Today is a beautiful Sunday in the middle of winter and although an unlikely time to be contemplating what I would normally think of as summer food, today I am going to tell you that this also makes wonderful winter comfort food. This recipe is definitely given as a cheats version of a traditional Eggplant Parmigiana, a meal which is beloved by many, myself included. It is a really delicious achievable alternative though, and can be made quickly at the end of a a work day. I hope you will enjoy it and maybe it will remind you of all the joys of the long slow cooked version that you can make on a leisurely weekend. One of those weekends I imagine, with days which stretch out in long languorous hours allowing you to do all the things you think you can in one day. What a day that would be! Several years ago I was lucky enough to have one of my very first amazing “Cultural Exchange” guests, Katie, make this for me. She made it in the traditional manner with every element made from scratch, I will never forget her making her authentic version of this dish or the stories she told of learning to make this with her very traditional grandparents. These experiences and memories are some of lifes amazing treasures, the love and kindness and the time spent are the gifts that make me keep cooking and sharing the experiences of the kitchen and the table, […]
quick meals
Weekday Black Rice and Quinoa Meals
Today I am cooking with the intention to multi task a couple of ingredients. I am working with my friend Ollie on a project to create simple, healthy and affordable meals. As always, this is part of my food journey (and I am looking forward to the challenge within this) of preparing some basic items to make my weekday meals easier. My struggle with preparing food in advance is that often when it comes time to eat it, it is not what I want – brattish I know! My thoughts this week were to prepare something that could then transform into the flavours I did want on the day, be it sweet or savoury, breakfast, lunch or dinner.. Starting with this in mind I prepared Wild Rice (which isn’t actually rice at all) and black quinoa. Shop around for wild rice (it can vary in price a lot) and it is only recently that some more affordable home-brand varieties have become available. The idea here is not that you have to use these two grains, you can absolutely substitute your favourite rice or grain, or better still use what you have in the pantry. This is a great way to finish some of those half used packets. I love combining grains, pulses and beans, which as I show below, can form the base of all sorts of different meals. Using a variety of grains, pulses and beans gives you a broader nutrition profile and more interesting textures to […]
Organic Chicken Bone Broth
Bone broth – miracle cure all maybe – that would certainly be great. It definitely gets a lot of good press for its health benefits, and while some sources suggest these benefits may not be scientifically proven it is an old fashioned tonic made with affordable but good quality ingredients, and looking at the finished product can make you feel closer to being a domestic goddess. In everyday cooking it both tastes great and works really well as a flavour boost for quick and nutritious soups risottos…and any other meal you might consider using stock or water in. Bone broth is said to benefit us in many ways, the following are some of the ways I have read it can help us Boost immunity Fight inflammation Alleviate the common cold and bronchitis Strengthen bones and teeth Promote weight loss Improve hydration Aid sleep Skin vitality Help normalise stomach acid ……. Including Bone Broth in our diet has to be a win win situation, and even if it is not a miracle cure all, it is still real food made simply out of quality ingredients. To make this at home is simple – especially if like me you have an under utilised slow cooker taking up valuable space. It can of course be made on the stove top and there are also some very good bone broth products available for purchase. My reading suggests that this is a product that you are best to make or buy organic, as any negative […]
Chickpea and Broccoli Curry
This isn’t rocket science and it isn’t fancy but it has been on the menu at home this week and I have really enjoyed it and so wanted to share it with you. It is another quick midweek meal requiring little in the way of forethought or planning and better still few dishes to clean up. In full disclosure I did soak and cook the chickpeas for this meal as I definitely prefer them this way, but having said that I know most people would simply prefer to use the tinned variety and that is great – no judgement either way. I have made this to feed two people but as always adjust the quantities to the number of people you want to serve or make more so you can have leftovers for lunch tomorrow. The Curry paste I used was a home made one gifted to me by the lovely Angela, but I would happily have used any prepared curry paste. Be prepared to taste for spiciness but the coconut milk and the broccoli help to soak up the spice so don’t fear if it seems a little to spicy. CHICKPEA AND BROCCOLI CURRY Quantities to feed two people Warm a large pan with a couple of tablespoons of cooking oil. Saute your onion until starting to brown. Add the chilli, ginger, garlic, curry paste or powder and kafir lime leave and saute carefully for a minute or so until aromatic taking care not to burn. Add your chickpeas and […]