The thing is that when I cook, I can never cook for one. So I always end up with enough food to feed at least four people. This, in a way, is great, because I can pack some of the leftovers into my lunch box. The only problem is I am not one for eating the same thing two days in a row, never mind all week long.
This week, I made a big dish of spag bol and of Indian lamb meatballs. To make up for eating red meat, I decided to cook a vegetarian dinner for myself.
Now, there is one vegetable I really love in the spring/summer, it's asparagus. Not the green ones mind you, but the white ones. Unless, of course, I get my hand on some wild asparagus. I used to go picking them in France. I have looked for some in Ireland, unsuccessfully. If anyone of ye who might be reading this blog knows whether wild asparagus grow in Ireland, please let me know! I love them.
Anyway, I had a bunch of white asparagus and decided to have them for starter with some strong vinaigrette, or dressing. It's a really nice starter because asparagus are really light and don't fill you up too much.
Then, for main course, I have bookmarked a recipe for a while and I decided to try it out tonight, it is a take on paella with vegetables. Once again, this recipe involves cooking with vegetables in season in the summer, so it was perfect for our sunny day.
Lastly, for dessert, I made something as well, but you'll have to wait for my next post to discover what it is!
Here is a quick recipe for asparagus vinaigrette
Ingredients:
A bunch of big white asparagus
1 shallots diced
One handfull of chopped parsley
Salt and pepper
3 tbsp of Cider vinegar
2 tbsp of sunflower oil
2 tbsp of rapeseed oil
1. Bring a pan of water to the boil. I used a steamer in mine but you can also simply boil the asparagus. Remove one inch at the bottom of the asparagus and with a peeler, peel them up to 7 cm from the tip. Once peeled, steam them (or boil them) in the saucepan for about 7-10 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the water and cool down in cold water. Once cooled, drain well.
2. Make the dressing: put the salt, pepper, vinegar into a bowl. Stir. Add the oil, mustard, parsley and shallot and stir again until the dressing is homogenous.
3. Put the asparagus in a dish and pour the dressing over. Serve with some crusty bread. Yummy!
Vegetable paella:
Ingredients:
16 cherry tomatoes
2 handfulls of green beans
1 cup of fresh peas
1 courgette cut into 4 cm pieces
2 garlic cloves sliced
2 sprigs of rosemary
1 pinch of saffron
320gr of arborio rice
60 ml of boiling water
800 ml of stock
3 tbsp of vegetable oil
Toasted almond flakes
1. Put the pinch of saffron into the boiling water and let it infuse.
2. Put 2 tbsp of oil into a deep frying pan. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook for a few minutes until the skin starts to split. Remove from the pan and add the courgette, green beans and peas. Stir fry for a few minutes until the courgette starts to golden. Remove them from the pan too.
3. Add the last table spoon of oil, the garlic and rosemary. Cook for 2 minutes. Then add the rice. Stir the rice into the oil for 2 minutes. Add the saffron and boiling water. Add the stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the head and simmer until all the water is absorbed. Season.
4. Check whether the rice is cooked. If not, add another bit of water. Add the reserved vegetables to the rice and leave on the heat for another few minutes until the vegetables are heated through. Serve with scattered toasted almonds.
