Delicious Kake Food

Khis soko, lobio nigozit, buckwheat pilaf. As described at the link, except I missed the instruction to chop the mushrooms finely, I left the pomegranate seeds out of the bean dish, and I used buckwheat instead of the bulgar wheat. The individual things tasted a bit boring while I was cooking them, but when they were all together on the plate they complemented each other very well and weren’t boring at all.

This is a version of a salad I’ve posted about before. My aim here was to make a version that will freeze well.

Flageolet bean salad. Cook lots and lots of finely- chopped garlic very slowly in plenty of olive oil, until the garlic flavour has mellowed. There should be enough oil to make a dressing in the next step. Mix the garlic and oil with some (canned, rinsed, drained) flageolet beans, some (drained, finely sliced) sundried-tomatoes-in-oil, some (drained, finely chopped) capers-in-brine, and a good few spoonfuls of brine from the caper jar. Season to taste with salt if needed. Let it all sit for at least 10 minutes if possible, to let the flavours blend.

Served with wholemeal bread.

Black bean stew with courgettes and peppers. Simmer a chopped yellow courgette and a chopped red pepper with a can of chopped tomatoes, a couple of Maggi cubes, a finely-chopped scotch bonnet pepper and a bit of water, until the vegetables are soft and most of the liquid has gone. Add some smoky chilli sauce (I used Mad Ass Double Smoky) to taste. Stir in a drained can of soft black beans and simmer for a couple more minutes.

(The beans I bought were really very soft, so I didn’t want to cook them in the stew too long or they’d have disintegrated.)

Vermicelli rice. Made with olive oil instead of butter.

Flageolet bean salad. Cook lots and lots of chopped garlic very slowly in plenty of olive oil along with chopped capers and sliced red peppers, until the garlic flavour has mellowed and the peppers are softened to your liking. There should be enough oil to make a dressing in the next step. Mix all this with some (canned, rinsed, drained) flageolet beans, some (canned) artichoke hearts cut into 4 or 6 pieces each, a splash of red wine vinegar, and salt to taste. Leave it for a bit to let the flavours meld.

Vermicelli rice. Made with olive oil instead of butter.

Tomato and mung bean sheet casserole (蕃茄粉皮煲).

Smacked cucumber salad (拍黃瓜).

Served with jasmine rice done in the rice cooker.

Gnocchi with artichokes and olives. Cook gnocchi, drain, put on plate. Top with finely chopped artichoke hearts (from a can, rinsed and drained), a small handful of grated hard cheese (Parmesan is good, though not vegetarian), a dollop of black olive paste (or some finely-chopped black olives), a drizzle of olive oil, and plenty of freshly-ground black pepper.

Puy lentil stew. Finely-chopped onions, cubed aubergines and courgettes, tinned tomatoes, veg stock, squeezy garlic, puy lentils, bit of sugar and salt.

Sweet and sour leeks. Sliced leeks wilted in olive oil then braised with balsamic vinegar, jaggery, veg stock, and a pinch of salt. Made up while staring at the fridge contents an hour before lunch guests were due, turned out even better than I’d hoped.

Vermicelli rice. Done in the rice cooker, with the vermicelli cooked separately in olive oil in a frying pan and added to the rice cooker along with the normal amount of rice and water. Stirred well before serving.

Pumpkin, green bean, and chickpea curry. Chop and sauté an onion and some garlic; add hot curry paste and tomato purée and cook for a few more minutes; add vegetable stock, tamarind paste, grated jaggery, coconut cream, cooked chickpeas, and peeled, cubed pumpkin; cook for about 20 minutes; add sliced green beans; cook for another 15-20 minutes.

Served with jasmine rice done in the rice cooker.

Black chickpea stew. Black chickpeas, red peppers, okra, onion, garlic, ginger, curry paste, tamarind, jaggery, tomatoes.

Fried plantains.

Parathas.

Tired tonight, so you don’t get instructions.

A buffet lunch for some friends, to serve as both lunch and dinner. Some was home-made, the rest was bought from TFC.

• Aubergine with preserved lemons. Sauté chopped onion and garlic in olive oil; add a bit of tomato purée and some finely-chopped aubergine; cook for about 10 minutes; add chopped preserved lemons and a splash of vegetable stock; reduce heat, cover, and cook until aubergine is soft.
• Okra stew with pomegranate molasses. Sauté chopped onion in olive oil; add a can of chopped tomatoes, a squeeze of squeezy garlic, and a splash of vegetable stock concentrate (I use Touch of Taste); simmer for a bit; add sliced okra and a splash of pomegranate molasses; cover and simmer until okra is very soft and the sauce had reduced.
• Black bean and chickpea salad. Black beans cooked from dried, chickpeas from a can. Mixed with vinaigrette, chopped red peppers, and finely-chopped parsley.
• Vermicelli rice. Done in the rice cooker, with the vermicelli cooked separately in olive oil in a frying pan and added to the rice cooker along with the normal amount of rice and water. Stirred well before serving.
• Borek (spinach/cheese pastries) and vegetable samosas. Bought frozen, cooked in the oven.
• Muhamarra. A spicy dip made from chopped nuts, bought ready-made.
• Hummous. Again bought ready-made.
• Mixed olives.
• Turkish bread. We bought flatbreads and the puffier style of bread; the flatbreads got entirely ignored.