Turkish Tarts: Minced Lamb or Red Pepper

Turkish Tarts

This evening I had an impromptu dinner party and this dish sprung to mind. It’s light, filling and easy to make.

250g spinach
Bunch of Coriander, chopped
2 x 375g pack Ready-rolled Puff Pastry
2 Red onions, sliced
1 Lemon
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil

Chunk of Feta Cheese, crumbled

V: ½ Red Pepper, sliced

M: Lamb Mincemeat

Serves: 1 Vegetarian, 5 Meat-eaters

Fry the onion in a little olive oil, a dash of balsamic vinegar and seasoning, until the onion starts to soften. Squeeze over the juice of half a lemon. Separate 1/6 for the vegetarian and place in a smaller frying pan.

M: Add the mincemeat to the meat-eater pan and cook for 5-10 minutes until the meat has browned. Stir in the spinach, leaving a handful for the vegetarian. Cook until it starts to wilt. Leave to cool.

V: Add a handful of spinach to the smaller pan and cook until it starts to wilt. Leave to cool.

Cut each pre-rolled puff pastry into six squares. I decided to experiment and left half open and made half into parcels.

Turkish Tart

To make the parcels place a ball of filling in the middle and fold in the corners leaving a gap at the top for steam to get out.

Turkish Squares

For the open tarts, use a knife to score a line 1cm from the edge and pile the filling in the middle.

V: Add a few slices of red pepper to add a crunch to the tart. 

Puff Pastry Parcels

Crumbles of Feta and Coriander

Before serving sprinkle each parcel with coriander and crumble over some feta cheese.

Serve with a simple salad and a wedge of lemon.

Stuffed Pepper

Stuffed Peppers

Serves: 2

2 peppers, 1 red, 1 green
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
Handful coriander, chopped
2 tomatoes, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 artichoke hearts, quartered
sea salt and black pepper
dash of balsamic vinegar
dash of Tabasco
olive oil
Chunk of goats cheese


Put the onion, coriander, tomatoes, garlic, artichokes, seasoning, balsamic vinegar, Tabasco and glug of olive oil in a bowl. Leave to marinate. Heat the oven to 200C.


Halve the peppers length ways and brush with olive oil before stuffing them with the tomato mix and placing them on an oven-proof tray, in the oven for 25 minutes.

Place a slice of goats cheese on each pepper and return to the oven for 5 minutes.


Serve with couscous.

Spicy avocado lime dip: prawns or feta

Spicy avocado and lime dip with prawns

This is a very healthy dish, full of refreshing flavour to kick start your day.

Serves: 2

Juice of 1 lime

2 Avocados

1 red chili, deseeded and finely chopped

Handful coriander, chopped

Glug of olive oil

1/2 red onion, finely chopped

Tabasco sauce - as much as you like

Dash of vegetarian Worcestershire sauce

Sea salt and black pepper

V: Chunk of feta, cubed

F: Handful, prawns

F: Squeeze half the lime over the prawns, season with sea salt, black pepper, a few splashes of Tabasco sauce and leave to marinate.

Remove the flesh from the avocados and mash together with the olive oil, red onion, chili, coriander, vegetarian Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco. 

Divide the mixture into two adding the prawns to one half and feta to the other.

Serve on toast with a soft-boiled egg.

 

Sweet potato Falafel with couscous salad and tzatiki

Sweet potato falafel

This sweet potato falafel recipe is based on one from the Leon cookbook but I have speeded up the process by boiling the sweet potato instead of roasting it. The sweet potato falafel tastes great in a pitta with tzatziki and a couscous salad.

Serves: 4 

2tsp cumin

2tsp ground coriander

1tsp cayenne pepper

handful coriander, chopped

150g gram flour

3 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into chunks

Boil the sweet potatoes for 15 minutes or until soft. Drain, mash and leave to cool. Stir in the spices, fresh coriander and gram flour. Place covered in the fridge for 30minutes until mixture is easier more sticky than wet.

Heat the oven to 180C.

Roll mixture into balls and place on an oiled tray. Cook in the oven for 30 minutes.

Serve with wholemeal pitta pockets, couscous salad and tzatiki. 

Couscous with feta and walnuts

Serves: 4

 

The Ume plum seasoning used as a dressing adds a refreshing zesty flavour.

Handful walnuts

Handful coriander, chopped

Handful mint, chopped

Handful mung bean sprouts

Handful, feta, chopped

¼ zest of lemon

Olive oil

Sea salt and Black pepper

Pinch of saffron

200g Couscous

Ume plum seasoning

Put the couscous in a bowl and sprinkle over sea salt, black pepper, saffron, a glug of olive oil and just cover with boiling water. Stir once and cover with clingfilm for 10 minutes. Leave to cool.

Use a fork to fluff up the couscous and stir in the lemon zest, feta, mint, coriander, walnuts and mung beans. Dress with a glug of olive oil and a few dashes of ume plum seasoning.

Tzatziki

Serves: 4 

Tub of greek yoghurt

Handful mint, chopped

¼ cucumber, finely chopped

Sea salt

1 garlic clove

Olive oil

Add a good glug of olive oil to a mixing bowl. Crush the garlic with a large pinch of sea salt and finely chop, keep crushing and chopping until you have a salty garlic paste. Add the garlic paste to the olive oil and stir in a little of the yoghurt at a time, making sure the garlic and olive oil are evening distributed.  Add the mint and cucumber, stir and season to taste.

Spicy chickpea soup

This is my favorite soup, especially when I think I'm getting ill. It's full of vitamins and the chili gives a spicy kick.

Serves: 4

Olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
4 celery sticks, chopped
2 tsp cumin
1 can (400g) chopped plum tomatoes
1 can (400g) chick peas, washed and drained
1/2 head of broccoli, chopped into florets
1 pint vegetable stock
1 red chili, deseeded and chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Handful coriander, chopped

F: Handful pre-cooked prawns


Heat a glug of olive oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and celery and fry gently for about 8 minutes or until soft, stirring often. Add the garlic and chili and fry for a few more minutes before stirring in the cumin.

Add the tomatoes, chickpeas and stock and cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes, adding the broccoli for a further 4 minutes.

F: Divide the soup. Add a handful of prawns to the non-vegetarian portion/s, heat for 2 minutes.

Squeeze in the lemon juice and season to taste. Add a sprinkle of fresh coriander to each bowl.

Serve with crusty bread.