Category Archives: Snacks and Tapas

Tofu & Beansprout Fritters

13 Friday Mar 2020

Posted by in Main Courses, Snacks and Tapas, Starters, Vegan, Vegetable Dishes

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I have been doing my kitchen spring clean and as part of this culling my, rather large, collection of cookery books. As I have been doing this I’ve found some forgotten favourites hiding amongst the other tomes, so I thought I would go through them and share with you some old favourites and new discoveries from each one. This recipe and the next one are adaptations from Sri Owens excellent book, Indonesian Regional Food & Cookery.

For 2 portions

200 grams firm or silken tofu – drained

2 spring onions – finely chopped

1 clove of garlic – finely chopped

peanut oil

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger or galangal

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon of finely chopped fresh coriander

2 tablespoons bean sprouts – either the regular sort you can buy or, my current favourite, fenugreek sprouts, or alfalfa are good

1/2 teaspoon of finely chopped red chilli

Pinch of salt

2 tablespoons rice flour ( if you haven’t got this then regular wheat flour or chickpea flour)

1/2 lightly beaten egg

Gently fry the onion, garlic and ginger in a couple of tablespoons of the oil until the onions are translucent.

Put the tofu in a bowl and mash it well. Drain the onions from the oil in the pan, reserving the oil, and add to the tofu. Mix in.

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

Form into 4 round patties and fry On a medium heat in peanut oil until crisp and light brown.

Drain and serve with a chilli vinegar to dip into.

The Glass Strawberry

29 Wednesday Jan 2020

Posted by in Main Courses, Snacks and Tapas, Starters, Sweet Things, Vegan, Vegetable Dishes

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To start with – what a fab name for a restaurant! This cafe in Doncaster is one of my must do stops when I visit the town. The food is freshly cooked and super tasty, the service friendly and efficient, and the decor bright and cosy at the same time. You can eat lunch at a dining table or lounge on a comfy sofa with your coffee and cake.

I have my favourite dish that I like to order, The Naked Vegan Burger. Two burgers made from quinoa, beetroot and edename beans, served with yummy sweet potato fries, mixed salad and a pot each of hummus and sweet chutney.

If this is not for you, worry not, the menu has plenty to tempt all tastes – from breakfasts to sizzling pizzas. You can see the full menu on their website – http://www.theglassstrawberry.co.uk

Aubergine Salad & Exquisite Hummus

16 Thursday Jan 2020

Posted by in Food for One, Snacks and Tapas, Vegan, Vegetable Dishes

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The aubergine pate that I served for supper last night was this salad whizzed up in the food processor, and the bean hummus was this hummus recipe, just substituting ready cooked butter beans for the chickpeas, so thought it was worth reposting these recipes.

 

I have been making this salad for so long that I now don’t recall the origin of the recipe. It is equally good as a salad, or puréed in the food processor as a vegetarian pate.

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The herbs can be changed to vary the flavour depending on taste and what you have available fresh. In the master recipe I have specified Oregano, I also like Coriander or Mint.

AUBERGINE SALAD

2 largish aubergines

Half teaspoon cumin seeds

1 large or 2 small cloves garlic – finely chopped

2 table spoons extra virgin olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon

Pinch of salt

Fresh oregano – finely chopped

Fresh chilli – finely chopped

Chives finely – chopped

I have found that the best way to cook the Aubergine for this is in the microwave, although you can roast them if you prefer.

Prick the Aubergine all over with a fork to prevent any explosions and put on a plate  in the microwave. Cook at full power for two minutes.

Turn over and cook for another two minutes.

Depending on the size of the vegetables and the power of you microwave they may now be cooked . They want to feel soft all the way through.

If they need a bit more cooking, turn them on their side and cook for another minute.

They can be turned to the other side and given another minute of cooking if you think that they need it.

Let cool until only warm and handleable.

Meanwhile toast the cumin seeds in a shallow thick based pan until they are slightly coloured and you can smell their aroma. Grind them and the salt with a pestle and mortar.

Once the aubergines are cool cut them into small cubes. I grow on the farm a variety of Aubergine called Gandia which has very thin soft skin, so I leave it on, but if the skin is tough remove it before cutting up the flesh.

Put in a bowl with the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

If you are making pate, put all the ingredients in the food processor instead and process to a purée.

Leave for an hour at room temperature for the flavours to develop with one another before serving.

HUMMUS.

A classic revisited.

hummus

Mass production has turned this dish into a bland cream, let’s get back to the super tasty dish that it started life as. The deep nutty flavour of the toasted sesame seeds blended with that of the chick peas should be the first to hit the taste buds, then the pungency of the garlic closely followed by the citrus sharpness of the lemon. If you like you can also add some finely chopped fresh coriander to add yet another flavour.

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1 jar or tin chick peas

2 cloves garlic – chopped

Grated rind and juice of a lemon – unwaxed if possible

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Picante paprika or pimenton

Put the sesame seeds in a shallow thick based pan and toast on a low heat shaking from time to time until light brown and giving off their distinctive aroma.

Grind to a paste with a pestle and mortar adding the olive oil to moisten as you go along.

Drain the chick peas from their liquid and rinse well to wash off the starchy residue.

Put in the food processor with the sesame paste, garlic, lemon rind and juice. Process to a paste – but not a smooth puree – leave some texture in the chick peas. Add more oil if it seems too dry.

Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Put in a small bowl with the paprika sprinkled over.

Serve with warm pitta bread.

Try hummus rissoles – add egg, then egg and breadcrumb or flour and fry

Oatmeal Crackers with Mixed Seeds

16 Thursday Jan 2020

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These taste better than any crackers that you buy in the supermarket. They’re crispy but moist and full of the nutty flavours of the seeds. I have to thank Rowena for inspiring me with her version of seeded crackers into having a go at creating my own. Perfect for serving with dips for a light supper or lunch, last night my friend John and I had them with a bean hummus, aubergine pate, guacamole and a tomato salad.



150 grams medium ground oatmeal – you can used rolled oats but the crackers have a better texture and hold together better with ground oatmeal

100 grams sunflower seeds

90 grams flax seeds

50 grams green pumpkin seeds

40. grams sesame seeds

1 level teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons olive oil

350 ml water

Mix all the dry ingredient together

For the liquid, you can substitute some or all the water with vegetable stock or when I made the crackers yesterday I used the gooey liquid from my jar of beans and some water.

Mix the olive oil into the water and add the whole lot to the oat and seed mix. Mix well. It will be quite wet.

Leave for an hour or two until the liquid has been absorbed.

Put the oven on to warm at 180C

Spread the mix onto an oiled shallow baking tray into an even layer about 1/2 a centimetre thick. If the layer is too thick the crackers will take longer to cook and will not be crisp. I used a round shallow tin of 30cm diameter the first time I made these and an oblong tin 25 x 35 cm the third time and they came out perfect, however the second time I made them an had them in a smaller tin they were too thick and soft.

Mark out where you want the crackers to break with a knife.

Bake for about 25 minutes until golden brown.

Let them cool in the tin before removing them and breaking them up. They will keep for several days if kept in an airtight jar or tin.

Sweet,Salty & Spicy Almonds

29 Friday Aug 2014

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This years almond crop is being harvested and the creamy fresh nuts always make me think of Ajo Blanco, a cooling and delicious soup that is a speciality of the area around Cordoba. The best one that I was served there was in the restaurant Casa De La Judia in the old town. Pale and smooth with no one flavour dominating and the consistency of a light cream, it was garnished with tiny cubes of sweet apple and halves of white grapes which added to the balance of the flavours.
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Of course once I got home I had to perfect my own recipe – but you are going to have to wait until the next post for that, firstly I want to use up the few remaining almonds from last year.

At some time in the dim and distant past I remember making sugared almonds but with a difference – they had spices mixed into the caramel. They were delicious and I may well make them again, but this time I wanted to include the spices but cut down drastically the amount of sugar used, and I like the mixture of salt and sweet, so I added some salt. Here is the resulting recipe.

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SWEET, SALTY AND SPICY ALMONDS
200 grams almonds – with or without the brown skin
Half teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon brown sugar
3 cloves
6-8 allspice berries
Half a teaspoon coriander seeds
The contents of 3 green cardamom pods
Quarter of a teaspoon hot chilli powder

Firstly we need to toast the spices before grinding them. Put the cloves, allspice berries, coriander seeds and cardamom seeds in a thick based pan and toast them on a low heat shaking from time to time until you can smell the aromas of them starting to be released.

Put them in a mortar and grind to a powder.

Add the chilli powder, salt and pepper, and mix.

Warm a thick based shallow pan on a low heat and add the almonds. Toast slowly moving the almonds around for even browning.

After a couple of minutes add the spice mix and continue toasting and stirring.

Once the almonds are browned add about a tablespoon or so of water and stir to mix well.
This will help the spice and seasonings stick to the almonds.

The water may disappear quite quickly, or you may need to continue on the heat until the almonds are dry again.

Let cool and serve as an aperitif……. and try not to sample too many before your guests arrive!

The Larder – Bethnal Green – London

11 Monday Aug 2014

Posted by in Food for One, Main Courses, Snacks and Tapas, Vegetable Dishes

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I don’t generally consider restaurant reviews to be part of what this blog is about, but the food in this vegetarian cafe is so good that it cannot not be mentioned. All the meals that I have ordered here have been so thoughtfully composed, executed and presented. Whoever designs the dishes has a real understanding of how to mix flavours and textures, and never forgets to consider how the components will look on the plate.

Today I treated myself to a Mexican breakfast – which I had for lunch.

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In the little brown pot beneath the grilled half mushroom, fried egg, guacamole and fresh coriander leaves was a rich and spicy tomatoey sauce thick with black and pinto beans, corn kernels, red peppers, celery and onions. There was just enough chilli to give it oomph without overpowering the rest of the ingredients, and it was fragrant with the flavour of garlic and coriander seeds.

Below the deep fried Padron peppers in the other pot was a flavoursome but not hot jalapeño purée. The tortilla chips were freshly deep fried and crispy.

I look forward to trying their egg and chips, one of the most appetising looking egg and chips that I have ever seen. Served on one of those pasta plates that is like a shallow soup bowl, there is a base of freshly made tomato sauce topped with a stack of fat crispy polenta chips which likewise is topped with a fried egg.

I hope it is on the menu next time I visit this restaurant.

http://www.worldslarder.co.uk

Bodega Aranda – Almeria City

11 Monday Nov 2013

Posted by in Fish, Food for One, Snacks and Tapas, Starters, Sweet Things, Vegetable Dishes

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After visiting the central market in Almeria we had worked up an appetite for lunch, and remembered that this ancient tapas bar was not far away.

Having installed ourselves at a table we asked the waitress to bring us a selection of what was good at the moment. She suggested the house salad, a couple of plates of fish and fried potatoes topped with broken eggs and the local made chorizo and morcilla. Perfect we said, not realising what culinary delights lay behind these simple descriptions.

The house salad arrived. Rich green corn salad, walnuts, pine nuts, raisins, and a halo of tomatoes surrounding a mound of blue cheese ice cream. The waitress had a small bowl of dressing – olive oil and sherry vinegar with seasonings – which she poured over the salad, then she cut the ice cream into pieces and gently mixed it with the salad.

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It was heavenly. I am working on a recipe for the ice cream – maybe have it perfected for the next post.

The fish course was next –

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Fillets of baby Cod and Smelts in light batter and fried served with the best Ajo Blanco I have ever tasted. You could taste the slight bitterness of the almonds, a hint of garlic that was not overpowering, the sauce was made smooth with bread and olive oil and balanced with white wine vinegar.

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Jureles en Escabeche. Escabeche is a way of mildly pickling fish. It is gently poached in a broth of olive oil, white wine vinegar and water which is flavoured with onions, peppercorns, saffron and bayleaves. Frequently smoky Pimenton is added as well, but in this dish of small fish it wasn’t needed.

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Next was the Potatoes with Chorizo, Morcilla and broken eggs.

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To finish the meal a succulent large date each, dark chocolate covered raisins and mint tea.

Aubergine Salad & Exquisite Hummus

27 Sunday Oct 2013

Posted by in Food for One, Snacks and Tapas, Vegetable Dishes

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This is one for the boys, namely George and Joe, who both love this aubergine salad recipe.

I have been making this salad for so long that I now don’t recall the origin of the recipe. It is equally good as a salad, or puréed in the food processor as a vegetarian pate.

IMG_0618

The herbs can be changed to vary the flavour depending on taste and what you have available fresh. In the master recipe I have specified Oregano, I also like Coriander or Mint.

AUBERGINE SALAD

2 largish aubergines

Half teaspoon cumin seeds

1 large or 2 small cloves garlic – finely chopped

2 table spoons extra virgin olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon

Pinch of salt

Fresh oregano – finely chopped

Fresh chilli – finely chopped

Chives finely – chopped

I have found that the best way to cook the Aubergine for this is in the microwave, although you can roast them if you prefer.

Prick the Aubergine all over with a fork to prevent any explosions and put on a plate  in the microwave. Cook at full power for two minutes.

Turn over and cook for another two minutes.

Depending on the size of the vegetables and the power of you microwave they may now be cooked . They want to feel soft all the way through.

If they need a bit more cooking, turn them on their side and cook for another minute.

They can be turned to the other side and given another minute of cooking if you think that they need it.

Let cool until only warm and handleable.

Meanwhile toast the cumin seeds in a shallow thick based pan until they are slightly coloured and you can smell their aroma. Grind them and the salt with a pestle and mortar.

Once the aubergines are cool cut them into small cubes. I grow on the farm a variety of Aubergine called Gandia which has very thin soft skin, so I leave it on, but if the skin is tough remove it before cutting up the flesh.

Put in a bowl with the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

If you are making pate, put all the ingredients in the food processor instead and process to a purée.

Leave for an hour at room temperature for the flavours to develop with one another before serving.

HUMMUS.

A classic revisited.

hummus

Mass production has turned this dish into a bland cream, let’s get back to the super tasty dish that it started life as. The deep nutty flavour of the toasted sesame seeds blended with that of the chick peas should be the first to hit the taste buds, then the pungency of the garlic closely followed by the citrus sharpness of the lemon. If you like you can also add some finely chopped fresh coriander to add yet another flavour.

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1 jar or tin chick peas

2 cloves garlic – chopped

Grated rind and juice of a lemon – unwaxed if possible

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Picante paprika or pimenton

Put the sesame seeds in a shallow thick based pan and toast on a low heat shaking from time to time until light brown and giving off their distinctive aroma.

Grind to a paste with a pestle and mortar adding the olive oil to moisten as you go along.

Drain the chick peas from their liquid and rinse well to wash off the starchy residue.

Put in the food processor with the sesame paste, garlic, lemon rind and juice. Process to a paste – but not a smooth puree – leave some texture in the chick peas. Add more oil if it seems too dry.

Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Put in a small bowl with the paprika sprinkled over.

Serve with warm pitta bread.

Try hummus rissoles – add egg, then egg and breadcrumb or flour and fry

Cool Summer Soups

17 Saturday Aug 2013

Posted by in Snacks and Tapas, Starters, Vegetable Dishes

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????????????????At this sultry time of year I like to have a jug of soup chilling in the fridge. Solid food is too much in the August heat, and soup can be breakfast. lunch or dinner. When I first came to Spain I quickly found out how to make the classic Gazpacho which uses the richly ripe summer tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers blended with sweet garlic and olive oil. Then in Cordoba I came across Ajo Blanco, made with the new crop almonds and deliciously creamy. Some time later it occurred to me that these soups follow a sort of formula and maybe other vegetables – and fruits could be used to make Gazpacho.

It all started with a bumper crop of slightly too acidic Loquats or Nispero and a vague memory of being served a fruit soup in Hungary while visiting a friends family there with her. The soup was delicious. Since then I have made soup from almost each fruit as they come into season. Cherries are particularly successful. I have used the flat white peaches that we grow on the farm, which make for a very creamy textured soup of the gorgeous delicate peach colour illustrated below. Nectarines, Plums, Apricots – all good.IMG_0377

Right now Watermelon is the fruit, so I have used that for the master recipe. Now that the melons come without seeds that you need to pick out, it is even quicker to make.

GAZPACHO DE SANDIA IMG_0414

This made 1.2 litres, enough for at least 6 servings

Half a watermelon

2 cloves garlic

half a teaspoon of salt

60 ml good olive oil

Simply cut the flesh from the melon into cubes, peel and roughly chop the garlic and then add these with the rest of the ingredients to the food processor or liquidiser and blitz to a puree.

Check the seasoning and then put in the fridge for a couple of hours to chill down and for the flavours to meld.

If you are using a more solid fruit like peaches or plums, you will need to add water to get the right consistency. Some fruits that are very sweet or very ripe benefit from the addition of lemon juice to balance the flavour.

Have fun experimenting with your fruits.IMG_0416

Tarte Flambee, Langos & Provencale Onion Tart

10 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by in Main Courses, Snacks and Tapas

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While I am on the theme of flat breads with toppings, I thought I would share with you a small selection from around the world.

I came across a mention of Tarte Flambee in an article recently where the recipe instructed you to buy a ready made pizza base on which to place the toppings. This misses the whole essence of the dish, which is fineness. The bread base wants to be rolled as thinly as you can into a rectangle. When I was cooking this regularly in a restaurant I would use day old dough that was less springy than fresh and consequently easier to roll thinly.

A standard bread dough as in the previous post is used for the base. As I have said roll it thinly into a rectangle to fit either a silicon or metal baking sheet.

????????????The classic topping is a smearing of thick cream, then onion that has previously been sliced thinly and softened in butter and small lardons of smoked streaky bacon.

Preheat the oven to 250 C with the floor lined in fire bricks as in the previous post.

Place the tart on its sheet onto the bricks to bake.

As the dough is thin it will only take five or six minutes for it to be cooked and crisp.

Variations to go on top of the cream –

Sliced mushrooms softened in butter – even better if thy are wild mushrooms – with or without the bacon.

Shredded spinach softened in butter.

Asparagus, either white or green or both.

The onions with thin slices of sauccison sec, or strips of cooked ham, or strips of mortadella.

The Provencale Onion Tart takes the same idea to the south of France and makes it more robust.

Line an oiled shallow tart tin with bread dough rolled to about half a centimetre thick or a bit thicker.

Peel and slice 3 or 4 large onions thinly. Soften in olive oil and continue cooking slowly until the onions are much reduced and starting to caramelise.

Distribute the onions evenly over the base of the tart, drizzle over some cream and decorate with a scattering of black olives.

Bake at 230 C on the bricks for 10 to 15 minutes.

To test if it is done, lift up the tart with a palette knife and check that the dough is cooked to a light brown firmness underneath.

Langos – pronounce the s as sh – hails from Hungary. I was visiting there with some friends, and the family of Zsuzsi prepared this and baked it in the most amazing ancient bread oven in the little house on their allotment.

IMG_0312The toppings for this are put on after the bread is baked. They are laid out on the table in little dishes for each person to serve themselves. There was –

A bowl of sour soft fresh cheese.

Tiny cubes of streaky bacon, fried until quite dry and crisp.

Both sweet and spicy smoked Paprika.

A bowl each of chopped dill, parsley and chives.

The dough for this is made with the addition of mashed potatoes, which makes a very soft and fluffy bread.

Use the bread recipe in the previous post adding 150 grams mashed potato and cutting the water down to 200 ml. If the dough seems too dry at that, then add a little more water. It is impossible to be more precise as potatoes vary so much in their water content.

When the dough is ready, form into individual sized breads about 10 cm across and about a centimetre thick. Put them on a floured tray in a warm draft free place to prove for half an hour.

Heat the oven to 230 C with the fire bricks in. Bake the Langos on the bricks for about ten minutes or until a lighbar brown in colour.

Serve while still warm with the toppings as described.

Other recipes to search out for yourselves are Turkish Pide and Cocas from the Balearic Islands.