SUSTAINABILITY & "USE UP" COOKING DEMO

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SPICED VEG & LENTIL SOUP WITH HERBY CROUTONS (4-6 portions)

Soup:
​ 
  • 1 white onion
  • 1/4 leek
  • 1 large carrot
  • 1 stick celery
  • 2 courgettes/1 head brocolli
  • 1 potato
  • 1 cup red lentils
  • 1 Tbsp tomato paste
  • Olive oil
  • 1 litre vegetable or chicken stock 
  • Spices - either a ready made spice blend (e.g. Moroccan spice/ras el hanout, Garam Marsala, baharat etc) or any combination of available spices e.g. 1 Tbsp ground cumin, 1 Tbsp ground coriander, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp allspice  
  • Salt
  • Pepper
​
  1. Peel and finely chop all the vegetables
  2. Make up the stock ready to add 
  3. Add a good splash of oil to a pan and add the chopped onion, leek, carrot and celery 
  4. Saute for a few minutes until translucent
  5. Add the spices and cook out for a minute or two until aromatic (add more oil if required, don't let spices burn)
  6. Add the stock, chopped potato, lentils, salt and pepper
  7. Cook until all the vegetables and lentils are soft (about 30 minutes depending how small you chopped the veg)
  8. While the soup is cooking, make the croutons (see method below)
  9. When vegetables and lentils are soft, turn off the heat and blend with a stick blender (not to totally smooth, but part blended in nice
  10. Taste and add more spices, salt, pepper. Sometimes I add a bit more stock powder if needed. ​​

Croutons:
  • 4  slices bread
  • 1 - 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp dried herbs (any combination will do - rosemary, thyme, oregano, tarragon etc, or ready mixed herbs 
  • Salt, pepper
  • Additional spicing (optional)- any combination of garlic salt, paprika, onion salt, chilli powder etc
 
  1. Preheat the oven to 180° c. 
  2. Cut bread into cubes,
  3. Line a baking tray with some parchment paper and drizzle on a little olive oil, then add the cubed bread and drizzle again with oil.
  4. Season with salt, pepper, and optionally with other dried spicing/seasonings
  5. Add the dried herbs - mix to coat
  6. Bake for 5 mins, take out oven mix around and return to oven for another 5 mins.
  7. Remove from oven and cool. 

** you can use fresh herbs and garlic for these croutons, but you need to chop very finely, mix with some oil, only add after the first five minutes and watch they don't burn (the garlic can be bitter if burned)

Utensils/equipment:
​For the soup: Med/large pan; chopping board, cook's knife, stick blender/liquidiser, measuring jug
For the croutons: board, bread knife, baking tray, parchment paper
CHEESY VEG CROQUETTES WITH MIXED LEAF PESTO AND CHOPPED  SALAD (makes 6 large/12 small croquettes)
​

Veg & Cheese Croquettes:
  • 300g left over mashed potato OR 2 med potatoes if you need to make mash
  • 400g raw (300g cooked) mixed vegetables - e.g. 65g onion; 65g carrot, 90g pepper, 90g broccoli, 90g peas - any mix you like and have bits of in the fridge
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 75g cheese (mature is best for flavour but any will do)
  • 1 Tbsp veg or olive oil (not extra virgin)
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 20g soft fresh herbs (coriander/parsley/chives/tarragon etc) - optional only if you have  
  • 50g flour
  • 1 egg
  • 75g breadcrumbs (fresh from stale bread or frozen, made previously from left over bread)
  • Garlic salt
  • Paprika 
  • Dried herbs - mixed, oregano, any you like and have in the cupboard
 
  1. Peel, and evenly cut up 2 med potatoes
  2. Put the potatoes in a med pan with water to cover and a pinch of salt
  3. Boil until soft then drain, mash well, adding salt, pepper and garlic salt (if you have it, otherwise omit). Don't add butter or milk because we want the mash to be firm not soft
  4. Allow to cool and refrigerate until cold (you can spread out onto a tray as this will help it cool quicker
  5. Wash and finely chop all vegetables (keep onion and carrot separate from the rest)
  6. Peel and finely chop (or press) the garlic - keep separate
  7. Grate the cheese - reserve
  8. Place a pan on the heat and add a splash of oil
  9. Sauté the onions and carrots until translucent, then add the garlic and sauté for an additional minute or so (don't burn)
  10. Now add all the other vegetables, salt and pepper and cook out until soft 
  11. Remove to a bowl and allow the veg to cool (can pop in the fridge for a bit)
  12. When cool, add the mashed potato, cheese, herbs (if using) and more salt/pepper if it needs 
  13. Mix all together very well
  14. Divide the mix into 6 even potions (100g each) and shape each into a flat round patty - reserve on a tray and if still warm, put in the fridge to firm up 
  15. Put flour into a bowl (large enough to fit one of the patties). You can add any spices/dried herbs you like to the flour if you want e.g. paprika, garlic salt, cumin, oregano etc
  16. Put the breadcrumbs into another bowls - if your breadcrumbs are frozen, you can spread out put on a tray, and break up any clumps with your fingers
  17. Break and egg into a third (same sized) bowl and whisk
  18. Now, working with one patty at a time, coat the patty in the flour on all sides and shake off excess,
  19. Then dip into the egg, turn to coat and allow excess to drip off back into the bowl
  20. Then coat in the breadcrumbs and finally place on a tray (lined with clingfilm)
  21. Repeat for all and put tray into the fridge to firm up for about 20 minutes
  22. Now make your pesto and salad
  23. When ready to cook the croquettes, place a pan on the heat and add vegetable oil (I prefer to fry in vegetable/rapeseed oil as it has a higher burn point to olive oil)
  24. When the oil is nicely hot, fry the croquettes on one side until golden, flip over and fry on the other side until golden all over. 
  25. Remove to a tray lined with kitchen paper, or a rack
  26. ​Serve hot or warm. 


Pesto:
You can use a variety of herbs and leaves for this as well as nuts or seeds. You can omit the Parmesan if you prefer. 
 
  • 30g herbs/leaves - basil, coriander, spinach, rocket
  • 15g parmesan
  • 25g nuts/seeds (pine nuts, hazelnuts, cashew, walnuts, almonds, macadamia, peanut) or seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, sesame etc)
  • 50ml - 75ml olive oil (light)
  • 1 squeeze lemon juice (1/4 lemon)
  • Salt
  • Black pepper
 
  1. Destalk the herbs/leaves if required and put in blender
  2. Grate the parmesan and add to the blender
  3. Add the nuts/seeds, salt, pepper, a squeeze of lemon juice and the olive oil – blitz and add more oil as you need to adjust the consistency
  4. Check seasoning and add as needed​


Chopped salad:
You can use any left over bits of salad ingredients and vegetables that would eat well raw. The idea is simply that you chop them all up nicely and evenly sized, add a little herbs, seasoning and dressing and enjoy. I add dressing ingredients directly to the salad but you can make up a separate dressing if you prefer (adding mustard and sugar/honey)

  • Cucumber, tomato, pepper, red onion, leaves (lettuce/spinach), carrot, celery, sweetcorn, spring onion, radish etc
  • Pickled cucumbers, pitted olives (optional but I like)
  • Fresh Herbs - any of mint, parsley, coriander
  • Salt 
  • Pepper
  • Lemon - for juice
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Dried herbs (optional but I like e.g. oregano)
 
  1. Wash all the vegetables
  2. Quarter the cucumber, deseed (run a knife down the length), and then cut across into a dice - place in a med bowl
  3. Slice the tomato into thick slices, then across into strips and then across those, into a dice, then add to bowl
  4. ​​​Slice the “cheeks” off the red pepper (remove all pith and seeds) and then cut into strips and across into a small dice – add to the bowl
  5. Peel and finely dice the red onion – place in a bowl
  6. Peel carrots if using, cut into thin strips and across into a fine dice, add to bowl (or use a julienne peeler if you have one)
  7. If using celery, you can peel a little to remove any stringy bits, then cut length-ways into strips and across into a dice, add to bowl
  8. If using tinned sweetcorn, drain and add to bowl
  9. Cut the olives in half and add to the bowl
  10. Slice into pickled cucumbers into strips and then across into a dice and add to the bowl
  11. Destalk and chop any herbs – add to the bowl
  12. Add a little olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper, dried herbs (and you can add a pinch of sugar  if you want)– mix well
  13. Transfer to a serving bowl

Utensils/equipment:
  • For the veg cakes:
  • For the pesto: Blender/pestle and mortar; electric multi-function scale/small measuring cup
  • For the salad: Med bowl, chopping board, serrated utility knife, mixing spoon, small colander/sieve, serving bowl, kitchen paper, waste bowl
FRUIT CRUMBLE (4 portions)
​
  • 650g fruit - any combination of apples, pears, peaches, plums, plus some berries (fresh or frozen) *500g apples/pears to 150g blueberries is a good balance 
  • ​Sugar - 30g (filling) + 65g (topping) *for this I like soft brown for the filling and demerera for the topping but any sugar will work fine
  • Cinnamon (good pinch)
  • Mixed spice (good pinch) 
  • 125g white flour
  • 65g unsalted butter (softened)
  • 50g oats

For the topping
  1. Place the sugar and flour into a bowl
  2. Dice the butter into small cubes and add to the bowl
  3. With clean hands, use your fingertips to rub the butter into the dry ingredients until it is all mixed and takes on a breadcrumb consistency
  4. Mix the oats through the topping mix and reserve until needed for assembly
 
For the filling
  1. Wash the fruit (don’t bother peeling)
  2. Cut each fruit into a nice diced dice (about 2-3cm)
  3. Place the fruit into a baking dish
  4. Add any berries, sugar and spices and mix to combine the ingredients
  5. Add the crumble topping and pat down gently
  6. Bake for approx 30 mins (at 180° c) until the top is golden brown, and the fruit is cooked  
  7. Remove and allow to cool uncovered
  8. Serve with cream, ice cream or custard

Utensils/equipment:
Scale; Med bowl, chopping boards, cook's knife, mixing spoon, med baking dish, oven gloves