Cibare London’s Food and Drinks Magazine
Issue Eighteen, Autumn 2019
www.cibare.co.uk
Contents FOOD
REVIEW
Dessert for breakfast 6 Breakfast Pudding 8 Hannah’s Amazing Granola 10 Kao Man Gai 24 Foolproof Veggies 26 Quick Chicken 30 Turkey mincmeat 32 Fish Pie 38 Fruit Cobbler 40
Cafe Direct 18 Starfish 44
GARDENING Autumn Garden 48
BOOK REVIEW
FEATURE Cheese and a Pair 42 Traditional Honey Cake 52 Teafields 62
East 12 Lets Eat 68
HEALTH AND NUTRITION Basic Base Sauce The Power of Batch Cooking Do you know what your dog is eating?
56 60 66
Does anyone know where adults can trick or treat? Looking for a neighborhood that hands out tacos and maragaritas! Asking for a friend. 2
Cibare Magazine
www.cibare.co.uk
With summer over, it seems like work has really gone up a notch and honestly, who’s got the time to cook every day? Some days I just want to make a big batch of something tasty and make sure there’s enough to eat it again tomorrow. So issue is all about making sure there’s always enough dinner for tomorrow! Whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner you’re finding it hard to get your head round lately, we’ve got great ideas for cooking up an easy storm with plenty left over for lunchboxes. We also have a new feature! Welcome Sam Wilkin, who brings us into his amazing world of cheeses and how to eat them. It’s a mouthwatering read… And of course, this issue is packed with the reviews and recipes you expect to find in our delicious magazine every season. Get your napkins ready, and enjoy. Eve x
Cibare
Editor’s Note
BREAK
KFAST
FOOD
Dessert for breakfast By Samina Iqbal
Sometimes it feels like the health police is always breathing down our necks... Gone are the days when I happily ate cake for breakfast! Now it’s a case of figuring out what is the best way to start your day in a healthy manner. In fact, the easiest way is to make breakfast the night before and stick it in the fridge, so you don’t have the time or inclination to be tempted by anything else. Get the kids to help – they’ll love choosing the toppings in the morning. Here’s my basic recipe for overnight oats for one person. If you make a batch on Sunday night, it’ll keep for 3 to 5 days in a lidded glass container – which means breakfast is sorted for the week! Change your toppings every day for variety, so you don’t get bored. And even though it tastes just
like dessert, it really is good for you: lots of fibre, vitamins, healthy fats and an added protein kick from the Greek yoghurt.
Overnight Oats INGREDIENTS
½ cup rolled oats ½ cup Greek yoghurt (optional) ½ cup milk of your choice 1 tbsp chia seeds 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp honey
METHOD
1. Measure your oats into a mixing bowl. 2. Add the chia seeds, honey and vanilla extract, and mix. 3. Mix in the Greek yoghurt to make it creamy and dessert-like. 4. Finally, add the milk and
combine all the ingredients. 5. When thoroughly mixed, place in a lidded glass storage container and store in the fridge overnight. 6. In the morning, spoon some creamy oats into a bowl or dessert glass, add your chosen topping and enjoy. TOPPING IDEAS 1. Sliced bananas, walnuts and a pinch of cinnamon
2. Strawberries, raspberries and 1 tsp ground flax seeds 3. Any fruit of your choice with 1 tsp (heaped) of sunflower seeds 4. Almond butter and raspberries 5. Chopped-up mango and 1 tbsp coconut 6. 1 tbsp Nutella and 1 tbsp marmalade
FOOD
Chia Seed Breakfast Pudding By Emma Souza
Chia seeds are high in fibre and a great source of Omega 3, so they make a super healthy addition to your breakfast, salads, cakes and more. I use a cup measurement but feel free to convert to grams.
INGREDIENTS
½ cup of chia seeds 1 ½ cups of your favourite plant milk (I use coconut milk for the sweet flavour) 2 fruit compotes of your choice
with a fork for a slightly lumpier texture or blitz in in a blender for a smooth consistency. 3. Cool the compotes and chill overnight in the fridge. They’ll store for up to two weeks in a clean airtight container or jar. To serve, layer the fruit compote with the chia seed mix, finishing off with a layer of compote. It’s delicious with a layer of chopped fruit on top.
METHOD
1. Mix the chia seeds into the plant milk and soak overnight in the fridge. 2. For the compotes, soften fresh or frozen fruit of your choice in a pan, adding a touch of maple syrup for sweetness if you prefer. Mash 8
Cibare Magazine
www.cibare.co.uk
FOOD
Hannah’s Amazing Granola By Hannah Liversidge
As lovely as granola is for breakfast with milk or yoghurt, it’s also perfect for a snack on the move. It’s full of the perfect amount of carbs and protein to keep you going all day. So here’s a great recipe for your ideal on-the-go breakfast.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups oats 2-3 tbsp coconut oil, melted 2-3 tbsp honey, or a vegan alternative such as agave nectar ½ cup of nuts of your choice (walnuts work well) ½ cup of another nut choice 1 cup 90% dark chocolate and dried fruit
10
METHOD
1. Mix all the ingredients together and spread the mixture across a thin baking tray. 2. Place in the oven and bake for 7-10 minutes at 180C. 3. Halfway through the cooking time, move the granola around if you prefer a softer texture. This also makes it less likely to burn.
Cibare Magazine
www.cibare.co.uk
BOOK REVIEW
EAST By Meera Sodha By Despina Mina
Thanks to my freezer, I can cook once, separate food into labelled containers and eat it days, even months later. The only catch is I have to put some leisure time aside (usually a Sunday) to prepare it in advance. But by doing so, I’m less likely to walk past the chip shop on the way home, or pick up an uninspiring ready meal at the supermarket. Batch cooking doesn’t just need to be vegetable soup or chilli con carne, though both freeze brilliantly. With a bit of imagination, it can be much more.
12
The Book Over the last few years I’ve become conscious of the quality of meat I consume and as a result, I’m eating less but enjoying it more. Plant-based meals are now commonplace in my home, but this does mean I have to be more creative in the kitchen and once in a while I need inspiration. Meera Sodha’s latest book East has come to my rescue. It’s her third book and the first that’s vegetarian and vegan-friendly. Meera was asked by an editor from The Guardian to write a vegan column and, fortunately, this has resulted in a book whose front cover alone turned my eyes into hearts. As the title suggests, East is filled with recipes from all corners of Cibare Magazine
www.cibare.co.uk
PICTURE CREDITS: Despina Mina
The freezer is my secret weapon when it comes to saving money and time – as well as making diamondshaped ice cubes for my gin and tonics.
I’ve always enjoyed cooking for friends. Although rewarding, it can also be really time-consuming and exhausting. So, to prove how brilliant batch cooking is, I compiled a menu from East where most of the dishes can be cooked and frozen in advance of the actual dinner party. The Starters So where do I begin my Asian adventure? After a little research, I learnt that ‘dumpling’ is a generic word and each country has its own specific name for them. The momo is the Tibetan and Nepalese counterpart of Chinese dim-sum, and something I’ve always thought would be difficult to make. But the recipe seems pretty straightforward, so I try my hand at the Sweet Potato Momos. The pleating/crimping part is a bit daunting, but I figured as long as they’re sealed shut and taste great, who cares what they look like? Instead of frying then steaming them, I froze mine after they’d been steamed. On 14
the morning of the party, I left them out for a few hours to thaw and then fried their juicy bottoms. It not only heated them up, but gave them a lovely crisp texture. And that dipping sauce is the perfect finishing touch. Winning at momos = winning at life. The Mains Another classic ‘freeze now, eat later’ dish is the quintessential curry, hands down one of my favourite comfort foods. I decided on the Sweet Potato and Aubergine Massaman Curry but, from what I’ve learnt, the traditional massaman has an infinite list of ingredients and a lengthy cooking process. However, Meera has somehow created a version that reduces the cooking time to half an hour, but still manages to produce a delicious depth of flavour you can’t buy in a jar. It’s a rich but mild curry, fragrant with coconut milk, the tang of tamarind and a side kick of chilli, which had us going back for seconds then thirds. The Dessert After a rich indulgent curry, I opted for the Rose Strawberries with Strained Saffron Yoghurt. Okay, so not everything can be frozen but guys, seriously, this is the dessert of dreams. Although it can’t be frozen, it can be made in advance – so again it gave me ample time to be the hostess with the mostest. Cibare Magazine
www.cibare.co.uk
PICTURE CREDITS: Despina Mina
Asia, where a large percentage of the population practice Hinduism or Buddhism. Both religions consume little to no animal products, believing it’s better for mind and body. Instead they use fresh herbs and spices, creamy coconut milks, colourful vegetables of every shape and size to create mouth-watering food for the soul.
It looks beautiful, tastes incredible and requires minimum effort, it almost feels like cheating. The strawberries are marinated in rose water and sugar, then scattered on to a pillowy mound of strained yoghurt that’s been mixed with more sugar, saffron and cardamom. Sublime. My only disappointment is that strawberry season is now sadly over. Because a three-course meal is never enough, I also made the Sweet Chilli Cashews to have with after-dinner drinks. Never has a cashew been so rapidly eaten while cursed for being so moreish. My work here is done. The Verdict This book gets a five-star rating from me. The portions are generous, the flavours pack a punch and not for one hot minute have I considered adding meat to any of it. The recipes are super-easy to follow and most supermarkets stock Asian ingredients – though it’s helpful to know where your closest Asian food store is, in case you need something less familiar. I’ve had the book for a month and have cooked from it at least twice a week. And there are scraps of paper marking every other page, so I don’t intend to stop!
16
Cibare Magazine
www.cibare.co.uk
REVIEW
CAFÉ DIRECT By Emma Jordan
Cafe Direct were the first coffee (and other hot drinks) company to be certified Fairtrade and have maintained this status for 25 years. They always buy produce direct from farmers, so have been able to ensure the people who grow the coffee get a fair deal. They invest up to 50% of their profits back into the farms they buy from, via a charity called Producers Direct. Half of their producers own shares in the company, and two are actually board members, so you can feel great about drinking it.
Lively | A blend of African and South American beans
This coffee came pre-ground for the cafetière and had a rich and zesty aroma in the bag, with strong undertones of dried fruit, Christmas 18
pudding and candied citrus peel. From the cafetière there was an initial burst of pithy, grapefruit-y bitterness around the edge of the tongue which relaxed into a rich dark chocolate flavour with a smooth, glossy mouth-feel. Although it wasn’t ground for espresso, we thought we’d try it anyway and the result was pleasing. More chocolate-y with a gentler acidity to it and slightly coppery. It’s described as a morning coffee and it certainly gives a bold caffeine hit. (What with drinking so much of the stuff, I don’t tend to get that a lot of the time.) On balance, it’s not a coffee that’s bursting with flavour, but who needs that sort of drama in the morning anyway? Cibare Magazine
www.cibare.co.uk
Northern Sumatra, Indonesia velvety dark chocolate flavour and texture quickly emerging and then (Small batch, organic) Again, this one arrived pre-ground and had a dark, rich aroma in the bag, though with closer attention I picked up dried apricots and prunes. From the cafetière it had a general warm spiciness to it, with a milk chocolate flavour to begin with – soft and mellow – which evolved into a really juicy flavour reminiscent of greengages and grapes. The first sip was very different to the rest, and the more I drank the more that juiciness came through, leaving me with a zingy, uplifting mouthfeel. I found this didn’t work so well as an espresso.
Machu Picchu, Peru
This came unground and the beans had a reassuring gravelly darkness with an acidic twang about them. From the cafetière it was lighter in the cup than I’d expected, with an aroma of mellow dark chocolate and a hint of ground white pepper. The dark chocolate was there in the flavour as well, but there was also a definite bright savoury fruitiness – the kind you get with yellow peppers. All in all, it was dark enough to be satisfying and bright enough to be quite refreshing.
lingering into the aftertaste, followed by a fruity, ferment-y moment before sinking back to a gravelly dark chocolate. It was a bit of a journey and by far the most interesting coffee reviewed this time.
Espresso blend
This came unground and had the rich, warm sweet aroma of caramelised hazelnuts, but was also reminiscent of an Indian restaurant – a well-blended selection of slowcooked food and spices. I found it didn’t really work in the cafetière, but it’s an espresso blend after all so I stuck to that. In the cup it had the scent of strong black tea which carried through to the flavour. I also picked up hazelnut. Upon drinking there was a bitter chocolate to it which was complimented by the softer, sweeter taste of candyfloss, making it a good choice of espresso for those who like something a little milder than some of the nostrilflaring options out there.
As an espresso it had a truly rich and chocolaty aroma. It was sharp and bitter on the tongue initially, with a 20
Cibare Magazine
www.cibare.co.uk
R O H C N U ? L R E N N DI
FOOD
Kao Man Gai: Chicken and rice By Ying Bower
INGREDIENTS
1 whole chicken 4-5 slices of ginger Big bunch of coriander 3 cloves of garlic 1 big onion, cut in half 3 tsp coriander seeds 1/2 tbsp salt 2 cups uncooked rice For the dipping sauce 5 fresh red or green chillies (a mix of both is even better) 2 tbsp dark soy sauce 2 tbsp soy sauce 3 tbsp rice vinegar or normal vinegar 2 slices ginger 1 clove garlic 1 tsp sugar
24
METHOD
1. Put the chicken in a large pot and add the sliced ginger, salt, 3 garlic cloves and onion. 2. Cover the chicken with water and boil for at least 1.5 hours on a medium heat. If it’s a large chicken, it may need longer. 3. While the chicken’s cooking, make the dipping sauce. Blend the ginger, garlic and chilli together, mix in the sauces and sugar and put it aside. 4. Once the chicken is cooked, put on a separate pan at medium heat. Mash the coriander seed, garlic and ginger into a paste, add oil to the pan and fry the paste until it smells nice! 5. Add the rice to the pan – make sure it doesn’t burn, turn down the heat if necessary – and fry for a Cibare Magazine
www.cibare.co.uk
few minutes. 6. Add the stock from the chicken pan, keep the heat low and cover with a lid until the rice is cooked. 7. When the rice is ready, slice the chicken over the rice, garnish with cucumber and coriander, and enjoy with the dipping sauce.
FOOD
Foolproof Roasted Vegetables By Emma Walton
There isn’t a single vegetable that doesn’t taste delicious when roasted. Whether we’re talking about staples like carrots and potatoes, delicate asparagus, or earthy marrows and squash, roasting brings out tons of flavour. My favourite way to prepare for the week is to make a huge batch of roasted vegetables on a Sunday afternoon. The house smells amazing as they begin to soften and caramelise. Then I store them in the fridge and enjoy them as part of lunches and dinners over the rest of the week. So here’s my fool-proof recipe and 10 ideas on how to enjoy your roasted vegetables. If you don’t have these particular veggies to hand, don’t 26
worry – just use whatever’s lurking in the fridge. Squash, sweet potatoes, aubergine, cauliflower and parsnips also work really well, but what you choose is up to you.
INGREDIENTS
Makes roughly 5 portions Olive oil 1 head of garlic, broken into cloves, skin left on Salt and pepper Dried oregano, rosemary and thyme Hard vegetables 4 large potatoes 2 onions 4 beetroot 4 carrots Soft(er) vegetables Cibare Magazine
www.cibare.co.uk
3 bell peppers 1 large courgette 500g cherry tomatoes 250g chestnut mushrooms
METHOD
1. Pre-heat oven to 180C. 2. Cut the hard vegetables into roughly 1-inch cubes. 3. Place on a baking tray with the garlic cloves, drizzle with olive oil and season liberally with salt and pepper. Make sure they’re not overcrowded – you want a single layer on the tray, so use multiple trays if necessary. 4. Place in the oven and roast for 25-30 minutes. 5. While they’re cooking, cut the pepper into 1-inch pieces and halve the mushrooms. 6. After 25-30 minutes, add pepper, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes to the pan. Stir well to ensure all vegetables are coated in oil and seasoning. Sprinkle with dried herbs, then stir again. 7. Put back in the oven and roast for another 25 minutes, or until all vegetables are cooked through with crispy, caramelised edges. 8. Eat immediately or allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Don’t forget to pop the garlic cloves out of their papery skins before eating!
10 WAYS TO EAT ROASTED VEGGIES
1. Serve with lemon couscous and a big dollop of hummus for a Mediterranean-inspired lunch suitable for vegetarians and vegans. 2. Chop the vegetables into small pieces and put into a quiche. Use pre-made shortcrust pastry for your quiche case to make a quick and easy dinner. 3. Leftover chicken in the fridge? Add roasted veg and you’ve got a filling for enchiladas. Combine the chicken and vegetables with chipotle, paprika, cumin and coriander. Spoon on to a tortilla wrap, fold in the ends and sides, then place in an oven dish. Smother with spicy tomato sauce and bake until hot in the middle. For the last 5-10 minutes, sprinkle over sharp cheddar cheese to melt. Serve with guacamole and sour cream. 4. Reheat the vegetables while cooking your favourite pasta (orzo and penne both work really well). Combine the cooked pasta and hot vegetables with a spoon or two of pesto. Or take it up a notch by crumbling over feta or creamy goats cheese. 5. Serve your veggies over salad leaves with olives, grilled halloumi and your favourite salad dressing. 6. Roasted vegetables make a great pizza topping for a storebought base – or make your own! 7. Make a vegetarian toad-inthe-hole by cooking the vegetables in a large Yorkshire pudding and serving with lashings of gravy.
8. Cook a batch of quinoa and allow to cool. Stir in roasted vegetables and add mustard dressing for a fiery lunch or dinner. 9. Mash your veggies, form into patties and fry in a pan to make bubble and squeak. Serve with cold meats and a poached egg for a classic supper. 10. Turn your veggies into a quick and easy pie. Place in an ovenproof dish, cover with white sauce and top with a puff pastry lid. Bake for 45 minutes or until the filling is piping hot and the pastry is golden brown and crisp. Add leftover chicken to the pie if you fancy a meaty version.
FOOD
Quick Chicken By Eve Tudor
INGREDIENTS
1 packet chicken thighs 1 tin chopped tomatoes Half a bag of your favourite potatoes (or as many as you can fit in your pan) 1 large onion 2 thinly chopped garlic cloves Lots of seasoning Oregano (fresh or dried both work well) Vegetable oil
METHOD
1. Place the chicken thighs in a large pan, spaced evenly. 2. Wash and cut the potatoes into quarters – or however you prefer depending on their size – and scatter around the pan. 3. Cut the onion in half and into strips, then pull the layers apart and scatter around the pan. 30
4. Give everything a covering of vegetable oil, seasoning and garlic, then mix so it’s all well-coated and won’t stick to the pan. 5. Cover with the tomatoes, a little more seasoning and the oregano. 6. Put on a lid and pop in the oven for 40 minutes at 180C. Take the lid off for the last 20 minutes, to make sure everything is cooked through and nicely soft. 7. Serve with veggies or just enjoy as it is.
Cibare Magazine
www.cibare.co.uk
FOOD
Turkey Mincemeat 3 Ways By Dani Gavriel
Make the base meat mixture…
INGREDIENTS
500g turkey mince 1 onion, diced 2 cloves of garlic, peeled & crushed 1 jar of tomato passata 1 tbsp tomato purée 1 tsp sugar 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
METHOD
1. Sauté the onion and garlic. 2. Add minced meat and cook until browned. 3. Add tomato passata, tomato purée, sugar and chilli and simmer for at least 20 minutes.
32
Make it into Bolognese… Add the following ingredients to the base mixture 1 cup of sliced mushrooms, cooked 1 courgette, diced 1/2 cup of wine 1 stock cube 1 cup of water Handful of fresh basil 1tsp dried mixed herbs TO SERVE Serve mixture over cooked spaghetti and top with grated Parmesan cheese.
Cibare Magazine
www.cibare.co.uk
Make it into Chilli con Carne‌ Add the following ingredients to the base mixture 1 red pepper, cooked and diced 1 tin of mixed beans, drained 1 tsp hot chilli powder 1/2 tsp smoked paprika Pinch of ground cinnamon 1 tsp mixed herbs TO SERVE Load mixture into warm taco shells and top with sour cream, grated cheese and guacamole.
Make it into a Cornish Pasty fake-
away‌
Add the following ingredients to the base mixture 1 swede, cooked and diced 2 cooked diced carrots 1 handful of fresh chopped thyme 1 tbsp gravy granules 1 cup water TO SERVE Spoon the meat mixture into a soft tortilla flour wrap, seal the edges with beaten egg and fold over into a crescent shape. Cook on the middle shelf of the oven for 20 minutes at Gas Mark 6.
FOOD
Fish Pie By Eve Tudor
INGREDIENTS
3-4 pieces of skinless salmon 3-4 pieces of haddock or cod (any white fish you like will do) 1 small bag of king prawns 300ml single cream 300ml fish stock ½ glass white wine 1 tbsp parsley Seasoning Potatoes 1 heaped tbsp butter A good splash of milk or more cream (add more if needed)
METHOD
1. Peel then boil the potatoes. When nice and soft, make a mash by creaming together with butter, milk and seasoning. 2. While the potatoes are cooking, mix and heat the cream with the fish stock and wine. Once warmed, have a little taste, as you
may need to add a splash more wine. Then add the parsley and seasoning. 3. Cut the fish into chunks and add to the sauce. This sauce is supposed to be nice and wet – warm it until the salmon and prawns just start to change colour. 4. Pour the fish and sauce into your dishes. I use two smallish ones (the size of a shop-bought ready meal for two), but you could also use a single large dish. 5. Add the mash – just slop it over but watch the cream sauce doesn’t go everywhere. If you like your mash particularly creamy, try piping it. 6. Finish with hard cheese grated over the top, or add some croutons. 7. Pop it under the grill till the top browns, then serve with your favourite veggies. Green beans work well!
FOOD
Coconut Spiced Fruit Cobbler By Eve Tudor
INGREDIENTS
For the crumble topping 150g plain flour 25g brown sugar 50g unsalted butter at temperature, cut into pieces 1 cup grated coconut For the fruit 4 apples, chopped 3 pears, chopped Tin of cherries, drained Handful of blackberries 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp mixed spice Handful of raisins 1 tbsp butter
40
METHOD
room
1. Put all the crumble ingredients in a bowl and rub together with your fingertips until you get a light crumbly texture. 2. Cook the fruit in a little butter. 3. Put the fruit in the base of a baking dish, top with the crumble mixture and sprinkle a little sugar on top. 4. Bake in oven at 180 for about 30 minutes. 5. Serve with ice cream, fresh cream or crème fraÎche.
Cibare Magazine
www.cibare.co.uk
FEATURE
Cheese and a pair By Sam Wilkin
It’s early autumn as I write this. Well, technically it is, but the weather hasn’t got the memo yet. I’m looking forward to all that the season brings: cold mists and wet days, root vegetables and deep rich casseroles. This is a time of year when this year’s harvest of Foxwhelp, Dabinnet, Yarlington Mill, Red Streak and many more are pressed and barrelled ready to ferment into one of my favourite pairings with cheese. Cider. Not just a cheap drink to enjoy behind the bandstand at a corruptible age… Cider has moved on. Cider makers are producing complex and fabulously elegant drinks that have all the acidity, tannic body, fruit and character to pair well with pretty much any cheese. Cider is a drink that has travelled from the farmhouse, via an unfortunate segue into the cheap and nasty, and is now heading firmly onto wine lists
in some of the nation’s great finedining destinations. It’s a drinks revolution… Tell your friends, cider is the next big thing – and I’m telling you it’s best enjoyed with cheese. What grows together, goes together My favourite pairing is a manifestation of that adage. Take a richly buttery, savoury West Country Cheddar: brothy and alluringly meaty Montgomery’s from North Cadbury in Somerset. Now pair with a cider from the same climes. A keeved* naturally sweet Pilton Cider produced just up the road in Shepton Mallet. The crunchy tannins play off the fats in the Montgomery’s and the apple-sweet notes balance all that bass umami in the cheese. A pairing that old Laurie Lee would be proud of! *Keeving is an artisan method for making naturally sweetened cider
REVIEW
Starfish By Eve Tudor
What can I tell you about this coffee shop? It’s across from Brookfield Park where my grandmother used to take us to play. It’s full of superfunky art and has DJs playing every Friday, which means you can have a great party night on your doorstep and still get home easily. The most important thing to know about this place is that the food is amazing. It’s pretty and cool-looking, don’t get me wrong. But bloody hell, the food is so damn good! I’ve been coming here since it opened a few years ago and I regularly bring people who haven’t been before. Partly because I want to share (it’d be mean not to). But also because I love to watch the look on their faces as they slowly realise what’s happening. 44
First of all… “It was really easy to park. Look, I can see my car!” Always a bonus when you have kids and this place is really kid-friendly. Then… “Ooh, this is nice, isn’t it? This is really nice.” Their eyes gaze around the room, they turn a complete 360 to take it all in. And then… Friend: What are you having to eat? Me: I might have the fried chicken and waffle. Friend: The what? Where?? I want that!! “Is the coffee any good? I know you’re a snob.” Yes. YES. The coffee is gooood. So good that I am the crazy lady who Cibare Magazine
www.cibare.co.uk
orders two large black coffees. One for right now and another to come with my meal or just after, please. Depending on what I’m eating. They always laugh at me and I always get it and I’m always happy. Yes, I am a snob when it comes to coffee. I drink it black and I like it hot. I honestly drink it like other people drink hot chocolate. I hold my coffee like it’s my baby and sip its sweet nectar. (Coughs. Returns to reality.) I don’t usually drink coffee while I’m eating – that’s just crazy talk – but I do like a hot drink with or after brunch. Starfish’s coffee is not hugely strong but it also doesn’t interfere with the taste of the meal, so it’s perfect for me. Now for the food. God, I love the food here. It’s awesome. My partner had the chicken and waffle extravaganza, (because it was all they could think about since I had it here the last time) and I tried their new Donburi. I’m not sure if I could be more excited about this meal, as I have a solid obsession with rice. The earlier in the day I can get it into my face, the better.
my mouth, and shredded carrots. The juices from the chicken and mushrooms seeped into the rice along with a sweet sauce and spring onions. All these flavours worked so well together. It might sound simple – and it is – but the combination was wonderful. I’ll definitely be having that again. This is my happy place. I’d come here alone but I keep bringing friends who haven’t been because everyone been hearing me go on about it since it opened. It’s not expensive either. The food is filling and at about £10 for a substantial, delicious meal, you can’t go wrong. So now I’ve told you about my favourite local secret, I’d better be able to get a table next time I need some Starfish in my day! But I wouldn’t have it any other way – it’s worth sharing. Enjoy
And to put it bluntly, I couldn’t have been happier. Beautiful sticky rice made a bed for some delicious crispy (not fried) chicken thigh. Plus the perfect fried egg with plenty of yolk for dipping, some tantalising pickled mushrooms that zinged in 46
Cibare Magazine
www.cibare.co.uk
GARDENING
Autumn in the garden and allotment By Emma de Sousa
This year has flown by! It seems only five minutes ago I was writing about prepping for winter at the allotment. Holidays seem a lifetime away and yet another dry summer has made it that little bit harder to grow beautiful disease-free veggies. That said, there’s a torrential downpour outside my window as I write. So, this was my first year of not having allotments. Instead, I grew in raised beds at the bottom of my garden. Earlier in the year we built a shiny new greenhouse and I have to say that, for a working girl, it’s been much easier to manage things. All I have to do is open my back door and stroll to the bottom of the garden to water, tend and pick! You can’t get fresher than this 48
I did neglect the watering and picking at times, but I really enjoyed popping out of my kitchen to pick herbs to add to a dish, or fresh strawberries for breakfast, or some kale for dinner. I grew a lot less this year because of space limitations, but what I did grow was delicious. Even if you don’t have much space, a few pots of herbs and a box filled with salad leaves or baby spinach don’t take up much room. Not everything was a success. We had blackfly on the green beans I grew up the side of the chicken house, and the kale was often damaged by the constant stream of eggs laid by cabbage white butterflies which seemed to be around en masse. How did we cope? We just washed off the leaves and ate them regardless. I don’t use any pesticides, preferring Cibare Magazine
www.cibare.co.uk
to work with Mother Nature and leave it to natural predators to keep bugs at bay. Until now, that’s worked and the odd pest doesn’t cause that much of a problem. Grown too much? Get batch-cooking. I hear this time and again from people with allotments: we have more stuff than we know what to do with! For a start, share it with friends, family and neighbours – they’ll love you for it! But you’re not working your socks off just to feed everyone else. So why not try to batch cook and preserve some of your goodies? You can make and store all kinds of things to enjoy throughout the winter: jam and fruit compotes, pickles, chutneys and more. I’ve made lots of compotes, some for the fridge, others to freeze and use over the coming months. I picked wild sloe berries for my sloe gin, now steeping under the stairs in glass Kilner jars, getting ready for Christmas. And the blackberries and Bramley apples have been picked and frozen for warm crumbles on chilly days. What to do at the allotment now
•
Plant and prepare
o Keep sowing cut-and-comeagain salad leaves. I sow mine in boxes in the greenhouse to cut as I need them – rocket is a favourite. o November is a good time to plant tulip bulbs and paperwhite narcissi for some early colour next year.
o Clear any beds and cover with a layer of manure or compost for winter so the worms can do their stuff and the soil can replenish itself. o If you’re leaving anything in the ground, give it a good mulch to protect it from the frosts. I usually collect the bags of leaves the council clear and leave at the roadside. I rot them down for the following year to mix in with my compost to aid drainage. There’s not much nutritional value but it’s a valuable (and free) resource.
•
Lift and harvest
•
Plan
•
Tidy up, repair and replace
o Lift root vegetables such as beetroot, carrots and celeriac to store for winter. o Harvest any brassicas such as kale, green/red cabbage, perpetual spinach and chard. o If you grow flowers, lift your dahlias if you haven’t already. I usually wait for a couple of frosts before storing mine for winter, ready to plant out in spring. o Make a list of what you grew: what worked, what you used most (no point growing something you don’t eat/enjoy), what you’ll plant next year, and where. Remember to rotate crops to prevent disease. o Sort any seeds you’ve collected, label with the date of harvesting and bin out-of-date seeds. o Going into the cooler months – but before really cold weather arrives – is the ideal time to clear
up and prep for next year’s growing season. It seems ages away, but the time will fly! Scrub out the greenhouse, stack those pots you left on the floor and repair/replace items in the greenhouse and at the patch, such as fences, posts and compost bin(s). o Clean your tools and store them away for winter. o Check water butts for leaks – now’s the time to collect all that rain water. You can never have too many, so put more in if you have space. And if you’re in an area with water rates, it’s free!
•
Keep composting
o Give it a good mix every now and again to ensure lots of lovely nourishment for your plants and soil next year. It’s a great way to cut down kitchen waste, is free to do and only takes a bit of space in the corner of your plot. Ideally you want three bins, but two still work well. Put in shredded paper, grass cuttings, kitchen waste (though no meat, fish or anything that attracts rats or foxes) and garden cuttings – just cut them up before putting them in the bins. Once you’ve got through all that, you deserve to enjoy the quieter months! Put your feet up, flick through the seed catalogues and start savouring the (literal) fruits of your labour. Got a gardening question? Send it over to hello@ urbanflowerfarmer.com and Emma will be happy to help.
FEATURE RECIPE
Traditional Honey Cake By Gillian Balcombe
Cakes can be batch cooked too. Here’s a delicious, warmly-spiced cake that’s perfect for this time of year. During autumn Jewish folk all around the world celebrate Rosh Hashanah, or New Year. It’s traditional to eat honey to signify a sweet year ahead, so honey cake has become synonymous with this festival. In fact, every Jewish festival has its own foodie traditions. At the festive meal we eat slices of apple dipped in honey for the same reason – to usher in a sweet new year. This has to be one of my favourite cakes! The recipe below is originally from Claudia Roden and makes enough batter for two 2lb loaves, though I usually make at least four cakes at once.
INGREDIENTS
200g golden caster sugar 2 large eggs 125ml vegetable oil 250g dark clear honey 2 tbsp dark rum (not white) 125ml black coffee 300g plain flour 2 tsp baking powder ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda 2 tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp ground mixed spice or ground ginger Grated zest of one orange
METHOD
1. Heat the oven to 160 C fan. The original recipe calls for a hotter oven but I find the cakes don’t bake as nicely and are prone to sinking. 2. Line two 2lb loaf tins – this is my preference. You could also use a springform tin 24cm (10”) diameter,
which makes an enormous cake that takes up to an hour to cook. Or use a ring or bundt tin which will need a baking time of around 50-55 minutes. 3. Whisk the eggs and caster sugar together until they’re light and frothy, then beat in the vegetable oil, honey, rum and coffee. 4. In a separate bowl, combine the plain flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, spices, orange zest and a pinch of salt. 5. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ones, beating gently all the while to make sure everything is incorporated in a smooth batter. 6. If you like, add 60g of sultanas and/or walnuts at this stage. Toss them in a little flour first to help prevent them from sinking. Another delicious option is to scatter flaked almonds over the top of the cakes before they go in the oven. 7. Pour the batter into the loaf tins and bake for about 40 minutes. 8. Insert a skewer or a sharp knife blade into the cake and if it’s ready, this should come out clean. Don’t try this until the 40 minutes is over or you can end up with a slight sink hole. 9. Decorate by drizzling over water icing (icing sugar + water), though if you’ve scattered flaked almonds over it you may not need this. 10. Make a cup of coffee, cut a slice of cake, put your feet up and enjoy! 54
Cibare Magazine
www.cibare.co.uk
HEALTH AND NUTRITION
The Basic Base Sauce By Jo Farren
Most of what I make, I cook in batches. However, my greedy lot often demolish things in one go, so this quickly became our staple base sauce last year when we realised it was an opportune way to cram as much veg as possible into our kids without them noticing. To hide or not to hide? There are many schools of thought on ‘hidden veg’ sauces and we deliberated over this. We don’t offer it in place of separate vegetable options, but rather alongside them. So though the sauce has carrots in it, there will be carrots on the table. As much as my inner control freak needs to know they’re getting nutritional content from their meals (I have a youngster who’s doing a 56
very good job of maintaining beige as a diet staple), I also want them to be familiar with what veg looks and tastes like. Then maybe, maybe, they might choose to put some on their plates, or ideally in their mouths. Hey, I can dream. Endlessly versatile Knowing the sauce has some substance is really reassuring, given the picky eater in our midst. But it also means we can make a simple meal quite easily. It works brilliantly as a base for many things: alone over pasta, as a pizza sauce, or to replace the sauce in your spag bol. It’s easy to add more flavour or spice, or bulk it out with chopped tomatoes and basil to make it go even further. So the basic base sauce was made Cibare Magazine
www.cibare.co.uk
out of necessity and lots of slightly withered-looking veg from the fridge drawer. That’s the good thing about this – you can use up all those last bits and there is no hard and fast recipe. But for palate, I’d avoid too many cruciferous veg as even the least discerning can identify that sulphurous suggestion at ten paces. This sauce can also be made in a slow cooker, pressure cooker or on the hob. Which makes it pretty versatile and allows you to work to a timescale that suits you.
INGREDIENTS
2 red onions, diced 4 garlic cloves, crushed 1 tbsp oil 2 peppers, roughly chopped 2 carrots, roughly chopped 2 courgettes, roughly chopped 3 sticks celery, roughly chopped 300g mushrooms, roughly chopped Handful of fresh spinach/kale, or a few blocks of frozen 2 cartons x 500ml tomato passata 500ml vegetable stock Dash of red wine, or red wine stock pot 2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar 1 tbsp Henderson’s Relish or Worcestershire Sauce (the former has no anchovies so is vegan) Thyme Salt and pepper Pinch of crushed fennel Optional Handful of red lentils
Various other veg… experiment!
METHOD
1. Heat the oil in a pan and gently soften the red onion and garlic. 2. After a couple of minutes, add the peppers, carrots, courgettes and celery, and soften. 3. Add the vinegar, Henderson’s, fennel and wine (if you’re using a stock pot, add it at the next stage rather than now) and turn the heat down, making sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan. 4. Add the passata, dried herbs, seasoning and stock. If you’re adding lentils, spinach or kale, put these in now. 5. Bring to the boil then turn the heat down and keep on a low simmer until everything is cooked through and soft. 6. Whizz it all up with a stick blender, food processor or regular blender to the consistency you prefer. I like it as smooth as possible, but my husband’s more of a rustic sauce maker. My favourite uses for the sauce are as a base for a bacon and mushroom sauce with pasta, on homemade pizzas for the kids and as a base for a Bolognese sauce. Our cooking isn’t fancy, but we do enjoy good foods, strong tastes and knowing there’s some goodness in there. Which helps me feel like I’m balancing out that extra biscuit from time to time.
HEALTH AND NUTRITION
The power of batch cooking By Anne Iarchy
When someone says the words ‘batch cooking’ my eyes light up, a smile appears and I get very excited. We all lead busy lives and cooking from scratch often takes time, depending on what you make. Such a busy lifestyle is one of the reasons why so many people are overweight today. Others include lack of organisation and the wide availability of cheap processed food. So if healthy living and eating are important to you, batch cooking comes in very handy. There’s no right or wrong way to do it, just find the method that suits your lifestyle best. Ideas for batch cooking 1. Set aside a few hours to batch cook. You can do that once a week, once a fortnight or even once a month, depending on how much time you want to spend. Pick a few
recipes (you’ll find plenty to choose from in the pages of Cibare), shop for the ingredients, then start cooking, portioning and freezing. You’ll end up with a variety of home-made readymeals to choose from whenever you need. 2. When you cook, make a few extra portions. It doesn’t take much longer to cook for six people than for four. Portion up the extra servings, and freeze. If you do that every time you cook, you’ll have a range of home-cooked meals at hand when time is short. 3. You could try cooking a large recipe once a week, portion it up, then eat it every day until you run out. This option might get little boring eventually but if you don’t mind eating the same thing for a week (many of us eat the same breakfast every day!) it can be an easy solution.
FEATURE BUISNESS
Q&A Khurram Ali at Teafields
We are a British boutique tea company called Teafields, specialising in sourcing the best whole leaf teas directly from producers in estates all over the world.
What led you to start up?
A previous buying role introduced us to the wonderful world of tea. It allowed us to interact with tea producers who mesmerised us with teas that were full of flavour and surprisingly refreshing with each sip. We naively thought it would be possible to experience the same back home, but were disappointed on every occasion. The tenacity of wanting to relive those moments of serenity and share them with other lovers of this wonderful plant led us to create Teafields. 62
What’s the main focus of your business? To ensure we source the best produce of the season and get it to consumers as quickly as possible.
Is whole leaf tea time-consuming to produce?
It usually takes around 18 to 24 hours to make black tea from a green leaf. However, it can easily take a minimum of 9 months for the black tea to get from the garden to our retail shelves. By then, the essence of the tea is almost lost. Ultimately, it’s an agricultural product so the quicker you consume it, the more you appreciate it. All our teas are sourced and with us within 2 weeks of production at the earliest and 3 months at the latest. Cibare Magazine
www.cibare.co.uk
PICTURE CREDITS: Teafields
Tell us about your business.
We want consumers to appreciate the freshness and flavours that are enhanced by sourcing during the quality period.
with light showers are considered the perfect conditions for quality, but this can vary as the rules change slightly per region.
Do you help the local community How should we be making a cuppa as part of your business? with your tea?
What do you do to support sustainability and the environment?
The gardens we work with are all Rainforest Alliance and/or follow their respective countries’ environmental standards. You can see the results by observing the general health of the estates where flora and fauna is in abundance.
Does your product change due to external factors, or can you control the flavour?
The window of opportunity for quality during a season is very small, and the weather is a key element in getting the optimum flavour. The manufacturing process can take the product to a certain standard, but the weather gods help enhance the flavour. Hot humid days complemented by pleasant nights
Each type of tea varies, so always brew following the instructions on the pack. To get the ultimate flavour, use soft or filtered boiling water as any other form of water masks the unique flavours of tea.
What is it that you love about tea?
I love tea because, though we might not realise it, it connects all of us somewhere and somehow. I love the human element behind the creation of this product. There are over a thousand people on every estate whose hard work and passion is rewarded when a consumer takes a sip and smiles with satisfaction.
What makes your teas unique?
Our business is all about giving consumers garden-fresh, exclusive teas. Our teas are only sourced during the peak quality season and last for one quality season’s cycle, so they’re always fresh and full of flavour.
Where can we buy it?
You can find us online at www. teafields.co.uk and we have a large presence in the food service sector. Our products are also sold and served by the Camden Coffee chain.
PICTURE CREDITS: Teafields
We ensure our producers are paid slightly above the market price. There are thousands of people at garden level who work in adverse weather conditions all year round to ensure we get a good cup of tea. To give back to our source in a small way allows them to have a sustainable future on the estate.
PETS
Do you REALLY know what your dog is eating? By Roz Lishak
No two responsible dog owners will ever completely agree on which dog food is the best on the market – or in their dog’s bowl. There are so many mysterious misconceptions and so much misinformation out there that seeking the ultimate canine menu can throw even the most experienced pet parents into a frenzy. The importance of protein Let’s look at the facts. Yes, dogs can eat – and will enjoy – the wellknown dog-friendly list of fruit and vegetables. They will chomp on a carrot and bite on a banana as part of their diet but, as mentioned before, there’s a huge difference between
survive and thrive. According to recent research, in 95% of cases where a dog isn’t thriving – suffering from itchy flaky skin, coarse or brittle coat and obvious low energy – its diet is low in animalorigin tissue and high in grainbased products. Cheap corn-based products are the main culprits. Because dogs need meat. It takes a meat-based diet to ensure they don’t just survive but truly thrive. Though at this point, let me stress that an allprotein diet can also cause issues in some cases. So what is the holy grail of the growling gourmet search? If you’re even asking yourself these canine catering questions, breathe easy. The very fact that you care enough to learn your dog’s tastes and
PICTURE CREDITS: shutterstock: SimonVera
Another leading question to kick off my mutt-focused musings… But I can’t stress enough how important it is to understand the difference between survive and thrive!
reactions – and, most importantly, notice and act upon any obvious changes in their condition (both body and slobbering soul) means you’ll end up feeding the best combination for premium health. Take comfort in the fact that, more often than not, the answer to your dog’s health and wellbeing lies in its
diet. If you truly want to understand what your dog is devouring, and would like some guidance on diet, please get in touch. I’ll happily point you in the direction of some DIY doggy recipes you can batch cook, plus a range of natural treats to keep your dog’s health on track and your mind at rest. (See team links for details)
BOOK REVIEW
LET’S EAT by Elly Pear By Rebecca Stratton
The concept is to take one main ingredient, cook it in bulk and keep it on hand in the fridge, ready to transform into many different dishes and meals. This book is also meatfree, which will appeal to a lot of people. Recipes to try • No-Meat 68
Meat
Balls
are
gorgeous aubergine-based balls with seasoning and breadcrumbs, which you make as a large batch to either chill or freeze. She includes clever meal suggestions in the following recipes – enjoy them in a wrap with hummus, with tomato butter sauce and pasta, as a burger, or baked with tomatoes and lemon ricotta. At the end of the mini chapter, you also find suggestions for using up leftover ingredients you may have i.e. stir leftover ricotta into scrambled eggs, use it as spread in a three-cheese toastie or in a frittata. • Tuscan-Style Bean Stew can be enjoyed with said cheese toastie, as a soup with pesto or with crispy skinned fish and aioli. •
Mushroom, Walnut and Lentil
Cibare Magazine
www.cibare.co.uk
P PICTURE CREDITS: Elly PearI
Elly Curshen (a.k.a. Elly Pear of Bristol’s infamous, now closed Pear Café) has one of the most droolworthy Instagram accounts I’ve ever seen. Her food looks vibrant, flavoursome and wholesome. So when I saw her cookbook, I knew I had to have it. And when I knew this issue of Cibare was about batch cooking, I knew this was the book for the job!
Ragu is a hearty vegetarian take on that comfort food classic Bolognese, which will keep us going through the cold winter months. It’s great with pasta – try with feta and basil – or made into shepherd’s pie with garlic mash. • Her Bread Pudding is an interesting one. I‘ve never made anything that ‘eat-as-is’, but Elly suggests frying it in butter with cherries and crème fraiche, or served with apple compote and cinnamon sugar. • NOT CLEAR WHICH RECIPE THIS RELATES TO? You could make your own marinated peppers (though I would probably cheat!) and use in a frittata, in linguine with anchovies or as a treat with burrata and asparagus on toast. • Satay Dressing can be used in a delicious noodle salad with a medley of fridge-raided veggies, or with prawn summer rolls, or even as a dipping sauce for Five Spice Smoked Tofu Nuggets. I’ve used this last recipe several times and it’s a vegan favourite in our house. • Roasted Butternut Squash – if you’re going to go to the trouble of preparing and de-seeding it, I reckon you should roast as much of it as possible! Then enjoy it in a pasta dish, on bruschetta with feta and pumpkin seeds, or turn it into a spicy soup with coconut milk.
Menus with the Mostest The final chapter offers eight suggested menus and is a lot of fun to read. These include Baby Shower Brunch, the fantastically-named Dinner for Four when you want to show off a bit but not stress, and Weekend Brunch to name a few. These focus less on batch cooking but feature great dishes all the same. A few that stand out are Seared Sea Bream with Brown Shrimps with Chipotle Butter, Veggie Haggis One-Pan Stir Fry, Spiced Plum and Sour Cream Upside Down Cake and Beetroot Tzatziki which features in a fabulous mezze situation. The Verdict I love this book. The photography is splendid, the meals are easy to cook and it provides inspiration that’ll keep the fridge and freezer wellstocked and ready for many meals to come.
Team Links Despina Mina - @forkedldn
www.forkedldn.com Emma Walton - @supperinthesuburbs www.supperinthesuburbs.com Jon Moore - @beerinthesuburbs Emma de Sousa @theurbanflowerfarmer www.urbanflowerfarmer.com Ying Bower - @yingenough Dani Gavriel - @dani_gavriel Penny Langford -@peneoplepeer Roz Lishak - @yourpupparazzi Rebecca Stratton -@cakerebecca www.rebeccas-cakes.co.uk Gillian Balcobe - @gillianbalcombe
Thomas Bisson - @chigwell_personal_training Anne Iarchy- @barnettrainer Jo Farren - @jo.farren www.jofarren.co.uk/link Samina Iqba - @samina.i Eve Tudor - @editoroffood Eileen MacCallum www.aweebirdie.com Theo Micheals - @theocooks www.theocooks.com
Jack at @jacksmeatshack
Viners Cutlery @vinerscutlery Hannah Liversidge @foodadventureswithmyhusky
70
Cibare Magazine
www.cibare.co.uk
Huski Home is an award-winning, family-run company that puts sustainability at the top of the priority list.
Biodegradable | Eco-Friendly We proudly utilise what is biodegradable and earth-friendly, by repurposing rice husks and other bi-products to create our own unique homeware collections. O ur Products Include: Travel Coffee Cups made from recycled rice husk Coconut Bowls made from coconut shells Hand-Carved Coconut Utensils made from the wood from c oconut trees 100% Grass Straws made from bullrush stems
To discover more about the Huski Home family,and to purchase our eco-friendly products online, visit our w ebsite: huskihome.co.uk
Forget everything you know about traditional smoked salmon this Christmas...
Serving suggestion: Candied Smoked Salmon on rice crackers with wasabi paste
CANDIED SMOKED SALMON Premium Scottish Salmon, dry cured, brined with pure Canadian maple syrup, air dried and smoked over old whisky barrel oak.
can-d.co.uk @can_Dfood canfoodco
Now stocked in all Heathrow, Gatwick and Piccadilly Flagship outlets of Caviar House & Prunier.