Week 8: Lentils - Brown Lentil Patties, Baba Ganoush, Garden Salad and Pita Bread, with Puy Lentil and Baby Fennel Salad with Lemon and Parsley

Normally when I cook with lentils it's dal or some other Indian dish, so I was pretty light on inspiration when it came to lentil week. My other go to lentil dish, in that it's super cheap and my kids love it, is Mujadara but that recipe post would be very short (cook rice and lentils with cumin and cinnamon, mix in a touch of lemon juice, some salt and pepper and serve topped with caramelised onions) so I thought I would make something a bit more substantial.

Browsing the /r/52weeksofvegancooking subreddit I came across mzglitter's post with a recipe for Baba Ganoush, and was instantly taken back to visiting my mother in the United Arab Emirates where we would eat in a cafe full of locals, and spending only a few dollars could get a heaping platter of fresh salad veges, falafel, hummus, baba ganoush and pita bread. Having a couple eggplant sitting on the bench at home, it was settled; I wanted to make an approximation of that meal with lentil patties. The pita bread is quite important in this dish... a local lebanese place (Alamir Bakery) make very good pita that is thin and light, unlike the fat and filling pita I often see at the supermarket, which make the whole meal much better. I served the patties and baba ganoush on a bed of mizuna, yellow bell pepper and red onion... but the presentation doesn't really matter, as it quickly gets destroyed when things get wrapped in pita and devoured.

As lentil patties and baba ganoush are quite earthy, I also decided to make a puy lentil salad with the fresh tastes of fennel and lemon as a counterpoint (and because decent Le Puy green lentils are amazing). Also, in my defence, I'm not the sort of 'foodie' who specifies you must use baby fennel or it just wont work... I looked for mature fennel at my supermarket and they didn't have any, so I had to by the baby fennel - honest! ;-)

Brown Lentil Patties

• 3 Cups Brown Lentils
• 4 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 Shallots, diced
• 2 Zucchini, grated
• 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp Curry Powder
• 3 Tbsp Fresh Chives, roughly chopped
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

1. Process half the lentils in a food processor to a smooth paste.
2. Put the paste and the rest of the ingredients into a large bowl, and mix.
3. If the mixture is not quite thick add something flour like to thicken. I added about 1/2 a cup of chickpea flour... the amount required will depend on the water content of the lentils.
4. Heat a lightly oiled skillet over medium heat, and spooon two tablespoons of the patty mixture in per patty and pat down with the spoon until it's roughly patty shaped. They should take about 1 to 1 1/2 mintues per side to turn golden brown, before being put on a paper towels to absorb any extra oil they picked up.

Baba Ganoush (almost exactly this recipe - http://mzglittersvegan.wordpress.com/2013/11/14/recipe-baba-ganoush)

• 2 Eggplants
• 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp Tahini
• 5 Cloves Garlic, crushed
• 1 Tsp Cumin
• Juice of 1 Lemon
• 1 Tbsp Parsely, chopped finely
• Salt and Cayenne Pepper, to taste
• Smoked Paprika, to dress

1. Heat oven to 200C/400F.
2. Cut eggplants in half lengthwise, puncture eggplant skins with a fork, brush cut side with olive oil and place on an oiled baking tray.
3. Roast eggplant for 30-45 minutes, until very tender, then leave to cool for 15 minutes.
4. Scoop eggplant flesh into a bowl with a spoon.
5. Mash eggplant flesh with a fork so it's fairly smooth, but still retains some texture.
6. Add the rest of the ingredients, other than the paprika, and mix to combine.
7. Dress with paprika. I did this after it was on the plate, but if serving in a bowl then dress it in the bowl and perhaps drizzle with some high quality extra virgin olive oil as well.

Puy Lentil and Baby Fennel Salad with Lemon and Parsley

• 1 Cup Puy Lentils
• 8 Baby Fennel
• 1 Medium Red Onion
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 3/4 C Parsley, chopped finely
• Juice and Zest of of 1 Lemon
• 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

1. Chop red onion into large chunks and cut 4 baby fennel in half lengthwise.
2. Put red onion, 4 cut fennel, lentils, bay leaves and 2 cups of water into a pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce temperature and simmer for 20-25 minutes until the lentils are cooked but not soft.
3. Drain lentils and let cool, then remove onion, fennel and bay leaves.
4. Trim ends of remaining baby fennel, retaining fronds to dress the salad, and slice finely lengthwise.
5. Add sliced fennel and remaining ingredients to the lentls, and mix to combine.
6. Chop fennel fronds finely to dress salad when served.

Week 7: New To Me - BBQ Pulled Jackfruit Sandwich

I'd heard of jackfruit being used as a meat substitute before, but I'd never come across it outside of a blog before I ended up having trouble finding chat masala in my local Indian market for last week's cauliflower meal. Luckily for me, I strayed into the cans of fruits I've never tried before section and found some cheap cans of unripe jackfruit which blogs had assured me could become a tasty sandwich.

Once I got home I found I'd need nearly a cup of BBQ sauce but only had about a quarter cup. This seemed a pretty good excuse to try my hand at making some, so I mashed a few ketchup rcipes, BBQ sauce recipes and the Tuatara Aotearoa Pale Ale I was drinking together... and not long after had the pot below bubbling away on the stove. Many recipes include worcestershire sauce which is generally not even vegetarian, let alone vegan. I've replaced it with some tamarind chutney which I picked up at the Indian market.

BBQ Sauce (about 3 cups)

• 200g Tomato Paste
• 2 Cups Brown Sugar
• 1 Cup Tuatara APA (or some other inferior beer)
• 1/2 Cup White Wine Vinegar
• 1/2 Tsp Liquid Maple or Hickory Smoke
• 1 Tbsp Dry Mustard
• 2 Tsp Paprika
• 2 Tsp Tamarind Chutney
• 2 Tsp Salt
• 1 Tsp Pepper
• 1 Tsp Ground Cumin
• 1/2 Tsp Cayenne
• 1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
• 1/4 Tsp Ground Cloves
• 1/4 Tsp Allspice

1. Throw all ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil over medium heat.
2. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

While the BBQ sauce was cooling I rinsed the jackfruit a few times to try and wash out as much of the salty brine as I could, then patted them dry with a paper towel. The recipes I've seen for pulled jackfruit use a crockpot or some other slow cooking device, but as I don't have one I just threw the jackfruit in a Dutch oven with 3/4 Cup of BBQ Sauce and 1/2 Cup of water, covered the pot and put it in the oven at 100 C / 212 F.

After six hours, the sauce had darkened a little but it looked much the same.

Using two forks, the jackfruit can be pulled apart into strands and then after a few minutes on the stove top over a medium heat the sauce had reduced a little and was looking a lot more like pulled pork.

Once the pulled jackfruit was finished, all that was left to do was make up a sandwich with a kaiser roll, cabbage in tofu mayo and plenty of sliced jalapenos.

Week 6: Cauliflower - Cauliflower and Eggplant Coconut Curry, Cauliflower with Potatoes and Fenugreek Leaves, and Tomato and Mung Bean Dal

A couple weeks ago I got an email from a friend at a job I recently left letting me know that the Bhut Jolokia/Ghost Pepper plant we had been grown from seed was now producing fruit and I should take a few peppers to sample. The Bhut Jolokia has a scoville rating around 850,000 - 1,000,000 and was the hottest chilli in the world until the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion took its title in 2012. Almost a year to the day from the seedling showing itself for the first time we had pods for eating, and calling me a little bit excited by this would be an understatement! Because I'm sure you all love pictures of plants, here's a gallery showing what happened before the chilli pods below arrived http://imgur.com/a/t6Eam#0

The pods arrival pretty much settled that this week's Cauliflower challenge was going to be something Indian and spicy. As one of the guests had a bike race the next day, and didn't like the idea of riding the day after a meal full of very spicy food, I made three dishes ranging from very mild, to medium to fairly hot. The recipe order below reflects the order, with the medium and fairly hot dishes being the ones that include cauliflower.

If you don't have any Bhut Jolokia pods, or aren't that big a fan of heat, you can substitute mild green or red chillies. The Aloo Gobi would look good with some yellow chilli powder for provide some colour as well.

There are some ingredients used that are less than common in many western kitchens, including amchoor/dried green mango powder, asafetida powder, curry leaves, fenugreek leaves and three dals (moong/mung bean, chana/chickpea and urad/black dal). This is a perfect excuse to hunt out an Indian supermarket if you live in a city that has one... here in Wellington, New Zealand we have Moshim's in Newtown which has an amazing range of products, smells completely amazing and don't appear to be interested in making a profit if their low prices are anything to go by. I can't recommend the store enough, and also highly recommend buying random things you don't recognise and googling them when you get home as a sure way to find a crazy culinary adventure.

Tomato and Mung Bean Dal
Moong Dahl, centre of picture above

• 3/4 Cup Mung Beans
• 7 Cups Water
• 1/2 Tsp Turmeric
• 1 Tsp Salt
• 1/8 Tsp Asafetida Powder
• 1/2 Tsp Cumin Sseeds
• 1 Medium Oonion, Finely Chopped
• 2 Cups Tomatoes, Chopped
• 1 Tbsp Ginger, Peeled and Grated
• 1/2 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 1 Tsp Garam Masala
• 1 Tsp Lime Juice

1. Wash and then soak beans for four hours.
2. Combine drained beans, 7 cups water, salt and turmeric in a large pot. Bring beans to a boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 60 minutes.
3. While the beans cook, heat oil in pan over medium-high heat.
4. Add the asafetida and cumin seeds and cook for a few seconds, until cumin seeds are golden brown.
5. Add onion and fry 2-3 minutes, until golden brown.
6. Add tomatoes, ginger and cayenne pepper and cook for two to three minues, until tomatoes are soft.
7. Add ingredients from pan to the beans and add more water if dal is too thick.
8. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer dal for five to ten minutes.
9. Stir through garam masala and lime juice.

Cauliflower with Potatoes and Fenugreek Leaves
Aloo Gobi Methi ka Tuk, bottom of picture above

• 2 Medium Potatoes, Cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 Medium Head Cauliflower, Separated into florets
• 6 Tbsp Oil
• 1 Ttsp Mustard Seeds
• 20-25 Curry Leaves
• 3 1/2 tsp Ginger Paste
• 1 1/2 tsp Garlic Paste
• 3 Cups Fenugreek Leaves, Chopped
• 1 Bhut Jolokia Pod, Chopped finely
• 1 tsp Amchoor / Dried Green Mango Powder
• 1/2 Tsp Ground Cumin
• 1/2 Tsp Ground Black Pepper
• Generous Pinch of Dried Fenugreek Leaves, Crumbled
• Salt

1. Cook the potato cubes in boiling water for about 5 minutes, until still quite firm. Drain and set aside.
2. Blanch the cauliflower in boiling water for a few minutes to par-cook. Drain and set aside.
3. Heat oil in pan over a medium heat, add the mustard seeds and stir-fry for about a minute until they start sputtering.
4. Add the curry leaves and stir-fry for a few seconds before adding the ginger and garlic pastes and bhut jolokia. Stir-fry for a couple minutes until the moisture has evaporated.
5. Add the fenugreek leaves and cauliflower then season with salt.
6. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for about five minutes.
7. Uncover, increase the heat, add the potatoes and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.
8. Sprinkle over the amchoor, cumin, black pepper and crumbled fenugreek leaves.

Cauliflower and Eggplant Coconut Curry
Adapted from potato dish Uralaikizhan Sagu, right of picture above

• 2 Medium Eggplants, Cut into 1 inch cubes
• Half Medium Head of Cauliflower, Separated into florets
• 3 Onions, Chopped
• 2 Bhut Jolokia Pods, Chopped
• 1 Tsp Fresh Ginger, Grated
• 4 Tomatoes, Chopped
• 1/2 Tsp Turmeric
• 1 1/2 Cups Coconut Cream
• Salt

Spice Paste:

• 1 Tsp Poppy Seeds
• 2 Dried Habanero Pods
• 1 Tbsp Chana Dal, Roasted
• 1 Tbsp Coriander Seeds, Roasted
• 1/2 Tsp Fennel Seeds, Roasted
• 1 Cinnamon Stick, About 1cm long

Tempering:

• 6 Tbsp Oil
• 1 Tsp Mustard Seeds
• 1 Tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1 Tsp Urad Dal, Rinsed and Drained
• 1 Tsp Chana Dal, Rinsed and Drained
• 1 Sprig Curry Leaves

1. Put all ingredients for spice paste in food processor with a little water and process to a paste. Set aside.
2. Add all spices for tempering to vegetable oil over a medium heat and stir-fry for a minute. Add the onions and stir-fry for about 5 minutes, until golden.
3. Mix in bhut jolokia chillies, ginger, tomatoes, turmeric and salt and fry for two to three minutes.
4. Pour in 1 cup water and add the eggplant and cauliflower.
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Mix in the spice paste and coconut milk and simmer until sauce thickens and eggplant and cauliflower is cooked.

Week 5: Halloween - Edible Graveyard

Last week I was in too much of a hurry to bother with typing anyhing up, so just uploaded the Halloween meal as an imgur set at http://imgur.com/a/NKC8i#0