Wednesday Workshop #4

With brooding rain clouds and a forecast that confirmed rain, I moved the workshop into the kitchen. How to cook veggies and use herbs was a big part of the discussion of the last workshop so it was fitting. As I’m a mint fan and not really sure what to use mint with, other than in gin and mint sauce, I decided to find some recipes that used mint. All the recipes are by feel, so there are no real quantities.

Courgette, pea and mint soup.

Sara, my wife gave me the recipe and it is great hot or cold.

Chopped up courgette, I used 2, a hand full of pea pods from the garden, about a hand full or so, and covered with water and boiled gently until the courgette is soft. Emptied the contents into the liquidiser added the leaves of three stalks and wizzed. Served.

Hummus in 2 minutes

Open a tin of chickpeas, drian the liquid and add the liquidiser, squeeze the juice of half a lemon, add a little rind, a fat clove of garlic, a dollop of unflavoured yogurt, a crunch of salt and pepper and wizz. If it’s a little dry add more yogurt. It’s rather nice if it’s not too fine; wizz and adjust taste and consistency. It won the comparison taste test against shop bought hummus.

Beetroot Leaf Pesto

This pesto has been mentioned on many of the podcasts I listen to, so I thought I’d try it for the first time.

Handful of young beetroot leaves, I noticed I have a leaf miner while I was collecting them. Basil leaves, just a few, 100g of pine nuts, but you could easily use half that amount, the top 2/3 of a parmesan (Grana Padano Wedgecheese 160g) wedge, 60-80g as a guess, two fat cloves of garlic, lemon juice from the other half of the lemon and a generous glug of olive oil and wizz to the consistency you like. One of the children who does not like pesto devoured it.

Fresh lemonade

My mother shared this recipe with me, she had it when visiting my sister in law.

2 unwaxed lemons quartered, a generous amount of mint, sugar or stevia tablets (I used about 20) and water. Wizz in the liquidiser until a fine slurry and strain into a jug. Adjust sweetness by adding more stevia or sugar and add water if too sour. Trust me, it is delicious and would probably go very nicely with a spash of gin.

Choc Chip Cookies with fresh mint.

This is a secret recipe, so don’t share it…..;-)

You can halve this recipe.

300g sugar and 300g butter into the mixer and beat until creamed. Add 2 eggs, 3 tsp of vanilla essence, 2 tsp of baking powder, (not bicarb), three or four stalk of chocolate spearmint leaves (or any mint) and beat until mixed. Add 450g of plain flour, 200g of 70% coco chocolate roughly chopped into pea size chunks and mix until just combined together. Roll into balls about with a diameter of about an inch and half or 30/40mm onto baking paper on a tray and bake at 170C in fan oven for 12-15 minutes, just keep an eye on it for your oven. Let them cool, I know it’s irresistible, the chocolate seems to take ages to harden. Viola!

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