Isn't it nice when you find a cookbook and all the recipes you try from it are great? One of my favourites is the
Rebar Modern Food Cookbook from the lovely restaurant of the same name in Victoria. I like to stop in there for breakfast when I am visiting and it is always yummy and delightful. I have had their book for awhile and have recently been trying out some recipes that I always thought sounded good but had yet to try, as well as some old favourites.
Here are two soups that are really good and pretty quick and easy:
Greek Red Lentil with Lemon, Rosemary and Feta cheese
2 cups red lentils
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lg yellow onion diced
2 tsp sea salt
8 cloves garlic minced
2 carrots, diced
1 tsp cracked pepper
1/4 tsp red chile flakes
1 tbsp minced rosemary
2 tbsp minced oregano
2 bay leaves
8 cups veg stock
zest of 1/2 lemon
juice of 2 lemons
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 tsp minced rosemary
cracked pepper to taste
Rinse lentils & drain. Saute onion, garlic, carrot and spices. Add lentils and stock, bring to boil and reduce to simmer until lentils are falling apart. Remove bay leaves and give it a quick buzz with the hand blender (if you like)
Season with remaining ingredients listed and enjoy! It is also delicious with prawns or whitefish cooked up in it and served over quinoa. (Inspired by our friend who pours it over chicken and bakes it - yumm! and she is also pictured in the book which makes her pretty much a celebrity and expert!)
It freezes really well and is great over brown rice and with a bunch of chopped spinach added while it heats up!
Next up is:
Curried Chickpea with Tomatoes, ginger and cilantro
This recipe is slightly adapted because I am sort of lazy and find it a challenge to follow recipes precisely.
8 cups veg stock
2 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion finely diced
2 tsp salt
2 bay leaves
8 garlic cloves minced
3 tbsp minced ginger
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded
1 red pepper
6 ripe tomatoes
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground corriander
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp cracked pepper
1/8 tsp tumeric
3 cups cooked chickpeas
1/4 cup mango chutney
1 can coconut milk
1/2 bunch cilantro chopped
Saute onion and spices. Throw ginger, garlic, jalapenos, tomatoes and pepper in food processor for a rough chop and add to pot and simmer for a while. Add chickpeas and stock and simmer for another 10 min or so. Add coconut milk and mash chickpeas with a potato masher to help thicken soup. Simmer on low for an hour or so. Season with s&p and a big handful of chopped cilantro.
We had it over quinoa and is was really yummy and a healthy filling dinner. It also makes a lot so we kept some out for lunch the next day and had enough to freeze for some busy nights ahead.
I really recommend investing in this cookbook! It is a goody. What are your favourite cookbooks with consistent great recipes?
