These fritters from Eden Owen-Jone were inspired by the North Indian lentil fritter Dahi Vada, traditionally served after being fried and soaked, in a smothering of spiced yogurt and topped with coriander and tamarind chutneys.
Savoy cabbage leaves are stuffed with a hearty lentil filling and allowed to simmer in the oven, leaving you plenty of time to tidy up the kitchen or unwind with a glass of wine.
These bon bons have a moist savoury filling with a crunchy breaded exterior. The marrowfat peas are gently simmered until tender before being mixed with smoked tofu to create the filling. Eden has paired them with a burnt leek XO sauce which is deeply savoury, spicy, sweet and a little smokey. Together they make the perfect side dish or starter.
Sarah and Aitana of The Little Cooking Pot love to recreate dishes they’ve tasted abroad, using as much British produce as possible. On an adventure in Japan, they made a lifelong friendship with Nana, who taught them how to make miso. Since that trip, 5 years ago, making miso has become an annual tradition in their kitchen.
Give carlin peas the petits pois treatment: braising with butter, onion, white wine, lettuce and mint. The hearty nuttiness of the carlin peas makes for a more substantial dish than traditional fresh green peas. Serve with boiled Jersey Royals or other new potatoes to soak up the buttery sauce.
This tofu, based on the Burmese variety typically made from chickpea flour, is very quick and easy to make from store cupboard ingredients. It can be adapted to use other pulse flours as Victoria has done here with green pea flour.
These gluten-free potato gnocchi use our British-grown chickpea flour, but any pulse flour would work well. We've paired the gnocchi with pesto and spring veg in a rich stock and topped them with colourful chive flowers and blistered radishes.
Savoury pancakes like these make a decadent dinner though the pancakes are incredibly simple to make with just three ingredients - chickpea flour, water and salt. Any pulse flour would work well in this recipe.
You can make 'tofu' with any pulse, not just the traditional soybeans. Eden's recipe for homemade flamingo pea tofu is a perfect balance of sweet, smoke and umami flavours, paired with earthy celeriac and cavolo nero.
Here we have another recipe for James Taylor's school meals. James works in two London primary schools, improving their school meals to provide nutritious, delicious and environmentally sustainable meals for their children. We started working with James in 2023 to help him get pulses on the menu in his school. James describes the challenges of introducing young people to pulses when they are unfamiliar with them in their diets. However, James has shared with us a few of his recipes for success.
Farinata is a simple but delicious street food from north-western Italy. Made by soaking chickpea flour and then baking or frying on high heat to make a unleavened savoury 'pancake'. The charming (but presumably apocryphal) story of its origin was that a group of Roman soldiers cooked farinata a shield.
