Leon - Soups, Salads, & Snacks

In 2004 the first Leon restaurant opened in London and from there the founders Henry Dimbleby, John Vincent and Allegra McEvedy have probably never looked back. Creating fresh wholesome food with bold flavours and using simple natural local ingredients, winning awards and creating lovely cookbooks seems to be their speciality. Owning a few of their Little Leon - Naturally Fast Recipe cookbooks is a great idea. They are handy and most of the ingredients one may already have on hand. 

With warmer temperatures my appetite may wain however my enjoyment of all things, soothing, crispy and snacky go up. Which makes Soups, Salads, & Snacks perfect. The recipes are fast and may be prepared in 20 minutes. Recipes are taken from their full-sized Leon cookbooks. The Soup chapter offers recipes ranging from comfort to exotic, the Salad chapter offers quick recipes fit for dinner, and the Snack chapter has plenty of inspiration. The pages on, Things on Potatoes and Things on Toast offer a bit of a refreshment for those culinary staples.

This lovely salad is wheat free and vegetarian.   

Laura's Jewelled Salad

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Serves 4 ~ Prep time: 5 minutes ~ Cooking time: 5 minutes  

1 cup barley coucous

8 oz good quality feta cheese

1 cucumber

a bunch of mixed fresh green herbs, e.g. mint and cilantro

3/4 cup pine nuts

seeds of 1 large pomegranate

2 cloves of garlic

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

juice of 1 1/2 lemons

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Prepare the couches following the package instructions. Let cool in a large bowl.

2. Crumble the feta and slice the cucumber into chunks. Add these to the bowl, then roughly tear the herbs and add them, too.

3. Lightly toast the pine nuts in a skillet over low heat. When they turn a light golden colour, scatter them, along with the pomegranate seeds, onto the salad.

4. Peel and finely mince or grate the garlic. Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic and pour the dressing onto the salad. Toss gently to coat, season well with salt and pepper, and serve. 

I have seen a carrot dip recipe before and have been intrigued by it's simplicity and vibrancy. Therefore I thought I would share this recipe from the book as well. This dip is gluten free, wheat free, dairy free, and vegetarian, of course! 

Roasted Carrot & Cumin Dip

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Serves 4 to 6 ~ Prep time: 10 minutes ~ Cooking time: 50 minutes

10 - 12 carrots (about 1 1/2 lbs), coarsely chopped

3 tablespoons olive oil

a pinch of sugar (optional)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 clove of garlic, peeled and coarsely crushed

2 tablespoons water

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat the oven to 400ºF.

2 Toss the carrots in a roasting pan with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, a pinch of sugar (if you feel like it), and a good sprinkle of salt and pepper.

3. Cover with aluminum foil and roast for 45 - 50 minutes, or until a knife goes through the carrots easily.

4. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.

5. Once the carrots have cooled, put them into a food processor or blender and process, adding the cumin, garlic, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the water, until you have a nice creamy consistency. Serve at room temperature. 

Hope everyone is having a great week. - JD