Comfort Food- Lentil Pie with Celeriac Mash

by Lou Robbie

The clocks have gone back, the nights are drawing in and the air is crisp and cold, its time to amp up the comfort food. Warm spicy lentils topped with buttery celeriac and potato mash, just what you need to comfort the soul. Celeriac isn’t always an obvious root veg choice, you wont always find it in the supermarket, but we proudly grow it and it tastes delicious served this way. Plus it is great for you too, high in vitamin C and K!

What’s more this dish cooks in under 1 hour, will feed a crowd, it freezes and reheats really well.

Pop a celeriac in your online basket soon.

Lou 🙂

Ingredients: serves 6

  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 medium onion- finely diced
  • 3 cloves garlic- finely chopped
  • 2 small sweet potato (380g approx)- diced
  • 200g red lentils, washed and drained
  • 1 tin chopped tomatoes (400g)
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 heaped teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
  • 1 heaped teaspoon cumin
  • 1 tablespoon thyme leaves
  • 1 tablespoon chopped sage
  • 500ml hot veg stock (or stock cube with water)
  • 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce (vegan)

For the mash:

  • 1 small celeriac 450g
  • 4 potatoes – 450g
  • 50g milk – of choice
  • 75g butter – of choice
  • salt & pepper

Method:

Step 1: Being with the mash. Peel and dice the celeriac and potato and steam until tender. Then mash with butter, milk, salt and pepper.

Step 2: While the celeriac and potatoes steam start the lentils. Warm a wide pot on a medium heat, add the onions and cook slowly to soften, 5-10 minutes, add the garlic, chilli, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper and cook for a further few minutes to toast the spices. Next add the diced sweet potato, stir to coat in the spices. Then add the thyme leaves, chopped sage, red lentils, chopped tomatoes and hot stock. Simmer on a low heat for about 30-40 minutes until the sweet potato is cooked through, stir occasionally to stop the lentils catching on the bottom of the pot. . Taste and stir in the worcestershire sauce. Keep the lentils in the same pot or transfer to a wide baking dish 25cm x 25cm approx.

Step 3: Turn on the grill. Top the cooked lentils with mash and use a fork to make a nice design. Grill the pie until the top is golden and crispy, then serve.

Crispy Parsnip Rosti w/ Apple Aioli

by Lou Robbie

Sweet Irish parsnips are plentiful in October. They are a wonderful root vegetable with a distinctive flavour that fills the house when its cooking.

My mother would always serve them mashed with carrots with our Sunday dinner. I don’t remember having them any other way as a child! Now I like to roast, steam or slow cook them to intensify the flavour. Here we’ve swapped the common potato for parsnip in a really tasty rosti. Made even more flavoursome with the punchy apple aioli on the side, you wont regret trying this one.

Lou 🙂

Ingredients: Makes 12 small rosti and a pot of aioli

For the rosti

450g parsnips, peeled and coarsely grated
1 medium white onion, peeled and coarsely grated
1 egg
6 tbsp plain flour
pinch salt and pepper

For the apple aioli
2 apples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely grated
1 tbsp cider vinegar
180ml mild olive oil. salt and pepper

Method:

Step 1: Grate the parsnips and onion and put them in a bowl, squeeze out any excess liquid, and season with salt and pepper. Crack in the egg and spoon in the flour. Mix well with your hands.

Step 2: Make the aioli. Cook the apple in a small pot with a splash of water until soft for 5-10 minutes. Set aside to cool. Then add to a small blender along with the grated garlic, cider vinegar, salt and pepper. Blend again and very slowly pour the oil in to emulsify the sauce. Taste it and adjust if needed.

Step 3: Cook the roti. Warm a non stick frying pan on a medium heat, add some oil to coat the pan. Spoon on 3-4 parsnip mounds and gently push down to flatten. cook for a few minutes on either side until golden. Repeat. Fry in a small bit of butter and then serve alongside the delicious aioli.

Pumpkin Banana Bread

by Lou Robbie

Organic orange pumpkins are sweet and delicious and marry perfectly with banana, spices and chocolate! While the supermarkets are jammed with ornamental pumpkins, in October, that will be carved and go to waste we think its much better for the planet that we roast them and cook and bake with them as nature intended.

This recipe will give you a delicious bread that isn’t too sweet or spicy its just right. Add butter if you like and tea or pumpkin spiced latte!

Keep cosy with this one.

Lou 🙂

Ingredients:⁣
⁣
▪️100g pumpkin puree (*homemade see below)
▪️⁣2 large ripe banana
▪️4 tablespoons neutral oil
▪️2 medium eggs ⁣
▪️70ml maple syrup ⁣
▪️300g plain flour⁣
▪️2 tsp baking powder⁣
▪️1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda⁣
▪️2 tsp mixed pumpkin spice or ground cinnamon ⁣
▪️80g chopped dark chocolate

Method:

  • *Follow the link to make your own pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice mix- Click here
  • Step 1: Preheat the oven 160ºc and line a loaf tin with a liner or parchment paper.
  • Step 2: Mash the bananas well and add them to a mixing bowl along with the pumpkin puree, oil, eggs, maple syrup, mix well.
  • Step 3: Sieve in the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, mixed spice. Stir gently, then add 3/4 of the chopped chocolate. Spoon into the loaf tin. Smooth the batter and sprinkle with the remaining chopped chocolate.
  • Bake for 35-45 minutes until cooked through. Test with a skewer. Cool and slice.

Autumn Roast Squash Soup

by Lou Robbie

Autumn squash soup with lots of roast garlic and warming spices. This is a hug in a bowl and we’ve even added a cheese toastie for extra comfort. You can easily swap the butternut squash for Kuri (pumpkin) squash to make an equally delicious bowl of soup.

Roasting the veg first is key to getting in those extra sweet and caramelised notes and we’ve made the prep part easy by just chopping everything in half and loading it on to the roasting tin. We’ve added some lovely sweet Irish carrots, cherry tomatoes from our tunnels and the best of Irish organic onions.

Nutrient dense and perfect for cosy autumn days.

Lou 🙂

Ingredients: makes 4 generous portions

Method:

  • Preheat the oven: 180ºC.
  • Step 1: Prepare the veg: Chop the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Wash and chop the carrots in half, slice the top off the bulb of garlic, peel and half the onions. Wash the tomatoes. Put all the veg on a baking tray.
  • Step 2: Sprinkle with paprika, cumin, salt and drizzle in oil. Roast in the oven for 40 -50 minutes, test everything is cooked by piercing with a sharp knife.
  • Step 3: Put all the cooked veg into a powerful blender along with hot stock. Blend and then add to a pot with the coconut milk, gently heat through on the hob and serve.

Spicy Beetroot Crepe (dosa)

by Lou Robbie

Blushing beautiful beetroot so vibrant and sweet. They are a nutritional powerhouse, good for your heart and blood and gut. We’ve increased the nutrient value by adding some wholesome ingredients to make these delicious dosas. Eat them as they are, add a sandwich filling with roast veggies or eat along side a spiced dahl. My kids called them pink wraps and thats a good description too.

I love to steam all my beets and then use them in various ways like roasting with balmasic vinegar for a salad, slicing to eat in a sandwich, grated to add to chocolate muffins etc.

How do you like to cook with beetroot?

Lou 🙂

PS – it may not be an authentic dosa recipe but it is really tasty all the same.

Ingredients: makes 4

  • 75g oats
  • 100g chickpea flour (gram flour)
  • 1 small cooked beetroot– steamed is best (125g)
  • 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
  • 1 small green chilli, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon salt 
  • 150ml-200ml water as needed 
  • oil to cook

Method:

  • Step 1: To a powerful blender add all the ingredients apart from the water. Blend the ingredients and add the water a little at a time to make a batter. The consistency of the batter is really important it should be pourable like crepe batter.
  • Step 2: Heat a frying pan on a medium heat. Drizzle with oil and carefully wipe with kitchen paper to coat the pan.
  • Step 3: Add a ladle of the batter to the pan, use the back of the ladle to thin out the batter and form a round shape. Cook on a low heat for a few minutes then use a spatula to carefully flip over and cook for a further minute. Repeat.
  • Enjoy

Date and Peanut Butter Bark

by Lou Robbie

We are huge fans of easy homemade snacks and it doesn’t get easier than this! Just 3 ingredients plus sea salt if you have it! Make it with 100% organic ingredients and it can be vegan too if you like! It takes just 5 minutes to make and a wee while to set. This has been a viral sensation recently and we can see why. It really ticks all the boxes with toffee notes from the dates, creamy peanut butter and glorious chocolate to finish.

We feel its best stored in the freezer, just chop off a chunk as needed. Find all of the best organic ingredients needed in our groceries.

Enjoy this one, as always let us know if you try it.

Lou 🙂

Ingredients: makes enough for 16 big pieces

Method:

  • Step 1: Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Open the dates and lay flat on the parchment paper, make a rectangle shape with them. Lay another piece of parchment paper on top and push down with a rolling pin or glass to flatten.
  • Step 2: Spread the peanut butter all over the dates. Use a pallet knife if you have one.
  • Step 3: Melt the chocolate in a bowl over simmering water or in the microwave. Pour over the peanut butter and smooth over with a pallet knife. Sprinkle with sea salt if you like.
  • Step 4: Put the tray in the freezer to set for at least 1 hour. Chop the bark into pieces of shards. Store the pieces in a box in the fridge or freezer for 1 week.

Spiced Veggie Fritters- GF/no egg

by Lou Robbie

We love these fritters! In fact I made them twice at the Farm Walk and I was asked for the full recipe so here it is. This is especially for Kenneths mother Maureen, who I promised I would share this, so she can make them at home herself.

This September we are making a conscious decision to eat more Irish produce, the carrots and courgettes are from the farm. While the other ingredients are from further afield we are happy knowing that these came from Irish soil. And I tell my kids that when we eat these fritters. Oh and my daughter had these in her lunchbox for school and loved them.

Let us know if you try them.

Lou 🙂

Ingredients: makes 18

Method:

  • Step 1: Using a machine or box grater, grate the courgette, carrot, sweet potato and red onion, mix well.
  • Step 2: In a separate bowl add the chickpea flour, curry powder, chilli flakes, salt and pepper, mix well.
  • Step 3: Pour the seasoned chickpea flour all over the grated veggies and using you hands mix really well, this will take a few minutes. Really give it a good squeeze and work it almost like a dough. The liquid from the veg will help to form a batter with the flour.
  • Step 4: Warm a frying pan on a medium heat, add tablespoon of oil. Shape the mix into small patties fry for a couple of minutes, flip and fry again until cooked through. Transfer to a wire rack and repeat.

Easy Red Lentil Dahl with Greens

by Lou Robbie

This is a super economical dish that is nutritious, tasty and so easy to make. A great tip, I learned from a great chef, is to cook the lentils in a separate pot, strain and add them to the cooked curried sauce. This way the lentils cook quickly and evenly. More details in the recipe below.

We’d love you to try our easy basic dahl recipe and roast up some seasonal veg to add to it. You could add roasted carrots, parsnips, celeriac, beetroot, chard, spinach basically anything you fancy. We’ve used gorgeous iron rich broccoli and kale fresh from our farm.

Enjoy,

Lou 🙂

Ingredients: serves 4-5

  • For the lentils:
  • 1.5 tablespoons oil
  • 350g red split lentils
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp salt
  • For the sauce: 
  • 1 onion, finely dices
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely grated
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely grated
  • 1 tsp garam masala 
  • 1/2 tsp chilli flakes – more if you like it hot
  • 2 tsp curry powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 bay leaf 
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  • 1 tin chopped tomatoes (400g)
  • Added veg: 
  • 1 small head broccoli, chopped
  • 100g kale, finely chopped
  • To serve: lemon, yoghurt and chopped coriander

Method:

Step 1: Begin by cooking the lentils. Add them to a pot, rinse with cold water a few times to remove and dirt, discard the water. Then cover with fresh water add the turmeric and salt. Bring to a simmer on the hob and cook for about 20 minutes or until the lentils are completely soft. Stir a few times while they cook. Then strain and set aside.

Step 2: While the lentils cook start the sauce. Add the oil to a wide pot along with the onions, garlic and ginger, cook on low for 5-10 minutes until the onions are soft, put a lid on if you have one. Then tip in the spices, the curry powder, garam masala, chilli flakes, salt, bay leaf and brown sugar. Stir to coat and toast for a few minutes.

Step 3: Pour in the tinned tomatoes, add some water to the tin and swirl it into the pot and let the sauce cook on low for 10 minutes. Then add the cooked lentils stir and cook for a further 10 minutes.

Step 4: While the sauce cooks make chop the broccoli and roast it in the oven at 170ºc for 15 minutes or air fry 170ºc for 15 minutes. Finely chop the kale.

Step 5: When the dahl is cooked taste it, add more salt and pepper if needed. Stir in the roasted broccoli and chopped kale.

Homemade Roast Tomato Sauce – Preserve for the winter

by Lou Robbie

Need an incredible tomato sauce? Just 4 ingredients needed for this deep, sweet, intense sauce. We grow the sweetest cherry tomatoes in the summertime. During peak season the vines are heaving with juicy fruit just waiting to be picked, packed and delivered to homes all over Ireland. And while we can’t grow them in the colder Irish months we can find ways to preserve them just like this simple recipe that only requires a few ingredients.

The joy of pulling your own organic tomato sauce from the freezer is truly satisfying. And the sweetness remains to add to your stews, soups and sauces all through the winter.

This recipe could not be easier, we hope you try it.

Lou 🙂

Ingredients: makes 1kg of sauce (1 big jar or 4 small jars)

Method:

Step 1: Preheat the oven 200ºC. Have 2 large baking trays ready to go.

Step 2: Wash the cherry tomatoes and discard the green stems. cut in half, place them on the trays cut side up.

Step 3: Drizzle with a small bit of oil, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for about 45 minutes, until they are soft and char around the edges.

Step 4: Scoop into a blender and blend until the desired consistency. Keep it chunky or smooth if you prefer.

Step 5: While warm pour into freezer safe jars or containers. Date and label for the freezer.

Defrost your preserved homemade organic roast tomato sauce in the winter months, when fresh ones are not available. Use it for soups, sauces, stews and more.

5 “Back to School” Handy Wholesome Dinners

by Lou Robbie

Back to school and back to busy schedules for the whole house! September can be a great time to reset your eating habits, its a bit like new year. We love to pull out the recipe books and plan some wholesome hearty meals, using lots of vegetables from the farm, to make September run smoothly and enjoy the cosy autumn evenings.

We’ve put 5 of our favourite recipes together for you. Most of them just need one pot and some need an extra one for the rice or pasta, so minimal fuss. The vegetables from the farm make each dish sing, cauliflower, courgettes, cherry tomatoes, squash, spuds and kale. Theres something for everyone.

We like to get back to having family meals together in the evening, talking about the school day, new friends, new subjects and all the time taking enjoyment in the food we eat.

We hope you enjoy these recipes, please let us know if you try them in the comments below.

Lou 🙂

Click on the recipe below to bring you to each recipe:

  1. 3 Bean Chilli – slow cooker

2. Veggie Thai Green Curry – slow cooker

3. Creamy Courgette Orzo Pasta– one pot

4. Cauliflower & Potato Satay Curry – one pot

5. Cherry Tomato Pasta – quick meal