Allotment `Ital-style' Stew
Feb. 22nd, 2021 07:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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cookbook_challenge.
Another entry from the Autumn to Winter section of the Restore cookbook by Gizzi Erskine.
4 tbsp Oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 head of garlic, cloves peeled
5cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
2x400ml tins coconut milk
1 tbsp sea salt flakes
2 Scotch Bonnet chillies
2 tbsp rehydrated and strained block tamarind
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp muscovado sugar
For the Spice Mix
2 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp ground cumin or cumin seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
6 green cardamom pods
4 cloves or pinch of ground cloves
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground turmeric
pinch of ground allspice
1 whole nutmeg grated
For the Veggies
1 potato, peeled and roughly chopped
1 peeled carrot, kept whole
250g sweet potato, peeled and cut into large chunks
400g deseeded pumpkin or squash, cut into 6 slices (skin on)
large bunch of thyme twigs
1 large courgette, roughly chopped
6 spring onions, cut into 5cm lengths
150g dried chickpeas, soaked and cooked until soft but firm
300g flat beans, cut into 5cm lengths
handful of coriander leaves, to serve
1. Caramelise the onion then fry with the garlic and ginger for 5 minutes
2. Grind spices to a powder. Fry in the pan with the onion for a couple of minutes before adding the coconut milk, salt, chillies, tamarind, lemon and sugar.
3. Add potato and simmer for 5 minutes. Add carrot and sweet potato and simmer for 5 minutes. Add pumpkin and thyme, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add courgette, spring onions, chickpeas and bean, re-cover and simmer for a further 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow to stew for 5 minutes.
Mistakes, Changes and Substitutions
I only cooked half quantities and intentionally used tinned chickpeas and pre-made tamarind paste. I knew we had no fenugreek, but was surprised to discover that spousal enthusiasm had also cleaned out the ground ginger and turmeric. I cut the carrot into chunks because I feared that otherwise there would be fighting over it. I cut some thyme from the garden but it looked sufficiently sorry for itself that the spouse thew it away thinking I'd already used it. I used butternut squash instead of pumpkin and peas instead of flat beans. I don't think any of this made a substantial difference to the result.
Verdict
It's difficult to write comparatively about hotness. This recipe was just on the right side of "too hot" for me, which I know is hotter than many people like, but the spouse has a higher tolerance - even so he clearly had no intention of fishing out the Scotch Bonnet and eating it whole which I've seen him do with other chilli varieties in other recipes. As a meat eater, I missed that extra flavour that can come from long-stewed meat, but as veggie stews go this tasted good and had a pleasant kick for those of us who don't mind some spiciness.
cookbook_challenge.Another entry from the Autumn to Winter section of the Restore cookbook by Gizzi Erskine.
4 tbsp Oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 head of garlic, cloves peeled
5cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
2x400ml tins coconut milk
1 tbsp sea salt flakes
2 Scotch Bonnet chillies
2 tbsp rehydrated and strained block tamarind
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp muscovado sugar
For the Spice Mix
2 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp ground cumin or cumin seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
6 green cardamom pods
4 cloves or pinch of ground cloves
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground turmeric
pinch of ground allspice
1 whole nutmeg grated
For the Veggies
1 potato, peeled and roughly chopped
1 peeled carrot, kept whole
250g sweet potato, peeled and cut into large chunks
400g deseeded pumpkin or squash, cut into 6 slices (skin on)
large bunch of thyme twigs
1 large courgette, roughly chopped
6 spring onions, cut into 5cm lengths
150g dried chickpeas, soaked and cooked until soft but firm
300g flat beans, cut into 5cm lengths
handful of coriander leaves, to serve
1. Caramelise the onion then fry with the garlic and ginger for 5 minutes
2. Grind spices to a powder. Fry in the pan with the onion for a couple of minutes before adding the coconut milk, salt, chillies, tamarind, lemon and sugar.
3. Add potato and simmer for 5 minutes. Add carrot and sweet potato and simmer for 5 minutes. Add pumpkin and thyme, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add courgette, spring onions, chickpeas and bean, re-cover and simmer for a further 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow to stew for 5 minutes.
Mistakes, Changes and Substitutions
I only cooked half quantities and intentionally used tinned chickpeas and pre-made tamarind paste. I knew we had no fenugreek, but was surprised to discover that spousal enthusiasm had also cleaned out the ground ginger and turmeric. I cut the carrot into chunks because I feared that otherwise there would be fighting over it. I cut some thyme from the garden but it looked sufficiently sorry for itself that the spouse thew it away thinking I'd already used it. I used butternut squash instead of pumpkin and peas instead of flat beans. I don't think any of this made a substantial difference to the result.
Verdict
It's difficult to write comparatively about hotness. This recipe was just on the right side of "too hot" for me, which I know is hotter than many people like, but the spouse has a higher tolerance - even so he clearly had no intention of fishing out the Scotch Bonnet and eating it whole which I've seen him do with other chilli varieties in other recipes. As a meat eater, I missed that extra flavour that can come from long-stewed meat, but as veggie stews go this tasted good and had a pleasant kick for those of us who don't mind some spiciness.