Easy Greek Lentil Soup

Having just returned home after another wonderful holiday to Greece, I hankered for Greek food almost immediately, I don't think that I'll ever get tired of this lovely cuisine so after a small disaster making Greek Lemon Potatoes last week it was onwards and upwards to a new recipe. This recipe is adapted from one by The Mediterranean Dish, while it was a good recipe I felt that it needed a little more oomph - especially as we are used to strong Asian flavours so here goes : 

Greek Virgin Olive Oil, 

1 Large Onion - roughly chopped

3 Sticks Celery - roughly chopped

3 Carrots - roughly chopped 

6 Fat Garlic Cloves - roughly chopped

1 1/2 Cups washed and drained Red lentils

3 Teaspoons Dried Oregano,

1600 mls Vegetable Stock

1 Teaspoon Cumin,

1 Tablespoon dried Rosemary ( I used fresh from the garden )

1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

3 Bay Leaves 

1 Tin Chopped ( or Whole ) Tomatoes,

Zest of 1 Lemon,

Juice of 2 Lemons

Handful Fresh Parsley chopped

Crumble of Feta Cheese

Fry all the vegetables in a good glug of olive oil for about 10 - 15 minutes but not until brown, add the herbs and spices and stir for a couple of minutes, add tomatoes, lentils and stock and cook gently for about half an hour or until the lentils are nice and soft, blend to make a smooth soup and season to taste with salt and pepper. If the soup is too thick , thin with a little more stock or water. To finish when serving, add lemon juice, crumble a little feta and chopped parsley on the top ( I also gave the soup a little splash of olive oil ), serve with crusty bread.

This was a fabulous tasty soup and freezes down really well as it makes 6 good sized portions. 

Dulce de Leche and Chocolate Brownies

 I first made these delicious brownies straight after watching a Sunday Brunch episode floopin years ago and made them reasonably often as my children would demand them with menaces - they ARE pretty good if I say so myself. 13 or so years later and my children have long flown the nest so these just really don't get made anymore - shame - they are still a lovely chocolaty indulgence and with a couple of tweaks the recipe has really stood the test of time. 

125g carnation caramel condensed milk
150g dark chocolate
115g butter
25g cocoa powder
3 free range eggs
200g Light brown demerara sugar
140g plain flour

If you can't get hold of carnation caramel condensed milk then you can make your own dulche de leche like this, fill a saucepan with water and boil tin of condensed mik for 4 hours. Don't let your pan run dry. After 4 hours, take tin out of the water and leave to cool completely.

Preheat oven to 175c./325f/Gas3. Grease and line a 20cm ( 8inch) square cake tin.
Place chocolate and butter into a heatproof bowl over a pan of bubbling water and melt together. Once melted take off the heat and whisk in the cocoa, eggs and sugar then fold in the flour.

Pour half this mixture into your tin, dot over blobs of the dulce de leche and pour over the rest of the chocolate mixture.

Place tin into the centre of your oven for about 30-35 ( anything up to 45 minutes depending on your oven )  minutes or until a skewer pushed into the centre of your cake comes out clean. Set aside to cool.

There's a lovely crackle to the top and the perfect squishyness inside, still a great recipe!

Generally healthier recipes coming soon to the blog ..... Honestly....

Debs

Long time no see

On a rather wet day here in Wales, and twiddling my thumbs as I can't get out in the garden, I thought I'd see if this little blog was still anywhere to be found...big surprise... it' still here and still getting views after all this time. Amazing!

So much has happened in the last 12 years since we started this as a way to keep in touch, house moves, two marriages ( one each I hasten to add ), grandchildren but more importantly - an allotment. 

Now this takes a huge amount of time that honestly sometimes we just don't have so it seemed like a fabulous idea - to take on another one. Allotments have an addictive quality which, I think, could prove counter productive, the produce though brings its own reward. We just need to get to grips with the planning as the inevitable glut due to lack of any sense of proportion is quite overwhelming.

I am NOT growing runner beans next year as I can't face another bloody jar of chutney.

On the plus side we'll never have to buy chutney again.

So, to the blog, winter is on it's way so it seems like a nice idea to while away the grey winter months with a little bloggyness - why not?

Onwards and upwards, today seems like a good day to resurrect a chocolate brownie recipe that I haven't tackled in about six years but always put's a smile on everyone's faces.

Chocolate dulce de leche recipe to follow .....

Debs