Tag: vegan

Mmmushroom risotto

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I have eaten risotto of many descriptions during my Italian excursions or cooked by my Italian friends. As simple as it seems, it is not as easy to cook this dish well. That was what I was thinking as I devoured a delicious bowl of steaming risotto by my friend Angela.
As it happen, she has just moved out of London, Autumn had just started, the farmers market started selling all shapes and sizes of mushrooms, and I was in despair for some comfort food. So I made my first ever risotto which I am pleased to share with you here.

As usual, I did not follow any specific recipe (except the rice cooking time) and here’s what I used for my first ever risotto. Feeds 4.

1 finely chopped medium shallot onion
1 tbsp of capers, chopped
a handful of finely chopped parsley
2 garlic cloves chopped
1litre of vegetable stock, salt and pepper
a handful of porcini/chanterelle mushrooms
a spring of chives, chopped to garnish
a pinch of salt and pepper

Add a glug of olive oil to a pan and gently sweat onion, garlic, parsley and a good pinch of freshly grounded pepper.
Once ready, pour gently stock and stir. Add risotto rice to simmering mixture and stir again. Cover with a heavy lid and leave to simmer on a low heat for about 20-25 mins. Keep checking last this could take less time depending on your hob. Stir every so often.

When ready, serve in deep bowls, and garnish with chopped chives or like me, cherry tomatoes and freshly ground rainbow pepper.
They go so well with the flavour of this dish!

White miso + ginger + baby potato veloutĂ©.

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To all miso addicts, you might like this. Very much!
You have been warned 🙂

An idea of this creamy deliciousness occurred to me when Mariko, one of my Japanese friends was telling me about sliced potatoes baked under cover of miso dressing – something popular in her hometown.
I didn’t have any large potatoes available, plus I was in the mood for a creamy warmer.
And so it is, creamy, tasty, and comforting meal !

Garnished with roasted onion, ginger and turmeric.

To make a portion for 4, you’ll need:
500 g of baby potatoes
1 litre of vegetable stock
2 tsp of white miso
1 tsp of barley miso
2 medium shallot onions, chopped
1 tbsp of freshly grated ginger
salt, pepper, crème fraiche
1 tbsp of turmeric

The instructions for this soup are uncomplicated;

Fry shallots and grated ginger on a glug of olive oil in heavy bottomed pan until soften, add chopped potatoes and mix it all together. Pour vegetable stock mixed with miso, and simmer covered until all soft, and ready. Season to your taste with salt and pepper.
Using a kitchen blender mix it until smooth.
Serve immediately with a dash of crème fraîche and grounded pistachios.


enjoy !

umami+beetroot velouté

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I must admit that I have a love/hate relationship with beetroot.
Yes, I know that it’s sweet and healthy purposes are hard to ignore, but if like me, you were overfed it in every possible version ( juiced, pureed, caramelised, etc., etc. ) then it’s not so easy to appreciate it years later.

Having said that, here it is, my less than usual take on this underestimated veg – 
easy, delicious and yes, a bit of “once you try it”, well, you’re going to love it…again!

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This recipe, like many others published here, is very simple and require:

2 medium finely chopped shallot onions
6-8 baby potatoes, chopped (I am leaving them unpeeled)
1 liter of good vegetable stock
2 tbsp of umami paste
1 medium beetroot, sliced
a small bunch of lemon thyme
2 small apples, quartered
salt, pepper to season

In a heavy-bottomed pan sweat the onions on a low heat in 2 tbsp of olive oil, stirring occasionally. Add baby potatoes, and sweat for another 5 mins or so. Once gently fried, pour in vegetable sock mixed with umami paste and simmer until all is nicely combined. Then add lemon thyme and quartered apples. As they begin to soften (about 3-5 mins) add sliced beetroot and season it gently. Be careful not to overpower the meal with salt and pepper and lose the gentle flavour of umami and beetroot 🙂

Blend it all until creamy and serve with a scoop of crème fraîche and dill.

bon appétit !


Winter warmer anyone?

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Festive season is behind us, and so is its food. But unlike Christmas, winter will stay with us for a while. I find winter warmers – like this Spiced Carrot&Sweet potato cream, I’m sharing here with you, are a perfect solution to the cold months. As usual I’ve made sure that the recipe is hassle free and the outcome filling, yet delicious.

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To make this easy meal you’ll need:
3 medium potatoes
3 medium carrots
1 brown onion
some fresh thyme, ginger  and a few garlic cloves – quantity to your own taste
smoked salt roasted almonds to garnish
a small chunk of freshly grated ginger
1 litre of vegetable stock

With a glug of olive oil, roast the onions in a large saucepan.
Once they soften, add grated garlic, following by the vegetable stock.
Boil the mixture for a few minutes then add chopped carrots and sweet potato and cook on a low heat for 10-15 mins until the carrots are al dente. Add the grated ginger.
The secret to the warming taste of this meal is to add the ginger at this moment (you could ad some chilli as well) so the gentle spiciness wont evaporate from the soup.
Once all the ingredients are cooked through, blend them gently to achieve a delicious cream.

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Serve garnished with smoked almonds thyme and pepper if you like.
A sprinkle of finely chopped chives is also a good option for this meal.

 

 

 

 

 

3 simple steps to a healthy breakfast

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It is as simple as this: soak 20 grams of chia seeds in a 300ml oat milk and leave in the fridge overnight. The following morning serve with berries/banana/cocoa nibs or anything you like most. It is so surprising how such quick and easy meal can be so filling and keep you going until lunch time without any craving for a sweet snack! Well, one thing is clear – scrambled eggs are going to be on hold for quite some time now.

 

PS. You can obviously use any other milk as an alternative, however oat milk is way more neutral by flavour than lets say coconut milk.

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