Searingly Hot Salsa

From Mexican Food Made Simple, Thomasina Miers, Hodder & Stoughton, 2010.

Seeing this named as ‘searingly hot’ was tantamount to a challenge. Why is it that we always want to go that one step further? I thoroughly enjoy hot chilli dishes but there is always that odd temptation to make them that little bit hotter. Are we testing ourselves to see if we can stand the extra heat? Whatever, I just had to make this searingly hot salsa to see what it was like.

The recipe for the salsa was for a large quantity and I only needed a small portion. The quantities for the full recipe did not easily translate into smaller amounts so I just decided to go by taste—not the easiest decision since the heat made it somewhat difficult to judge.

I took 5g of chilli de Arbol and simmered them in water sufficient to keep them wet. The simmering only seemed to need about 5 minutes to soften them. Once cool, they then went into the blender with the water and were churned to break them down. A little apple cider vinegar was added together with half a garlic clove. Again it was blended to break it down further. A pinch of dried oregano, a large grinding of black pepper, half a teaspoon of salt and the same amount of caster sugar now were added. Again the mixture was blended. Now it was beginning to become a smooth paste.

It tasted raw and harsh to me and needed something else. I had basically completed the recipe at this stage but felt it was not right. I added olive oil. This did the trick; it smoothed out that harshness and improved the texture.

The salsa was certainly hot and only needed to be used in small portions but it added a real bite when used with caution. It’s not the hottest salsa I’ve tried but comes close.

Oddly, out of all the interesting looking recipes in this book, this is the first I’ve tried. I was attracted by the challenge. Now that I’ve satisfied myself in this regard, I’ll certainly head further in to try more.

Taste: ✔✔✔

Ease of cooking: ✔✔✔✔

Couscous Patties

From Commonsense Vegetarian, Murdoch Books, 2011.

I had not used couscous as the basis for patties so decided to try out this recipe to see how it worked.

A cup of couscous was placed in a bowl and  a cup of boiling water was added. It was covered and left to wait for about 10 minutes for the water to be absorbed. This left time to cook the vegetables.

The vegetables were all cooked separately one batch after another in the frying pan. I think, should I make this again, I’ll put them all in together starting with the onions that I feel need a little longer. Anyway, the vegetables were fried one by one in the following order: an eggplant diced; an onion chopped together with a chopped garlic clove and some ground cumin and ground coriander; a diced red capsicum.

Once they were all done the vegetables were combined with the couscous, salt and pepper, chopped coriander, lemon zest and juice, yoghurt and a beaten egg. These were mixed well and formed into four patties. They were placed in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. It was only a matter then of frying them on both sides.

The couscous worked as a base and held up well. I served the patties with chickpeas and some greens on the side. Tamarind date chutney went well with the dish. Should I have couscous left over from any other cooking I think I will turn to this idea and turn them into patties.

Taste: ✔✔✔

Ease of cooking: ✔✔✔✔

Marinated Chickpeas with Chilli, Lemon and Parsley

From The Naked Chef, Jamie Oliver, Michael Joseph, 1999.

Chickpeas always go down well at home; those that are not consumed with the meal tend to be devoured as nibbles. So it’s always good to find variations on chickpea cooking. Jamie Oliver’s recipe deserved a try.

The chickpeas were soaked overnight and then, after rinsing, placed in a pot of water with a whole potato (peeled), a couple of peeled garlic cloves and a bunch of parsley stalks tied together (the leaves were saved for the final stage). These were all simmered until the chickpeas were cooked.

They were then drained, the potato, parsley and garlic discarded, and the chickpeas dressed with olive oil and lemon juice and had some chopped parsley and chilli. Seasoning was added.

This made a good accompaniment for some couscous patties and a green on the side. I'm not sure that my palate was able to distinguish the difference that the potato etc made to the final chickpeas but they were tasty nevertheless. The remainder of the chickpeas soon went in various ways.

Taste: ✔✔✔✔

Ease of cooking: ✔✔✔✔✔

Celeriac, Apple and Cheddar Crouton Salad

From Winter + Food, Jane and Jeremy Strode, The Sydney Morning Herald, May 2008.

This simply-put-together salad was a little off the usual but was a very enjoyable one with crunch from most of the ingredients and a dressing that added a pleasing tang.

The salad began by slicing some baguette, sprinkling it with grated cheese and baking it in the oven to make croutons.

 While they were baking a Jerusalem artichoke (I only used one instead of the two in the recipe because I usually go light on these windy vegetables), an apple and half a celeriac were sliced thinly on the mandolin. They went into the serving bowl with chives that had been cut into batons and some watercress.

A dressing made from a mix of mayonnaise and vinaigrette was drizzled on the vegetables and they were tossed and served on the crouton slices.

This recipe came from an inclusion that came with the Sydney Morning Herald. I guess the rather fast decline of newspapers will see these little handouts disappear.

Taste: ✔✔✔✔

Ease of cooking: ✔✔✔✔

Spicy Stuffed Potatoes in Tomato Curry

From Healthy Asian Vegetarian Dishes, Periplus Editions, 2003.

I was a little hesitant about this recipe but, as I have always had success from this particular book, I was ready to give it a go.

The potatoes were boiled for a few minutes until they were part cooked. When they were cool they were cut in half along their long sides and hollowed out, leaving a thin wall.

A stuffing was made of almond meal, chopped cashew and pistachio nuts in about equal quantities. Raisins were chopped and added. The mix had yoghurt added and a pinch of cayenne pepper and some salt. The potato insides were then added and stirred in. This stuffing was piled into the hollowed potatoes. The two potato halves were stuck together and held in place with some toothpicks.

The curry was made next. A cup of chopped onions was fried until golden and then put into a blender with a little chopped ginger, a couple of garlic cloves and three sliced tomatoes to make a paste.

Another onion was sliced and sautéed until golden, when the mixture was added from the blender together with ground cumin, turmeric, garam masala and a pinch of cayenne pepper. This was slowly cooked until the oil began to part from the mixture. A little yoghurt, a tablespoon of desiccated coconut and water was now added with salt. This was brought to the boil and cooked for a few minutes longer. The potatoes were added and the sauce spooned over them. They were covered and kept at a simmer until the sauce had thickened. It was then ready to serve.

There had been stuffing left over that would not fit into the potatoes so I gave this a quick fry and served it alongside the dish.

My doubts were erased when I tasted it. This was such a flavoursome meal and another way to use one of my favourite vegetables: the potato. I am not sure where I picked up this book (it’s a Singaporean publication) but it has always delivered.

Taste: ✔✔✔✔

Ease of cooking: ✔✔✔

Bhelpuri

From The World’s Best Street Food: where to find it & how to make it, Lonely Planet, 2012.

With cookbooks doing so well in the publishing area it would seem that others are looking to cash in on this market. Lonely Planet, well known for its travel publishing, has entered the food arena. We recently picked up The World’s Best Street Food, an interesting entry into the already overloaded cookery field.

While there are recipes for all of the street foods so that you can try them out without travelling, the book does contain information on the background to the particular foods and where are the best places to try them out in situ.

No-one is credited for the recipes themselves, nor is there any suggestion that they have been tested, so you have to try them basically on trust that they will work.

Though it is not a vegetarian cookbook the recipes that are vegetarian are clearly marked with what looks like a green carrot, and there is a reasonable number of such dishes.

There were two different chutneys to make before beginning to assemble the bhelpuri: tamarind chutney and mint chutney.

The tamarind chutney was made by firstly soaking some dried tamarind in a little warm water, then pressing it through a sieve to make a puree. This went into a saucepan with about half a cup of dates, half a cup of jaggery, ½ teaspoon of ground cumin, ¼ teaspoon of chilli flakes and a large pinch of salt. The mixture was boiled for about 10 minutes. This was then added to a blender to churn into a puree and it was done. This was an amazingly good chutney which I expect will be made to accompany other Indian meals in the future. As it was, the remainder was soon eaten up with bread and cheese.

The mint chutney was not such a success for me. It was like a thin pesto made by placing coriander leaves, mint leaves, chopped green chillies, lime juice, salt and a little water in the blender to turn into a watery paste—or mine was. It had flavour but somehow did not work totally.

With the chutneys made it was time to put the bhelpuri together. In a bowl I placed ½ cup of boiled potato cut into dice, one medium-sized tomato chopped, ½ red onion chopped, 3 chopped green chillies, about 2 tablespoons each of both chutneys, 1 tablespoon garam marsala, one cup each of sev and puffed rice. These were all carefully mixed together with a little seasoning of salt. The salad was finally topped with chopped coriander. I left out the grated ginger because I do feel it can be an overpowering element.

This salad—if salad it is—was bursting with spicy flavours, crunch and pop. It obviously had to be eaten immediately the sev and puffed rice were added as if it were left too long the crunch would dissipate. It left me totally satisfied and with a mouth fully warmed.

Taste: ✔✔✔✔✔

Ease of cooking: ✔✔✔

Tamarind Tempeh with Sesame Noodles and Shredded Greens

From Vegetarian, Alice Hart, Murdoch Books, 2011.

Before I began this dish I needed to make some gomashio. This was made by heating some salt in a frying pan until it turned a little grey in colour. It was then tipped in a mortar and sesame seeds were now heated in the pan until they gave off a fragrant smell. These went into the mortar and were pounded with the salt until they had broken down somewhat but not completely. This was the gomashio.

The tempeh for the dish had to be marinated for about half an hour. It was cut up into bite-sized slices and mixed with a little grated ginger, the zest of an orange, some honey, some tamarind puree and a little soy sauce.

The noodles were cooked and drained. They had a little sesame oil added so as they did not stick together.

Some olive oil was added to a wok and, when hot, the tempeh was added and stir fried until it was browned. It was then placed aside.

More oil was added to the wok and a little grated ginger, a chopped green chilli and a chopped garlic clove were added. These were cooked for a minute or two and then shredded bok choi was added for a minute. The tempeh was returned to the pan with the juice of an orange. As soon as the bok choi had wilted the noodles were added and tossed. The dish was now ready to serve.

It was served on plates with a touch or two of sesame oil, a sprinkling of gomashio and some sliced spring onions.

Tempeh is not my most favourite ingredient but the marinade went some way to making it much more acceptable. For me, this was a reasonable dish though not one to become a favourite. I really like the gomashio and have since used it sprinkled on a variety of items.

Taste: ✔✔✔

Ease of cooking: ✔✔✔