By Rhys
So these things have nothing in common bar the fact that they share the flip sides of the same page in the book (in the Store Cupboard section - in your face, Amy!) but they are both dishes that can be eaten hot and cold, which I wanted to happen for reasons I won't go into. Sooooo... here is what I thunk.
Oven-Roasted Root Frittata
Score: 8/10
Substitutions: No real subs but my local supermarket was WOEFULLY understocked, so the vegetables I chose were based on availability. Also, they only had cooked beetroot, so I just used that and cut it larger.
Man, when I went to the supermarket is was literally ON FIRE. And then I went in and they DIDN'T HAVE ANY SQUASH! Fortunately, I found some in our greenhouse. There were gourds all over the place! Also, our chickens have laid two eggs this month EVEN THOUGH IT'S WINTER! So I used those (plus half a dozen from the shop).
So I added a bit of extra garlic, because I need more, always, and I put these in: shallot, potato, squash, suede, beetroot and carrot. It's a good way of clearing out old, manky veg. Aside from cutting up veg, this is a pretty simple meal, with all the food groups. I used a bit of thyme and a bit of parsley, but I think I'd do all thyme next time.
Anyway, yeah, this was yummy! I make frittata about once a week, but this is the best I've ever made, definitely. Yum, yum.
Lentil and Parsley Salad
Score: 8/10
Substitutions: I didn't use Hugh's stock, I used one I made from a Knorr jelly vegetable stock.
The thing about lentil dishes is that they quite often taste like stock, and they have the consistency of porridge. But I liked that this one was covered in a dressing and mixed in fresh parsley and spring onions. (Speaking of spring onions, the supermarket-on-fire had THREE different kinds... but still no squash! WTF?!) And... I think it's the nicest lentil dish I have made, and possibly ever eaten.
Though it still tastes predominantly of stock.
I think the way that Hugh does things (boil the lentils in water for one minute, drain and then cook in stock), means that the lentils, while still well-cooked, remain separate and not at all stodgy. I'm not sure what boiling it all with the bay leaf, garlic and parsley stalks actually achieves, flavour-wise, but picking soggy parsley stalks out of the lentils at the end was a bit of a faff. The rest was very easy.
I will say though, that the dressing got kind of lost amongst the other flavours, but I'd rather that than something overly tangy. And it still tastes super-fresh and yummy and kind of good for you. So. Yeah. I will make this again! I love the concept of a lentil salad, it's brilliant.
In summary: two more recipes to add to my mid-week repertoire, for delicious evening meals and delicious leftover lunches.
