Lasagna-Lentil Rolls

spirals of fun
Ingredients
8 spinach lasagna noodles
1 block of medium to firm tofu
1 bunch spinach, shredded
2 C Spicy Red Lentils with Tomatoes
1 C sliced mozarella cheese

serve with
salad

1. cook the pasta as appropriate.
2. crumble the tofu and combine with the spinach
3. drain the cooked pasta, and separate the noodles.
4. lay one noodle flat. cover with the tofu-spinach, leaving 2 to 3 cm at the end. Fro the filled end, roll up the noodle, taking care not to squish all the filling out. Lay it on its side, and repeat with the other 7 noodles.
5. place some Lentil & Tomatoes on the bottom of a baking dish. Place the 8 lasagna rolls in the dish, and then cover each with the rest of the Lentil & Tomatoes. Cover each with a portion of the mozarella.
6. bake covered in a 350 F oven for 30 minutes. remove the cover, bake for 15 minutes. remove from the oven, let cool 15 minutes.

Tempeh salad rolls

something pseudo-Indonesian

Ingredients:
1 block tempeh
2 TB freshly crushed peppercorns
1/4 C sesame oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
generous amount of cooking oil

circular rice paper wraps
water in a shallow bowl
1 bunch spinach leaves
1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced lengthwise
1 layer of fennel bulb, thinly sliced
fresh mango, peeled seeded* & sliced
2 carrots, peeled and shredded

sauce
2 TB peanut butter
1 tsp miso paste
1 tsp brown rice vinegar
1 tsp shoyu (Japanese fermented soy sauce)
1 TB kecap (Indonesian sweet soy sauce - use molasses otherwise)
1 TB sesame oil
1 TB walnut oil

1. cut the tempeh in half lengthwise then in thick strips. Sprinkle with sesame oil, and black pepper, toss it, add garlic and let marinate for 30 minutes+.
2. In the meantime, mix the sauce ingredients together in a bowl. Adjust season to your preference
3. heat the cooking oil over high heat, and add the marinaded tempeh. Fry, turning to cook each side to a crispy brown crust. About 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat, let cool a bit, drain on a paper towel. Keep warm, but not hot.
4. place a few rice wraps in tepid water, and leave them to soften, about 5 to 10 minutes.
5. remove excess moisture with a clean towel, or let drain briefly in a sieve.
6. assemble the wrap as follows: the rice wrap, then a spinach leaf, 2 pieces of tempeh, as much peanut sauce as you like, then whichever vegetables tickle your fancy.
7. as you face the circle of rice paper, place the ingredients in a long bundle along the edge closest to you, running left to right. Fold the edge towards you up over the top of the ingredients, fold in the left and right edges, and then roll away from you. It takes a bit of practice, but shouldn’t prove difficult - and by gum don’t the results taste similar despite the relative results of one’s rice roll.

* place the seed in water for a couple of days, and then scrub off the remaining fruit flesh. Place it in a flowerpot, keeping the soil moist. This will grow into a mango tree, however, only attempt this if you use an organic mango, and learn more about it - this hasn’t worked yet - in part owing to antagonistic pets.

Mint Pasta Noodles

a friend of the lemon.

Ingredients:
1+ C unbleached flour
1 C durum semolina
3+ C fresh mint leaves
2 TB extra virgin olive oil
sparkling mineral water

serve with
butter
lemon
pan-fried leek & jicama

1. combine the mint leaves, olive oil and salt into a paste. A food mill works.
2. on a floured surface, sift 1 C of the unbleached flour with the durum semolina. make a well in the centre. put the mint puree into the well with 1/4 C of the mineral water. mix the water and mint puree together with a fork, incorporating the flour as you do.
3. When the dough gets too tough for the fork, start kneading by hand: stretch the dough with one hand, while adding flour or water with the other. Kneading can take up to 20 minutes or so. The dough should be about the consistency of an earlobe (depends who you know, and how closely).
4. leave the dough to rest under a damp (not wet) cloth for 1 hour.
5. cut the dough into four even portions, and roll each into a sheet of pasta, then cut to desired shape.

see fresh pasta recipes from the cordon bleu.

Porcini Pasta Noodles

lasagna ricce

Ingredients
2 C flour
1 to 2 TB powdered dried porcini mushroom
2 TB extra virgin olive oil
2 eggs
water
salt

serve with
butter
olive oil & pine nuts
black pepper & sesame

1. sift the flour and porcini powder together onto a floured work surface. Make a well in the centre of the mound. Add the oil and eggs to the well.
2. beat the eggs with a fork, incorporating the flour gradually while doing so, until the dough becomes too thick to operate with a fork.
3. kneading the dough with the right hand, and adding flour with the left, knead the dough for 15 minutes (give or take), until it has the consistency of an earlobe, and springs back when you press it.
4. leave the dough to rest for 1 hour under a damp cloth.
5. cut the dough into 4 pieces. Knead, flatted and cut into pasta either with a machine or by hand.
see also the Cordon Bleu’s pasta advice 

Mango Fried Rice

simple. fast. tasty.

Ingredients
4+ TB cooking oil
2 C leftover cooked brown jasmine rice
2 eggs, beaten
1 big mango, peeled, seeded* and chopped
1 TB shoyu, or other type of soy sauce
1 tsp salt

serve with
spork

1. heat the oil in a wok over high heat. add the rice and stir-fry quickly to heat through.
2. move the rice to one side of the wok, and add the beaten eggs to the other. When the bottom of the eggs starts to firm, break them up and cook like scrambled.
3. when the eggs are mostly cooked, mix them in with the rice.
4. add salt and shoyu to taste.
5. add mango. mix throughout the rice, cooking for a scant minute or two.

* if you soak a mango seed for a couple of days in water, it makes the leftover flesh very easy to remove. You can then plant it in a pot in a partially sunny window, and grow your own mango tree. Make sure to only use organic mango seeds, and keep it well-watered.

Blue Lentil Stew

aka puy lentils

Ingredients
1/4 C cooking oil
4 to 6 onions, chopped
2+ cloves garlic, minced
1 handful dried shiitake mushrooms
1 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp dill seeds
1 tsp peppercorns
coarse salt
2 handfuls of blue lentils
1 large red potato, cubed
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 C red wine (a leftover merlot in this case)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried tarragon
1 tsp dried savoury
water as needed

serve with
yogurt
fresh dill
bread

1. heat the oil over medium-high to high heat, and fry the onions until reddish-brown. add the garlic, reduce heat to medium.
2. using a food mill, grind the dried mushrooms, fennel, dill, peppercorns and salt to a fine powder.
3. add the mushroom & spice powder to the onions, followed by the lentils. Mix to coat the lentils thoroughly. Add the potato and carrots, and stir to mix evenly. Add the red wine and bay leaf. Bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer. Add tarragon and savoury and 1 C water to begin.
4. simmer until lentils are tender yet still retain their shape, and potatoes are cooked through (and likely nucular-hot)

Spicy Red Lentils with Tomatoes

Mexican flavours, and all red.

Ingredients:
4 TB cooking oil
2 large onions, sliced thickly
1 tsp molasses
2 cloves garlic, crushed & minced
4 dried chipotle peppers
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 TB fennel seeds
1 tsp peppercorns
coarse salt
1 C red lentils
16 roma tomatoes, peeled & seeded
8 sundried tomatoes, cut into 8 pieces each
water as needed
1 tsp dried marjoram
1 tsp dried basil

serve with
lime
fresh cilantro
yogurt

1. heat oil over medium-high heat. Rub the molasses on the side of the onions, and fry them in the oil until caramelized, stirring often.
2. add the garlic. Combine the peppers, cumin, fennel, peppercorns & salt in a mill or mortar, and grind to a fairly fine powder.
3. add the spice powder and lentils. Add more oil if necessary. Mix until the lentils are coated thoroughly in oil and spices.
4. add the tomatoes and sundried tomatoes, and mix thoroughly, adding 1 C or so of water to begin with.
5. bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, and add the marjoram and basil
6. cook until the lentils become soft, and the stew thickens.

Tomato & Spinach Risotto

a touch of fresh basil & lemon & ooh la la

Ingredients:
4TB grapeseed oil
5 cloves garlic, crushed & minced
1/2 C vialone nano 1/2 C arborio rice
8 C hot broth (made with sundried tomatoes, basil stems, fennel, leek & garlic, etc)
9 sundried tomatoes reconstituted in red wine (cabernet-melot in this case)
1 bunch spinach, shredded
1 bunch basil, shredded
salt & pepper as you like it

1. heat oil over medium to medium-high heat. Add garlic and fry briefly.
2. reduce heat slightly. Drain the sundried tomatoes, adding the wine to the hot stock. Chop the tomatoes and add to the rice.
3. add 2 C stock to the rice and stir to combine them evenly. Continue stirring occasionally, making sure that the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom. Reduce the heat to low or  low-medium.
4. add 1 C stock at a time, stirring until the rice absorbs it before adding the next.
5. with the last 1 C of stock, add the spinach and basil, and adjust the seasoning.
6. when all the stock is absorbed, and the rice is creamy and firm (add hot water if it needs further cooking), remove from heat, let it sit for 15 minutes or so.

add freshly ground pepper and grated cheese, such as parmesan, if desired.

Fennel & Grapefruit Salad Rolls

citrus and fennel are on friendly terms.

Ingredients:
8 large spinach leaves
2 large fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
1/4 red pepper,  finely sliced
1 ruby grapefruit, peeled, membranes removed
8 small round sheets of rice paper

1. soak the rice paper in cold water for a few minutes. drain sheets, one at a time, and work on a damp cloth.
2. place the spinach leaf, 1/8 of the red pepper, fennel & grapefruit. Roll as you would an eggroll and serve.

Basil & Sundried Tomato Salad Rolls

pine nuts add nice texture

Ingredients:
16 large basil leaves
6 sundried tomatoes, reconstituted & finely sliced lengthwise
4 TB pine nuts

marinated carrots
2 carrots, peeled and shredded
1 TB balsamic reduction
1 tsp olive oil

8 small round sheets of rice paper

1. soak the rice paper in cold water for a couple of minutes. drain sheets, one at a time, and work on a damp cloth.
2. place two basil leaves, 1/8 of the tomatoes, 1/8 of the carrots, and 1/2 TB pine nuts on each rice sheet. Roll it up with closed ends as with egg rolls.