APRIL 2019
Easter is over and the children are all happily back at school after yet another sunny!…. holiday. Our biggest topic of conversation this winter has been the weather, so lets change the subject.
I will now go to my favourite subject – Food! What have I been up to this month? Well, I am still cooking for our pop-up restaurant once a month and this month we went to Morocco. All those lovely flavours and spices. Here is my menu –
A Taste Of Morocco
Appetiser – Olives marinated in Moroccan Spices with Coriander, Parsley, Lemon and Garlic
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Shlada del Barba bel Ma Zhar – Moroccan Beetroot and Herb Salad with Paprika and a Natural Yogurt Dressing
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B’stilla – Shredded Chicken Pie with Turmeric, Saffron, Ginger and Cinnamon in an Almond and Egg Sauce encased in Filo Pastry
Khuzu Mehquq – Grated Carrot Salad with Honey, Cinnamon and Raisins
Btata Mqalliyya – New Potatoes with Parsley and Garlic
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Moroccan Fruit Salad served with Almond Macaroons
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Goats Cheese and Camembert served with Homemade Oatcakes and Red Onion and Raisin Marmalade
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Cafetiere of Coffee served with Pate de Dates
I will be including my version of some of these dishes in my blog.
There is a lot of discussion at the moment of increased food prices and also how the weather (!) is causing problems for the farmers and crops, so I am testing ideas to share with you to create wonderful dishes to inspire and get those taste buds going on a budget. In my kitchen I try to keep waste to a minimum. A lot of the vegetable waste we throw away as inedible or surplus to a dish is in fact full of nutrition and perfect for soups and sauces.
For example one of our biggest food waste is bananas – we can be known to throw away about 160 million of those yellow boomerangs a year! No, I am not suggesting we use the skin!. 1 in 3 people will throw away a banana with a slight bruise or black mark on its skin.
Bananas can be frozen, ready to use in cakes, puddings and smoothies. They can be frozen whole – the skins go completely black- or peeled, sliced and popped into freezer bags. Remember to label how many bananas in each bag if you need them for a recipe. Try my recipe for Fruit Bread and Banana Pudding which uses up sliced bananas and any sweet bread you have. For a delicious and easy brunch make up a batch of Gluten-Free Banana and Coconut Pancakes. Mash a banana and beat together with 150ml milk. Add 65g coconut flour and 3g gluten-free baking powder. Beat well. The mixture should be of a pouring consistency. Add milk or extra flour if needed. Cook in a hot pan with some rapeseed oil, allowing a tablespoon for each pancake, until browning on each side. Serve with more banana, Greek yogurt and drizzle with maple syrup.
Well, I’m off to the kitchen to get going on trying so more ideas. Broccoli stems and Cauliflower leaves here I come.
Look forward to sharing some more ideas next month, and keep an eye out for recipes being added during the month.
Bye for now
Sheilax
Places I’ve been recently-
Truffles Bistro – if you are in St Ives try them. A must for any Foodies. Apparently a brilliant Sunday lunch, but we had a lovely dinner on a very quiet Thursday night.
SWIM – Marine Parade, Lyme Regis. Just opened and we had a delicious toasted sandwich – huge! – whilst sitting out on the balcony, watching the tide come in. Bliss! Great menu.
Seaton Jurassic – Great place to go with the children, and be a child yourself, to learn how local fossil hunters, geologists and evolutionary-thinkers made their discoveries to find about life on Earth. Good cafe for that after-the-tour cup of tea as well.