white kimchi (baek kimchi)

This is really good. I thought it might work for the kids since it isn’t hot – but alas, they didn’t like it. We did though. Apparently this is the original way of making kimchi long before gochugaru chili came to Korea from China. Great as a side or serve with cold noodles using the juices as a dressing for the noodles.

curried cauliflower

The ingredients are basic but there are layers of spice flavour here.

1 tsp cumin seeds, fried in 2 tb oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tb ginger, finely chopped
1 tb coriander seeds, toasted and ground
1/2 tb cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1 tsp turmeric
a cauliflower, in small flowerets
juice from 1/2 lemon
handful fresh coriander, chopped.
1/2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground

Add onion to cumin seeds, then add garlic and ginger and gently fry until fragrant. Add spices and fry until fragrant. Add cauliflower and 100 ml water, cover and simmer for 10 mins until cauliflower is done. Add lemon juice, fresh coriander and cumin and cook 5 mins.

Serve with a small bowl of ground cumin + salt to sprinkle over.

From: Nina and Sean

cabbage with mustard seeds

Jazz up the humble cabbage in a few minutes – the curry leaves give it a musky flavour.

400g cabbage, shredded, soaked in slightly salted water for 15 minutes, drained
4 tb oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1 green chilli, finely chopped
1 tsp ginger, minced
10 curry leaves
pinch of sugar

Heat the oil in a large pan and add the mustard seeds. When they pop add chilli, ginger, curry leaves and saute for 1 min. Add cabbage, sugar and salt to taste. Saute together. Cook over a low heat, uncovered, until it reaches your preferred consistency.

From: 50 great curries of India

Chickpeas on toast

Beans on toast, but much better. Add chopped chorizo or bacon bits if you like.

4 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp caraway seeds
2 medium carrots, cut into 1cm cubes
2 medium onions, cut into 1cm cubes
4 tsp tomato puree
1 tin chickpeas (keep the liquid) or 1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight, simmered for 1 hr
1 tin chopped tinned tomatoes
2 tsp caster sugar
A generous pinch of salt
A generous pinch of smoked paprika
4 chunky slices of toast
Torn coriander leaves

Heat the olive oil in a saute pan and add the seeds. Fry for a minute, add the carrot and onion and saute for about 5 minutes to soften the onion. Add the tomato puree and cook as you stir for 2 minutes.

Next, add the chickpeas, tomatoes, sugar, salt and smoked paprika and cook for a bit. Add the chickpea water, plus extra tap water if you need to make up the rest. Bring to a light simmer and cook, covered, for 20 minutes.

At the end, add a little water or allow some to evaporate to get a good, thick consistency. Spoon over the toast and garnish with coriander. Serves 4.

From: Ottolenghi

Kinpira

Another staple dish of Japanese izakaya “tapas” cuisine. Traditionally, this is made with gobo, a Japanese burdock root but works well with carrots, turnips and salsify. Easy and fast to make.

vegetables fukume-ni style

Vegetables simmered in a light sauce. Simple and delicious. This can be made with either of the following: turnip, pumpkin, courgettes, squash or white radish (daikon).

for simmering:
500 ml dashi
1tsp salt
2 tsps light soya sauce
mirin

Peel the vegetables. Cut into rounds, tapering the edges for added visual interest, courgettes need to be cut into thicker rounds so that they don’t fall apart when simmering. Steam vegetables until slightly soft. Combine the other ingredients in a pot, bring to a boil, add the cooked vegetables and reduce heat. Let simmer for 30 minutes. Serve vegetables in bowls and ladle on cooking liquid.

from: Japanese Cooking, A Simple Art, Shizuo Tsuji

Ratatouille (serves 8)

Do not overcook as the vegetables should stay whole and distinct.

3 onions, thinly sliced
250 ml oil
3 large aubergines, cut in 1 cm chunks
3 red peppers, chopped
3 courgettes, cut in 1 cm chunks
4 large tomatoes, skinned, chopped, drained
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tsp coriander seeds, roasted & ground
fresh basil or parsley, chopped

Salt aubergines and courgettes, put in a colander and cover with a weighted plate to press out liquid.

Fry onions in oil until soft. Add augergines, courgettes, peppers, garlic, cover pan and cook gently for 40 mins. Add tomatoes and coriander, season, cook another 30 minutes, possibly uncovered if there is too much liquid in the rat.

Finally stir in the fresh herbs.

Source: Elizabeth David ‘French Provincial Cooking’

flash-fried leaves

Not so much a recipe as a method statement for quickly cooking all sorts of leaves as a side, with occasional updates.

Radicchio
Quarter a head including the stem and stir fry in a little olive oil until wilted. Dress sparingly with a vinaigrette of mustard, honey, apple vinegar and olive oil. Crispy bacon crumbled on top is good.

Cabbage (also chinese greens)
Slice cabbage in strips. Put some peanut oil in a wok, add finely chopped garlic and ginger (2 to 1 ratio) and fry briefly. Add cabbage, stir-fry briefly, add japanese soy sauce to taste. When cabbage just done, add enough sesame oil to give it all a glossy appearance, and serve.

Sweet and sour okra

200 grs okra
7 garlic cloves
half a small onion
1 dried chili, seeds removed
2 tsp ground cumin seeds
1 tsp ground coriander seeds
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
1 tsp sugar
3 tsp lemon juice
vegetable oil

Wash and pad dry okra, trim ends and cut into 3 cm pieces. Put garlic and chili into a food processor with 3 tbsp water. Blend into a smooth paste. Mix with ground cumin, coriander and tumeric.

Heat oil, add whole cumin seeds, fry until they start to sizzle, lower heat and add the spice paste, fry for one minute then add okra, sugar, lemon juice and 4 tablespoons of water. Stir and bring to a boil. Cover tightly and simmer for 8 minutes or until Okra is tender.

from Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian Cookery 

crème de panais- cream of parsnip soup

4 parsnips, about 600-700 grs
1 onion
1 liter of vegetable or chicken stock
dash of full-fat cream
3 tbsp crème d’amandes
2 bay leafs

nutmeg

chervil or parsley

jerusalem artichokes

oil for deep frying

A delicious sweet and creamy soup! Wash & brush the parsnip, no need to peel them. Roughly chop parsnip and onions and put into a pot with the stock and bay-leaf. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the crème d’amandes. When the vegetables are done, blend into a smooth cream. In a separate bowl, slowly mix the crème d’amandes with a few spoons of the soup, then blend into the soup by hand. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Add cream. Top with

jerusalem artichoke chips. Garnish with chervil or parsley.

The soup is even better a day or two later.

crème d’amandes
Either use raw unpeeled almonds or alternatively blanch, peel and dry-roast them until they take on colour. Let cool down. Using a food processor, blend into a very smooth paste comparable to dry tahini. This takes quite a long time. Stop frequently in order to loosen the paste with a spoon and to avoid overheating. Can be kept in a jar in the fridge for months.

jerusalem artichoke chips

Finely slice the jerusalem artichokes, no need to peel them. Keep in cold water with a dash of lemon juice or vinegar to avoid discoloration. Drain and pat dry, deep fry until golden, drain and salt.

from: Claire Girard’s “Ma Vraie Nature”