Chilled Avocado Soup with Chipotle Chile

I can't believe it has been over two years since I last wrote a blog post!  It doesn't feel that long ago...but in the mean time life has changed a huge amount for us and we now have a baby boy, Little H, who is 4 months old.

  In the past two years there has been the meteoric rise of food bloggers, lots of incredibly inspiration people, mainly women, writing and creating the most amazing plant based food. It is so exciting to see. I have even managed to get my husband to eat at Nama in London-the most incredible, raw food restaurant in Notting Hill, and The Mae Deli.

Life on the farm continues and we have just come to the end of our short season harvest of Hass Avocados, so of course todays recipe has to be avocado based!

 

It has been really hot here recently and so this Chilled soup has been hitting the spot.  It is loosely based on a recipe from Deborah Madison which I have adapted to make my own.  On a side note, I once read that if at least three ingredients in a recipe are changed the recipe is yours-does anyone know anything about this?
Unfortunately I didn't take any photos of the soup, photographing my food and "food styling" is something I am going to work on in 2017.

Chilled Avocado Soup-This is a really rich, smooth soup so I find that half a cup portions are enough.  This serves 6 people.
1 Small onion, cut into 1/2 inch thick rings
5 ripe avocados (about 300 grms), halved and seeded
2 cups home made vegetable stock or water
2 tablespoons chopped parsley (mint is also yummy)
2 teaspoons chopped oregano
1/2 Teaspoon of Chipotle chile paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
grated zest and juice of 2 limes
Sea salt
1/2 cup Coconut cream (coconut milk would also work)
Pepitas:
1 teaspoon oil
1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds, raw
Juice of 1 lime
Pinch of chile powder (I use Chilimanjaro powder)
Sea Salt

Sear the onion rings in a dry frying pan until softened and browned in places, about 5 minutes. I add 2 tablespoons of water half way through. You want to remove the harshness of the onion, but it doesn't need to be well cooked.
Using a spoon, scoop the avocado flesh into a blender.  Add the onion, stock, parsley, oregano, spices and the chipotle chile paste.  Puree until smooth.  Pour into a bowl and stir in the lime zest and juice. Add some salt to taste, then stir in the coconut cream.  Cover and chill well.
To prepare the peptise, heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat.  Add the pumpkin seeds and stir until they begin to colour and start to pop, a couple of minutes. Add the lime juice, chile powder and a good pinch of salt and give everything a stir.  Remove the pan from the heat, and stir until the lime juice has evaporated.  Leave to cool.

Taste the soup for salt and acidity-you might want to add more lime juice, serve in small bowls with the pumpkin seeds scattered over.

Tomato and basil Risotto

I literally have a forest of basil in my garden, Janet, who helps me in my garden has not yet quite got the hang of only planting a few seeds at a time so we have feast or famine!  This time I am quite stuck on what to use all my basil for, I have been making jars and jars of basil oil.  This is a sludgy, verdant sauce that tastes clean, punchy and pure.  I have been adding it to all sorts of dishes-and it is delicious with a tomato risotto.

Basil Oil:
3 large bunches of basil-proper bunches, not the mean little ones sold in supermarkets
1 clove of garli, peeled
sea salt and black pepper
200ml extra virgin olive oil
Pull the basil leaves from their stalks and put them into a food processor with the garlic and a good pinch each of salt and pepper. Process until the basil is finely chopped.  With the motor running trickle in the olive oil through the funnel and continue to blend until you have a beautiful moss green puree.  Leave to stand for a few minutes, and then taste and adjust the seasoning.
Pour into a jar, cover and refridgerate until ready to use.  It keeps in the fridge for up to a week.

Tomato Salad:
I am always amazed by how many types of tomatoes are available-little, big, long, yellow, thin, round-so go crazy!
4 big handfuls of mixed tomatoes
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Herb or balsamic vinegar
1 fresh red chilli, halved, deseeded and finely sliced
1 tbsp fresh chopped marjoram
1/2 clove of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
a big handful of fresh basil leaves-picked and divided into big and small ones

Chop up the tomaotes in an irregular fashion.  Season from a height with sea salt, using slightly more than you normally would, this will draw out the yummy flavour and intensity of the tomatoes.  Put the tomatoes in a colander over a bowl and leave for 20 minutes to let any excess water and salt drip out.  Pour the liquid away, dry the bowl and out the tomaotes in it.  Dress them with a glug of olive oil and a slash of vinegar.  Add some pepper, the chilli, marjoram, and the large basil leaves, torn up.  Toss together, correct seasoning.  tumble the tomaotes onto a large platter, drizzle with a little extra olive oil and sprinkle over the little basil leaves.

Tomato and basil risotto:
This is an adaption of Jamie Olivers one which he uses ricotta cheese in.  It is so yummy with basil oil drizzled over it.
1 litre veg stock
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion -peeled and finely chopped
4-5 sticks of celery, thrimmed and finely chopped
600 grms risotto rice
250ml vermouth or dry white wine

Put the olive oil in a large pan, add the onion and celery and cook very gently over a low heat for about 15 mins, until soft.  Add the rice and turn up the heat.  Dont let the rice or veg catch on the bottom of the pan so keep stirring.
Quickly pour in the vermouth or wine, keep stirring until it is has evaporated.  Add the stock to the rice, a ladle at a time, stirring and waiting until it has been fully absorbed before adding the next.  Turn the heat down to low so the rice doesnt cook too quickly., and continue to add ladlefuls of stock until it has all be absorbed-about 15 mins, the rice should still be a little bit al dente.

700ml extra veg stock.
4 hndfuls of ripe tomatoes-I use the tomato salad above.
Add 1/2 the extra stock and 2/3rds of the tomatoes.  Gently bring to the boil, stirring all the time, turn down the heat until almost all the stock has been absorbed.  Add the rest of the stock a ladleful at a time.  Be careful not to overcook the rice, it should be soft, creamy and oozy!
Turn off the heat (at this point you can add in grated parmesan or ricotta) add a tbsp of the basil oil.  Check the seasoning then stir in the rest of the marinated tomatoes.  Put a lid on the pan and let it rest a min or two.  Serve with bsil oil.  

Sweet potato puree with tamari, maple syrup and chilli

This is a recipe from Skye Gyngell-my go to when I need something a bit different and a bit of inspiration.  My version is adapted to make it vegan, though if you want to can add lashings of butter.  I made this for a lunch party yesterday, we sat under the grape vines on the verhanda with a cold lunch.
This is a sweety, punch almost velvety tasting puree.
For 4:
2 large orange sweet potatoes
1 small red chilli-halved
sea slat and black pepper
small bunch of washed coriander
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp tamari-or soy sauce
2 tbsp maple syrup

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into  rough chunks, then place in a sauce pan and add the chilli.  Pour in enough cold water to cover and add a good pinch of salt, and bring to the boil over a medium heat.
Lower the heat and simmer for about 15-20 mins until the sweet potato is really tender and falling apart.   Drain in a colander.

Tip the sweet potato and chilli into the blender.  Add the coriander leaves and stems, olive oil (and 50g butter if using), tamari and maple syrup and puree until very smooth.  Taste and adjust the seasoning.  The puree should have a deep, sweet, hot, velvety taste.

*as a rule of thumb, all vegetables that gro below the ground go in to cold water and all vegetables that grow above ground go into boiling water.

Fennel Ratatouille

I have this aversion to normal ratatouille-i might infact go so far as to say I really dislike it!  I made it this past weekend for sunday lunch, and I still dont like it!  I think it comes from when I first turned vegetarian/vegan about 15 years ago people didnt know what to feed me so invariably the ratatouille would come out-urgh!
Anyway I have found a version that I do like, from Sarah Raven, and seeing as my fennel is never ending in the garden it is a good way to use it...

Fennel Ratatouille:
4 tbsp olive oil
sprig of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
2 tsp fennel seeds
3 large onions cut into quarters
2 peppers, deseeded and roughly chopped-I dont like peppers, so I use Jalapeno instead!
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
4 fennel bulbs, outer leaves discarded and roughly chopped
2 X 400g tins good quality chopped tomatoes-or 900 grms fresh tomatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
grated zest of one lemon
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp runny honey
salt and black pepper
small bunch of dill-roughly chopped
handful of black olives-or kalamata olives.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy based casserole, with the thyme, bay leaf and fennel seeds. Add the onions, peppers, garlic and saute for 5 mins. Add the fennel, tomatoes, chilli, lemon zest, tomato puree, honey and a little salt and pepper.
Cover the dish and simmer gently over a very low heat, stirring every so often, for an hour or more.   Take the lid off, add the dill and olives.  Increase the heat slightly to reduce until the sauce becomes thick and treacly. Taste and season as necessary.
Can be served hot or cold and if you have left overs makes a good soup, pureed and thinned with vegetable stock. 

Smoky Lentil Soup

 Chipotle chillies in adobo sauce are AMAZING!  I used to get my supply from a friend with the Mexican Embassy in Nairobi, who has since moved on, but my supply is closely guarded!  Chipotles add a wonderful smoky-spicy element to this lentil soup. Lentils combine well with smoky flavors — that’s why they’re so often cooked with sausage or bacon.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 large garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons cumin seeds, lightly toasted and ground

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 1/3 cups brown lentils, rinsed and picked over

6 cups vegetable stock or water

Salt to taste

1 to 2 canned chipotle chillies in adobo, to taste, rinsed, seeded and sliced, plus a teaspoon of the adobo sauce

Croutons or toasted tortilla chips for garnish (optional)

1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot. Add the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about five minutes. Add the garlic, cumin and tomato paste. Cook, stirring, until the mixture is fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Stir in the lentils and stock/water, add salt to taste (1 to 2 teaspoons) and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the lentils are very tender, about 50 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.

2. Using a hand blender, coarsely purée the soup, or purée half the soup in batches in a blender.  Stir the blended soup back into the pot, and combine well. Add the chipotles, and heat through. Taste and adjust seasonings. Garnish each serving with croutons or toasted tortilla chips if desired.

Chilli Jam

I love chilli Jam-need I say more?!

500 grm very ripe tomatoes
4 garlic cloves-peeled
4 large red chillies-seeds left in if you want your jam very hot
6cm piece root ginger-sliced
300 grms golden caster sugar
2 tablespoons braggs liquid aminos or tamari (or fish sauce if you use it)
100 ml red wine vinegar-a little splash or raspberry vinegar is yummy added in as well

Blitz half of the tomatoes with all the garlic, chillies and ginger in a food processor.  Poir into a heavy based saucepan.  add the sugar, tamari, and vinegar and slowly bring to the boil, stirring slowly.  Reduce to a simmer.
Dice the remaining tomoatoes finely and add them to the pan.
Simmer for 40 mins, stirring from time to time.  The mixture wil turn slightly dark and sticky.
Store in warm dry sterilised jars and seal while the mixture is still warm.  The longer you keep this jam the hotter it gets.  It keeps for bout 3 months in the fridge.