Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Middle Eastern Style Lentils with marinated Cherry Tomatoes

Autumn has finally arrived and it's time to stay in, enjoy the warmth of our homes, fill up our lives with seductive smells coming from our kitchen , light some candles and accompany ourselves with our favorite music.
The point is of course to share all this with your loved ones , and to bring some sunshine in the house when the days get shorter and darker.
One of my proposals is to make this stew, the smell of the spices will make you travel to another world , so give it a try.
This dish is pure comfort food !

Ingredients :
250 gr. Lentils 
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 celery sticks, trimmed and chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground curcuma
1 teaspoon ground coriander 
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon mild chili
1 teaspoon ground ginger 
600 ml beef stock
250 gr Greek style, full fat yoghurt 
For the marinated tomatoes:
20 cherry tomatoes
7 bay leaves
small glass of wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
pinch of salt
ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large casserole.
Add the vegetables, stir and cook for about 5 minutes.
Add the lentils, stir again, stir in the beef stock and let this simmer.
Get creative and sprinkle the spices into the stew while it's simmering away.
Let the stew simmer for about an hour, add more stock if needed, the texture should thick, not watery like a soup.
Meanwhile put the cherry tomatoes into a little bowl with all the ingredients needed.
When ready to serve, pour the soup into individual deep bowls , add a few tablespoons of yoghurt to each plate and finish with a few cherry tomatoes on top of the yoghurt.

Serve warm with freshly ground black pepper .

p.s this stew can easily be made in advance, the flavors come out better if left in the fridge for a day, so make this on a Saturday if you want to serve this for a Sunday lunch.
I usually serve this stew with a loaf of country bread, some goat cheese and a simple mixed salad on the side.

Serves 4.




Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Baked Pastry with Caramelized Onions and Blue Cheese

This is such an easy appetizer and very popular , even amongst the people who apparently hate blue cheese.
I love to use Roquefort, but a milder choice could be Gorgonzola or just a simple, cheaper, Danish blue cheese will do.
Prepare this ahead and bake it while you pour your guests a glass of beautiful red wine.
Easy, cozy and always a big success !

Ingredients:
1 Sheet of puff Pastry.
5 Red onions, peeled and chopped.
2 tablespoons of Balsamic vinegar.
1 teaspoon fine brown sugar.
1 tablespoon butter.
2 tablespoons olive oil.
160 gr. Blue cheese (any kind you like)



Heat the olive oil, together with the butter in a large sauce pan .
Stir in the chopped onions and let them simmer on a low heat, for about 15 minutes, until they are soft and have a golden color.
Add the balsamic vinegar and the brown sugar, stir and cook for another 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius .
Meanwhile lay the pastry on a baking sheet , sprinkle the blues cheese all over and finish with your caramelized onions.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, use a pizza cutter and cut into squares.
Serve warm with your wine and a green salad .

Serves 6.