Jerusalem Artichoke & Lentil Soup

 

10 Jerusalem artichokes topped and tailed

2 medium brown onions chopped

½ cup white wine

4 cloves garlic chopped

1 tbsp ginger chopped

1 cinnamon quill

½ tsp ground nutmeg

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tspns sea salt

2 cups cooked brown or green lentils.

2 cups vegetable stock or 1 tbspn vegetable stock powder

2 cups water

black pepper to taste

 

In a heavy based saucepan sauté your onions, oil, spices, artichokes for 5 minutes before covering with liquids a simmering for 20 minutes or until soft. Remove cinnamon quill before blending in a food processor until creamy. Return to saucepan & add in your lentils, simmer over a low heat. Serve with cracked black pepper and a dollop of goat’s cheese.

 

Serves 4.

 

©Sacred Chef

 

Lentil & Eggplant Curry with Turmeric & Coriander Crepes & Fresh Mint Raita

 

Curry

4 Finger Eggplants halved, salted & grilled.

3 cups cooked brown or green lentils

1 can crushed tomatoes

1 tbspn ghee or canola oil

1 punnet cherry tomatoes

2 brown onions diced

1 tbspn chopped garlic

1 lemongrass stalk chopped into segments

1 tbspn finely sliced ginger

1 tspn yellow mustard seeds

1 tspn fenugreek

1 tspn coriander seeds

1 tspn cumin seeds

1 tspn ground turmeric

1 tspn sea salt

2 cardamom pods

1 cinnamon quill

1 vanilla bean

2 whole dried red chillies

1 cup chopped fresh coriander

black pepper to taste

 

 

Grind your spices in a mortar with pestle & as the irritation & impatience strikes at the indignity of having to do actual physical work, think of the connection you are forging with hundreds of previous generations who have ground their spices in just this way. Leave a few mustard & cumin seeds whole to accompany the cinnamon, cardamom & vanilla in their unground states.

Dry roast the spices for a few minutes in a large heavy based saucepan, before adding ghee or oil & onion, chillies, lemongrass, cherry tomatoes, ginger & garlic. Sweat & sauté for 10 minutes before adding crushed tomatoes. Simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour, checking on liquidity factor & adding a little water if needed.

Add in lentils & grilled eggplant fingers 20 minutes before serving.

Stir in chopped fresh coriander just before serving.

©Sacred Chef

 

Turmeric & Coriander Panbreads

2 eggs

1 cup yoghurt

1 cup LSA mix

1 tbspn ground turmeric

1 tspn ground garam masala

1 tspn salt

balck pepper to taste

2 cups chick pea flour

1 cup buck wheat flour sifted

1 cup desiccated coconut

1 tbspn canola oil

3 cups soy milk

1 cup chopped fresh coriander

 

Whisk eggs, yoghurt & spices together before adding soy milk, oil & the remaining ingredients. Beat batter to a smooth consistency & ladle into hot crepe pans. Flip & cook until golden brown on each side. Stack on a plate.

©Sacred Chef

 

Fresh Mint Raita

2 tbspn chopped mint

1 tbspn chopped coriander

1 cup yoghurt

1 tbspn lime juice

½ tspn sea salt

black pepper to taste

 

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.

Serve curry on a crepe with a dollop of raita.

Serves 4.

 

©Sacred Chef

 

Roast Beetroot Risotto with Oyster Mushrooms

1½ cups Arborio rice

6 cups vegetable or meat stock

2 tbspn olive oil or butter

4 cloves garlic

1 tspn sea salt

1 cup pinot noir

2 beetroots sliced & roasted

1 punnet oyster mushrooms

1 cup freshly ground parmesan

1 tbspn chopped parsley

black pepper to taste.

 

The magic of risotto always enthralls me, its metamorphosis from rice & water to creamy rich food of the gods. What price this piece of divinity, the commitment to stay with it & stir for 20 minutes. The key is a really good stock, so I recommend making your own.

Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees for the beetroot & roast with some sea salt for 20 minutes or until cooked & set aside.

You will need one saucepan with your stock simmering gently with a ladle ready for the gradual inclusion into the rice.

In another heavy based saucepan add in your oil & or butter, garlic, salt & rice sautéing for a few minutes before adding in your wine. Cook wine off for a couple of minutes before adding your first ladle of delicious stock. Wait for that to be absorbed by the rice & continue to repeat the process for 15 minutes. At this point you can stir in your beetroot, parsley & parmesan & continue to cook for another few minutes. Gently fold in your oyster mushrooms just before serving & add black pepper to taste.

Serves 4.

©Sacred Chef

 

Cabbage & Tofu Thai Pastries With A Cucumber Dipping Sauce

Pastries

 

2 sheets puff pastry

1 cup crumbled tofu

3 cups cabbage sliced thinly

1 cup spanish onion diced

3 birds eye chillies (deseeded sliced in half)

1 stalk lemongrass very finely sliced

1 tbs grated ginger

1 tbs garlic minced

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tbs canola oil

1 cup fresh coriander chopped

2 tbs soy sauce

2tbs palm sugar

2 tbs white vinegar

sea salt and black pepper to taste

2 kaffir lime leaves

1 egg beaten

1 tbs sesame seeds

Sauce

½ small cucumber minced

2tbs palm sugar syrup

3 tbs white vinegar

dash sesame oil

1 tsp fresh lime juice

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

 

In a wok or saucepan over a medium heat, add in oils ginger, Spanish onion, garlic chilli lemongrass, palm sugar vinegar, lime leaves, salt and pepper and cook for a couple of minutes. Add in cabbage, crumbled tofu, and cook for 5 minutes or until cabbage is sufficiently soft and onions are translucent. Removed from heat and place in a large bowl, before adding in coriander, and salt and pepper to taste. Allow to call for 10 minutes in fridge before serving.

Cut your two pastry sheets into 8 squares, spoon in filling and fold over to form a triangle. Seal triangle by pressing down on the edges with a fork. Brush triangle with egg and sprinkle on sesame seeds. Place triangles on baking sheet/tray and bake 20 minutes or until golden brown.

 

While your triangles are cooking, mix all sauce ingredients together to make your dipping sauce, and serve in a small bowl or ramekin.

Serves 4.

 

©Sacred Chef

 

 

Tofu & Mushroom Baked Wellington with a Shiraz Red Wine Sauce

 

1 block tofu sliced & marinated in soy & ginger

2 brown onions finely sliced

3 cups sliced cap mushrooms

1 tbspn garlic chopped

1 tbspn olive oil

1 cup cream cheese

½ cup yoghurt

½ cup chopped roasted almonds

1 tbspn chopped fresh basil

1 tbspn chopped spring onions

1 tspn sea salt

1 cup shiraz

black pepper to taste

4 sheets puff pastry

 

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

In the midst of cold winter a baked Wellington with creamy mushrooms & a red wine sauce can really warm your soul.

Pan fry your 8 slices of tofu gently on both sides in a little olive oil until golden & set aside on kitchen paper.

In a heavy based saucepan sauté onions, garlic, oil, salt & mushrooms for 5 minutes before adding in your Shiraz, yoghurt & cream cheese. Cook these in for another 5 minutes before finishing with basil, pepper, almonds & spring onions. Remove from heat & cool down in a bowl in the fridge.

Defrost your sheets of puff pastry & one at a time lay out a sheet & place a slice of tofu in the centre. Cover this with a liberal dollop of creamy mushrooms & one more slice of tofu. Fold up the pastry to form a parcel, your Wellington. Repeat the process until you have 4 & then bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

Shiraz Red Wine Sauce

2 cups shiraz

1 cup butter chilled chopped into small pieces

1 tbspn finely sliced garlic

1 cup finely sliced Spanish onion

1 tsp sea salt

black pepper to taste

 

In a heavy based saucepan sauté onion, garlic, salt & little butter for a couple of minutes before adding in the Shiraz. Turn the heat right up & begin adding the remaining butter pieces. As the wine reduces it will begin to thicken with the butter & intensify in flavour. Finish with pepper.

Pour sauce over baked Wellingtons & serve.

Serves 4.

©Sacred Chef