Chef Wise

With National Vegetarian Week fast approaching (18th – 24th May), Devon's highly prized Tideford Organics has something for everyone to enjoy throughout the week.  Boasting an impressive array of new 'super' food inspired spring and summer soups and appetizing sauces perfect for summery pasta dishes, Tideford's delicious products are certain to tickle your taste buds.  Not only are many of their delectable soups and sauces suitable for vegetarians, they are gluten free and low in fat and salt, containing only organic ingredients.  A previous winner of Great Taste Awards and the Organic Product of The Year, Tideford Organics' Tomato & Basil Sauce is a must have for your fridge.  Vivid red, this mouth-watering organic sauce will add sunshine to any dish.  Handmade by Tideford and cooked slowly to preserve the fabulous fresh flavours, sun-ripened tomatoes are carefully blended with basil and butter and seasoned with salt and cracked black pepper....

Asparagasm  presents 'Shaw's Redemption'- a vegan and gluten-free fine-dining event featuring spectacular installation and performance and the four courses of the apocalypse.  Elect to come to the most apocalyptic Asparagasm to date after you’ve been to the ballot. In honour of Irish Nobel prize winner George Bernard Shaw - the passionate and vocal grandfather of Victorian-era vegetarianism - Asparagasm presents ‘Shaw’s Redemption’ on Thursday 7th, Friday 8th and Saturday 9th May at Studio Spaces on atmospheric Pennington Street, E1. Presenting guest chefs Fredrik Bolin, of  Disappearing Dining Club  fame, and Paul Foster; Executive Chef for Asparagasm Gloucestershire; town meets country in a culinary collision of vegan and gluten-free fine dining. The night begins with a welcome Dry Martini courtesy of  Cotswold Dry gin , a heaven-scented lavender infused distillation with a cloudy twist, or a fruit punch for the non-libatious. A licensed bar incl...

Terre à Terre has just released the Great Growers Menu – a two course menu working in partnership with Stanmer Community Garden Group. The menu has been developed and inspired by produce from the allotment and the local area and will be available for the next 4 weeks only. The volunteers welcomed the opportunity to barter with Terre a Terre, produce for restaurant vouchers, acknowledging that it was a great way to ensure they had no surplus produce. However unfortunately this community garden has suffered terribly from theft and some of their cherished produce including all their edible flowers have been vanishing overnight. They have started recording the site with cameras but are disappointed by the lack of respect and hope that working with Terre à Terre and raising the profile of the group may help for the future. "Our tiny charity, Stanmer Community Garden Group, supporting people with physical and mild mental health difficulties, now has the distinction of su...

Outside the temperatures not hitting -5 and below so it is a good time to make some soup. And soup that you need this time of year is a good thick warm soup that will keep you going all day and warm you up. This soup will do both, you will need Ingredients 1 medium butternut squash 1 large sweet potato 1 large white onion 2.5cm/1in piece of root ginger 2 garlic cloves 1 red chilli A few basil leaves 400ml/14floz coconut milk Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Very simple to start take you butter nut squash, sweet potato and onion and dice them all up nice and fine , you do not want to be cooking all day so the small it is the quicker it will cook. Crush the garlic and add that to the pan along with the ginger, chopped. Now to all of this add about  400ml/14floz of water, then put it on the heat and bring to a boil . Once all the potato and squash have gone nice and soft then use a hand blender and blitz it into a pulp. bring to the b...

Now I do not know if the leek pudding is more a Northumberland thing or a Cumbria thing. But not knowing is a bit like calling a Geordie a Mackem and vice versa, you just do not do it. Now there will be loads of people who will read that and not understand it but if you do then I am sorry for what I am about to say. But I think Leek Pudding is more of a Cumbrian thing, I am sorry, I do not know. Now if you are wandering why I am in the slightest bit bother then you do not know the culture of the area and the very serous business of leek growing.  Now I have seen may kinds of lee pudding from what could be best described as a sort of dumpling to ones that have a load of bacon in them. All have been very good, but this is how I make it. You will need 225g/8oz self-rising flour A good pinch of salt A good pinch of fresh ground black pepper 100g/4oz Beef suet 1tbsp whole grain mustard Some cold water 500g/1lb chopped leeks Melted butter Start by making yo...

12 November 2012 From weeknight pastas to comforting Sunday stews, six new winter recipes from British Leeks will each feed a family of four for under £5 – using fresh, seasonal ingredients to help you stay healthy and save money at the checkout. Devised by Jane Hornby, BBC Good Food Cookery writer and author of 'Good Food: Budget Dishes', the new British Leeks 'Recipes for Under a Fiver' show the versatility of this subtle-flavoured vegetable, at its best during the coldest months of the year. Says Jane Hornby, "I'm a huge fan of good old British leeks and use them in all sorts of recipes over the winter months. In season now and great value for family cooking, leeks are an easy way to add home-grown flavour to your favourite meals. Better still, they're quick to chop and soften when I'm short on time. Brilliant." Check out the easy to prepare recipes by visiting www.british-leeks.co.uk where you will also find thrifty shopper ...

Whole prawns, Honey chicken wings, Vegetable kebabs with peanut dressing. One thing that you get in Thailand is lots of street food vendors selling all sorts of things. Some of the best are cooked over charcoal barbecues, after a time marinating in the spices. Now it is not barbeque weather at the moment but you can still fire it up or if you have a griddle pan you can cook these on the stove top. Whole prawns on sticks 3 garlic cloves 1tsp white peppercorns 1tbsp palm sugar 1tbsp fish sauce The juice of 1 or 2 lime 500g/1lb2oz large whole prawns shell off Basically get the prawns pealed and in a bowl then add everything to them and let them just marinade. Just crush the garlic and peppercorns and toss it altogether and keep them in the fridge for 4 to 6 hours. Now you need some bamboo stick to grill them on and it is best to soak them in water about an hour before you use them. Push the prawns on the sticks and gill them.    Honey chicken ...

30 October 2012 Shop Seasonally for Great Flavour and Budget Beating Recipes The new British leek season is here (November-April). With rising food prices leaving us all feeling short-changed at the checkout, what better time to rely on fresh, seasonal British produce to keep the flavour on our table and the pennies in our pocket. Delicious dishes don’t have to cost the earth. Try one of our brand new Recipes for Under a Fiver a delicious suite of recipes that cost less than 5 Pounds Sterling (£) to feed a family or four. Developed by Jane Hornby former editor of BBC Good Food magazine and author of ‘Good Food: Budget Dishes’ for affordable and easy to prepare solutions for the whole family. Feast on: - - Spiced leek, potato and lentil soup, - Squash, leek and lemon risotto, - Leek, chorizo and goats cheese tortilla, - Pasta with leeks, chilli and prawns, - Hearty leek and lamb cobbler, - Bacon wrapped chicken with leeks, peas and basil. If you love the idea of shopping...

Now to make sauerkraut is very easy as in you only need two ingredients and lots and lots of time. Sauerkraut means “sour cabbage" and is produced in Poland Germany and Russia in fact in any number of countries. It is finely cut cabbage that has been fermented, a cooking process that fell out of favour over her in Briton for some years but is gaining in popularity once more. Sauerkraut has a very distinctive flavour and a long shelf life.  And it keeps for ages in a air tight jar. For you basic Sauerkraut you will need 2.5gk/ 5lbs hard white cabbage 3 sea salt Now the process of making Sauerkraut is called lacto-fermentation, now this sound technical but it is just pickling by any other name . Basically you use the yeast of the cabbage and air born bacteria to do the work. And do not worry because I use a word like bacteria in cooking . When there was no such thing as  frozen food, supermarkets and no way of getting fresh food in the long cold wint...

Now I do not know if I am qualified to do this recipe. When you consider that it takes years to become a sushi chef and about three or more years to learn how to cook the rice, you kind of get the feeling that I am doing it some massive injustice. But having said that I will carry on any way.   You will need, 255g/9oz sushi rice 55ml/2floz mirin 5 sheets nori sushi sheets 1 cucumber cut into 5 long pieces 5 spring onions 5tsp wasabi paste  light soy sauce Japanese pickled ginger Now it is all about the rice and that is the main part of this dish. Everything must be really fresh now you can use salmon and tuna but you need really fresh fish. In this recipe I am just using vegetables but get the freshest best vegetables you can get. First rinse the rice in cold water working it with your fingers , then wash it off and repeat for about four or five times. What you are looking for is the water to be clear and all that starch washed away, or as ...

Now I always had for to many vegetables for my allotment when I had it at the end of the season. Now this is the sort of thing that you can make and store so none of them go to waste. And even if you do not have an allotment or any kind of garden it is nice to make, put in nice jars and give away at Christmas if you like You will need 250g/9oz green beans 500g/1lb 2oz cauliflower florets 250g/9oz courgettes 100g/3½oz salt 3 onions 300ml/10½floz malt vinegar 300ml/10½floz white wine vinegar 2tbsp English mustard powder 2tbsp ground turmeric 1tsp ground ginger 1tsp dried chilli flakes 25g/1oz corn flour 250g/9oz granulated sugar First you want to draw the water from your vegetables so first prepare them. Trim and cut your vegetables in to similar sized pieces, beans cut into 1.5cm/⅝in pieces, cauliflower florets cut into quarters and courgettes cut lengthways into 1cm/½in slices. Put your vegetables in a non-metallic mixing bowl, sprinkling with t...

Now to go with yesterday’s Nam bread recipes here is an easy one to go with it. This mango salsa is good if you use a under ripe mango then you get a better tasting dip but it is up to you You will need Ingredients To make about 2 bhajis you need ½ onions, peeled, sliced 1tsp black onion seeds ½tsp turmeric 2tbsp chapatti flour Dash of cold water Vegetable oil 1 mango 2 tomatoes 1tsp caster sugar Some fresh coriander leaves The juice of ½ a lime 1 small red onion One small red chilli Now to make the bhajis all you have to do is take the sliced onions, onion seeds, turmeric chapatti flour and water then combine it all together  so you get a sticky onion batter coted mix. Then heat the vegetable oil and test with bread. Take a piece of bread drop it in the fat if it sizzles and turns brown when dropped into it in it is ready. But remember that hot oil can be burn and do not leave unattended. Now all you have to do is deep fry  about...

Two vegetables that just do not get used like they should. Ether you just boil or pickle beetroot and as for pumpkins most of them are just carved up for Halloween.  Well try them like this, they taste really good together roasted. You will need 10 beetroots 1 pumpkin or squash 3 medium red onions 8 garlic cloves 4tbsp olive oil A few sprigs of thyme 4tbsp Honey The juice of a lemon Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Now for me to do this you want to have all your vegatabels cut in a rustic fation to get the proper affect not to fine. Start by pealing all the beetroots and then placing them in a pan of water. Bring the pan up to the boil then remove from the heat and strain of the water and let them cool. Now peel and deseed the pumpkin and chop it up to similar size pieces as the beetroot. Then cut the onions in to wedges.  Now add the pumpkin and the onion it to a large roasting try. Throw in the garlic and rip in the thyme. No...

As pickling seem to be getting popular again I am going to post this recipe , it is not necessarily pickling as such as you are cooking the vegetables a little but it does give an almost instantaneous result. And it is really full of those rich Indian spices that are so good to eat. You will need 3tbsp palm sugar or light brown sugar 175ml/6floz cider vinegar 120ml/4floz mustard oil, peanut oil or vegetable oil 2 or 3 garlic cloves 1or 2 in/ 2.5 to 5cm fresh ginger 400g/14oz cauliflower florets 5 medium carrots 225g/9oz baby turnips 2tsp whole brown mustard seeds 2tsp salt 1tsp chilli powder 1½tsp paprika ½tsp garam masala To start you need to prepare all the vegetables first. Peeled and crushed the garlic then grate the ginger in to the garlic. Now cut the white cauliflower florets into small pieces, peeled and cut the carrots into 5cm/2½in pieces. Finally peeled and half the baby turnips. Finally take your brown mustard seeds and crush them as...

There is something about roasted red peppers, they haves a real flavour impact in anything you put them in. This salad is one that you make and can keep in the fridge for a couple of days and it actually improves with keeping. You will need. 6 red peppers 2 red onions 2 cloves of garlic 3tbsp of olive oil 4 to 6 anchovy fillets Fresh ground black pepper to taste Fresh chopped oregano A handful of black pitted olives. So start by taking your pepper and garlic and placing them on a try in the oven and roast them until the skins are nice and black. You do not have to worry about taking the garlic out of the skin, once you have roasted it just squeeze it out and you have roasted garlic puree. Once the peppers and garlic have cooked take them and put them in a bowl. Then cover the bowl with cling film and just let the pepper sit in the bowl and cool. Once you can handle them remove the skin, stalks and seeds but save as much of the liquid that you can. It i...

Now as we have all of this veg right now that is in season why not try and make this salad with it. All you have to do is cook the veg refresh it and then mix it together, that and cook the bacon and chop the herbs, well you know what I mean and it is worth it in the end. You will need 750g/1lb 10oz broad beans, podded 750g/1lb 10oz fresh peas, podded 50g/1ld 10oz Green beans 200g/7oz mangetout 3tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1tbsp cider vinegar 4 or 6 spring onions 1 small bunch flat leaf parsley A small sprig or two of fresh mint 180g/6oz cooked crispy smoked bacon Salt and freshly ground black pepper   Now all you have to do really is be careful as to how you cook your vegetables. For me you need to have two large saucepans and lots of cold iced water. First bring one of the large pans of water to the boil. The other leave on the side with a colander over it. Now what you do is add the broad beans to the water and cook for two minutes. The...

Now you get all sorts of salads and many of them are really nice but I think still out of all of them potato salad and coleslaw must be the most popular. I know that it sounds boring but to me at the end of the day I have to put up my hand and say yes I love them as much as everybody else. There will do those who say you should have the delicate tomato and basil salad with balsamic vinegar, or the roasted beetroot , squash, sweet potato and goats cheese salad. And well you can say that if you like you can look down on the humble coleslaw and say that is so common and you are probably right. After all most of it is purchased from supermarkets and is bound only in what you can loosely call mayonnaise. It never seems to be seasoned and the vegetables in it are always nondescript carrot and white cabbage. Made to the lowest price point and the blandest of plates to cover the most market share. So let us think about what we are saying when we look down on the humble coleslaw. It is hum...

Paneer is a sort of cheese that is widely used throughout India and has a rather nondescript taste if you ask me. However, in this recipe, like many other, it is the perfect vehicle to carry lots of flavour in to by using the marinades. Also it’s a good vegetarian substitute to but put on the barbeque, more imaginative that a veggie burger.   You will need 125ml/4½fl oz Greek-style yoghurt Small knob fresh ginger 2-3 garlic cloves Salt, to taste ½ tsp chilli powder 1 tsp garam masala 2 tbsp lemon juice 2 tbsp vegetable oil 1 tbsp gram flour 1 tsp cumin powder The seeds of 6 green cardamom pods crushed 300g/10½oz paneer 1 large onion 1 green capsicum pepper 1 red capsicum pepper Oil 6 wooden skewers 2 tbsp melted   butter First you have to make your marinade, take the ginger and garlic and crush together. Then mix this together with the yoghurt, salt, chilli powder, garam masala, lemon juice, vegetable oil, gram ...

Another Greek influenced recipe for you today. Most of the Mediterranean countries have this tradition of pickling vegetables and I do not know why we do not do more of our own. Once you have done it once you will wounded why you have never done it before.   Ingredients 1kg/2¼lb aubergines a few celery leaves 1 bunch spring onions 120ml/4fl oz extra virgin olive oil 10g/½oz garlic 25ml/1fl oz lemon juice salt and pepper To get things started bring a large pan of water to the boil. Drop in the aubergines and let them boil them for about 10 minutes, until they feel soft when you prick them with a small knife. Make sure that there is plenty of room in the pan for them to move around and turn them as they need to be cooked evenly.    Remove them from the water and let them drain. The best way is to hang them from the washing line and let the water drip off.   Now in another small pan blanch the celery leaves and the spring onions for a few ...

This is new to me and it is I think really tasty so the only thing to do is post it today on the blog. Now for those of us who can get fresh peas from the garden then this is a must as it really taste so good, it is light and refreshing and not too heavy. I am not sure how it is pronounced "nu-dee" so the internet tells me , but I like the idea of it meaning “nude ravioli” to me it’s more like gnocchi but never mind about that. So if you like a ravioli fill that is a bit like gnocchi then you will like gnudi I am sure. You will need 225g/8oz peas 500g/1lb 2oz ricotta Fresh mint 100g/3½oz parmesan 500g/1lb 2oz fine semolina Extra virgin olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper Take your peas and just blanch them for the briefest of second in some boiling water then out and in to a colander straight away. Use some paper towel to get any water off the peas then set them to one side. Now drain of the ricotta cheese and add that to t...