The American pancake V the English pancake

As its Pancake day I thought I'd write about pancakes. Now since the American Vegetarian entered my life, I have consumed more pancakes then I ever have done. Before, I only ever had pancakes maybe once every few years on pancake day and then again if I passed a creperie. But I never made them at home.

I was introduced to the American pancake when I spent time in the States. Small, fluffy things stacked on top of each other with fresh fruit and maple syrup. I remember going to Ihop and the choice you had was astonishing. You had the original buttermilk pancake, the 'Harverst Grain 'n' Nut pancake, Strawberry banana pancake, New York Cheesecake pancake(!!!), Cinnamon pancakes, Blueberry pancakes and Chocolate chip pancakes!!! (Wow I'm so hungry now, I actually want to buy a ticket to the US just to go to Ihop).

Now here in the UK and other European destinations, we favour the thinner style pancake, also known as crepes. They taste great with some lemon and sugar or even some Nutella. These pancakes remind me of walking around a market or festival where there would no doubt be a crepe stall and treating myself to a cheeky snack. I love the lightness of these crepes, and I love the combination of lemon and sugar. This combination for me only works on these types of pancakes. I never have lemon and sugar on American style pancakes. My topping of choice would undoubtedly be blueberries.

For me the American pancake wins hands down. I mean what other country has a franchise dedicated entirely to pancakes. I can't think of a chain here in the UK that is renowned for serving English pancakes. I know there is My Old Dutch, but they're dutch pancakes. Also the American pancakes are much more of a breakfast thing. I find the crepe more of a lunch or snack food.

I love the fluffiness of an American pancake, and I love putting different toppings on it like blueberries, strawberries, bananas and yoghurt, but what I love most is relaxing on a Saturday morning whilst the American Vegetarian makes me American style pancakes. Aaahhh bliss.

Tibits

I have a love/hate relationship with buffets. I love a buffet breakfast at hotels where you can just load your plate up with every food item they are offering. Even the items you wouldn't normally choose with the thought of  'its there so I'll have it'. I always experience a food coma afterwards and don't eat until 24hrs later when it's time for breakfast again.

I don't like an 'all you can eat' restaurant. You don't know how long the food's been sitting there, and I always feel quite full quickly. And once I've got home I feel hungry again.

Now one establishment which I totally love for many reasons is Tibits. A vegetarian buffet restaurant. Tibits is not an 'all you can eat' establishment but a 'pay by the weight' restaurant. Reasons why I love this place and recommend you go there are;

1) The interior is lush. Its cleverly decorated, making it look and feel like a proper restaurant. The colours are deep reds, and greens, with low hanging light fittings. Very chic.

2) The service is good. You get welcomed and they ask you if it is your first time at Tibits. If it is, then they explain how it works; fill your plate with food, then go to the counter and it is priced on how much it weighs. There's a station with free tap water that you can help yourself to, and the Sunday papers to browse over as well.

3) They have a bar area where you can purchase coffees, cocktails, croissants and muffins. You can also purchase sandwiches and they have take out options here too. Delish

4) The FOOD. The food options are fantastic. They have a really good selection of hot and cold dishes, as well as a selection of lettuces, salad dressings and toppings like pine nuts etc. The American Vegetarian and I went there last Sunday after the yoga class she teaches in Covent Garden. Sunday lunch is so good after yoga. The thought of a mountain of food just makes me work harder. And at Tibits, you can really fill your plate up to your delight.

The hot dishes ranged form North African sweet potato in a cream and peanut butter sauce, creamed spinach in a saffron sauce, buckwheat dumplings, and leek and potato quiche. The menu changes seasonally but there are some options you can guarantee will be there, like spiced potato wedges, pilau rice and jalapeno pepper poppers. The cold dishes ranged from quinoa salad with grilled aubergine, yellow lentil dhal, apple and fennel salad in a light curry sauce. Plus you get a free bread roll with your plate as well, and if that isn't enough they have gluten and wheat free options too!!!

What I also love is that when you sit down with your mountain of food, every mouthful has a different taste. I love it. In fact my mouth is watering now just writing this.

As vegetarian restaurants go this surely is one of the best. Not only is it tasty, but the food is different to your everyday vegetarian options. Vegetarian or not I guarantee you will enjoy the food here and walk away fully satisfied. Its so good to see a vegetarian restaurant with options and variety. Healthy, hearty, natural non processed food. What more could you ask for? Oh the desserts are good too!

Tibits is at 12-14 Heddon Street, London, W1B 4DA.

Cheese on toast...desi style!

Ok for those of you who don't know, 'desi style' means Indian style. So this isn't just your bog standard everyday cheese on toast, this is cheese on toast with a chilli added!!! whoop whoop.

Now there's nothing wrong with just cheese on toast, it's not broken so why fix it? But this is just another version of the classic. A great little lunch on a gorgeous relaxing Saturday afternoon.

You can really make this however you want to, add an onion or try parsley instead of coriander. I also prefer toasting my bread on both sides before putting on the cheese mix. But one un toasted side will work too. Or even spreading the bread with some ketchup before putting on the cheese mix will also give it a nice kick.

Anyway this is what I have made just for lunch, and have already consumed before sitting down to tell you about it.

Ingredients

Two slices of bread (I used wholemeal, but again whatever takes your fancy.)
1 tomato; deseeded and chopped into little squares
1/4 of a red chilli; deseeded and chopped finely (a green chilli will do as well)
A small handful of coriander; chopped finely
Grated cheese; as much you want. (I used Red Leicester, but any will do)
A knob of whatever spread you have (I used Olivio)

Method

Mix together the chopped tomatoes, chilli, coriander, cheese and spread. Season with salt and pepper. Grill both sides of the bread. Once toasted, take out and spread the cheese mix on the toast. Replace back under the grill for a few more minutes until cheese has melted to your satisfaction.

Eat, and enjoy!

Garlic Chutney (Lasan ni Chutney)

I think I would be correct in saying that most people think Indian food contains onion and garlic as two of the main ingredients. Well not in my family. My Mum has never cooked with onions or garlic. In fact they're not even allowed in the house. It's not the taste she doesn't like but the smell.

Whenever we had Indian food at a wedding she would always ask the uncle standing behind the oily bowl of vegetable curry if the dish contained onions or garlic. If the answer was yes, she would then hold her nose and walk away. Whenever we went to eat at a friend's they would always make sure that there was a non onion and garlic dish especially for Mum.

Now I can take or leave these ingredients when I cook Indian food. There are only one or two dishes I cook which contain onion or garlic. This is because of my Mum, and I like it that way.

However there is one chutney or paste that we always have in the fridge and its lasan ni chutney (garlic chutney). This is actually more like a paste then a chutney as you only use half or quarter of a teaspoon at a time in dishes.

At the weekend I went home to see the parents and during my stay my Mum shouted at asked my Dad to make the lasan ni chutney, its one of his jobs. My Mum doesn't make the chutney as she doesn't even like to touch garlic - I don't know why, it's kind of like Kryptonite to Superman.

Anyway, so I saw how my Dad makes lasan ni chutney and this is our recipe for you to try. This will make around 200 grams. Once done, use it like a paste. Add a quarter or half a teaspoon to Indian dishes in the cooking process, or what I like to do is add some to two tablespoons of natural yoghurt and mix really well. This will give you a nice dip.

Ingredients

Two bulbs of garlic, peeled.
4 tablespoons of chilli powder (don't be scared, its a paste and you only use a bit at a time)
2 tablespoons of oil
2 teaspoons of salt
1 tablespoon of lemon juice.

Method

In a (massive) pestle and mortar, crush all the garlic until paste like. Once the garlic is quite crushed add the salt. Continue to crush until really paste like, then add the chilli powder and mix really well. Add the lemon juice, mix again. Transfer to a container and keep in the fridge to use at your pleasure. My Mum said this can keep for about 10 months!

BORSCHT

Happy new year!! And with the new year brings a new veg box. This month I decided to change my fortnightly fruit and veg box to a roots and veg box. I have to say best decision I've made so far this year.

I got 8 beetroots, 8 onions, 5 leeks a massive bunch of carrots, a bag of potatoes, 3 heads of broccoli, and a bag of black kale. I was overjoyed and very hungry.

One dish I love and have always wanted to make is Borscht, or beetroot soup. I remember the first time I tried Borscht as well. I was on tour with Romeo & Juliet and was staying in digs in Wales. Someone, (for the life of me I can't remember who) had invited the cast over for dinner and we were served Borscht. In front of me was a bowl of purple food. It looked, well er purple, and it tasted like nothing I've tasted before, but I knew I liked it. Fast forward a few years and 8 organic beetroots delivered to my door later, I decide to make Borscht. I also like the name, its Russian and a cuisine I know nothing about, but I know, I know and like Borscht.

So I got my Borscht recipe from the Riverford website. I really enjoyed making it and absolutely love this recipe. The fact that you can use the cooking liquid from the beetroot instead of vegetable stock made a nice change when making soups. The colour is vibrant and with the added dollop of natural yoghurt makes this dish a joy to look at and eat.

Ingredients

500 grams of beetroot (approximately 6)
1 large onion, chopped
500 grams of potatoes peeled and diced.
2 garlic cloves
1.2 litre of vegetable stock or beetroot cooking liquid. ( I used about 700 ml of cooking liquid and 300ml of veg stock)
2 tbsp of lemon juice
Some oil
Some natural yoghurt
Salt and pepper

Method

Wash and boil the beetroot until tender. This took me about 30-35 minutes. Once they are tender drain,  but reserve the cooking liquid, don't throw this away as you will need it for the potatoes later. Set the beetroots aside to cool slightly before you peel and then chop them.

Meanwhile, heat some oil in a pan and saute the onion until they become soft and translucent, then add the garlic and potatoes and cook for about 5 minutes. It may start to stick but give it a stir. Then add the cooking liquid or/and veg stock and simmer for about 15 minutes until potatoes are cooked. Once the potatoes are cooked, add the chopped beetroot, lemon juice and seaon with salt and pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes.

Then transfer into a food processor and blend until smooth. Serve with a nice dollop of natural yoghurt.
Delicious!

Thanksgiving aka Happy Nut Roast day.

Last weekend the American Vegetarian and I celebrated our 4th annual Thanksgiving feast with friends. Every year on the last Saturday in November we invite friends over and cook a vegetarian Thanksgiving dinner.

When the American Vegetarian first moved over, Thanksgiving was one tradition that I definitely wanted to incorporate in our lives, and we're so glad we did.  I absolutely love it. We try and invite different people over each year so all of our friends can experience our Thanksgiving. If we had a table big enough we'd invite everyone we know.

Now never having gone too, or eaten a Thanksgiving dinner myself it was up to the American Vegetarian to tell me what the dinner consisted of. Obviously turkey was out of the question so we substitute that with nut roast. The rest of the menu goes as follows; Sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, corn on the cob, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. We start the evening with cheese and biscuits and end with the classic pumpkin pie. In between all the food, copious amounts of wine and champagne are drunk.

The one dish which I had no idea how to cook, or even heard of before was green bean casserole. The American Vegetarian described it as green beans with mushroom sauce and fried onions. It didn't sound particularly appetising and when I looked on line to get some recipe ideas, the ones I found seemed even more unappetising (have a google yourself and you'll see what I mean). Recipes that entailed mixing canned cooked green beans with fried onions and milk before baking in the oven for 30 minutes!!! Why bake cooked green beans? I imagine they would be soft and pretty tasteless after that.

So I thought I would create my own version of the classic American dish of green bean casserole. I think my version is good, and all who have tasted it have always asked for seconds.

Ingredients (Serves 8)

600 grams of fresh green beans.
300 grams chestnut mushrooms.
1 can of condensed mushroom soup.
400 grams of crispy fried onions.
a good handful of fresh parsley; chopped.
a knob of butter.
salt & pepper.

Wash, trim and cut the green beans in thirds, set aside. Next wipe the mushrooms clean with a cloth. Because mushrooms soak up water it is best not to wash them. Just wipe the mushrooms and then slice them. In a pan melt the butter and then add the mushrooms, and saute for about 5-10 minutes, until the mushrooms have released their juices and cooked. Instead of letting the water cook off, I just pour it away. Next add about 3/4 of the can of condensed mushroom soup, and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the parsley and the uncooked green beans. Season and mix well. Add the mixture to an oven dish. I use one which is just under 2 inches deep. Cover with foil. Bake in a preheated oven for 40 minutes at 180 Celsius. Thirty minutes into the cooking time take the dish out and add the fried onions to the dish, recover with the foil and place back in the oven for the final 10 minutes. You don't want to add the onions at the beginning as they will burn. So adding them to the final 10 minutes of cooking is just fine.

I always prepare the dish early in the day and then when the guests arrive cover with foil and bake.

Serve with a thanksgiving meal.

Thanksgiving is always a feast in our home. A feast of food, friends and fun times.

Masterchef Live

So last week I went to Masterchef Live at Olympia. I was so excited and just had the most wonderful day. The American Vegetarian and I decided to cycle their, which I didn't mind as we cycled to Olympia when we went to the yoga show and I quite enjoyed the journey. The journey this time however was windy and so the resistance I felt from the wind made a 45 minute journey turn into over an hour.

Windswept and excited we headed straight away to a cook off between Lisa Faulkner and Dhruv Baker. I love Dhruv, I love the way he has fusioned his upbringing into his food I feel a certain pull towards his food. Dhruv made some green beans with mustard seeds and coconut and Lisa made a fish pie.

After that we went to check out the Invention Test. Which is where around 20 or so non professional people pay £60 to make a dish from ingredients given to them and then these are tasted by Michel Roux and Greg Wallace They all had the same ingredients, which consisted of some fish, lemon, goats cheese and chestnut mushrooms. They also had free range of everyday store cupboard essentials, like pasta, rice herbs etc. The dishes that were made ranged from, risottos and pasta. All of them were judged by the 3 finalists of the professional masterchef's and then 3 were chosen for Michel and Greg to taste. On paper I was interested in doing the invention test but given the ingredients they got I'm not sure what I would have made, seeing as I don't cook any non-veg food. A fish pie won, which was remarkable seeing as they didn't have an oven.

Next on the agenda was lunch!! Now they had this 'restaurant expirience' section, where you could buy lunch from restaurants like Cafe Spice Namaste, Luxe, Malaysia Kitchen and some others as well. I was a bit disappointed at the lack of vegetarian options available. We bought all the vegetarian options available that day, which consisted of 3 dishes out of a possible mmm I suppose around 20. Some restaurants didn't have a vegetarian option available, which I think is a bit poor. So we had some amazing Roti Canai from Malaysia kitchen, a lovely Indian tapas of pani puri, bhel puri, beetroot samosa and a spring roll, with tamarind sauce from Cafe Spice Namste, and some penne pasta with mushrooms from Theo Randell. The tapas, and roti canai were just amazing, light, fragrant and very tasty. The pasta, was well pasta. For dessert we had the most amazing blueberry cheesecake with lemon curd from Luxe. OMG, is all I can say. Pure utter heavenly delight.

So after lunch we made our way through all the different stalls, and tried as many things as our stomachs would allow, dips, chocolate wine, soup, crisps, liquor, cheese, toffee vodka, beer, more dips. It got to the point that we were turning down free food as we were so full, however the liquor kept flowing!. There was so much to try and so much to buy. I bought some amazing aubergine chutney from Purity Trading. It is so tasty its practically gone. We also bought some amazing liquor from Wales. One thing I was wanting to buy myself was a good knife. And I did I went to about 4 different knife stalls and decided on the Ziganof. Oh how I love it, it has changed the way I chop. Everything cuts like soft butter. The tops of my fingers however are a little worse for wear.

Also attached to Masterchef was The Wine show, where we tried a lot of rioja! My highlight though was winning a Masterchef mug from Andy Peters. How? By being the first to get the answer right. If only I did that at school!