You must be Lentil mate!

You would be mad not to try to incorporate these little packets of protein in to your weekly menus, a must for any vegetarian out there. I have been looking to expand my culinary knowledge and find more recipes using lentils in dishes like dahl's and stews. 

In my pursuit I found this recipe from one of my favourite chefs of the moment. I recently caught up with Yotam Ottolenghi's 'Mediterranean Feast' on Channel 4 and have since done the social media stalker thingy on twitter.

This guy is my kinda chef, I like his ethos "Our food is familiar and straight forward, yet highly innovative. It is familiar because it is personal. It is made and served by a group of people who love preparing food as well as indulging in it, gorging on it, chatting about it endlessly. It is a way of life, somewhere between a healthy obsession and a bad habit we can’t kick."

This is a great vegetarian recipe, but being the beastly carnivore I had some lamb chops  I knew would go rather well with this recipe. I also couldn't resist a twist and a tweak, but only to the final garnishes. Serves four. 

For the lamb marinade (optional):

8 lamb chops/cutlets or 4 lamb steaks (tenderise steaks) 
3 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 lemon, zest & juice

2 sprigs of rosemary chopped

Small bunch of oregano, leaves removed & chopped (1 tsp of dried will do)

Black pepper

Olive oil

In a large flat dish pour in a couple of large lugs of olive oil, add to this the garlic, lemon zest, juice, herbs and a good grind of black pepper. Place the lamb in the dish and coat well in the marinade, cover with cling film and place in the fridge. Ideally you want to marinate these for 8 hours, if time is of a premium try to give them at least an hour. 

Yotam's Lenils:

My Tweaks:

4 roasted garlic cloves in with the roasted aubergine flesh.

1 diced red chilli in with the roasted vegetables.

Some crumbled feta cheese in with the lentils. 

Putting it all together:

While the carrot, celery and tomatoes are roasting in the oven I started my chops on a very hot griddle standing them side by side on their fatty rinds until coloured nicely. I then  cooked them on each side for 2/3 minutes, brushing them with the marinade. As my chops were very thick I finished them under the grill to ensure the fat was crisp and golden. If your chops are small, or using steaks then do the whole process using just one of the above methods. Plate up as Yotam does, just placing the meat on top and garnishing with some extra chopped dill, parsley and coriander. 

UK Seasonal Food Chart

 This is the most useful and simple chart I have found to show all of the seasonal food available throughout the year when it's at its best. A must for all of you foodies out there. Take a look here.

Culinary Creations - In Pictures

Some snaps of of things created or grown at work or home...

Seasonal Update: April

"Sweet April showers do spring May flowers." - Thomas Tusser.

Fat chance. Standing at the sink this evening, I was filling a small watering can at the same time questioning why I was about to go outside and water my seedlings at all. It's cold, and seems unusually so for this time of year. As I glanced up out of the kitchen window all I could see was a shower of snow not rain.

The sprouts on my radishes have just started to burst through the damp darkness of the fresh compost from which they were planted less than a week ago. Admittedly I have a small plastic greenhouse, and if I had sown the seeds earlier I could have had fresh radishes before the month is out. Either way, these are a seasonal veg and will brighten up salads and slaws with their peppery crunch. 

If said radish is stacked with watercress, a bed for a fillet of wild salmon served with a side of Jersey Royals then you really are quite the seasonal purist. Seafood is a common theme throughout the month as lobster is in season with crab, brown sea trout and turbot coming in. 

Ironically this morning I did come across a seasonal treat while walking to work. No, I did not come across a clump of dandelions on a verge. Nor did I cop the first sighting of outdoor rhubarb on someones allotment. What I did see was the unfortunate body of a rather plump wood pigeon, face down in the pavement. 

I did not stop to inspect how this particular bird met its demise. I was however carrying my knife wallet back after the Easter break. After gutting & plucking a few lunch ideas went through my mind but they soon passed as at the same time the possibilities of how it met its seemingly untimely end did too. In all seriousness you can get a perfectly good wood pigeon prepped by your butcher rather than the neighbourhood moggy.