Vibrant Vegetarian Recipes from Bazaar by Sabrina Ghayour
Another instalment in my offering of delicious recipes to inspire you to enjoy preparing and making your own meals. What I love about recipes is that you can either follow them to the very nth degree or you can read them, consider, and add, subtract or manipulate the ingredients or the quantities to meet your own tastes.
These fabulous recipes from middle-eastern inspired new cookbook, Bazaar by Sabrina Ghayour, published by Hachette Australia, Hardback $39.99. Photography by Kris Kirkham.
These fabulous recipes from middle-eastern inspired new cookbook, Bazaar by Sabrina Ghayour, published by Hachette Australia, Hardback $39.99. Photography by Kris Kirkham.
CARROT, FENNEL SEED
& RED LENTIL SOUP
WITH LABNEH & SESAME OIL
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
vegetable oil or ghee
50g fresh root ginger, peeled and finely
chopped or grated
1 onion, diced
500g carrots, scrubbed and cut into
rough chunks
2 fat garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 litres boiling water
juice of ó lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
150g uncooked red lentils
4 tablespoons labneh or thick
Greek yogurt
4 teaspoons sesame oil
Maldon sea salt flakes and freshly
ground black pepper
couple of pinches of pul biber
chilli flakes, to garnish
SERVES 4
Toast the fennel seeds in a large, dry saucepan over a medium heat for
2 minutes, then drizzle in a little vegetable oil or ghee and add the ginger
and onion. Saut. until the onion begins to soften, without letting it brown.
Add the carrot to the pan and stir-fry until the edges begin to soften.
Now add the garlic, turmeric and a generous amount of salt and pepper
to the saucepan and mix well. Pour over the boiling water, adjust the
heat to bring the mixture to a simmer and simmer gently, without a lid,
for 45 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, then blitz the mixture using a handheld
blender or transfer to a food processor or blender. Return the soup to
the pan if necessary, adjust the seasoning, then stir in the lemon juice.
Set the pan over a medium heat and stir in the red lentils. Simmer, stirring
occasionally, for 30–40 minutes, or until the lentils are soft. If the soup
seems too thick, blitz half the mixture using the hand-held blender,
food processor or blender.
Divide the soup between 4 bowls. Dollop 1 tablespoon of labneh into
each bowl and drizzle 1 teaspoon of sesame oil over the top. Finish with
a sprinkling of pul piber and serve.
COURGETTE, PEA
& SPINACH SALAD
WITH PRESERVED LEMON DRESSING
150g fresh peas
50g pumpkin seeds
2 courgettes, coarsely grated
150g baby spinach leaves
For the dressing
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
4 preserved lemons
4 tablespoons olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
SERVES 4–6
Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil, add the peas and blanch for
2 minutes. Drain the peas and rinse them in cold water, then drain well
and set aside.
Toast the coriander seeds for the dressing in a dry frying pan over a medium
heat for about 1 minute, until they release their aroma. Remove from the
heat, transfer to a pestle and mortar and crush them lightly, grinding just
enough to crack the seeds.
In the same frying pan, toast the pumpkin seeds for 3–4 minutes, or until
they are slightly charred around the edges and have some colour. Transfer to
a bowl and set aside to cool.
To make the dressing, you can either chop the preserved lemons very finely
and purée them by hand using a pestle and mortar, or blitz them in a mini
blender. Transfer them to a bowl, season with black pepper, stir in the olive
oil, then the crushed coriander seeds and mix well (you won’t need salt, as
the preserved lemons are already salty).
Put the grated courgette, spinach leaves and the peas into a large mixing
bowl, pour over the dressing and toss very lightly using your hands to coat
the leaves. Arrange the dressed leaves on a large platter and scatter with the
roasted pumpkin seeds. Serve immediately.
SWEET POTATO, COCONUT
& THYME BAKE
750g sweet potatoes, peeled
2 fat garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4–5 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
and roughly chopped, reserving some
for garnish
400ml can full-fat coconut milk
Maldon sea salt flakes and freshly
ground black pepper
SERVES 6–8
Preheat the oven to 220ºC (200ºC fan), Gas Mark 7. Select a large baking
tray or ovenproof dish about 26 x 20cm.
Using a mandoline slicer or a food processor slicing attachment set to
a medium thickness, thinly slice the sweet potatoes. Alternatively, thinly
slice by hand.
Use one-quarter of the sweet potatoes to create an overlapping layer in the
base of the baking tray or dish. Distribute one-third of the garlic and thyme
over the potato layer and season generously with salt and pepper. Repeat
this layering process, finishing with a layer of sweet potato slices. Pour
over the coconut milk, then gently press down on the contents of the dish
with a spatula to compress, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with
the reserved thyme.
Bake for 20 minutes, then press down on the potato slices with the spatula
to submerge them in the coconut milk. Return the dish to the oven and
bake for a further 20–25 minutes. Serve immediately.