I like going to the supermarket or farmers markets at the end of the week. Taking my time at each visit I don’t pass up a chance for a little look at the discounted chillers and shelves in the supermarket for a bargain! In Marylebone, central London, there is a weekly farmers market on Sunday till about 2pm. I mostly buy fruit and vegetables, bakery items, cheeses and sometimes flowers, they all look so inviting, fresh and have rarer varieties than in the shops. It is so difficult to choose and very hard to resist buying more than I need for a small household. Although I haven’t yet tried the meats, eggs, fish and seafood as I have reliable independent suppliers near me.
Before I can stock up the fridge for the new week, there are generally a few bits and bobs that need eating up. Today on the way to church I asked my husband what he wanted for supper and he said something with yoghurt in it. What a strange request I thought, but even stranger is that he had been drinking the kefir this week. Normally I’m the only taker of that stuff, occasionally the dog might entertain me. Anyway, the weather was surprisingly warm today, a simple, light and cooling meal would be ideal for the cook and the diner. For that I looked into the fridge and the pantry and voila, here it is, spiced bean patties, served with a yoghurt sauce and a crunchy salad.
PS parsley stalks are full of flavour. I use them in different dishes, in a chopped salad, salsa verde or chimichurri or in cooking a stock (vegetarian or meat/chicken/fish based). Admittedly they are a bit chewy, so finely chopped if eaten raw would be ideal. The leaves can be rough chopped or even just torn into a salad bowl, I love eating it like a robust salad leaf.
A tin of red kidney beans in water, drained
2 spring onions, finely chopped
About 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley stalks
1 tablespoon mild curry powder
1/2 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic granules
Salt and pepper, to taste
Olive oil
10g (2 level teaspoons) plain flour or chickpea flour if you need it to be gluten free
120g Greek yoghurt
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
Salt and pepper, to taste
Zataar to garnish, optional
- Mix the ingredients for the yoghurt sauce and keep it in the fridge while you get on with the rest of the meal prep.
- For the bean patties, mash and break up the drained red kidney beans (using a fork or a masher), then mix in the rest of the ingredients. Add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil and mix everything well. Form into patties and place them on a plate and chill in the fridge for about 20 minutes. This will firm up the mixture so they won’t break up when pan fried.
- Check the fridge for any fruit and vegetables that need using up. I had half a cucumber, about 10 cherry tomatoes, a sweet orange pepper, some pomegranate seeds, an avocado, and parsley. Slice, chop and tear the ingredients accordingly and drizzle on a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, a little pomegranate molasses (or balsamic vinegar), S&P. Set aside.
- Gradually heat a frying pan on medium heat, when it is ready, add a tablespoon of oil, swirl it around. Place the patties in and leave them to fry undisturbed for 5 minutes. Don’t be tempted to turn up the heat as you want to create a crust on the outside and cook through the centre without burning them. Using a spatula, gently turn them over, they should now be golden and repeat the same on the other side.
- Serve hot with the cold yoghurt sauce and refreshing salad.
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