Crisp Days!

Who doesn't enjoy an autumnal walk, splitting conker shells to reveal their polished wooden jewels, feeling beech nuts pop beneath your feet and kicking mounds of golden, bronze and copper leaves with the inner thrill of a five year old?

This has been a particularly good Autumn with mild and dry days. Everything around us is crisp from the aforementioned leaves to the apples picked or scrumped from the trees.

Speaking of all things crisp(!) I provided friends with some bought vegetable crisps this week. Tasty shrivelled bits of beetroot, parsnip, carrot and sweet potato, they do look remarkably like eighties pot pourri! Actually in the eighties I had my first potato skins with sour cream and yes, they were actual deep fried potato peelings! Why not? All the goodness is there in the skin although now I think we would oven cook them. My mother in law used to have a crisp maker which was a slotted rack to use in the microwave and now lurks at the back of the gadget graveyard (sorry, kitchen cupboard!)

A gadget is not required. Apparently you need to slice a potato as thinly as possible (using a mandolin) then rinse and soak in water for half an hour to get rid of the starch. Pat dry with a clean cloth or kitchen roll. Deep fry in batches and drain on kitchen paper, seasoning whilst warm OR spritz with oil and bake in the oven, again adding flavour whilst warm. If using root vegetables treat the same way, omitting the destarching stage.

We have come a long way since the little blue bag of salt packets and the flavours, textures, cuts and shapes vary greatly. Bizarrely for a vegetarian, I am partial to beef and onion flavour. A good job it is only flavouring! 

 

Spot the similarity!

Don't skip a beat!

Many a time I have been red as a beetroot (probably due to all the embarrassing experiences I've encountered) and many a time I have enjoyed eating beetroot in all its forms.

In my younger days I would enjoy pickled beetroot in salads and sandwiches, delighting at how the juices would turn everything a lovely shade of pink, including fingers, lips and tongues! There's nothing wrong with that but it has much more versatility.

Beetroot is relatively easy to grow and tiny beetroot can be picked and enjoyed for their baby sweetness whilst others can be grown to full size and harvested. The double beauty of beetroot is that the leaves can be picked and eaten in salads.

There are many varieties to choose from and, as well as the velvet burgundy, they come in an array of colours including yellows and oranges and candy striped pinks. They can be eaten cooked or raw, hot or cold. The possibilities are endless.

In Hungary I enjoyed shocking pink beetroot soup where they also use beetroot to make borscht (a sour soup served in many Eastern European Jewish communities).

In Ambleside I enjoyed a colourful beetroot starter served cold.

In Harrogate I enjoyed a rich chocolate velvet cake made with ... Yes - Beetroot!

At home I roast beetroot along with butternut squash, adding pecan nuts for the last 10 mins. This is served with a tangy cheese such as feta. The following day I eat it cold from the fridge! As a starter it can be pimped up a bit with salad leaves, a mustard dressing and topped with roast vegetable crisps.

So, without beating around the bush, you just can't beat beetroot!

Hungry in Hungary!

For the first time in nearly two years I missed writing last week's post. My weekend was spent with girlfriends in Budapest, Hungary, and there was just so much to do and see (including a 10k run) that time ran out.

We stayed in Pest where the robust buildings lined streets which had seen much turmoil over the years and crossed the Danube to Buda in order to climb the hill to the castle and view Pest from a great vantage point.

Autumn had arrived with cool sunny days and chilled clear nights. Time for some comfort food. I would say that my friends enjoyed quite a lot of meat and fish dishes and my vegetarian meals were certainly different. The presentation was always immaculate and the waiting staff friendly and informative. My highlights were pea soup and beetroot soup which were both attractive and appetising.

Warm bean salad

A raw vegetable curry with coconut broth eaten in the Jewish quarter 

I would have liked Goulash but wasn't able to find a vegetarian version. I do make it at home sometimes and this is my recipe:-

Onion, carrot, cabbage, courgette, celery, potato

Vegetable/olive oil

Tinned tomatoes

Cooked kidney beans

Tomato puree

Vegetable stock

Seasoning, paprika, mixed herbs

Gently cook the vegetables before adding tomatoes, beans, puree, stock and herbs.

Simmer for approx 20 mins and check seasoning.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt.

Autumn Comfort!

The morning mist is descending, the leaves are twirling their way to the ground and the fruits are dropping from the branches. Perhaps this is the reason we refer to Autumn as Fall. Despite the sunshine today the temperatures have also dropped and, whether feeling the chill or feeling the blues, we seek comfort. This comes in many forms, including hearty and tasty food.

Today I have cooked mushroom and sage gnocchi. It's earthy and fulfilling and even my non-vegetarian husband enjoyed the meatless meatiness of the mushrooms.

2 echalion (banana) shallots

300g mixed mushrooms

8 sage leaves

100g dry white wine

400g gnocchi 

100g butter

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

Use 50g butter to slowly cook finely chopped shallots. 

Add finely chopped mushrooms.

When browned add wine and chopped sage (reserving some), bubble and reduce.

Put to keep warm.

Melt 50g butter and fry gnocchi until browned.

Combine with the mushroom mixture and season.

Fry a few sage leaves in oil as a garnish if required.

 

Hopefully there will be another glass or two of wine left in the bottle for you to do a cheers to the funghis (fun guys) past and present who have made our worlds a little brighter.