Jill's Falafels

Ingredients

2 X 410g cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed.  You could use dried chickpeas and you need about 2 cupfulls,  soaked overnight and then rinsed, placed into a saucepan and covered with fresh cold water.  Bring to the boil and boil for 5 mins, then lower heat and add 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda ( it will foam up).  Scoop off scum and simmer for about 40 minutes.  Drain and leave to cool.

1 small onion, finely chopped ( you could use spring onions instead if you prefer)

Large handful parsley

Large handful coriander

1 garlic clove

A knob of fresh ginger finely chopped (about the size of top of thumb)

3 level tablespoons plain flour (I use brown but white is fine)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon crushed chilli flakes ( or more if you like a kick)

1 heaped teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 - 2 tablespoons tahini

Salt & pepper to taste (don't overdo)

(You can play around with the quantities of the ground spices to suit you)

Pitta breads

Salad

Hummus

Sweet chilli sauce

What to do?

·       Using food processor, put all ingredients in and pulse to a coarse paste like mixture (you can make this as coarse or as smooth as you like).   Shape into discs.  I make mine quite small but you could make bigger ones.

·       Using oil of your choice (just enough to coat the pan), fry on medium to low heat, turning every few minutes, until they have a nice colour and are cooked through.  About 10 to 15 minutes.  Drain on kitchen paper.

·       Serve with extra coriander, toasted pitta breads, salad and hummus and/or sweet chilli oil.

They are moreish, so make sure you do enough!

Jill's Vegetable chilli

Ingredients

Vegetables - a selection to suit you, or whatever you have in the fridge cut into pieces as per photograph

1 onion, chopped

Garlic - I just use 1 fat clove but you can add to taste, or omit.  Chopped finely

2 to 3 tablespoons oil (olive, vegetable etc)

1 - 2 teaspoons chilli powder (I use hot as I like a kick, but you may use mild or reduce the amount

1 heaped teaspoon brown sugar

1 heaped teaspoon tomato paste

2 or 3 teaspoons vinegar

750 ml or 1 1/2 pints tomato purée, either passata or tinned chopped tomatoes (or your own from the freezer)

1 tin red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Method 

Fry off onions in oil over medium heat until starting to soften.  Add garlic if using and stir.  Add chilli paste mixture and fry off for a minute, stirring all the time.  Add tomato purée and stir thoroughly.  Add vegetables (I keep pepper back to add with kidney beans later so that it retains some 'bite') and stir well.  You may have to add a little water to loosen but remember that the vegetables will give off some liquid as they cook. 

Bring to the boil, stirring often.  Reduce heat to a gentle simmer, cover with a lid and leave for approx 30 minutes.   You may want to give it a stir every now and then as the sugars in the tomatoes could stick if you are cooking on too high a heat.

Add peppers and kidney beans and continue simmering for another 10 - 15 minutes.

I serve it with pitta bread and sour cream, but you could do jacket potatoes, rice etc.

Bon appetite!

Jill's Spiced Parsnip Bubble and Squeak Cake

This makes a great vegetarian main in its own right - just serve it with something like chilli jam.   You can play around with the quantities, for example I don't take the seeds out of the chilli because I like the 'kick'.  Equally you could add more garam masala etc.

Ingredients

800g/1lb 12ozs parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks; 1 tsp turmeric; 300g/10 ozs Brussel sprouts or 1/2 Savoy cabbage, finely shredded; Large handful frozen peas; Juice 1/2 lemon; 50g/2 ozs butter; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 teaspoon cumin seeds ;1 teaspoon garam masala; 1 bunch coriander; chopped (reserve a couple of sprigs to decorate); 1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped.

What to do

Cook the parsnips with the turmeric and a little salt for about 12 minutes until they are well cooked.
2. While the parsnips are cooking, blanch the sprouts or cabbage in another pan of boiling water for 3 minutes until just tender.  Add peas for last minute, then drain well.
3. Drain parsnips, then roughly mash with the lemon juice and half the butter.
4. Add all remaining ingredients (except remaining butter) and season with salt.
5. Heat the remaining butter and olive oil in a non stick pan (not too hot a heat) andpress the parsnip mixture into the pan.   Cook until crisp and then using a large lid, slide the 'cake' on to the lid and flip the uncooked side back into the pan.  Don't worry if it breaks up - you can pretty up on the serving plate!
6. When you are happy with the 'crispness', serve on a warmed plate.  Tidy up the shape if necessary and place reserved coriander on top.  Enjoy!

Jill's chunky winter warming soup

Ingredients

• 1 onion finely chopped
• A mixture of veg to taste, chopped into pieces about the size of end of little finger.  We used celery, pepper, sweet potato, baby sweet corn, carrot, calabrese, courgette, aubergine, green beans and peas.  About a fistful of each.
• A jar of passata.  We used our own roasted and puréed tomatoes.
• 2 or 3 tins coconut milk
• 2 level teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 level teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 level teaspoon turmeric
• 2 level dessert spoons vegetable stock powder.
• Olive oil

Method

• Prepare vegetables.
• Mix spices with enough water to form a paste.
• Using a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, fry the onion over medium heat until it is translucent.  Clear space in middle of pan and add spice paste.  Fry for a few minutes, stirring frequently.  Addpassata, then coconut milk from 2 of the tins (wash each tin out with 2/3 water and add to pan).  Stir well to combine, then add vegetable stock powder and all vegetables.   Bring to the boil stirring frequently and then lower to a simmer for about 30 mins, depending on whether you like your vegetables to have a little 'bite' or not.
• If it seems too tomato'ey, add the 3rd can of coconut milk.
• I have not specified adding salt, as I try not to, but you can of course add if you like.

Enjoy x