May Review- Veggies from Heaven

This week we had a lovely evening cooking (and eating....AGAIN!). This time the spotlight was on delicious veggie food with Rachel Demuth and Helen Neal, from The Vegetarian Cookery School and Demuths Restaurant in Bath. There was an opportunity to buy their wonderful Green Seasons Cookbook at a special rate for members- they sold out! and they also ran a competition to join them for a day at the Cookery School. The lucky winner was Katie Lloyd . Enjoy your day! Thanks to all who came and if you didnt get the recipes on the night...here they are again.

Wild Garlic Pesto

Serves: 4-6

Dietary: Vegan

Ingredients:

50g pinenuts or almonds, toasted

75g hazelnuts, roasted, and skins rubbed off

175ml extra virgin olive oil

100g fresh very young tender garlic leaves or a mix with baby spinach leaves

2 tbsps lemon juice

1 tsp apple juice concentrate

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

In a food processor or in a pestle and mortar crush the pinenuts and hazelnuts roughly and then decant them into a bowl and set aside.

Puree the wild garlic leaves with a pinch of salt with the olive oil just enough to break up the wild garlic to a rough texture.

Add the lemon juice, and apple juice concentrate and mix.

Pour the wild garlic mixture into the crushed nuts and stir in.

Season to taste.

Serve with sourdough bread, as a pasta sauce, or as a dip for crudités.

Tips: The pesto will keep in the fridge for a week or two so long as the top is covered with a layer of olive oil. You can also freeze it. Freeze in small containers, so that you can take out a little at a time.

Delicious made with rocket, young spinach leaves, watercress or of course basil

Fatayer

Pea, Feta and Mint Crescents

Makes: 8

Ingredients:

Pastry

80ml plain yoghurt (dairy or soya)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 egg, beaten

40g butter or margarine, melted

200g plain white or brown flour

1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda

pinch of salt

Filling

250g frozen peas

3 spring onions, finely chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

150g feta, crumbled

3 tbsps fresh mint, chopped

1 egg, beaten

freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 190C/Gas5.

Make the pastry. In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, egg and melted butter. Sieve in the flour with the bicarbonate of soda and the salt. Mix together to make a soft smooth elastic dough. If too sticky add a little more flour. Leave the pastry to rest in the fridge while you make the filling.

Fry the spring onions in the olive oil until soft, add the peas and quickly stir-fry until the peas are bright green. Place the pea mixture into a bowl and leave to cool. When cool, stir in the feta, mint and half the beaten egg (reserve the rest of the egg for brushing the crescents) and season with black pepper.

To make the crescents, divide the dough into 8 and roll out into circles 12cms in diameter.

Share the filling out and place just off centre on the circle, folding over the dough to make a crescent shape, seal the edges by pressing around with your thumb.

Place on a baking tray lined with baking parchment, brush with beaten egg and bake in the pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes until golden.

Best eaten warm.

Tips: try different fillings to suit the season, grated courgettes in the summer, roasted squash in the autumn or a spicy potato filling in winter. Spice it up with a chickpea, red pepper & chilli filling.

Lavash

Unleavened flat bread

Dietary: Vegan

Serves: 4, makes 8 Flat breads

Ingredients:

350g unbleached white bread flour

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil

175ml warm water

Topping

a little water

sumac, sesame seeds to sprinkle (optional)

Method:

In a large bowl mix the flour, sugar and salt together, then add the melted butter or olive oil and warm water.  Mix by hand or in a Kenwood with a dough hook to a soft ball consistency, the dough should be soft but not too sticky, so add more flour if it is too wet. If it’s too dry add a little more water.

Turn onto a floured surface and kneed for 5 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic.

To knead the dough use the heel of your hand to gently push the dough away from you. At the same time, use your other hand to rotate the dough towards you, guiding it slowly around in a circle. Continue kneading for 5 minutes.

Divide the dough into 8 pieces and roll them into smooth balls.

Lightly flour the work surface and flatten each one with the palm of your hand, sprinkle the dough with a light dusting of flour.  With a rolling pin roll out the dough thinly into a rough circle, until about 2-3mm thick.

Brush the surface with water and sprinkle over a pinch of sesame seeds and sumac onto each.

Pre-heat the oven to 260C or the hottest your oven will go up to.  Put a large baking tray or bread stone if you have one in the oven to heat up.  When the oven is up to temperature, slide the flat breads onto the hot baking tray and bake for 3-4 minutes.  Don’t open the oven while they are baking as it will stop them puffing up.  They should start puffing up after 1 ½ minutes, leave for 3 minutes for a softer bread, or an extra minute or two to get a browner crisper bread.

Put them on to wire racks to cool.