Sausage and Fennel Meatballs with Lentils

Serves 4

Ingredients

450g pack low fat sausages

1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 medium carrots, finely chopped

1 fennel bulb, trimmed and finely sliced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

100ml full bodied red wine

200g puy lentils

1 tbsp tomato puree

850ml hot chicken stock

juice ½ lemon

handful parsley

 Instructions

1. Squeeze the meat from the sausages into a large bowl. Add the fennel seeds and mix well with your hands. Shape the meat into 16 walnut sized balls.

2. Heat 1 tsp oil in a large non stick frying pan. Fry the meatballs for 5 mins, turning regularly, until golden but not completely cooked through. Remove to a plate.

3. Add the rest of the oil to the pan, tip in the onion, carrots and fennel, cover and let the veg sweat over a gentle heat for 10 mins until softened. Stir now and then.

4. Uncover the vegetables, turn up the heat and let them start to colour. Stir in the garlic, sizzle for 1 min, then splash in the wine and let it reduce by half.

5. Stir in the lentils, tomato puree and stock. Cover and simmer for 25 mins or until the lentils are almost tender. Add the sausage balls, plus a splash of water if the pan is looking a little dry. Cover and simmer for a further 10 mins until the meat is cooked through. Squeeze over the lemon juice, season to taste and scatter with parsley.

Taken from BBC Good Food - February 2013

Winter Chicken Stew

Ingredients

½ tbsp sunflower oil

½ onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, sliced

700ml chicken stock

½ large potato, finely grated

½ tbsp fresh thyme leaves

1 tsp fresh rosemary leaves

8 skinless chicken thighs

3 carrots, halved lengthways and cut in to chunks

1 parsnip, halved lengthways and cut into chunks

2 small leeks, well washed and thickly sliced

Mashed potato to serve (optional)

Instructions

1.Heat the oil in a large pan. Fry the onion and garlic for a few mins until soft, then pour in the stock and stir in the potato and herbs.

2. Add the chicken and bring to the boil. Stir in the carrots, parsnips and leeks, then cover the pan and leave to simmer on a low heat for 40-45 mins, stirring every now and then, until the chicken is tender.
3.Serve with mash and veg, if you like

Taken from BBC Good Food February 2013 

Layered Lemon Sponge

Ingredients
(Cake)

250g (8oz) butter
250g (8oz) self raising flour
250g (8oz) caster sugar
4 medium eggs
2 tbsp milk
rind of 2 lemons
(Syrup)
4 tbsp caster sugar
4 tbsp water
juice of 2 lemons
(Filling)
 3 tbsp lemon curd
(Icing)
125g (4 oz) butter
250g (8oz) icing sugar
4 tbsp lemon curd

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 180c
2. Make cake: Beat butter. Add remaining cake ingredients and beat until smooth. Divide between tins.
3. Bake for 30-35 minutes.
4. Make syrup: pour 4 tbsp water into a pan. Add the sugar. Place on a low heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and add lemon juice.
5. Remove cakes from the oven. Pour syrup over. Leave for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
6. Spread lemon curd between the layers
7. Make icing: Beat butter until soft. Add remaining ingredients and beat well. Ice cake.

Taken from Delia Online

Chicken and Sweet Potato Curry

Ingredients
1 tbsp sunflower oil
2 tsp mild curry paste
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size chunks
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in to bite-size pieces
4 tbsp red split lentils
300 ml chicken stock
400ml can coconut milk

Instructions
1. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan. Stir in the curry paste and fry for 1 minute. Add the chicken, sweet potatoes and lentils, stir to coat in the paste, then pour in the stock and coconut milk.
2. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 15 minutes.




Taken from BBC Good Food

Notes: Original recipe had 175g frozen peas in. We omitted, but could replace with chickpeas.

Pork with Tuscan Beans

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 pork chops

1 tsp olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

½ tbsp olive oil

½ onion, finely chopped

300g cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2 sage leaves, roughly chopped

150g chopped tomatoes

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan, add the onion and cook over a low heat for 10 mins, stirring occasionally.

2. Add the beans, chopped sage and tomatoes. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Season.

3. Meanwhile, heat the grill. Season the pork with pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Grill for 5 mins on each side. Sprinkle over the lemon juice.

4. Serve with the beans, topped with sage leaves.

Taken from BBC Good Food - February 2013

Gluten Free Tortillas

Ingredients

1 tsp Xanthan Gum
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
125g Gluten Free Plain Flour
200ml Warm Water
2 tbsp melted butter (or oil)


Instructions
1. Add all the dry ingredients together, and mix.
2. Add the melted butter and gradually add the water until it forms a dough
3. On a well floured surface, knead the dough well. Separate into 4 small balls (may make more)
4. Flour 2 sheets of cling film. Place a ball between the two sheets and gently roll out. Repeat for the remainder of the dough
5. Add a little oil to a non stick pan and carefully add each rolled out tortilla
6. Cook until golden on each side

Taken from The Gluten Free Cookbook

Notes: They won't be perfectly circular, and it will take a little practice to get the right thickness, but they're tasty! 

Gluten Free Dough Sticks

Ingredients

225g gluten free flour
1 tsp Xanthan Gum
pinch of salt
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tsp yeast
1 egg
3 tbsp oil
120ml water


Instructions
1. In a bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together
2. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, add the egg and oil
3. Gradually add the water and mix together with a spoon
4. Knead the dough well on a floured surface
5. Leave to rest in a bowl, covered with a towel, for 30 minutes
6. Preheat the oven to 200c. Divide the dough into small batches and roll in to sticks.
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until risen and browned on top

Taken from The Gluten Free Student Cookbook