Nutrition - Free Fitness Library
Delightful winter warmers
Our Get Active Food Consultant is back. Oded Schwartz with winter warmer vegetarian recipes that will fuel your muscles and give you the energy you need to cope with our long winter. It takes only 30 minutes to prepare these scrumptious meals.
Red Lentil Soup
This warming red soup is ideal for cold winter nights. Red lentils have
a pleasantly mild, earthy flavour and when cooked turn golden-yellow.
Those little lentils are also known as 'Egyptian lentils' and are reputed
to be the ones used in the Biblical 'red pottage' . Split red lentils
cook very fast and do not maintain their shape, resulting in a smooth
pulp. If they are not too old and dry they will cook in less than 30
minutes, or less than 10 in a pressure cooker. Pre-soaking the lentils
in water will also shorten the cooking time considerably
Ingredients:
150g/5oz split red lentils, well washed
1 litre/2 pints vegetable stock
1 large onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic
1 large carrot, peeled & roughly chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
3 medium tomatoes, peeled, de-seeded & roughly chopped
Salt
4 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or coriander
1 small lemon washed & sliced into thin rings
Good olive oil, for sprinkling
Sprigs of fresh dill or coriander
Method:
1. Put the lentils into a large saucepan, cover with the stock and bring
to the boil. Skim well. Reduce the heat and simmer, half covered for
30 minutes.
2. Put the onion, garlic and carrot into the food processor and process
at high speed, starting and stopping the machine until finely chopped
but not puréed.
3. Heat the oil in a heavy based frying pan. Add the cumin seeds and
fry over a high heat until the seeds begin to pop. Add the chopped vegetables
and continue frying for some 5-8 minutes until they begin to brown.
Add to the simmering soup, season to taste with salt and continue simmering
until the lentils are tender.
4. Just before serving add the herbs and lemon slices, bring just to
the boil and switch off the heat. Float a lemon slice on each serving,
sprinkle with a few drops of olive oil and garnish with a sprig of dill
or coriander.
Note: I like this soup gritty, but if a smoother texture is required,
strain it through a sieve, reserving the liquid. Put the contents of
the sieve into a food processor and process at a high speed for 1 minute.
Return to the pan together with the cooking liquid and bring to the
boil. Simmer for 2-3 minutes and finish as above.
Perfumed Tofu
Tofu, or bean curd, by itself is a very tasteless affair indeed. Yet
it's characteristic blandness makes it ideal as a carrier of flavours.
As with many basic ingredients, there are hundreds of ways to use tofu.
You can marinate it in a strong, spicy sauce and then barbecue it. You
can fry it, stuff it or cook it in a stew or curry. Below is a delicate
fragrant dish which will appeal even to those who don't like the idea
of tofu.
Tofu is now available in most supermarkets, health shops and oriental
stores. Try to purchase it in well-stocked oriental stores where it
is sold very fresh, in it's own liquid. In this state the tofu is delicate,
mild and soft. When old, tofu tends to become rubbery and is not suitable
for this dish.
Ingredients:
Peanut oil, for brushing
2 x 2.5cm/1" slices of French bread per serving
1 teaspoon Chinese sesame oil, for brushing
1 medium onion, thinly sliced into rings
1 medium carrot, peeled & sliced into fine julienne strips
1 red pepper, de-seeded & sliced into fine julienne strips
2 fat cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
500g/1lb 2oz tofu, divided into 6 portions
6 small sprigs of fresh thyme
6 x 2.5cm/1" sticks of lemon grass
6 cardamom pods, broken
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Chinese sesame oil
Method:
1. Heat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas Mark 5
2. Brush a large baking tin with the peanut oil and arrange the bread
slices in it. Sprinkle each slice with about 1 teaspoon Chinese sesame
oil. Put the tray at the bottom of the pre-heated oven and bake for
10-12 minutes or until the bread is browned and crisp.
3. Cut out 6 x 25cm/10" square pieces of kitchen foil. Brush the
centre of each square generously with peanut oil. Place the onion, carrot,
pepper and garlic at the centre of each square and lay the tofu on top.
Top with the thyme, lemon grass and cardamom. Sprinkle with soy sauce
and sesame. Seal the parcel by crimping the edges together.
4. Place on a baking tray and bake in the pre-heated oven for 10-12
minutes. Transfer the parcels onto individual plates, and place the
bread in front. Allow each diner to tear their parcel so the delicious
juices can soak into the crispy bread.
Cherry Tomato Pasta
A quick, delicious and spectacular pasta dish. It is based on the Italian
classic, pasta alla putanesca - 'pasta prostitute style'. It was so
named because as it is quick and easy to make, the ladies of the night
could cook it in short breaks between customers. The whole cherry tomatoes
add a fresh, bright note to the pasta.
The most suitable tomatoes for the sauce - as for any tomato-based sauce
- are either Italian plum, Provençal or beef.
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 strips lemon or orange zest
500g/1lb 2oz tomatoes, peeled, de-seeded & roughly chopped
A dash of red or white wine
A few drops of tabasco or 1/4 teaspoon chilli powder (optional)
1 tablespoon capers
750g/11/2lb large farfalle (pasta bows) or wide tagliatelle
225g/8oz cherry tomatoes
A little oil for brushing
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
50-75g/2-3oz Parmesan cheese, shaved or grated
Sprigs of fresh basil, to garnish
Method:
1. Heat the oil in a large heavy-based saucepan. Add the onion, garlic
and lemon or orange zest and fry over a high heat until the mixture
begins to take colour.
2. Add the chopped tomatoes, a dash of wine and tabasco or chilli, if
used. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10-12 minutes, mixing
from time to time. Add the capers just before the sauce is ready.
3. Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions.
4. While the pasta and sauce are cooking, heat a dry frying pan. Brush
the cherry tomatoes with olive oil, add to the hot pan and dry-roast
until the skins begin to brown.
5. To serve, drain the pasta and toss with the sauce. Add the cherry
tomatoes, salt, pepper and basil. Sprinkle the cheese on top and garnish
with basil sprigs. Serve hot.
Note: Peeling tomatoes, although considered bothersome, is really very
easy. I am usually against peeling and over-processing fresh ingredients,
but peeling tomatoes seems necessary as many people object to pieces
of tough, transparent skin floating in their sauce. To peel the tomatoes,
cover for a minute or so in boiling water then rinse under the cold
tap. The tomato skin should slip off very easily. After peeling, slice
the tomatoes in half and squeeze out the seeds.
Flaming Pawpaw
This is a dish designed to impress. It is spectacular in appearance,
delicious and extremely easy to prepare. Be careful to select full ripe
pawpaw and keep some of the black pips for decoration; they have an
amazingly refreshing, pleasant flavour. Serve accompanied with well-chilled
fruity, semi sweet wine, such as Riesling.
Like mango, pawpaw can easily be made into a smooth purée and
green under-ripe fruit can be used to make a delicious savour salad.
Pawpaw is good for you as it contains a large amount of papain, an enzyme
which plays an important part in digestion.
Ingredients:
6 ratafia biscuits
4 tablespoons rum
3 ripe, medium pawpaws, chilled
Juice & grated rind of 1 lemon
225g/8oz curd cheese, chilled
100g/4oz crème fraîche or strained Greek yoghurt, chilled
2 tablespoons moist molasses sugar or honey
A few drops of rose - or orange-blossom water
2 tablespoons mixed peel or chopped, candied orange peel.
Method:
1. Soak the ratafias in the rum.
2. Halve the pawpaws, remove the pips and save for decoration. Scoop
out some of the flesh to increase the cavity, chop it coarsely and reserve.
Sprinkle the hollows with a few drops of lemon juice and refrigerate.
3. Put the curd cheese together with the crème fraîche
or yoghurt, sugar or honey, lemon juice and rind, rose- or orange-blossom
water into a food processor. Process for 1 minute then transfer to a
mixing bowl. Fold in the chopped pawpaw and mixed peel. Pile into the
pawpaw hollows and decorate with a few pips. Place a soaked ratafia
on each, set alight and serve flaming.
Oded Schwartz was born and educated in Israel. He came to England to
study textile design at Ealing College of Art, and worked for Marks
& Spencer and Brocklehurst Designs before making a career as a food
consultant. After a spell as manager/chef of a delicatessen in London,
he went freelance and has undertaken food commissions for Migal in Israel
as well as Olympia and York Development Company. He spent many years
researching his first book, a highly acclaimed history of Jewish food,
In Search of Plenty, which was shortlisted for the André Simon
Best Food Book Award and which won special mention in the Langhe Ceretto
Competition. He lives in London.
Oded's books are available through all good bookstores, published by
Kyle Cathie Ltd.