tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85284696398948021132024-02-06T23:52:28.579-08:00FudSimonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06098938874477314472noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528469639894802113.post-3114732289905621932010-01-03T02:57:00.000-08:002010-01-03T06:39:40.386-08:00a little fud, mainly drink ;-)A very simple little post, to mark one of the best new year's eves I've had, spent at a lovely big bonfire at the land squat at Kew Bridge, music, dancing, smiling, a full moon and a little falling snow mixing with the sparks from the fire in the air around us. No pictures, other than the ones in my head; suits me.<br /><br />Fud: a recent discovered pleasure is lightly toasted cake - in this case shop-bought Mrs Crimble's apple cake, heated in pans at the edge of the fire, it gets a lovely crisped edge, lovely & warming hot.<br /><br />Drink: Zubrowka ('bisongrass') polish vodka with hot apple juice - lovely, I just wish I'd brought more than just the remaining third of the bottle I'd had left. I'd been introduced to it with cold apple juice in summer by a polish friend a while back, but had heard it worked hot too - and by 'eck it does. We did dither a bit whether to pre-mix in the flask or keep it separate, but at least the separation meant non-drinkers could share a little too. Zubrowka has a bit of an apply taste neat anyway, but I suspect any vodka would work well with this. In fact any spirit could be worth a try... ;-)<br /><br /><i>Anyway - I don't do resolutions, but it would be great to get this blog going again. I hope to document experiments on the tiny range I now have on the boat, but also welcome contributions from others - do prod if you'd like posting access... </i>Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06098938874477314472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528469639894802113.post-25527426684485696612009-06-21T04:55:00.000-07:002009-06-21T05:06:41.912-07:00Freegan Fud<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzCOKknE1O7iaIRyIwAuve0yJD1gjEanDSLQUuKZPkC2IrHg6YtRRgOEATTiWIZsw8mx7_AV0hlz2Xn5MMOJm5c0Y-SXu5PM2VUCjKa0IZmRy1OBI6y69Z_OqfRGpBudG-Sp4GSc_ckYgz/s1600-h/freeganfud.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzCOKknE1O7iaIRyIwAuve0yJD1gjEanDSLQUuKZPkC2IrHg6YtRRgOEATTiWIZsw8mx7_AV0hlz2Xn5MMOJm5c0Y-SXu5PM2VUCjKa0IZmRy1OBI6y69Z_OqfRGpBudG-Sp4GSc_ckYgz/s400/freeganfud.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349748580770835426" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;"></span><br /><br />The new eco village on land on the north side of Kew Bridge has strong guidelines - no drugs (including alcohol), no amplified music (alas, for me) and no dogs. In addition, they're, where possible, avoiding purchasing food, preferring products discarded & dumped by the local shops. This seems to be working well. My visits tend to be a few hours here and there, but I was around for an evening meal on one of my first visits, and very good it was too - a vegatable risotto, with pototoes (with mayonaise for the non-vegans), salad, and a bread roll (warmed over heat to soften slightly). Cooking is done using a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket_stove">'rocket stove'</a>, although I didn't see it in action - it uses a controlled draft to burn smaller material quickly, to get a high temperature for cooking. The italians on site have built themselves a pizza oven, too. ;-)Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06098938874477314472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528469639894802113.post-83344622007993939332009-05-29T15:50:00.000-07:002009-05-29T16:08:06.937-07:00one-ring cookingHaving used the Remoska oven pot a few times (largely roast veg with chickpeas & herbs, and in one successful experiment adding a bit of tomato puree to that), it reminded me of previous thoughts about how many- most, in fact - use two or even three separate heat sources. It's difficult to generalise, but on full a cooker ring or oven can take around 2kW, and induction hobs and fan ovens more, as far as I can work out.<br /><br />If cooking for several people it's probably reasonable, but for smaller meals I'm looking for meals that all happen in the same pan, or at least heat source. Obvious things are bakes/roasts/crumbles, as above, and soups (although in both cases it's worth taking into account how long each needs on the heat). One problem with curry type meals is that there's frying & boiling needed - I must look into how a biryani is made, I assume cooking the rice separately, but not necessarily. I've personally yet to eat an enjoyable rissotto/paella, but it's a thought too.<br /><br />I try to stay pragmatic about energy use rather than be obsessive, but it does no harm to consider the options, especially when, frankly, I'm cooking for one, and eat to live rather than live to eat.<br /><br />Thoughts/suggestions about things to try?Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06098938874477314472noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528469639894802113.post-57923011564614496952009-04-13T04:51:00.001-07:002009-04-13T05:16:09.915-07:00RemoskaI spent Christmas of 1996 in Prague with Kirsten, my girlfriend at the time - we'd rented a small flat through the travel agents. It was lovely actually, complete with strolls around the place in the snow and drinking foul tasting hot red wine from street sellers. Anyway, although technically self catering, there was no oven for our nut roast for the christmas meal - we mentioned this to our local contact, and they produced a strange electric saucepan gadget, we were sceptical but it did the job.<br /><br />Last night after a very late journey home from the boat (would have been earlier, but I got waylaid half way down the moorings by beer), left outside a house with a note saying 'please take me' was, amongst other things, a strange electric saucepan gadget, which is now in my kitchen.<br /><br />Turns out it's almost certainly the same model from the same factory, the <a href="http://www.hoorayforhomecooking.co.uk/">Remoska</a>; <a href="http://www.lakeland.co.uk/standard-remoska!REG-electric-cooker/F/C/pots-pans-remoska/product/2511">Lakeland Plastics</a> import them from the Czech Republic. It's 470W, with no controls other than an on and off switch, but it gets rave reviews (from those who find it useful, obviously my neighbours didn't, unless they're doing the trendy 'decluttering' lark...).<br /><br />I'm looking forward to having a play - I hardly ever bake stuff, I feel very aware of how much energy the oven uses, and more generally is always seems crazy for any meal, especially for one, to have two or three large heat sources running at once; trouble is I like a lot of texture in food, and a one pot stew rarely manages that. Cooking everything in a small oven may well be a more efficient way of doing things; we'll see. Interestingly it's energy efficiency is mentioned, amongst other places, <a href="http://economyyear.blogspot.com/2006/01/living-with-remoska.html">in this blog post</a> - I must have a read through the rest of the <a href="http://economyyear.blogspot.com/">blog, recording a year's worth of ecnomising,</a> too.Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06098938874477314472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528469639894802113.post-67512529191805503662009-03-12T06:39:00.000-07:002009-03-12T06:46:43.970-07:00Hemp seedI have a bag of hemp seed (from France) that I don't know what to do with. I looked online at various recipes and they're apparently full of nutrients but there's all sorts of conflicting advice. One site talks about cooking them, another says on no account should they be cooked because they become carcinogenic! One site says they must be washed so that the seeds float and the grit falls to the bottom, another, that they must be washed in a seive. There's talk of eating them raw as snacks but I can see that they're hard as hell. Anyone used them before? Or should I feed them to the birds?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528469639894802113.post-3142071352533909622009-02-15T04:38:00.000-08:002009-02-15T05:03:44.965-08:00Moroccan vegetable nut roast<div>.. or Posh Pie as I call it. My daughter and I made it for our Christmas dinner while the rest of the family ate some creature. I've only just found the photos we took, so belatedly, here's our Christmas dinner!<br /><br /><div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPCA8OMpbdmzB6AXEItMEzFBJUbQwlsOSOYqLqaelNxk03nh86EdDfTs2DJMTI8iojDTdJzKQKLaOQbzBk5CJRxcxT0kgmAXl6vBfDfVxefcF0B_s4Oi6413nwlJwhNs__MQZE3Al_zFg/s1600-h/pie1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303005501347651522" style="WIDTH: 302px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 231px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPCA8OMpbdmzB6AXEItMEzFBJUbQwlsOSOYqLqaelNxk03nh86EdDfTs2DJMTI8iojDTdJzKQKLaOQbzBk5CJRxcxT0kgmAXl6vBfDfVxefcF0B_s4Oi6413nwlJwhNs__MQZE3Al_zFg/s320/pie1.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDASfXSbhlcbMoyH5BMGpd1eG84nDXI_Z49AfrXB6GUDIVG24RddSAvOr8Lu9MlIckL-7HuyAPGnj4XPpNx4YbnH8X189nLQV83HFlYeA1L7TklM2kCej5CZdI-TiWGZtzbfhnGoeELZM/s1600-h/pie2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303003737824201522" style="WIDTH: 298px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 232px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDASfXSbhlcbMoyH5BMGpd1eG84nDXI_Z49AfrXB6GUDIVG24RddSAvOr8Lu9MlIckL-7HuyAPGnj4XPpNx4YbnH8X189nLQV83HFlYeA1L7TklM2kCej5CZdI-TiWGZtzbfhnGoeELZM/s320/pie2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>I love cooking with my daughter cos she has the same 'let's try a bit of this instead' attitude as me, but here's the recipe:</div><div>10 shallots</div><div>2 red peppers</div><div>1 butternut squash</div><div>1 medium aubergine (we don't like this much so we used cooking apple instead)</div><div>3tbsp olive oil</div><div>1 tsp ground paprika </div><div>1/4 tsp cinnamon</div><div>2 cloves garlic (we chucked in loads)</div><div>5cm ginger</div><div>400g canned chickpeas (found it was too much, used half)</div><div>handful chopped coriander</div><div>125g toasted almonds</div><div>125g shelled pistachios</div><div>75g melted marg (we used oil)</div><div>1x200g pkt filo pastry</div><div> </div><div>What to do: Heat oven, Gas mark 4, 180 C/350 F. Chop up the shallots, peppers, squash, & aubergine, mix with the olive oil, spices & garlic, roast in the oven for 20 mins.</div><div>Finely dice the ginger & mix with the chickpeas, coriander, toasted almonds and pistachios. Stir this into the roasted veg once they've finished cooking.</div><div>Oil up a baking/flan tin. Lay 2 sheets of filo pastry, and brush liberally with the melted marg, coating both sides of the overhanging sheets. Add 2 more and coat again - keep going till you've used them all up. </div><div>Put the veg mix into its 'bed', then fold the overhanging pastry into the centre, crinkling it. Brush all over again with the marg/oil and bung in the oven for 40 minutes. Loads of work but makes a great special occasion dish.</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528469639894802113.post-60986738750630290822009-02-13T00:34:00.000-08:002009-02-13T00:46:47.231-08:00'Barley ate my hamster'I really don't mind if I never set eyes on barley again. I knew it took quite a while to cook, so I thought I'd make plenty of it but my hand slipped too, so I ended up cooking TONS of it. I had to keep adding water as it grew and grew and drank more and more. Then I had to pour it, mid-cooking to a bigger pot. I separated off a big bowl of it and added tinned tomato to the remaining mass. Then I needed to add a second tin and some onion and chilli powder to make a soup which was still too thick so I watered that down. Reader, I ate it for three days. Each time I came to re-heat it, the grains had swollen further, needing more liquid to soupify it so that it seemed to never get any less!<br />Meanwhile, the separated bowlful went out to the ducks who seemed to love it. Little do they know that it's like gremlins - once you add water, it mutliplies.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528469639894802113.post-43488597958069135242009-02-02T12:34:00.001-08:002009-02-02T12:38:03.297-08:00swede & onion soupone onion, 1/3 swede, garlic, veg stock cube.<br /><br />heat olive oil in pan, add onion & garlic, after a while add chopped swede, water, stock cube. Simmer over wood stove in front room for half an hour, then whizz up with electric gadget, then eat with slightly stale ciabatta, reduced in supermarket, whilst wearing hippyish fleece lined zip up jumper from car boot sale.<br /><br />perfect for a snowy Monday evening ;-)Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06098938874477314472noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528469639894802113.post-78868382730704126382009-01-08T14:34:00.000-08:002009-01-08T15:07:51.190-08:00Meze'We're having meze - bring a contribution' they said.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuKSQBFotQqTAt9ZzKw-QMsv9ytZ9yC3uTgX0s42MsNGEfte1tRFsrmPsMshmJ6g9HGsYGGh48c_x87OfOoRKTtvHeU-ez5l84XZ9D6dOp7NViPgRc_-sSCR7o3K-wEWABxiAbXO7qJwJO/s1600-h/P1080070.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 211px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuKSQBFotQqTAt9ZzKw-QMsv9ytZ9yC3uTgX0s42MsNGEfte1tRFsrmPsMshmJ6g9HGsYGGh48c_x87OfOoRKTtvHeU-ez5l84XZ9D6dOp7NViPgRc_-sSCR7o3K-wEWABxiAbXO7qJwJO/s400/P1080070.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289055058672028866" /></a><br /><br />Seemed a reasonable idea, so a bit of prodding around the internet (links in dish titles) found:<br /><br /><b><a href="http://avirtualvegetarian.blogspot.com/2008/10/ful-for-madame.html">Ful medames - bean salad</a></b><br /><br />A tin of borlotti beans (rinsed), lemon juice, crushed garlic, chopped cherry tomatoes, olive oil, cumin<br /><br />worked quite well; the recipe said dill, I put some parsley in which worked OK<br /><br /><b><a href="http://greekfood.about.com/od/soupsstews/r/marinatedpepper.htm">Piperies Xythates - marinated peppers</a></b><br /><br />I don't even know what 'Bell Peppers' are, so used the long red sweetish ones; too sweet in the end, especially as the red wine vinegar I knew I had in the cupboard turned out to be raspberry flavoured. Anyway - peppers cut into strips, boiled for around 5 mins, marinated in the red wine vinegar for an hour, then covered in oilve oil.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://greekfood.about.com/od/greeksidedishes/r/friedeggplant.htm">Melitzanes Tiganites - aubergine in batter</a></b><br /><br />Soda water batter? Not convinced, but had a bottle of fizzy water at work I could bring home and try (don't really hold with bottled water). Was also running out of flour, so batter ended up being very runny, too light. The aubergine was sliced, salted to get excess moisture out and dried, then fried for a few mins each side. A few got too burned to take to a social event, and went in the tiffin tin whilst stil hot so ended up soggy rather than crispy, but mostly worked.<br /><br />An ideal use for the tiffin tin, brought back from (ahem) Jaipur years and years ago. Dramatic to arrive with, although the dishes need to be put on a plate (as the base of each is the lid of the one below) and needed to be carried wrapped in a carrier bag, as it doesn't entirely deal to hold the oil etc in... ;-)<br /><br />So - non-local & seasonal food, often the nature of having food from other cultures, but interesting to make, and a rare example of me following recipes. ;-)Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06098938874477314472noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528469639894802113.post-62491804173236164032009-01-06T07:18:00.000-08:002009-01-06T07:21:19.372-08:00using it up with baconboil up some water add pasta and chopped root veg and leave to cook.<br />in the mean time, fry onions garlic and bacon in a frying pan (or Wok), then add the soft veggies (beans and broccoli).<br /><br />When the pasta/root veggie pot is all soft drain it, bung it in the frying pan, mix it all up, add herbs and grated cheese and hey presto - delicious!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528469639894802113.post-23296155650305924742008-12-24T06:39:00.000-08:002008-12-24T06:53:02.085-08:00Fine burgersA recipe of my mum's which makes really delicious burgers, though when I made them the other day, found I needed to add an extra courgette and a big dollop of peanut-butter to bind in all the breadcrumbs in this recipe...<br /><br />100gms mushrooms<br />1 small onion<br />1 small courgette (I used two)<br />1 carrot<br />100gms fresh breadcrumbs<br />2tbsp chopped parsley<br />1 tsp yeast extract<br />25 gms peanuts (I also used 1 large tbsp crunchy peanut-butter)<br />salt & pepper if wanted.<br /><br />Finely chop the mushrooms and cook without oil, stirring to drive out moisture.<br />Finley grate/food process the onion, courgette, carrot, nuts and add in the mushrooms, parsley & yeast extract. Stir together (adding extra courgette & peanut-butter to help bind if necessary) Dust hands and board with flour to shape mixture into burgers, then chill them in't fridge for 30 mins (on my boat, just leave em out in the kitchen!). Fry in a little oil for 8-10 minutes. Scoff.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528469639894802113.post-75941318760855840552008-12-17T01:13:00.001-08:002008-12-17T01:15:10.589-08:00a badly written post about glutenOne of the things I keep in mind about being vegan is that it is a choice rather than a requirement, health or otherwise. So whilst I obviously appreciate efforts made to feed me nice food, I'm happy just to choice from what's available, I don't expect anyone to make anything specially for me (and hey, sometimes they don't).<br /><br />Health requirements, though, are different; perhaps I'm just glad I'm not limited in that way, but I do try to make an effort. Two different friends are made ill by gluten in food, so I bought some gluten-free flour. The first attempt to use it was in a vegetable crumble topping; fairly disastrous, I didn't put nearly enough fat in as it seemed to need, even though there was plenty in there, and it stayed drty, and white, and fairly inedible.<br /><br />Next attempt was a birthday cake, to accommodate the celebrant's flatmate; vegan, of course, so I could have some too. I think this is wherte the gluten was really missed, as we were without eggs, too. Despite baking powder (which of course had wheat in anyway), what should have been a fairly light carrot cake with walnuts & apple completely failed to rise, and indeed 'set' rather than cooked. On the grounds that it's the thought that counts, I covered it in Green & Blacks Maya Gold, and presented it anyway, and got away with it.<br /><br />No pictures of either to illustrate this post - probably a good thing. ;-)<br /><br />Obviously I suspect with a little more practise I'd find better ways of using the flour, but I think in future I'll just avoid flour-based foods when they're around - easier with main meals rather than cake; in some ways I wanted to make something they wouldn't normally get to eat, but I'd rather be more successful otherwise, I think. I'm also used to using wholemeal flour, and the gluten-free type is very 'white', with no real fibre to it.Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06098938874477314472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528469639894802113.post-60269893167997594842008-12-09T15:09:00.000-08:002008-12-09T15:11:02.252-08:00PulsesI need to know about pulses.<br /><br />Can I eat chickpeas that are in a tin (rather than dried) raw?<br /><br />What do I do with lentils from a packet (not in a tin)?<br /><br />Can I eat lentils from a tin raw?<br /><br />I cant go another week without knowing.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528469639894802113.post-8137361682678070442008-12-07T12:24:00.000-08:002008-12-07T12:35:02.016-08:00Vital Stand-by Ingredients from HappyhomeI can't be without -<br /><br />CHILLI DIPPING SAUCE - I buy large bottles of it from the lovely Oriental Supermarket in Leamington, it is cheap and seems to work wonders wherever I splash it around.<br /><br />Spicy Squash and Tomato Soup<br />======================<br />In the same medium oven slowly roast chunks of squash and halved tomatoes until the squash is soft and a bit caramelised and the tomatoes are semi-dried. Finely dice and soften some onions and garlic, add the squash and tomato and enough boiling water to cover, simmer for 10 minutes and mash away with a potato masher, the tomatoes break down surprisingly well. Add a tablespoon or two (as your taste requires) of sweet chilli dipping sauce towards the end - this is all there is to it, though a handful of fresh coriander and finely sliced spring onions at the point of serving would lift this from warm and comforting, to zingy and interesting.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528469639894802113.post-6813489773767458762008-12-07T04:34:00.000-08:002008-12-07T04:46:35.125-08:00Chick-pea & red pepper soupHere's a soup that requires both imported ingredients (doh!) and a blender (double doh!), but which is a really delicious treat. It was made for me and I don't have an exact recipe but here goes:<br />Puree 2 tins of chick-peas with enough water to make a creamy consitency.<br />Finely chop and fry an onion, a large Jalapeno-style red pepper and 2 chillies. Blend half the pepper/onion/chilli mix and add it to the chick-pea, then stir in the rest of the mix (for a bit of texture). Cook for a few minutes, adding salt/pepper if wanted. Just before removing from the heat, add the juice of a lemon. The chilli and lemon give it a lovely kick and lift.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528469639894802113.post-45234312927157800272008-11-27T03:22:00.000-08:002008-11-27T03:30:45.354-08:00Vital stand-bysDo you have anything that you <strong>always</strong> keep in stock for days when you can't reach a shop or are too tired/short of time to make?<br />Here are mine:<br />- Packet mix for pizza base. (These turn out better than my own efforts from scratch)<br />- All-in bread mix (I've never had a good result, but when you're desperate...)<br />- Concentrated tomato paste (in tubes. The metal is golden inside and can be easily bent and sewn for craft projects!)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528469639894802113.post-6955050788514200542008-11-23T14:15:00.000-08:002008-11-23T14:30:06.589-08:00Christmas is ComingThank you for the invite to post on FUD, Simon. I have just enjoyed reading the previous posts, they've entertained, informed and provoked deep thought. I've heard about "you soak it...." but never bothered as I have a bit of food-information overload. Like you, I'd like to find out for myself/research more before accepting information from one source. It is on my list of things to think about. But my thoughts have been turning to Christmas. My Grandmother and her sister have recently become vegetarians, and this will be our first completely meat-free family Christmas which is something quite amazing for us to witness. I'm usually in charge of cooking the Christmas lunch, and I've been happy to cook the meat for everyone else in the past, this year I'm cooking nut roast for everyone.<br /><br />As you mention, Simon, food choices aren't simple, we followed a vegan diet for a short while, but when faced with free food from Rick's work that would otherwise have been binned I found that I couldn't let it go to waste, plus I never got on with Soya products, food miles and taste really go against it, ultimately I concluded I'd much rather buy organic butter/cheese from a small shop (we have a nice co-operatively owned health food shop nearby) and have less of it. Ditto eggs.<br /><br />It is much harder for me to define my choices to other people, having a label like "vegan" does make it easier in some respects I imagine. Each item I buy goes through a complicated selection process (shop I'm buying it from, animal/veg source, organic or not, additives, packaging, who made it etc....) that perhaps can't easily be second-guessed by others.<br /><br />So I've deviated a little. Nut Roast.<br />I regularly make a nut roast with toasted hazelnuts, roasted buckwheat and grated parsnip as the main ingredients - I do bind it with egg - I never follow a recipe, I throw in what looks about right, but I'm making it this week and I'll take care to record what I do, and I'll post the recipe. Can I put in a request for anyone else's nut roast recipes?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528469639894802113.post-79903682565780463272008-11-21T07:42:00.000-08:002008-11-21T09:07:55.494-08:00Thoughts from the Abbey Kitchen<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik4aFTB3S0bUSgVclOc_IhGkOuF6c8znK__PbGaFyPBWvzNMHnK5AHaYH6z59PmzIfGoJB677c20jncQwLEmziUmBJ4wirHsxqHMCVp4IlNZPWwrjkkcs223KMpZ92bd6HRD7RBFvS2Usl/s1600-h/kitchen.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik4aFTB3S0bUSgVclOc_IhGkOuF6c8znK__PbGaFyPBWvzNMHnK5AHaYH6z59PmzIfGoJB677c20jncQwLEmziUmBJ4wirHsxqHMCVp4IlNZPWwrjkkcs223KMpZ92bd6HRD7RBFvS2Usl/s400/kitchen.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271141220692546258" /></a><br /><br />I've been staying in Glastonbury for a few days, with some dear friends who have a strong food ethic - local, organic, healthy, to say the very least. This is a very strong direction to approach food, but a different one to being vegan, and whilst there are a lot of overlaps, there's also some conflicts, or at least things to think about.<br /><br />Dairy, and even meat, if local & ethical, are acceptable, and I can see that, and that works in health terms, too. It's a very contentious subject, but reading around there's a lot of evidence (and common sense/logic) that humans aren't set up for an entirely plant diet, and I'm willing to accept that. My reasoning has always been that I live ina city where everything is artificial, brought in and comes to me via a shelf in a shop, and in such circumstances I can apply other factors - we have the intelligence & opportunity (financial and otherwise) to apply compassion.<br /><br />Meanwhile, some factors of the vegan diet don't fit in with that viewpoint - soya, for example. To be honest I've long been aware of this, and try not to rely on it, and will reduce consumption even more, balancing the food miles with the benefits of the food itself - perhaps I should limit my soya intake to fermented versions, and also look for more locally sourced soya (someone told me that Plamil use french soya?) or alternatives (oat or rice milk, although my previous experience of these hasn't been that positive).<br /><br />I'm also aware that the very lable - 'vegan' means it's easy not to think about things individually. It seemed also rude to turn down honey when visiting Richard and <a href="http://www.impulsefoods.co.uk/">Linda</a>, who have just moved on to some land with a beautiful old orchard, and have bee hives, for example. It's easy to think 'that's not vegan' without thinking 'why do I choose not to eat it?'<br /><br />Another interesting thing is other people's reactions to a vegan - their problem, not mine, but it's rare enough (although not that rare) to be alien, scary, a threat, even, as if it's a challenge to their own morality - which it isn't, and isn't intended to be. It's tedious when people immediately try to 'catch me out' in some way, in that proving I'm not vegan makes them feeling better, although it still seems strange in some way. I've also had people get angry with me as in some way they feel my presence is stopping them eating what they wanted to, assuming I'd in some way want to control what they did near me - not so, not at all. To be affected that would be to worry about what people think of me, and therein lies madness...<br /><br />For the time being, though, I'm still in a city, I've been doing it (more or less) for twenty years. I never liked meat or eggs anyway, so any compromise would be minimal. Me being vegan won't change the world, either, in terms of the enonomic boycott, either, but I think it's still the best way to go, for me, now. If I lived in another time or place, if my food came through the kitchen above, it may wellbe different, who knows.Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06098938874477314472noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528469639894802113.post-75543057287594013152008-11-21T02:56:00.000-08:002008-11-21T03:09:50.200-08:00Potato pancakes & chickweed salad<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk92VL2XKhv78fVqUfM8xVJs1uUypqo1LFye4tyDIS_65DPzIEvSZuxhsB0_hTNiNQU6qHhAVVxOuc31hwRuLoZewEThkcHD5T8eZQuIFVRmncJptTwUa_c14DkUkWqXEnN_Y505t4vSA/s1600-h/spudpancakes.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271063272545243618" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 298px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk92VL2XKhv78fVqUfM8xVJs1uUypqo1LFye4tyDIS_65DPzIEvSZuxhsB0_hTNiNQU6qHhAVVxOuc31hwRuLoZewEThkcHD5T8eZQuIFVRmncJptTwUa_c14DkUkWqXEnN_Y505t4vSA/s320/spudpancakes.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><div>A quick, tasty lunch that is <em>really</em> cheap to make.</div><br /><div>Finely grate one large potato into a wet mush. It makes two handfuls! Squish out some of the wet starch, but leaving enough to bind. I like to finely chop half an onion into the mush and add pepper. Any variation is possible, using up a spare carrot, parsnip etc, adding spices, anything. </div><div>Heat a bit of oil, squash the mush into 1cm-ish pancakes and fry gently for a few minutes.</div><div>I like them with chickweed which is plentiful along towpaths. Full of vitamins A and C and available pretty much all year round (slightly tougher in winter but still good).</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAzzkp34iMTcazZqdNXdwb5esOGOO9gcj524kBHvul5GgLv1YUTykKMWs9JOFKQgzHW0iFMJi5gKFnEmmn3VA7SLrxUlSu_YytMW6SY_wepN3oT4WmxRUZHWW0avrN-AuDmgixdQQ4CC0/s1600-h/chickweed.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271066110671726626" style="WIDTH: 218px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 191px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAzzkp34iMTcazZqdNXdwb5esOGOO9gcj524kBHvul5GgLv1YUTykKMWs9JOFKQgzHW0iFMJi5gKFnEmmn3VA7SLrxUlSu_YytMW6SY_wepN3oT4WmxRUZHWW0avrN-AuDmgixdQQ4CC0/s320/chickweed.jpg" border="0" /></a>Chickweed<br /><div></div><br /><div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528469639894802113.post-75779883434770739442008-11-19T08:32:00.000-08:002008-11-19T08:45:14.750-08:00Drinking rainwaterSimon's mention of minerals made me think about my drinking habits ;-)<br />As some will know, I've recently got a rainwater harvesting system going on the boat. It's working really well so far, supplementing my fill-ups at BW points. What I didn't know was that if you're relying solely on rainwater, you have to remineralise it to get the various (she says vaguely) minerals that we need for good health. You'd think the stuff that falls from the sky was the most perfect drink but I guess that, in a natural state, man would drink from streams and rivers that flowed across rocks and through sediment. Even well water would have gone through this process.<br />I was talking to the friendly woman who works as a distributor of the 'candles' that are the filtering part of my purification system (British Berkfeld gravity filter). She told me her family have a lump of granite in their filter and hope for the best! I'd like to research it more even though I think I'm ok because my rainwater is mixed in with the stuff from the taps.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528469639894802113.post-73164970381907069652008-11-18T02:19:00.000-08:002008-11-18T02:46:16.702-08:00'you soak it overnight...'I'm staying with friends in Somerset, it's always inspiring to stay with people who's approach to food (and plenty of other things) is thought out, informed. One major discussion has been about phytic acid, present in the husks of grains, and also pulses - it's reported than it combines with minerals and prevents the body absorbing them - calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, zinc - all useful trace elements, and ironically the most valued by a vegetarian/vegan who is less likely to be getting direct sources of them (at least calcium & iron) from milk & meat respectively. Soaking overnight clears most of this, which is basically a slight fermentation - for example breakfast has been porridge made from soaked jumbo oats, which has a slightly sour (but not unpleasant) taste from the soaking. <br /><br />Phytic acid is also in soya, and I've read before about people avoiding unfermented soya products. Sally Fallon's book 'Nourishing Traditions' claims on the front to be 'The cookbook that challenges politically correct nutrition and the diet dictocrats' and talks about this, and also that older cultures always used these foods in a fermented state - sourdough bread, miso and more, and also that the proteins in gluten which are harder to digest (and presumably cause problems for many who avoid gluten) are also broken down in soaking/fermentation.<br /><br />All interesting stuff; the scientist in me wants to find out more rather than just take it from one source, but certainly worth more thinking & reading. It's always difficult with these kind of things to estimate the effect/scale of the benefits/downsides of one course of action or another - neglibility may come into it, or a known, acceptable risk. The health effects of alcohol are well known, but we choose to poison ourselves, as it's fun doing so... ;-)<br /><br />Should also mention (as this is notes for me as much as a point for discussion) we visited friends Linda & Richard who are doing up an old house nearby, and are currently living in the (very nicely converted) cowshed next door. Linda runs <a href="http://www.impulsefoods.co.uk/">Impulse Foods</a>, makers of fine Tempeh available near you. The 'you start by saking it overnight' line became something of a running joke, which of course I strung out for as long as possible. It's good to be in a place where good food is prioritised, and good as in ethics & health rather than just in the foodie way - lots of local, seasonal food. Food for thought, literally.Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06098938874477314472noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528469639894802113.post-25295745036746846342008-11-11T14:57:00.000-08:002008-11-12T05:26:32.846-08:00Nuttolene FrittersAn occasional pleasure is deep fat frying; chunky chips, obviously, and normally balls of sosmix, with diced onion & pepper mixed in. No sosmix in the house tonight (it's probablty full of GM soya anyway, I really need to do some research on that one), but I did have a tin of Nuttolene, which has now been changed to be even blander, which was possibly the point, and also ever slightly less likely like tinned meat.<br /><br />In a subconcious war rememberance moment I tried to make fritters - the batter (wholemeal flour & soya milk, water) was possibly a little too thin, but they were - OK.<br /><br />I was going to post this one as a bit of a failure, but as as all good scientists know, there's no such thing, only a negative result to an experiment. Anyway, I suspect Spam Fritters weren't any nicer... ;-)Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06098938874477314472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528469639894802113.post-51951641706162352252008-11-06T03:58:00.000-08:002008-11-06T04:02:08.504-08:00No PotatoRight, so I am now a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">contributor</span> on a food blog, I know this will bring great hilarity amongst my locals as my food is known to be a bit hit and miss, but at least I can try to shine here!<br /><br />I haven't been able to find Becky's allotment for beetroot, so the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">borscht</span> isn't on my list, but being allergic to potatoes I thought I would mention that<br /><br />Parsnip<br />Turnip<br />Lentils<br />and Sweet Potato are excellent substitutes<br /><br />The all contain less levels of starch than <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">potatoes</span> and make a delicious soup.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528469639894802113.post-29003161309240396862008-11-05T09:40:00.000-08:002008-11-05T10:06:43.819-08:00New PansChiswick car boot sale neatly fulfilled it's purpose of passing on the junk of the middle classes, and I now own two Le Crueset cast iron pans. I've had a frying pan from them for about fifteen years, and it's served me well, so it's nice to replace two rather basic Ikea pans with these. They're hardly used yet (by me), but are nicely 'slow' compared to the thinner precursors; whilst taking longer to heat up, they stay warmer for longer, too. <br /><br />they guy who sold them to me said he was getting rid of them as he'd just retiled his kitchen floor, and didn't want to crack it by dropping a pan; I think that's a recommendation, and certainly not a problem for my old concrete floor.<br /><br />A question for others; I'm tempted to buy some kind of electric whisk or food processor to try to make soups properly, but I'd rather not; would a hand whisk do the same kind of job, albeit with more elbow grease involved?Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06098938874477314472noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8528469639894802113.post-24087641972262615012008-10-09T04:43:00.001-07:002008-10-09T04:46:09.291-07:00Becky's BorschtBeetroot (from Becky's allotment!), potato, nutmeg & black pepper<br /><br />Beetroot takes longer to cook than potato, so add first, whizz up in food proc or similar once cooked through. We added soya cream, but would have been just as good without.<br /><br />Put in here to remind myself, and also point out that my urine's gone a funny colour... ;-)Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06098938874477314472noreply@blogger.com0