Vegetarian

Aduki / Azuki Bean Salad

January 23, 2012
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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 [...]

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

November 15, 2011
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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 [...]

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Some Spicing Tips

November 9, 2011
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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 [...]

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Don’t Dry Roast Spices

November 8, 2011
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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 [...]

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Carrot top “pataniscas”

August 23, 2011
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I had bought a bunch of pretty yellow and red carrots at the farmers’ market and decided to use them in salads to best show off their colour.  The tops were still vibrant and fresh looking and rather than doing the normal of throwing them in the bin I remembered Carl had twittered his recipe [...]

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Lentil Curry, Spinach Curry with Fresh Apricots

August 21, 2011
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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, [...]

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Courgette (Zucchini) Summer Soup

July 6, 2011
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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 [...]

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Aubergine (Eggplant), Fennel & Tomato with Pomegranate Syrup

May 30, 2011
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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 [...]

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Tortilla Espanola – Spanish Omelette

May 12, 2011
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I absolutely love tortilla Española.  It’s important I make it clear how much I love it because it will explain how pedantic I am about it and how it’s made.  The other person in my family who’s also very found of it is my mother.  Both my mother and I have had appalling versions of [...]

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Cheese & Onion Tart with Cheese Pastry

May 2, 2011
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What makes this cheese & onion tart stand out from just any cheese & onion tart is having both the cheese topping and the cheese pastry giving a crumbly cheese contrast sandwiching the soft  sweet filling of the onions.  I had a slice of it and the rest was passed on to the oldest daughter [...]

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Potato Dauphinoise

February 13, 2011
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By nature I’m a lazy cook, meaning I’ll short-cut a method wherever I can…only have to look at my no-knead bread efforts to get that but here I do the opposite, I’ll add an extra step.  I see lots of recipes for potato dauphinoise where the potato is layered in the serving dish and the [...]

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Red Cabbage, Beetroot & Pear

February 6, 2011
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I saw Rick Stein in one of his programs cook red cabbage and pears spiced with some cinnamon and I think nutmeg.  Here’s my version, with beetroot, because I just happen to have some in the fridge along with a small cabbage and as it happens it turned out to be a great combination.  It [...]

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Quick Creamy Curry

January 29, 2011
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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 [...]

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Caldo Verde – Potato, Cabbage & Sausage Soup

January 21, 2011
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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 [...]

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Sweet Pickled Cucumber

December 16, 2010
Sweet Pickled Cucumber

The festive season is upon us and this is a good side line to have to sit alongside any fish, smoked, raw, ceviche or even a spicy hot fish fillet would go nicely for me, I like contrast of temperatures.   This is a Frances Bissell recipe and I’ve been serving this cucumber salad for [...]

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