making chickpeas decadent

The humble chickpea. Probably the most used pulse though with stiff competition from the peanut and the haricot bean (mainly down to Heinz). They are generally seen as a rustic ingredient primarily used in basic middle eastern dishes and the odd curry. I am a huge fan and, at times, seem to be purchasing several kilos of the bloody things a week. Whilst being a superb rustic ingredient and generally associated with a "healthy" dish, their use in a more luxurious, rich tasting dish cannot be ignored. In the following recipe I found their firmness provided a solid foundation for more slimy roasted vegetables and their rough surface great for collecting a film of the sweet dressing.

The Q word

I have read (in numerous places around the web) many attacks directed at quinoa. People seem to get annoyed by people (particularly food bloggers) writing about this controversial grain. From what I can gather, the annoyance stems from people saying that over the last couple of years it has become top of the food fad list and they are sick of hearing it. Many even go as far as saying they dislike quinoa, though I would surely argue that such a stance is a bit of a case of "Well, it's not even nice anyway so there". Or perhaps they have not had it cooked in the right way (is there a wrong one?), I don't know. At any rate I just find the whole topic a bit frivolous and confusing. Frivolous in the way that people like quinoa - get over it! Confusing because I have liked it for years. When I first heard a rant about quinoa as the new food fad over the last couple of years my initial thoughts were: that's strange, I have known about it for about ten years.
By no means is this an underhanded way of saying "I can't believe these idiots have only just found out about it, I knew about it for years before it was cool". Quite the contrary, I am not really the type of person who is the first to know about a new food trend and that is what confuses me. It wasn't just me - my partner was also confused about this matter since she had also known about it for years. Oh well, I have rambled on enough; for those with a harpoon ready for any mention of the q word look away now, here is a recipe for baked quinoa patties.
This recipe is adapted from this one on 101 cookbooks. I had different ingredients available and different proportions so the end patties turned out quite different to those pictured in the link above. You may be tempted to skip the feta at the end (especially since it is such a small amount). Don't! The moist crumbs of feta are heavenly amidst the comparatively dry pattie.

Green and lemon

Different people have different reactions to green vegetables. Some seem to saute them in butter till any nutritional benefit is surely lost, others embrace the earthy crunch and eat them raw shredded into a salad. Many believe a good smothering of salt is required to truly enjoy broccoli or kale. Not that I disagree with this, a pinch of salt is necessary to tame the bitterness that many green vegetables put up as a wall to hide their true tastes; however nowadays whenever I see anything green, the first thing that rushes through my mind is lemon. I probably overdo it massively, but whenever greenery is presented I cannot help giving a quick juice or a zest. This risotto recipe is perfect for summer, and has just the right proportion of lemon to greens (or at least for my taste).

A new falafel

Some foods seem to respond well to tinkering with tradition, others yield an end result which tells the maker not to have bothered. Not only this, but if one does move a food away from its traditional context and list of ingredients then they face the wrath of the food puritans.
I have eaten falafel since I was a kid, but a couple of days ago it dawned on me that I had never eaten anything other than traditional falafel. I had a browse through my grain cupboard and picked out a few things I thought may work, and then got soaking. The result was interesting. It had a new dimension of flavour and texture and, in my opinion, from now on replaces traditional falafel made in my house.

Experimental lunch; raided fridge

I am quite a thrifty cook. In fact, I pride myself on the claim that I could probably feed a family of four a week's worth of meals for around £40-50; that is, of course, if they don't mind small portions, no/little meat or fish and losing 5 lbs a week. Though in all seriousness, I am rather talented at creating a meal which seems to have cost nothing, using all the little bits in the store cupboard and fridge that would either get thrown away (though not in my household - I can't remember the last time I did that; I even keep the skins of peeled potatoes and roast them for lunch the next day) or just added to/alongside a meal that is not dependent on them.
Today I have a problem. Carrots. My vegbox always has carrots, which in the winter and autumn is great. I actually tend to buy additional carrots since they quickly get used in a soup/stew or roasted in some interesting way alongside a hearty slice of pie. In the summer carrots are not as straight forward. I often find I am struggling to think of ways each week to make a meal out of them. This week I have used every vegetable from my veg box and my fridge is nearly empty (we are going away for the weekend, so I am trying to not buy a bunch of fresh ingredients), apart from a large, brown paper bag, slumped in the bottom corner. The bag is wet at the back from the condensation in the fridge, and out of the wet torn paper, four-day-old carrots tease me. It has been a long week, and I cannot be bothered to think about something new to do with them on a Friday afternoon. As a result, I started researching ideas online.
I came across a recipe by Nigel Slater, posted on his website. The original recipe is "Carrots, Black Beans and Crisp Onions". This recipe is perfect as it also uses the last handful of a bunch of coriander I have. I have a cupboard full of beans, unfortunately they are all dry and require soaking. So instead I reach for the last handful from a bag of wholegrain spelt and start modifying.

Barley: not just for soup

Pearl Barley, that fantastic addition to winter soups and stews, has numerous uses that I have experimented with. When used in a soup, boiled to death until it nearly melts into the soup, makes a wonderfully nutty thickener. And the sight of little bits of barley swimming around in a stew always reminds me of late autumn; they give a lightness to the orangey, autumnal soup.
In the recipe ahead barley is removed away from its traditional home and cooked al dente, mixed with light, sweet tastes of summer, and the ultimate comforting healthy(ish) meal - patties are formed, not burgers.