Versatile vegetables

Phoebe is always doing interesting things with cauliflower but I've never done much other than cauliflower cheese, curry or soup until now. This week I branched out with two new cauliflower ideas.

On Sunday we had lamb kofte with cauliflower "couscous".  To make the kofte for two, combine 300g lamb mince, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, chilli flakes, 1 clove crushed garlic, finely chopped parsley, zest of half a lemon, 1/2 tsp dried mint, salt and pepper.  Make little meatballs - I made 6 - and poke a pre-soaked bamboo skewer through each one, then shape into sausage shapes on the skewer. Set these aside while you prepare the couscous.
Break half a cauliflower head into florets and grind to a fine crumbly couscous-like texture in the food processor.  Spread these out on an oven tray and bake at 200 for 5 mins.  You could microwave in a bowl for a few minutes but I can't as I don't have one.  Set them aside to cool and cook the kofte on a tray in the oven for about 12 minutes.
While they are cooking mix finely diced cucumber, chopped tomato, a small quantity of finely diced red onion, chopped olives, chopped mint and parsley, and crumbled feta with the cauliflower. Dress with lemon juice and olive oil.  Serve with yoghurt and a little chopped dill.
I used the other half of the cauliflower to make a pizza base.  Crumble the cauliflower and lightly cook as above then wrap in a tea towel and wring out any moisture.  I didn't do this and mine was a little soggy but still delicious.  Mix the cauliflower with a little beaten egg, crushed garlic and a little grated parmesan, mixed dried herbs, salt and pepper.  Shape into a pizza shape on an oven tray lined with baking paper.  Make it quite thin - about 1/2 a centimetre.  Bake at 200 for 30-40 minutes.  It should be firm and golden.  Take it out of the oven and turn up to 220.  Spread the base with passata or a similar kind of tomato sauce, halved cherry tomatoes and blobs of mozzarella.  Grate over some parmesan and sprinkle on a few basil leaves.  Bake another 5 minutes until the cheese is melted and serve with a few more basil leaves.
I will definitely be trying other things with cauliflower.  Any suggestions?
I returned to a favourite from this winter.  The charmingly named Dr Feel Good winter salad.  This is a brilliant recipe and although it looks fiddly is well worth the effort.  I save a bit of time by using roasted capsicum in a jar rather than roasting from scratch.  These are great and can go in many dishes.  Try them with the cauliflower couscous.  On this salad occasion Phoebe was coming for dinner and got there first so I phoned ahead for her to turn on the oven and put the beetroot on to boil.  That was useful.  You will really like this salad and you can be flexible with the ingredients.
I also made brilliant little apple puddings that I was alerted to on Facebook.  When I told them at work they all cried, "too hard", but in fact they were "too easy".  And they did taste delicious.  I sprinkled with icing sugar mixed with cinnamon because I had some pre-mixed which had been left over from a cake I had taken to work.  It was a great combination and a little dollop of whipped cream is the perfect finishing touch.
Now that asparagus season is upon us I like to eat them as much as possible.  A great idea for a spring Saturday lunch is salad greens, thinly sliced radish and steamed asparagus piled on a grilled slice of sourdough that has been spread with mayonnaise.  Add egg boiled just enough to peel with the yolk still soft and drizzle over a little lemony vinaigrette.

La Pasta in Casa

I thought it would be nice to make pasta and I bought 00 flour.  Some considerable time later I thought, "Must get on to that pasta making" and I bought a pasta machine.  More time passed and I thought, "Must get that pasta machine out of the box".  So at last the flour and machine were introduced.  It transpired that some years had passed between the initial thought and the action.  The flour was no longer viable and the pasta was not a success.  Undeterred I bought another bag of flour and this time it all came together.
Making pasta really is quite simple.  Just make sure your flour is fresh!  I consulted Marcella Hazan, her son, Giuliano and the New York Times.   This is what worked for me.  Start with 1 egg per 100g flour.  You need at least two eggs to get a quantity you can work with and you can dry it and store in an airtight container so there is no issue with having more than you need.  Before you begin, clear your work surface because you will need plenty of room once you start rolling.  Pour the flour into a mound on the work surface.  Note that marble is too cold and won't work.  Make a well in the centre of the flour and break the eggs one at a time into the well.  Beat the eggs gently with a fork until the yolks and whites are mixed together - actually this proved a bit hard and I resorted to whisking the eggs first before pouring into the well.  With the fork, gradually incorporate the flour into the egg until the egg is no longer runny.  Work from the inside wall of the well.  If the egg escapes onto the bench it is not easy to recapture.  Once you've reached the stage where you have quite a viscous mixture, quickly bring the remaining flour over the egg mixture and scoop it up, mixing with your hands until you have a moist but not sticky dough.  Wrap the lump of dough in cling film to stop it drying out at all and clean the work surface and your hands ready for kneading.  Knead the dough until it is very smooth and silky - this only takes a couple of minutes if all is well. Rewrap in cling film and rest for at least 20 minutes.
Set up your machine for rolling and get out lots of tea towels to lay out the rolled dough.   Cut a three-egg dough into six portions and keep the ones you are not working with wrapped in cling film.  Flatten the chunk of dough in your fingers and start to feed the dough through the machine starting at the widest setting.  Feed each portion through this setting three or four times, folding into three after each roll.  Then, reducing the rollers by one notch each time roll all the pieces through the machine and lay them out on dry tea towels.  Leave to dry a little so that it feels a bit leathery but not brittle.  Maybe 10-20 mins.
When they are ready, shape your pasta.  We made fettuccine according to the instructions on the machine.  To store the ribbons, wrap them loosely around your hands to form nests then leave to dry on a tea towel before storing in an airtight container.  They will keep for months.
To cook drop the pasta in a large saucepan of well salted boiling water and boil with the lid off for a few minutes until al dente; 2-3 mins will be enough on the day of making. 
I rediscovered the classic tomato sauce for pasta.  Put two tins of tomatoes in a saucepan with a halved onion and 100g butter.  Simmer over a low heat about 40 minutes until the tomatoes have reduced and slightly separated from the butter.  Discard the onion and either use the sauce immediately, set aside to reheat later or freeze. This sauce is indescribably good.   It will keep for a few days in the fridge. Serve this on any kind of pasta including filled shapes, which is our next project.  I served the first batch with cauliflower florets that I had lightly steamed then roasted in olive oil with a sprinkling of chilli flakes.  Just top with the sauce and some grated parmesan.
We used the reserved fettuccine with chicken and mushrooms with tarragon, which is a dish well worth trying.  We have made this two or three times and it is nice with any of the suggested accompaniments.
We  made some pappardelle by loosely rolling the sheets and cutting by hand about two centimetres wide.  We served this with my go to Bolognese recipe.  This sauce with pappardelle is one of my favourite pasta dishes and the home made pasta just made it better.
This experiment has been worth the effort and we will be keeping it up. Next we will be trying stuffed pasta.  If you have any suggestions about making pasta at home please share.  All ideas welcome.

Spicy Vegan Feast

I love Indian food - not takeaways which always seem to be the same meal served up in different coloured sauces. I love vegetables fried with freshly ground spices or simmered warm flavourful sauces & served with an aromatic pilau. Back in the 70s I bought 2 books which have stood the test of time - Middle Eastern Vegetarian Cookery & Indian Vegetarian Cookery. If you ever see them anywhere snap them up. They are where I turn when I need inspiration of an Indian nature. So when I was intending a vegan feast to celebrate having my two daughters in the same city it was to Jack Santa Maria I turned & he did not disappoint. He gave me a magnificent pilau. I usually do a middle eastern version and it is very similar but with subtle differences.
Fry a thinly sliced onion and 4 cloves garlic, crushed, in ghee or oil (for Indian I use a flavourless oil rather than olive) until golden (I would normally soften without colouring). Then Jack suggests 1 inch piece of ginger, grated, 6 cloves, cinnamon stick, 1/2 tsp chilli powder, 2 cardamom pods, bashed, 1 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp cumin seeds, salt. Cook with 1 1/2 cups rice (I do 1/4 cup per person & leftovers are essential) until the grains are opaque. Add water or vegetable stock (2-1 liquid to rice) & bring to the boil. Simmer until done. When I am doing a lot on the stovetop I do this in the Le Creuset & shove it in the oven on 150 for 20 minutes to finish off. Then I just turn the oven off & let it sit until I am ready to serve.
Next, take your favourite pumpkin - I had butternut left over from last week's lentils. Chop into large chunks & toss in sunflower oil & a mix of spices which will cohabit well with what you're already using in the other dishes - garam masala, cumin, coriander. Or you could cheat and toss in a flavoured oil such as AvoHealth Flavours of India avocado oil. Remember those pita crisps with olive oil & cumin - well use this & you have Indian style chips. Back to my pumpkin - spread in a shallow baking dish & bake at 180 about 40 minutes.
Then onto the potatoes. Cook 2 finely chopped onions in oil until golden, then add 3 cloves garlic, crushed, 3 cm piece of ginger, grated, 600g floury potatoes, peeled & cubed. Cook for a couple of minutes then add 1tsp each cumin, coriander & garam masala, 1/2 tsp each turmeric & chilli flakes. Cook until the spices release their aroma then add, 1/2 tin tomatoes, 2 cups vegetable stock & salt to taste. When the potatoes are just done add 1 cup frozen peas & cook until the peas are done.
In the meantime prepare the spicy cauliflower. Cut a cauliflower into florets & saute in oil for a few minutes. Remove from the pan & set aside. Add a little more oil & cook 1 tbsp each black mustard & cumin seeds and cook until they pop. Add 2 cloves garlic, crushed, 1 tsp turmeric, pinch chilli flakes and the other half of the tin of tomatoes with 1/2 cup water. In summer I would use fresh peeled, chopped tomatoes in both of these dishes. About 2 per dish. Return the cauliflower to the pan, cover & simmer until it's tender. Stir through coriander leaves to serve.
This was all so delicious it reminded me why I like to cook & eat Indian food & I plan to do it again soon. It is not hard & so much nicer than those takeaways. If you have any vegetable in your fridge looking for attention spice it up & serve it with rice & tamarillo chutney.