Lentil Mushroom Feta Calzones

These lentil mushroom feta calzones are the perfect picnic food, easy to transport and even easier to eat. The filling is tasty and the crust divine. 

I made these into four large calzones to feed four hungry people but the dough and filling could be easily divided into small portions to make more smaller calzones. The combination of lentils, mushrooms and feta creates a hearty filling that even the carnivores in your family will enjoy. 

Lentil Mushroom Feta Calzones

The folding technique for the edges of the calzones is one that is employed by the bakers of the traditional Cornish pasty. Except I like to leave the little tail out rather than tucking in under. Check out how here: Cousin Jack's Pasty Co.

Ingredients

For the dough:

3/4 cup or 180ml lukewarm water (not hot)

1 teaspoon active-dry yeast

1/4 teaspoon sugar

2 cups or 250g strong bread flour, plus more if needed

1 teaspoon salt

Drizzle olive oil for the dough bowl

For the filling:

1/2 cup or 110g uncooked or 1 1/8 cups or 220g cooked/rinsed Puy (French) lentils (If you are cooking them, boil with 1/2 teaspoon baking soda till tender. Drain and rinse.)

6 1/3 oz or 180g baby portabella mushrooms

2-3 medium cloves garlic

Drizzle of oil for the cooking pan

1 medium tomato – about 4 2/3 oz or 130g, cut into small pieces

1 fresh jalapeño, optional but recommended, chopped 

Method

Put the yeast and sugar in a bowl. Pour in the warm water and give it a stir. Set aside for a few minutes. It should start to get foamy on top. 

In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, whisk the flour and salt together. Pour in the yeast mixture and mix well to form a soft dough.

Using the dough hook on the stand mixer, or kneading by hand against the counter, knead the dough until it forms a smooth, slightly tacky ball that springs back when you poke it, 5 to 8 minutes. If the dough sticks to the bowl or your hands, add a tablespoon of flour at a time until it’s easier to work with.

Avoid adding too much flour if possible. I didn’t add any this time whereas the last time, I added two tablespoons. This is the sort of thing that can change with your flour and the humidity in the air. 

If you're planning to make the calzones today, then give the dough a rise. Clean out the mixing bowl, coat it with a little oil, and transfer the dough back inside. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and let the dough rise until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Alternatively, you can store the dough in the fridge and make the calzones the next day. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate. 

Either way, make the filling which can also be stored in the refrigerator overnight or cooled and used the same day. 

Put the cooked, rinsed lentils in a mixing bowl that is large enough to hold all of the filling ingredients, with room to stir. 

Clean and chop the mushrooms and mince the garlic. 

Drizzle a little oil into a big the pot and add the garlic. 

Cook it briefly, making sure it doesn’t burn, then add the mushrooms. 

Cook them until golden. Add them to the lentil bowl. 

Add the tomato and jalapeño, if using, to the now empty pot along with another drizzle of oil. 

Cook for 8-10 minutes, until the tomato and jalapeño are well cooked and slump into a paste. Add the paste to the lentil/mushroom bowl and stir well. Leave to cool. 

Once the rest of the filling is cool, crumble the feta and gently fold it in. 

Take the dough out of the refrigerator about half an hour before you are ready to bake. Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C.

Divide the dough into four balls.

Roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle about 7 in or 17.75cm across. 

Put about 1/4 of the cooled filling (about 5 1/3 oz or 150g) on one side of the circle.

Gently lift the other side up and over, pressing the air out as you stick the edges of the two halves together.

Starting on one side of the semi circle, crimp the edges to seal the calzones. (See note above the ingredient list for a link to an instructional video.) Repeat until all of the calzones have been filled and formed.

Transfer the calzones to your baking tray, leaving enough room between them so that they can rise while baking. Brush the tops lightly with olive oil.

Bake in your preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and puffed.

These can be eaten hot or at room temperature. 

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and since it’s National Picnic Month, we are going on a picnic! Hope the weather is fine where you live. Check out all the great recipe links below. Many thanks to our host, Camilla at Culinary Cam!

• A Crostini Array by Culinary Cam
• Bacon & Chive Deviled Eggs with Hot Honey by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Chocolate Truffle Cookies by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Eggless Brookies - Brownie Cookies by Sneha's Recipe
• Grill Cake (and Vanilla Cake Recipe) by Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Lentil Mushroom Feta Calzones by Food Lust People Love
• Lobster Roll Pasta Salad by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Mayo-less Tuna Salad by Our Good Life

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

Pin these lentil mushroom feta calzones!

 .

Fresh Blueberry Syrup

The blueberry flavor really shines in this fresh blueberry syrup and, with only four ingredients, it could not be easier to make. Serve it in/on everything from ice cream to pancakes and cocktails.

I was reminded recently during a trip to France, how many different ways we can cook fruit. Syrups, like this one, that are pourable, along with thicker concoctions with more fruit and less sugar like coulis or compote, and, of course, the sweetest of all, straight up jams, preserves and jellies. And I've probably missed out a couple.

When our host for this month’s Foodie Extravaganza chose National Blueberry Month for our theme, I knew I’d make one of the above. I settled on fresh blueberry syrup when I came across a cocktail calling for fruit syrup and I thought, ooooh, great idea!

So there will be a cocktail in our near future. Meanwhile, you can use it to my rhubarb fool one, just sub the blueberry syrup for the rhubarb syrup.

Fresh Blueberry Syrup

This syrup is lovely over pancakes, waffles or ice cream.  Once cooled, I also like to brush it on cakes or muffins as a glaze. This makes about about 2 1/4 cups or 532ml of syrup, unstrained.

Ingredients

1 lb or 450g fresh blueberries

1 cup or 240ml warm water

1 1/2 cups or 300g white sugar

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Method

Put the blueberries, water, and sugar in a medium pot over low heat and stir until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. 

Increase heat to medium and bring a gentle boil, stirring often, until the syrup starts to thickened, about 15 minutes. 

The blueberries should break down but if needed, you can press them with a potato masher to break them down more quickly.

Cook for a further 15 to 20 minutes more OR until the syrup is of your desired syrup consistency, keeping it mind that it will thicken a bit more as it cools. I cooked mine down by about a third, stirring frequently. 

Stir in the lemon juice. You can choose to strain out any blueberry solids, if desired, but I like the little bits of blueberry in the syrup.

Use immediately or cool in a sealed jar. 

Enjoy!

Are you a fan of blueberries? If so, July is your month! As I mentioned above, we are celebrating National Blueberry Month today. Check out the links below. Many thanks to our host, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm. 

• Blueberry Lemon Turnovers from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Fresh Blueberry Syrup from Food Lust People Love
• Grilled Pork Chops with Herbed Blueberry Sauce from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Grilled Peach and Blueberry Salad from Palatable Pastime
• Keto Mini Blueberry Coconut Flour Pancake from Sneha's Recipe
• Oatmeal Spice Cake Mix Cookies with Blueberries from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice

Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays by cooking and baking together with the same ingredient or theme each month. Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board.

Pin this fresh blueberry syrup!

.

Tenderstem Broccoli (Broccolini) Potato Salad

This tenderstem broccoli (broccolini) potato salad is made with Jersey Royal potatoes and a tangy, light, creamy dressing. It’s pretty much the perfect side for your next barbecue or brunch buffet. 

Like quite a few of you, I imagine, I belong to a bunch of Facebook groups. One I get a particular kick out of is affiliated with the great food magazine, delicious. published in the UK. Members share their recent dish photos, many from the magazine, and if we are lucky, they include a link to the magazine’s website with the recipe. 

I saw the inspiration for this salad there. Full disclosure, I’m one of the volunteer moderators so I can tell you that we’d love to have you join our happy band of delicious. food lovers. And if you haven’t perused their website yet, you are in for a treat. So many gorgeous recipes. 

A note about the name of the green vegetable. A cross between gai lan and broccoli, in the UK it’s called tenderstem broccoli but in the US, the name broccolini was trademarked in a cooperative agreement between the Japanese developer and Mann Packing Company, its first US distributor. In one of my past lives, I interviewed Gina Nucci, one of the then owners at Mann’s (twitter handle @ginabroccolini🤣) and learned all about it. She was an absolute delight. 

Tenderstem Broccoli (Broccolini) Potato Salad 

This salad can be made a day ahead and refrigerated overnight so it’s great for bringing to a potluck. As mentioned above, mine is an adaptation of this one from delicious. magazine. It was published in the May 2023 issue. 

Ingredients

1 lb  or 450g Jersey Royals or new potatoes, smaller ones left whole, larger ones halved

2 teaspoons fine sea salt, plus more for seasoning the salad at the end

7 oz or 200g tenderstem broccoli

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

2 green onions aka spring onions

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 tablespoon crème fraiche, sour cream or plain Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Freshly ground black pepper

Method

Scrub your new potatoes clean (usually the skins rub right off so there’s no need to peel them) and pop them in a pot with water to cover by a couple of inches. Add the salt and bring the pan to the boil. 

Cook the potatoes for about 12-15 minutes or until just tender.

Trim and discard any dry ends off of your tenderstem broccoli and split any thick stems in half.  

Finely mince the white part of the green onions, then slice the green part. Set aside some of the green parts for garnish.

In a mixing bowl, measure in the vinegar, then add the whites of the spring onions to marinate. This takes some of the sharp bite out of the onion and flavors the vinegar. 

When the potatoes are just tender, add the tenderstem broccoli to the pot and continue cooking for 3 minutes more. Drain in a colander and set aside to cool. (If you leave them in the hot pot, the broccoli may overcook.)

Arrange the broccoli on a serving plate.

Whisk the mayonnaise, crème fraiche (or substitute) and mustard into the onion/vinegar bowl. 

Add the green parts of the green onions and the slightly warm potatoes. 

Mix together until the potatoes are well coated with the dressing. Season with a sprinkle of fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and stir again. 

Spoon the dressed potatoes on top and around the broccoli. The dressing will drip down and dress the broccoli too, in a most delightful manner. Sprinkle on the reserved green onion for garnish. And perhaps just a few more grinds of black pepper. 

Serve warm or allow to cool, then chill. 

If you are serving it cold, bring it out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving so it’s not too cold. 

Enjoy! 

Love broccolini in salads? You might also enjoy my Broccolini Chicken Pear Blue Cheese Salad. It serves two as a main and four as a starter. We love it. 

It’s Sunday FunDay so that means I’m joining my fellow bloggers and sharing recipes we hope your family will enjoy. This week’s theme is Salads Galore! Many thanks to our host, Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm. Check out all the lovely salads below: 

• A Day in the Life on the Farm: BYO Chef Salad Bar 
• Karen's Kitchen Stories: Fennel, Red Cabbage, Goat Cheese, & Citrus Salad
• Sneha's Recipe: Keto Coleslaw with Keto Thousand Island Dressing 
• Culinary Cam: Lahpet Thoke (Fermented Tea Leaf Salad) 
• Cook with Renu: Marinated Fig and Mozzarella Salad
• Mayuri's Jikoni: Pasta & Sweet Potato Salad 
• The Mad Scientist's Kitchen: Pasta Salad 
•  Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Spicy Mojito Cucumber Salad 
• Food Lust People Love: Tenderstem Broccoli (Broccolini) Potato Salad 
• Amy's Cooking Adventures: Vegetarian Greek Salad with Chickpeas

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

Pin this Tenderstem Broccoli Potato Salad!

 .

Nectarine Buttermilk Muffins #MuffinMonday

These nectarine buttermilk muffins are tender and delicious. The ripe nectarines make these sweet enough without a lot of added sugar. They are so good!

In the UK, stone fruit is often sold with a label saying “ripen at home.” I shunned the peaches and nectarines for that very reason because in the States, when I pick up fruit in the supermarket and want it to smell like what it is! 

I finally had to get over that or I’d never get to enjoy a summer nectarine and I love them dearly. Like with avocados, the “ripen at home” fruit is a balancing act of leaving them be and then eating them all quickly. Or when they go a little too soft, baking them in muffins. Win-win. 

Nectarine Buttermilk Muffins

This recipe makes nine regular size muffins. I was super excited when I came across this pan in my mom’s house because it fits in my Ninja 9-in-1 oven. No need to turn the big oven on to bake! I use the bake setting so it takes just as long but the advantage is very little preheating time. These can also be baked in a normal oven, same temperature and time. 

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups or 190g flour

1/2 cup or 100g granulated sugar 

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 cup or 110g chopped fresh nectarines, plus extra for topping, optional

1/3 cup or 80ml canola or other light, plus more for greasing pan (if not using paper muffin liners)

1/2 cup or 120ml buttermilk

2 large eggs, at room temperature

Optional for decoration: pearl sugar 

I used about 1 1/2 tablespoons

Method

Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C. Line a 9-cup muffin pan with baking cups or grease the pan with a little oil. 

Cut part of a second nectarine into thin slices to use as topping/decoration. I used the nicest ones for the muffins and ate the rest.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda. Stir in the chopped nectarines and separate the pieces, coating them all with the dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, oil and eggs. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold until just combined. 

Divide the batter between the muffin cups. 

Top each with a slice of nectarine and sprinkle on the pearl sugar, if using.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. 

Set on a wire rack to cool. 

Enjoy!

It’s the last Monday of the month so that means it’s time for Muffin Monday! Check out the lovely muffins my friends are sharing:

• Blueberry-Topped Lemon Ricotta Muffins from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice 
• Cookies and Cream Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Half and Half Muffins from Passion Kneaded
• Nectarine Buttermilk Muffins from Food Lust People Love
• Roasted Rhubarb Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Sourdough Banana Bread Muffins from Zesty South Indian Kitchen

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all of our lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday can be found on our home page.

Pin these Nectarine Buttermilk Muffins!

 .