Indian
These stuffed baby aubergines are as delicious as they look, and are succulent in a dry coconut based curry sauce.
The asfoetida is key here, and although it seems like a lot (and yes, it’s smelly!), the flavour dissipates throughout the dish and doesn’t overpower at all.
African
Gorgeous bright green fritters, the spinach really shines here. We have a sweet old lady who sells fresh spinach in the main road of grahamstown, so we often find ourselves with lots of Swiss chard and no idea what to do with it 🙂
You can totally leave out the fish if you want a vegetarian option, or just feel like something cleaner 🙂
European
I just adore baby fennel (and in fact, fennel bulb in general) – this recipe takes most of its flavour from the fennel, with very little else to confuse it.
Can obviously be made with cream, if you want it richer and easier to do, just leave out the flour. We don’t usually have cream, so this is our mid-week alternative and it’s fairly close (and much healthier)!
European
Let me start out by saying that this recipe contains pretty much all of my favourite ingredients, and is stunning.
It is also very adaptable, so feel free to chop and change according to what you have in your cupboards.
Southeast Asia
This is the stock standard thai curry base that we use for our thai curries, with a few variations.
The soy lecithin is a wonderful ingredient to play with in the kitchen, its an emulsifier, which means it helps fats and water to stay blended in a sauce without splitting out. You can get it in health food sections of most big supermarkets, or with the baking goodies at your local health shop.
Making your own coconut milk is so easy and so delicious, we never buy canned coconut milk anymore.
Middle east
Harissa, tomatoes, lentils, yoghurt… These are ingredients that fill me with excitement whenever we decide to cook with them. Simple, cheap, unpretentious, they shine if you give them a chance.
This recipe is adapted from a wonderful book by Diana Henry called Crazy water, pickled lemons – grab it if you see a copy, its very exciting.
This pilau (or pilaf) makes a wonderful vegetarian main course, served with some socca and hummus, or as a side to a sunday roast.
The harissa recipe I’ve used here isn’t spicy at all, but feel free to beef it up if you like a bit more oomph.
European
Cooked and chilled cucumber soup has long been a summer favourite of ours, served cold outside in the garden.
This version is fantastic – we love the bite of the chilli, the cool creaminess of the milk, the freshness of the cucumber and herbs, and the steamed peas add substance and texture and bring it all together beautifully.