FOOD PAIRING: NORI SEAWEED

References: ºThe Art and Science of Foodpairing: 10,000 Flavour Matches That Will Transform the Way You Eat – Peter Coucquyt, Bernard Lahousse, Johan Langenbick
ºThe Flavour Thesaurus – Niki Segnit

Simple supper ideas for peas

Peas should be the star ingredient. Sweet and mellow jewels.

 

Peas are spring’s favourite bouncy balls. There are many dishes to create during the season using peas as the star ingredient.

Here are a few ideas:

  • Shrimp, radishes and peas in a parsley-infused olive oil
  • Simple peas with shallots, olive oil  and mint
  • Pea soup with crispy bacon on top – Blend together Chicken stock, peas, onions and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Pasta with peas and parmesan
  • Pasta with peas and a coriander spinach sauce made with lemon juice, cashews, garlic powder and salt.
  • Crab or white fish cakes with peas and tomatoes.
  • Peas with jamón serrano and thinly sliced onions

How are you cooking your peas?

Many ways to radishes

Pretty raw red radishes are crunchy and hot but cooked or pickled become very versatile.

Radishes are in season! Spring has sprung and radishes are here to give our dishes crunch and freshness.

They can be used in many different ways:

  • Lentil, avocado, radish, and watermelon salad? Add some red onion and some feta cheese and drizzle a Dijon mustard, honey, and lemon juice dressing.
  • Avocado toast with sliced radishes, raw spinach and freshly cracked pepper.
  • Roasted potatoes and radishes with lamb chops. Add some pepper and rosemary
  • Pico de Gallo with Radishes. Chop tomato, onion, and fresh coriander. Slice very thinly the radishes and mix all together with lime juice and salt.
  • Add radishes to your stock – chicken. beef or veggie stock.
  • White bean,  radish and pesto salad. Add a lemony dressing on top.

 

Green Smoothie

A healthy, delicious, super nutritious smoothie to balance life.

 

Simply blend everything together.

Broccoli Soup

You will use all the broccoli including the stems. Zero food waste!

 

Cut all the broccoli, including the stems. Add the to a pot and fill with water. Add onions, garlic and fresh coriander. Add salt and pepper.

Bring to a simmer, until the broccoli is cooked.

Blend the soup and add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and some toasted sunflower seeds.

Hibiscus Poached Pears

Delicate mouthfuls of luxurious smooth and melt-in-your-mouth pears.

 

Bring the water to a boil, add hibiscus flowers, honey and salt, stirring until honey dissolves. Let the water with the flowers boil for 5 minutes. Turn the heat off and add peppercorns, cinnamon stick, and orange juice. Cover and steep 10 minutes.

 

Peel pears, leaving stems intact. Add pears to pan. Add 1 to 2 cups of water to just cover pears, if needed.

 

Bring to a boil over medium-high. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 1 hour or until pears are tender.

 

Strain poaching liquid over a bowl, reserving 2 cups poaching liquid. Bring 2 cups poaching liquid to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high; cook 20 minutes or until reduced to 1/2 cup syrup.

Serve the pears with the syrup on top.

JALAPEÑO PAIRINGS

Natives from Mexico. They have a medium-high spiciness.

They can be used fresh, raw, broiled or pickled.

JALAPEÑO PAIRINGS:

VEGETABLES:

  • Ancho Chiles
  • Arugula
  • Butternut Squash
  • Cabbage
  • Corn
  • Green onion
  • Green Bell Peppers
  • Lettuce
  • Onions
  • Peas
  • Poblano Peppers
  • Radishes
  • Red onion
  • Red Bell Peppers
  • Tomatillos
  • Scallions
  • Sweet Potatoes
  • Zucchinis

FRUITS:

  • Avocado
  • Lime
  • Mangoes
  • Peach
  • Pineapple
  • Tomatoes
  • Strawberries
  • Watermelon

HERBS & SPICES:

  • Allspice
  • Cardamom
  • Chili Powder
  • Coriander/cilantro
  • Cumin
  • Curry Powder
  • Garlic
  • Oregano
  • Smoked Paprika
  • Turmeric

NUTS & SEEDS: 

  • Cashews
  • Peanuts
  • Pumpkin Seeds

MEAT & DAIRY:

  • Brisket
  • Cheddar Cheese
  • Chicken
  • Chorizo
  • Ground Meat
  • Monterey Jack Cheese
  • Pork
  • Sour Cream
  • Turkey

FISH & SHELLFISH:

  • Anchovies
  • Clams
  • Crab
  • Scallops
  • Shrimp
  • White fish

OTHER:

  • Brown Rice
  • Black Bean
  • Corn Tortillas
  • Dijon Mustard
  • Fish Sauce
  • Flour tortillas
  • Olive Oil
  • Peanut Butter
  • Pinto Beans
  • Quinoa
  • Sesame Oil
  • Tofu

 

Orange, Grapefruit, Pomegranate Salad with mint and basil

Simple, delicious, vibrant salad to be enjoyed in solitude or shared with others.

This salad is as simple as it can be, but the flavours are fantastic.

Simple slice the orange and grapefruit, and add the pomegranate seeds.

Chop the Basil and Mint together to create an interesting aromatic and top the fruit with them. Mix well and enjoy!

Mushroom, corn tacos

Tacos – a wonderfully messy and nourishing indulgence, made vegan.

This is one recipe that you can assemble with leftovers from the week.m

The most important thing is to season every layer properly. First, cook the mushrooms with chopped onions and salt. I like to cook them to the point they are golden and crispy.

Then cook the spinach with chopped onion and garlic, ones cooked make a cashew sauce and mix it in the spinach.

Cook the corn in the oven. If you have it available, buy the corn raw, wash it and spread it with a mix of olive oil, garlic granules, lime juice and salt.  Bake until golden.

Make the beans prior, if you can’t you can use from a jar, but rinse them first and then season and heat them with chopped onion, and little bit of salt.

Raw Red onion in lime juice is a perfect addition of crunch and acidity to your tacos, and of course, chopped coriander.

Assemble your tacos with all the toppings and enjoy!

 

Sushi

How to Make Sushi Rolls and Perfect Sushi Rice .

 

First, start with SHORT GRAIN SUSHI RICE, but if we pay attention to the shape of the grain, we can also choose other varieties, perhaps risotto rice such as “Roma”.

Wash the rice with COLD WATER to remove any residual starch. Keep going until the water is clear.

Soak rice for 15 minutes.

Follow the rice to water ratio, which is always 1:2.

Traditional sushi has Sharizu (or vinegar seasoning) which is made with 9 parts Rice vinegar, 4 parts cane sugar, and 1 part sea salt. Cook it for 2-3 minutes in medium heat. And is added when the rice is cooked.  First mix the rice so it cools down, then add the seasoning (1 oz per every cup of rice).

Cover the rice with a damp towel. It will keep it moist and ready.

A GREAT TIP: discard the bottom layer of rice, as it is almost always dry.

HOW TO MAKE SUSHI ROLLS:

First, the nori has two sides: Smooth and Rough. The rough side will always go facing up.

Then, the rolls have three parts:

  1. Nori on the outside
  2. Rice  on the inside
  3. Fillings in the center

There are traditional rolls made with fresh fish and world-adapted options prepared with ingredients from each country to make fusions that are very interesting. How do you prepare your sushi?

  • Mexican: The use of chipotle, spicy mayonnaise, cream cheese, different chilis, jícama…
  • Italian: Prosciutto, basil, tomato, mozzarella…
  • Thai: ginger, mango, coriander, peanuts
  • Moroccan: couscous, aubergine, tahini, hummus, harissa…
  • Bahamian: Decadent Conch Sauce atop a crab stack + cream cheese roll
  • Brazilian: Salmon, cream cheese and passionfruit

Roasted Cauliflower Guacamole tacos

Roasted-crunchy cauliflower is mouthwatering, it is sexy and playful.

The idea behind this dish is to mix a now-classic with an old-time favourite: Mexican tacos.

Adding mashed avocado, even guacamole, crunchy chickpeas, fresh cilantro and a dollop of fresh cream or even greek yoghurt ( unsweetened, of course), to the fantastic roasted cauliflower is an epic meal that you will love to make. It is exciting to make and to eat.

You can either cut the cauliflower in steaks and then break apart, or do it as I like it, cut the florets into tiny florets, so the beautiful rub enters all of the cauliflower.

I like making a rub with turmeric, ground cumin, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and a squeeze of lime juice, you can even add a drizzle of maple syrup to the mix to make it exciting.

Roast in the oven at 200ºC for 20-30 minutes, until golden and crispy.

Asparagus Pairings

Asparagus pairings and how to create a recipe from scratch.

“Asparagus works well on the griddle, though I like it best when you have steamed it briefly first. It’s juicier that way, and you get smoky notes from the grill.” – Nigel Slater.

 

 

ASPARAGUS PAIRINGS: 

1. FRUITS:

  • Apple
  • Grapefruit
  • Lemon
  • Orange
  • Raisins
  • Raspberries
  • Strawberries

2.  VEGETABLES:

  • Fennel
  • Mushroom
  • Pea
  • Potato
  • Seaweed

3. HERBS AND SPICES:

  • Anise
  • Dill
  • Mint
  • Shiso leaves

4. NUTS AND SEEDS:

  • Almond
  • Peanut
  • Pinenuts
  • Walnuts

5. FISH AND SHELLFISH:

  • Oily Fish
  • Shellfish
  • White Fish

6.  MEAT AND DAIRY:

  • Bacon
  • Goat cheese
  • Hard Cheese
  • Prosciutto

7. OTHERS:

  • Chocolate
  • Eggs
  • Lavender honey
  • Truffle

 

References:

º The Art and Science of Foodpairing: 10,000 Flavour Matches That Will Transform the Way You Eat – Peter Coucquyt, Bernard Lahousse, Johan Langenbick
º The Flavor Thesaurus – Niki Segnit