If strata be the food of love...

Sorry Shakespeare, but it's got to be done:

If strata be the food of love,
Play on!
Give me excess of it,
That surfeiting, the appetite may sicken and so die...

I'm pretty sure that is a directly quotation from my dear friend Will. Or, failing that, I believe strongly that, if he had ever had strata, he probably had it in mind when writing these opening lines to Twelfth Night. I'm not sure if he was also aware that, students of this play would still be able to quote the opening page of Twelfth Night a full 31 years after having had to study it for exams... if he was aware of that, he would probably not have begrudged them a large and cheesy helping of strata.

And this strata is comfort food extraordinaire, which as you know, is my preferred form of excess. Moreover, it contains vegetables, so boom. And its vegetarian... But no, it's not vegan or low carb. Seriously, if you are a regular on my blog, what do you expect!

And one final plea - don't save me for brunch. Sadly, brunch is a once-every-so-often weekend occurrence, which, although delicious and satisfying, is all too rare. Pair this beauty with a salad, and this is dinner, baby. And delicious dinner at that.

Kale, Mushroom and Gouda Strata
Serves 8-10

1 large bunch laminate/Scotch kale, destemmed and chopped
1 large loaf ciabatta, thinly sliced
4 TBSP butter
1 red onion, thinly sliced
4 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
6 oz smoked gouda cheese, shredded
10 eggs
4 cups milk
grated fresh nutmeg

1. Spread the butter on the ciabatta slices. Grease a 9"x13" pan/dish with cooking spray and line with one layer of buttered bread slices.
2. Fry the onions and mushrooms in olive oil for five minutes over medium heat until softened. Add cumin seeds and kale, stirring to combine. Continue to saute until the kale is softened.
3. Spread the vegetable mixture over the bread slices in the pan, then sprinkle over half the shredded gouda and season with salt and pepper.
4. Layer over remaining bread slices and sprinkle over the remaining half of the cheese.
5. Beat the eggs with the milk and nutmeg and pour slowly over the dish.
6. Press lightly on the topmost bread slices to make sure they come into contact with the egg mixture, and then leave for at least 1 hour, or even overnight. Preheat oven to 375F (190C).
7. Bake for 40 minutes or until risen, golden and crispy on top. If the top browns too quickly, and the middle is still liquid with uncooked eggs, then cover with foil for remaining baking time, until middle is firmer.

Wardrobe vs Taste Buds: Round 1!

If you have read any of my favorite recipes on this blog, then you know by now that I love nothing better than a fragrant, creamy, rich sauce. However, since we had a fabulous gelato-filled vacation in Italy but a few weeks ago, and all of the clothes my wardrobe seems to have very weirdly shrunk, my waistline's needs are not always in agreement with my culinary desires. When the two do coincide, however, it is a cause for celebration. And yes, some of those moments of confluence do involve salads. But if they all did, it would make my taste buds very sad, as they still want their fix of creamy richness, even if not every day. In this case, the creaminess of the sauce comes from pureeing the vegetable base, not from any cream, cheese or other deliciousness. And the richness of flavor comes from a great combination of spices, which add a hint of heat, but nothing that will send the younger members of the family fleeing from the dinner table. So my waistline is none the thicker, and my taste buds are happy: basically, this one is a winner. Now if someone could please wake up to society's needs and make adult clothes with those adjustable waistbands they put in children's clothes, I'd be a happy woman...

Masala Chickpeas and Greens
serves 3

For the chickpeas:
2 TBSP coconut oil
2 yellow onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium carrot, cut into 1/2" slices
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp paprika
2 1/2 cups water
1 15oz can chickpeas/garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

For the quinoa:
1/2 cup quinoa
1 1/4 cups water
1 TBSP soy sauce

For the kale:
olive oil
1 bunch Scotch (curly) kale, destemmed and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper

1/4 cup chopped cashew nuts
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (coriander leaves)

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, and then add the onions, garlic and ginger. Saute until the onions are soft and translucent, reducing the heat if they start to brown too much.
2. Add the carrots and bell pepper and continue to cook until they start to soften.
3. Add the spices and stir to combine until they become fragrant. Then add the water and stir to combine.
4. Bring to the boil, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 35 minutes by which point all the vegetables should be soft.
5. Place the vegetable mixture in a blender and puree until smooth. Then pour this back into the skillet and add the chickpeas.
6. While that mixture is heating through, prepare the quinoa by putting everything in a saucepan, bringing to the boil, covering, reducing heat and simmering for 15 minutes. Drain if any liquid remains.
7. Heat the olive oil in another skillet and saute the garlic and kale for 10 minutes until the kale is softened. If it starts to stick/burn, add a little water or stock. Season with salt and pepper.
8. Serve by putting some quinoa in each bowl, followed by some kale, putting the chickpea mixture on top. Sprinkle with cashews, parsley and cilantro.

It doesn't get greener than this

Say the word 'vegan' in this house, and you are more than likely going to met with a look of horror, not to mention a reluctance to venture anywhere close to the dinner table. Basically, we like cheese. Whether it's your English mature cheddar, your French Triple Cream Brie, your Dutch Gouda, Italian Pecorino Romano or Mexican cotija, we'll take seconds of that, thank you very much. Youngest son will eat the shredded variety out of the bag in handfuls which, yes, I know is kind of disgusting. We have even been in the US long enough to consider American cheese a real food, even if we eschew it in favor of its far superior European cousins. Vegan is a scary thought, and therefore, most of the vegetarian dishes that I indulge in tend to have cheese as an ingredient, even if it is but a sprinkling of parmesan at serving time.

However, nothing ventured, nothing gained, and knowing that we love coconut milk-based curry sauces in general, I thought this recipe was worth a try, and WOWSERS! This one is a keeper, lack of cheese notwithstanding. No, we are not going to stop raiding the Cotswold and Camembert selections at Trader Joe's, nor quit the occasional expensive nip into Whole Foods for some CowGirl Creamery deliciousness. But now and again, we will go cheese-free, and still end up smiling through our dinner.

Ginger Coconut Green Spaghetti
adapted from Produceonparade.com
Serves 5

16oz wholewheat spaghetti or linguine
olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 TBSP fresh ginger, grated
1 15oz can coconut milk (lite works fine, if you want to cut the fat)
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 bunch green swiss chard, stems removed and roughly chopped
3 handfuls fresh baby spinach
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves
lemon wedges to serve

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the spaghetti/linguine and cook according to directions, then drain and return to the pan.
2. In a large saute/frying pan, cook the garlic and ginger in some olive oil for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly, until fragrant but not yet sticking to the pan.
3. Add coconut milk, sugar, lemon juice, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Add the chard and spinach and mix to coat.
4. Put a lid on and simmer for about 5 minutes until the greens are all wilted.
5. Pour the mixture into a blender or food processor, add the basil leaves and whizz until smooth. Check the seasoning and add more salt and pepper if desired.
6. Pour over the cooked pasta and stir to coat the pasta.
7. Serve in bowls with a lemon wedge to squeeze over the top.

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.