World Travels - Azerbaijan

 Moving on from my culinary visits to Georgia of late I thought I would venture into the neighbouring country of Azerbaijan. In a country known for it's pilaf, kebabs and piti (a type of mutton and chickpea stew) I struggled to find any good vegetable recipes... I finally decided on Khayle which usually is a type of omelette with spinach, herbs and eggs.  This was a great recipe that I could veganise using gram flour. The egg version is usually served with a steamed rice dish called Osh.  I decided not to cook this rice dish as the gram flour would already act as a carbohydrate. The khayle reminded me of a Persian dish called Kuku Sabzi which is a baked omellete with loads of herbs and spring onions but a whole lot more spices.  The other dish that I decided to try was Badimjan Borani which is a pretty simple stew of aubergine, potatoes, tomatoes, and green pepper flavoured by fresh coriander.  

To wash the lunch down I found a beautiful wine from Georgia - M&S Found Saperavi - the Saperavi is Georgia's signature and rare red grape producing red juice.  

During my research I did find some other recipes including a yoghurt and chickpea soup called Dovga, qutab (a pancake or flatbread type dish with herbs, and cheese that reminded me of the Turkish dish Gözleme) and an Azeri saffron pilaf which I would love to try.

 

From top left clockwise: Khayle, Slovenian tomato salad, Badimjan Borani

Badimjan Borani

I use the recipe from  the website Flavors of Baku but changed some of the ingredients and the order to put in the pan; plus I added some chickpeas at the end as they always go so well with aubergine.  I felt that the dish needed some more flavour so perhaps up the amount of garlic and possible use some sesame seed oil and seeds or pomegranate molasses to add a different tone to the dish. Pomegranates are the national fruit of Azerbaijan after all.

Ingredients

• 1 onion or leek
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 aubergines
• 1 tin of tomatoes (400g)
• 1 large potato
• ½ bunch of coriander
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 3 tbsp of olive oil

Instructions

1. Wash all the vegetables and herbs.
2. Slice the onions into thin half rings or the leek into thin slices
3. Peel the skin off of the potatoes, and dice into small cubes.
4. Dice the aubergine into small cubes as well.
5. Remove the seeds from the pepper, and cut it into small cubes.
6. Fry the onion or leek in a saucepan until it is lightly golden in the olive oil.
   
7. Place a layer of chopped peppers onto the onion.
8. Cook for a further 5 minutes then add the garlic and the chopped aubergine and potato.
9. Stir over a low heat and allow a little browning of the potato and aubergine.
10. Add a tin of tomatoes chopped up
11. Cover your saucepan with a lid and simmer over a low heat.
12. Sauté (simmer) over low heat until the potatoes and aubergine are fully cooked. If you are adding cooked chickpeas add now just to warm them through.
    
13. Sprinkle with  chopped coriander and serve hot or cold.

Badimjan Borani

Khayle

 I took the recipe from Flavors of Baku and then veganised it; replacing the eggs with chickpea flour and water... I also baked the dish instead of just cooking on the hob.  

Ingredients

• 1 large onion slice into half moons or 1 large leek thinly sliced
• 1 bunch spinach (120g)
• 1 bunch spring onions
• 1 bunch coriander
• 1 bunch dill
• 1 bunch parsley
• 100g chickpea flour
• 500 ml boiling water
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 185C.
2. Wash all the herbs and pat them dry with a towel to remove all water before cooking, and chop them finely.
3. Peel the onion, cut it in half, and slice into thin half-rings or slice the leek thinly
4. Add olive oil into a pan, place the sliced onion and chopped white parts of the green onions, and fry over low heat until they are soft and lightly golden.
5. Add the spinach to the pan with the onions.
6. Simmer over low heat until the spinach wilts.
7. Add the finely chopped herbs and stir to mix with the spinach.
8. Season with a little salt and pepper.
9. In a bowl sift the chickpea flour and add the boiling water.  Mix into a batter and ensure that all the lumps are removed.
10. In a baking dish (about 25-26cm in length) place a little of the chickpea flour batter in the bottom.
11. Add your spinach and herb mixture and spread around the dish.
12. Top off with the rest of the batter.  
13. Place in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes
14. Serve with a garnish of herbs

On my radio: Şövkət Ələkbərova - Ay Qiz

Maghmour and Batikh

 

This has been the goto dish in our house in recent months.  Inspired by the beautiful Palestinian restaurant Akub in Notting Hill I have been trying out different Lebanese and Palestinian dishes that take you far away from the ordinary hummus that is ubiquitous of the area.

Maghmour plated up with some shop bought flatbreads

Maghmour

Ingredients

2 aubergines (cut into 2cm cubes)

Olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tsp allspice

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Tin of tomatoes, chopped

1 tbsp lemon juice

Tin of chickpeas or 400 g of pre-cooked chickpeas

Water

Finely chopped flat-leaf parsley to garnish

Seasoning

 

Instructions

 

1. If using an oven preheat to 230C (445 F) and line 2 baking sheets with baking paper. 

2. Take the cubed aubergines and coat with olive oil and some salt. Transfer to the baking sheets and roast until nearly softened; around 15 minutes.   I tend to use an air fryer on 185C for 15 minutes to cook the aubergine.

3. Heat a large saucepan over a medium/low heat and add the onion with about 2 tbsp of olive oil.  Cook for about 8 to 10 minutes.

4. Add to the pan the garlic, allspice, cinnamon and salt and pepper.  Fry for 30 seconds and then add the tomatoes and a little water (about 100ml). mix well and leave to simmer for 10-15 minutes.

5. Add the lemon juice, roasted aubergine and the cooked chickpeas and continue to simmer until the aubergine is completely soft (about 10-20 minutes). Check the seasoning and add more salt, pepper and lemon juice if needed.

6. Server warm or at room temperature with a garnish of finely chopped parsley.  I normally serve with Batikh and a store bought flatbread...

Maghmour - chickpeas and aubergine

Batikh

Batikh - Watermelon and Rosewater Salad

This Batikh has been has been haunting me eversince I went to Akub last year.  I make this nearly ever week and revel in the freshness.  You can riff on the recipe and use a mix of melon and watermelon, add pomegranate seeds or maftoul (giant cous cous), try it with orange blossom water and even add some dukkah. I tried to stay true to the salad that I received at Akub last year but not sure if I have cracked it yet... If there is one recipe to try EVER - try this really simple dish.

Ingredients (Serves 4-6)

• 500g watermelon, 2cm cubes (if you can source try some Palestinian/Lebanese melon)
• 1-2 tsp rosewater
• 1 tsp orange blossom water (optional - I have added this on occasion)
• 2 tbsp extra virgin oil
• Salt and pepper
• Black olives (I find that pitted Kalamata olives are good but I have made with green olives as well)
• 50 g almonds coursely chopped (I have come across recipes using pistachio nuts so you could use those as an alternative)
  
• 1 handful mint, coursely chopped (you could use fresh majarom if you can source it)
• 1 handful parsley, coursely chopped
• 1-2 tsp sumac
• 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
• Sprinkle of pomegranate seeds (optional - again I have found recipes with pomegranate seeds included so this is completely optional)
  

Instructions

1. Sprinkle the rosewater and if you are using orange blossom water over the watermelon cubes and allow to macerate for about 15 minutes.
2. Mix the pomegranate molasses and olive oil.
3. In a bowl mix the watermelon cubes, with the olives. Add the herbs, and seasoning followed by the nuts and sumac.  Finally drizzle the pomegranate and olive oil mix and gentle turn the salad in that dressing.  
4. Decant into a different bowl and dress with more herbs and a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds if you are using them.

Batikh

Pkhali

 I have been inspired by the travels of Carrie Patsalis on Youtube; in particular her trip to Georgia. She tried a dish with spinach and walnuts in Tbilisi that I just had to try and replicate (go to 6.20 into the video to see the dish). So searching around I found out the dish was called Pkhali and was completely vegan... just had to try that.

Pkhali

I used this recipe from Oh My Veggies .  Basically you blanch spinach, squeeze the water out and then blend it with onion, garlic, coriander, chillies, apple cider vinegar, nutritional yeast, cumin, salt and walnuts.  There was supposed to be oregano in there as well but I did not have any.  You shape it into these flattened balls and make a depression in the top and garnish with some pomegranate seeds.  

So you have this amazingly fresh flavour that you can eat as an appetizer or spread on a cracker or flatbread.  

Apparently you can make this with carrots, aubergine, beetroot, cabbage or pretty much any leftover vegetable. So I will be experimenting in the future. 

I want to try this with Tkemali which is a plum sauce that is a sweet-sour condiment.... just need to source some tart plums or gages.

Akub

 

Menu of Akub

This is a catch up post of a restaurant I visited last August 2023.  Huddled in a back street in Notting Hill, the Palestian restaurant Akub provided a much needed inspiration boost to my culinary brain.  Akub is chef Fadi Kattan's venture in London; mixing his Palestinian heritage with a French backbone to produce modern Palestinian food. This is one of my favourite cuisines and Akub did not disappoint... each little plate was a treasure of flavours.

From top left clockwise - Sheikh El Mahsi, pitta, Mafghoussa,  Red Lentil Moutabel

The Sheikh El Mahsi was perhaps my least favourite of the dishes... the pickled vegetables were perhaps a little too pickled but still quite delicious.

Sheikh El Mahsi - baby aubergine, pickled herbs and walnuts

The Mafghoussa was deliciously moreish and quite rich but then cut through with the fresh mint... love it.

Mafghoussa - courgettes, garlic, yoghurt, pine nuts and mint

The Red Lentil Moutabel was a great alternative to hummus; amazing with the fresh pittas on the side.

Red Lentil Moutabel - red lentils, tahini, cumin

Pitta bread

Now for the Batikh which was the outstanding dish for me.  Amazing mix of watermelon, fakous (heirloom melon that is treated like a cucumber), olives and almonds.   I thought I detected something like rosewater or orange blossom as well but could not be sure.  I have since riffed on the dish and produced my own versions in the attempt in replicating this dish... this was stunning.

Batikh - watermelon, fakous, black olives, marjaram,mint and almonds

I have to comment on the pottery that was used by the restaurant; all hand made by Jaffa ceramicist Nur Minawi and available on the website - https://www.akub-restaurant.com/shop . I particularly loved the asymmetrical plates with their irregular design.  Totally inspirational for my nerdy pottery mind.

Chidakasha Skye

Entrance to Chidakasha Skye

In an attempt to catch up on posts I thought I would write about my wonderful visit to the Isle of Skye last May (2023) and checking out the culninary delights of Chidakasha Skye.  The menu was vegetarian/vegan with glorious tea pairings, beautiful surroundings and some surprising and locally sourced ingredients straight from the restaurant gardens and foraged (more about that later). 

Each course came with a carefully curated tea pairing

Honey toasted mixed nuts with Isle of Skye sea salt, sesame & thyme

The starting nibbles were a magical mix of toasted nuts with local sea salt, sesame and thyme.... accompanied by a refreshing jug of minted water which was very welcome after the long journey from the south of the Island.

Organic Dragon Well, Heng Shan Garden, Zhejiang, China

Shetland kale shoots with hemp chutney, toasted hazlenuts, baby new potatoes, croft pickles

Shetland kale shoots with hemp chutney, toasted hazlenuts, baby new potatoes, croft pickles with the tea

The starter of kale shoots straight from the restaurant garden and baby new potatoes was devine.  It was topped with Greek cress (the garnish with white flowers) which had a soft watercress flavour.  The Dragons Well tea that accompanied the dish was a green tea with a slightly vegetal flavour... such a great complementary tea.

Baked courgettes & aubergine stew with chickpeas, camargue rice, kale chiffonade salad & crispy rice cake

The main course was perhaps slightly disappointing with a courgette and aubergine stew with Indian spices with the kale chiffonage salad perhaps being the star on this plate.  It is worth noting that the crockery was from the south of the island - Lenz Ceramics which I actually visited later that week and bought a beautiful bud vase (but that is another story).  Again the tea pairing of Phoenix Honey Orchid Oolong was well judged.. bringing peachy honey flavours to the dish.

Raw pear & ginger cheesecake with gorse syrup with Whole Rose tea hand-picked in Iran

Raw pear & ginger cheesecake with gorse syrup

The dessert course was the highlight with a totally vegan raw pear and ginger cheesecake with the revelation of gorse syrup which had a coconut taste (wow, I was speechless).  Plus it was paired with this whole rose tea from Iran... beautiful and stunning! Found this recipe for gorse syrup which I will have to try out and this recipe for a vegan ginger cheesecake.... https://www.lazycatkitchen.com/vegan-ginger-cheesecakes/ . Just need to source the rose tea!

This was memorable meal with subtle cooking and packed with unexpected tastes... magical, spellbinding, intriguing. Love it, love it, love it.

UEFA Euro 2024 Special - Romania

 On my Euro tour I am next up in Romania.... it was a bit tough to find any Romanian vegetable dishes until I found The Romanian Cookbook.  I decided on a rather great pan fried courgettes dish - Dovlecei Pane and a white bean dip - Fasole Batuta with a tomato salad to finish off. 

Dovlecei Pane, Fasole Batuta and Salată de Roșii

Romanian Pan Fried Courgettes – Dovlecei Pane

I took the recipe from The Romanian Cookbook and veganised it by using gram flour, water and polenta.

Ingredients

2 courgettes

Gram flour (sorry do not have the measurements)

Polenta (probably about 30g)

Vegan yoghurt (3 tbsp)

1 Garlic clove crushed with salt

Instructions

1. Slice the courgettes - about 5 mm each slice.

2. Transfer to a colandar and sprinkle with salt (this is to remove some of the water).

3. Leave for 15 minutes and then pat dry.

4. Prepare a bowl of gram flour and water to create a thickish batter.

5. On a plate sprinkle some polenta and if you have some a little dried mint.

6. Take each courgette slice and first pass through the gram flour batter and then roll in the polenta and mint.

 

7. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and pan fry each slice for about 2 minutes each . Take the slices out and place on kitchen towel.

8. Meanwhile crush the garlic clove  and put in the yoghurt.  Finish the yoghurt off with some dried dill if you have some.

9. Serve the courgettes with the yoghurt.

Romanian White Bean Dip - Fasole Batuta

Ingredients

 

200g White beans (I used some cannelleli beans that I had already cooked)

2 minced garlic cloves

1/2 onion sliced thinly

1 tbsp tomato paste

1/2 tsp paprika

Olive oil

Instructions

1. In a blender mix up the white beans if they are already cooked with the garlic and some water (use the cooking water if you have just cooked them).

2. Heat some olive oil in a frying pan and gently fry your onions on a low heat which should take about 10 minutes.

3. When the onions are almost done add the tomato paste, a pinch of salt and mix well.

4. Turn the heat off the onions and add the paprika (do not add the paprika whilst still on the heat as it will make the dish bitter.)

5. Serve the dip with the onion mix on top.

Salată de roșii

I took this recipe from https://www.tasteatlas.com/best-rated-vegetarian-dishes-in-romania. Essentially the ingredients are good tomatoes (deseeded and cut into bite size chunks), 1/2 a red onion finely sliced, garlic clove crushed, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and basil and thyme.  Combine the tomato and onion and in a separate bowl combine the olive oil, vinegar, basil and thyme.  Dress the tomato and onion mix and serve.

 

 

 

 

Dovlecei Pane, Fasole Batuta and Salată de Roșii

 

 Score: Romania 1  Slovakia 1

Football Score :4 (Close run thing between Romania and Slovakia, some great football and beautiful goals. )

Food: 3 (The white bean dip was not really successful... perhaps less paprika is needed. The pan fried courgettes were rather great but did not eat so well with the yoghurt... perhaps a tomato based dip would have been better )

UEFA Euro 2024 Special - Netherlands

Vegan Bitterballen with mustard and Boerenk Stamppot

 

Vegan Bitterballen

 I used the recipe from https://greenbowl2soul.com/vegan-dutch-bitterballen/ to make these super vegan bitterballen with mustard ...  super tasty and a great as a snack; was randomly chomping on these for the next couple of days.

Ingredients

Ingredients for the mushroom and aubergine balls

• 2.5 cups finely chopped aubergine
• 2.5 cups finely chopped mushrooms
• 4 garlic  cloves (minced)
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• Salt to taste

Ingredients for the Roux

• 4 tbsp margarine
• 0.5 cup of gram flour
• 1.75 cups vegetable stock
• Generous shake of ground nutmeg

Ingredients for Coating

• Cup of gram flour
• Cup of breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup water
  

 

 Instructions

1.  Finely chop the mushrooms and aubergine.
2. Heat oil in a pan. Add chopped mushrooms, aubergine, minced garlic, thyme, pepper, and salt. Cook for around 12-15 minutes or until the moisture of the mushrooms evaporates and the aubergines are also cooked. Take off the heat and keep the mixture aside.
3. Melt margarine in a pan. Add gram flour and keep stirring until the flour is no longer raw. Add vegetable stock, ¼ cup at a time while stirring continuously. Add nutmeg. Keep stirring and cooking until the mixture is smooth and thick.
4. Add the mushroom, and aubergine mix to the gram flour mixture and mix. Check and adjust the seasoning. Let the mixture reach room temperature. Transfer the filling to an airtight container and keep in the fridge for at least 4-5 hours or until the mixture solidifies.
5. Mix water and gram flour in a bowl to make a slurry. In two other separate bowls put flour (I used gram flour) and bread crumbs (I used gluten free bread and crumbled up and baked for about 15 minutes in the oven). Make an assembly line by first putting the flour bowl, then a bowl of  flour slurry, and finally the bread crumbs bowl.
   
6. Take a small portion of the mushroom and aubergine filling in your hand. Roll between your palms to make a ball. Roll the ball first through flour then, gram flour slurry, and finally bread crumbs. Keep aside on a plate. Repeat the process with the remaining filling.

7. Put the balls in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours.
8. Deep fry the balls until they turn golden brown. I used an air fryer but they could easily be fried in a shallow pan as long as you turned frequently. 

9. Serve hot with mustard sauce.

 

Boerenkool Stamppot

I decided to turn to this Dutch classic of potatoes and kale which made for a very comforting one pot meal. 

Servings 3

Ingredients

900g potatoes
180g kale
2 tbsp plant-based margarine
50 mL plant-based milk
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Place 2 large baking potatoes that you have stabbed with a knife into a preheated oven at 200C/400F/Gas 6 for 1¼-1½ hours.  You can cut the time down by microwaving the potatoes for about 15 minutes and then transferring to the oven.
2. Meanwhile, rinse the kale and discard the stems.
3. Chop the leaves quite finely, into bite-size pieces and blanch in boiling water for about 5 minutes.  Drain the kale and keep aside.
4. Once the potatoes are cooked (you can test the softness by placing a knife in) pull them out, cut open and scoop out the cooked potato into a bowl.
5. Add the chopped kale to the bowl and mix in.
   
   
   
6. Add margarine and plant based milk to the potatoes and kale in the bowl. Add a bit of salt and pepper. Add a little milk first, then more as needed.
7. Mash with a potato masher, and add more milk and/or margarine to control the texture. 

 

Score: France 0  Netherlands 0

Football Score :2 (Some chances on goal but really a very defensive and boring game ) 

Food: 3 (The bitterballen were great with the mustard sauce and the Boerenkool Stamppot was very satisfying but perhaps not fresh enough for a summer's evening, even if it is an English summer. )