Food

Thanks. Apparently even a microwave will do. Gochujang is on the way!

Homemade kimchi is so good. You want to get Gochugaru which is the red pepper that flavours Gochujang and if you can get some I'd recommend the Korean fish sauce which has a different flavour to the more common Thai version. With the runner beans I think it would come out great!

The vermicelli rice is delicious - and it doesn't really count as double because you only have the portion size you'd have if it was just rice.

The Egyptian dish Kushari is similar - except there you get lentils as well!

I have had one just coming up to a year, still really good, tiny bit of sticking when cooking scrambled eggs in a small section where the side meets the base but not really an issue. Old house mate slightly abused it, I’d say still 9.5/10 non-stick.

@dancing james @Tijmen

Re ravioli:

I don't have a recipe book to recommend, but here is my simple concept for coming up with new recipes, as well as a few I've done before.

Approach: use a light, rather bland, cheese, such as ricotta, add some vegetables, better if lightly cooked and squeezed of as much liquid as possible, add seasoning and herbs, again, nothing overpowering, but nutmeg should always be there. Whiz in a food processor without overdoing it. The sauce should complement the taste of the stuffing, or be light to not interfere.

Some past noteworthy combinations:

• Spinach and ricotta: this is the simplest and most common of the stuffings, it helps if you can source quality ricotta. You can use frozen spinach leaf, sautéed with a crushed garlic clove to dehydrate them (garlic to be removed before blending). Simply season with nutmeg, salt and pepper. A simple sauce of shallots, tomato sauce and a few basil leaves to appreciate at best.

• Squash and potatoes: boil some potatoes and roast a diced squash or pumpkin, add thyme, nutmeg, salt and pepper. It's important the squash looses as much water as possible. Wiz all together (no cheese needed here). A shallot, blue cheese and walnut sauce (with/without cream) would be best.

• Seafood: this could work with different types of seafood, I did it with Salmon, but would work well with prawns or cod. Sauté the seafood with shallots, then wiz with ricotta, salt, pepper and nutmeg. A sauce of shallots, carrots and courgettes would work well with this, you can blend 50% of the sauce to make it creamy if you want. (A squid ink dough works well also visually as opposed to the pink of the salmon).

A sage and butter sauce is always an option to avoid overpowering the taste of the stuffing.

This is purely anecdotal on my part but I've made a few ferments this year using mainly the Sandor Katz book as inspiration. I haven't sterilised a single jar etc, just a simple wash in the sink. I've not had any issues with mould etc. Sandor also advocates for not needing to sterilise vessels in the book.

Add to the list Pumpkin and amaretti (tortellini)

Good home cooking day. Calamaris for the kids then moules and home made bread for the big uns.

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Correct butter to bread ratio

So much mopping, delish...

I've stumbled on a delicious pickled cabbage recipe... I used to make a lightly pickled onion salad to go with curry, sliced onion, vinegar and sugar, leave for half an hour and serve, delicious and cuts through a rich gravy really well...

I can't eat onions anymore (reflux, FML) so I've had to mix things up a bit... Try this, it's wonderful...

Thinly slice some red cabbage then in another bowl mix a cup of apple cider vinegar with a tablespoon of sugar, a teaspoon each of whole cumin, fennel and mustard seeds... Add a pinch or two of salt to finish, it really brings out the sweetness... Mix well with the cabbage, leave overnight (it's so much better the next day tho' it does work after sitting for a half hour)...

I love it, give it a go... Halfway through my lunch pic attached...

I love how the mustard seeds get rehydrated and swollen with vegetable juice, vegan caviar, anyone? 🏌🏻

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Looks good. Big fan of red cabbage (usually apple and sultana).
Cheated through lockdown with pickled red cabbage, grated carrot and grated apple as a salad addition.

Yep, our house is never without a jar of pickled red cabbage. Not made by us though...

Anyone have a tested recepe for Rhubarb & beetroot chutney? Have a huge crop this year so wont to try something different.

Or actually any other rhubarb based chutneys....

Yes http://brixtonsbounty.blogspot.com/2012/06/rhubarb-chutney.html?m=1

Hiya. Can anybody help me with some veggie dinner party (hate that term but that’s what it is) menu ideas?

There’ll be six of us on Saturday. I have a nice open plan kitchen so don’t mind doing some stuff last minute but ideally it would be mostly in advance and just finishing dishes and plating stuff.

It would be nice to use some produce from my garden - I have:
Some pretty epic winter squash
Courgette
Tomatillo
Chilli
Green beans
Kohl Rabi
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Spring onions
Fresh eggs

So far I have thought of using the squash either in a kind of loose / open lasagna (handmade pasta, sans bechamel, feel I’ve read good recipes but can’t put my finger on one) or risotto with fried sage garnish.

But it’s just struck me that a Mexican vibe could work.... some kind of roast squash fajitas/burritos with tomatillo salsa ... kohl rabi slaw. not very elegant but then it’s a relaxed affair with friends

Any starter ideas?

For pud I am planning a scratch made trifle with a stewed plum base. I made it last week to rave reception so feels good to have it in the back pocket.

Sounds delicious - if you have slaw, pupusas would be a good fit.

Pupusas look yummy. But also look like a lot of last minute slaving over a smoking plancha, which I was kinda trying to avoid! Could do them in advance I guess.

Thought this would be the best place to ask. Any recommendations for induction hobs with decent controls? Or ones to steer clear of?

I'm planning to replace my ceramic hob with induction but part of the reason I want to do that is the shit controls that often don't register. I obviously don't want to switch it for an induction hob with equally shit controls.

Neff has been great so far

We have the t59tf6rno and it’s quick to boil pans of water, very responsive and I frequently use features like the flexzone

is the shit controls that often don't register.

My fingers have always been crap at getting those touch controls to register.

But recent ones that I have used (past five years) have been fine. Maybe the tech is up to scratch now.

Cheers, Neff is one I'm looking at but their crap website and lack of email address is putting me off a bit.

@mashton the ceramic hob with the shit buttons I'm replacing is pretty new which is why I'm concerned. Maybe I just have crap fingers.

Our Bosch (PUE611BB1E so bottom end of their range) is not very good at registering hands and turns off at the slightest hint of a drop of water, I'd certainly go for something with a slider per hob instead of having to select and then modify with + and - .

I’ve got a Le Creuset round casserole like below. I quite like the idea of slow cookers (ie put the ingredients in the morning and come home to something warm and tasty), but I don’t really want to buy another separate thing for the kitchen. Has anybody used a cast iron casserole dish as a slow cooker? Would this work if I bought a heating base? Or is this a terrible idea?

So, would something like this turn the above into roughly a slow cooker?

We had a shit ceramic job and the touch buttons were a nightmare as they frequently refused to respond.

The neff has functioned nearly perfectly and the touch screen has never been a problem. (about once every six months it crashes when turned on and just needs to be powered down and on again)

ive wondered whether doing this with an induction hob on low would work before.. never tried it