Tabbouleh - Moroccan Bulgar Wheat Salad

Day two of the new diet, I suddenly realise I can eat Tabbouleh, something I could gorge on until kingdom come and a perfect spring dish full of zest and fresh flavours! Based on bulgar wheat and parsley, the ideal proportions are 2 parts parsley to one part bulgar, but I need sustenance and am eating this as a main dish, so I've upped the quantity of bulgar wheat somewhat. You can play around and see which you prefer!

To make enough for four people:

2 cups bulgar wheat (or about 200g)

one massive bunch of flat leaf parsley

one bunch of fresh mint leaves

two lemons

a lime

olive oil

3-4 spring onions

1 red onion

1 fresh red chilli

box of cherry tomatoes or 4 fat tomatoes on the brink of going soft

salt and pepper

dash of cayenne pepper

First prepare the bulgar wheat. Add two parts boiling water to one part bulgar wheat. Cover and simmer gently until the bulgar has absorbed all the water. let it rest and cool down, then fluff up with a fork, like making couscous.

Whilst the bulgar wheat is simmering, chop your parsley, mint, onions, chilli and tomatoes into tiny bits. Mix together in a bowl with the lemon and lime juice and the olive oil. Add the bulgar wheat to this mixture in a large salad bowl. Season generously. Taste, add whatever you think is missing, especially if the mixture is too dry. Finish off with a spot of cayenne pepper. If you're not on a wheat free diet, serve with pita bread and my garlicky hummus for a spring meze...

Autumnal Squash Soup

Leaves are falling, the days are getting shorter and early mornings have taken on a misty, golden hue. Autumn is here and in a month or so we'll be stomping through piles of red leaves in our wellies.

To celebrate the turning of the seasons and to warm my old cockles until it's cold enough to merit a log fire, here's one of my favourite autumn soups. Its warm, smooth, spicy and sweet with a fantastically strong orange burst hue to brighten your dinner table.

You'll need:

A selection of squash or one large pumpkin - I used two local varieties.

1 onion

Clove of garlic

1 square inch of grated fresh ginger

Bunch of fresh coriander

1 generous teaspoon of ground cumin

1/2 litre of vegetable stock

1 birds eye chilli - whole

olive oil, salt and black pepper

A great trick for peeling squash is to let it soak in a big tureen of boiling hot water for an hour, this softens the outer layer of flesh, making it easier to cut off the skin. Some people also like to slowly roast the squash in the oven then scoop the inside flesh out with a spoon, this imparts a slightly sweeter flavour, so you can try it both ways!

Chop your squash into large-ish chunks. Thinly slice your onion and chop up your garlic clove.

Heat a spoonful of olive oil in a large wok or deep saucepan. Add the onion, garlic, cumin and chopped ginger and cook until softened.

Throw in the chunks of squash and stir to coat the chunks with the spice and onion mix. After a few minutes, add enough stock to cover the chunks, bring to the boil then turn the heat down and cook the squash until soft, about an hour.

Use a blender to smooth into a creamy consistency, add more stock if necessary to thin down. If you like your soup chunkier, mash with a fork. Add some freshly ripped coriander, a dollop of yogurt or creme frèche and serve with hunks of warm bread. Either that or pour into a mug and sip in front of the telly.

This week Beau eats... Moules Marinières!

WOOF WOOF!

Ah, ladies and gentledogs! This week I bring you a classic favourite of mine which reminds me of my youth, holidays beachcombing in Brittany, hoovering crèpes and cider in cosy kennels up and down the Normandy coast. Moules are also an inevitable element in any trip to Brussels (some might argue the BEST reason for going to Belgium, beers aside...). Frites are a great accompaniment, as is good, fresh piping hot baguette or pungeant soda bread to dip in the sauce.
The best "Moules" I ever had were served to me on my last night in Dublin, after losing all my money and spending a night sleeping at Dublin airport. My friends and I scraped together the last remaining coins we had and headed back into the centre looking for a celebratory last meal and pint. The pub name escapes me, but it was near the Temple Bar, in the first year of the euro, before Dublin went hyper-crazy. The wiater brought us a steaming bucket of mussels, in white wine, garlic and fresh parsley with a chewy sourdough soda bread hunk and three creamy pints of the black stuff. With diddly-diddly music, the combined love of 35 drunken tourists and the warmth of the pub log fire, we nearly died and went to Moules heaven.

Here is the simplest recipe, for fool-proof Moules Marinières:

CLEAN YOUR MUSSELS (even better, buy them cleaned, or get the fishmonger to do it for you!)
-pull off the beard-like hairs sticking out from the mussels, and scrub them with a nail brush under running water.

Ingredients:

2 kg of fresh mussels
one fat clove of garlic
two shallots, chopped finely

2 large glasses of dry white wine
a big bunch of flat leaf parsely
freshly ground black pepper
large knob of salted butter

optional (but absolutely unnecessary): large dollop of crème fraiche or double cream

Method:

Heat the knob of butter in a large casserole ( we have a Le Creuset, only the best for hip dogs like me!).

When the butter starts to foam gently, throw in the garlic and shallots and the glass of white wine. Cook until the shallots soften and become translucent. Bring the whole lot to the boil and toss in the mussels, mix around to coat the mussels in all the juice. Cover and steam for 2-3 minutes, until the mussels open up. If any mussels haven't opened, throw them out, DO NOT force them open or eat them!!!

Strain the liquid and set aside, put the mussels into a serving dish.

Return the liquid to the pan, heat again and add the fresh parsley and if you really want, a dollop of double cream (mucho fatty and seafood snob dogs will look down upon you...)

Pour the liquid back over the mussels and bring to the table!

Serve with great bread or crispy, golden frites!

CHOW DOWN DOGGIES!

Creamy spinach, lentil and coconut dahl (with chapati bread)

Warm and spicy on a cold autumn night...

Equally delicious without spinach!

Ingredients (for two people):



200g red lentils
four big handfuls of fresh spinach leaves, steamed and wilted. (I used two cubes of frozen spinach)
100ml coconut milk
1 onion, chopped finely, or (even better) grated
2 generous cloves of garlic
1 heaped tsp turmeric
2 heaped tsp garam masala
1 heaped teaspoon ground ginger (or grate a 2 cm piece of peeled ginger)
fresh chopped coriander
1 heaped teaspoon chopped fenugreek leaves
salt and pepper
vegetable or olive oil



For the chapatis:

200 gr. plain flour
water
salt


TO MAKE THE DAHL:

Put to one side 4 tbsp of coconut milk.

In a large pan, put the lentils and cover them with 350 ml of cold water and the bulk of the coconut milk . Cover with lid.

Bring to the boil then simmer for 30 mins. Add boiling water if the lentils start to dry out.

In a frying pan, heat some oil. Add the onion and chopped garlic and sweat for a few minutes until they soften.

Add the spices one by one, stirring. THe onions should take on a wonderful ochre colour. For those that like it spicy, this would be a good time to add some chopped red chillies...

Once the lentils are cooked, stir in the spices and onion mix. Warm through gently for a few minutes, stirring.

Finally, add the coconut milk you put to one side, stir in gently and serve immediately, garnished with some fresh chopped coriander and some hot chapati bread.

FOR THE CHAPATIS:

Put the flour in a bowl with a pinch of salt. Add just enough water to knead into a smooth, elastic dough, not sticky, but not too dry either. KNead the dough until smooth. DIvide the dough into little balls the size of a small plum and roll out into quite thin circles.

Heat a frying pan until it smokes. Lay the chapatis one by one in the pan and cook about 1 1/2 minutes of one side, then flip over and cook until it begins to bubble and puff up with air.

It is best to serve chapatis piping hot, so prepare the dough in advance of the dahl, and roll out your shapes while the lentils are cooking. You can start cooking the chapatis after you've added the spices to the dahl mix so that everything can be served at the same time.

Enjoy with mango chutney, cool cucumber raita or a fresh salad of chopped tomatoes, onions and mint... And a cool, crisp Indian beer!