Made In Spring Roath
When you step out great things happen. I stepped out to Made in Spring street feast fiesta organised by Made in Roath last Sunday for a fantastic day of food, conversations, stories and reunions.
People were sunny last Sunday, like the weather. And the Made in Spring/Made in Roath crew did a grand job getting neighbours and friends out of their houses in an intimate gathering. Thank you so much for having Lia’s Kitchen there. It’s wonderful to be part of such a great event in my neighbourhood.
Also the wonderful Helia Phoenix, a wonderful creative force with a name that sounds like sunshine, came to see us and she honoured me with an entry on the We Are Cardiff blog. It had to happen like that!
Thank you all so much for making the second Lia’s Kitchen outing a success.
I look forward to more.
Tourlou!
Spring is here! I am writing to you from one of our local cafés. Its wide French doors are open to an outdoor terrace. It’s still light and warm and a soft breeze just brought in scents of blossom (and something delicious cooking in a kitchen).
I have chosen to share with you the recipe for Tourlou, a mixed vegetable dish that tastes like spring and summer to me. A fridge chilled portion of it with some crumbled feta (surprise, surprise!) is just as nice to eat as straight after cooking or cooled to room temperature. But I’d prefer the chilled version today because it makes me think of Vourvourou, my friend Maria and resting in the shade in her company sipping a chilled beer (sigh!).
Back to cooking! Tourlou is an easy recipe and great for using a medley of vegetable. It can be a light evening dinner on its own or served with rice, a delicious side dish or alternative to salad, and a fantastic tapa or meze. And apparently Tourlou is the same as briam only it’s cooked on a hob- here’s something new for food geeks like me.
Ingredients
Serves 2 for main and more as a meze or side
1 aubergine
2 courgette
2-3 potatoes
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or crushed
1 pepper, chopped (optional)
1 carrot (optional)
200g ripe tomatoes, finely chopped or chopped in blender
OR
1 can chopped tomatoes (400g mixed weight)
Small bunch of parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp salt
½ tsp sugar
Pepper (to taste)
Olive oil
Preparation
Takes up to an hour
Wash all vegetable, peel the potatoes, and dice it all in five centimeter (large) chunks.
Sauté the onion and a pinch of salt in about two Tbsp olive oil for a couple of minutes.
Add one or two more Tbsp olive oil, the vegetable, toss and fry for about five minutes.
Add the garlic, let it fry for a minute without burning and add the tomatoes.
Add the sugar and also season with salt and pepper.
Stir well and cover.
Lower the heat and simmer for forty minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
Add the chopped parsley at the end or half way through the cooking.
Lia’s Notes:
- For a good Tourlou do not to stir during simmering to avoid breaking the vegetable as it softens.
- The tomatoes should have enough juice for all the vegetable to cook but halfway through cooking check if you need to add a couple of Tbsp of water to make sure the potatoes cook.
- Replace potatoes with other root vegetable such as parsnip if you like.
- I prefer cooking Tourlou with more aubergine and one courgette.
- Use any vegetable you like. Okra is fantastic in tourlou but might take a bit longer to cook.
- For Briam use the same ingredients, add a little bit of water and cover a baking tray with foil. Slow cook for about an hour in the oven.
I’ve cooked, I’ve sold, I’ve conquered
I usually underestimate how much work and particularly how much fun there is in doing something that I have never done before. This is exactly what happened when Lia’s Kitchen was on-tour last weekend and in preparation for the Art Carbootique on 14 April 2013 in Chapter, Cardiff. Admittedly, I tried to do so much. I arrived at the market with so many pies, too much halva, and boxes of Mexican biscuits … but somehow it all worked peeps! Everyone seemed to love it, with cards and food samples ‘going going gone’ throughout the day and the past week.
Deciding to do this was one of these ‘why not?’ moments that I absolutely love-it feels like the beginning of a journey or an adventure. Preparing was perversely exciting for the organizing geek that I am. I got tired, oh yes I did. But the satisfaction that being part of the market gave me is indescribable.
A highlight was getting the chance to cook at Thé Pot café in Cardiff and I would like to thank the wonderful Natalie who kindly let me use kitchen to prepare all the food samples. I love Natalie’s café and I think she is an astute business lady who I would be happy to work with any day of the week.
And apart from Twang! And Dan Green who helped make the recipe cards I could not have done this with without Michal Iwanowski, who apart from an endlessly creative being is a wizard in the kitchen, and my loved cousin Elpida Sarvani, who might be one of the smartest and multi-skilled persons I know. Thanks you all.
And thanks to all of you for supporting Lia’s Kitchen! Watch out, this is just the beginning…
If you are interested in getting Lia’s Kitchen Card Recipes have a look here and please get in touch at liaskitchen@gmail.com. It’s a bargain!
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- The Pot Cafe Kitchen
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- Lia’s Kitchen at Art Cabootique
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- Lia’s Kitchen at Art Cabootique
Leek is gold
It has been a cold spring in Wales but on my return from the vegetable stock exchange this morning I can say, hand-to-heart, I was hoping for a cheaper price for leek when I set out on my quest at dawn. But leek is gold and spinach is platinum it seems.
Still, final ingredient ticked off my list, I am enjoying a warm spiced apple tea surrounded by onions, leeks, and boxes of goodies with which I concoct Lia’s Kitchen food samples for sale at the Art Carbootique, Chapter Art, tomorrow (14 April 2013).
It takes preparation getting ready for a market stall and serving food, even if just samples. Food hygiene training, finding a kitchen, paperwork, beautification, set up and much more add up when you have weekends only to fit it in. It’s all fun and worth it though!
I can’t wait until tonight and Sunday morning for the part I enjoy most: The cooking!
My recipe (post) cards are in front of me. They look beautiful and include recipes for the three dishes I’ll be making.
And guess what there’s leek in one of the recipes, lots of it!
Good morning!
Mexican biscuits
These biscuits will make you dance and yelp ‘άndele άndele!’ like Speedy Gonzales!
I tasted these in Laugharne at a restaurant called the Ranch and could not wait to get back to bake.
Ingredients
Makes around 50 pieces
70gr sugar
210gr salted butter
300gr flour
100gr walnuts, coarsely ground
Zest of one orange
1 Tbsp (spiced) rum
Preparation
Keep the butter in a warm room before creaming with the sugar.
Add the walnuts, zest and rum and knead dough with your fingers.
Shape the dough in mini ovals, 3cm wide and 4cm long.
Bake in 170 Celsius/gas mark 3 to 4. The biscuits must remain pale once baked.
Cool down. Enjoy with hot chocolate, coffee or a glass of red wine.
For a different flavour try pistachio nuts with lime.
Scrambu
An alternative to scrambled eggs. It’s nice to imagine recipes for ingredients you did not know how to cook with. Scrambu has made Tofu part of our regular diet easily.
Ingredients
Serves up to 4
350gr Tofu, plain or smoked
1 onion finely chopped
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp paprika, plain or smoked
½ tsp salt
2 tsp mustard seeds
100gr baby plum or cherry tomatoes (handful)
100gr grated cheddar cheese
1 small bunch of fresh coriander or basil
Garam massala spices (optional if you are using coriander)
pepper
Oil
Preparation
Sauté the onion in a bit of oil until translucent. Season with a pinch of salt.
Add the mustard seeds until they start popping.
Add the tomatoes sliced in half or quarters and cook for a few minutes until softened.
Crumble the tofu with your hands into the mixture.
Add the turmeric and paprika and stir with a wooden spoon. Add as much turmeric as you need to make the tofu look like scramble eggs.
Cook the tofu with your spices for about five minutes. Season with the rest of your salt and pepper.
Turn the heat off and add the grated cheese. Toss until the cheese it melts nicely.
Taste and season more if required, tofu is very bland and might need more salt than you thought it does.
Be creative with your spices in tofu. You can make Indian, Thai or Italian flavoured scrambu as we do or make your own version. Coriander goes really well with garam massala spices and you can add a chilli pepper too. But the basil and tomato version is very tasty too with a pinch of cinnamon or pimento berries.
Enjoy on warm buttered toast.
Caramelised Onion, Leek and Spinach Pie
A favourite pie with a sweat and creamy twist. Makes 12 pieces.
Little Shoes of Aubergine
This is one of these dishes that I loved as a kid as much as I love it now. A true family favourite at many Greek homes around the world. Little Shoes (Papoutsakia) are a Sunday special, a holiday treat and a more indulgent version of the know Imam Bayildi.
Below is a recipe that might convince you that Little Shoes are as easy to make as lasagne, or a pasta bake, if not easier. Little shoes can easily be transformed to a vegetarian version as suggested below. If you are vegan you can remove the béchamel and still have a very tasty special dish. If you use plain wheat free flour for the béchamel you can have a dish for your wheat intolerant friends. This dish can be easily adapted to your taste and needs.
Ingredients
The little shoes
1kg medium sized Aubergines (preferably Tsakoniki akaΤσακώνικη)[1]
The Filling
500gr Quorn mince (or 700gr minced beef for a non-vegetarian version) [2]
3 small onions, finely chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped or crushed
1 cup of dry white wine
2-3 tomatoes or 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 bunch of parsley , finely chopped
The Béchamel
4 cups of milk
1 cup flour
50gr butter
1-2 eggs
Tspn ground nutmeg
1 cup of cheese (graviera or pecorino are preferable)
salt and pepper
Preparation
The Filling
Sauté the onion in a little olive oil with a pinch of salt until nearly translucent.
Add the Quorn or meat mince, season with salt and pepper and stir fry. [3]
For the Quorn mince add a little more oil so that it does not stick to the pan.
For the beef mince keep stirring so that the mince remains separated and evenly browned.
Add the wine and stir for a couple of minutes.
Add the chopped tomatoes, the garlic and the parsley, stir, cover and cook.
The filling is ready when the mince has absorbed all the liquid but is not dry.
This should take approximately half an hour for quorn and a bit longer for the meat version.
The Aubergines
Wash the aubergines, cut the stalk end off and slice in half lengthwise.
Bring a deep pot of water to the boil, add the aubergines and boil until they are slightly soft (5-10min).
Drain and cool down.
Lay in a baking tray skin down and with a sharp knife cut a cross shape in the fruit’s flesh
Pull open to create enough space for filling.
The Béchamel
Prepare the sauce whilst the sauce is still cooking and use a cooking whip for stirring [4]
Add the milk to the pan and stir in the flour making sure it is well mixed with no lumps [5].
Place on medium heat and bring to the boil stirring more as the temperature rises.
When the sauce starts simmering lower the heat, add the butter and stir continuously.
Add nutmeg, salt and better and a whipped egg.
Continue stirring on low heat until the sauce thickens.
When removed from heat keep stirring, add the grated cheese and mix well.
The baked dish
Add the filling to the aubergines evenly.
Spread the béchamel on top of the filling.
Bake in a preheated medium temperature oven until the béchamel is golden (about half an hour).
Rest and cool down for 15 minutes before serving.
Notes:
[1] 1kg of aubergines should be 5 medium pieces of the tsakoniki, flask variety. You can cook this disk with the normal aubergine but the tsakoniki variety is much nicer with this dish and cooks faster.
[1] 1kg of aubergines should be 5 medium pieces of the tsakoniki, flask variety. You can cook this disk with the normal aubergine but the tsakoniki variety is much nicer with this dish and cooks faster.
[2] 500grof quorn make more filling than 500gr of minced beef so you might be able to fill an extra pepper.
[3] You can add the Quorn mince frozen to the pan. This should take a few more minutes than when your mince is defrosted. Overall cooking with quorn should be faster than with meat at this but also the sauce cooking stages.
[4] I prefer a flexible wire whip when making béchamel and it helps avoid lumps.
[5] I used plain wheat free flour this time which was very easy to mix in the milk and made a very creamy sauce.
Is-really-a-stew! (Ishtu Keralan stew/soup)
I was in Kerala in October 2012 and it was a delight in more ways than I could ever begin to describe.
One of the reasons is of course that Keralan cuisine is at the top end of the eating experiences that India could offer you. Kerala is in some ways gourmet India, a land blessed with tropical fruits, vegetable and spices and the starting points of many trails of wealth and cultural influence. If you are a culture vulture, a foodie, and a seeker of genuine community spirit, serenity and natural diversity you should make some time to visit Keralan land.
The stew dish I am introducing today is not one I tried when in Kerala- when by the way I was delighted to wake up to savoury rice puddings with egg curry for breakfast.
I learned how to cook Istoo on my return to Wales and whilst reading Vijayan Kannampilly’s, Keralan Cookbook. It is very easy to make, it is light and nutritious, and below is my fish version of it, which I hope you enjoy.
Istoo ingredients for six
700gr white fish (skinless and bones) [1]
3-4 medium potatoes , cubed (3cm cubes)
100-150g finely chopped ginger
1-2 coarsely chopped medium onions
1 finely chopped chili pepper
1 stalk of fresh curry leaves or a handful of dried curry leaves
2-3 tbsp coconut oil or vegetable oil
250-200g spinach
2-3 tins of coconut milk
Salt and pepper (about 1 tsp each)
Preparation
Place the potatoes, ginger, onions, chili in a deep pot and add enough boiling water to cover the ingredients.
Season and simmer until the potatoes are just soft.
Add the fish cubed in big chunks, and if the fish is not covered add some more boiling water.
Simmer for another 5 minutes or until the fish is cooked.
Stir in the coconut milk, add the coconut leaves and heat to a low simmer [2].
Option: add the washed spinach leaves to the stew as you do this.
Once the stew has reached its simmer turn the heat off.
Heat the coconut separately or other oil and pour it in.
Taste and season more if necessary before serving .
Notes
[1] You can find out about what fish you should consume to minimise your impact on our sees at the Marine Conservation Society’s website: http://www.goodfishguide.co.uk/. Look for alternatives to monkfish for this stew.
[2] You can add two of the coconut milk tins and some water for a thicker stew that is not as strong in coconut flavor. Or for a more soup-like version of the stew add some three tins of coconut milk and some more water.
Lia's Kitchen 
Recipe postcards from Lia’s Kitchen
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It’s happening !
I have written my own little recipe cards and will be presenting and selling those at the Art Car Bootique at Chapter Arts Cardiff on 14 April 2013.
The cards are designed by the fantastic Mr Twang of http://twangdom.com/ , to whom I owe many thanks. You are extremely talented and intuitive with a great feel for what your client wants.
Some of the photos are by another talented artist Dan Green at dangreenphotography.com but also by moi! It’s all done in my kitchen so the food is real and all eaten soon after it’s immortalized.
If in Cardiff, Wales on 14 April drop by Chapter Arts . Meet us (me, Twang and Dan Green) and meet the recipe cards!
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This entry was posted in Comment, Greek cuisine, Recipes and tagged easy recipe gifts, Lia's kitchen cards, Recipe cards, recipe postcards.