate them in hot water with a little olive oil before adding them to the mix.  Also bear in mind that sun-dried tomatoes are notoriously salty, and when combined with the salty feta cheese it can be a bit much, so don’t add any more salt until the end and always test it first!

What you’re going to need

• 1 medium head of broccoli, chopped, about 2 cups
• 1 200g package of feta cheese, chopped in cubes
• 1 pack cherry tomatoes (approx. 25 units)
• 2 cups uncooked basmati rice
• 3 cups water with 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and pepper to taste

What you have to do

1. Steam the broccoli for about 10 minutes, or until it is tender, but still a little al dente.  Set aside.
2. Cook the rice in the salted water with the bay leaf until it’s tender but not mushy (about 25 minutes).
3. Drain the rice and place it in a large serving bowl.
4. Add the broccoli and feta cheese to the rice, along with the herbs, salt and pepper.
5. Stir the mixture well, adding more salt and pepper as desired.
6. Serve warm or cold.

Preparation Time:  5 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Serves:  4

Difficulty: Easy

One of my favourite meals when I was growing up was a beef and potato stew my mother used to make for us, especially in the winter.  It was just the perfect thing for warming your belly and bones after a long day of playing outside in the cold.  Naturally, when I became a vegetarian this was one of the first recipes I just had to emulate in a meatless version.  Hearty Seitan Stew is the result of a few months of trial and error to get the mix just right.  The thick broth, melt-in-your-mouth potatoes and deliciously chewy wheat gluten (seitan) make for a wonderfully filling and satisfying dish that even my unrepentant meat-eating brother can’t help but admit to loving.  In fact, even my mother has said she prefers it over her original beef version, although to be honest even I’m not sure I’d go that far!

What you’re going to need

• 1 medium sized onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 100g ball of seitan (wheat gluten)
• 4 medium sized potatoes, washed but not peeled
• 3 carrots, peeled
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• ½ teaspoon rosemary
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• 2 tablespoons cornflour
• 2 litres of water
• Salt and pepper to taste

What you have to do

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
2. When the oil is nice and hot, add the diced onion and fry until it turns translucent.
3. Chop the potatoes and carrots into medium sized chunks and add to the onions.
4. Keep frying for a minute or two, stirring continuously.
5. Cut the seitan into 2cm chunks and add to the mix along with the frozen peas, the vegetable stock cube and the herbs and spices and keep stirring for 1 more minute.
6. Add the water, cover the pot and bring to a boil.
7. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes and carrots are tender, approximately 45 minutes.
8. In a small bowl or cup, mix the corn-starch with just enough water to form a dense but runny paste.
9. Bring the stew up to a boil and add the corn-starch paste, stirring continuously, in order to thicken the broth.  Add more as necessary until desired consistency is reached.
10. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation Time:  10 minutes

Cooking Time: 1 hour

Serves: 4

Difficulty: Easy