This time another quotidian recipe. Sometimes I do posh (Roast pumpkin Soup), but mostly I like to blog good ‘weekday’ recipes. Take for example the subject of this blog: Crudités & Humus, followed by Pasta in Olive Sauce.

I would claim the following for the menu:
– healthy
– quick
– economical
– tasty but not flashy
Witness my own ‘veggieTABLE‘ entry :

‘Crudités’ are basically batons of raw fresh vegetables, which you dip in something. The French favour Mayonnaise, the Italians Bagno Câoda, and DAVEggie Humus. Whichever dip you choose, the result is unexpectedly delectable and moreish, the difficulty being when to stop so you have room for the next course. In this case, Pasta in Olive Sauce.

I am not a fan of ‘kitchen sink’ pasta. A good pasta dish should be limited to a few ingredients. I believe the same applies to Pizza. This has eight, which I think is about right.

Serves 2

Crudités
Cut a variety of crisp fresh (raw) vegetables into lardons about 1/2cm x 1/2cm x 5cm.
Good things include: red pepper, mild chilli, celery, cucumber (remove the seeds!), fennel bulb, carrot, spring onion, cauliflower and radishes (for the last 2, the lardon dimensions do not apply!)
1 portion humus, blitzed up with 20g fresh coriander, and thinned to a mayonnaise consistency with Greek yogurt.

Pasta
Ingredients:
200g penne
1 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove
1 tbsp black olives
1 tbsp capers
250g tinned tomatoes
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Lots of freshly grated Parmesan cheese to serve

Method:

1. Add the penne to a pan of boiling salted water, and cook until al dente (probably about 11 minutes)
2. Chop the garlic, olives and capers very finely.
3. Heat the olive oil in a small wok, add the above and fry gently for 5 minutes.
4. Meanwhile chop/blitz the tomatoes to a coarse pulp.
5. Add the tomatoes to the wok, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Adjust the seasoning, and add the oregano.
7. Drain the pasta, add to the source, and toss to mix.
8. Serve in warmed pasta bowls with Parmesan cheese on the side.

I like to try different recipes from around the world. This week I present a delicious curry from Suriname, by the rather unprepossessing name of ‘Roti‘.

Suriname as I am sure you know is a former colony of the Netherlands, located on the northern coast of South America.

Roti is traditionally made with chicken, and contains also snake beans (kousebanden) and potatoes. It takes it’s name from the flat pancake made from flour and oil that is eaten with it (rather like a paratha.)

This is my version made with egg, mushrooms, cauliflower, sweet potato, courgette and aubergine in addition to the beans and potato.

The roti’s I usually buy pre-made and pre-cooked from an a local Asian supermarket,

along with the Faja Lobi Masala Trafasie sauce. If you use supermarket roti’s and Trafasie Sauce then it is very quick and easy. You could at pinch substitute Tortillas for the roti’s.

I also include a recipe to make your own Roti’s

Serves 2
Curry:
Ingredients:
25g butter
1 medium onion
3 tbsp Masala Trafasie (substitute Madras Curry Paste if you cannot get it)
150ml coconut milk
100g snake beans (substitute haricots verts if you cannot get them)
50g cauliflower
50g sweet potato
100g waxy potatoes
50g chestnut mushrooms
50g courgette
50g aubergine
2 eggs
2 tbsp fresh coriander

Method:

1. Begin by preparing the vegetables
2. Trim the beans, cut into 5cm pieces, cut the cauliflower into small florets
3. Blanch the beans and cauliflower for 3-5 minutes and refresh in cold water.
   Peel the sweet potato and chop this the potato into 3cm pieces.
4. Boil until tender (the sweet potato will take less long.)
5. Remove the stalks from the mushrooms and chop in half if they are large.
6. Chop the aubergine into 3cm pieces, and the courgette into 1cm slices.
7. Chop the onions, and fry in the butter until slightly browned.
8. Add the curry paste and fry for 2 minutes more.
9. Add the coconut milk, and enough water to make a nice gravy.
10. Bring to the boil and add the mushrooms, courgette and aubergine, cover and simmer until tender (probably about 10 minutes.)
11. Meanwhile, hard boil the eggs, and when cool enough to handle remove the shell.
12. Add the beans, cauliflower, potato, sweet potato and eggs and allow to warm through.
13. Thin with water as needed to make the right consistency.
14. Serve with chopped coriander sprinkled on top.

Roti’s
If using ready made:
Scrumple a 60cm length of grease proof paper under a tap of running water.
Shake off excess water, and roll the roti’s separately in the paper.
Heat in the oven @ 100C for about 15 minutes.

Make your own:
Ingredients:
175g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
115ml sunflower oil
115ml warm water
salt & pepper

Method:

1. Mix the flour and baking powder in a large bowl.
2. Slowly mix in the oil and water.
3. Kneed into a flexible dough.
4. Leave the dough to rest for 30 minutes.
5. Cut and roll into balls the size of golf balls.
6. Roll each to about 25cm diameter.
7. Heat a frying pan (wider than 25cm) until almost smoking.
8. Add the roti and wait till if puffs up in several places.
9. Turn with a spatula and cook for a couple more minutes.
10. Place on a plate & cover with a clean towel.
11. Repeat.