Soup and superheroes (a la Angela Petrelli)

I love Heroes, the TV show that is. It's so exciting and intricate. You can just imagine that Peter Petrelli, with one flick of his wrist, could do the dishes, the ironing, the weekly shop and walk the dog and still have the energy to make a romantic three course meal, any male who can do that has got to be a keeper.  Also one or two of the cast members are rather easy on the eye which always helps, although sadly they don't sport the skin tight get up that most traditional superheroes seem compelled to wear.  

Why am I rambling on about Heroes, you may ask? Well, last weeks episode (sorry, this is a spoiler if you haven't seen it) showed Angela Petrelli poisoning her husband with a rather lovely looking Italian lentil soup, so I thought I'd have a go at re-creating it for a midweek dinner for both of us, minus the poison obviously, possibly, well he does keep leaving he clothes lying everywhere!

I didn't consult any recipe books, just decided to delve into the depths of my cook's brain and dream something sort of authentic up. The result was a rather tasty and not too gluttonous soup which went down very well, obviously need to add more anti-freeze next time!

Serves 2-3

150g green lentils

1 stick celery, finely chopped

1 small/medium onion, finely chopped

2 medium carrots, finely chopped

1 fat clove of garlic, finely chopped

large handful of flat leaf parsley, 2 large bay leaves and a sprig of rosemary, tied in a bunch with string

a small handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Extra virgin olive oil

150g pancetta cut into cubes

1 Litre chicken stock

Heat a deep, wide saucepan (I use an SKK pan) and add about a tablespoon of olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the chopped onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Cook for a few minutes until they begin to soften, then add the herbs. Cook for another few minutes before adding the lentils. Stir around to coat the lentils with the oil and add the chicken stock. Cover and simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour until the lentils are completely soft. Meanwhile heat a pan over a medium to high heat and add the pancetta cubes and fry until lightly coloured, then drain on kitchen paper. Once the lentils are cooked add the pancetta, season and add the freshly chopped parsley. Ladle into bowls and drizzle with olive oil before serving with hot buttered ciabata. 

Smoked Pancetta wrapped Scallops with broad beans and toasted ciabatta

This is the final recipe I made with the scallops. It's a really simple dish that can be a mid week treat as it's so quick to make. Smoked pancetta goes really well with the scallops and the crunch of the ciabatta gives a good contrast in texture.

Ingredients

Serves 2

Half a ciabatta loaf

two large handfuls of fresh salad leaves (watercress and rocket works well)

16 fresh queen scallops

a couple of handfuls of podded broad beans

8 rashers of smoked or ordinary pancetta

a tbsp of grated parmesan and parmesan shavings to garnish

A bay leaf

tbsp olive oil

Extra virgin olive oil 

Walnut oil (optional)

Freshly ground sea salt and black pepper

Heat the oven to 200 degrees. Place the broad beans in a pan of unsalted water and add the bay leaf. Bring to the boil and cook for about 20 minutes until tender. Immediately refresh under cold water to keep their colour, then slip them out of their skins. Cut the ciabatta into 1 inch chunks, put in a bowl with salt and pepper, tbsp of grated parmesan and tbsp of olive oil and mix to combine. Spread out on a baking sheet and put in the oven for five to ten minutes to go golden and crispy. Place the scallops in a bowl and season lightly and dress with a little olive oil. Take each rasher of pancetta and tear in half then wrap each scallop in a piece of pancetta and place on a baking sheet. Cook for about eight minutes until the pancettta is starting to crisp slightly. While the scallops are cooking, dress the salad leaves and broad beans with a little extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper. Take the ciabatta and scallops out of the oven. Place a handful of salad and broad beans on each plate then add the scallops and the ciabatta and drizzle with a little walnut oil and garnish with parmesan shavings.