Shared   Interests

As with all groups of people, there is no such thing as an average DCV member.  Each of us has a variety of interests, but there are a number of things that most of us seem to have in common. One of these is a love of food, and I have been asked to reveal a couple of the recipes I have used recently.  So here goes…

Pumpkin  Soup

I made 2 large flasks of this for supping around the fire on the Saturday at Holt Heath.  It keeps its heat very well -  I filled a flask at 5am one morning before driving up to Aberdeen, and it was still steaming when it was opened at 6pm the following day!

Ingredients: 1 tbsp sunflower oil 1 tsp grated root ginger 1 tsp grated nutmeg ½ tsp ground coriander 1 small onion, chopped 2 medium carrots, chopped 1 medium potato, chopped 700-900g (1½-2lb) pumpkin (or butternut squash) flesh, chopped 300-425ml (10-15 fl oz) vegetable stock salt and pepper, to taste lemon juice, to taste

Heat the oil in a large, heavy based pan and fry the ginger, nutmeg and coriander over medium heat for 4-5 minutes.

Add the chopped vegetables, and sweat them, covered, over a low heat for 20 minutes or until the pumpkin flesh is soft.

Add the stock, season with salt, pepper and lemon juice and stir well. Bring to the boil and simmer, covered, for another 20 minutes.

Liquidize, adding more stock if the soup is too thick. Check the seasoning and reheat gently in a clean pan.

Mushosh  (Armenian Lentil Salad)

Ingredients: 150g (6oz) brown (or Puy) lentils 1 small onion, chopped 75g (3oz) dried apricots, chopped 50g (2oz) walnuts, chopped 2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley

 Dressing: 3 tbsp olive oil 1½ tbsp lemon juice 1 tsp salt ½ tsp black pepper

Wash the lentils and cook them in lightly salted water until they are almost tender.  Add a little more water if necessary, but make sure they aren't overcooked.  Stir in the onions, apricots and walnuts and cook for a further 15 minutes.  Strain the mixture, leave it to cool and transfer to a serving bowl.

Mix the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper together in a small bowl.

Add the dressing and parsley to the lentils, toss and serve.

Ian Hay