Salad Season Cometh

Not too long ago, if you had said "Tahini" to me, I would probably have answered "Bless you!". And yet now, thanks to Yotam Ottolenghi, among other genius cookbook writers, Eastern Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food has become a staple feature of the cookbook aisles. And if you want to put one of those cookbooks to good use, then you're going to need some tahini. Allow a linguist a moment's digression: the word tahini is derived from an Arabic root meaning 'to grind'; unsurprising, since the sole ingredient in pure tahini paste is ground hulled sesame seeds.

Tahini is pretty widely available these days, and has the look and texture of a nut-butter. And, just like with a nut butter, you should set aside a little time (and be prepared to make a little mess) stirring it together each time before you use it, as the oil tends to settle on top, and needs to be reincorporated before you measure out the tahini you need for a recipe.

Spring is a tough time of year for me. My favorite foods, if the truth be told, are comfort foods drenched in sauces, soups, stews and the like, so winter is my sweet spot. I do love a good salad, but I need a gentle transition to the summer and its different eating style. I need to be coaxed back into the warm season. This recipe therefore caught my eye, because although it is called a salad, it can be served warm, and isn't your classic leaf-based salad, but more of a veggie side. I served it with a kale salad (there's a recipe for a rather delicious one here), and it made a delicious satisfying plant-based meal. I may not be ready to dish my bowls of chilli or saucy pastas just yet, but I'm at least heading in a summery direction!

Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing
Adapted from budgetbytes.com
Serves 5 (more if served as a side)

2 heads cauliflower, cut into small florets
1 red onion, quartered and then sliced into 1/4" thick slices
olive oil
salt and pepper
2/3 cup tahini
2/3 cup water
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup chopped fresh parsley

1. Preheat oven to 400F (220C).
2. Toss the cauliflower and onion together on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with a few TBSP of olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, then stir and return to the oven for a further 15 minutes, by which time the cauliflower should be tinged with brown at the edges. Allow to cool slightly.
3. While the veggies are roasting, make the tahini dressing by whisking together the tahini, water, lemon juice, garlic, cumin and cayenne. Taste, and add a touch more cayenne if you like things more spicy :-)
4. Heat a TBSP of olive oil in a small skillet and add the chickpeas, paprika, garlic powder and cayenne. Toss over a medium high heat for about 5 minutes, until the chick peas start to color and go a little crispy. You'll need to stir them pretty much continually so that they don't stick and burn. Set aside.
5. Toss the still warm cauliflower and onion with most of the chopped parsley and the chick peas in a large bowl, and stir in most of the dressing (you probably don't need it all, so don't add it all straight away). Sprinkle with the remaining parsley to serve.

A little bit Country, a little bit rock-and-roll...

You know that song: "I'm a little bit country. I'm a little bit rock and roll?" Well this dish has a similar identity crisis. Put together a jalapeño chile pepper from Mexico, some Chinese soy sauce and some Italian basil, and you know you have oddly mixed origins. Nevertheless, I'm a British immigrant to California, whose favorite cuisine is probably Italian, so who am I to judge. Maybe we should just call it fusion?!

To be brutally honest, the start for this dish was the current contents of my fridge, and the knowledge that some of those contents were going to end up in the compost unless I used them soon. If I'd had the time or the inclination to go shopping, I would probably have bought some more Asian-style peppers, and perhaps some Thai basil, but I didn't :-) Feel free to tweak, if you try this out and send this recipe in a more authentically south east asian direction, if you want to, I'm sure it will be no less delicious.

Despite the seemingly odd combination of ingredients, not only are my fridge and my compost bin now a little emptier, the dish turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself. And it is the kind of thing where any vegetables you have to hand can be substituted in. Bargain!

Stir Fried Vegetable Rice with Basil and Ginger
Serves 4

14oz brown jasmine rice
canola oil
1 TBSP grated ginger root
1 large jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and finely chopped
3 large cloves garlic, minced
2 leeks, rinsed and cut into thin half-moon slices
3 small carrots, in small dice
1/2 bunch lacinato/Tuscan kale, stems removed and thinly sliced
4 green/spring onions, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
7 TBSP soy sauce (I used low sodium)
1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
lime wedges to serve

1. Cook the rice according to the directions and drain off any remaining liquid. Set aside.
2. In a large wok, heat some canola oil until hot, and then stir fry the ginger, jalapeño and garlic together until the garlic starts to turn brown and the mixture is fragrant.
3. Add the leeks, carrots and bell pepper and continue to stir until the carrots are tender.
4. Stir in the rice, kale, green onions and the soy sauce and mix to combine. Continue to cook until the kale is wilted. Then stir in the basil, and let it heat through until you can smell that delicious aniseed fragrance of the hot basil.
5 Serve garnished with lime wedge to squeeze over the top.

Souper Supper

Sometimes, one surpasses oneself in the dinner department. Last night was such an occasion. And this souperlative (ha-ha) soup was the vehicle to success. There are those who will no doubt complain that soup does not a dinner make, but let me reassure you, that this one is souper (she's at it again) satisfying, and with some naan bread on the side for 'mopping' purposes, more than filled the last empty corner of my stomach, as well as that of my teenage son. The toppings no doubt help, plus they make it look oh-so-pretty.

So before the weather warms to non-soup-appropriate spring temperatures, soup up your repertoire with this. You're bound to feel souperior (sigh).

Roasted Carrot and Coconut Milk Soup
Serves 8

2 1/2 lbs carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
olive oil
salt and ground black pepper
2 yellow onions, chopped
4 TBSP Thai red curry paste
1 1/2 TBSP grated fresh ginger root
2 15oz cans white beans (cannelloni/white kidney bean), drained and rinsed
6 cups vegetable stock
2 15oz cans light coconut milk
6 TBSP fresh lime juice
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro (coriander leaves)
2 ripe avocados, chopped
1 cup cooked brown/green lentils

1. Preheat oven to 450F (225C). Toss together carrots with a drizzle of olive oil and a good sprinkle of salt and pepper and put in the oven to roast for 25 minutes by which time they should be tender.
2. Meanwhile, heat some olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and saute for 10-15 minutes until lightly browned.
3. Add the curry paste and ginger to the onions and cook stirring for a further minute until it is fragrant and possibly starting to stick.
4. Add the stock, cooked carrots, beans and coconut milk and stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 5 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
5. Use a handheld blender to puree the mixture in the saucepan, or use a food processor/blender to do so in batches. Once it is smooth, taste the mixture to see if it needs more salt.
6. Stir in another 1 tsp ground black pepper and the lime juice. Serve in bowls, topped with chopped avocado, lentils and cilantro, with plenty of naan bread for dipping.

Gotcha!

We all have that friend who thinks vegetarian food is for sissies. You know, the one who thinks that (for some reason, many of these friends tend to be male - don't shoot me, they just do) his testosterone levels will slide and he won't be able to get up off the sofa to grab another beer, if he doesn't have his daily share of animal flesh. You know who you are :-)

Well, this is the vegetarian dish to serve them. I kid you not - this will have the most ardent carnivore scratching his head about how he (again, I'm just saying, most of them are men) can have been so wrong to have ruled out an entire section of every restaurant menu and recipe book by refusing to consider eating a solely plant-based dish. This right here is how you school them.

The dish may take more than 20 minutes to put together and a little bit of effort in advance, but if you have never sauteed mushrooms which have been marinated in wine before, then you and anyone living within smelling distance have a treat in store! Wow, my house smelled good!

I can't stress how rich and flavorful this stew is. So if, like me, you like bold, rich sauciness and are trying to go at least flexitarian, if not vegetarian, this is the dish for you. Slurp, enjoy, and then beach yourself on the nearest sofa to perhaps rue the error of your previously dedicated carnivorous ways!

Chestnut and Mushroom Bourguignon
Serves 5-6
Adapted from www.chickpeasandcharcoal.com

olive oil
1lb small mushrooms (I used a mixture of white and cremini), halved or quartered
150g cooked chestnuts, sliced in half
12 oz carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
14oz bag frozen petite whole onions (aka pearl onions), thawed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp caraway seeds
10 fl oz hot vegetable stock
1 tsp marmite
1/2 tsp brown miso paste
13 fl oz red wine (about 2/3 of a bottle)
4 TBSP brandy
1 TBSP cornflour
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
salt and pepper
creamy mashed potatoes to serve

1. The day before you want to cook, or at least several hours before, put the mushrooms in a large bowl and pour over the red wine. Leave to marinate overnight or for at least a few hours, stirring every now and again so that all the mushrooms get a good dunk in the wine.
2. Preheat oven to 400F (200C).
3. Put the carrots on a baking tray and toss with a drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper.
4. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes by which time they should be almost fully cooked, but not completely soft.
5. In a large skillet, heat some olive oil over medium high heat, then toss in the thawed pearl onions. Saute for around 5 minutes by which time they should be browning nicely. Set the onions aside.
6. Drain the mushrooms, reserving the marinade wine in a pitcher (DO NOT TOSS!). Saute the drained mushrooms in the same skillet that the onions were cooked in, adding a little more oil, if necessary. While you are doing this, add the marmite and miso paste to the hot stock and stir to dissolve.
7. When the mushrooms are starting to soften, add back in the onions, with the garlic and caraway seeds and saute for a further minute. Then add the chestnuts, hot stock mixture, brandy, chopped thyme and 200ml of the wine marinade (don't toss the rest, you will need some of it later!).
8. Bring to the boil, and simmer for 20 minutes so the liquid reduces. I found the best way to do this, let the alcohol in the wine and brandy cook off, and retain enough sauce, was to simmer with the lid off for around 10minutes, and then with the lid fully on for the remainder. If the mixture is drying out, you can add some more of the wine marinade, or some more stock.
9. Stir in the carrots and check the seasoning. If it needs it (depends on the stock you are using) add some salt and pepper to taste).
10. In a small bowl, mix the cornflour with a little of the remaining wine marinade to make a 'slurry'. Stir into the pan, and allow the mixture to bubble a little longer until it thickens to the desired consistency. If you have overdone it on the cornflour, just add a little more stock or wine marinade.
11. Serve over some creamy mashed potatoes with a nice green vegetable on the side.

Bowl me over

Seriously, the plates in this house are starting to feel left out. When it is rainy and windy outside, all the food I want to eat comes in a bowl, preferably a steaming bowl, with a spoon, and a big hunk of bread for dipping (yeah, Atkins never worked for me...). And, fanfare please, we have been sampling so many fabulous new bowl-shaped recipes in this house, that today's post is a twofer.

What will be immediately evident from the first of these two delightful bowls, is that the animals of the world are no longer safe, as youngest son, after a month of testing out the meat-free life, has opted not to be a complete vegetarian, but rather a flexitarian. This, predictably enough, was a huge relief to his dad, whose obviously extensive knowledge of nutrition and health was leading him to fear that he would, quite frankly waste away, if no longer served meat for dinner. If his son's trial vegetarianism had gone on much longer, he would probably have been found nibbling on pockets full of beef jerky and compulsively gnawing on bacon rashers at work. Fortunately world order has been restored, and his carnivorous tendencies can now be satisfied, at least once a week or thereabouts. As for youngest son, he had his first post-vegetarian burger experience, and he is a happy boy indeed. No regrets there, and apologies to all the cows.

The second recipe below is completely devoid of meat content, however, and nonetheless satisfying and deliciously warming. What's more, it is one of those "how can this possibly be this simple, and end up so tasty" recipes. I am always suspicious of short lists of ingredients, but I like nothing more to have my suspicions erased by some delicious results. So get spooning (minds out of the gutter people, it isn't Valentine's Day yet...)

Beef, Root Vegetable and Stout Stew with Farro
Serves 6

canola oil
1.5 lbs lean beef stew meat in 1" cubes
salt and pepper
2 onions, chopped
1 TBSP tomato paste
4 cups beef broth
1 12oz bottle of stout (I used Lagunitas Imperial - yum!)
1 TBSP raisins
1 1/2 cups rutabaga, peeled and chopped in 3/4" cubes
1 1/2 cups carrots, peeled and chopped into 3/4" pieces
1 1/2 cups parsnips, peeled and chopped into 3/4" pieces
cornstarch to thicken
2 cups cooked farro to serve
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley to serve

1. Heat some canola oil in a large frying pan, season the beef and saute the meat until browned over medium/high heat. Transfer to the slow cooker.
2. Add the onions to the pan, with some more oil, if necessary, and turn the heat down to medium to ensure they don't burn. Once they are tender, stir in the tomato paste, then the broth and stout. Bring the mixture to the boil, scraping all the lovely beefy bits off the bottom of the pan.
3. Pour the mixture over the beef in the slow cooker and stir in the chopped vegetables. Stir in the raisins, and around 1/2 tsp of salt and the same of ground black pepper.
4. Cook on LOW for 8 hours, or HIGH for 4 hours, by which time the vegetables should be tender.
5. Remove some of the liquid from the slow cooker and mix in about 3 TBSP of cornstarch to make a
runny paste. Stir this back into the slow cooker. Taste the broth at this point, and if it needs more salt and pepper, add it now.
6. Cook for a further 15 minutes or so until the liquid has thickened to a nice soupy consistency.
7. Serve by the ladleful in bowls, over a mound of cooked farro (or pearled barley would also be nice here), with parsley sprinkled on top.

Delicata Squash Soup
Serves 4
Adapted from carolinescooking.com

3 delicata squash, halved, seeds removed (skin left on)
2-3 cups vegetable stock/broth
canola oil
1/2 can chick peas/garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
1 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375F (190C).
2. Spray a large roasting tin with canola oil spray and place the delicata squash halves, skin-side up on the tray.
3. Roast the squash in the oven for 30 minutes, by which point they should be tender. You can test the flesh at this point, and if it isn't soft, then roast it for another 5 minutes. It is very hard to overcook them :-)
4. Put the squash, skin and all, into a food processor and add 2 cups of vegetable stock, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp ground black pepper. You may need to do this in two stages, depending on the size of your processor. Process for a long time, until the mixture is completely smooth. If the mixture is thicker than you want for your soup, simply add a bit more stock.
5. Put the completed soup in a saucepan, ready to heat up when you are ready to serve. Check the seasoning, and add more salt and pepper if needed.
6. In the meantime, heat some canola oil in a saute pan and saute the onions for at least 10 minutes, until they are soft, and starting to caramelize. Add the chick peas/garbanzo beans and warm them through. Stir in the curry powder.
7. Serve the steaming hot soup in bowls, topped with a mound of the chick pea/onion mixture.

Fit to be Thai'd

There has been a lot of anger and stress in my life recently. I have, in other words, often found myself, 'fit to be tied'. My refuge, in such times, is always my kitchen. I am a stress-baker, and there have been many sugary treats on offer recently, the countertops often lightly dusted with a coating of powdered sugar. My beloved KitchenAid mixer has been doing overtime (and has, as a result, developed an annoying squeak, which may, or may not, now be contributing adversely to the sense of irritation I was trying to address in the first place).

Not all my solace comes from sugar, which is fortunate, since otherwise my arteries would be furring up at a rate unusual enough to warrant comment in medical journals. There is, it must be said, little more comforting than a bowl of steaming soup, with something suitably carbohydrate-based to dip therein. On the comfort rating (usually reserved for mattresses, but I have legitimately borrowed it here, I believe), this soup rates as a pillow-top. And yet, remembering all the woes we try to assuage with food, underneath that soft goodness, is a supportive base, in this case, made up not of springs or memory foam, but vegetables and a hint of spice, which will warm rather than burn, and deliver a sense of satisfaction without adding any more calories to those you already consumed in the form of comfort-donuts earlier on :-)

Thai-Spiced Vegetable and Rice Soup
Serves 4
Adapted from cookieandkate.com

1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2" piece of root ginger, grated
2 TBSP Thai red curry paste
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
4 cups vegetable broth
1 14oz can coconut milk
1 green bell pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 can cut baby corn, drained
4 cups baby spinach, chopped
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (coriander leaves)
Naan bread to serve (I know it isn't Thai but it works, and doesn't fall apart when you dip it!)

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and saute for about 30 seconds until it is fragrant but not catching on the pan.
2. Add the curry paste, soy sauce, peanut butter, broth, coconut milk, bell peppers and baby corn and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat and simmer, partly covered, for about 10 minutes.
3. Add the chopped spinach, and check the spice and seasoning level, adding more curry paste if you want it spicier, and salt and pepper if desired (more soy sauce will also add to the saltiness level).
4. To serve, put 1/2-1 cup of cooked rice in a bowl and top with the broth, sprinkling the cilantro on top of the bowl. Dip naan bread and dribble broth soup down chin for ultimate comfort experience.

"Please Mum! Can I have some more?"

Yep, it was like a scene from Oliver Twist in the house the other night, except with a much happier ending, since I'm a lot nicer than that bloke that ran the orphanage, and there was enough for seconds. Thirds however, was not available, as the two of us polished off the whole dish of this comfort food gem before I could even remember to snap a picture of the completed dish, which is why you have the photo below as (faint) proof that it once existed.

I have to say, this was comfort food extraordinaire, and my son's response to the empty dish, and the sorry lack of 'thirds" (and probably 'fourths', given the chance) was "Can you make it again tomorrow?". Rarely are we treated to such enthusiasm, so this will definitely feature on the Farrar table again, even if not tomorrow.

Contrary to the name, it isn't a very spicy dish - but it really all depends on what salsa you use, and what kind of cheese, so it is easy to adapt to all tastes. The recipe below is already an adaptation from the original recipe (on the fabulously named website ibreatheimhungry.com - I mean, how fabulous is that?!) since there the author uses chipotle chiles in adobo sauce mixed into the cauliflower. Our namely-pamby palates baulk at those, I'm afraid.

Chile-Spiked Cauliflower Bake
Adapted from ibreatheimhungry.com
Serves 3 maximum (or two greedy people!)

1 bag riced cauliflower, around 3 cups total (or one head of cauliflower, broken down)
1 TBSP milk
1 TBSP butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup Pepper Jack cheese (or whatever cheese you prefer - if you want a kick but can't get Pepper Jack, go for a mild cheddar and add a few red chile flakes)
1 bunch greens (I used Scotch Kale)
olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 cup mild salsa verde
1/2 cup low fat sour cream
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup of mild pickled peppers from a jar (or pickled jalapeños if you like more heat)
1/2 cup Pepper Jack cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375F (190C).
2.Follow the instructions on the riced cauliflower to steam in the microwave until tender.
3. Put the cauliflower, milk, butter garlic, and 1/3 cup cheese in a food processor and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Prepare the greens/kale buy discarding the thick end of the stems and then chopped the remaining leaves and thinner stems finely. Then saute in a pan over a low heat with some olive oil for a few minutes until tender (time will depend on type of greens, but you want to cook long enough for the stems to be tender too - if the pan dries out and the greens start to stick, then add a slug of vegetable broth).
5. Once the greens are fully cooked, drain off any excess liquid and then stir into the cauliflower mixture (a couple of pulses in the food processor should do it, but not too much, as you don't want the greens pureed).
6. Put the cauliflower mixture into an 8" diameter, ovenproof, deep dish (or equivalent). Top with the salsa, then the chopped tomatoes, then the sour cream. Finish with the peppers and the remaining 1.2 cup of cheese.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes until the cheese is starting to turn golden.
8. Serve with a simple green salad and await copious compliments and Oliver Twist moments :-)