Posts by Hebe
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Hard News: Kitchen Hacks, in reply to Ross Mason,
I was about to experiment with Ma's pressure cooker when the Boston bombing happened. I went off the idea; really need a practical lesson because it would be great to be able to batch-cook chickpeas and beans then freeze meal-size lots. I have good intentions and stocks of lots of types of dried beans, but I usually use cans because I'm not organised enough to soak and cook them for hours before dinner.
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Hard News: Kitchen Hacks, in reply to BenWilson,
And you have a microwave in there too: well done! That 10cm of width would make all the difference: here when the oven or dishwasher door is open, you are imprisoned at one end of the kitchen. We have less cupboard space, more bench space so two of us can work well together, and the pantry thing has a sliding door. It looks like a similar set up, but the 2m-wide french doors out to the one-day-there-will-be-a-big-verandah and the door into the living room take out a fair chunk of space.
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Hard News: Kitchen Hacks, in reply to Gareth,
An Italian cook's trick: a teaspoon of sugar before bubbling intensifies tomatoes' flavour if need be. I never use tomato paste, I don't like its smack-on-the-head strength with no subtlety. Passata is great.
Pam's cans of cherry tomatoes in juice are very good. And someone mentioned Delamine back beans in chlli sauce : shhh! They sell too fast. For a fast nachos base I mix them 50:50 with Pam's mild chilli beans, can of tomatoes, sauteed onion, chopped garlic cumin powder and smoked paprika all bubbled till thick. Can add meat, chilli, or green veges. Use the corn chips in the red packet from Wellington (used to be made by the Mexican Cantina owner's factory). Use Monterey Jack cheese if you can find it.
Also discovered verjuice when Ma was cleaning out her cupboards and fell in love, especially as I don't use alcohol. Apple cider vinegar is an interesting poor relation for lots of food that needs a zap. -
Hard News: Kitchen Hacks, in reply to Russell Brown,
Ok; thanks.
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Hard News: Kitchen Hacks, in reply to giovanni tiso,
Or chop fresh tomatoes roughly, peel garlic, put in Oscar juicer with the mincer screen, grind directly into the pan, add fresh thyme, and maybe basil, salt and slug of olive oil. Heat gently for soup; or bubble hard to reduce for a pasta sauce and add seafood or what ever. 10minutes max and if you don't heat it too much, raw food (said to be good for you).
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The kitchen itself: my dream no fuss, not too much stainless steel, can be tiny if it’s well-planned, and a table in the middle. Much like Elizabeth David’s kitchen (above).
Mine’s a bit tidier because there’s no space to leave stuff lying around (2.1m by 7.4 containing a double-door fridge, sink, dishwasher, oven, and big cupboard, French doors, table and chairs, linen cupboard and the dog).
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Hard News: Kitchen Hacks, in reply to Thrash Cardiom,
Preserved lemons are really good in moroccan dishes. Search for a few tagine recipes
Months in Morocco in the late 1980s left me with
a) An enduring loathing of anything containing tumeric. Ever.
b) Love of b'stilla: pigeon pie with layers of a coarse filo-type pastry and meat spiced with cinnamon and frosted with fine sugar and cinnamon. Eaten in a house in Fez el-Jid (the little middle city), cooked by a young Morrocan mother, with Dynasty playing on the TV which was hooked up to next-door's power supply by a series of extension cords.Otherwise the food was basic and survival level, as you would expect in a country where in those days unemployment ran at 60 percent, and only the men were counted in that figure.
I have a great cookbook of Moroccan recipes produced by expat wives at the time - few were published and its authentic food. If anyone has a particular want for a Moroccan recipe, I shall post the recipe.
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Hard News: Kitchen Hacks, in reply to Carolyn Judd,
"If you don't have a wire rack, the underside of a muffin/cupcake tray will do. If not, fuck it. Nobody's going to die." He sums up my cooking mantra perfectly. If dinner fucks up once every two or three weeks, it doesn't matter. the important bit is enjoying the whole process.
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Given the gourmand nature of contributions, it's time now for Pippa's mother's cholesterol-hack recipe:
30 cloves garlic (peeled)
5 diced fresh lemons (not peeled)
Mince all this in blender, bring mixture to the boil in 1 litre of water
and then immediately remove from heat.
Strain , let it cool and bottle it. Keep in fridge.Take daily dose of 30ml, either before or after main meal of the day.
Do this for 3 weeks.
Then have a break of 8 days before starting a 2nd round of 3 weeks.Repeat the whole deal once a year.
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Capture: Two Tales of a City, in reply to Gudrun Gisela,
Neat. The waiting now.
