Vegan

Cold Oil French Fries (Chips) Absorb Less Oil

February 4, 2012
Thumbnail image for Cold Oil French Fries (Chips) Absorb Less Oil

I saw this method of chip making (French fries if you’re American) this week on  America’s Test Kitchen  and couldn’t wait to try it because it just seemed so easy and anything that’s easy if you have kids is a done deal for me.  The other reason and most convincing was the topsy-turvy notion that starting [...]

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 →

In Search Of Yeast Cake For Allergy Kid

January 17, 2012
Thumbnail image for In Search Of Yeast Cake For Allergy Kid

I want to make allergy kid a cake.  I’ve made allergy kid cakes in the past and if you have various allergies this is a good blog, Eggless Baking, but the recipes for cake which don’t have egg will have things like nuts or soya.  The recipes that don’t have any ingredient on her allergy-intolerant [...]

Read the full article →

Gloria’s Quince & Apple Mincemeat (fat-free)

December 8, 2011
Thumbnail image for Gloria’s Quince & Apple Mincemeat (fat-free)

It’s still not too late to make mincemeat for your Christmas mince pies.  I can cope with shop bought pastry but not shop bought mincemeat, it’s just not the same, miles apart.  The ones you buy are monotone, lack vibrancy and sharpness to balance against the sweetness.   I made my lovely friend Gloria’s mincemeat [...]

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 →

Dan Lepard’s Slider Buns with Buffalo Burger

November 11, 2011
Thumbnail image for Dan Lepard’s Slider Buns with Buffalo Burger

Dan asked Luc, Fergus and I to do a home trial of his slider buns coming out tomorrow in his Guardian column, Luc’s results are here, and Fergus’ buns are here.   What’s so different about these buns?  It’s the method, using a roux method.  I first heard about this from a blogger friend Sunflower [...]

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 →

Don’t Dry Roast Spices

November 8, 2011
Thumbnail image for Don’t Dry Roast Spices

Want to be controversial in the foodie world here, tell them not to dry roast spices before making a masala mix.  If I hear or read one more chef, cookery writer stating, “you should dry roast spices for masala because it enhances them, giving a better flavour..”  I might just scream…quietly inside. It was a year [...]

Read the full article →

Lentil Curry, Spinach Curry with Fresh Apricots

August 21, 2011
Thumbnail image for Lentil Curry, Spinach Curry with Fresh Apricots

I have to make a note of these curries I quickly made last night otherwise they will be forgotten never to be made again which according to my oldest daughter is a habit of mine.  When I make it again I will take better photos and post those.  It was one of those full days, [...]

Read the full article →

Courgette (Zucchini) Summer Soup

July 6, 2011
Thumbnail image for Courgette (Zucchini) Summer Soup

This soup originally came from the first River Café Cookbook, the blue one which I loved when it came out.  I wasn’t keen on their second book, the yellow, it seemed full of recipes for their wood-fired oven and generally less substantial.  I’ve been making this soup for as long as I’ve had my oldest [...]

Read the full article →

Aubergine (Eggplant), Fennel & Tomato with Pomegranate Syrup

May 30, 2011
Thumbnail image for Aubergine (Eggplant), Fennel & Tomato with Pomegranate Syrup

I was roasting a leg of lamb yesterday and this was what I wanted with it.  I make quite often the Italian aubergine dish caponata which I will vary, may have olives or capers or pinenuts and vary the herbs but always with the sweet/sour combination of sugar and vinegar.  I wanted that here and [...]

Read the full article →

Quick Creamy Curry

January 29, 2011
Thumbnail image for Quick Creamy Curry

I make a curry every week usually on a Friday or Saturday night and most of the time just for Bikerboy and I, but if the older girls are around with their friends then I’ll make a big pot of this curry, it’s quick to put together and easily adjustable to suit mild tastebuds. When [...]

Read the full article →

Nuts in Palm Sugar & Pimentón

January 26, 2011
Thumbnail image for Nuts in Palm Sugar & Pimentón

Do you have ingredients lying around on your cupboard shelves which haven’t been used for a while?  That’s what happen here I had a tub of palm sugar, had used it a few times for Far Eastern recipes and then forgot about it.  I wanted to use some nuts for snacking and looking through my [...]

Read the full article →

Caldo Verde – Potato, Cabbage & Sausage Soup

January 21, 2011
Thumbnail image for Caldo Verde – Potato, Cabbage & Sausage Soup

Caldo Verde is now a national Portuguese dish, one which is often served at gatherings and for some reason at barbeques.   A soup well loved by the population for its taste but also because it evokes childhood memories.  It’s a creamy soup with cabbage strands and the light smoke flavour from the sausage.  Originally [...]

Read the full article →

Raspberry Ice-Cream (Dairy free, Soya free, Egg free)

January 15, 2011
Thumbnail image for Raspberry Ice-Cream (Dairy free, Soya free, Egg free)

This dairy free ice-cream has the most delicious raspberry flavour, it satisfied my oldest daughter who can detect a non-dairy product miles away.  From a flavour point of view you can not tell it’s dairy-free.  The texture is not quite that of a rich velvety dairy one, it’s a cross between a sorbet and an [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries