Smoked Salmon and Spelt Kedgeree

This is absolutely delicious. I had it for lunch, so I left the spelt to cool before topping with the salmon and egg. It's a great big hit of vitamin D too.

Smoked Salmon and Spelt Kedgeree
(Serves 2)

1 leek, sliced
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp curry powder
100g pearled spelt
500ml chicken or veg stock
2 eggs
100g green beans, chopped
juice 1/2 lemon
handful chopped dill
100g smoked salmon

Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the leek, cook for 10 mins, stirring occasionally. Add the curry powder and cook for 1 min. Add the spelt and stock and simmer, stirring occasionally for 15-20 mins, until the liquid has been absorbed.

Meanwhile, put the eggs in a saucepan full of water bring to the boil and boil for 9 mins, adding the green beans for the last 2 mins of cooking time.

Peel and quarter the eggs. Season the spelt and stir in the juice 1/2 lemon, the beans and the dill. Top with the smoked salmon and eggs. Serve.

Spelt and Spinach Salad with Prosciutto and Pear

I made this quite by accident, I suddenly realised looking through the cookbook this recipe comes from that I had all the ingredients and so made a last minute change to my meal plan. It's not usually my sort of thing but as I know that parma ham goes well with melon I though I'd give it a go with pear and it was delicious, the spelt added extra bite.

Spelt and Spinach Salad with Prosciutto and Pear from (Super Grains &Seeds by Amy Ruth Finegold)
(Serves 4)

200g spelt
handful fresh thyme
100g baby spinach
2 pears, sliced
12 slices prosciutto
salt and pepper

For the dressing
3 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
6 tbsp olive oil

Put the spelt in a pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over a high heat and then cook according to packet instructions. When cooked, drain and leave to cool.

Make the dressing by whisking 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar together with the oil.

Pour the dressing over the spelt and sprinkle in the thyme. Mix in the spinach and season with salt and pepper.

Put the spelt, spinach and thyme mixture onto a plate or into a lunchbox, and layer the pears and prosciutto on top.

Drizzle the extra 1 1/2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar over the top and serve.

Spelt Salad with Paprika Chicken, Tomatoes and Green Beans

I made a complete wreck of this recipe and didn't really read the recipe properly. So there are a few things missing from the original recipe. I also forgot to marinate the chicken, but nevermind! It was still a lovely filling salad and the roast cherry tomatoes were out of this world!

Spelt Salad with Paprika Chicken, Tomatoes and Green Beans
(from Amazing Grains by Ghillie James)
(Serves 4)

2 tsp oil
3 tsp smoked paprika
zest 1 lemon
juice 1/2 lemon
1 1.5kg chicken
300g cherry tomatoes
150g green beans
200g spelt
700ml chicken stock
3 spring onions, finely sliced
3 handfuls salad leaves
12 pitted black olives, halved
salt and pepper

For the dressing
1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp capers, chopped
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
juice 1/2 lemon
2 tbsp parsley, chopped

Mix together the oil, paprika and lemon zest and juice, along with some salt and pepper and rub all over the chicken. Leave for 20 mins to marinate. Preheat the oven to 200C.

Transfer the chicken to a roasting tin and roast in the oven for 1 hour or until the juices run clear. Baste the chicken once during cooking and then again before adding the tomatoes to the tin for the final 20 mins.

Meanwhile, bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the spelt according to packet instructions, adding the beans for the last 3 mins. Drain and refresh under the cold tap and put into a bowl.

Transfer the tomatoes from the roasting tin to the bowl. Put the chicken on a board and lave to rest. Spoon off any fat from the tin and add 2 tbspfuls of the remaining juices to the bowl. Shred the chicken and add to the bowl along with the spring onion, salad leaves and olives.

Whisk the dressing ingredients together. Pout two thirds of the dressing over the salad, tossing everything together. Serve, adding more dressing if needed.

Smoked Salmon and Spelt Kedgeree

This was a really lovely fresh tasting lunch, with nice crunchy veg and chewy spelt and the softness of the smoked salmon. Definitely one worth trying.

Smoked Salmon and Spelt Kedgeree (from Waitrose Magazine)
(Serves 2)

1 tbsp oil
1 leek, sliced
1 tbsp curry powder
100g spelt
500ml chicken or vegetable stock
2 eggs
100g green beans, quartered
juice half a lemon
handful chopped dill
100g smoked salmon, sliced

Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the leek, cook for 10 mins. Add 1tsp curry powder and cook, stirring for 1 min. Add the spelt and the stock. Simmer stirring occasionally for 15-20 mins until all the liquid has been absorbed.

Meanwhile, boil the eggs for 9 mins adding the green beans for the last 2 mins. Drain and run under the cold tap. Peel and quarter the eggs.

Season the spelt and stir in the lemon juice, beans and the dill. Leave to cool. Top with the smoked salmon and the eggs an pack into a lunchbox or serve.

Spelt, Beetroot and Goat's Cheese Salad

The inspiration for this came from a Waitrose ready to go meal and I used the ingredients on the packet   minus the rubbish to make my own version. The original has lentils in it but I didn't have any so I left them out. The salad was ok, not the best thing ever but decent.

Spelt, Beetroot and Goat's Cheese Salad

(Serves 1)

1 small beetroot, quartered

50g spelt 

1 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tbsp creme fraiche 

Squeeze lemon juice

handful mint, chopped

handful spinach

25g goat's cheese, crumbled

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Put the beetroot in the middle of a piece of tin foil drizzle with balsamic vinegar scrunch the tin foil over the top of the beetroot and bake in the oven for 1 hour until soft. Leave to cool.

Bring a pan of water to the boil, add the spelt and cook according to packet instructions. Drain, run under the cold tap, drain again well.

Mix the mayonnaise, creme fraiche and lemon together in a bowl. Chop the beetroot into small pieces and add them and the spelt and mint to the mayonnaise mixture. Mix well to combine. Add in the spinach and goats cheese and stir gently. Pack into a lunch box or serve.

River Cottage Kale Speltotto with Goat's Cheese

I made this on a bit of a him so that I could use up the spring greens growing in my garden before the slugs or caterpillars got them. I also used barley instead of spelt, which took much longer to cook and much more liquid than the time given for spelt. Nevertheless it was really tasty and well worth my arm falling off from all the stirring!

 

Kale Speltotto with Goat's Cheese

(from River Cottage Veg - Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall)

(Serves 4)

1l vegetable stock

50g butter

2 tbsp oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

A few sprigs thyme, leaves chopped

2-3 leeks, trimmed and sliced into 2cm thick slices

150g kale or spring greens, stems removed and leaves shredded

300g pearled spelt or barley

125ml white wine

50g hard goat's cheese

salt and pepper

Heat the stock in a saucepan and keep it at a low simmer over a very low heat.

Heat about half the butter and 1 tbsp of the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and thyme and sweat gently for about 10 mins, until the onion is soft.

Stir the spelt through the softened onions and cook gently for a min or two. Add the wine and let it bubble until all the liquid is absorbed.

Now start adding the stock, about a quarter at the time, as you would for a risotto, stirring often, letting  each addition be absorbed before adding the next. It should take about 25 mins for the spelt (10-15 mins longer for barley) to become tender but still with a bit of bite.

While the spelt is cooking, sweat the leeks in the remaining oil and butter in a small frying pan over a medium heat, tossing and stirring occasionally, until tender. Add the kale or greens for the last 5 mins.

Take the finished Speltotto off the heat and stir through the leeks, kale or greens and grated cheese. Season. Serve topped with more grated cheese or sliced goat's cheese and a grinding of pepper.