Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh is middle Eastern in origin but has become more and more popular in Europe etc. in recent years.  It can be made with either bulgar wheat or couscous but in this recipe I will be using a fine couscous.  The best one that I have come across is in Lidl, it's really fine.  There are many variants to this dish so there are no set rules, the ingredients can be altered according to what you like best or what you have available.  I make two versions with minor ingredient changes but which taste quite different. Version 2 is more spicey and contains cumin and red chilli pepper.

Ingredients (for a medium sized bowl)
1 x mug Couscous (or bulgar)
1 x mug boiling water
2 x cloves garlic
1 x small red pepper
1 x small green pepper
Half a lemon
Half a red onion
3 x medium vine tomatoes
1 large handful fresh corriander or mint (version 1)
1 large handful fresh parsley
Olive oil
Black pepper
Salt
4 x teaspoons Cumin (version 2)
1 x red chilli pepper (version 2)

First, get the couscous ready by pouring 1 x cup/mug full into a bowl and covering with the same amount of boiling water.  Cover the bowl with a plate while you are preparing the rest of the ingredients.

Chop the tomatoes into small pieces (as small as you can) and do the same with the peppers, the red onion, and the herbs.  Crush the two garlic cloves.  For version 2 leave out the corriander/mint as you will instead be adding the cumin and chilli peppers.

When the couscous has absorbed all of the water, remove the lid and fork it to separate the grain and leave to cool.  When cold, add the chopped ingredients, squeeze on some lemon juice, add a drizzle of olive oil, salt, pepper.  If you are making version 2, this is where you add the cumin and the finely chopped chilli pepper.  Refridgerate for an hour or two or even better overnight to let the flavours infuse.  Serve with warm pitta or Naan bread with a side serving of Tzatziki or plain greek style natural yoghurt.  Yummy.

Leek, Carrot & Potato Soup

This soup is a regular in my house and as I made some earlier this week, I thought I'd post the recipe while I remember to.  It's another of the lovely recipes that came from my visits to France as a young girl and one which my aunt still makes today, however, I have added to the original recipe (see step 1 below) to give it a bit more kick but if you're in a hurry you can leave out step 1 and it's equally delicious.  This soup is wholesome enough to have as a main meal with some fresh bread, which I often do and it's even nicer the next day.  It freezes perfectly too if you want to save some for another day.  Here's what you need:

1 x Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 x Onion
1 x Clove of garlic
2 x Large leeks (or 3 small)
2 x Carrots (medium)
5 x Medium sized potatoes

Step 1:  In a medium sized pot, heat the olive oil and add the chopped up onion and crushed garlic clove and cook it for a few minutes stirring continuously.

Step 2:  Add the washed, chopped leek, the peeled and chopped carrots and the five peeled potatoes (I leave them whole) and cook for another minute or two before covering with water.

Step3:  Leave to simmer until carrots and potatoes are soft and then throw in 2 vegetable stock cubes and stir until blended.  I don't add salt to this soup as the stock cubes contain quite and bit but you can add according to your own taste.

Step 3: Blitz the lot and serve with a dash of crème fraîche on top and some crusty homemade bread..
Bon appétit!