• CURRIED LENTIL AND·

Mushroom Soup

This is a very pleasant, undemanding soup in which browned onions and button mushrooms accentuate the earthy taste of the lentils. The addition of coriander leaves is optional but a great improvement.

Serve with crusty bread or Rusks (see page 15). For 3-4.

8 0z/250 g button mushrooms

2 mediumllargish onions

3 cloves garlic

2 dried chillies

1f2 inch/l cm piece cinnamon stick

3 cloves

2 teaspoons coriander seeds

8 oz/250 g brown lentils

2 tablespoons olive oil

Ilf2 level teaspoons Basic Curry Powder (see page 62)

Salt

Small bunch coriander leaves (enough for 1 tablespoon when chopped)

Juice 1/2 small lemon

Wok or large saucepan with a lid

- METHOD -

Trim the mushroom stalks; wash the mushrooms and blot dry with kitchen paper; slice finely. Peel the onions and slice into half-rings. Peel'and finely chop the garlic. Wash and drythe chillies and trim the stalk ends; empty or pick out the seeds and dice the flesh finely. Do not rub your eyes while chopping them and wash your hands directly afterwards (or wear polythene gloves). Crush the cinnamon, cloves and coriander seeds (start with the cinnamon, which is toughest). Rinse the lentils.

2 Put the onions into the wok or large saucepan and fry over low heat in the oil for 15 minutes or until pale brown; stir frequently, particularly towards the end. Add the garlic and fry for 3-4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue frying for 5-7 minutes or until soft. Add the chillies and turn in the oil. Stir in the spices and curry powder and cook for I minute. Add the lentils and 1 % pints/l litre water. Bring to the boil and boil briskly for 2 minutes, then lower the heat. cover and simmer for 35 minutes or until the lentils are very soft. Add 113 teaspoon salt and simmer for another 5-10 minutes. Trim the stems of the coriander, wash and blot dry with kitchen paper; chop the leaves. Add just before serving with lemon juice to taste.

The enormous increase in the popularity of pasta means that you can now buy it fresh as well as dried in most supermarkets. The fresh is so much better that it seems pointless to compare them - but it is also two or three times as expensive. Moreover, despite a choice of thicknesses, shapes and flavours, it is (at the time ofwriting) virtually impossible to buy fresh wholemeal pasta: the only suppliers I have found are one or two London shops which do not normally sell it but will make it to order. You also cannot use fresh pasta for making cannelloni, as fresh cannelloni pipes will not keep their shape unless sold readyfilled.

Of the recipes in this chapter, the ones for which fresh pasta makes the most difference are Pasta with Peppers and Parsley Butter and Pasta with Courgettes and Basil Butter. Part of the attraction of both is their simplicity, which means that the quality of the pasta is particularly noticeable.

Fresh pasta should be stored in the refrigerator. If loose, it will stay moist for 24 hours; if packaged in an airtight container, for 48 hours.

I commented on the tastelessness of tomatoes in The Student Cook Book: one reason for it is that, in order to secure high yields, producers give their plants the most favourable conditions possible, whereas to achieve flavour unfavourable conditions - that is, poor soil and scarcity ofwater- are in fact necessary. Efforts to improve taste are being made, but at the moment most of the commercially grown tomatoes available need the addition of a substantial quantity of puree if they are to make an interesting sauce. It also helps to add a very small amount of sugar, which has a disproportionate effect in boosting sweetness. Other suggestions for improving flavour are to use ripe rather than hard fruit and to simmer the sauce for the full recommended time.

Whereas most of the dishes in the book will taste better if made with olive oil, it is especially desirable for pasta sauces. I have given the smallest practicable quantities of oil in all the recipes.