July 4, 2016 – Tiff Harper

Here’s two Mediterranean – vegetarian dishes that would serve around 4 to 6 people. Or you can make individually, for a lighter lunch or supper for 2 to 4 people…

Napolitana Lentils

You will need:

I/2 cup of red or green lentils

6 roughly chopped tomatoes (or 1 tin of chopped)

1 tablespoon of olive oil (more if required or to taste)

2 chopped cloves of garlic

1 chopped onion

1 teaspoon of chill flakes (not chilli powder)

1/4 cup of capers

Couple of stems of basil or oregano

A handful of black olives and a few broken up pieces of feta or vegan feta to garnish (to taste …)

Cook the lentils according the pack instructions. Drain and set aside.

Heat oil in a large, strong frying pan. Add onion and garlic. Fry until soft. Add tomatoes, capers and lentils. Add hot water to find right texture (avoid letting stick to pan.) Simmer for 10 minutes, stir regularly.

When ready to eat add the feta and olives as top garnish.

Recipe 2:

Paella Vine with Almonds

You will need:

1 large pinch of saffron thread

1/2 cup of olive oil

Around 10 cherry or small plum tomatoes cut in half

4oz of green beans and 4 oz of peas (frozen is fine)

2 garlic cloves chopped

2 fresh sprigs of rosemary (or basil)

1 1/2 cups of risotto rice

2 vegetable stock cubes dissolved in approx 2 pints of boiling water

1/4 cup of flaked almonds

Pour some hot water on the saffron to infuse.

Use half the oil and fry the courgettes for two minutes. Add the peas and beans, fry together until soft. Add the plum (or cherry) tomatoes, fry with the other vegetables until the tomatoes split open. Put to one side.

Heat the rest of the oil in a separate strong frying pan or saucepan (ideally non-stick.) Add the chopped garlic and saffron. Stir in the risotto rice. Check on the packet of the rice how much time cooking time is required. Add half the stock, stir a couple of times. Heat on full power until there are bubbles popping on the surface. Turn to simmer … Stir again. Stir every 4 to 5 minutes (on simmer.) Keep adding the stock until the juice becomes sticky and the rice is soft but not runny.

When the rice is cooked according to pack instructions (and taste) stir in the cooked vine vegetables and stir (add salt and pepper to taste.) Sprinkle the almonds on the top.

Serve both dishes with a wedge of lemon and hot ciabatta bread.

And here’s both dishes. Takes around an hour to prepare both. I’ll add another photo of them plated up later, when my guests come over for supper (and wine …)