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By Jerry the Adder.
Hiiii
Happy
New Year chaps and chapetts!
Jerry
here and once more I’ve been told to tell you that I’m ‘Too hard for
hibernation’.
Speaking
of which I have fond memories of hibernation, although I have only done it
once, back in 2009. Slept like a log, under a log.
Hope
you all had a lovely holiday season! Mine was exceedingly refined. After
beating Fortnum and Mason’s main suppliers in a mince pie making competition I turned
my attentions to that quintessential German cake, the Stollen! I thought this Jerry
would be rather apt at taking on those Jerries’ at their own game!
For
those that don’t know Stollen is a bread like fruit cake with dried fruit,
marzipan in the middle and covered with powdered sugar. It has gained
popularity in the UK due to the introduction of certain German supermarkets.
Obviously
I smashed the competition hands down. An impartial panel of snake phobic’s and
bite victims gave me first place in front of the Lidl and Aldi variants.
It
all boils down to the spicy rum I personally distilled a few years back. I lace
my teeth with it and then bite the judges! Subsequently they start
hallucinating and give me the win.
With
all these enticing and damaging dishes I thought it poignant to present for you
some yummy ideas for the January blues!
Especially
to all you detoxing diva’s out there! The January diet is not fun at all!
Well
> It is now! These dishes may sound a little hippy but trust me, they're flavours will make you very happy indeed, so why not have a go and give them a
little chance?
To
start: Baked peppers with egg and puy lentils!
These
babies make a great main meal in themselves; say if you add a splash of
broccoli and asparagus, drizzled with some lemon and lime!
You
can use them as a side if you are grilling some fish or even preparing lamb!
But
as a starter – gobble the lot!
So
for four:
75g
of Puy lentils
½
tsp ground turmeric
½
tsp ground coriander
½
tsp paprika
¾
pint of vegetable stock
1
tsp of chopped fresh mint
4
eggs
Some
ground black pepper
Sprig
of coriander to garnish
First
things first:
Put
the Puy lentils in a large pan with the turmeric, coriander, paprika and
vegetable stock
Then:
Bring
to the boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat, part cover the pan and
simmer for 30-40 minutes. If the lentils start to dry out, add some more stock
or a little water during cooking.
Go
on to:
Brush
the peppers lightly with a little olive oil and place them close together on a
large non-stick baking try, skin side down.
After
that:
Pre-heat
an oven to 190 degrees C or 375 degrees F or gas mark 5. Stir the chopped fresh
mint into the lentils. Then fill the half peppers with the lentil mixture.
Crack
on with:
Cracking
the eggs, one at a time into a small jug or pitcher. Poor them into the middle
of each stuffed pepper. Stir the edges of the egg white into the lentils with a
fork – add a dash of pepper
Finally:
Bake
those babies for about ten minutes or until the egg white is just set. Serve
straight up and garnish.
Main
Course:
Spicy
chickpea and aubergine stew!
This
will balance the blood sugars brilliantly after all the eating frivolities from
December. (Sorry folks, Jock insists I use alliteration to death on each post)
For
your four:
Get
3 large aubergines and cube them
Soak
200g of chickpeas over night
2tblsp
olive oil
3
garlic cloves finely chopped
2
large onions, chopped
½
tsp ground cumin
½
tsp ground cinemon
½
tsp ground coriander
1
tsp cayenne pepper
3
400g cans of tomatoes
Basmati
rice to serve
For
the garnish:
2tblsp
extra virgin olive oil
1
onion, sliced
1
garlic clove, sliced
A
few sprigs of fresh coriander
One:
Place
the diced aubergines in a colander and sprinkle them with some salt. Sit the
colander in a bowl and leave to stand for 30 minutes, to allow the bitter
juices to seep out of the flesh
Two:
Rinse
the aubergine cubes thoroughly in running water and pat dry on kitchen paper.
Three:
Drain
the chickpeas and put them in a large pan with enough water to cover them.
Bring to the boil over a medium heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30
minutes, or until tender. Drain them thoroughly.
Four:
Heat
the oil in a large plan. Add the garlic and chopped onion and cook gently until
soft. Add the spices and cook, stirring for a few seconds.
Five:
Add
the aubergine cubes and stir to coat with spices and onion. Cook for five
minutes. Add the tomatoes and chickpeas. Cover and simmer for twenty minutes
Six:
To
make the garnish, heat the olive oil in a frying pan and, when very hot, add
the sliced onion and garlic. Fry until golden and crisp.
Seven:
Serve
the thick stew with rice, topped with the crispy fried onion and garlic and
garnished with a sprig of coriander!
Enjoy
folks! And will see you in the spring time…..
