Full of flavour Broccoli Soup.

Adapted from Melissa Clark's Seared Broccoli and Potato Soup

Serves 2 to 3

1/4 cup olive oil, plus more as needed
450 g (1 heads) broccoli, separated into small florets, stems peeled and diced
1 teaspoons kosher salt, more to taste
1 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 large Spanish onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, more for finishing
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 pound potatoes, peeled, and thinly sliced
1/8 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, more to taste
Grated or shaved Parmesan, to finish (optional)
Flaky sea salt, to finish

In a large soup pot, heat 1 tablespoons of oil over high heat. 

Add about a half of the broccoli, just enough so that it covers the bottom of the pan in a single layer without overcrowding. 

Cook broccoli without moving it for about 3 to 4 minutes, or until dark brown on 1 side only (leave the other side bright green). 

Transfer to a big bowl and repeat with remaining broccoli and more oil. 

When all the broccoli has been browned, season with 1 teaspoon salt and set aside.

Reduce heat to medium-low. 

Add butter + remaining of oil to pan 

onions

garlic 

black and red peppers 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

Cook onion-garlic mixture until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. 

Add potato to the pot with 1 Liter water or veg broth and remaining salt.

Bring to a simmer, cover pot and cook until potato is just tender, 10 to 15 minutes. 

Add broccoli, cover again and cook until tender, another 5 to 10 minutes.

Add lemon zest and roughly purée soup with an immersion or regular blender, leaving some small chunks for texture. 

Stir in lemon juice. 

Finish with grated Parmesan, a drizzle of olive oil, black pepper and flaky sea salt.

Note: 

If you have a powerful grill, you can be even lazier in applying the half-seared technique. 

Instead of searing in the soup pot, you are grilling.

You can do a whole pan at once in under 5 minutes. 

I cut each head of broccoli lengthways and put the one side, leaving the other side barely cooked.

Same principle, just brown one side without cooking the whole vegetable.

“If it's chilly outside I want deep, rich flavors, so browning the broccoli makes sense.

In warmer times, I like to sweat the broccoli, which provides a cleaner, greener, and altogether lighter broccoli flavour.”

This technique also works well with zucchini and butternut squash, according to Clark, and I could see it doing great things for other vegetables like carrots, cauliflower, or potatoes. 

In every case, the full range of their powers are just waiting to be unlocked, and for once, adding cream will be the last thing you'd think to do.

Link https://www.melissaclark.net

Aubergine and ricotta dumplings in tomato sauce.

These are like melanzane all parmigiana in meatball form. 

They are gloriously rich and cheesy. 

Some lightly cooked greens would go well with them. 

Serves 4

90g fresh breadcrumbs, ideally sourdough (ie, from 2-3 slices)
4 aubergines, cut into roughly 2½cm cubes (1kg net weight)
150ml olive oil
Salt and black pepper
100g ricotta
75g parmesan, finely grated, plus extra to serve
2,5 tbsp parsley leaves, finely chopped
1 whole egg, plus 1 yolk extra
1,5 tbsp plain flour
6 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
4 tbsp basil leaves, roughly chopped
600g tinned peeled plum tomatoes (ie 1½ 400g tins), blitzed smooth
1,5 tsp tomato paste
1,5 tsp caster sugar
¼ tsp chilli flakes
¾ tsp paprika
2 tsp fresh oregano leaves, finely chopped
45g pitted kalamata olives, torn in half

Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/390F/gas 4. 

Spread out the breadcrumbs on an oven tray and bake for 12 minutes, until lightly browned and dried out. 

Remove, leave to cool and turn up the oven to 240C (220C)/465F/gas 9.

On a large oven tray lined with baking paper, toss 

- the aubergines in 75ml oil, 

- half a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper. 

Spread out on the tray, bake for 30 minutes, tossing once halfway, until golden brown, then chop into a chunky mash and put in a large bowl. 

Mix in the 

- ricotta, 

- parmesan, 

- parsley, 

- egg+extra yolk, 

- flour, 

- breadcrumbs, 

- a third of the garlic, 

- two and a half tablespoons of basil, 

- a quarter-teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper.

 

With lightly oiled hands, shape the mix into 16 golf-ball-sized dumplings, each weighing about 55g, and compress so they hold together.

Heat two tablespoons of oil in a large, nonstick frying pan on a medium-high flame, and fry half the dumplings for three to four minutes, turning them until golden brown all over (adjust the heat if they’re browning too much), then transfer to a plate and repeat with the rest of the dumplings.

Heat the remaining two tablespoons of oil in the same pan, fry the remaining garlic for a minute, until fragrant, then stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, chilli, paprika, oregano, a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, for eight minutes, or until thickened slightly. 

Pour in 400ml water, bring to a simmer, then lower the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. 

Add the dumplings and cook for 15 minutes, or until cooked through.

Remove from the heat, scatter over the olives, the last of the basil and a grating of parmesan, and serve straight from the pan.

Adzuki Bean Meatballs.

On Stovetop. 

Rinse beans before cooking. 

Place 1 cup beans in a large pot with 4 cups water and 1 tsp salt. 

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until tender, 45–60 minutes; drain well.

Ingredients:
for the vegan meatballs: 
1 cup adzuki bean (before soaking it), soaked for at least 8 hours, well rinsed and drained, alternatively- use 2 cups of cooked adzuki beans
1 medium onion
1 medium carrot
1/2 cup basil
1/2 cup pecans
1/4 cup natural oats
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

for the sauce: 
400 g crushed tomatoes
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup basil + some to serve, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions:
Cooking the adzuki beans – place the adzuki beans in a pot with plenty of water (like cooking pasta). 

It is very important to remember not to add salt, which will delay the cooking of the bean and leave it stiff. 

Bring to a boil and cook for 40 minutes. Drain.

Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C and prepare a large oven tray lined with baking paper or silicone roasting mat.

In a food processor, place all the meatballs ingredients

– cooked adzuki beans, 

- onion, 

- carrot, 

- basil, 

- pecans, 

- oats, 

- dried oregano, 

- salt and pepper, 

and grind well until the mixture is uniform.

Using clean hands, make the meatball – about 5 cm diameter. 

Place them on the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.

In a wide sauté pan heat olive oil, add finely chopped onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes while stirring. 

Add chopped garlic cloves and cook for another minute. 

Add crushed tomatoes, water, basil leaves, salt and pepper. 

Bring to a boil, cover and cook on low heat for 10 minutes. 

If you want the patties to have lots of sauce, you can add another 200 grams of crushed tomatoes and half a cup of water.

Carefully add the baked patties to the cooked sauce and cook for a further 5 minutes, and no longer than that. 

Make sure you don't add the patties to a boiling sauce (it should simmer gently). 

Sprinkle with basil leaves on serving.

- https://www.thehappylentils.com/en/vegan-adzuki-bean-meatballs/#wprm-recipe-container-2564

Brie in Brioche by Richard Bertinet.

For the brioche dough:

100g Full-Fat Milk
2 Medium Eggs
250g Strong White Bread Flour, plus extra for dusting

10g Fresh Yeast
- for dry active yeast you generally need to use half the quantity of fresh yeast stated in the recipe 5g 
- for instant yeast you need to use 1/4 of the quantity of fresh yeast:2-3g

30g Caster Sugar
5g Fine Sea Salt
25g Cold Unsalted Butter
500g Ripe Brie
1 Cloves of Garlic, peeled and finely sliced
A few small sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme
1 Tbsp Good Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Dash of pernod - anise-flavored liqueur from France (optional)

For the glaze:
1 Eggs
A Pinch of Fine Sea Salt

Start the dough:
-For this recipe, you will want the oven fully saturated in heat with no flame presence.

-Put the milk and eggs into the bowl of a food mixer, then add the flour. 

Break up the fresh yeast and add to one side of the bowl. 

Add the sugar and salt on the other side of the bowl. 

Break the butter into pieces on top.

- Mix on a slow speed for 4 minutes, then increase the speed to medium and continue to mix for about 12-15 minutes until the dough comes away cleanly from the sides of the bowl.

-Lightly flour the work surface and a clean bowl. 

Use a scraper to turn the dough onto the work surface.

-Form the dough into a ball and leave to rest in the bowl for about 1-2 hour until just under double in size.

-When the dough has rested, lightly flour your work surface and roll the dough into a rough circle.

-Place a large baking ring (about 20-30cm diameter) on top of a baking tray, then press in a large sheet of baking parchment.

-Lower the dough into the paper and use your fingertips to gently press it down in the centre and outwards into the shape of the ring so that you create an indent big enough to hold the brie while forming a rim around the outside of the cheese.

Start the brie:
-Put in the brie and score the surface with a sharp knife in a criss-cross fashion. 

Push the slices of garlic into the cuts that you have made, along with the sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme. 

Drizzle the whole thing with the olive oil. 

We like to sprinkle over a tablespoon of Pernod too, but that is up to you!

-Cover with a large freezer bag and leave to prove for about 45 minutes-2 hours. 

During this time the rim of the dough will almost double in size.

- Beat the eggs with the salt for the glaze and brush the rim of the dough with the egg glaze and transfer the tray to the oven (220C/200C Fan/Gas 7) or the wood fire oven.

Baking your brioche:
-You’ll be baking the brioche for around 40 minutes but it’s important to check regularly during the bake - adjust the closure of the door slightly through to control temperature until the cheese has melted and rim of the brioche is a dark golden brown. 

If you light up the parchment paper carefully, you should be able to see through it to check that the base of the brioche is also dark golden brown.

-Remove from the oven and holding the baking parchment, lift the brioche from the ring onto a board and invite everyone to tuck in while it is still warm.

- Serve with toast, potatoes and meats to dip into the cheese. 

Once the cheese has gone, fill the centre with a green salad.

Sour lentil soup by Yotam Ottolenghi.

- How to make soups with real flavour and texture | Yotam Ottolenghi | Food | The Guardian
Adas bil hamoud (aka sour lentil soup)
Versions of this soup, in which lemon is king, are found all over the Arab world.
Mine is ever-changing, depending on what kind of stock I have in my freezer, or herbs in my fridge, so feel free to play around with the ingredients as you see fit.
I like my soup super lemony, but adjust this to your taste, too.
If using vegetable stock, consider adding a couple of teaspoons of miso paste to enrich the broth.
Prep 25 min
Cook 1 hr
Serves 4-6

200g brown or green lentils
110ml olive oil
2 large onions, peeled and finely chopped
5 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1½ tbsp cumin seeds
3 lemons – finely shave the skin off 1 into 5 wide strips, then juice all 3 to get 75ml
Salt and black pepper
3 firm, waxy potatoes, such as desiree, peeled and cut into 4cm pieces (650g-700g net weight)
400g Swiss or rainbow chard, leaves and stalks separated, then roughly sliced
1 litre vegetable stock (or chicken or beef, if you prefer)
1½ tbsp coriander leaves, finely chopped
2 spring onions, finely sliced on an angle

Put the lentils in a medium saucepan, cover with plenty of cold, lightly salted water and bring to a boil.
Turn down the heat to medium and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until the lentils are nearly cooked but still retain a bite, then drain.

While the lentils are cooking, put 80ml oil in a large, heavy-based pot for which you have a lid, and put on a medium heat.
Once hot, add the onions, garlic, cumin, lemon skin, two and a quarter teaspoons of salt and plenty of pepper.
Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring often, until very soft and golden.
Stir in the potatoes, lentils and chard stalks, pour in the stock and 800ml water, bring to a gentle simmer, then cover and leave to cook for 20 minutes, or until the potato is soft but still holds its shape.

Turn off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and chard leaves, and leave to cook in the residual heat for two or three minutes, until wilted.
Divide between four bowls, drizzle over the remaining two tablespoons of oil, garnish with the coriander and spring onion, and serve hot.

Loaf tin

As a rough guide, a

- 2lb (900g) loaf tin is about 21cm long, 11cm wide and 7cm high (8 x 4 x 3 inches approx) and a

- 1lb (450g) loaf tin is 16cm long, 11cm wide and 7cm high (6 x 4 x 3 inches).

They do vary quite a bit from brand to brand but this should help you understand what you have got if you have one already.

Oatmeal Cookies

 Ingredients:

187 g bread or unbleached all-purpose flour 

187 g oats

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

62 g unsalted butter, softened

155 g brown sugar

30 g veg oil

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 egg

- the dough seemed a little dry and I added 60 grams of buttermilk

Preparation:

With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 190 °C (375 °F). 

Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt - dry ingredients. 

Set aside.

In another bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla with an electric mixer. 

Add the egg and beat until smooth. 

At low speed or with a wooden spoon, combine with the dry ingredients.

With a 60 ml ice cream scoop (if You have) or with wet hands, place six to seven dough balls on baking sheet. 

Press the balls with wet glass so that they are about 2-cm thick... or with fork.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned. 

Let cool on a wire rack. 

Serve warm or cold.