BASIC COCKTAIL INGREDIENTS RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. Wash the lentils, then place them in a pan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender. Meanwhile, blitz all the vegetables, garlic and ginger in a food processor until finely chopped.
  2. Heat enough oil to cover the bottom of a large saucepan, put it on a low heat, add the spices and fry gently for a couple of minutes. Then add the onions, carrots, pepper, garlic, ginger, coriander stalks, the chilli and all the spices and fry gently for 5-10 minutes until the onions start to soften.
  3. Add the tomatoes, water and lentils and simmer for another 30 minutes before adding the coconut milk. Bring to the boil then remove from the heat and blend until smooth using a hand blender. Season to taste. Set aside to cool then use as required.
  4. Tip Any surplus sauce can be frozen to use at a later date.
  5. This recipe is from School Dinners.

Steps:

• 1. Peel and finely chop the garlic, then gently fry in a thick-bottomed pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Crumble in the chilli, add the oregano and tomatoes.
  2. Mix gently, but do not break up the tomatoes as this will release the pips, which will make the sauce slightly bitter – by leaving the tomatoes whole and letting the mixture cook slowly you’ll get a nice sweet sauce. (You can remove the pips from the tomatoes if you want, but I don’t bother.) Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 1 hour.
  3. Add the vinegar to the pan, then stir and chop up the tomatoes in the sauce.
  4. Pick the basil or marjoram and roughly chop, then add to the pan.
  5. Season well to taste with sea salt and black pepper, and finish with 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.