Manhattan food tour

We had 27 hours in Manhattan. So were determined to make every meal count. Starting with dumplings and osmanthus bubble tea in Chinatown. Interlude with Alan Partridge (probably the most I've ever laughed in a film screening). Then Dirt Candy in the East Village for enthralling vegetable-inspired food (mushroom mousse; all ways with beans; aubergine tiramisu with rosemary candy floss; jalapeno hushpuppies to make up for unfortunate three-legged-chair-to-the-floor incident). And chilled herbal tea into the night. The following day brunch at The Butcher's Daughter (Nolita?), with magical juices (watermelon, fennel and lavender), hot cacao, freshness and fabulous bathroom. Then snacks on the Highline Park - bread (fennel, golden raisin and semolina) from Amy's Bread (The Village) and an ice lolly (apple chai) from People's Pops. Beautiful weather all the way - so pretty and perfect.

Butternut butter

I saw this butter recipe and it sounded super simple. Pumpkin season is upon us ('Pumped for Pumpkin at Dunkin'')- two butternut squashes in the CSA last weekend to emphasise the point. Right now I am into it; I'm sure the novelty will wear off eventually... Anyway, I gave the recipe a shot, with mixed results, but whatever I'll eat it.

1 small-medium butternut squash (~800g)
juice of 1/2 a lemon
60 ml water
35 g brown sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/8 tsp ground cloves*
1/4 tsp ground allspice*
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg*
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon*
1/2 tsp ground ginger*

Heat oven to 350F. Cut the squash in half lengthways, deseed and place cut side down on a lightly oiled baking tray. Bake for 60-90 min, until soft when poked. Let cool until handleable, then remove the skin and put the flesh into a blender. Add the remaining ingredients and whizz until smooth. Transfer to a pan and simmer gently, covered, for ~20 min until thick.

*all together = pumpkin spice


This tastes great but the texture didn't work for me - perhaps I should have roasted the squash longer; perhaps the other way up; perhaps add more water... It was very thick all the way through, and basically set in the fridge, and was kinda lumpy - not silky smooth like pumpkin butter I've eaten before (make sure to use actual blender not stick one).

Kale and walnut pesto

leaves of 4-5 kale leaves, bigger veins / ribs removed
small clove garlic, peeled
handful of walnuts
2-3 tbsp olive oil
salt

Put the kale leaves in a blender cup and add the other ingredients. Blend until all the big pieces are gone.


This was interesting. S didn't like it - said it was too bitter. I disagreed. Obviously it isn't basil pesto but it is pretty good nonetheless - that distinctive raw kale flavour goes well with walnuts. It stayed a very deep, vibrant green even after storing in the fridge for a couple of days - the colour doesn't seem to get oxidised and turn brown, unlike with basil.

Leeks, thyme, white miso

A rescued these leeks from the compost pile. But they were perfect. I cooked them like this.

2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 large clove garlic, peeled and chopped
4 leeks, washed and sliced into ~1/2 inch rounds
1-2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
2-3 tsp white miso
salt+pepper

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan with a lid. Add the garlic and leeks and cover. Cook gently for 20-30 min, adding the thyme halfway through and stirring the miso through 5 min before the end. Stop when the leeks are soft, and taste for seasoning.

Zwetschgendatschi (Bavarian yeasted plum cake)

As soon as S saw the plums I harvested the other day, he said 'Zwetschgendatschi'. And I said '?' - the word is quite a tongue twister, and I knew plums as Pflaume and quetsch as squeeze... But then he sent me this recipe, and it seemed like a perfect use for the plums. Apparently these plums are the type of plum you most often see in Germany, and in the South they are called Zwetschgen. Some friends are having a nostalgia-themed equinox party tonight, and this seemed an appropriate thing to take along: my family had plum trees in the garden when I was growing up, so the process of harvesting, preparing and eating plums is nostalgic for me, while this particular yeast-doughed plum cake is quite nostalgic for S as he hasn't eaten it since he was living in Germany more than ten years ago.

I did a little research and found that Zwetschgendatschi comes with a few variables - the dough can be yeasted or can be more like a pastry or tart dough; the base can be flavoured with lemon rind or the topping with cinnamon; a streusel or crumble topping can be added on top of the plum layer. I consulted S and he favoured keeping things yeasted and simple: the only flavours in this version besides the mildly bready base are plum, toasted almond and brown sugar. I pretty much followed the recipe he sent me.

Classic version
(makes one baking tray's worth: mine was 34 cm x 23 cm and technically a roasting tin)

300 g plain flour (plus a bit more for dusting)
2 tsp active dry yeast
50 g sugar
100 ml lukewarm almond milk
50 g fake butter (at room temperature)
1 medium egg (at room temperature) - or 1 tbsp ground linseed mixed with 2.5 tbsp boiling water
a pinch of salt
~700 g Zwetschgen (damson or prune plums)
~2 tbsp demerara sugar
50-75 g flaked almonds

Put the flour in a mixing bowl and make a well in the middle. Put the yeast in the well, sprinkle some sugar over it and pour enough lukewarm milk in to cover the yeast. Stir briefly, then cover the bowl with a tea towel and put in a warm place for 15-20 min, until the yeast starts to bubble.

Add the rest of the milk and sugar, butter, egg and salt. Knead until the dough forms a smooth ball, then continue to knead for ~5 min (?). If it is too sticky sprinkle with flour, but try not to add too much flour. Cover the bowl again and leave to rise in a warm place for about an hour, until doubled in size.

Meanwhile prepare the plums: Cut in half lengthwise, remove the stone and then cut each half lengthwise again to make quarters. Set aside.

Heat the oven to 355F (180C). Line the baking tray with paper (or brush with oil). Roll the dough out on a clean, floured work surface until it is about the size or the baking tray, then carefully transfer it to the baking tray and pull into shape.

Arrange the plum quarters in overlapping rows, cut side up. Sprinkle evenly with demerara sugar and flaked almonds (use as much or as little as you like, to your taste). Put in the oven and bake for 25-30 min, checking after 20 min to make sure it is not too dark underneath. Remove and let cool in the tray before cutting into squares.


Gluten-free vegan experimental version
(makes 4 mini tart-sized ones in a muffin tin)

50 g TJ's gluten-free flour mix
25 g ground almonds
3/4 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp baking powder
tiny pinch salt
12.5 g sugar
12.5 g fake butter
25 ml almond milk
1/4 tbsp ground linseed mixed with 3/4 tbsp boiling water
3 plums, quartered as above
~ 2 tsp demerara sugar
1-2 tbsp flaked almonds

Heat oven to 355F. Mix flour, ground almonds, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt and sugar in a medium bowl. Make a well and add butter, milk and linseed mixture. Mix with a fork and then with your hands until it comes together into a pliable dough. Line muffin cups and press the dough into the bases / up the sides. Arrange the plum quarters on each (I found three quarters per cup fitted), sprinkle with demerara sugar and flaked almonds, and bake for 20-25 min.


Both were great. The classic one was awesome in its lack of intense sweetness (I could perhaps have been a bit more generous with the sugar but I liked it like this). S said it was authentic! And we both liked it - the bready part was slightly sweet and nicely risen, and the juices from the plum soaked in slightly to the bread base and to the almonds, making for a delicious thing somewhere inbetween a sweet bread and a cake - think typically German in the not-too-sweetness, the extensive use of fruit / nuts and simple flavours. The plum flavour really sung out because of that - the almonds and bread just served to complement their gorgeousness. The GF base was not as fluffy but stuck together well and the taste effect was similar. And they were cute in their little paper cases.

Note: this reminds me of Mum's apple cake that I attempted to make here. Perhaps another go at that is in order: I have some apples...

Harvest: quick autumn muffins

I had four and a half pounds of beautiful, black, egg-shaped plums with yellow flesh (harvested Wednesday night in Winter Hill, up a ladder under the Harvest Moon). They are confusing me, actually: they seem to be the variety known as 'damson plums' or 'Italian prune plums'. But they are not what I knew as damsons (the small, sour plum relatives that make the most wonderful jam). Anyway, they are delectable as well as beautiful, and well-suited for baking as not too sweet. I had a few things hanging around the kitchen hoping be consumed: the plums; also some apples and about a cupful of Chimay... It occurred to me to use the ale in baking - its maltiness could lend a dark note similar to the treacle in the apple-caraway muffins I love. Ale plus ginger, pecans, cinnamon, brown sugar (a little, not a lot), wholemeal flour and autumn fruits = quick and easy muffins, full of fall.

(makes ~12 muffins. I used half plums and half apples and halved the batter just before adding the fruit)

12 oz apples or plums (weight measured after coring / stoning)
6 oz plain flour
4 oz wholemeal flour
2 oz sugar
1 oz demerara sugar (plus ~3 tbsp for topping)
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup pecan pieces
2 tbsp ground linseed mixed with 5 tbsp boiling water
1 1/2 oz (72 g) grapeseed oil
175 ml ale, heated and cooled

Heat oven to 375F. Chop the apples or plums into ~2 cm dice. Mix the flours, sugars, spices, baking powder, salt and pecans in a large bowl with a fork. In a separate, small bowl combine the linseed mixture, grapeseed oil and ale. Add this wet mixture to the dry mixture and mix until just combined. In the final few strokes add the fruit. Spoon the mixture into a prepared muffin tin and bake for ~25 min, until a skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool in the tin for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

(measurements are all over the systems, oops).

Fresh tomatillo salsa

A gave me some tomatilloes from his garden. They were probably the ripest tomatilloes I've ever seen - bursting out of their husks. I think the only thing I've ever eaten made with tomatilloes (besides this sauce, where I actually subbed green tomatoes) is a fresh, green salsa (Mexican salsa verde) served with tamales and all sorts of other Mexican eats. I like that sauce, so I decided to try and make it.

6-8 ripe tomatilloes, husks removed and fruit washed

1-2 tbsp chopped sweet onion

1/4 clove garlic

1-2 tbsp chopped coriander

1 medium green chilli, halved and seeds removed

good pinch of salt
squeeze of lime juice

Put the onion and garlic in water and set aside for 5 min. Quarter the clean tomatilloes and put them in a blender. Drain onion and garlic and add to the blender. Add coriander, chilli, salt and lime and blend to make a coarse paste. Taste for seasoning and eat with whatever you like.

We ate this with chicken of the woods sauteed with sweetcorn, paprika flatbreads, guacamole and rice with lime zest and coriander. It all went down very well: fresh and tasty summer-meets-autumn food.

Brinjal chutney

At the end of my day at Drumlin, I became custodian of a large quantity of aubergines otherwise destined for the compost heap. I had no particular plan for them at first. A suggested preserving them in oil; I'd also seen them pickled in vinegar; but I wasn't really fancying either of those options. But then I started daydreaming about aubergine preserving, and what developed in my mind was more of a chutney: deep and dark and richly spiced. I used the spice combination from my favourite aubergine curry, and I based the chutney method on this recipe.

(made ~3 small-medium jars)

1 kg / 2 lb 4oz aubergines, chopped into ~1 in cubes
~2 tbsp salt
~4 tbsp veg oil
1 large onion, peeled and finely diced
4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
~2 medium chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
50 g / 2 oz ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp nigella seeds
2 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp brown mustard seeds
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tbsp tamarind paste mixed with 3 tbsp hot water
150g / 6 oz light brown sugar
300 ml / 1/2 pint cider vinegar

Layer chopped aubergines with salt in a colander, put a weight on top and leave to drain for approx 2 hours or overnight. Rinse and pat dry.

Heat oven to 400F. Toss the aubergine pieces with approx 2 tbsp oil and spread out on baking trays. Bake for ~30 min, until tender. Meanwhile, dry fry the whole spices. When fragrant, let cool a little and then transfer half of the mixture to a spice grinder and grind lightly - leave the rest as whole seeds.

Heat 1-2 tbsp of oil in preserving pan and add onion, garlic, chilli and ginger. Cover and cook until softened (~10 min). Add the ground spices (including turmeric), whole spices, tamarind, sugar, vinegar and aubergines. Bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, then cook for about 40 min, until thick and the aubergines are tender.

Spoon into sterilised jars and seal. Let mature for at least a month before opening.


Oh wow, this is delicious. Exactly what I wanted. The few tbsp I couldn't fit in my three jars and became a test part-jar are already in my belly with no days' maturing time and the chutney is already delicious.

Kohlrabi and apple salsa-salad

Not sure if 'salsa' is the best description for this - perhaps it's more like a finely-diced salad. Either way, the idea is that it can easily be scooped up with tortilla chips or bits of bell pepper. It is for our lab happy hour (apple themed), and I thought of making it after the success of this mango and sweetcorn salsa.

I used kohlrabi because we had some in the fridge and it seemed like it would go well with apple. Think jicama would also be good - similar crispy freshness.

1 medium kohlrabi, peeled and finely chopped
2 tart, medium-sized apples (Granny Smith or similar), peeled and finely chopped
juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp nasturtium seeds, finely chopped*
~2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp freshly ground white pepper
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp light soy sauce
salt to taste

Prepare the apple and kohlrabi and toss with the lime juice immediately to prevent the apple from browning. Add the remaining ingredients and taste for seasoning. Refrigerate until needed.

*I might have used some finely chopped green chilli and / or finely chopped root ginger as well / instead.

Potato and green bean salad

Boiled potatoes and green beans are a great combination. This way you can cook both in the same pot without having to mix them and risk getting one or the other under/over cooked. I like them tossed with a mustardy, vinegary, capery salad dressing. Salty olives or sundried tomatoes also work well.

~15 small new potatoes, washed and bad bits cut off
bag of French beans, topped and tailed and cut into ~ 2 in pieces
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
1 tsp honey
1 tbsp nasturtium seeds (or capers), chopped
1 tbsp chives, chopped
1 tbsp parsley, chopped
2-3 tbsp olive oil
juice of 1/2 a lemon
salt+pepper

Put the potatoes in a few inches of boiling, slightly salted water in the bottom of a large, lidded pot you can fit a steamer basket into. Cover and bring to the boil. Prep the beans and put them in the steamer basket, then put it into the pan above the potatoes (make sure the water is not boiling up into the basket). The beans will take 10-15 min (until tender); the potatoes will take 15-20 min depending how big and how new they are. Meanwhile, put the remaining ingredients into a serving bowl and whisk together to make the dressing. When the beans and potatoes are ready stop cooking in cold water, drain and then transfer to the dressing while still warmish. Toss together, taste for seasoning and serve.

Green peppers with salt and citrus

We had a lot of green (and purple) peppers, plus a selection of different kinds of chilli pepper. I'd eaten a lot of them raw with dips, roasted others in a roasted veg mix with aubergines, courgettes, tomatoes, garlic etc, and was wondering what else I could do with them when I remembered about the Spanish tapas dish with whole, roasted green peppers (usually Padron peppers) sprinkled with lemon juice and sea salt. As soon as I remembered it I wanted to eat it. 

~8 green bell peppers and/or large, mild chillies (eg poblano)
olive oil
coarse sea salt
juice of 1/2 a lemon or lime

Heat oven to 400F. Grease a baking tray with olive oil and arrange the whole peppers in it. Put the tray in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, until the peppers collapse and become lightly browned, checking halfway through and flipping them to help cook evenly. When done, remove from the oven, transfer to a serving squeeze the lemon or lime juice over the top and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Eat immediately, or they will keep fine in the fridge for a few days.


This worked really well: simple and delicious.

Spicy cocoa and almond cookies (gluten-free)

It was A's birthday last week and I wanted to do something for it. But he didn't want. Quite emphatically. However, he was excited about going to volunteer at Drumlin Farm (where our friend D works) on Saturday, so I decided to try to make his day there as awesome as possible. Obviously a birthday needs sweet treats. Cake wouldn't have been practical, but I was daydreaming about cocoa-spiced cookies. A doesn't eat gluten so they needed to be gluten-free, but I had some eggs left he'd given me from his farmshare so an egg was do-able. I browsed over at this blog to see if there was anything that would save me making up a recipe (my time was short!), and found exactly what I was looking for, so followed that recipe.

We ate these on our lunchbreak at the farm, along with some peaches from a neighbouring farm and a whole yellow watermelon that was so ripe it had split during harvest that morning. The cookies were good: everyone seemed to like them. They were also very quick and easy to make - I threw them together in half an hour before going out on Friday evening, leaving them to cool til I got back (nb my almonds were pre-toasted). It felt good to give something back, both to the farm by volunteering and to D and A via cookies - all of them have given me a lot!

(made 11 big ones - would make more if smaller)

1/2 cup (55g) ground almonds
1/2 cup (60g) rice flour (brown or white)
1/4 cup (25g) cornstarch
1/2 cup (55g) cocoa powder
1/4 cup (55g) brown sugar
1/4 cup (50g) demerara sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
1/4-1/2 tsp chilli powder / cayenne
1/2 cup (65g) lightly toasted almonds, roughly chopped
1/2 cup ( 60g) chocolate, roughly chopped
1/4 cup (60ml) veg oil (used safflower)
1 egg (or 1 tbsp ground linseed mixed with 2 1/2 tbsp boiling water)
1 tsp vanilla essence
1-2 tbsp fake milk

Heat oven to 180C/350F. Line a oven tray with baking paper or grease with oil. Put dry ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well together with a fork. Add chopped almonds and chocolate and mix. In a separate, small bowl mix together the oil, egg and vanilla. Add wet to dry and mix to form a soft dough, adding 1-2 tbsp of fake milk until a moist (but not wet) consistency is obtained. Roll 2 tbsp of mixture into a ball, flatten and place on oven tray. Repeat with remaining dough. Bake for 12-15 min until just cooked. These cookies do not flatten out much more once cooked. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool on the tray.


Big thumbs up from everyone: gorgeous balance of sweet, spicy, bitter, crunch and squish - not too dry or too crumbly. Note, I want to try out making cookies with roasted cocoa as described here - didn't have time to experiment this time but another batch soon!

Mango and sweetcorn salsa

The first PhD student ever to graduate from the lab I'm working in is defending his thesis today. So we will have a little 'reception' afterwards. It will feature a zebra-shaped pinata: I am excited... We also needed snacks and nibbles for mid afternoon, so I decided to make a few dips and chop up some veg (I have lots of peppers right now) to go with them; perhaps make some crackers if I have time. One person in the lab doesn't eat nightshades (ie peppers, chillies, aubergines, potatoes, tomatoes) so the two dips I made are both nightshade-free as well as gluten-free and vegan. I made a red lentil dip and this. I was thinking of using fresh corn but ended up using frozen for speed and ease - fresh corn would probably be delicious.

1 cup frozen sweetcorn, defrosted (or use fresh)
1 cup frozen mango chunks, slightly thawed and then diced into ~7mm chunks
1 spring onion, finely chopped
1/2 tbsp nasturtium seeds, finely chopped*
1-2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
juice of ~1 lime
pinch of salt
pinch of freshly-ground white pepper*

Prepare all the ingredients then mix together in a bowl. Taste for seasoning and lime.

*I used nasturtium seeds and white pepper to add a bit of spice in the absence of nightshades - I would add some finely chopped fresh chilli or some dried chilli flakes if nightshades weren't an issue.

Pickled green beans with dill

Got a lot of beans from D (plus peppers and the last of the cukes - made up for a slightly disappointing mushroom hunt that yielded only ~30 tiny chanterelles and one baby hedgehog mushroom between four of us). Decided to try pickling some. I think it's a thing. Used the basic recipe from my pickled cucumbers.

large bunch of flat green beans
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1/2 tsp red chilli flakes
handful of dill, picked into fronds and washed
1 tbsp desert (or fairly fine sea, or pickling) salt
3/4 cup white vinegar
1 1/4 cup water

Wash the beans, top and tail them, then pack into a clean jar. Add the garlic, chilli and dill. Heat the vinegar, water and salt in a pan until the salt is dissolved and the mixture is just starting to boil. Pour over the beans so that they are all covered. Jiggle them until all the air bubbles come to the surface. Put the lid on, let cool to room temperature, then store in the fridge for at least a week before eating.