Quaran-Cuisine: The Iso Kitchen Diaries VI
- Tasha's Eats
- Jun 18, 2020
- 5 min read
Hallelujah, we can see a flicker at the end of the tunnel. Shops, restaurants, cafes are slowly rising from the dead and showing glimpses of life. Just when I was starting to think that I’d never see a bill again!
The restaurant renaissance is made even more hopeful by the fact that many have started to lose their momentum with cooking. I don’t think my cooking-hype could ever fade. However, I have certainly started to find it more challenging coming up with new and versatile recipes. An immense fulfilment has been the mastering of the perfect hummus. I know I do bang on about this a lot but this time, you have got to try it with Ottolenghi as your guide (always). The effect of the simple additions of bicarbonate of soda and ice cubes are mind-blowing. I also added roasted carrots and cumin seeds into this one, which was a beautiful marriage of flavour. The only obstacle I have yet to topple is how to remove the skins from the chickpeas once they have been separated in the pan, without picking them out manually – a tiresome job that makes you think is it really worth it for a measly pot that you are likely to devour with a few fell swoops of sourdough (yes). Anyway, enough bloody hummus chat…
Another majestic discovery is the accompaniment of coconut milk and rice. A bit late to the party, I know. In my case, I added a generous half a can to wholegrain basmati to go with miso-glazed cauliflower and a peanut sauce. The combination of the creamy, nutty rice and the acute flavour of the miso was lovely. The peanut sauce - though not obligatory - was also a strong addition to the Asian flavours. The coconut milk rice also kept on giving throughout the week, as the creamy texture seems to take away from the starchiness of leftover rice, meaning that it was still a delight to eat reheated.
Here are some other dishes that I have made over the week:
Banana oat pancakes with compote and nut butter drizzle/ Coconut and tomato dal with prawns/ Spiced lentils with guacamole, corn salsa, roasted carrots and a coconut cream and lime drizzle/ Mexican-inspired bowl with greens, grilled peppers, bean burger, corn on the cob, guacamole and paprika roasted cauliflower/ Prawn poke bowl with pickled vegetables, pak choi, dehydrated field mushrooms, burnt corn and watermelon salsa/ Parsnip gnocchi with roasted shallots, tomatoes, tenderstems, artichoke, truffle oil and a miso-pesto/ Miso aubergine and parsnip truffle fries with sautéed pak choi and mushrooms and a pesto drizzle
At the beginning of the week, I had a yearning for bean burgers. I experimented with a combination of spiced bean burgers, beetroot hummus and a herby tahini sauce as well as Caribbean-spiced with slaw and chilli sauce. Both were banging. Turns out kidney beans act as a very satisfying source of plant-based protein – they are filling and bland (so can be mixed with any flavour), starchy, which makes for a great binding ingredient, and cheap as chips. Along with the two burger variations, I made a kidney bean mash with tons of garlic and tahini, as well as a kidney beans and red lentil chilli, and kidney bean brownies – yes these also do work!
Seasonal ingredient: Corn. There is nothing more wholesome than a corn wrapped up in its little jacket of corn-skin, that you peel away to reveal that golden core; I could live off this for days. The best thing we ever learnt from the Californians is to use raw corn in a salad. It is so delightfully crisp and crunchy and adds a lovely honeyed tang to a mixed salad of peppery rocket or bitter salad leaves and a sharp vinaigrette. It is also delicious in a salsa or burnt on the grill or the barbecue. A classic are corn fritters or corn chowder, though these aren’t my favourite to make. A recipe you will thank me for is this paprika corn dip, which is fantastic with tortilla chips or dolloped onto salads or in sandwiches: Cut the corn off two large cobs, and blend with a clove of garlic, a teaspoon of coconut cream, a teaspoon of paprika, half a lemon, a glug of olive oil, salt and pepper. You could also add a dash of sherry vinegar for a bit more of a heightened taste.
Food-waste tip: Pickles. Have some slightly brown looking vegetables crowding your fridge draws? Pull them out and salvage them! Peel off any nasty outer layers and slice them up as thin as you can. For carrots or cucumber, I would recommend using a peeler to shave them into ribbons. Pack them into a jar - in layers, mixed or separately – add two tablespoons of vinegar per vegetable (you may want to adjust this accordingly) and two tablespoons of water per measurement of vinegar. Add 1 teaspoon per measurement of vinegar as well. Most use sugar, but I would recommend a non-refined option of agave nectar. Add some salt. Put the lid on and shake it up, then store in a fridge. This should keep for weeks and is a lovely garnish/additional flavour to any salad, sandwich, curry, dal, even stew perhaps.
Cookbook of the week: Falastin.
Oh hey, another Ottolenghi book – how predictable. However, it would be wrong not to shout out this new beauty that has just hit the market. It led me in the direction of my perfect hummus, and so I will always have this book to thank. Once again, Yotam has hit the nail on the head with this gorgeous edition, returning back to the traditional cooking of his homeland. It is filled with a beautiful collection of images, language and educational resources. I’m a particular fan of the copious amounts of tahini used on each page.
Blog of the week: Goop
Since embarking on a recent digging of Goop for work, I have been secretly rather obsessed with the Food section on the Goop website. I am certainly swayed by the wannabe effortless-chic style of the Editors’ domestic lives and so have decided to try and take a leaf out of their book this week. I have tried the chopped salad, which was delightfully simple and delicious, the frittata with ‘zoodles’ and herbs, which was faultless, and have my eye on the ‘Sexy cinnamon rolls’ next. The only thing I can’t keep up with is the excess of ridiculously unnecessary products and superfoods (who has ever heard/lives within a 50 mile radius of zucca or Mucuna pruriens!?).
Recipe of the week: Anna Newton’s Levain-Style cookies
Very much off-brand, but I do take a weird amount of pleasure from making my sister baked goods that I can’t eat. There is just something about the consoling familiarity of good old-school baking that you just can’t beat. Anyway, this recipe from Youtuber The Anna Edit, inspired by New York’s Levain bakery cookies is most certainly a winner. I now realise the hardships of perfecting the perfect-textured cookie, and this is as close as I have got. In mine and my sister’s opinion, the perfect cookie is part-gooey, part-cakey. The trick in this recipe is to form high mounds of the cookie dough and then freeze it for as long as you are willing to wait before putting them in the oven. As a result, the cookie will not just dissipate into a floppy, gooey mess but will hold its structure so that you can break it rather than tear it apart. If you know, you know. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYCjLeIjhSo
Instagram of the week: @rainbowplantlife
She’s cute, she’s sassy, she’s colourful. Her recipes are a bit predictable but she’s your go-to girl for hearty and pleasing vegan meals. Everything you want on an Instagram spread, enough said.
Comments