Wow it has been a long time since I posted any recipes, Je suis très désolé! I have just got back from 5 months in the beautiful swiss alps where I have been cooking loads for the café, skiing a little bit and enjoying mountain life, anyway I have now returned to wet England for a couple of weeks and have some time and energy to start sharing some of my new fantastique recipes.
This is one of my new favourite salads from the chef Denis Cotter's book 'For the love of food' which is so incredibly amazing and I can't believe I have only just found out about him. I feel like the rest of my blog for the next few months maybe a little shrine of his recipes as I am so desperate to try them all.
Serves 4
2 medium aubergines, halved lengthways, cut into slices 1 cm thick
25g sunflower seeds
2 tsp soy sauce
400g broccoli
salt and pepper
For the bulghur
50g bulghur
4 tbsp olive oil
200g cooked chickpeas (either from a can or soak and cook your own)
2tsp cumin seeds
1 fresh chilli, halved and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, sliced
3 tomatoes, deseeded and diced
3 spring onions sliced thinly
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
For the lemon yoghurt dressing
200ml natural yoghurt
juice from 1 lemon
Preheat the oven to 200˚C
Toss the aubergine slices lightly in olive oil and salt, spread them out on a tray lined with baking parchment and roast until coloured on both sides and cooked through, about 20 mins.
Toast the sunflower seeds in a dry heavy pan over a low heat for 8-10 mins until lightly coloured. Stir in the soy sauce and remove the pan from the heat, transfer the seeds to a bowl and leave to cool. Always make too much of the seeds because they are really yummy and a great snack, just keep them in a jar to keep fresh.
To cook the bulghur put it into a dry frying pan over a medium heat and toast for 5 mins, stirring frequently. Add 125ml of hot water and stir once then cover the pan and remove it from the heat and leave for 15 mins. Fluff up the bulghur with a fork and put in a large mixing bowl.
In a wide pan heat the olive oil over a medium heat and fry the chickpeas for 5 mins stirring often. Add the cumin seeds, chilli and garlic, and fry for 2 mins more. Stir in the tomatoes, spring onions and herbs then pour the contents over the bulghur.
Break the broccoli into florets and halve any really big ones. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, drop in the broccoli and simmer for 3-4 mins so they are still a bit crunchy then drain and cool in iced water, or just run the cold tap over them until they are cool. Then add them to the bulghur with the aubergine.
Make the dressing by stirring the lemon juice and yoghurt together until you get it to a pouring consistency. Stir half in with the salad and season with salt and pepper. Serve on a platter and drizzle the rest of the yoghurt over the top and sprinkle the seeds on top.
This is one of my new favourite salads from the chef Denis Cotter's book 'For the love of food' which is so incredibly amazing and I can't believe I have only just found out about him. I feel like the rest of my blog for the next few months maybe a little shrine of his recipes as I am so desperate to try them all.
Serves 4
2 medium aubergines, halved lengthways, cut into slices 1 cm thick
25g sunflower seeds
2 tsp soy sauce
400g broccoli
salt and pepper
For the bulghur
50g bulghur
4 tbsp olive oil
200g cooked chickpeas (either from a can or soak and cook your own)
2tsp cumin seeds
1 fresh chilli, halved and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, sliced
3 tomatoes, deseeded and diced
3 spring onions sliced thinly
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
For the lemon yoghurt dressing
200ml natural yoghurt
juice from 1 lemon
Preheat the oven to 200˚C
Toss the aubergine slices lightly in olive oil and salt, spread them out on a tray lined with baking parchment and roast until coloured on both sides and cooked through, about 20 mins.
Toast the sunflower seeds in a dry heavy pan over a low heat for 8-10 mins until lightly coloured. Stir in the soy sauce and remove the pan from the heat, transfer the seeds to a bowl and leave to cool. Always make too much of the seeds because they are really yummy and a great snack, just keep them in a jar to keep fresh.
To cook the bulghur put it into a dry frying pan over a medium heat and toast for 5 mins, stirring frequently. Add 125ml of hot water and stir once then cover the pan and remove it from the heat and leave for 15 mins. Fluff up the bulghur with a fork and put in a large mixing bowl.
In a wide pan heat the olive oil over a medium heat and fry the chickpeas for 5 mins stirring often. Add the cumin seeds, chilli and garlic, and fry for 2 mins more. Stir in the tomatoes, spring onions and herbs then pour the contents over the bulghur.
Break the broccoli into florets and halve any really big ones. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, drop in the broccoli and simmer for 3-4 mins so they are still a bit crunchy then drain and cool in iced water, or just run the cold tap over them until they are cool. Then add them to the bulghur with the aubergine.
Make the dressing by stirring the lemon juice and yoghurt together until you get it to a pouring consistency. Stir half in with the salad and season with salt and pepper. Serve on a platter and drizzle the rest of the yoghurt over the top and sprinkle the seeds on top.