A little late...Pass it On Week 6

OK OK, I know... I am late, don't yell at me! I know this post is several days overdue and we are nearly onto next week's pass it on, but I have been busy. I opened my etsy store.  I won't bore you with all the details. We'll just say that the children have started staring longingly out the window, hoping someone will throw them scraps.

This weeks pass it on recipe comes from the chapter Easy Curries, be forewarned "easy" does not mean quick.

Vegetable Jalfrezi
I am passing this recipe on  from Jamie's [Oliver] Food Revolution

• 1 medium onion, halved peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 fresh red chile, finely sliced
• thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
• small bunch of fresh cilantro, leaves picked off, and finely slice the stalks
• 2 red peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
• 1 cauliflower, remove green leaves, divide into florets, and roughly chop the stalk
• 3 ripe tomatoes, cored, and 
• 1 small butternut squash, seeded, thick skin removed, and diced
• 1 x 15 oz can of garbanzo beans, drained
• 3-4 peanut/vegetable oil
• pat of butter
• 1/2 cup of jalfrezi or other medium curry paste
• 1 x 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• salt & pepper
• 2 lemons, 
• 1 cup natural yoghurt

Have all of your ingredients on hand. To save time prepare the whole vegetables except for the cauliflower. 

In a large dish, such as a dutch oven or heavy bottomed sauce pan on medium high heat add the peanut or vegetable oil, the onion, chile, ginger, cilantro. Cook for 10 minutes or until soft and nicely coloured. 

Prepare the cauliflower while the first ingredients are cooking. Open your canned ingredients and drain the beans.

Next add peppers, squash, garbanzo beans, and curry paste. Stir  and coat well. Then add cauliflower, fresh and canned tomatoes (no need to drain), vinegar and one can of water from the empty garbanzo beans. Bring to a boil then turn down to a simmer for 45 minutes. Check at 30 minutes to see if it is too liquid, leave the lid off for the remainder of the cooking time if it is. When the vegetables are tender taste and add just enough salt & pepper, being careful of over seasoning.

Garnish your curry with the cilantro leaves, serve with rice,  a salad, some fresh naan bread, lemon wedges and the yoghurt.

It serves 8, and yes for once Jamie's portions are pretty accurate. I had tonnes left over and my children will no longer starve as I sew myself into oblivion!

Because it had such a long simmer I took that time to make a cucumber salad from the chapter Lovin Salads- These salads are so quick and delicious they really don't need a whole week to themselves. I will just had them in here and there.

Evolution Cucumber Salad.

My tots love cucumber, yoghurt and anything salty.

• 1 cucumber, peeled and or seeded (I partly peel- and leave the seeds in as we use the long English variety)
• natural yoghurt
• olive oil
• lemon juice
• salt & pepper
• mint,chopped

Chop the cukes into bite sized pieces, add a dollap of yoghurt, a generous lug of oil, squeeze of fresh lemon juice, sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper. Mix all things together.

The salad could be done there but because this is an evolving salad you can add some chopped mint (we did) some chopped black olives, and fresh red chile.

food photos by me except for the obvious one of me in an apron, that was done patiently by my husband.