Student kitchens
Easy, delicious, healthy(ish) recipes that won’t own your budget.Archive for garlic
Winter greens – bok choi with mushrooms, soy and oyster sauce
I searched Tastespotting and Foodgawker recently for winter recipes, and I was finished looking in under half an hour. Most of the recipes involved things like “injecting some spring into your winter,” or using summer veges preserved from the summer. Unfortunately, my tomato harvest only just covered my summer appetite, and buying spring veges is expensive. However, I do have plenty of bok choy in the garden, and because it’s a winter vegetable, there are plenty of cheap bok choy options at the green grocers, asian supermarkets, and even regular supermarkets. Obviously, the Asian route will be cheapest and freshest, plus there are heaps of little varieties that are perfect for this dish.
This is my favourite way to have bok choy now. It’s a little more effort than simply flash-cooking it in the pan with some oil and salt, but ZOMG it is so worth it. Plus the mushrooms soak up all the saucey flavoury goodness and taste phenomenal. If you use little bok choy, they look soo cute and pretty too! Especially arranged in a circle with the bok choy acting as petals, and the mushrooms in the middle…and sauce drizzled all…over…*drools*
By the way, before I divulge the recipe, if you have any space for growing bok choi, it grows fine in winter (you may want to start the seeds off inside and then transplant them to speed the process up) and is actually improved by frosts once slightly matured. It’s soooo much nicer home grown, and you can always peel off the outer leaves and it will keep growing quite happily. Slugs are more of a problem in summer, so now or early spring is a great time to plant them. Kings Seeds offer the best selection (search Pak choi) – if you want to save the seed, remember not to get hybrid varieties. Other names this goes by is: Pak Choi, Bai Chai (Mandarin), “Asian” Greens.
Bok Choi with mushrooms, soy & oyster sauce.
makes one plate serving two as a side dish
one medium sized bunch (about 400g) small bok choy, halved vertically (along the stem). If using just leaves, cut in half horizontally (across the stem), or if using fully mature bok choy, quarter each one vertically. Make sure to wash the dirt from in between the leaves (do this by peeling back the leaves gently without detaching them).
6 button mushrooms halved, or 2 portobello mushrooms, cut into sixths, or shiitake mushrooms soaked overnight, sliced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbs cooking oil
4 Tbs light soy sauce
1 tsp oyster sauce
pinch salt and pepper to taste
sesame oil for drizzling
Mix soy sauce and oyster sauce together until oyster sauce is fully dissolved in a small bowl, and set aside.
In a large frypan, heat cooking oil on medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, throw in garlic and mushrooms, and cook until one side of the mushrooms has changed colour to be slightly translucent looking. Add all the bok choi stems first, and let cook for about 15 seconds before flipping with tongs. Add soy and oyster sauce combination, turn off heat, and stir sauce in. Let bok choi leaves wilt (you may want to leave some slightly unwilted, as they will wilt further once plated) and stems go slightly translucent and greener, and plate with tongs, arranging however you like (they look prettiest with the middle showing, as pictured below. Drizzle over sesame oil, add a sprinkling of black pepper if desired, and nom.
Easy peasy vinegar squeezy
If you’ve never had cabbage sauteed with a splash of vinegar, you’re missing out. It’s one of the best flavour combinations, partly also because it’s not fancy or expensive, but still bloody fantastic.
Turns out the splash of vinegar also pairs well with kale. Kale is sort of like…dark coloured cabbage, but it’s more leafy rather than tight ball of leaves all crammed together, if you get my drift. In any case, you can totally use cabbage in this recipe and get away with it. If you’re keen to try kale out though, wander on down to a farmers market, as they’re in season (in New Zealand) and very affordable. They also last ok in a bag that’s not in the fridge, although having said that our kitchen is probably just scraping two digits in the temperature department… Ah, winter.
I highly recommend the parmesan/three cheese mash that this is sitting atop, by the way. I was sick with the flu when I made this but it was easy enough to whip up and to eat without thinking about the fact that I was consuming dairy (does anyone else find they can’t eat dairy when they’re sick? Even the thought of yoghurt conjures up imagery of oral excretions). On that happy note, I present garlic and red wine vinegar sauteed kale n mushrooms perched atop a parmesan potato mash.
Sauteed kale bit
serves two, as if you are on some whimsical diet
lots of kale (chop it up, and you want about 3-4 cups worth) or cabbage
lots of garlic (about 4-5 cloves)
shallots or half an onion, pretty much minced
some white button mushrooms, quartered
about 1/4c red wine vinegar (or white if you have it, esp. with normal cabbage)
cooking oil (extra virgin olive oil works wonderfully)
salt and pepper to taste
Heat some oil in a pan, and throw everything in except the vinegar. Cook on medium high heat until the mushrooms are taking on that translucent sheen and the kale is nice and wilted. Add vinegar, toss it around a bit, and remove from heat. By the way, I suggest you have your potatoes cooked before your start this, and the cheese all ready.
Parmesan/three cheese mash
serves two
4-5 medium potatoes, chopped to 1cm dice, plus enough water to keep ‘em submerged
large handful finely grated parmesan & gouda, plus a little sprinkling of another strong cheese (I used goats gouda). Tbh any strong cheese will do, but use STRONG cheese, or you won’t really taste it
salt and pepper to taste
about 30g butter, chopped into little bits
Boil potatoes plus a generous sprinkling of salt (or stock buillon) on medium high heat until fork tender (as I said, cook your other veges while doing this). Drain, reserving some liquid (depending how mushy you like your mash), add butter and cheese, and mash. Add further salt and pepper if desired, and serve up.
Warm pasta salad
Ever since I whipped up my slaw dressing, I’ve had a healthy respect for raw cabbage. Ok, ok…this is mainly a sneaky attempt on my behalf to direct you to my new dressings & sauces page (for which there is a permalink under the “My pages” section to your right). It’s all for good reason, however. It’s been sunnyish recently (still freezing though of course, quite literally for once) so it seemed appropriate for a non-roast. Eating this salad made me feel like slipping back into a bikini and hitting the beach, but it was creamy enough to ensure I stayed put. It’s just the sort of thing that I’ll be eating possibly all summer (although I’m not sure what all the mayo/hollandaise is going to do to my bikini prospects). It takes barely any time to throw together, has raw vegetables (did I mention that they’re much better for you than cooked veges? Watch Food Matters if you’re intrigued), and is creamy, crunchy, tangy, soft and mildly sweet – all at the same time. Indeed.
Just in case I haven’t already mentioned this, a great big thank you goes to my flatmate Adam whose brother made the gorgeous hot pot wood block thingee that has been gracing so many of my photos. Its rich, warm golden hues always make me feel all caramelly inside.
A quick note before I divulge the recipe: Some added nuts, particularly walnuts, but possibly also roasted pistachios or roasted cashews will add even more deliciousness and protein. To roast cashews, heat on a single layer on a plate in the microwave or oven on high or 180C (350F) at a time, turning/tossing at 2 minute intervals until golden. Cashews will feel rubbery at firstbut will harden up as they cool. Wish I had thought of it before devouring the lot, but after tasting the first sliver of dressing-endowed cabbage, there was no stopping me.
Warm pasta salad
serves 2 relatively big eaters
Half a 500g bag of pasta (preferably shaped), or however much pasta you normally have
Hearty amount of salt for the pasta
1 onion, finely chopped
about 2 c very thinly sliced (or “shaved”) cabbage (green, red or Chinese will all work)
about 1/2 c peas
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
about 15g butter
pinch salt
Slaw dressing (quantities are approximate)
1/3 (heaping) c quality mayo or hollandaise (Japanese mayo or Kato Hollandaise, or Free Range mayo…any thick stuff that’s not too white)
1 1/2 Tbs white wine vinegar, or white vinegar, or lemon juice
1/2 Tbs dijon or wholegrain mustard
pinch salt
plenty of freshly ground black pepper
about 1/4c powder fine grated aged gouda or parmesan (optional)
a handful of walnuts, cashews, pine nuts or pistachio nuts (optional)
Place your pasta on to cook according to packet instructions, with salt. Don’t worry about using oil, it’ll just make the pan greasy and annoying to wash. Just make sure you occasionally stir. Just ask Donna Hay!
While pasta is cooking, melt butter in a medium frypan on medium heat, add a pinch of salt and the onions. Let cook, stirring occasionaly, until properly golden. Mix in peas (if frozen) and garlic, and cover, letting cook for about a minute. Uncover, stir, and cover again for another minute. Continue doing this until the peas are cooked. DO NOT BOIL THE PEAS. Thank you. Remove from heat, and leave cover on the pan until pasta is done.
Mix up the dressing in a cup or small bowl (or if you hate dishes you can mix it up in a large bowl you’ll be eating the salad out of). Mix the cabbage into the dressing, then mix in the peas, onions and garlic. Finally, once the pasta is cooked, drain and immediately mix in to the other ingredients. Scatter over any nuts you wish to use, and serve while warm, although it’s also fine cold. If you want it for the next day, make sure you cover the salad (with a pot cover or plate if you want to save money on clingfilm).
Cous cous and wintery herby veges
I finally decided to grab some wholemeal couscous at Piko’s the other day, and I now really wished the other packet I’d bought was wholemeal too. Unlike wholemeal flour, which cooks differently in bread and has a definite flavour (bitter but nutty), wholemeal couscous cooks exactly the same as the normal stuff, and barely tastes any different. The texture is similar enough – but it keeps its shape much better, so really, I don’t see a reason to ever get white again. If you’ve ever considered getting more wholegrains into your diet, this is a great way to start – remember that couscous is the fastest, easiest grain to cook!
Perching atop that mountain is my fresh herb trio (they’re all shivering outside in the garden, along with the oregano which I now can’t find among the forest of rocket plants): rosemary, sage and thyme, the wintery herbs that make this combo feel as comforting a steaming bowl of noodle soup. Easy enough to adapt for vegan friends, too – just be sure to use vege stock and olive oil instead of butter.
Also, I was comparing the two different kinds of cous cous (plain & wholegrain) and wholegrain has a respectable amount of iron in it (1/3c gives 10% of your RDI of iron). It also had a small amount of calcium, as opposed to none in the white, and slightly more protein. Just a thought, even though I normally don’t espouse nutritional advice… I think it’s winter and the fact that everyone is getting sick. Take care of yourselves and eat well damnit!
Cous cous with cabbage, mushrooms, and wintery herbs
serves 2 hungry souls
1c wholemeal couscous
1c vege or chicken stock, super hot (bring to a boil, or use bouillon/stock cubes + just boiled water)*
about 25g butter or some olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
about 2c finely sliced cabbage
as many mushrooms as you want (or substitute matchstick-cut carrots if you hate mushrooms)
a small handful of fresh rosemary, thyme and sage leaves (discard stalks), or 1/2 tsp each dried, finely chopped with 4 cloves of garlic (hey, it’s good for the immune system!)
salt and pepper to taste (at the end)
more butter, or olive oil if you’re harbouring illusions of diet consciousness
about 1/4 cup powder-finely grated parmesan (optional)
*If you’re out of stock, to be honest I think this dish will work fine without it, as long as you compensate with salt.
Pour hot water over cous cous in bowl or saucepan and cover (not with clingfilm if you can help it, but just a plain pot cover – come on, it’s easier and cheaper). Let sit about 3-5 mins before uncovering, fluffing it up with a fork, and re-covering. If you’re a multi tasker, you can do this while your onions are cooking.
In a large frypan or wok, melt butter or heat olive oil (about 25g/3Tbs) on medium heat, and add a pinch of salt and pepper. Add onions, and cook on one layer until translucent, shaking and tossing every now and then. Once quite translucent and beginning to go golden, add cabbage, and let sit on one layer, cooking until the undersides are lightly golden, and then tossing. Keep doing this until the cabbage starts getting softer and starts taking on golden notes all over.
Mix in garlic, herbs, and mushrooms, and let cook on an even layer until the undersides of the mushrooms get golden fringes. Stir, and mix in all the cous cous. You may want to add the butter specified with the cous cous now as well. Continue cooking for a minute and then remove from heat. Stir in parmesan now if using, and serve up.
I haven’t tried this heated up the next day, but I can’t imagine it would be too bad, as long as you avoided the microwave. Just make sure to fridge it overnight, and you should be fine.
Soo hot right now…rosemary garlic baked mushrooms
THE most delicious thing you can add to you roast meal? Rosemary and garlic mushrooms. Even ordinary white button mushrooms.
These go in the last 15 minutes of roasting at about 200C (400F), or 20 minutes at 180C (350F). It’s super simple. Once all your other thing shave gone in the oven, brush your mushrooms (or clean them your way). Finely chop some garlic with fresh rosemary (or dry), about one small clove per mushroom. Place the garlic and herbs in a bowl with extra virgin olive oil (just enough to coat) and some salt and pepper. Mix it all up, and let it sit until it’s ready to go in the oven. Throw in with the rest of your veges, toss/mix, and let cook until the outsides are dark brown. So moreish and versatile, I used an entire half bag of mushrooms on these babies. Enjoy! x
PS. some fresh or dried thyme also works intead of, or in addition to, the rosemary.
Time for nostalgia, and pumpkin soup.
When holidays for Uni roll around, especially 3 weeks worth, I check most of the emails I get, even the ones I normally wouldn’t. That includes e-newsletters from my old high school. This afternoon I opened it up, excepting to do my usual scoff and oo-er as a few familiar surnames registered as scholarship winners. Instead, however, I started to get all teary eyed. I felt like I’d been away for too long, almost like a home-sick puppy wondering when it would finally be able to go see its mummy again, but somehow knowing that it never would. Not that I can’t see the black gates and red bricks again, but in any case, it’s not the buildings I miss. I think it’s that stage in my life when it’s actually beginning to dawn on me that I have to actually take care of myself, that if the cleaning doesn’t get done, it’s never going to get done. And hey, my flatmates are, comparatively speaking, great at doing dishes. No, it’s not just the cleaning. It’s the certainty that someone is going to be there, and that you’ll know and trust them to do it well, that I miss. It’s the familiarity and feeling of community with everyone around you, that deeper, fundamental understanding and common sense of knowing, deep down, what’s right. Even if they’re little things, like how the toilet seat should bloody sit (can you tell I went to an all girls school?!), or bigger things, like what you really mean when you say things. Even though I didn’t like everyone at high school, there were just so many things that were obvious to everyone, but at Uni, the person sitting next to you could be 35, have kids, be in a totally different mindspace. So there’s no attempt to reach out, and the cycle of unfamiliarity just continues. And with that simmering away in the depths of my brain, I shall attempt to bring you a recipe for a pumpkin soup I made the other day.
If you’re feeling anything like me, and noticing the chill outside (Autumn is here!), then I hope this is of some comfort to you. It’s fairly simple, and certainly great to curl up with (paired with a plate piled high with fresh bread). The soup photo is awful I know, but hey, I was hungry!
Pumpkin soup
serves 3 with bread, 2 without bread
1/4 small pumpkin, peeled and chopped into 2cm cubes
3 Tbs butter
1 tsp thyme
1 onion or equivalent leek, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped (or substitute with more pumpkin if you prefer)
1c vege stock
salt and pepper to taste
3 Tbs sour cream
In a large frypan, melt 2/3 of the butter on medium heat, and add pumpkin, salt, pepper, and thyme. Cover, and cook 2 mins until underside is browned. Uncover, flip, add thyme, add a little water if the pan is dry, cover, and cook a further 2 mins. Uncover, add onions or leek, stir, add a little water if the pan is dry, cover, and cook another 2 mins. Uncover, add garlic, stir, cover, and cook another minute. Uncover, check pumpkin is fully cooked and soft (putting a fork through should be very easy), and transfer mixture to a large saucepan.
Add the last third of the butter and the celery, and mash with a potato masher (or you can whizz it all in a food processor, which is what I did). Turn heat for the saucepan on medium. Add stock to the frypan to sort of clean out the last bits and pour into the saucepan. Stir to bring the stock to the bottom, to prevent the whole mixture from sticking. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then turn heat down to medium low. Add more water or stock to bring it to the consistency you want, then keep simmering for a further 3 minutes (just enough to cook the celery). Add the sour cream and more water if by the end of the 3 minutes you think it’s too thick. Taste, season further with salt and pepper if desired, and serve with more dollops of sour cream and a few sprigs of fresh thyme.
This soup is fantastic with bread to dip into – try this basic (one rise time only) focaccia that takes very little time to cook, and you can replace the spring onion with thyme. It doesn’t matter how long the initial rise time is either really, so you can whip the dough up in the morning in 5 minutes, then just shape it out and put it straight in the oven before you make the soup. Ta da!
Smitten with SK’s mushroom bourguignon
Not too long ago, Smitten Kitchen posted a mushroom recipe that would transform all your doubts about a vegetarian meal (you know the ones…they try to convince you that even if you just lived off them, they’d satisfy any of your carnivorous cravings). If your budget is student-inclined, then stock up on portobello mushrooms the next time they’re on special, and make this meal. Double the recipe even if you’re only serving two, because you’ll want this the next day even once you’ve stuffed yourself full the night you make it. Unfortunately I had used some of my mushrooms earlier in the week on less superior meals and boy, did I regret it!
To borrow a concept from the lovely Joy, this mushroom bourguignon is like a husband (as compared to say a one night fling) of a meal. You’ll want it every day, for the rest of your life. It may not be easy to clean up after, but secretly you know it’s worth it. It’s comforting, but cares for your health (mental and physical). And hey, it’s not as muscle-clad and droolingly delicious as all those other gorgeous things you could have, but you honestly believe that they’re this is the most beautiful thing that will grace your life your table, just because you know what it’s like inside.
To extend the love to your vegan friends, just omit the sour cream – it won’t miss it that much, like you wouldn’t miss your husband’s best jeans ;) In the pictured mushroom bourguignon I used vege stock, didn’t use any wine (didn’t have any), and garnished with sour cream and fresh thyme.
SK’s Mushroom Bourguignon (tweaked)
serves 2
2 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs butter (or oil for vegans)
half a kilo of portobello mushrooms, in half-centimetre slices
1/4 carrot, finely diced/chopped
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
1 large shallot, finely chopped (or just use 1 large yellow onion rather than small)
salt and black pepper
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 c full-bodied red wine (optional)
1 c beef or vegetable stock (both work, I used vege), 1 1/2 c if not using wine
1 Tbs tomato paste
1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves (1/4 tsp dried)
1/2 Tbs plain flour
Pasta of choice for serving
Sour cream and chopped chives, parsley, or thyme for garnish (optional)
Heat half the oil and butter in a large heavy saucepan or high-sided wok/frypan (I use a large pan as this makes the whole thing quicker to cook, because this thins the layer that’s being cooked and thus creates a greater surface area for reducing the mixture down to a thick consistency without too much flour), on medium high heat. Throw in the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are darkened but do not release liquid (approx 2 mins). Remove from pan and set aside (on a plate you’ll later be serving off if you’re keeping dishes to a minimum!).
Lower heat to medium and add second Tablespoon of oil. Add carrots, onions, shallots, thyme, pinches of salt (keep in mind stock is salty), and some freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring every now and then, until the onions are golden. Add garlic and cook another minute or so, until the garlic is translucent.
Add wine or 1/2c of stock to the pan, scraping any stuck bits off the bottom of the pan. Turn heat up to medium high and reduce the mixture by a half (let the liquids evaporate off until only half the original volume is left) Mix in tomato paste, the rest of the stock, and the mushrooms (with any juices that have collected with the mushrooms), and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and let simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the mushrooms are very tender. If you’re pouring this over pasta, then set your pasta noodles to cook now (before the 10 minutes is up).
Add remaining butter or oil to the pan and sprinkle flour over the top, quickly stirring in. Lower heat to low, and let simmer a further 5 minutes, until it is the desired consistency (your personal preferences come in here). Taste, and season further is necessary with salt and pepper.
To serve, spoon the stew over a bowl of pasta, dollop with sour cream (optional) and sprinkle with chives, parsley or thyme.
Bubble and squeak
This is one of those surprisingly mouthwatering things made up of very ordinary ingredients (even leftovers potentially), which, once mastered, will be a regular feature for dinner. I’ve made this several times now: mashed potatoes, cabbage, onion, garlic, and lots of butter. Individually, the ingredients aren’t all that special (except for the garlic and butter), but together…oh my. Oh. MY. It’s not effortless of course, and for some, the flipping process will have you either exceptionally smug or screaming in anguish. However, even if your bubble and squeak ends up more of a pile of vegetables rather than a cake-like looking thing, it won’t affect the taste at all, I promise. If you’ve been freaked out, don’t be: this requires one pan and one large bowl, so it’s not hard, and has plenty of time where you just leave the thing to bubble and squeak without having to touch it (in fact, touching it during that time will bring you peril later on, trust me). So even though in total this might take about 45 minutes to make, 30 of that you’ll be free to whip up a simple salad on the side, or whatever else you may like. Also, it’s incredibly versatile: In the pictured one, I added some shredded silverbeet I threw into the pan with my cabbage, and it worked great (by which I mean I didn’t taste the silverbeet :P). Here’s some encouragement:
Never mind that the other half ended up being more of the aforementioned “pile” of veges…but yesh. Also, do I get bragging rights that this salad was made with vegetables that were entirely home grown? By moi?
It’s just a simple variety of lettuces, baby bok choy leaves, tomatoes, and radishes. Easiest veges to grow ever, and so versatile…anyway. Onto bubbling and squeaking!
Bubble and squeak adapted from Linda Fraser’s essential vegetarian cookbook.
Makes one 1″ thick (approx) 24cm wide “cake” (to serve 2 as a large side or 4 as a small side). Use a larger pan if needed, and make sure you have a plate the same size to invert the cake onto.
Either: approx 2c ready mashed potato,
or 600g raw potatoes, cut so that each piece is 2″ max width/length, pricked with a sharp knife at several points. Don’t need to skin.
1 onion, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, chopped
approx 250g thinly sliced raw green cabbage or 200g cabbage cooked (or other veges, see suggestions at end)
30g butter, split into two lots. Extra if using raw vegetables.
salt and pepper, plus any herbs you want (sage, thyme and/or oregano work well)
If using raw vegetables:
Put potatoes into a glass bowl and microwave for 3 mins on high. Flip each bit 180 degrees, then microwave for another 3 minutes on high or until a sharp knife inserted goes in easily (ahem). Cut potatoes up and mash roughly.
In the same pan you’ll use for the bubble and squeak, cook onions, cabbage and herbs with salt and pepper to taste in some butter on a medium heat until the vegetables are beginning to turn golden. Add garlic, cook for another minute, then remove from heat and add to mashed potatoes.
—
Mix everything together (except for butter), so that it is relatively uniform. Melt half the butter (approx 15g) in the pan you’ll use to cook the bubble and squeak (you absolutely must use a non stick pan or you will drive yourself mad), on the lowest heat setting on your cooker. Add the potato and vege mix to the pan, patting it down and levelling to make a cake that fills the pan. Once flattened, set a timer for 15 mins, and let cook for the full 15 mins WITHOUT TOUCHING IT. This is very important.
After 15 minutes, place a plate on the frypan (clean side down), and as quickly as you can, invert the cake onto the plate (you want to minimise the time the pan and plate are not horizontal). The cooked side should be a deliciously golden brown. Melt the second half of the butter in the pan, and very carefully shuffle/slide the cake back into the pan (try not to nudge it in with anything, as this will munt the shape of it). Once back in the pan, tuck any loose bits (if you have any) back in to form the cake shape again. Let cook for another 15 minutes (I suggest setting that timer again).
After the second side is cooked, either invert or slide it onto the same plate you used earlier. Cut into quarters. If it falls apart, don’t worry too much, just serve it in a pile – the taste of this will totally win you over again! Best served with a salad.
Instead of cabbage, you could try cooked chopped cauliflower, chopped brocolli, brussels sprouts, shredded silverbeet or spinach, shredded carrots, chopped green peppers, chopped mushrooms…just don’t use veges that will emit a lot of water once cooked, unless you use it with cabbage (spinach is one example).
Curry-like vege stew
To be honest I wish I was having this tonight; it’s going to get down to 1 degree tonight apparently, and I am so not prepared for it!
This is similar to my first curry, but then it’s much less complicated and also vegan. You could experiment with different vegetables of course, as the ones below are quite summery, but I think in combination with tomatoes the veges I used taste pretty darn good. This also tastes good reheated in the pan the next day with a splash of water.
I pretty much made this up on the night, but I’m sure there are plenty of variations. If you felt like being really lazy you could just use curry powder, just don’t tell anyone I said so :P
I know…it doesn’t look pretty, but it sure was satisfying! With potatoes and tofu it made a complete meal, but you could add meat if you really wanted. I also served it with some 5-minute grilled cheese toasties, but I added some chopped garlic and cumin…so nom:
Curried vege stew
serves 2-3
bit of butter or cooking oil
2 potatoes, cut into 1 cm dice
1/2 large eggplant/aubergine, sliced into 1cm thick slices then cut into 1″ squares
beans of your preference, snapped into 1″ lengths
a large handful of cauliflower florets (approx 1″ wide florets)
1/2c extra-firm tofu, sliced or chopped as you wish (or use chopped chicken, cooked beans or chickpeas)
1 onion, chopped finely
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped finely
ground coriander, cumin, cardamom, turmeric, salt, pepper to lightly coat all veges
1 can chopped tomatoes (best you can get, preferably organic)
garam masala to taste, and more ground coriander, cumin, cardamom, turmeric, salt, pepper later
optional: chili or cayenne to spice things up!
water
Grab the biggest frypan or wok you have, add a tablespoon or so of butter (don’t you dare use margarine! Use cooking oil if you want to make it vegan), and heat it on medium heat until the butter is bubbling or the oil easily slides around the pan when pan is tilted. You preferably want a non stick pan but because you’ll be adding liquid later it won’t matter too much. Add potatoes, aubergine, cauliflower, beans, onions, tofu, first lot of spices, and let cook until the onions start to smell fragrant. Stir, flip the vegetables, and let cook until the onions are golden and flecks of golden brown start to appear on the vegetables. Aubergine should be almost translucent. Add garlic, stir through for a minute and add tomatoes. Taste, and add more spices as necessary. Bring tomatoes to a simmer, and let cook until veges are as tender as you like.. Add splashes of water or cover while cooking in this period to prevent burning ans sticking, and create a stew like consistency.
Serve with cheesy garlic and cumin toasts (slice bread, throw over grated cheese, chopped fresh garlic, a pinch of cumin, and throw under the grill for 3 minutes at 200C or 400F until cheese is golden – make sure to watch them as they burn very quickly). Or if you want to keep the whole meal vegan, just serve with regular toast (maybe smeared with some avocado…mmm)
Eggplant thingee
…it’s a very sloppy, flavour-kick-in-the-tip-of-your-tongue, eggplant parmesan, but so richly textured and deeply flavoured you’ll want some bread and pasta to have with it. Also, it has cauliflower in it (which makes it less kick-in-the-tip-of-your-tongue-y). Weird, I know…but I actually think the flavours were pretty amazing. Also, this isn’t that expensive, despite the use of parmesan and shallots and garlic in this…
While it does take a bit of effort to prep all the ingredients beforehand, then take the time to bake it until the cheese bubbles and forms that perfect golden crust, it is the ultimate comfort food and worthy of your patience. You can build up your layers even more and improvise the order of the layers and how you want to build it up…the flavours are all there!
Eggplant layer bake
serves 2 as a side
1 small eggplant or 1/2 a large eggplant, sliced into 1cm slices
1/4 head of cauliflower, chopped into walnut-sized florets
salt and pepper to taste
1c grated edam or mozarella cheese
1/3c finely grated parmesan
fresh herbs to top
basil pesto (optional)
cooking oil
For the tomato sauce:
1 small onion
at least 3 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
1 shallot, chopped finely (or use one medium onion instead of a small one)
1 Tbs capers (optional)
4 tomatoes, chopped, or a can of chopped tomatoes
pinch salt
freshly ground black pepper
splash red wine vinegar
about 1/4c cream (optional)
basil, oregano
In a medium non stick frypan, heat a teaspoon of oil on medium heat. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, and arrange the eggplant slices on one layer (there may be some leftover, in which case you’ll have to do this in two lots or use a larger frypan if you have one). Let cook until the slices are golden on the bottom, then flip, and cook until the undersides are golden. Set aside on a plate you’ll eat off later (just to save you some washing up :))
Re-oil the pan, add another pinch of salt and pepper, and throw in your cauliflower florets. Let cook on medium to medium-high heat to lightly brown edges, flipping and/or tossing every now and then to ensure even cooking. Once it starts going translucent and changing to a pale green, set aside with the eggplant slices. Turn heat down to low, and ensure the pan is down to a low heat before continuing.
Preheat oven to 180C (350F), with a rack arranged at the very top. Add capers, onions, garlic, and shallots to the pan with a teaspoon of oil, and let happily cook away, stirring every now and then, until golden (you can chop the tomatoes during this time). Once golden, add the tomatoes, cream, herbs, and other ingredients for the sauce. Bring to a simmer and let cook until thickened to your liking.
While the sauce is bubbling away, you can grate your cheeses! Layer half the eggplant at the bottom, then smear with half the pesto. Sprinkle a tiny bit of cheese over (either parmesan or mozarella), then half the tomato sauce. Add all the cauliflower, then smear with the second half of basil pesto. Dump the rest of the tomato sauce on, smearing it out evenly. Distribute parmesan evenly on one layer, then layer the second half of the eggplant on. Top with the rest of the edam cheese and fresh herbs. Pop in the oven on the top rack for 25-35 mins, until the cheese has goldenified to your liking. The one in the picture was a little overdone actually, but go as golden as you please :). As mentioned before, serve with bread or potatoes or perhaps even atop some pasta.
