Lentil shepherd’s Pie by Simon Bryant

r305035_1330797

30ml olive oil
1 onion diced
3 garlic cloves
3 stalks celery diced (and heart)
3 bay leaves
6 sprigs thyme
1 tsp Carroway seeds
Sprig of rosemary
200g mushrooms diced
2 tbls tomato paste
1 can diced tomtatoes
300g brown lentils (soaked for several hours overnight, simmer from cold in just enough
veggie stock to cover & cook till just soft, do not drain)
100g green beans sliced into 1cm pieces
2 carrots diced
1 litre Veg stock or water
25 ml red wine vinegar
1 tbls Lemon zest
Handful of dried wild mushroom mix, ground to fine powder(optional for extra flavour)
1/3 bunch parsley chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Mashed potatoes 
500g potatoes
Salt and white pepper
80g butter
100ml Milk
1  tsp Mace
1/4 cup Parmesan

Heat the oil in a large frypan and add the onion and garlic and saute for a few minutes. Add the celery, carrot, carroway seeds, rosemary, bay leaves and thyme. Saute for a few minutes and then add mushrooms.

Deglaze with red wine vinegar then add tomato paste and diced tomatoes and cook out for a few minutes.  Season to taste.

Add lemon zest , mushroom powder , beans and cooked lentils in the stock they cooked in. Simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Season to taste, remove thyme sprigs and bay leaf.
Pour into a baking dish and top with mashed potatoes and bake until golden brown.

For mashed potatoes, boil them in salted water until soft.
Drain off water and dry in the pan before mashing with butter and milk.
Season to taste.

 

Green Beans Gremolata, Ina

gb
1 pound French green beans, trimmed
2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
3 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
2 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the green beans and blanch them for 2 to 3 minutes, until tender but still crisp. Drain the beans in a colander and immediately put them into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and preserve their bright green color.

For the gremolata, toss the garlic, lemon zest, parsley, parmesan, and pine nuts in a small bowl and set aside.

When ready to serve, heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Drain the beans and pat them dry. Add the beans to the pan and saute, turning frequently, for 2 minutes, until coated with olive oil and heated through. Off the heat, add the gremolata and toss well. Sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and serve hot.

Green Bean and Potato Salad

1 1/2 pounds potatoes red or russet
3/4 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and snapped
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 small red onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1. Place the potatoes in a large pot, and fill with about 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil, and cook for about 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Throw in the green beans to steam after the first 10 minutes. Drain, cool, and cut potatoes into quarters. Transfer to a large bowl, and toss with fresh basil, red onion, salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and olive oil. Pour over the salad, and stir to coat. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.

Dilly Green Beans or Green Tomatoes – June McIlwain

4 lbs. whole green beans or green tomatoes – wash, drain, cut to fit pint jars
Pack into 7 hot, sterilized pint jars

Add to each jar: 2 cloves garlic
½ tsp. whole mustard seed
½ tsp. dill seed
¼ tsp. crushed red pepper
5 cups vinegar
5 cups water – Combine vinegar, water & salt and bring to boil.
½ cup canning salt

Pour in boiling liquid – fill to ½” of top.
Seal & process in boiling water bath for 5 minutes after water comes to boil.

World’s Best Green Beans- The Roasted Vegetable cookbook

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 pounds green beans

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

coarse sea salt or kosher salt

1. preheat oven to 450-500 degrees

2. arrange the green beans in a single layer on a sheet pan or cookie sheet.  drizzle the oil over the beans and roll until well covered.

3.  roast about 15 min, until beans are well browned, shaking the pan occasionally  for even cooking.

4.  transfer the beans to a serving bowl and sprinkle with salt to taste.  serve immediately.

serves 4-6.