Mushroom of joy

Dear Josee,

What a lovely time we had with our mushrooms!

mmm... mélange forestière

It was a few weeks ago now, but I still glow inwardly with the joy. The weather was foul; rainy and blustery and I was tired from a long day at work. We needed something miraculous, something steaming hot and earthy to shake off the chill. We found it in Nigel Slater's mushroom stew.

I had found some exciting looking dried forest mushrooms to shake things up a bit, and you came to my door with a very helpful bottle of red. We put our glamorous aprons on and set to work.

We decided to make mashed potatoes, internationally renowned for their magical properties of heart-healing, soul-warming and belly-filling. One of the nicest things about you is you are not afraid of butter. I feel this is a very important part of our friendship, and possibly one of the reasons we both ended up in France

I know how you abhor all leafy salad, so we threw some green beans on the side, dressed with the simplest of vinaigrettes and they brought some all-important crunch to an otherwise very stodgy plate.

The end result was fantastic, if I do say so myself; the mushrooms were rich and meaty and pleasingly spicy. A marvellous cure for winter blues and hostile Parisians who will sell their own grandma for the last spot on the metro. We ate it sat on cushions on the floor at a makeshift table with some pretty candles and a lot of wine. Pudding was Dinah Washington and a glass of whisky and life was sweet.

The original recipe is here, Nigel serves his stew inside spelt rolls, which is also fairly earth-moving.

The only change we made was upping the garlic to 4 cloves (we're classy that way)

My very basic and utterly adaptable vinaigrette goes like this:

2 tablespoons vinegar (I like cider vinegar)

6 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove of garlic, very finely crushed with a pinch of salt

1 teaspoon of dijon mustard

a pinch of sugar

salt and black pepper to taste

shake this lot up in a jam jar

Happy happy mushrooming

Love Ella

chickpea dumplings

By the way. If you are in the mood for a little experimenting, try these chickpea dumplings! Fun to make and they go oh so well with the soup. They make a cool topping!

Just make a batter with:

1 cup of chickpea flour (Besan)

1/4 cup of water

a pinch of chili-powder

a pinch of cumin

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

a hand full of cooked chickpeas

Mix the flour, spices and salt. Add the water and make a smooth batter. It should be gooey but firm enough for it to stick together. Just add more water or flour if it needs it! Then add in the cilantro and chickpeas. Deep fry the batter in a small layer of oil in small portions. Serve them hot!

Very Happy Noodlesoup

Dear Ella,

Because it is the beginning of the year and I don't want to break our New Years resolutions the first week in, I am blogging! For the first time in my life. The writing itself is already joyous, And I managed to make it even more pleasant by doing it in 'la fusée', one of my favorite bars in Paris.

I was never very interested in the chickpea, or any pea really. But reading about your curry inspired me to discover this pea world. And what a beautiful world it is! As a relatively new vegetarian I am happily welcoming the pea into my existence.

So, New Year, New favorite ingredient and thus, new recipe! Remember that little jar of soup I gave you the other day? I would like to share the (very easy!) recipe with you. It will take about an hour to for cooking and preparation.

In the original recipe borlotti beans are used, which I replaced with lentils. A great soup that can easily be turned in to a vegan dish. This is what you'll need:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 long green serrano, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 liters good-tasting vegetable stock/broth

100g split peas

100g brown lentils

200g cooked chickpeas

fine grain sea salt

120 g thin egg noodles
100g fresh spinach leaves
1/2 cup finely shredded cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
juice of one lime

Toppings:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 large onion, thinly sliced
100 ml sour cream or creme fraiche

Heat the oil in a large, thick-bottomed soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and the chile and cook until they soften, a few minutes. Add the spices and cook for another thirty seconds, just long enough for them to toast a bit, then stir in the stock. Bring to a boil and add the split peas and lentils to the pot. Cook until they are just tender, about 35 minutes. Stir in the cooked chickpeas. Once the peas have heated throughout, season with salt to taste.

In the meantime, you can prepare the toppings. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large frying pan over medium heat along with a couple big pinches of salt. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until golden and caramelized, 8 - 10+ minutes. Set aside

Just before you're ready to eat, add the noodles to the simmering soup and cook until al dente. Stir in the spinach, and cilantro and dill. Add a big squeeze of lime to the pot or serve wedges along with each bowl of soup. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.

Serve right away, each bowl topped with a big spoonful of caramelized onions and some creme fraiche.

Adapted slightly from: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/new-year-noodle-soup-recipe.html

Have fun!

Megalove,

josee