Recipes

Thanks, Soo, blimey, I actually have all these ingredients! Might try it tonight.

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I don’t use fennel seeds in them, Janie, as they are tasty enough without.

Soo xx

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But I have fennel seeds, surely I now have to use them!

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I wouldn’t try to stop you, Janie! With fennel seeds, the recipe goes well with salmon, I think.

Soo xx

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Oh, there’s an idea. We usually have salmon on Tuesdays as it happens!

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'Twas meant to be.

Soo xx

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Well, I did it, sort of. Overdid the garlic, overdid the oil, overcooked the potatoes. But it dd go well with the salmon (Friday, not Tuesday) including the fennel seeds.

Soo, would you recommend floury or waxy potatoes? The latter seem to go to mush a bit quickly if you don’t watch them, my mistake. Might try baking potatoes next time.

Anyhow, ginger, garlic, turmeric, cayenne, what’s not to like?

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I’m glad you gave them a go, Janie. I like Jersey Royals, in particular, but use anything available (not baking pots, thus far).

Soo xx

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My instinct would be to go for waxy over floury. And to par- rather than fully boil them, to cool quickly in cold water and to refrigerate before peeling and frying.

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I’ll do that next time, thanks, Gus. What happened was I turned the heat off and forgot them. They were pretty mushy by the time I rescued them!

I also might try grating the garlic by hand because the mini food processor needed quite a bit of whizzing and even then it wasn’t as fine a result as I get from my ceramic grater. It does a really good job, though ginger is a bit more of a challenge.
It looks like this: Garlic grater

So basically I’ll do it again, Soo, but do everything differently! More ginger, less garlic, less cayenne, less oil and don’t forget to rescue the potatoes. I wonder what the equivalent of Jersey Royals would be. I’m trying to find out, but not sure. There’s Yukon Gold, maybe.

Why wouldn’t you use floury, Gus? We get good Russets here, they make good fries and are good for baking or roasting. Perhaps it’s the parboiling that is key to using waxy.

Anyhow, thanks you two!

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I use a stick blender for the ginger/garlic/spice paste, Janie. The reason I prefer waxy potatoes for this is because the paste sticks to the surface better, I think. I share Gus’ parboiling/cooling and peeling method.

Soo xx

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Well, I would if those were what were in the cupboard! But waxy are less likely to disintegrate when being moved about quite a bit in the pan - this recipe treats spuds a lot more roughly than making chips with them would.

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Fair enough, Gus, good point.

Soo, I have a stick blender, but wouldn’t the bits fly all over the place?What do you use as a container? Perhaps you have one with a tiny cup that fits over the blades.

To answer my own question (you’re probably in bed): this is my stick blender: Vida Paderno Stick Blender

I used the bowl thingie, like a mini-processor, on the left, I should have used the tall mug thingy on the right and plunged the stick blender in. Would that be similar to what you do with yours?

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Yes. I use our stick blender in a pyrex jug. No bits flying all over the place, here :grinning:

Soo xx

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Mine didn’t come with accessories either, but has a separate potato-mashing head.
I use Pyrex jugs too.

I do have one of the garlic grater plates too, & they are very good.

Carinthia. xx

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Thanks, all! I’ll report back on my next attempt.

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I use conchiglie. Apologies if I’ve posted this before.

Soo xx

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I think you might have done but it doesn’t matter. A good reminder of a delicious sounding thing

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:grinning:

That’s good. Once a week, on average, we have a pasta dish and this one is one of my favourites. Very simple, so much more than the sum of its parts…yup - I’ve definitely posted this before.

Soo xx

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Have I ever posted this one? It’s what we are having this evening, and relies on not-too-falling-apart and yet ripe avocados tunring up in Lidl:

Recipe for 15-Minute Creamy Avocado Pasta

Vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, refined sugar-free, soy-free
Creamy, thick, and rich with lots of garlic flavour and a hint of lemon.

Ingredients:
9 ounces (255 g) uncooked pasta (use gluten-free, if desired) or 1-2 medium zucchini (if making zoodles, see tip)
1 to 2 cloves garlic, to taste
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, plus more for serving
1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, to taste
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more if needed
1 ripe medium avocado, pitted
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon (1 to 2 ml) fine-grain sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Lemon zest, for serving

Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package. For a lighter option, serve the avocado sauce with zucchini noodles.
While the pasta cooks, make the sauce: In a food processor, combine the garlic and basil and pulse to mince.
Add the lemon juice, oil, avocado flesh, and 1 tablespoon water and process until smooth, stopping to scrape down the bowl as needed. If the sauce is too thick, add a bit more oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Drain the pasta and place it back in the pot. Add the avocado sauce and stir until combined. You can gently rewarm the pasta if it has cooled slightly, or simply serve it at room temperature.
Top with lemon zest, pepper, and fresh basil leaves, if desired.

Tips:

Because avocados oxidize quickly after you slice them, this sauce is best served immediately. If you do have leftover sauce, transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 day.
For a grain-free version, serve this avocado sauce with spiralized or julienned zucchini or on a bed of spaghetti squash.

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