Parsley Sauce

May 2023

From Vegetable Literacy by Deborah Madison

Delicious on fish, vegetables, salad greens etc

Makes about 1 cup

"Green and fresh, this sauce provides a bright flourish to root soups and stews, or why not a plate of spaghetti or a bowl of polenta? It's also useful to have on hand to spoon over cooked beets, carrots, celery root, and so many other vegetables, especially winter ones. Be prepared to chop the parsley by hand. A food processor shreds it and it's not pretty. A fine mince of green fluff is what patience and a sharp knife will get you."

1 or more cloves garlic

Sea salt

1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns 

1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds

3/4 cup finely chopped parsley 

3/4 cup olive oil 

1 large shallot or 4 green onions, the white parts plus a little of the greens, thinly sliced

Grated zest of 1 lemon

Fresh lemon juice or champagne vinegar, to finish

Pound the garlic in a mortar with 1/4 teaspoon salt, the peppercorns, the fennel seeds, and 2 tablespoons of the parsley to make a smooth paste. If the mixture seems too dry to handle well, add a little of the olive oil. Stir in the rest of the parsley, the shallot, the lemon zest, and the oil to make a thick, green sauce. Taste for salt, then sharpen with a little vinegar or lemon juice. Best when used with a couple of days.

Imam Bayildi

 Cooked by Sally Ives for the Culinary Wanderers Turkish Lunch. May 2023

2 large eggplant

salt

150ml olive oil

1 brown onion

4 large garlic cloves

4 large tomatoes

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp sweet smoked paprika

1 tsp dried oregano

1 Tbl tomato puree

handful fresh parsley and/or mint

pepper to taste

Pre-heat the oven to 150 degrees

Make this Imam bayildi recipe start by preparing the eggplants. Halve the eggplant and score the flesh on a cross hatch, trying not to tear the skin with the tip of your knife. Rub a generous amount of salt into the flesh, and set aside.

Measure out the olive oil in a measuring cup or jug and keep it by the stove. Add a generous splash to a large, non-stick frying pan set over a high heat. Fry the eggplant, working in batches and adding a little more oil if necessary until their exposed flesh is golden. As you remove them from a pan, nestle them cut side up in a baking dish just large enough to fit them snugly.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion, thinly sliced into half moons along with another splash of oil and another pinch of salt. Fry for 5-6 minutes or so until they're soft and just starting to colour.

Finely slice the garlic cloves before adding them to the pan and cook for another couple of minutes until soft and aromatic.

Roughly dice the tomatoes and add them to the pan, cooking for a further 5 minutes until they start to break down into a rough sauce. Stir in the cumin, paprika, oregano, tomato puree and the fresh herbs, finely chopped. Season generously to taste with more salt and a little black pepper.

Remove from the heat and stir in 4 Tbls water before spooning the mixture over the exposed cut sides of the eggplant. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the dish before covering and baking for 1.5 hours or until the eggplants are soft and have collapsed.

Leave to stand. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Celeriac and Lentils

 We are past celeriac season here in the southern hemisphere but, if you happen to have one that has not gone to seed yet, this looks like a lovely way of eating it.

I might use lovage and kohlrabi because I have all the other ingredients. I love Yottam.

"Celeriac is probably my favourite root. It is delicate, yet very nutty, and has an elegant oily smoothness. Like all good vegetables, it is marvellous simply with a bit of olive oil. Here it works with the lentils and nuts to create a hearty autumn main course. Serve it warm, with a radish, cucumber and dill salad dressed with soured cream and olive oil. Or, allow it to cool down, then take it to work for lunch or on a picnic."

INGREDIENTS

SERVES FOUR

• 60g whole hazelnuts (skin on)
• 200g Puy lentils
• 700ml water
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 thyme sprigs
• 1 small celeriac (650g), peeled and cut into 1cm chips
• 4 tbsp olive oil 
• 3 tbsp hazelnut oil
• 3 tbsp good-quality red wine vinegar 
• 4 tbsp chopped mint
• salt and black pepper

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 140°C/Gas Mark 1. Scatter the hazelnuts on a small baking sheet and roast in the oven for 15 minutes. Let them cool down, then chop roughly.
2. Combine the lentils, water, bay leaves and thyme in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 15–20 minutes, or until al dente. Drain in a sieve. Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan, cook the celeriac in plenty of boiling salted water for 8–12 minutes, or until just tender. Drain.
3. In a large bowl mix the hot lentils (if they have cooled down they won’t soak up all the flavours) with the olive oil, 2 tablespoons of the hazelnut oil, the vinegar, some black pepper and plenty of salt. Add the celeriac and stir well. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
4. To serve straight away, stir in half the mint and half the hazelnuts. Pile onto a serving dish or in a bowl and drizzle the remaining hazelnut oil on top. Garnish with the rest of the mint and hazelnuts.
5. To serve cold, wait for the lentils and celeriac to cool down before finally adjusting the seasoning and possibly adding some more vinegar, if you like. Add hazelnut oil, mint and nuts in the same way as when serving hot.

Jamie Oliver's Beetroot

 I nearly always cook beetroot this way these days. Originally, the recipe came from Jamie Oliver.

Halve or quarter all the beetroot, depending on their size. I had 4 quite big ones. Put them in a good, solid casserole dish with:

1 large handful of chopped oregano or tarragon or parsley, whatever is in season 

10 cloves of garlic, unpeeled

About 100ml balsamic vinegar

About 100ml olive oil

Salt and pepper

Put on a well fitting lid. 

Bake in the oven at 180 to 200 for about an hour or so, until nicely cooked. 

That's it. Totally delicious hot or cold.

This time I added a chopped leek and some cumquats, just because I had them.

Kimchi

 I have only recently started making kimchi. My first batch is fabulous but I didn't write down exactly what I did. I watched a terrific video and I found Hugh's recipe and I sort of worked it out from there! I did Hugh's quick assembly method but added a whole daikon radish and some things from the video as well. It is definitely worth getting the Korean dried chilli flakes, called kochukaru.

Zucchini Risotto with Gremolata Fish

500g zucchini, unpeeled, chopped into 3cm cubes Olive oil 2 tspns garam masala 1 brown onion, finely sliced 2 garlic cloves, crushed 2 cups risotto rice 1 litre chicken/fish stock

600g fish fillets   Gremolata 1/3 cup finely chopped parsley Olive oil Grated rind 1 lemon 2 cloves garlic, crushed

 

Fry zucchini pieces in hot oil until cooked but still firm. Stir in garam masala and fry a little longer. (I also added some fennel seeds and cumin seeds)

Heat stock and keep hot.

Heat olive oil in a pan and cook onion gently until soft. Add garlic and rice and stir to coat.

Add 1 cup at a time of the stock to the rice and stir, on gentle heat, until absorbed before adding more. This will take a good 30 minutes or more. Do not rush it…. Have a glass of wine while you relax and enjoy the process.

Meanwhile combine the gremolata ingredients and press onto the fish fillets. Cook the fish in a pan. Flake gently.

Gently mix the zucchini and the fish through the risotto and serve with lemon wedges.

Absolutely delicious!

Carrot and Chickpea Tagine

First cooked 14/7/16

4 Tbls olive oil	1 Tbl dark, runny honey
1 onion, finely chopped	4 medium carrots, sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed & chopped	2 cups sprouted and blanched chickpeas or equivalent
1 tsp best ground turmeric	Salt to taste
2 tsp cumin seeds	1 – 2 Tbls rosewater
1 tsp ground cinnamon	1 bunch coriander, finely chopped
plenty of pepper (+ chilli if you like)	1 lemon, cut in wedges

Gently heat the tagine then add the oil.

Add onion and garlic and sauté gently with the lid on, until soft.

Add the spices + the honey + the carrots. Stir and cook briefly until the spices are fragrant.

Pour in about 1/2 cup water  and cook gently 10 minutes.

Toss in the chickpeas, add a little water if necessary, replace the lid and cook gently another 10 minutes.

Season with salt, sprinkle the rosewater and coriander leaves over and serve with the lemon wedges.

Simple Carrot and Ginger Soup

This recipe is a very simple carrot and ginger soup from the great vegetarian cook Kurma Dasa.  It has a fresh, cleansing taste, and I love to make it if I feel a cold coming on.
Yellow acefoetida powder is available from asian grocers - it's a great, simple substitute for onions and garlic in many dishes - but very much has its own flavour.  Fantastic in dahl.

Ingredients:
2 tabsp. butter
1/2 teasp. yellow asafoetida powder
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
700g topped, scraped and sliced carrots, about 4 1/2 cups
1 cup potatoes, diced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
at least 4 cups light vegetable stock or water
chopped continental parsley leaves for garnish

1. Melt the butter in a 3 litre saucepan over moderate heat.  Sprinkle in the yellow acefoetida power and ginger, stirring briefly.  Add the sliced carrots, potatoes, salt and pepper and sauté for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the stock or water, and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer the vegetables, covered, for 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are very tender
2. Remove the pan from the heat, transfer the contents to a blender or food processor and process to a smooth puree
3. Rinse the saucepan, return the soup to the pan, and gently reheat over moderate heat.  For a thinner soup, add extra stock at this stage.  Serve the soup hot with a sprinkle of freshly chopped continental parsley leaves.

Wild Weed and Leaves Pesto Dip

Pesto can be made by substituting many other leaves and herbs, in place of basil so you can have it in any season. I often use rocket or chervil or parsley and even some weeds, like chickweed and dandelion. One of my favourites uses garlic scapes – those long, twirly bits that shoot up from your garden garlic in early summer. Other nuts can be substituted too, using walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts and even sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds, in place of pine nuts.

100g toasted pine nuts or other nuts (you may use up to 20% seeds. Don’t use more or the mixture changes texture and becomes gluggy, especially with sunflower seeds)

1 large garlic clove, peeled and crushed

A handful of grated mature cheddar or Parmesan or a combination

A large handful of tasty greens, including chickweed, dandelion, self-sown rocket, baby kale, herbs, mizuna etc as above

A good olive oil (probably about ½ cup)

Juice of ½ lemon

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Blend nuts and seeds, garlic, cheese and greens together, then begin trickling in the oil, while the processor runs. Stop when you have a nice purée. Taste and season as necessary with lemon juice, salt and pepper plus extra garlic. If it is too thick, add water while the machine runs.

 

Roasted Potatoes with Indian and Australian Spices

Serves  8
3 Tbl oil
1½ kgs small red potatoes, halved (about 8 cups)
1¾ tsp black mustard seeds
A good pinch ground Tas. pepperberry
2 tsp minced fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon Garam Masala
½ cup chopped fresh coriander
½ cup chopped fresh mint
A pinch of ground lemon myrtle leaf
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
8 lime wedges

1.    Preheat oven to 180°.
2.    Combine some of the oil and the potatoes, tossing to coat. Set aside.
3.    Heat remaining oil and mustard seeds in a large skillet over medium-high heat; cook 1½ minutes or until seeds begin to pop. Reduce heat to medium-low.
4.    Add ginger, pepperberry and garlic. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in salt, turmeric and Garam Masala; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add spice mixture to potatoes, tossing to coat. Arrange potato mixture in a single layer in a baking dish.
5.    Bake at 180° for 40 minutes or until potatoes are tender and browned, stirring every 10 minutes or so. Stir in coriander, mint, and juice. Serve with lime wedges.

Harvest Stew with Fresh Herb Dumplings

1 cup pear nectar
1 cup. vegetable stock
1 Tbl Dijon mustard
3 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 piece of butternut pumpkin, peeled & cut into chunks
3 small turnips, peeled and quartered
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 zucchini, sliced, or other green veg in season
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 tart apple, cored, peeled & grated
6 garlic cloves, chopped
DUMPLINGS
1 cup. plain  flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup thin yoghurt
2 Tbl butter, melted
1 Tbl chopped spring onions, plus rest of the thyme

DIRECTIONS
Whisk together pear nectar, stock, mustard, 2 tsp thyme, ½ tsp salt and pepper in a large saucepan. Add the squash, turnips, carrots, zucchini, onion, apple and garlic. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered until the veggies are just tender (about 15 minutes).

Meanwhile, combine the flour, baking powder and remaining ½ tsp salt in a large bowl. Combine the buttermilk and butter in another bowl. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until the mixture forms a soft dough. Stir in the herbs.

Drop the dough by tablespoons onto the simmering stew. Simmer the stew, uncovered, for 10 minutes, then cover and cook until the dumplings are firm (about 10 minutes more).

Braised Red Cabbage with Apples

Serves 10-12

1 kg red cabbage

450 g cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped small

450 g onions, chopped small

1 clove garlic, chopped very small

¼ whole nutmeg, freshly grated

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

3 tablespoons brown sugar

3 tablespoons vinegar (I  used local apple cider vinegar)

knob of butter

salt and pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 150°C

First discard the tough outer leaves of the cabbage, cut it into quarters and remove the hard stalk. Then shred the rest of the cabbage finely.

Next, in a fairly large casserole, arrange a layer of shredded cabbage seasoned with salt and pepper, then a layer of chopped onions and apples with a sprinkling of garlic, spices and sugar. Continue with these alternate layers until everything is in. Now pour in the wine vinegar, lastly add dots of butter on the top.

Put a tight lid on the casserole and let it cook very slowly in the oven for 2-2½ hours, stirring everything around once or twice during the cooking.

Red cabbage, once cooked, will keep warm without coming to any harm, and it will also re-heat very successfully. And it does freeze well so, all in all, it's a real winner of a recipe.

Spinach and Fetta Stuffed Mushrooms

12 large flat mushrooms

500 grams of spinach, blanched, drained and chopped
1 egg
1 cup of breadcrumbs or rice crumbs
chopped oregano, thyme or marjoram
1 cup of crumbled fetta cheese
salt and black pepper

Mix filling ingredients.
Pile on to mushrooms
Bake about 10 minutes until cooked.

Mushroom Pate

I chopped onion
3 Tablespoons olive oil
500 grams mushrooms
1 large chopped tomato
3 cloves garlic
salt and black pepper
1 1/2 Tablespoons tomato paste
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
2 Tablespoons chopped chives
slices of mushrooms or olives to garnish

Cook onion gently in oil until soft
Add mushrooms over a high heat until they have wilted.
Add tomatoes and cook until soft and the liquid has evaporated.
Process to a thick paste, season well.
Stir in parsley and chives.
Add more olive oil to moisten if necessary.
Store covered in refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Cover with melted butter if desired.

MUSHROOM FRIED RICE

Fry some onion or spring onion and garlic in a little sesame oil.
Stir in some sliced celery, chili, and sliced mushrooms.
When starting to soften stir in some finely sliced cabbage or Asian greens and a splash of soy or tamari sauce.
Stir in some cooked brown rice some chopped walnuts or pecan nuts and some chopped coriander.

Mushroom Stroganoff.

Fry some onion and garlic till soft.
Add sliced mushrooms and black pepper.
Cook over a high heat until mushrooms start to soften.
Stir in some paprika, a little chilli, a dollop of tomato paste and some thin cream.
Reheat gently add a handful of chopped parsley.
Serve with rice or noodles.

CAULIFLOWER AND ONION BALLS

Serves 3             July 2010

Finely chop:

1 onion and the tips of ½ a large cauliflower

Grind together:

1 tsp roasted cumin seeds

1 tsp roasted coriander seeds

1 tsp unprocessed salt

A little turmeric

Something hot of your choice, but not too much…Chilli, a few peppercorns, Tas. Mountain pepper leaf(1) or berries (2)

Place all into a bowl with:

½ cup chickpea flour

1 lightly beaten egg (optional)

Water to make a stiff batter

Make into walnut sized balls and drop into hot oil or flatten a little and shallow fry, until well browned.

Dipping sauce:

Plain yoghurt

Crushed garlic

Lemon juice

Chopped fresh mint

(salt)

Serve with a big plate of green salad.

Turnips

 

First, I sauteed them in butter and olive oil, turning them to coat and brown. I used plenty of butter - if you are going to cook a good, English meal, you need plenty of butter, I reckon. Otherwise it would be like fish and chips without lots of salt - a bit pointless!

Soon they were browning up and the I put in a good 1/2 cup of white wine and the same of water, scraped the brown bits off the bottom and it was looking good. I put the lid on for about another 10 minutes.

When the rest of the meal was ready to serve, I threw in the chopped turnip leaves - something my mother would never do! - and boiled the excess liquid off. Actually, I also added some chopped bok choy from my garden too. Next time I would thicken that yummy liquid a bit or use more liquid, chop the turnips up more and serve it as a soup. Excellent winter lunch that would be.

Give it a bit of salt and pepper and there you go, my turnip recipe. Deeelicious!

Harvest Stew with Fresh Herbs & Dumplings
STEW
*1 c. pear nectar
*1 c. low-sodium vegetable broth
*1 T Dijon mustard
*3 tsp chopped fresh thyme
*1 tsp salt
*Freshly ground pepper
*1 small (1 lb) butternut squash, peeled & cu into 1-inch chunks
*3 small turnips, peeled and quartered
*2 carrots, peeled and sliced
*2 zucchini, sliced
*1 medium onion, chopped
*1/2 tart apple, cored, peeled & grated
*6 garlic cloves, chopped
DUMPLINGS
*1 c. all-purpose flour
*2 tsp baking powder
*1/2 c. low-fat buttermilk
*2 T unsalted butter, melted
*1 T chopped scallions
DIRECTIONS
*Whisk together pear nectar, broth, mustard, 2 tsp thyme, ½ tsp salt and pepper in a large saucepan. Add the squash, turnips, carrots, zucchini, onion, apple and garlic. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered until the veggies are just tender (about 15 minutes).
*Meanwhile, combine the flour, baking powder and remaining ½ tsp salt in a large bowl. Combine the buttermilk and butter in another bowl. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until the mixture forms a soft dough. Stir in the scallions and remaining 1 tsp of thyme.
*Drop the dough by 6 heaping tablespoons onto the simmering stew. Simmer the stew, uncovered, for 10 minutes, then cover and cook until the dumplings are firm (about 10 minutes more).

MUNG BEAN PATTIES

A simpler meal you could not cook... What a stupid thing to say! You could just boil an egg or some corn cobs! OK, simpler meals exist but these are definitely the simplest patties you could cook.

Makes 7 patties:
Soak 1 cup mung beans overnight or overday, like I did.... They go a pretty light green, as in the photo.
Drain them then put them in a food processor with 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and a teaspoon of cumin.
Blend until pretty smoothish.
Scoop out and make into balls with your hands... they are so light and gorgeous to touch.
Fry both sides until brown.
Pick up with your fingers and dip into what you fancy.... the recipe said sweet chilli sauce but I used a little plum sauce or just have them plain, with some Asian greens.
So there it is. They held together perfectly.... and tasted great and after the soaking, the total preparation time and cooking time combined was about 10 minutes!

SOUPE A L'AIL

 

Ail - environ 1 tête par personne
Pommes de terre - 1 moyenne par personne
Farine    
Thym 1 petit  bouquet
Sel  et poivre
150ml Crème fraîche  ou yoghurt   

Eplucher l’ail, le couper en tranches fines et faire revenir doucement dans huile ou graisse de canard, il ne faut pas qu’il roussisse.
Eplucher et couper les pommes de terre en lamelle ou morceaux pas trop gros. Les ajouter à l’ail.
Saupoudrer de farine.
Ajouter la branche de thym
Saler et poivrer
Mettre environ  1 litre d’eau pour 4 personnes
Laisser cuire 25 / 30 mn
Mixer, ajouter la crème fraîche et servez très chaud dans une soupière où vous aurez préalablement mis des croûtons frottés à l’ail.

Bon appétit.