SMOKING VEGETABLES RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Place a griddle pan over a high heat to get smoking hot.
  2. Halve and deseed the peppers, then add to the griddle with the corn. Grill for 8 to 10 minutes, or until charred and bar-marked, turning occasionally. Remove to a plate to cool.
  3. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium frying pan over a medium heat. Drain and add the black beans, stir in the cumin and fry for 4 to 5 minutes, or until crisp, stirring occasionally.
  4. Once cooled, cut the corn kernels away from the cob and chop the peppers into 1.5cm chunks. Reserving 1 tablespoon of the corn, add to a large bowl with the peppers and black beans.
  5. Trim, finely slice and add the spring onions, reserving a small handful to one side. Deseed, finely slice and add the chilli. Pick and add most of the coriander leaves, reserving the stalks.
  6. Squeeze in the lime juice and season well with sea salt and black pepper.
  7. Wipe the frying pan clean with kitchen paper, then return to a medium heat with 1 tablespoon of oil.
  8. Peel and finely slice the garlic and finely slice the coriander stalks, then add to the pan for 1 minute.
  9. Stir in the tomatoes and ½ a tin’s worth of hot water, breaking up the tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes, or until thickened and reduced.
  10. Season to taste, carefully transfer to a liquidiser and blitz until smooth.
  11. Divide the vegetable mixture between 8 corn tortillas and roll them up. Line them up in a snug-fitting baking dish (roughly 20cm x 30cm), with the scruffy ends tucked underneath.
  12. Pour over the tomato sauce, coarsely grate the Cheddar on top and crumble over the feta.
  13. Drizzle with a little oil, then pop in the hot oven for 25 minutes, or until bubbling and golden.
  14. Serve scattered with the reserved corn, spring onion and coriander leaves. Delicious with a crisp green salad.

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF/gas 5.
  2. Peel the carrots and onion, then trim and slice along with the fennel (reserving any herby tops, to garnish). Place in a roasting dish, toss with 2 tablespoons of oil.
  3. Roast for 20 minutes, then add the unpeeled garlic cloves. Stir everything thoroughly and return to the oven for 20 minutes more, or until the vegetables are soft and browned.
  4. Remove and discard the papery skins from the garlic cloves. Put the roasted veg in a large pan with the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Simmer gently for 15 minutes, then liquidise with a stick blender, until completely smooth.
  5. To make the flatbreads, toast the fennel seeds in a dry frying pan for 30 seconds or so, until fragrant. Crush roughly with a pestle and mortar, then pour into a bowl with the flour and ½ teaspoon of sea salt.
  6. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in 100ml of hand-hot (not boiling) water, then add it to the flour mixture with the oil and 60 to 75ml of hot water and mix until you have a soft, but not sticky, dough. Knead for 5 minutes.
  7. Pop the dough into an oiled bowl, cover with oiled clingfilm and set aside to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes. Then, with oiled hands, divide the dough into 8 and roughly roll each one into a thin oval. Stack them up, separating them with baking paper to stop them from sticking together.
  8. Heat a griddle pan until it’s smoking hot and add the flatbreads (you’ll need to do this in batches). Cook for a couple of minutes on each side, until charred and puffed up. Keep warm in a tea towel while cooking the rest.
  9. Gently reheat the soup, and serve with a swirl of cream, a scattering of herby fennel tops (if you have them) and the hot flatbreads.