Cashew Loaf with Pumpkin Stuffing and Chocolate-Chilli Gravy

From For the Love of Food, Denis Cotter, Collins, 2011.

I guess nut loaves were fashionable in the 70s and became associated with vegetarians and soon got a bad name because they were often not overly tasty. So I hesitated before I made this one but I usually enjoy Denis Cotter’s recipes so thought it was worth a try.

There were basically three parts to it: the cashew nut base, the pumpkin filler and the sauce.

The base was made with 500g roasted cashews blitzed until fine. This was mixed with a cooked parsnip that had been mashed. Into this also went a white onion sautéed with 3 garlic cloves, two chopped celery sticks, a little ground sage, some fresh thyme leaves, a teaspoon ground cumin and a good pinch of cayenne pepper. When they had softened, 100ml white wine was added and brought to the boil. This all then went into the cashew mix. The mixture was stirred together and breadcrumbs added with salt and pepper. It became quite a firm but moist mixture. A beaten egg was added and stirred in. The basic mixture was ready.

The filling was made by roasting 200g butternut pumpkin. A chopped leek was fried until softened in a little olive oil. Now some grated ginger, zest and juice of half a lemon was added with the roasted pumpkin. These were stirred for a couple of minutes to make the pumpkin break up into a mash with the leek. Some breadcrumbs were added to thicken it all a little.

Now the loaf could be put together. In a loaf tin lined with baking paper half of the cashew mix was pressed in. The pumpkin mixture went over this and was then covered with the remainder of the cashew mix. It went into a 170ºC oven for about an hour.

The sauce was made by sautéing a chopped red onion, half a red capsicum, a chopped celery stick, 4 garlic cloves, a chopped red chilli and a chopped chipotle chilli. After about 10 minutes when they had softened, 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano, 2 teaspoons ground cumin and ground coriander, and 1 teaspoon ground allspice went into the pan for a minute or two more. A can of tomatoes and 1 tablespoon tomato puree were added with 200ml red wine and 500ml vegetable stock. They were simmered for about an hour then passed through a sieve. At serving time 25g dark chocolate and 40g butter were added. This made a richly flavoured, Mexican style mole, though far too much sauce for the loaf. I used some later to add some flavour to a leek and chickpea soup.

The loaf was sliced and served with the sauce. It was, of course, nutty and a little heavy though the sauce tended to lighten it somewhat. I especially enjoyed the sweet pumpkin filling. It was the sauce that made the loaf. It was rich in an overlay of various tastes, spicy, smoky, chilli heat though the chocolate seemed to have disappeared into it. Perhaps I would up the quantity a little next time.

Taste: ✔✔✔

Ease of cooking: ✔✔

Warm Spinach, Caramelised Onion, Feta and Pecan Salad

From Vegetarian, Pippa Cuthbert & Lindsay Cameron Wilson, New Holland, 2010.

Just the name of this salad was enough to make me want to have it.

I put 30g butter in a pan and when it was melted added a sliced red onion. I let it cook on a low heat for about 30 minutes when it was soft and gaining a golden colour. I now added 30g roughly chopped pecans and 50g crumbled feta. These were mixed with the onion and then 100g baby spinach leaves were added and stirred around so that they were well mixed and warm but not wilted. A sprinkle of salt and freshly ground black pepper and the salad was ready. It was served with a slice of parsnip flan.

This was such a delicious salad, one that is worth repeating. The butter in which the onion was cooked now served as the dressing so there was no need to add any other. And the feta had just slightly begun to melt adding to the rich buttery dressing. The onions were savoury and sweet, the feta salty and tangy, the pecans crunchy all melding well with the warmed spinach leaves.

Taste: ✔✔✔✔

Ease of cooking: ✔✔✔✔✔

Parsnip Flan

From Quiches & Flans, Janet Hunt, Thorsons Publishers, 1982.

I saw some nice fresh parsnips at the store so thought they would be good for this parsnip flan. From the publishing date of the recipe book and the tattered condition of it you can see it's had it s fair share of use.

The base of the flan was quite unusual. It was made from 100g rolled oats and 50g plain flour mixed together. Two tablespoons vegetable oil were now added, salt and pepper and enough water to make a dough. This was pressed into the flan case. It was thick and firm and stuck quite well to the base and sides.

Now 450g parsnips were peeled and cut into slices and then steamed until soft. They were then mashed and mixed with 50g cheddar cheese, 2 beaten eggs, a little freshly grated nutmeg and seasonings. This went into the flan case, pumpkin seeds were sprinkled over and it was baked in a 200ºC oven for 30 minutes.

The flan was quite delicately flavoured. The parsnip flavour was not at all strong but came through gently. The rolled oats case worked rather well and added another crunch to that of the pumpkin seeds. What went against the flan though was the fact that it quite thick and heavy in texture.

Taste: ✔✔

Ease of cooking: ✔✔✔✔

Arame and Edamame Salad

From Cooking with Soy, Yoshiko Takeuchi, New Holland, 2013.

I’ve never taken overmuch to the taste of seaweed; it always seems to have a tang to it that reminds me of fish which I detest. Nevertheless I do try every so often to eat a little seaweed to see if I will eventually become accustomed to its taste.

For this recipe I took a quantity of arame and soaked it in water while I went on with the next stage. I heated olive oil in a pan and added to it a chopped garlic clove and a little grated ginger. I cooked this for a few minutes and then added the drained arame that had been soaking now for about 10 minutes. The arame was sautéed for a few minutes and a tablespoon of soy sauce was added with a little water. It was now cooked until the water had almost all gone. This was put aside in a bowl.

Now I took some edamames from the freezer, placed them in a small bowl and poured boiling water over them. They were then drained and added to the arame mix.

I took some green beans, topped and tailed them, and dropped them in a pot of boiling water to blanch them for about 30 seconds. They were drained and added to the bowl. I also sliced some red capsicum and added this to the bowl. A pinch of chilli powder was added to the bowl and the juice of half a lemon squeezed over. The ingredients were now tossed gently and served on a few leaves of lettuce.

This would be the first lot of seaweed that I have truly enjoyed. It was a colourful and tasty salad. Sweet, sour, salty and crunchy—worth making.

Taste: ✔✔✔✔

Ease of cooking: ✔✔✔✔

Fried Curried Rice

From Thai Vegetarian Cooking, Vatcharin Bhumichitr, Pavilion, 1991.

When there is cooked rice left over the most obvious thing to do is to make a fried rice. I varied from my usual mix to try out this different one.

I prepared all of the ingredients first. An onion and a potato were finely diced. A garlic clove was chopped. Half a cup of peas were measured out. I made a sauce mix of 3 tablespoons soy sauce, ½ teaspoon sugar, a teaspoon curry powder and ½ teaspoon white pepper. It was time to begin.

In a wok I heated about 2 tablespoons olive oil and fried the garlic for a minute watching carefully to see it did not burn. Two cups of boiled rice went in next and was stirred around to ensure that all the grains were separated. Now the rest of the ingredients went in and were cooked for a minute or two more. The rice was served with sliced cucumber.

This was an acceptable fried rice though I do prefer the one that was taught me. The curried one was quite subtle and seemed to lack a bit of bounce.  I think perhaps it needed something like a chutney to accompany it.

Taste: ✔✔✔

Ease of cooking: ✔✔✔✔