Cibare Issue 14

from Cibare Food and Drinks Magazine Issue 14

by Cibare

Issue Fourteen, Autumn 2018

www.cibare.co.uk

Cibare

REVIEW

The Little Viet Kitchen

By Despina Mina

Over the years I’ve come to realise that the simple act of eating can bring me so much pleasure. Shopping for certain ingredients inspires and stimulates my taste buds, and at times when I cook it’s therapeutic. I’ll try my hand at almost every cuisine. I do say ‘almost’ because the food of the Orient is one I very rarely explore in my kitchen and my skills generally only stretch to the prosaic stir fry ‘because it’s quick and easy’.

from the instantly recognisable Pho to the less familiar Beef Betal Leaf Skewers. Thuy writes with good humour and charm about her childhood in Vietnam, with respect and admiration for her parents.

A slight uneasiness washes over me. I have to cook and present a meal for six people all from this book. I stare in doubt at the Pork and Seafood Noodle Soup – a recipe requiring over 30 ingredients – and turn the page.

The problem is, home-made Oriental food reminds me of the shared kitchen I had as a student, loading everything with Chinese five-spice and plonking it on boiled noodles. It’s not the greatest representation of an entire continent, but I guess it was more nutritious than a Pot Noodle.

Then I go somewhere like The Little Viet Kitchen in Chapel Market and sample Thuy’s food, which only affirms how pathetic my cooking attempts have been. The thought of emulating all those delicious plates of food becomes a tad intimidating. Flicking through her new book makes my mouth water: page after page of stunning recipes,

I base my menu choice on the ingredients that can be found in local supermarkets, mainly to see if it can be done, or if the book relies heavily on me finding a Vietnamese supermarket. This issue of CIBARE is all about fish so, after some consideration, I decide on Tofu and Vegetable Spring Rolls, Salt and Pepper Spring Rolls, Sea Bass, Passion Fruit and Blood Orange Ceviche and Steamed Banana and Coconut Cake. As blood oranges are no longer in season, I used the regular kind and substituted wood ear mushrooms for dried shiitake mushrooms in the spring rolls.

Cibare Food Magazine www.cibare.co.uk

FEATURE

Rise of the

Dark Spirits

by Scott Winston

No, this isn’t the latest instalment in a supernatural, comic book-inspired film franchise. It’s the reality that (deep breath) gin is dead. Well, let’s be honest, it had to end sometime. It’s had a good run and frankly it was all getting a little out of hand. Gin has come full circle. It has maximised its craft artisan, small batch, exotic botanical, flavoured, regional, heritage-inspired potential – and we gin lovers are left with a bewildering amount of choice. Even a diehard fan such as myself (for as long as I can remember) is feeling fatigued.

Before the boom, I was ordering Gordons and sweet fizzy tonic. Now I have untold options: matching the incarnation of my favourite tipple to my mood, or the time of day, the event I’m at, even the décor of the room. But for some time now, like plotters planning the overthrow of a despotic

dictator, in hushed voices and quiet corners people have been whispering in my ear, ‘Gin is over, try this delicious whisky’ or ‘Have you tried British rum with this new mixer? It’s simply amazing’.

Sometimes the universe speaks and you are compelled to listen. There was no real epiphany for me – more of a slow erosion of faith in the juniper-forward spirit that had been my close friend for so many years. Firstly, I fell in love with mixing cocktails at home. Difford’s The Bartenders’ Bible (10th edition) with its 3000 wonderful recipes forced me to broaden my spirit horizons. Then I started frequenting Burlock rum bar in Central London, a wonderful underground speakeasy of dark spirit-based delights. Finally, three aspects of my work collided to seal the deal.

Cibare Food Magazine www.cibare.co.uk

KID’S CORNER:

Baked Garlic Butter Fish in Parchment Parcels

By Samina Iqbal

Getting kids interested in cooking that isn’t cake or biscuit-related takes a bit of cunning. Or even a bit of magic. This quick and easy recipe turns a simple fillet of fish into something awe-inspiring. The sauce couldn’t be simpler, and once kids see the parcel puff up in the oven they’ll be excited to see how it turns out and what it tastes like.

Cooking fish in parchment, or en papillote as the French call it, is a clever but simple way to cook fish. No messing about with frying pans or grills, but so very fun to watch. Young children may need help sealing the parchment.

INGREDIENTS

1 fillet of fish 1 tbsp butter ½ clove garlic, finely crushed 1 tsp finely chopped parsley A good pinch of seasoning 1 egg whisked

METHOD

Place the fish in the middle of a large piece of parchment. Place the butter, garlic, parsley and seasoning into a small bowl and mix well. Spread the butter over the fish fillet. Paint the edges of the parchment with the egg mixture. Close the parchment around the fish, making sure that the fish is tightly sealed. This way the fish will cook in its own steam without losing any of its flavours or natural juices. Fold the parchment over and keep folding until you have a parcel. Place in the oven for 7-10 minutes. Allow to rest for a couple of minutes before opening up the parchment – being careful not to burn yourself on the steam. Enjoy!

Cibare Food Magazine

www.cibare.co.uk

Copyright Cibare Food and Drinks Magazine

Poke Bowl

By The Editor

INGREDIENTS

250g sushi rice 2tbsp rice wine vinegar 200g of sushi grade tuna and or salmon, (I have used both) 1 tbsp sesame oil 2 tbsp sushi soy sauce, (regular if you don’t have any) ¼ red cabbage 1 avocado 1 mango 1 sheet of nori cut into thin sheets Sprinkling of sesame seeds Water

METHOD

Cooking sushi right: Put rice into a bowl and wash it with cold water 3-4 times and drain with a sieve. Add 330ml of water into a saucepan with the washed right. Bring the water to a boil then simmer for 10 minutes with the lid on. Turn off the heat and leave to stand for 25 minutes, making sure not to take off the lid. Add the rice wine vinegar and stir through, then leave to cool. Into a bowl add the sesame oil and soy sauce. Cut up your fish into little mouth sized chucks and add it to the marinade making sure it is all coated. Cut up your cabbage, avocado, mango and or anything else you fancy adding to your bowl, but don’t’ forget to cut up your nori sheet into strips. Then assemble. Add your sesame seeds on top.

Cibare Food Magazine

www.cibare.co.uk

Cuban Cod

By Anne Iarchy

INGREDIENTS

300g potatoes, finely sliced Olive oil for drizzling and frying 1 onion, chopped 1 tsp tomato puree 200ml fish or vegetable stock 1 strand of saffron 2 dried hot chillies, sliced 400g fresh cod fillet Salt & pepper

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 220C. Place the potato slices in a baking dish and drizzle with oil. Bake in a hot oven for 10 minutes. Fry the onion and garlic in a frying pan with a little oil, then add the tomato puree, stock, saffron and sliced chillies and bring to the boil. Season to taste. Place the cod fillet on top of the partially cooked potatoes. Pour the sauce from the frying pan on top and bake for a further 10 minutes, until the fish is tender. Serve with some green veggies.

Cibare Food Magazine

www.cibare.co.uk

GARDENING

Top tips for taking ona new allotment;

The no-dig method really

works! by Emma de Sousa

I’m now into my fourth year of having an allotment and have seen many people come and go in that time. Starting off so enthusiastic, then quickly losing interest – or life takes over and they no longer have time to tend their new plot. Some people never really get going in the first place. I’ve been there, done that.

When I first got my little plot, I was full of enthusiasm. I didn’t have my flower field at the time, so I had the time to spend on getting it into shape – I even added a second plot next to it. Then the opportunity came up to take on another piece of land to grow flowers for my floristry business. (You can’t sell any produce from an allotment, it’s purely for personal use.) So yes… I’ve just given up one of my plots!

It can feel overwhelming when you’re facing an overgrown mess with weeds like mountains.

Every plot is different but, for most, a good cutting-back to a flat state is the best way to start. Then you can then see what you have to work with. If you’re patient – and especially if you take on a plot during the autumn/winter months – you can get a great head-start by using the no-dig method.

A lot of people scoff at no-dig but at the end of last year I doubled the beds at my flower field by using this method. By mid-May it was ready for planting out, so I’d highly recommend it as a way of getting beds up to scratch relatively easily. So how do you do it?

First, cut back the top surface so that the weeds/grass are as short as possible. Layer on thick cardboard with any packing tape removed. Add a good 15cm layer of manure, then another 15cm of good-quality topsoil on top of that. Okay, it’s quite hard work and costs a fair bit initially, but it’s well worth

Cibare Food Magazine www.cibare.co.uk

FEATURE

Jubel Beer

By Jon Moore

For me, the most beautiful thing about the craft beer movement is that there is room for a huge range of styles. Everything has its place. Yes, it’s true that IPA takes up the majority of shelf space in beer shops and fridges, and as the evenings draw in and the weather turns we are definitely entering ‘Stout Season’, but craft beer doesn’t exclude any beer style.

This includes lager. This can be a surprise to some, as craft beer is often positioned as the opposite of the mass-produced lager we see on pub taps. And it is, in terms of quality, ethos and ingredients. But not style. Lager can be artisan, and should be celebrated for the crisp, refreshing and drinkable beer it is. There is so much that separates those global lager brands from decent craft lager, and as drinkers we should understand and appreciate the difference.

Jubel is lager with a difference It’s flavoured, it’s gluten free, it’s vegan and it’s lovely. Jubel is the invention of Tom and Jesse, two lads inspired by the ‘demi-pêche’ peach-infused lager they experienced on holiday in the Alps but couldn’t get back

home. I’ve never had a demi-pêche, but I think we all know the feeling of discovering great food or drink in a faraway place and knowing we probably won’t be able to get anything like it again.

These guys have gone all-in and decided to recreate that product themselves, so credit to them for borrowing a small slice of Alpine beer culture and bringing it to the UK market. Jubel is brewed down in Cornwall at the St Austell Brewery and is now making its way around the country.

Meet your new picnic companion Jubel comes in two editions: Alpine (Peach) and Urban (Elderflower). The base beer leans towards a pilsner – it’s a 4% clean, crisp and effervescent light lager with a touch of sweetness. The Peach version has a massive stone fruit aroma (as you’d expect!) but overall is fairly balanced, with the fruit complementing the malt and hops. The Elderflower version is very floral and is exactly the sort of beer you want to drink outdoors on a hot summer afternoon. These would be great picnic beers.

**Jubel Beer**
Copyright Cibare Food and Drinks Magazine

Fish And The Sea

By The Editor

If we’re going to talk about fish, we need to talk about oceans. There’s a ton of videos and images showing what a mess we’ve made of the wet stuff that covers two thirds of our planet. Because it turns out that the phrase ‘Throw it in the sea’ has been taken far too literally. It’s sad to think so much rubbish and general waste has been hidden either deep within our land or chucked into our waters. Because if we can’t see it, we don’t have to deal with it – right?

WRONG!

Now we’re finding out what’s come of that attitude. I remember as a kid hearing talk of taking rubbish up to dump it in space. Which still sounds stupid now. But filling oceans with plastic when we know relatively little about them seems even more ridiculous! Countries such as Japan with a deficiency of land have made more land by piling their rubbish up like bricks in the sea. It seemed like a win-win solution, but what’s that plastic doing to ocean life now?

In Britain we do love our fish. And where would our chips be without it? But in recent years scientists and doctors have advised us to monitor how much we eat, due to mercury levels. Now we also need to be aware of the potential amount of plastic in fish too. They’re chowing down on delicious packaging and ring pulls. And I think we’ve all seen more than enough dead whales with stomachs full of plastic bags, and stunted turtles trapped in packaging.

So what can we do? We can support projects to clean up rivers and canals, and actually do the work if we can. It can be frustrating when lack of funding means the local council can’t provide a bigger recycling bin or collect it more often. You might feel: if everyone doesn’t go all in, why bother? It’s only a matter of time before the planet won’t sustain us any longer because we’ve made such a mess through greed and laziness. But here we still are, eating plastic-wrapped fish sandwiches while we cry over dead whales.

Cibare Food Magazine www.cibare.co.uk

This article is from:

Cibare Food and Drinks Magazine Issue 14