Tag: Vegetarian

Categories
Mains Recipes

Golden Corn Chowder

Fresh, golden sweetcorn is now arriving on the shelves of our supermarkets and market stalls. This is normally the time of year when I make a pot of sweetcorn soup, or chowder as it is traditionally known. This week’s creation is shown in the photo above, garnished with a sprinkling of cayenne pepper and some snipped scallions from the garden.

We are so used to having sweetcorn processed and ready-prepared for us, whether in tins, freezer packs or in cellophaned trays, that it can seem a bit strange at first to see them in natural form.

However, preparation isn’t difficult – I pull back the outer leaves to reveal the plump golden corn on the cob. Gathering the peeled-back leaves with my fist to form a grip, I stand the ear of corn in a flat-bottomed dish, and cut down the side with a sharp knife. Moving around the cob, all the corn then gathers in the bottom of the bowl.

And don’t discard those trimmed stalks just yet – snap one up to put into the chowder as it cooks, and it will add extra corn flavour (just remember to remove it before wading in with your blender, however).

One of the special pleasures about using fresh corn in this way is that one can appreciate why it is called sweet corn – taste a spoonful of this chowder and you may well wonder whether sugar has been added. However, there is no artificial sweetener involved – the pleasant taste is genuinely coming from the natural sweetness of the fresh corn.

Servings

For me, this made 2 adult portions with some leftovers for a lunch serving the next day.

Timings

10 mins to prepare, 20 mins to cook on the hob.

You Will Need

  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1 large onion
  • 2 – 3 celery sticks
  • 1 red pepper
  • 3 ears of fresh sweetcorn
  • 400ml vegetable stock
  • a few sprigs of fresh thyme
  • salt and pepper
  • a dash of milk
  • 3 scallions
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper

Method

  1. Drizzle some oil in the bottom of a large saucepan and place over a medium heat on the hob. Add in the crushed garlic.
  2. Roughly chop the onion, celery and pepper, and add to the pan. Put the lid on the pan and let it all cook for 5 mins, while the veg sizzles and softens.
  3. Meanwhile, peel back the outer leaves of one ear of corn and gather it as a grip with your fist. Stand the cob up in a flat-bottomed bowl and cut down through the corn with a sharp knife, moving around the cob so that all the kernels fall and collect in the bowl. Repeat with the other two ears of corn.
  4. Lift the lid of the pan and add in the corn. Give it a good stir, then pour in the veg stock.
  5. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for 20 mins or so. Tear in the thyme leaves and add a few twists of salt and pepper.
  6. If you wish, snap one of the trimmed corn stalks in two and drop it into the pan – this will help add extra corn flavour as the chowder cooks.
  7. After 20 mins, remove the corn stalks and add a splash of milk.
  8. Blitz the soup with a handheld blender so that it takes on a thick and creamy texture, but with some of the corn kernels still clearly visible.
  9. Ladle into 2 bowls, topping it off with a sprinkling of cayenne pepper and chopped scallions.
  10. Serve on its own or with some fresh, crispy bread.

Customise It!

A couple of spuds will help bulk out the texture of the chowder if you wish. I have kept the dish vegetarian, but if you don’t mind your meat, then some finely chopped strips of salty bacon will also go down well as a garnish.

When it comes to pairing a fave musical track with Golden Corn Chowder, I am rather spoilt for choice. David Bowie’s Golden Years? The Stone Roses with Fool’s Gold? Maybe The Black Keys with Gold on the Ceiling? All would be excellent choices, as is this: Anymore by Alison Goldfrapp.

Categories
Bakes Desserts Recipes

Blackberry & Apple Crumble with Custard

You want comfort food? Here you go!

As my recent posts show, I’ve been making the most of blackberry season, and the generous bounty of juicy, fresh fruit burgeoning on our local hedgerows (see It’s Blackberry Time!).

This dish sees them combined with windfall apples that have tumbled on to the lawn from the trees in our garden, and topped with crumble. Serve it warm with a dollop of vanilla custard. And relax!

Servings

6 adult portions.

Timings

25 mins to prepare, and another 25 mins to bake at 180C.

You Will Need:

  • 4 large eating apples
  • 350g blackberries
  • 85g plain flour
  • 85g wholemeal flour
  • 85g butter
  • 85g caster sugar

Method

  1. Switch on a fan oven to 180C.
  2. Prepare the crumble by combining the flour, butter and sugar in a bowl. Rub together between the fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs in texture. Set aside.
  3. Put the blackberries in another bowl and place in the microwave on full power for 5 – 6 mins until soft and juicy. Remove and squeeze the juice through a sieve into a bowl, leaving the pips and pulp behind (to be discarded).
  4. Peel and slice the apples, discarding the cores. Scatter across the base of a casserole dish, then cover with the blackberry juice. Sprinkle the crumble mixture on top. Place in the oven at 180C for 25 mins.
  5. While the crumble is cooking, make up some custard using a store cupboard mix like Bird’s, following the instructions on the packaging.
  6. Serve the crumble warm in a bowl, with a swirl of yellow custard alongside.

Customise It!

Cooking apples can be used in place of the eating variety, but you will need to sprinkle over a few large spoonfuls of sugar to counter the bitterness. Replace around 30g of the wholemeal flour with oats if you wish, to give the crumble an added oaty, biscuity taste.

I had thought of featuring another Oasis track here today, but after yesterday’s controversial concert ticket sale I reckon everyone’s heard enough of Noel and Liam just for the moment. Let’s hope the Man City front line this season isn’t as sluggish as the Ticketmaster website, eh lads?

Disco has been taking its place at this year’s Summer Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in London, with full orchestral backing and being televised by the BBC. Here’s one of the tracks that’s been performed really well: Yvonne Elliman with If I Can’t Have You.

Categories
Bakes Recipes

It’s Blackberry Time!

Late August is the time when lots of free, fresh fruit starts ripening up on our local hedgerows – the joys of blackberry picking are here!

For me, this usually involves stowing a large sealed plastic box in the pannier of my bike, and heading off into our nearby country park. It is relatively easy there to find a quiet spot where the berries are glinting high up in the late summer sun, turning all those solar rays into vitamin C.

This week I brought home just over 300g from a half hour session. I like to bake with them when they’re still fresh, so aim to complete the transition from hedgerow to cake in under 3 – 4 hours. Solar powered baking, if you like.

I decided to make the Blackberry and Coconut Crumble Squares that I’ve featured previously on A Different Kitchen. You can see this week’s batch in my photo at the top of the post, and again below.

It’s a favourite in our household, and there is really only a short window of a few weeks every year in which this traybake can be made fresh – so why not? Just follow the above link to find the recipe.

I kept a few berries back as I like to have them topped over oats, nuts and seeds as a breakfast dish, with some milk and honey. Grating or chopping in some apple, fresh from our trees in the garden, is the perfect complement.

There may well be more blackberry recipes over the next few weeks, so stay tuned.

Choice of music today can really only be from one band – the long-awaited Oasis reunion tour has finally been announced. Along with probably the other 65 million people who live in the UK, I shall be on the Ticketmaster site this weekend trying to get a ticket before they all sell out – wish me luck!

Then it’s a case of waiting until next summer to see the concerts. That’s presuming Noel and Liam haven’t fallen out again by then, of course…

Here they are at their Beatles-influenced best, with Whatever.

Categories
Mains Recipes

Courgette & Feta Fritters with Mint Raita

Here’s a dish that really does make the best of all the seasonal summer produce around at the moment. It’s a great way to use up some of the Jenga-like pile of organic courgettes that builds up on the ADK Kitchen table around this time of year – 3 medium-sized ones went into this batch of fritters, and the taste works really well with the chunks of creamy feta.

The scallions are also fresh from the garden, as are the cucumber and mint leaves in the cooling raita served alongside.

An excellent choice for a summer evening meal on the patio – maybe to celebrate the second birthday of A Different Kitchen! More of that in a moment…

Servings

This will make 4 fritters.

Timings

15 mins to make and about 10 mins to fry.

You Will Need

  • 350g courgettes (around 3 medium-sized ones)
  • 100g feta cheese
  • 3 – 4 scallions (spring onions)
  • 50g plain flour
  • 1 egg
  • oil for frying

For the raita:

  • 4 – 5 dessert spoonfuls of natural yoghurt
  • 3 – 4 slices of cucumber, finely chopped
  • 4 – 5 leaves of fresh garden mint, finely chopped

Method

  1. Wash the courgettes and trim off the ends. Grate coarsely, either by hand or (as I did) using the speed grating tool on the food processor. Tip into a large mixing bowl.
  2. Chop the feta into cubes and add to the grated courgette. Chop the scallions into little rounds and add also.
  3. Sieve in the plain flour and crack in the egg. Now the fun begins – having washed and dried your hands, plunge them into the bowl and squish all the ingredients together between your fingers to make a well-mixed courgette batter.
  4. Next, make the raita by combining the yoghurt, cucumber and mint in a small bowl. Stir and place in the fridge until it is time to serve (for the avoidance of doubt, no plunging of fingers is required for this bit 🙂 )
  5. Warm a drizzle of oil in a frying pan. When sizzling, lift in a handful of the courgette batter. Put in another alongside and let them cook.
  6. After a minute or so, give them a gentle push around the pan with a spatula, to make sure they are not sticking. After 3 – 4 minutes, lift each fritter carefully with the spatula and flip them over, to cook on the other side.
  7. After another 3 – 4 mins, remove each fritter to a plate and keep warm. Repeat the process with the rest of the batter, to make another 2 fritters.
  8. Plate up the fritters and serve with the bowl of raita as a side.

Customise it!

Some recipes for courgette fritters advise to squeeze the water from the veg at the outset. I didn’t do this and it didn’t cause any problems, however – just sayin’.

If you wish, you could add some lemon zest, crushed garlic and ground black pepper to the batter, before cooking. Additional salt shouldn’t be necessary as there is some already in the feta.

The height of summer brings a second birthday for A Different Kitchen: that’s 2 years, 222 posts, and 3.5k followers from all around the world, now over 3 online platforms. Sadly, WordPress stats can’t tell me how much self-raising flour, caster sugar, extra virgin olive oil, garlic cloves etc have been consumed in that time, but I reckon it’s enough to fill a small branch of Tesco Express.

Maybe that’s something the WordPress engineers could get on to before next year’s anniversary? Cool – always happy to give feedback 🙂 .

Here’s Depeche Mode with World in My Eyes.

Categories
Recipes Snacks

Sweet & Sour Vegan Wraps

This week I’ve made a healthy and tasty filling mix for wraps comprising salad grains, vegetables, nuts and seeds, all in a sweet and sour dressing.

I was looking for a mix that I could keep in the fridge to speed up the making of lunchtime snacks over a few days. The grains, mushrooms and aubergine all have a succulence, and the walnuts a crunch, making a pleasant texture to bite into. The miso and sweet and sour dressing give it that umami flavour.

And it is suitable for vegetarians and vegans, so everyone is happy 🙂 !

Timings

About 30 mins to make.

Servings

Enough for about 6 wraps. The mix will keep in the fridge in a sealed box for a few days.

You Will Need

For the mix:

  • 120g grains – I used 40g brown rice, 40g pearl barley and 40 lentil soup/stew mix
  • half a carrot, finely chopped
  • 5 – 6 green beans, finely chopped
  • drizzle of oil
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 3 – 4 chestnut mushrooms, finely chopped
  • half an aubergine, finely chopped
  • 60g walnuts, roughly chopped
  • a handful of seeds – I used a mixture of pumpkin, sunflower and sesame seeds

For the dressing:

  • 30ml tomato passata
  • drizzle of oil
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp sesame seeds

To serve:

  • Tortilla wraps

Method

  1. Put the grains in a saucepan of boiling water. Reduce and simmer. After about 20 mins, add the chopped green beans and carrot. Briefly bring the water back to the boil, then reduce to simmer for another 10 mins.
  2. While the grains and veg are cooking, put a wok or frying pan over a moderate heat. Pour in a drizzle of oil and add the crushed garlic. Add in the onion, mushrooms, and aubergine and stir for 5 – 10 mins. Add the miso and stir in. Leave a few mins more, then switch off.
  3. Drain the water from the saucepan, leaving the cooked veg and grains. Add in the onion, mushroom and aubergine, and finally the chopped walnuts and seeds. Stir to combine.
  4. Put the dressing ingredients in a screwtop jar. Shake and pour over the mix. Stir to combine, then leave to cool. It should look something like my photo below.
  5. Place the cooled mix in a sealed box in the fridge.
  6. Place a tortilla wrap on a plate and place a line of mix along the middle. Add in any other salad ingredients you wish, roll up and enjoy.

Customise it!

For the wrap in my photo at the top of the post, I combined the mix with chopped tomato, cucumber, scallion, grated carrot and white cabbage. Chopped celery, lettuce, rocket or other leaves would all go well. Use whatever is in season and/or what you have to hand.

On my recent visit to Belfast, I was pleased to see a mural on Great Victoria Street remembering Terri Hooley, the inspirational force behind Good Vibrations record label and shop. Good Vibes played an important role in Northern Ireland’s musical heritage, giving a platform to local punk and new wave talent, one of which I’m adding to the ADK Playlist. This is Rudi with Big Time.

Categories
Mains Recipes

Pearl Barley Risotto

Risotto is a classic Italian dish made with arborio rice – the Italian word for rice is riso and there is a rather large clue in the title of the dish that rice is, er, supposed to be the key ingredient.

However, in this dish I’ve decided to swap in pearl barley instead of the rice. Pearl barley is a nutritious grain making this a healthy, lower carb alternative to the Italian classic. Like a risotto, it is still cooked by simmering it with veg in a broth of chicken or veg stock.

Servings

2 adult portions.

Timings

20 mins to pre-cook the pearl barley, then a further 20 mins.

You Will Need:

  • 70g pearl barley
  • enough boiling water to cover the pearl barley
  • half a red onion
  • 6 – 7 mushrooms
  • half a sweet potato
  • 2 celery sticks
  • half a sweet pepper
  • about 500ml chicken or veg stock
  • a handful of mixed nuts
  • about 30g cheddar, grated
  • a handful of fresh coriander leaves
  • 1 chopped scallion
  • a spoonful of miso (optional)

Method

  1. Place the pearl barley in a saucepan and cover it with boiling water. Bring back to the boil, then simmer for 20 mins.
  2. In the meantme, chop all the veg and place in a wok with some oil, over a reasonable heat. Stir fry all the veg until it is softened and nicely charred.
  3. Drain the pearl barley in a sieve, and tip in to the wok. Stir in alongside the veg, then add the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and let the stock reduce for about 20 mins, while the pearl barley continues to cook and soften.
  4. When there is little liquid left, and the pearl barley has softened, add in the nuts, cheese, coriander and scallion. Add in the miso if you wish.
  5. Let the additional flavours soak in for a few minutes, then serve.

Customise it!

Lots of scope to swap in other veg here – mangetout, peas, broad beans and shredded greens all go brilliantly. Grated blue cheese will also be excellent. Use your imagination!

A risotto that doesn’t contain any rice? It’s crazy, man! Which gives me an idea for the next track to add to the ADK Playlist: here’s The Prodigy with Crazy Man.

Categories
Bakes Recipes

Banana, Walnut & Dark Choc Muffins

This week I’ve tried changing up a banana muffin recipe a little by introducing some different tastes.

I replaced about a fifth of the flour with oats, and used nearly half and half plain and wholemeal flour for the rest. I toasted some walnuts and then chopped them in the food pro, adding the pieces in with broken up shards of 70% dark chocolate. The final twist was to reduce the sugar by about a quarter, so that all those added ingredients can actually be tasted in the final muffin, rather than being drowned out by sweetness.

I’m pleased with the results and will bake these again. Apart from making for an interesting blend of flavours, the changes also mean less reliance on refined carbs and a higher score on protein, fibre and omega 3.

So you can genuinely feel good about yourself while scoffing these muffins 🙂

Servings

Makes 12 muffins.

Timings

About 10 mins to prepare, and 20 mins in the oven at 160C.

You Will Need:

  • 120g plain flour
  • 100g wholemeal flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp bicarb of soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 60g walnuts, toasted and then chopped
  • 40g 70% dark choc, broken into pieces
  • 2 well ripened bananas
  • 90g caster sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 60g oats
  • 90ml semi-skimmed milk
  • 90ml veg oil

Method

  1. Turn on the oven to warm up to 160C. Prepare a muffin tin or mould,
  2. Sieve the flours, baking powder, bicarb and salt into a large bowl. Stir in the nuts and chocolate.
  3. In a separate bowl, mash the bananas and add in the egg, followed by the sugar, milk and oil. Stir in the oats and leave to soak for a few mins.
  4. When the oven is up to temp, pour the wet mix of ingredients into the dry, and stir so that there are no dry ingredients showing. Spoon into the tin or mould and bake for 20 mins or until browned to your desired level.
  5. Remove from the oven and, after 5 – 10 mins, remove the muffins to a wire rack to cool (as shown in my photo at the top of the post).

Customise It!

I chose walnuts as they work well with banana, but you could just as easily use almonds, hazelnuts or pecans if you wish. Whatever nut you choose, toasting it for 5 mins in the oven helps bring out its natural taste.

This week I’ve been listening to 90’s band, Mansun who hail from Chester. This is a great track, so I’m adding it to the ADK Playlist: Wide Open Space. Enjoy (with your muffin).

Categories
Recipes Sides

Feta & Black Olive Quinoa Salad

Now it’s summer, I’ve been eating more and more salad bowls for lunch, so reckoned it was about time to feature one here on A Different Kitchen.

This one throws together some of my favourite tastes, including feta, black olive and rocket leaves, in a tahini dressing. The quinoa boosts the protein intake and fills you up without being heavy on the carbs. Good as a lunch bowl, but also suitable to serve as a side alongside a mains.

Servings

Enough here for a couple of servings.

Timings

12 – 15 mins. That’s how long it takes to boil and cool the quinoa, during which time you can be getting ready the rest of the salad and the dressing.

You Will Need:

  • 70g quinoa
  • about 70g feta cheese, cut into cubes
  • about 12 – 15 pitted black olives from a jar, cut in half
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • 5 – 6 slices of cucumber, diced
  • 1 scallion, cut into rings
  • a handful of rocket leaves

Check out this link for my tahini dressing.

Method

  1. Place the quinoa in a saucepan with boiling water. Reduce and simmer for 12 – 15 mins.
  2. While the quinoa is cooking, prep the other ingredients and place in a bowl. Make up the tahini dressing.
  3. Drain the quinoa when cooked, and cool in a sieve under cold running water. Shake dry and add to the salad ingredients, stirring in to mix. Coat with the dressing and serve.

Customise It!

I used a packet mix of black, white and red quinoa just because it helps the dish look more interesting, but plain quinoa will work just as well. Feel free to sprinkle a few sesame seeds over the bowl before eating.

Here’s a track that’s been popping up recently on the playlists Spotify auto-generates for me, based on my other listening – clever that, especially when the track turns out to be one I find I like. Here’s Moby with Bodyrock.

Categories
Breakfast Recipes

Summer Fruit & Nut Acai Bowl

I’m home from my trip to France, to find that a spell of warm sunny weather may have finally arrived in the UK.

Reminded of the climate we enjoyed on our trip to Australia in the spring, I decided it was time to bring out the Acai powder I brought back in my suitcase, to make an Aussie-style smoothie bowl. Here it is, shown in my photo above, glinting in the British breakfast time summer sun.

We found Acai Bowls to be a popular choice in cafes and takeaway joints wherever we went in Australia. The Acai is usually served with combinations of cereal, fresh fruit and nuts (check out my earlier post on the crazy, yet delicious, peanut butter-infused option I enjoyed in Melbourne).

Acai (pronounced ah – sa – ee) is a dark purple berry grown in Brazil. It is rich in antioxidants, fibre and healthy fats, and believed to support heart health and cognitive function, while being low in sugar and calories. It tastes great, with a flavour reminiscent of dark chocolate, berries and red wine. It is suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

The berries do not travel well, so outside of Brazil they are sold in pulp form or as powder. I bought a pack of powder from Coles Supermarket in Melbourne, where it was available on the shelf, in several varieties. I have seen it in specialist health food shops here in the UK, but it is nowhere near as mainstream as it is Down Under.

For my Acai Bowl, I blended a tablespoon of Acai powder with two bananas and 3 tablespoons of Greek natural yoghurt. After a minute or so in the blitzer, it forms a thick purple cream that can then be poured on to cereal and topped with fresh fruit. This made enough for 2 Acai Bowls.

I poured it on to muesli and added some fresh strawberry that is grown locally. Just like Cristiano Ronaldo, the blueberries and kiwi are from Portugal. The crowning touch is some toasted brazil nuts, with a sprinkling of pumpkin and sunflower seeds.

It is the time of year to relax outside in the sun listening to good music on my ear buds. This week I’ve been revisiting an old playlist featuring The White Stripes, having forgotten how good they sound. Here they are with The Hardest Button to Button.

Categories
Mains Recipes

Sticky Sesame Roast Veg

This dish serves chunky roast veg on a bed of brown rice, coated in a thick sweet, sour and spicy sauce. The finishing touch is a fresh crunchy topping of chopped scallions (spring onions) and sesame seeds.

Servings

An adult meal for 2.

Timings

25 mins to make.

You Will Need

  • 1 aubergine
  • 1 courgette
  • 1 red or yellow pepper
  • 100g brown rice
  • 2tbsp each of Worcester sauce, fish sauce, cider vinegar, honey and olive oil
  • 1 tbsp oil for frying
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 red chilli
  • 2 – 3cm piece of root ginger
  • 500g carton of tomato passata
  • 2 scallions, chopped
  • sesame seeds to sprinkle

Method

  1. Cut the aubergine, courgette and pepper into large chunks and roast on a metal dish in the oven for 25 mins at 180C.
  2. While the veg is roasting, tip the brown rice into a saucepan of boiling water. Reduce the heat and let simmer for 25 mins.
  3. Combine the Worcester sauce, fish sauce, vinegar, honey and oil in a screw top jar. Shake to mix.
  4. Crush the garlic and put in a saucepan with some oil over a medium heat. Finely chop the chilli and ginger and add in. Let cook for a few mins, then pour in the sauce from the screw top jar. Add in the passata and give it a good stir. Leave to simmer – it will slowly reduce to give a thick, sticky sauce.
  5. When the rice is cooked, drain it and spread out to form a bed on each of two plates. Place the roast veg on top, and then pour over the sauce. Top with pieces of chopped scallion and a sprinkling of sesame seeds (see photo).

Customise it!

Lots of scope here. My choice of veg reflects what’s in season in the shops at the moment, but you can swap in any other veg that roasts well, such as sweet potato, butternut squash or parsnip. For the sauce, keep the vinegar and honey, which give it a sweet and sour base, but wine vinegar will be fine. Soy sauce can replace the Worcester or fish sauce if that’s what you happen to have in the cupboard.

This week I’ve been to a party at my Bowling Club, where everyone nominated a track for a jukebox-style playlist. The tracks were then played on shuffle, while everyone ate and drank. It was a fun evening in good company, with some great choices of music. Here’s the track I nominated: The Clash with London Calling.