Vegetarian

Pumpkin (or squash) in syrup

January 28, 2013
Thumbnail image for Pumpkin (or squash) in syrup

The trouble with phone conversations with the canning queen Gloria is that we fill each other’s head with ideas, far more ideas than I have the time to carry through.  We play this game where I say I want to poach some butternut squash in syrup but I’m not sure how I would use it […]

Read the full article →

Lentil & dried lime soup (Shorbat Adas)

January 21, 2013
Thumbnail image for Lentil & dried lime soup (Shorbat Adas)

I’ve been making this aromatic spicy-warm soup to fill the belly since December’s cold snap.  Its particular flavour comes from the slightly fermented aroma the dried limes bestow on the lentils.  Each time I make it I swap one of the spices for another giving me subtle variations on the theme.  It’s based on the […]

Read the full article →

Aubergine (eggplant) glazed with miso – Nasu Dengaku

October 17, 2012
Thumbnail image for Aubergine (eggplant) glazed with miso – Nasu Dengaku

I’ve made aubergine glazed with white miso for this post about 8-9 times, each time with slight changes and those adjustments make a difference to the eating experience.  I’ll go into the details in a moment but first I want to discuss the aubergine itself.  None of the nasu dengaku recipes I came across out […]

Read the full article →

Roasted fennel hummus (humous) with fennel and coriander seed flavoured oil

September 26, 2012
Thumbnail image for Roasted fennel hummus (humous) with fennel and coriander seed flavoured oil

It was Max who gave me the idea of making roasted fennel hummus, when I posted my roasted fennel mayonnaise he wondered if he could make it vegan by replacing the mayonnaise with tahini, lemon juice and water…which obviously made my brain immediately turn to the idea of hummus.  I ate this portion of fennel hummus […]

Read the full article →

Seaweed, samphire, carrot, apple, sesame salad

September 21, 2012
Thumbnail image for Seaweed, samphire, carrot, apple, sesame salad

The worst seaweed salad I remember eating was on my second visit to New York five years ago, it was a selection of seaweed like this only undressed.   I don’t care how healthy and good it’s suppose to be for me you can not make me eat wet undressed seaweed.  I have eaten seaweed […]

Read the full article →

My version of Imam Bayildi – Aubergine (Eggplant) stuffed with tomatoes

September 17, 2012
Thumbnail image for My version of Imam Bayildi – Aubergine (Eggplant) stuffed with tomatoes

I found 4 variations in 4 cookery books I have of this dish and I suspect if I looked in other books I would also find further variations.  It seems everyone puts their twist on what is essentially a very simple dish of aubergines stuffed with onion and tomato sauce. Claudia Roden’s version in  Arabesque […]

Read the full article →

Quick Fresh Tomato Sauce for Spaghetti

September 9, 2012
Thumbnail image for Quick Fresh Tomato Sauce for Spaghetti

This recipe is to be filed under my category For My Kids, recipes I’m adding for when my girls leave home. Girls, this sauce as you know it’s a good one to have to hand and can be done pretty much the time it takes to put the pan of water on for the pasta…kind […]

Read the full article →

Roasted Red Pepper and Roasted Garlic Mayonnaise

September 6, 2012
Thumbnail image for Roasted Red Pepper and Roasted Garlic Mayonnaise

The problem with making food to photograph is that you eat it, and I had to slap my own hand here.  Originally I had roasted the peppers with the intent to make my red pepper hummus but as I had some mayonnaise left over after making my  roasted fennel mayonnaise, I decided to turn it into […]

Read the full article →

Roast Fennel Mayonnaise

September 5, 2012
Thumbnail image for Roast Fennel Mayonnaise

This mayonnaise has become my new favourite thing.  I’ve had it today spread thickly on toast.  And that was after having it for lunch as you see with pan fried seabass, new potatoes and sea aster.  I must tell you I’ve also tried it with cold chicken – delicious – there seems no end to […]

Read the full article →

Mooli Rolls – Crudités Rolls (gluten-free)

September 2, 2012
Thumbnail image for Mooli Rolls – Crudités Rolls (gluten-free)

I have copied the idea for these rolls from Marks and Spencer.  I ate their version a few weeks ago and thought it was a great pretty idea of eating vegetables than the normal crudité stick shapes.  I’ve served them here with a fatless soy dip but you could serve them with any glorious rich […]

Read the full article →

Roast Tomato Soup

May 27, 2012
Thumbnail image for Roast Tomato Soup

This recipe will be filed under For My Kids, recipes for when my girls leave home. Buying the Tomatoes OK my darlings, this is simple and straight forward but it all hangs on the ripeness of the tomatoes, choose the deepest red ones you can find.  This is the perfect time to buy them at […]

Read the full article →

Vegetarian / Vegan Dashi – Japanese Stock

May 18, 2012
Thumbnail image for Vegetarian / Vegan Dashi – Japanese Stock

The commonly known Japanese stock, dashi  uses kombu (seaweed) and bonito flakes (fish), to make either the delicate very clear stock ichiban dashi, or the stronger fuller body flavoured niban dashi.  It’s seriously worth making dashi from scratch, so simple and the flavour is beautifully clean, you can not compare it to instant dashi sachets for sale. This […]

Read the full article →

Aduki / Azuki Bean Salad

January 23, 2012
Thumbnail image for Aduki / Azuki Bean Salad

I made this salad for my lunch today.  I was reminded yesterday reading Carl’s post on his vegetarian haggis how good aduki beans are, they’re the puy lentil of the bean world for me.  They’re flavoursome, the taste reminds me of black-eye beans/peas and being so small they give you a lovely texture and if […]

Read the full article →

Tarka,Tadka, Chaunk, Dhungar: Tempering Spices & Making Dal

November 15, 2011
Thumbnail image for Tarka,Tadka, Chaunk, Dhungar: Tempering Spices & Making Dal

I’ve recently made 2 posts on spices and now would like to mention one of my favourite ways of spicing lentils; tarka.  Tarka, tadka or chaunk and also known by other names if you look on wiki here, is a very good way of spicing food, not just legumes. I first noticed it years ago […]

Read the full article →

Some Spicing Tips

November 9, 2011
Thumbnail image for Some Spicing Tips

I’ve written the post on Don’t Dry Roast Spices here, and wanted to do a quick one on a couple of tips.  A week or so ago I was asked by Carl if I had any tips for a Goan curry he was making, to which I answered no, but I said I do have […]

Read the full article →