Vegan Sushi Rolls - Aubergine

Aubergine in Korean Barbecue Style
1 aubergine
Sesame oil

(for the barbecue sauce)
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp mirin(or maple syrup)
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp chopped ginger

1. Slice the aubergine.
2. Make the barbecue sauce by mixing the soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil, garlic and ginger.
3. Heat the sesame oil in a saucepan,and saute the aubergine; turning over mid way through.
4. Add the barbecue sauce,and stir until well mixed.

Rather than just have the aubergine with rice I thought I would instead use them in sushi rolls.

Aubergine, carrots, water chestnuts, radish and pea sprouts, tofu, 

Colonna and Hunter Coffee

Another good find in Bath is Colonna and Hunter; a fabulous coffee house selling original single estate coffees.  And they taste nothing you have tasted before... unique tastes.

Broad beans, pearl barley and cashew nut cream

I was so inspired in going to Acorn Restaurant in Bath that I just had to create a similar dish using the vegetables I had currently to hand... so this is the result; a base of cashew nut cream with cooked pearl barley and freshly podded broad beans. First to start with cooking the pearl barley; the measures are roughly 1 cup (I use about a half small mug) of pearl barley to about 3 cups of water or 11/2 mugs... essentially the ratio is 1 to 3.

Place the water and barley in the pot and add a pinch of salt.  Bring to the boil and skim off the foam. Once the  pearl barley is boiling turn the heat down and simmer for about 25 minutes.  Keep testing the pearl barley until the grain is soft yet chewy. Add more water if the pan looks as if it is dry and the barley needs cooking. Once ready drain and fluff with a fork. .

Now to the cashew nut cream.... I tend to go by sight now with the ingredients but need about 2 to 1 of cash cashews to water.  Soak the cashew nuts first... try between 4 and 8 hours. Then place the drained cashews, water, juice of 1/2 lemon and a generous pinch of salt in a blender and whizz up.  Try and get a smooth texture to your cream... and that is it...

Blanch the broad beans in boiling water with a pinch of bicarbonate of soda to get those skins off the podded beans quickly.  Should take about 3 to 5 minutes.  Drain the broad beans and gently squeeze the beans out of the skins. You should have some perfect green jewels to adorn your dish.

Now  I made a spinach puree as well with ½ bunch spinach, thick stems removed, ½ bunch flat-leaf parsley, thick stems removed and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Cook the spinach and parsley in a large pot of boiling salted water until leaves are bright green and just wilted, about 5 seconds. Drain; transfer to a bowl of ice water and let cool. Drain and squeeze well to remove excess water. Whizz up the spinach and parsley in the blender with the oil and a little water if needed.  You might need to push through a fine mesh sieve to make the puree smooth. Set aside.

Heat up the pearl barley and start to plate up.  Pool some cashew cream in bottom of the dish and spoon a couple of tablespoons of pearl barley on top. Sprinkle on the broad beans and sliced radish.  Spoon on some of the spinach puree and season with pepper.

 

Acorn Restaurant in Bath

Several months ago I  had the most amazing meal at the little restaurant Acorn in Bath that I have been raving about ever since.... do go there whether you are an omnivore, vegetarian or vegan.  Such a pleasure.

Starters consisted of Choggia beetroot slivers with cashew puree and local salads... sublime I do have to say.  That beetroot had the earthiness of beetroot but was so subtle.

For the main course I had the most satisfying calabrese and confit Jersey Royals with spelt grain and a warmed almond and olive oil emulsion, lovage and pickled cabbage.

And finally the dessert of salted chocolate tart with peanut butter sorbet - divine.

Vegfest 2015

More good food in Bristol at the 2015 Vegfest - a fantastic vegan festival showcasing vegan products from vegan cheese to vegan shoes. Here are some of the highlights.

Lalita's

I cannot resist a good dosa so this masala dosa was a must eat.  Delicious. Lalita's are a vegan pop-up/festival stall based in east London.  This is going to be a pop up I am going to track down when next in London.  Find on facebook: www.facebook.com/lalitaskitchen.

Lalita's dosa 

Deborah Durrant of Deliciously Raw gave an inspiring cookery demonstration on raw vegan  fine dining including a raw mushroom alfredo which you cold smoke the mushrooms.

Rice Noodles With Purple Sprouting and Nori Flakes

Ingredients
Rice noodles for 2
Purple sprouting (about 10 small sprigs)
5 radishes sliced thinly
1/2 pack firm tofu  cut into thin strips (I use the Taifun smoked tofu with sesame seeds and almonds)
Sheet of nori (whizz up in a blender to make into flakes)
Sesame oil
Rapeseed oil
Soya sauce (I use tamari)


Instructions
1. Start by ta king your purple sprouting and brushing the sprigs with rapeseed oil or other vegetable oil.
2. Heat a griddle pan or frying pan on a medium heat.
3. Place your purple sprouting in the pan  and cook until tender. You can baste your sprigs some more during the cooking time. Keep turning the sprigs so that some sprigs will be slightly charred and others will be just tender.
4. In the meantime oil some water and cook your noodles for the time instructed on the packet.
5. In a bowl mix 1 tbsp of sesame oil, 1 of rapeseed oil and 1 of soya sauce.
6. When the noodles are ready drain and toss in the mixture of sesame oil, rapeseed oil and soya sauce. Gentle fold in the tofu, purple sprouting and radishes.
7. Sprinkle with the nori flakes and serve.

Bristol Food Connections Festival

It is so great to live Bristol and the thriving food scene there.  Back in May I got the chance to check out the Food Connections Festival celebrating good food from growing to eating!

Queens Square with tipis

Moroccan wrap filled with aubergine, herby salad and a glorious pesto from Moorish

Loved the food at Moorish.... http://bristoleats.co.uk/moorish/ . amazing flatbread wrapping up  smoky aubergine, a fresh pesto and a crunchy herby salad.....

Millenium Square and the Moorish food stall

Queens Square Bristol Food Connections Festival

Ah Ma's Dumplings

The highlight for me were Ah Ma's Dumplings.  Fresh Cantonese style dumplings made with savoy cabbage, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, cashew nuts, ginger and spring onions..... They regularly appear at the Tobacco Factory at the Sunday market and at Temple Quay Market.  Really something to seek out if you are in Bristol. http://ahmasdumplings.com

Ah Mas Dumplings

South Indian Coconut Curry

Grow Bristol

Great to hear about this project in Bristol. Grow Bristol is a new urban farming enterprise developing innovative and sustainable ways of growing food in the city for the benefit of all its inhabitants and the wider world. They are starting with Grow Box; a system of aquaponics to produce vegetables and fish right in the middle of Bristol. What an exciting project to follow.  Check out more information on www.growbristol.co.uk. 

Nettle Soup

We are back in the hungry gap again... that time of year between the last of the winter root vegetables and winter greens and the spring vegetables of broad beans and peas....  so what do you fill it with.... nettles!.  Nettles are the ultimate free food; rich in iron, silicon, and potassium. They are very high in vitamins A and C and when dried, nettles are 40% protein. Pick your nettles with care... use thick gardening gloves or rubber gloves so as not to get stung.  And pick the nettle tops... these are the most tender part. Don't worry - when they are cooked they lose their sting.

4 handfuls of nettle tops
2 medium potatoes cubed
1 onion diced
1 litre of vegetable stock (you can use a high quality stock cube)
1 tbsp of vegetable or rapeseed oil
Couple of mushrooms diced (optional)
Seasoning

1.  Wash the nettle tops in cold water remembering to keep your rubber gloves on or use tongs... they will still sting.  If you are in any way wary that the nettles have come in contact with animals then rinse the nettles with water with vinegar in. Rinse and drain.
2. Gently fry the onion and potatoes together for about 10 minutes - the onion will be soft.

3. Add the mushrooms if using and the nettle tops. Give the pot a stir around.
4. Add the stock and keep on a gentle heat for about 10 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked.

5. When the potatoes have cooked place in a blender.  Whizz up the mixture until smooth.
6. Spoon into bowls and enjoy.

Globe Artichokes with Pasta

Globe artichokes are a rarity in the UK.... this Mediterranean plant cultivated by the ancient Greeks and Romans still grows wild in North African; seemingly a million miles away from damp, windswept Britain.  But it can grow quite successfully with some tender loving care; and grown then I do to give me that bit of luxury from the vegetable world. Unlike the German poet Goethe who noted on his travels through Italy that "The peasants eat thistles ... a practice I could never adopt" I  follow the reasoning of Jane Grigson that artichokes are "the vegetable expression of civilised living, of the long view, of increasing delight by anticipation and crescendo ... it has no place in the troll's world of instant gratification".

Do not be put off by the preparation needed to cook vegetable; all the more reason to make a special occasion to feast on wonderful vegetable.  And if you do not know how to prepare try this video.

Researching globe artichokes I was pleasantly surprised that this peasant was reaping the reward of this fiddly vegetable because of it's health benefits.  Artichokes have a high level of antioxidants and they increase bile production in the liver, which helps with blood fat metabolism. They also contain cynarin, which lowers cholesterol levels. At 60 calories apiece, they're also not bad for losing weight – since they take so long to eat, it prevents you bolting down your food.

Here is my very simple recipe for globe artichoke and asparagus pasta.

3 globes artichokes prepared (like the video but I generally keep some of the leaves to dip into a vinaigrette as a snack.... not the very outer leaves)
3 to 4 asparagus stalks (snap in half and keep the bottom half for stock)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 clove of garlic minced
Handful of Pumpkin seeds
Good glug of olive oil
Linguine for 2

1. Gently boil the artichokes in water with juice of half  lemon for about 10 minutes.... I put the artichoke hearts and leaves in together.
2. Drain the artichokes and set aside the artichoke leaves to have as a snack dipping into a vinaigrette.
3. Slice the artichokes and dribble some olive oil over the artichokes and the prepared asparagus.
4. Heat a griddle pan gently and place the slices of artichoke and asparagus in the pan and fry for about 5 minutes.
5. Boil the pasta and when done drain and toss in the griddle pan.
6. In another pan gently dry toast the pumpkin seeds.
7. Season the dish with pepper, sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and serve.

Pasta with globe artichokes, asparagus and pumpkin seeds

Asparagus from my allotment

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

This is my take on Vietnamese Spring Rolls or Gỏi cuốn. They traditionally consist of pork, prawn, vegetables, bún (rice vermicelli), and other ingredients wrapped in Vietnamese bánh tráng (rice paper) but I use tofu instead of the meat.  I usually leave out the rice vermicelli as well and increase the amount of tasty vegetables.  So it is extra fresh and healthy.... feel so good after eating these.  They are the perfect addition to a summer picnic but I can eat them all year through!

  

Plate of Vietnamese Spring Rolls ready to eat. Yum!

Ingredients

My ingredients usually are a mixture of any of the below... mix and match to veggies you have around and  enjoy!

Pack of spring roll wrappers

2 carrots julienned

6 leaves of shredded lettuce or you can use about a handful of rocket

Handful of bean sprouts 

1/3 of a cucumber (if you buy the long cucumbers) julienned

Pack of tofu (I like to use a smoked tofu with sesame seeds and almonds from Taifun)

Crispy kale (not in this batch but great in the winter - just fry some shredded kale in vegetable or rapeseed oil)

Sesame seeds

Dipping sauce

1 tbsp of rapeseed oil

1-2 tbsp of soy sauce

1 tbsp of sesame oil

1 tsp of chilli oil or 1 chilli finely diced

2 tsp of vinegar (rice if you have it but I have used white wine vinegar in the past)

1. Start by frying the tofu in vegetable or rapeseed oil....  if fact if you are using the smoked version you do not need to do this.. just julienne the slab of tofu.

2. Arrange the rest of your ingredients so they are all at hand. Put a clean tea towel on the worktop.
3. Boil some water and pour into a wide bottomed container... I use a wok for that.  Adjust the temperature of the water so you can easily put your fingers in the water without burning yourself.
4. Take your rice spring roll wrappers and slide into the water... keep hold of it and gently rotate in the water. This should take about 5 seconds... the wrapper should be still a little stiff but flexible.

5. Place the wrapper on the tea towel and working very quickly put your ingredients in the middle of the middle of the wrapper....some shredded lettuce, bean sprouts, cucumber and the tofu.  Experiment with the quantities.... should be something like this...

6. Now begin to roll the wrapper around the filling.  Bring the bottom half up to cover the filling.

7. Now fold the side over at right angles.

8. Roll the spring roll up.

9. Now to the dipping sauce.  I usually make a very quick sesame chilli dip.   Combine all the ingredients for the dipping sauce and place in a small bowl in the middle.

Life-Saver

I found this book about 6 months into my vegan time.  And I was so relieved.  Here is a cook that understands you need hearty, 'meaty' meals.  Now you might be wondering why a vegan is using the word 'meaty'; well, it is all about trying to describe that feeling you get when you have something that has the great savoury taste and mouth feel.  Most people get that in meat or cheese but it is in other non-meat/dairy products.  Anyway Isa Chandra Moskowitz knows all about it with her vegan super powers.

So this book is filled with so many good recipes: mac n' cheese, glam chowder, korean bbq portobello burgers, coconut chana saag, and lentil quinoa stew.  All with witty notes about the preparation and ingredients... hear this about the lentil quinoa stew.

The holy trinity of lentils, quinoa and kale - all the classics in one pot! There may be some of you out there who don't have a recipe like this, and so it's important to spread the gospel. ...Quinoa and lentils provide the heartiness and plenty of protein, and a whole bushel of kale completes the meal and gives you vegan superpowers.

Now I know to ABS ( always be soaking) and that nutritional yeast equates to fairy dust!