Quaran-Cuisine: The Iso Kitchen Diaries II
- Tasha's Eats
- Apr 22, 2020
- 7 min read
This week has been a rollercoaster week for me. Lots of highs and a fair few lows. But overall, I have come to realise that we are really relying on the simple joys: comfort, sun, sleep and of course, food. Channelling any type of energy into cooking - whether it be anger, frustration or motivation - can be thoroughly rewarding. Many of my friends who are not avid cooks have been surprised about what they have managed to conjure up in the kitchen.
However, the challenge most of us are facing in the kitchen is the inaccessibility of ingredients at this time. Though this is most likely being conceived as a negative, you could spin this into a bit of a creative test. See what you are able to come up with the humblest of produce. Turn a miserly cabbage into something magical, sizzling, breath-taking. Okay, maybe I’m over-egging it a bit, but what I am trying to say is: don’t look at your bare fridge and think ‘oh god’ but think ‘what am I capable of achieving with this...’ And the answer probably is - if you put in enough effort and love - something interesting.
We often buy a plethora of ingredients when we go to the supermarket. The reasons for this are simple: laziness (so we don’t have to make another trip anytime soon), disorganisation (not planning meals in advance), accessibility (access to many affordable supermarket ingredients), marketing in supermarkets, etc. However, most often than not this leads to excessive food waste. Therefore, with a ‘glass half full’ attitude, I am hoping this pandemic might force us to focus more on the limited fresh ingredients we have and reduce our domestic wastage somewhat…
Here are some dishes that I have made this week:
Salad bowl with marinated tofu/Scrambled tofu brunch with sautéed mushrooms and spinach/Roasted romanesco bowl with a green miso sauce/Sweet potato curry/Purple cabbage, carrot and apple tahini slaw/Mushroom and swede hotpot/Stuffed squash with potatoes, parsnips, broad beans and a spinach, avo and olive salad/Salad bowl with roasted veg, sauerkraut and a miso-mustard dressing
The ingredient I have been using most this week has been the mighty aubergine. Some people love it, some people hate it; I am definitely one who falls into the former category. I do agree that some of its many forms and textures can be more pleasing than others. However, it is rare that I ever find aubergine unpalatable, whether mushy or crispy. This week I have sliced, diced and thriced my aubergines to make a classic parmigiana, a teriyaki glazed aubergine with red pepper tapenade and aubergine polpette.
Teriyaki glazed aubergine with red pepper tapenade
My most common use of the aubergine would be to slice it into cubes and turn it into a vegetarian ragu with all the basic Italian components, plus a handful of pine nuts and capers for some extra depth of flavour and texture. Or, I would crisp them up by slicing them horizontally into 2cm thick rounds and putting them to bake on a tray, drizzled in olive oil and salt to extract the moisture, and then mixing them up with some more olive oil, crushed raw garlic and mint so that they form almost a chunky aubergine mash with both crispy and velvety consistencies. Very Ottolenghi. However, another classic is the parmigiana: this union of aubergine with tomato and a creamy something is a dream combination. Although mozzarella may seem key to this dish, the Detox method of adding a layer of blitzed almonds, seeds and nutritional yeast was equally as delicious. It melts into the tomato and aubergine to become creamy, whilst also providing a bit of extra crunch with the seeds and a delightfully crispy topping. The parmigiana was inspired by the following recipe: https://detoxkitchen.co.uk/recipes/aubergine-parmigiana.
Aubergine Parmigiana
The polpette was also a success! I had never made polpette, but I had been eying up a Green Kitchen stories recipe and decided to give it a go for my sister’s birthday dinner last night (separate blog post to follow). The flavours were based on an aubergine caponata. I made a few alternations, such as substituting ground almonds for an estimation of rice flour, to make them lighter. I also substituted the lentils for quinoa, as we didn’t have any and added an extra tbsp of lentils as I felt these needed to come through more. They looked questionable but the finished result was yummy and unique! I paired them with a coconut yoghurt, garlic and paprika dip and they made for the perfect light canapé. GKS offer some great ideas of how else to serve them: https://greenkitchenstories.com/vegan-aubergine-polpette-three-ways/.
Aubergine polpette with a paprika yoghurt dip
My favourite seasonal ingredient this week is rhubarb! This is one bit of produce that we have had an abundance of in our fixed fruit and veg deliveries. I was never really a fan as a child, but with a more refined palate, I love its tartness, vibrancy and silky texture. With rhubarb, it’s amazing what a splash of lemon juice can do to lift the colour and taste. Adding a bit of sweetener is paramount, but you actually don’t need too much. I would suggest cutting it up and adding 1 tbsp of maple syrup or agave nectar and ½ tbsp lemon juice for each stalk. Add some water and bring to the boil before letting it simmer for about half an hour to thicken and caramelise a little. Having a bowl of this after a meal can be lovely and cleansing, whilst hitting that post-savoury sweet craving. Adding a dollop of cream or ice cream also doesn’t hurt – another dreamy pairing. Some other ways to tart up this fruit would be to make a rhubarb galette [see @detoxkitchen insta] or a homemade rhubarb ice cream. Or, adding a spoonful to a creamy bowl porridge or overnight oats for a healthy Spring breakfast option. When next week’s delivery comes, I might try my hand at roasting these babies with a sprinkling of coconut sugar as I am sure this will make for a wonderful, caramel-like desert.
Food waste hack: What to do with all your leftover little bowls of grains? Chuck them into a food processor, with an egg, gluten free flour, oregano, seeds, baking powder, salt and pepper and into the oven to make a loaf! This is exactly what I did with my leftover quinoa and it was a delicious and light alternative to bread. I had a slice every day for my lunch with a big salad bowl or as a snack with hummus or tapenade and it filled me up for ages! The crust was crispy and the inside soft and crumbly. I must admit I have not tried it with other grains yet. I would assume that grains such as buckwheat or couscous may not hold together as well, but I would certainly try this again with any small and slightly drier grain, such as buckwheat or frekkeh.
Quinoa Loaf (pre-oven)
Recipe of the week: Waitrose banana muesli bread
It seems that every man and his dog as either been jumping on the banana bread or sourdough craze during this lockdown period. In my family, it is me with the banana bread and my father with the sourdough. I would say his obsession is perhaps a little more concerning than mine given that he produces 5 loaves every 3 days and has been caught playing music to his starters … but we are not complaining!
I have tried two banana bread recipes so far, with one far more rewarding than the other. For the first time, I will be unbiased and say that the Detox banana bread was not a winner for me. Although I love our usual loaf served at the delis (go and check them out in due course), this recipe is slightly different. I prefer a banana bread to be denser, textured and cardamom-free. Therefore, the Waitrose ‘Banana Muesli Morning Loaf’ was my pick of the bunch. I LOVED the rustic texture of the sponge with the added muesli, and I made sure to undercook it ever so slightly for optimum gooeyness in the middle. I also love adding sliced banana to the top, for extra sweetness and texture. The other trick is not to make it too sweet, so I always add a bit less sweetener than called for. As a result, the bread makes for a lighter and more neutral snack, that can be jazzed up with a multitude of toppings!
Blog of the week: Green Kitchen Stories
As I said earlier, I had already resorted to Green Kitchen stories for my polpette recipe. This blog is full of beautiful and refined images, written by a cool and creative couple who are also the authors of their own cookbook. They are eager participators of the mission to promote healthy yet non-restrictive eating. All the recipes are vegetarian-friendly and have a touch of scandi, which I love! I especially like the look of the dishes as they are variable and abundant – packed with lots of ingredients (that can be easily substituted for similar varieties). They are not afraid to experiment with new combinations and understated as well, which is admirable.
Instagram of the week: @venetiafalconer
Venetia has always been one of my favourite influencers. She is predominantly a leading activist of sustainability in the fashion industry on social media, but is generally great at spreading the word re any environmental campaigns such as veganism, food waste, transport, etc. She also has great inspo for vegan cooking, being a foodie and being married to the chef and author of ‘More Plants: Less Waste’. A recipe of hers that I have tried and loved this week has been the ‘Chickpea tuna’. Rather than the standard, rather retro ingredients that you would usually use to make tuna mayo, this offers a more gourmet, and refined version. It uses tahini, a dash of maple syrup, capers, onions, sweetcorn, lemon and mustard. Of course, this was by no means a replica of your standard tuna mayo, but it was delicious but hit the spot for a similar healthy-but-creamy option to spread on your sourdough, or dollop into a salad.
Chickpea tuna salad
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