Sweet potato and peanut stew

I am in the Mara and on the menu board was sweet potato and peanut stew-both chefs came to me and said they did not know how to make it.  I have never made it before either but I liked the sound of it!  So here is our attempt-I tihnk its yummy!

4 smallish sweet potatoes-boiled in their skins until tender, chopped into 1 pound coin size
1 tin red kidney beans
2 onions
1 large piece fresh ginger-the size of your thumb
1 fresh red chili
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground coriander
2 cups veg stock
2 large/heaped tbsp of peanut butter
1 lime-grated and juice of
a handful of fresh coriander leaves
1 tin tomatoes-or if you have fresh -4 large toms with skins removed and finely chopped

Chop the onion, chili and ginger, fry off in olive oil until soft, add the spices and stir well.  Add the tomatoes, kidney beans, the chopped sweet potato, the stock.  Bring to simmer. Add the peanut butter stirring well until you have a smooth sauce.  Simmer until thick-only a few minutes.  Add the lime zest and juice to cut through the peanut butter!
Serve with a handful of fresh coriander and a wedge of lime.  

A lentil stuffed marrow:

I get asked about lentils a lot, I love them and find endless things to do with them.  When I was at school in England the kitchen always made me amazing stuffed vegetables and I guess unlike most school food this is one that has stuck!

This lentil filling works just as well with pumpkins.

Small brown or green lentil-puy work well-200g

A medium sized marrow-or pumpkin

Olive oil

Shallots-2 large, or an onion

Garlic-2 large cloves

Tomatoes-6 medium

Chili sauce-harissa or a smoky chipotle work well

2 handfuls of chard or spinach

grated parmesan-2 tablespoons-optional

Set the oven at 180 degrees or gas mark 4.  Bring a pan of water to the boil in which to cook the lentils.  Add them to the water and leave to simmer, until they are tender-soft rather than al dente.

Cut the marrow in half length ways but do not peel it.  Scoop out the core and put both halves into a roasting tin, then brush with olive oil and put in the preheated oven.  Leave the marrow until tender and translucent–about 20 minutes-then remove from the oven.

Meanwhile peel and slice the shallots and garlic and soften them in a saucepan with about 3 tbsp of olive oil.  Chop the tomatoes-if they have tough skins peel them by dunking them in into boiling water then peel off the skin, and add them to the pan.  Let them cook a while, till they are soft and mushy, the stir in our chili sauce, a teaspoon or two is enough for me!  The amounts depends on what chili sauce you have and how hot you want your lentils to be.   Pour in about a teacup of water, just enough to make a slushy sauce and be generous with the salt and black pepper.

Drain the cooked lentils, then stir them into the onion and chili sauce.  Tear the spinach or chard leaves into small pieces and stir them into the lentils.  Bring to the boil, then cover and leave to simmer on a low heat till the greens are silky soft.  Spoon the lentil mixture into the hollows in the marrow, scatter with the parmesan-if using-cover with foil and bake for twenty minutes.

A pan-cooked pumpkin with garlic

This is good on its own, with a yummy sharp green salad or as a side dish for cold meats.  It is a layered potato, pumpkin, thyme and garlic dish.

Potatoes-4 medium sized, floury or waxy it doesn’t matter

Pumpkin-600g

Duck fat or olive oil (I use olive oil!)-3 lightly heaped tablespoons

A few sprigs of thyme-or rosemary

A single clove of garlic, chopped

Peel the potatoes and pumpkin and slice them no thicker than a two-pound coin.  Melt the duck fat-or heat the olive oil, in a shallow non-stick pan, add the potato and pumpkin slices, neatly or higgledy-piggledy, season them with salt, black pepper, thyme or rosemary leaves and a little chopped garlic as you go.  Turn the heat to low and cover the pan with a lid.  Let the slices cook for about 25-30 minutes.  As they start to soften, press them down with a spatula so they form a sort of ‘cake’ that will be golden underneath, with slices of potato that are soft right through.  You can check for tenderness by inserting a skewer right down through the centre.  If it goes in effortlessly then they are done.  Serve straight from the pan!

Carrots

I went to a party on Friday night and a friend came up to me and told me my blog was rubbish!  He wanted    to see more recipes and more gardening tips!  So here goes-I guess I am reluctant to give gardening advise as I have always thought of JP as the green fingered one of the family. I will start with carrots as they seem an easy place to start.
Soil type: deep, loose, light soil.  For poor quality soil dig in a small amount of organic compost a month prior to planting.
How to grow: Directly sow seeds at a depth of 5 mm-mixing seeds with wahed sands helps spread them when sowing.  When seedlings are 5 cm high thin out to 2cm apart.  Thin out again when seedlings are 15cm high to 5cm between seedlings.
Avoid successive crops in the same plot.
Pests and organic control:  carrot root fly is the most common pest.  Use a crop cover or a resistant variety!
Companion planting: Lettuce, peas, leeks, chives, onions, beans, tomatoes and rosemary will deter carrot fly.
Nasturtiums are a bait plant for aphids.
Harvest a few young carrots-if they are pale the soil is too acid.  A dose of lime sprinkled around the plants and watered in will improve colour.

Thyme scented oatcakes

These are divine, I made them for the first time today and I am totally addicted to them!
225g fine oatmeal or oak flakes
2 tbsp fruity olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
3 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
about 8 tbsp boiling water

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/Gas mark 4. Tip the oat meal, oil, salt and 2 tbsp fresh thyme into a food processor.  Whizz to chop and combine.  With the motor running, pour in the boiling water.  Whizz for about 45 seconds-the mixture will start to come together and look sticky and thick.  Tip in the remaining thyme and pulse to chop roughly.
Gather the dough into a ball with your hands.  While it is still warm, roll the dough out on to a floured (I use chickpea flour to avoid wheat) surface to a thickness of about 2 mm.  Cut out using a round or star shaped cutter.  Place on a greased (I use olive oil) baking sheet.
Bake for 15-2 mins or until lightly colored.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool and crisp.  Store in an air tight container up to three weeks

Warm lentil and Squash salad

This is a good warm winter salad-or in our case here a good rainy season salad!

1 Large butternut squash-peeled, deseeded ad cut into large chunks
2-3 red onions cut into 8th's
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 sprig of rosemary-finely chopped
Salt and black pepper
100g packed roasted chestnuts-roughly chopped
2 red chillies-deseeded and finely chopped
juice and grated zest of one lemon
3 good handfuls of small leaf rocket-or other salad leaf
Large bunch of flat-leafed parsley, chopped
Large bunch of fresh corriander, chopped
-250 grms feta cheese, crumbled (optional!)

For the lentils:
200 grms puy lentils (or something similar!)
3 cloves garlic
1 good sprig of rosemary
450 ml veg stock
200 ml dry sherry or wine
3 tbsp olive oil

For the dressing:
2 tbsp extra irgin olive oil
juice of half a lemon
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees or gas mark 5.
Put the squash and onions into a plastic bag with the olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper and toss together well.  Empty into a roasting tin.  place in the oven for about 40 mins, until soft and just beginning to brown on the cut edges.  Add the chestnuts and roast for another 5 mins-giving them time to heat through.
Meanwhile put the lentil into a medium sized sauce pan with the garlic and rosemary sprig.  Pour in the stock, the olive oil and sherry and bring to the boil.  Cook over a medium heat for about 20-25 minutes.  Keep an eye on the pan and add extra liquid if necessary.
when the lentils are tender but not mushy, drain and remove the garlic and herbs.  Add another tbsp of olive oil, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and leave to cool a little.
Add the chillies, lemon zest and juice to the lentils and stir everything together. then add the rocket, parsley and corriander, and lay out on a large serving plate. Check seasoning.
Scatter with the roasted veg and crumbled feta .
Mix together all the dressing ingredients and dress the whole dish.  This is best served warm

Asparagus Stir fry

toasted sesame oil-or olive oil
1 block of fresh firm tofu-cut into thin slices
2 large white onions-finely sliced
1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
1/2 bunch of asparagus-cut into 1 inch pieces
a couple of pinches of fine grain sea salt
3 cloves of garlic-chopped up a bit
1 big handful of flaked almonds-or cashew nuts chopped up a bit
a few handfuls of chopped chard or kale
zest and juice of one large lime
2 tablespoons of braggs liquid aminos-or tamari or soy sauce (hoisin sauce also works!)
1 large handful of basil, chopped

Have all your ingredients prepped and ready to hand.  Heat a splash of oil in a large pan-I use a non stick one, over a medium heat.  When it is hot add the onion and ginger-let soften, then add the asparagus and salt.  Continue cooking for a minute or until asparagus is bright green, add the tofu. When the tofu is golden add the chard/kale, nuts and ginger.  Stir fry for another minute or until the chard wilts.  Stir in the soy sauce and lime zest.  Cook for another few seconds, stirring all the while.

Remove from the heat and stir in the basil.  taste and add more salt if needed.

101 cook books-sweet potato recipe

I found this on 101 cookbooks and love sweet potato-we only get the white ones here but if you can find the lovely orange ones use those!

If you'd like to prepare part of this recipe in advance you can certainly bake the sweet potatoes a day or two in advance and save the mashed sweet potatoes in the refrigerator until you are ready to move forward with the remaining steps. Also, you can make these vegan by using olive oil and not butter.

2 1/2 pounds orange-fleshed sweet potatoes
1/3 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1/3 cup raw, unsweetened grated coconut
2 tablespoons olive oil or melted butter
1/3 cup toasted macadamia nuts, chopped

Preheat your oven to 350F degrees, a rack in the upper third. Butter or oil 6 ramekins or a single medium-sized casserole dish.

Wrap each sweet potato in foil, pierce numerous times with the tines of a fork and place in the oven for somewhere between an hour and an hour and a half, until each is baked through. Times vary greatly depending on the size of your sweet potatoes - in the end you should be able to cut through the center flesh as if it were soft butter. Remove the potatoes from the oven, let them cool for a few minutes, and cut each sweet potato in half. Scrape the flesh into a medium mixing bowl. You should have about three cups of sweet potatoes. In a large bowl mash the sweet potatoes with the coconut milk. If my sweet potatoes are on the fibrous side, l take a hand blender to them for a minute or so (alternately you could use a food processor). Stir in the ginger, maple syrup and salt. Let it sit for a few minutes, stir again and taste - adjust the seasoning if you need to - this is your chance to get the right amount of salt and ginger in the sweet potatoes before they go in the oven.

Spoon the sweet potato mixture into individual baking dishes (or single larger baking dish), sprinkle with coconut, drizzle with olive oil and bake uncovered until warm and the coconut golden roughly 30 - 40 minutes. Remove and sprinkle with the toasted macadamia nuts.

Serves about 6.

Baked tomatoes with chillies and coconut

This is from a recipe by Nigel Slater-we have a massive surplus of tomatoes at the moment and keep having to be very creative with them!  This dish smells and tastes delicious-heady and aromatic.  It does curdle a bit-but dont let that worry you.  I serve this with lentils and rice.

garlic-2 cloves
2 hot red chillies
ginger-a piece about the size of your thumb
olive oil-about 3 tbsps
chili flakes-half a teaspoon
ground coriander-1 tsp
gound turmeric-1 tspcumin seeds-half a tsp
green cardamons-6
moderately large ripe tomatoes-12
creamed coconut-50-70grms
corainder leaves-a handful

Peel and thinly slice the garlic.  Halve the chillies-deseed and then finely slice.  Peel and very finely slice it. Warm the oil in a deep frying pan, then add the garlic, chilli and ginger, letting them soften, but not colour over a moderate heat.
Stir in the chilli flakes, ground coriander, turmeric, and cumin seeds, then pop the cardamons out of their husks, crush the seeds lighty and stir them.  Once the spices have warmed through, chop 4 of the tomatoes, stir them into the spices and pour in 300ml water. Bring to the boil, then slice each of the remaining tomatoes horizontally in half and lay them cut side down in the sauce.  Leave to cook for 7-8 minutes, until they are starting to soften.  Turn each tomato over, and continue to cook for a few minutes, till they are thoroughly tender.
Add the creamed coconut in small pieces, stir with a teaspoon.  From this point on the sauce should not boil, just simmer very gently until it is thick and the tomatoes are soft.
Once the tomatoes are tender to the point of collapse, they are ready. scatter with the coriander leaves and eat with a little rice or bread to mop them up!

Lentil Soup with cumin

This is simple, exoctically spiced and very satisfying-it also passed the JP test!

4 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds, roughly ground
250g red split peas-or anoy other lentils will work
1.75 litres cold water
250 grms spinach or chard -finely chopped and braised quickly with olive oil
1 lemon quatered
sea salt and black pepper

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over a medium heat.  Add the onion with a pinch of salt and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until sweet and soft.  Now add the garlic and cumin and fry for another minute, followed by the lentils and water.  Bring to the boil, turn down the heat to a gentle simmer, and cook for about 20 minutes or until the lentils are soft.  Remove from the heat and blend until almost smooth.  return to the pan with the cooked spinach, and seasonw ith salt and pepper.  If the soup is too thick, simply add more water and adjust the seasoning.
Serve this soup with lemon or with 150g yoghurt-spiced with 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin and salt, and olives, Harissa (or another chili paste) and bread.

Griddled sweet potato with ginger, chilli and lime

You might have noticed that ginger, chilli and limes feature frequently in my recipies.  I love the combination of them!
4 medium sized sweet potatoes
200 ml extra virgin olive oil

For the dressing:
5 tbsp lime juice
3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
2 tbsp runny honey
4 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves-crushed
salt and black pepper

Peel the sweet potatoes, and cut into thin slices, about 3 mm thick.  Blanch the slices in boiling water for a couple of minutes.  Drain them and allow to dry.  Put the slices in a bowl and smother with the olive oil.
Heat the griddle pan and cook the potato slices for 3-4 minutes on each side-it is quicker to put the whole lot in a baking tray under the grill-but you dont get the pretty stripes!
Make the dressing by mixing all the ingredients together and drizzle over the sweet potatoes while still warm.  This is yummy hot or cold!

Savoy cabbage and coriander soup

This is inspired by a recipe by Denis Cotter.  We recently had a couple to stay who were driving their uni-mog down africa and they were my guinea pigs needless to say this was a firm favourite of theirs!
4 large onions
1/2 a savoy cabbage
olive oil
2 red chillies, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 large piece of fresh root ginger-peeled and chopped
2 tabespoons coriander seeds-crushed
about 800ml of good veg stock
400 ml tin of coconut milk
A large bunch of fresh coriander-chopped
juice of one lemon-or 3 limes
salt and black pepper

Finely chop onions and shred cabbage-we do ours by hand but you can use a slicing disc on a food processor.
Heat a good splash of olive oil in the pan, add the onion and cabbage, cook over a moderate heat for a couple of minutes before adding the chillies, garlic, ginger and coriander seeds.  Continue cooking for about five minutes, stirring regularly, until the cabbage is tender.  Add the stock-simmer for about five minutes then add the coconut milk, half of the fresh coriander, the lemon/lime juice and salt and pepper.  Simmer for a few more minutes.

Serve the soup with the rest of the fresh coriander.

Flageolet beans with garlic and thyme (and polenta!)

This is seriously delicious dish, wierdly creamy and garlicky-it is inspired by a recipe from Sarah Raven who serves this with roast lamb, a good spoonful of redcurrant jelly and oven roasted winter roots.  I eat mine with polenta!  I have a number of variations of this recipe that feature regularly on our table-like greek white beans with mint and olive oil.
For this I use dried flageolet beans soaked over night-flor a less slushy texture than canned beans but either work, and if one is in a hurry canned is fine.

500 g green flageolet beans (or white cannellini beans), soaked over night-or two tins
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
6 red onions, thinly sliced
3 tomatoes, halved
500 ml veg stock
a handful of fresh thyme
salt and black pepper

Preheat a medium oven (180/gas mark 4).  Put the beans, garlic, onions tomatoes, stock and thyme in an over proof pan.  Bring to the boil then cover and transfer to the oven and cook for about an hour (if used tinned beans cook for only 30mins).  Add salt and pepper and cook for another 20 mins (or 10 mins for tinned beans).

Fast Polenta:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
250g instant polenta
Fill a pot with about 6 cups of water, then add the oil and salt.  Bring the water to the boil.  Drizzle the polenta into the water, whisking constantly for a few minutes until it is thick and smooth.  It should be a thick pouring consistency.  Serve at once.

Any left over polenta can be poured into a baking tray and spead evenly, leave to cool completely.  Cut it into wedges. Heat a chargrill pan -when hot grill the polenta until solid ridges form on the underside-and then can be used as a crostini for a savoury topping!

My morning bounty

No doubt more chard recipes will be coming your way today!

My morning bounty

 

A yummy tomato salad

I have a huge variety of tomatoes in my garden, little round yellow ones, big fat red juicy ones, long ones, so our tomato salads are never boring.  I try to mix up colours and shapes, I cut some into halves, some into thick slices, some I cut up irregularly.

4 big handfuls of tomatoes
salt and black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
1 fresh red chilli, halved and deseeded and finely sliced
1 handful of fresh chopped oregano
Half a clove of garlic finely sliced-I am not a fan of too much garlic!
A big handful of fresh basil, leave divided into small and large ones.

Cut up the tomatoes however you wish, put them into a colander and season with salt-using more than less.  It helps draw the water out and intensifies their flavour.  Leave the colander over a bowl for 20 minutes and let any excess water and salt drip out.  Pour the liquid away, wash the bowl and put the tomatoes in it. Dress them with a big glug of olive oil, and some balsamic vinegar.  Add the pepper, chilli oregano and large basil leaves torn up.  Toss tgether, season to taste.
Drizzle with some extra olive oil and sprinkle over the baby basil leaves.

Risotto

We have the most amazing crop of chard at the moment-swiss, rainbow, you name it is is growing strong in the garden.
One of my favourite recipes is for chard risotto, it features frequently in our household and is my ultimate comfort food:
A basic risotto recipe (serves 3):
1 litre veg stock
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 large white onions
4-5 sticks of celery finely sliced
about 250-300 grams of risotto rice (I do it by sight so this is a guess!)
250ml of dry white wine

Heat the olive oil slowly in a pan, add the onion and celery cook gently for about 15-20 minutes, until soft. Add the rice and turn up the heat.  Keep it moving until the rice is slightly translucent.
Quickly pour in the white wine, you will smell the alcohol, keep stirring all the time until it has evaporated .
Add the stock a ladle full at a time, stirring and waiting until it has been fully absorbed before adding the next ladle full.  turn the heat down to low so the rice doesnt cook too quickly, and continue to add ladlefuls of stock until it has all been absorbed.  Be careful not to over cook the rice.  It should hold its shape but still be soft and creamy.

Chard (and feta cheese) risotto:
1 clove of garlic peeled and chopped
Nutmeg for grating
150 grms chard washed, dried and very finely sliced
sea salt and black pepper
1 handful of grated parmesan -optional
1 lemon/2 limes-zest and juice
200 grams feta cheese/or a good goats cheese-optional

Whilst you are making the basic risotto recipe you can start on the chard, heat a deap saucepan until medium hot, pour in some olive oil, the garlic and a good grating of nutmeg.  Add the chopped chard.  Cook for 5 minutes, moving it about the pan, until the chard has wilted down.  It will be wonderfully dark and intensely flavoured.  Whizz the chard in a food processor and season with salt and pepper to taste.

When the rice is cooked, turn off the heat, stir in the chard, and beat in parmesan(if using).  Add a good squeeze of lemon or lime juice, add salt and pepper if needed. Put the lid on the risotto and let it rest for a minute, before folding in some of the feta (if using).  sprinkle lime/lemon zest on top, the rest of the feta, and drizzle the risotto with extra olive oil.

Tuck in!  It is divine without the parmesan and feta, so worth a try!

The humble cauliflower

I guess I always had mixed feelings about cauliflowers-I think it was that they only ever came served with cheese, under a blanket of creamy bechamel -whilst a match made in heaven for the cauliflower it was not for a vegan!  It has taken me a while to see cauliflowers as a vegetable of peace and quiet beauty with it's snow white head.
They are generally not easy to grow, but we are lucky here that anything we seem to plant grows and flourishes-but what to do with them then?  I have finally found a way to cook them that I enjoy-a fried cauliflower with salsa verde!  Inspired by Nigel Slater.

a medium cauliflower
sunflower oil for deep frying
gram flour -3 tablespoons
paprika or chili power-half a teaspoon

Salsa Verde:
Parsley leaves-a generous handful
mint-lots!
basil leaves-a handful
garlic-2 cloves crushed
Dijon or a similar grainy mustard -a tablespoon
capers-1 tablespoon-rinsed
olive oil-6 table spoons
lime or lemon juice-2 tablespoons

Break the cauliflower into florets.  Boil in deep salted water for a couple of minutes and then drain thoroughly.
To make the salsa verde, chop the herbs quite finely, the stir in the garlic, mustard and capers.  Pour in the olive oil slowly beating with a fork.  Stir in the lime or lemon juice and season with salt and black pepper.  Be generous with the seasoning, tasting as you go.  It should be bright and piquant.
Get the oil hot in a deep pan.  Toss the cauliflower with the gram flour, a little salt and pepper and paprika.  When the cauliflower is coated, fry it in the hot oil till crisp-three or four minutes.  Drain on kitchen paper before serving with the sauce.

carrot and avocado salad

I thought it might be time I had an avocado recipe on my blog! The preparation is for this salad is so easy, you can make a couple of servings at a time and let the second one sit in the fridge until lunch the next day when it will taste even better. It is inspired by one from www.chocolateandzucchini.com 

You can make this salad however you want but the basic is still the same. I throw in fresh herbs -- especially coriander/cilantro -- I often use tofu-which I have marinated in soy sauce, fresh ginger and fresh garlic and then grilled until golden brown,  you could also put in fresh sprouts-mustard seed, mung bean, lentil into the salad. But the basic structure, give or take, is outlined below.

- One ripe hass avocado, diced


- The juice of a lemon or a lime


- A dash of balsamic vinegar


- Fine sea salt, freshly ground pepper


- Tabasco sauce or similar or strong mustard, to taste


- 4 medium carrots, about 450 grams total, peeled and grated


- 250 grams firm marinated and cooked tofu or smoked tofu (unfortunately in Tanzania smoked Tofu is not available however it is a firm favourite of mine and work well with this), diced


- Toasted seeds -- sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, flax, or a mix thereof (I often toast them with a slash of tamari)

Serves 2.

Combine the avocado, lemon juice, and balsamic vinegar in a medium salad bowl, and mash the avocado roughly with a fork. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and Tabasco sauce. Fold in the carrots and tofu, and stir until well combined. Cover and refrigerate for half an hour or up to a day. Toss again before serving, adjust the seasoning, and sprinkle with liberal amounts of toasted seeds.

Fennel

I have a massive surplus of fennel in my veggie garden and keep having to find inventive ways of feeding it to people!  I love the gentle aniseedy flavor of fennel, and very often just eat it raw, thinly sliced in a salad, drizzled with olive oil and salt.  Recently I have been experimenting with braised fennel bulbs, a long slow process which is totally worth it as it brings out the sweet treacly flavor.  Here is my favorite version:

Braised Fennel:

4pcs fennel bulbs

1 whole head of garlic

4 tablespoons olive oil

5 table spoons of white wine

5 tablespoons good vegetable stock

Salt and black pepper

Trim the fennel bulbs, removing outer leave and stalks, keep some of the feathery tops to one side.  Split the fennel bulbs in half. Separate the garlic cloves, but leave the skins on.

In a heavy based pan, heat the olive oil, add the fennel bulbs, cut side down.  Put in all of the garlic cloves and season with salt.  Cover and cook the fennel very gently until the undersides are golden.  Turn and allow the other side to color.  This takes about 30-40 minutes.

Squash the garlic flesh out of the skins and mix it in.

Add the white wine and stock, turn the fennel once more ( so it is cut side down again) cover and continue to cook very gently for about an hour.

When the fennel is tender and a rich golden color, season and serves with some of the chopped fennel leaves on top. 

My favourite date shake:

I discovered this when I was thirteen and had just turned vegan, ever since it has been a firm favourite of mine.  JP and I now fight over it!   I turn to it when I want something icy, sweet and utterly delicious.  I never have it after a meal but instead of a meal!

Almond milk:

1 cup almonds blanched (place them in boiling water and remove their skins)

2 1/2 cups of water. 

Put all in a food processor or blender and blend for about 3-4 minutes

Place a fine strainer over a bowl-pour in the almond milk and allow to filter through slowly, then using a spoon gently squeeze out all the remaining milk into the bowl. 

I keep the fibre as use it as a body scrub in the shower!

Date shake:

1 ½ cups almond milk

2 frozen bananas (use all the over ripe ones, peel cut into chunks and freeze in a small bag)

6 large dates, pitted

Place all ingredients into a blender and whizz until thick and creamy

Quinoa recipe with cavolo nero

Quinoa Recipe:

This is one that pasted the JP test, he even said it was yummy!  I was lucky enough get sent a care package this week from a friend in California with Red Quinoa.  It was such a treat!  This recipe takes it’s inspiration from Heather Quinoa Recipe on www.101cookbooks.com

a splash of extra-virgin olive oil


a pinch of fine grain sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper


1 onion, and fresh ginger

3 cups cooked quinoa* (or brown rice, or other grain)


1 cup corn, fresh or canned


1 1/2 cups kale, spinach or other hearty green,-I used cavolo nero from the garden (another good seed find in a garden shop in Sicily).  Finely slice and cook it with an onion and olive oil until it wilts.

3 tbsps pesto
-I use a vegan pesto-bus fresh basil oil would work just as well

1/3 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted


1/4 cup slow roasted cherry tomatoes** (or chopped sun-dried tomatoes)

In a big wok or pot heat the olive oil and salt over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion and ginger and cook for a minute or two. Stir in the quinoa and corn and cook until hot and sizzling. Stir in the cooked kale or cavolo nero.  Remove the wok from heat and stir in the pesto and pumpkin seeds. Mix well so the pesto is spread throughout. Turn everything out onto a platter and top with the cherry tomatoes.

Serves 4 - 6.

*Rinse about 2 cups quinoa in a fine-meshed strainer. In a medium saucepan heat the quinoa and 4 cups water until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer until water is absorbed and quinoa fluffs up, about 15 minutes. Quinoa is done when you can see the curlique in each grain, and it is tender with a bit of pop to each bite. Drain any extra water and set aside.

** To roast cherry tomatoes: Heat oven to a low temperature. Cut each tomato in half, cut side up and arrange in a large baking tray.  Mix 2 spoonfuls of brown sugar, and a few pinches of salt, and black pepper - sprinkle this over the tomatoes.  Place in the oven and slow roast for 1 hour or so, until the tomatoes are shrunken and sweet.  

The wonder that is Kohlrabi

After a trip to Sicily in May I came back loaded with seeds for my veggie garden.  I got so excited about finding kohlrabi seeds I planted acres of it, and we have been reaping the rewards since, my poor friends get loaded down with “green bulbs” and I frequently get messages asking what on earth they are meant to do with them.  So I am writing one of my favorite new salads-wonderful and fresh, it is inspired by one from Yotam Ottolenghi’s http://www.ottolenghi.co.uk/ new vegetarian cook book ‘Plenty’:

Kohlrabi Salad:

2 large kohlrabi

Large bunch of fresh dill –roughly chopped

Grated zest of half a lemon

Juice of one lemon

A good slug of olive oil-I am currently using one from Sicily that we got at the agri tourismo place we stayed in http://www.mandranova.it/

Salt and pepper to taste

Peel and cut the kohlrabi into matchsticks-about 5mm wide and 5cm long.  Put all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Use your hands to massage everything in together.  Let it stand for 10 minutes before serving, adjust the seasoning-you may need more salt to counteract the lemon.

Use your hands and lift the salad into a serving bowl garnish with alfalfa spouts and serve at once.

A start

 The hardest part to knowing where to start, though I want this to be about my garden, my cooking, my daily inspirations walking around the farm on West Kilimanjaro.  I will start somewhere else, a place that I have dreamed of visiting since I was a little girl-Greystokes in Mahale (http://www.greystoke-mahale.com) on the shores of Lake Tanganyika.  I am lucky enough that my job-running community projects for the Nomad Trust took me there for four magical days last week.  It took my breath away, the lake, crystal clear, the chimpanzees, the local people, dinners under the stars to the sound of frogs.

 

It all started after being picked up from the airstrip and taken by dhow to the camp-it was love at first taste!  On the boat they produced home made sweet potato chips with guacamole.  So I write the recipe below for my friend, and professional photographer Sabine, (see her website www.sabinebernert.fr) whose photos I have included and a love for these sweet potato chips we share!

Sweet Potato chips:

Vegetable oil, for frying

2 large sweet potatoes, washed-we don’t get the orange fleshed sweet potatoes.

In a large saucepan, heat oil.

Thinly slice potatoes into round disks, about 1/4-inch thick. Fry for 1 1/2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel.  Sprinkle with salt and serve with guacamole.  (I won’t bore every one with a recipe for guacamole-as every one has their own-I do like mine with a touch a cinnamon in though!)

 

Below Milton and I.