Celia Brooks and Divertimenti

Yesterday I went to a 'World Vegetarian Demonstration' given by Celia Brooks at Divertimenti Cookery School in London.  Wasn't sure what it would be like but I was more than pleasantly surprised.  Unusually I was the first to arrive and spend 20 minutes or so wandering around their fantastic cookery store and as usual ended up in the book section.

The school has the capacity for about 24 people and provides an intimate setting.  It was a real bonus that Celia Brooks is very hot.  Well if you're going to be looking at someone for about three hours its much easier if it is a beautiful woman.

The demonstration was delivered in a relaxed  friendly style, inviting comments from the audience and inviting and answering questions as she went along.  Gorgeous as she was, the real star was her food.  She started off with her version of IDLI delicious light steamed dumplings served with TOMATO & CASHEW CHUTNEY which had a real zip to it.  Idli is a traditional breakfast dish from Kerala, Southern Indian, but these little dumplings were too good to be restricted to breakfast.  In fact I am making them today.

The second dish was ITAL RICE a coconut and okra rice from Jamaica that Celia fondly referred to as /rasta risotto. This could easily blow your head off if you add too much Scotch Bonnet Chilli, but the chillies were cut in half and fished out before serving and for me it was just the perfect amount of heat balanced with the coconut cream.

From Jamaica to Georgia for the next dish called KHACHAPURI  a cheese bread traditionally made with Suluguni cheese, Celia replaced it with a mix of salty Feta and the slightly sweet caramel flavour of Gouda.  A real cheese lovers delight and just right for lunch on a cold winter's day.  The smells of fresh bread and melted cheese wafting around the school kitchen when this was removed from the oven was heavenly.

The dessert dish was one from Tunisia called MHALBI which is an orange flower custard served chilled with   toasted almonds sprinkled on top.  A really light delicately fragranced custard which I shall be adapting as i have some Rose petal water to use, so look out for that.

The last dish was PENANG ROJAK, a sweet chilli fondue with fruit and cucumber. I  think this was my WOW dish of the day for its simplicity and taste sensation.  The most simple and quickest to make, but the flavours, oh my!  from the sweetness of the tropical fruit, you then get the salt come through followed by the zingy citrus chilli hit.  I always like to eat fruit at the start of the meal and what better way to enjoy it.

I think most of the recipes are from World Vegetarian Classics by Celia Brooks Brown which is available on www.amazon.co.uk or your local bookshop

Visit Celia at: http://celiabrooksbrown.com/
and Divertimenti at http://www.divertimenti.co.uk/

Book review

Wild garlic, gooseberries . . .and me - Denis Cotter

It's not often I read books on relationships, although with my history maybe I should, but this is exactly what this book is all about.

The relationship between the chef and his ingredients portrays more passion to the reader than the best of Mills and Boon.  Trust and Respect are the foundations of the relationship with principle supplier Ultan Walsh.  

This is not just another cookbook, it is a beautifully crafted, witty collection of stories and recipes, providing valuable tips on how best to prepare and cook vegetables, including some unusual ones we may not have encountered..  The book is divided into four sections, at the end of each section is a collection of recipes which challenge the vegetables to shine in a completely new and innovative way.  Denis Cotter is a man who takes his vegetables very seriously, he showcases each vegetable sometimes in a leading role of it's own and sometimes in the supporting cast.   In the wild pickings section many of these ingredients can be gathered for free.  This book will prove a valuable addition to your culinary library and one you'll always want to keep close..

Verdict: Buy it now!!


 For me the stand out recipes amongst so many is the 'Black kale and aubergine spring rolls with ginger and tamarind dipping sauce'  which Cafe Paradiso have kindly given me permission to reproduce below.

If you would like a signed copy of this or any of the other excellent Cafe Paradiso cookbooks then visit http://www.cafeparadiso.ie/books

Black kale and aubergine spring rolls with ginger and tamarind dipping sauce

Serves 4

For the spring rolls

200g/7oz black kale (cavalo nero)

400g/14oz aubergine, finely diced

Olive oil

1tsp tomato puree

2tsp soy sauce

1 pinch caster sugar

4 spring onions, thinly sliced

1 fresh red chilli, halved seeds removed and thinly sliced

1tbs coriander seeds, ground

4 cloves ground

1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg

8 spring roll sheets

Vegetable oil, for frying

For the tamarind sauce

3tbs tamarind pulp

300ml/10floz water

3tbs caster sugar

1tbs rice wine vinegar

3cm/1 1/4in piece fresh root ginger chopped

1 whole dried bird's eye chilli

   Preheat the oven to 180c/350f/gas mark 4.  Remove the stalks from the kale and discard them.  Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and drop in the kale.  When the water comes back to the boil, remove the kale, drain and cool it in a bowl of cold water, then squeeze out all the water.  Dry the kale fully with kitchen paper or a tea towel so that the spring rolls do not become soggy, then chop it into thin slivers about 3cm 1 1/4in) long.

   Toss the aubergine in olive oil and arrange in a single layer in an oven dish.  cover loosely with baking parchment and roast in the oven for 15 minutes, checking and tossing occasionally to ensure the pieces are fully cooked and lightly coloured.  mix the tomato puree, soy sauce and sugar together and stir them quickly into the cooked aubergine.

   While the aubergine is cooking. make the tamarind sauce.  Put the tamarind and water in a small saucepan and bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minute.  Press the liquid through a sieve and return it to the pan with the rest of the ingredients.  Simmer again for a further 10 minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened.  Sieve again to remove the ginger and chilli, and leave the sauce to cool.

   In a mixing bowl, combine the kale, aubergine, spring onions, chilli and spices to make the spring roll filling.  Lay a sheet of spring roll pastry on a worktop with one corner facing you.  A quarter of the way up, put       1 1/2 tablespoons of filling in a line (not to the edge) and brush the edges of the pastry with water.  Fold the bottom corner over the filling and roll the spring roll to just beyond the halfway point, keeping it tight and even as possible.  Fold in the sides and continue rolling.  Repeat with the rest of the pastry sheets and filling.

   In a wide frying pan, heat 1cm (1/2in) vegetable oil to a medium temperature, about 160c/325f.  Carefully slide in some of the spring rolls, making sure you don't crowd the pan.  Cook for a few minutes on each side until the spring rolls are crisp and coloured.  You can also cook them in a deep fat fryer but make sure the temperature is not too high or they may burst.  Remove the spring rolls and place them on kitchen paper to drain of any excess oil.

Serve the spring rolls with the tamarind sauce as a dip.

  

Book review

Prashad - Indian vegetarian cooking by Kaushy Patel

Prashad, is a small Indian restaurant in Bradford run by the Patel family and starred in ‘Ramsay's Best Restaurant’ TV show in autumn 2010 where they were runners up in the final.

Kaushy Patel learned to cook as a child growing up on her grandmother's farm in India. She moved the UK in the 1960s to marry.  Following the compulsory purchase of husband Mohan’s business they purchased a launderette which had a small deli on the side.  Their son Bobby came up with the name ‘Prashad’ which means blessed food.  As popularity grew, the deli closed to accommodate the growing restaurant.

In her first (and hopefully not her last book), there are over 100 recipes, from simple snacks to sumptuous family feast.  Over 60 of which are vegan and many of the others can be easily adapted.    There are tips to help you create authentic indian food.  Kaushy gives one tip that I think is invaluable whatever the style of cooking and that is to ‘cook with love.’  The only dilemma with this book is what recipes to try first.  I went for the ‘Lemon and coriander potato balls’ which was a lovely starter packing bags of flavour.  I followed this with the ‘Aubergine and potato curry’ which was a spicy hot full on curry served with ‘Soothing yellow lentil rice’ which offset it superbly.  I already have a long list of recipes to try next. 

The book was in the Times top 40 cookbooks of the year for 2011 and rightly so.

VERDICT: Buy it now!!

http://prashad.co.uk/blog

Sorry for the lack of photos but I thought i'd hurry up and put a few recipes on here as its a new blog.  A friend asked for some vegan recipes and I think both Italian and Indian cuisines have some great vegan food without having to adapt the recipes too much.  One of my Italian favourites on a cold evening is pepperonata with some lovely warm crusty bread.  Here's my version, it can be made two or three days in advance and I think it tastes even better if left.

Pepperonata

Serves 4

50ml/2floz olive oil

1 small onion diced

3 garlic cloves, crushed

6-8 peppers of mixed colours deseeded and finely sliced

2tbs red wine vinegar

2tbs capers rinsed and roughly chopped

18 black olives rinsed and roughly chopped

1tbs fresh flat-leafed parsley chopped

1tbs fresh basil chopped

Salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a very large pan, add the onion and fry over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Add the peppers and garlic and continue to fry over a low-medium heat for about 30 minutes until the peppers are completely soft.  Cooking them slowly will help to bring out the flavours.  Add the red wine vinegar, capers, olives, parsley and basil, stir and continue to cook for another 3 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately with your favourite pasta such as Penne or cool, chill and enjoy up to a couple of days later with crusty bread.

You could also add a little more extra virgin olive oil to the cold pepperonato and serve it as part of a buffet lunch or tapas

Here is a simple curry I made when I was trying to use some turnips which I was given.  I remember reading that turnips work really well in curries so I gave it a go and I have to say it was delicious.  You could use any root veg such as parsnip, swede or celeriac and swap the cauliflower for brocolli.

Turnip, potato and cauliflower curry

Serves 4

2tbs vegetable oil

1tsp cumin seeds

1 medium onion, chopped

2-3 green chilies finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic chopped

1tsp turmeric

½tsp garam masala

½tsp red chili powder

1 tbsp sea salt

1 tomato chopped

1tbs tomato paste

2.5cm/1inch piece ginger, grated

2 large potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

3 medium turnips, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 cauliflower cut into florets

Handful of frozen peas

150ml/6floz water

½tsp sugar

4tbs chopped coriander (including stems)

Heat the oil over a medium heat in a large saucepan. Add cumin seeds and let them brown slightly. Add the onions and green chilies and fry for about 10 minutes until they are softened and golden brown. Add the garlic, the remaining spices and salt and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the chopped tomato, tomato puree and ginger and cook for three more minutes.

Mix in the potatoes and turnips, and stir, coating all the vegetables.  Add the water and sugar. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes.  Add the coriander, cauliflower and peas cook for a further 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft.

Uncover and cook a few minutes on medium-high to let any excess water evaporate.  Check seasoning and add more salt to taste if necessary. Garnish with fresh coriander and serve.

Welcome to the Wotnomeat blog.

I hope to bring you a little humour, some mouthwatering meat free recipes, reviews, news and hopefully not too many disasters.   I wont take my self to seriously and if I do please feel free to tell me.

Vegetarian cookery has come a long way since the days of pioneer cooks like Eva Batt and Sarah Brown, although they were life savers for a new vegetarian at the time.  More people are opting to cut out or at least cut back on how much meat they eat and thankfully there are some very exciting vegetarian chefs and even most of the mainstream celebrity chefs are realising the importance of innovative meat free food.  There will always be those that regard vegetarians as a pain in the arse.

So why at so many pubs or restaurants where the meat eaters rave about the food, is the vegetarian option so rubbish.  Quite often the only option is eat it or go hungry.  I think the main reason is they cant be bothered or they are afraid to cook a meal without meat.

There are exceptions and I hope to find some Gems and hopefully recreate some of the best recipes at home.

A couple of weeks ago I was watching Indian Food Made Easy with Anjum Anand, where she made Avial - a Southern Indian mixed vegetable curry that has yoghurt and coconut.  Inspired I decided to make it there and then.  Only thing was I didnt have half the ingredients and I was snowed in.  Quick look around the kitchen I had all the spices, half of the vegetables, no yoghurt or desiccated coconut.  After a few changes extra potatoes, carrots and peas, double cream for the yoghurt and cream coconut and water for the desiccated coconut, I ended up with a creamy mild curry which tasted fabulous.  Wikipedia said that a guy called 'Bhima is said to have prepared Avial, when there were unexpected guests for king Virata and he needed to serve meals for them. there was not sufficient vegetables to cook any individual side dish, so Bhima used what ever available vegetables to make a new dish, which came to know as Avial'  Well if thats the case I'm sure he would have approved. 


If you want Anjum Anands version go to: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/southernindianmixedv_86569

Snowy day Avial

2tbsp vegetable oil or ghee

1 tbs cumin seeds

1 medium onion, sliced

1-2 green chillies finely chopped

15g/½oz fresh ginger, peeled and grated

2 cloves garlic crushed

1tsp garam massala

¾tsp ground turmeric

salt, to taste

2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

½ cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeds removed, chopped into 1cm/½in pieces

25g/1oz creamed coconut

100ml water

100g/4oz frozen peas

12 fresh or dried curry leaves

5-6 tbs cream or yoghurt

Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan. Add the cumin, onion, chillies, ginger and garlic and cook until the onions are soft and beginning to colour.

When the onions are cooked, stir in the turmeric, garam masala, salt, carrots and potatoes. Cover the pan and cook over a low heat, stirring often. If necessary, add a little water to prevent the vegetables from sticking to the pan.

After about 15 minutes, add the cucumber, peas, creamed coconut and water. Cover the pan again and cook for a further 5-10 minutes until all the vegetables are tender.

Tear the curry leaves into the pan and stir in the yoghurt.  Cook for a further five minutes, stirring thoroughly.

Serve with basmati rice, naan bread or chapatis