Cauliflower and chickpea stew with bulgur wheat

Winter is coming to an end and spring is rearing its head but the British weather is as unpredictable as ever. Where yesterday it was warm, bright and sunny, today it was nippy, gloomy and wet... Still I thought it was a good opportunity to make a warm and satisfying stew.

One is always on a lookout for good one pot recipes. This is one such dish. You can make variations of this using different vegetables, chicken and bulk it up using bulgur, quinoa or even rice. Or you can just use the vegetables and make it into a chunky style soup. However you choose to make it, it is still satisfying and very filling.

1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into small florets
1 medium onion, chopped finely
2 carrot, diced
400g tin of whole or diced tomatoes (or 5-6 fresh tomatoes blanched and skin removed)
400g tin of chickpea
1 tsp cumin powder
11/2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp sugar (optional)
11/2 tbsp olive oil
salt to taste
1 vegetable or chicken stock cube
1/2 cup coarse bulgur wheat (optional)
Handful of chopped coriander leaves or flat leaf parsley

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Sauté the onions in the oil till they are softened.
• Add the diced carrots and fry for 2-3 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes followed by equal amount of water (just use the same tin the tomatoes came in to measure) 
• Allow this to come to a boil. Add sugar, stock cube and  all the powders except for nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper, mix everything together and cook for a couple of minutes
• If using bulgur, add it to the saucepan at this stage followed by the cauliflower florets. Cover and simmer till the bulgur and cauliflower have cooked. This will take between 10-15 minutes depending on the coarseness of the bulgur. Add the chickpeas half way through this time and also add more water if needed.
• Sprinkle the nutmeg and mix well. Finish off with chopped parsley or coriander.

Serves 4

Leek and potato soup

A lovely warm winter soup for a cold winter evening! This is absolutely lovely and you would be surprised at how little effort it requires. Google this and you'll find recipes that call for double cream. I like to make it using semi-skimmed (2%) milk and on the rare occasions when I buy it, maybe finish off with a table spoon of single cream. Served with bread it makes for a wholesome supper.

2 large leeks, chopped

4 medium potatoes
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp olive oil
1 litre vegetable stock (or dissolve a stock cube in 1 litre of water)
1/2 cup milk
Freshly ground pepper
Salt to taste

Make sure you clean the leeks very well as they can sometimes contain a lot of trapped dirt.

• Melt the butter along with the olive oil in a pan. Add the chopped leeks and allow it soften over a low flame.
• Meanwhile peel and roughly chop the potatoes. When the leeks have softened nicely, add the potatoes and saute for a minute. 
• Add the vegetable stock, cover and simmer over a slow flame until the potatoes are tender and fully cooked.
• Remove from heat and blend to a smooth puree.
• Pour it back into the pan, add the milk, season with salt and pepper and simmer for further 10 minutes or till it starts to bubble slightly. 
• Finish off with a touch of cream before serving.

Serves 3-4

Soba noodle salad

Well suited for a packed lunch to take to work.

2 servings of Soba noodles

2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

1 1/2 cups chopped mixed vegetables (carrot, broccoli, bell pepper or any combination you like)

Microwave broccoli (covered) for a couple of minutes to soften them or blanch for a few minutes in boiling water and then shock it in cold water to stop it from over cooking.  

Dressing

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp hot chilli sauce (if you up to it, add Maggi masala chilli sauce)

2 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

1/2 tsp sugar (can substitute with honey instead)

Salt to taste

Mix all of these together to form the dressing. 

Cook the noodles in salted water according to the pack instructions. Drain the noodles really well. Toss the noodles, vegetables and coriander with the enough dressing to coat everything nicely. Let it sit for some time to absorb all the flavours. It tastes best when served cold. 

Sprinkle the sesame seeds before serving.