All That I'm Eating

Recipe ideas for budget meals, everyday cooking and a little indulgence. Travel inspiration and restaurant reviews too.

Carrot and Orange Gazpacho

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carrots for gazpacho
Apart from the occasional carrot cake or carrot salad I rarely have opportunity to make the carrot the star of the show. Carrots tend to make an appearance in the vegetable box but this time, instead of stored carrots from last year I had the first spring carrots. Thin and still slightly muddy with great green fronds, these carrots couldn’t simply be added to a stew. I had never made a cold soup before; I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about it. Was it going to feel like a soup that had been left in the bowl too long or was it going to be more like a vegetable smoothie? What if there were all sorts of unwanted lumpy bits and it looked like wallpaper paste? There was much ooh-ing and aah-ing as I tried to work out how best to juice a carrot. It turns out all the deliberation was worth it, carrot gazpacho is in a soup league of its own. You will need (for two):

  • 500g carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 1/4 red pepper, chopped
  • 2 spring onions, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1/4 cucumber, peeled and chopped
  • Few sprigs coriander, chopped
  • 2-3 tbsp orange juice
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • white wine vinegar
  • salt and pepper
    • read more

    Purple Sprouting Broccoli and Mixed Mushroom Risotto

    By 13 Comments

    Broccoli
    I do like purple sprouting broccoli. It seems less like broccoli than a standard green tree and so I feel I should pay it extra care and attention. As much as I enjoy a stem or two on the side of the plate sometimes I want it to be the star attraction. There was a lot of purple sprouting broccoli to get through; a whole bag full in fact from the veg box. One of the reasons I like purple sprouting so much is that it signals the start of Spring. Along with rhubarb, when you see the purple tipped stems standing proud you know it’s only a matter of time until ‘the other stuff’ starts appearing; asparagus, beans, fruits, tomatoes and all sorts of other treats.  

    An Italian deli has recently opened up nearby and I am lucky to have access to many interesting ingredients that I didn’t before. This also means I have another local shop to happily support and one of the many reasons for returning is their mushrooms. Similar to mushrooms you can buy in a jar but you don’t pay for oil you don’t use. You get all different sorts of mushrooms in a light oil with herbs and a slightly acidic taste. These earthy mushrooms would make a brilliant partner for my sweet broccoli to top a white risotto. read more

    Kohlrabi and Carrot Salad with Broccoli Stir Fry

    By 19 Comments

    Kohlrabi, carrots and broccoli
    I get a seasonal vegetable box delivered. I like it because it forces me to try new vegetables and recipes to make the most out of what I have. I shouldn’t admit it but I’m going to: there are some vegetables I could live without. It’s terrible I know but I could happily frolic through life without missing celery or leeks. There are also some vegetables that I adore for a short time but when they turn up in my fridge over and over again I’m tempted to put them on the compost. There’s only so much cabbage a person can eat without genuine fear of becoming a brassica. This recipe was devised because of the cornucopia of vegetables residing in the fridge. You know it’s time to use up as many as possible when you can no longer close the door. 

    Kohlrabi was the most intriguing vegetable of the lot; it looks a bit like an octopus. Dinner was to be designed around a loving partnership of kohlrabi and carrot.  Toasting sesame seeds is one of my favourite smells.

    For two people:

    For the carrot and kohlrabi salad:

    • a quarter of a kohlrabi, peeled and julienned
    • three small carrots, peeled and julienned
    • 1 tbsp sesame oil
    • 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
    • 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
    • black pepper  
    • 2 tbsp of toasted black sesame seeds

    For the broccoli stir fry:

    • Handful purple sprouting broccoli, woody ends removed and chopped
    • 1 large red onion, sliced
    • 2 garlic cloves, sliced
    • 1 sachet miso soup
    • 1 tbsp soy sauce
    • 1tbsp sweet chilli sauce
    • Oil for frying
    • 2 noodle nests

    I always remove the ends of the purple sprouting broccoli as I can find them to be a bit woody. You could leave the broccoli stalks in their entirety but they might be a tad tricky to consume gracefully at the table. read more

    Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Garlic Infused Olive Oil and Parmesan Pasta

    By 18 Comments

    Purple sprouting broccoli has to be one of my favourite vegetables. Its arrival on my plate with the warmer weather tells me that in a few weeks time I will be enjoying asparagus. It’s delicate appearance and slightly sweet taste is brilliant with so many foods. I like mine nice and simple; with copious amounts of garlic infused oil and coronary shattering piles of Parmesan.  read more

    Boeuf Bourguignon with Dauphinoise and Purple Sprouting Broccoli

    By 12 Comments

    Boeuf Bourguignon ingredients
    Beautiful, traditional and French; a perfect meal for Valentine’s Day. This one’s a winner because the bottle of wine you need for the boeuf bourguignon you can then drink with the meal or yourself during the preparation as a reward for all your hard work. Being a slow cooking dish means once it’s on the go you don’t need to worry about it and you can get on with other things. If that wasn’t enough, it’s also incredible and actually quite cheap. 

    Preparing the meat can be as difficult or easy as you like. Valentine’s Day brings out our flirtatious side and, not that I would advocate it of course, projecting a little of this new found eyelash fluttering on your butcher may result in your chosen cut being prepared for you. I’m not sure it would work with your greengrocer though. I used brisket for mine which needed a fair bit of trimming and preparing but I quite like doing that. read more

    Beetroot and Goat’s Cheese Risotto

    By 21 Comments

    This is the first of a three part post for Valentine’s Day. It’s designed to be seasonal, sumptuous, divine and stress free. The quantities are meant for two. The dessert is one that can be prepared in advance and kept in the fridge; the main is meant for long cooking so you have ample time to make the simple starter. All this spare time means you’re not rushing around desperately trying find that Barry White CD at the last minute. After all, it’s your Valentine’s dinner too. read more

    Onion Squash and Blue Cheese Risotto

    By 18 Comments

    What is it about a squash that makes you warm from the inside out as you enjoy its beautiful sweet flesh. It could be the bright orange colour, a welcome sight amidst all the greens and browns of autumn. It could be the way it goes with pretty much everything: it can be soup, stew, curry, pudding; the list is endless, although I’ve not heard of anyone making squash gin or squash vodka. I had heard that the onion squash was the nicest of all the squashes as it has the most flavour. For me I think it is the sweetest and brightest of the lot. read more

    Broad Bean, Bacon and New Potato Salad

    By 8 Comments

    Broad Beans in the pod
    I planted my own broad beans back in February full of anticipation and excitement for that day when I could finally snap the pods from the plant, lightly cook them and enjoy them just as they are. To say I was jealous of the broad beans at the farmers’ market is an understatement. I couldn’t possibly buy any and cheat on my home grown ones…could I?  Some of my broad beans are at the mangetout stage and I enjoy the occasional one immensely straight from the plant. They’ve a bit more growing to do before I can make my broad bean houmous. Until then the big, fat, shiny green beans from the farmers’ market will keep me going. To make the most of the seasonal ingredients available I cooked up this broad bean, bacon and new potato salad.

    One of my favourite things is popping the broad beans out of their fluffy pods. I love the smell. I used around 20 pods if not a few more to get enough beans for this meal. The more the merrier I say.

    Ingredients

    You will need (for two):

    • Around 20 broad bean pods
    • 4 rashers bacon
    • 10-12 new potatoes, peeled and quartered (or halved depending on the size)
    • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
    • Fresh herbs, small amounts of each (I used chives and mint), chopped
    • Salt and pepper
    • 1 small garlic clove, crushed

    Method

    Remove the broad beans from their pods and boil them in salted water for about 4 minutes. 

    Keep the water and then boil the potatoes until soft. Drain and put to one side.

    When the beans have cooled you can begin one of the most satisfying pursuits imaginable. Squeeze the beans out of their grey, papery cases. Some will come out easily with just a small pinch whereas some require the insertion of a fingernail to get things moving.  read more

    Aubergine Curry

    By 10 Comments

    Spice mix for curry
    Every time I have attempted to make a curry I have always been disappointed. I had almost given up when I got a craving for aubergines and a desire for spice. This turned out to be a subtle and fragrant aubergine curry rather than a powerful and punchy dish. At the market there is a kind man who sells all the spices you could ever need. I purchased what I knew; coriander, cardamom, cumin, mustard and turmeric. I have since been back and purchased an awful lot more. I’m a bit of an onion fiend. If I had my way and the smell was tolerable for everyone else I’d happily munch through one like an apple. However as this might be considered unusual I try to cram as many onions into my food as possible. Some recipes call for a can of tomatoes but I wanted more texture and decided to use both fresh and tinned. Sometimes tomato seeds can add a nice bit of acidity to a meal but some meals are better without them. I used to read recipes that said to remove the seeds from the tomatoes and it filled me with dread. I persevered and having now mastered tomato seed removal I have to say it can be done in no time at all. Don’t get all caught up in appearance is my advice and forget any equipment, your hands are the best tools for the job.

    Ingredients

    You will need (for five to six large portions):

    • 1/2 a teaspoon each of cardamom, mustard seeds, cumin and turmeric
    • 1 teaspoon of coriander seeds 
    • salt and pepper 
    • 2 large aubergines, in roughly chopped
    • 4 onions, sliced
    • 4 large garlic cloves
    • Oil for frying
    • 4 tomatoes, seeds removed and quartered
    • 1 tin tomatoes
    • 2 chillies, sliced (add more or less depending on how hot you like it)
    • 1 tin coconut milk
    • 300ml vegetable stock
    • Large handful coriander, roughly chopped

    Method

    Add all the spices and salt and pepper to a pestle and mortar and grind them up. The smell is so fresh.

    I have a real aversion to soggy, slimy, sloppy aubergines and so to prevent my distress I always cook them separately first. In this case I griddled them to give them a characteristic smoky flavour. Don’t add oil to the aubergine, I find the oil soaks in too much. I have found that for some recipes soaking the aubergines in salt is absolutely necessary but in this recipe, not so much. 

    Sweat the onion and garlic in a little oil until they look fairly sumptuous and then add the spices. Stir until your nostrils are dancing. read more

    Purple Carrot Soup

    By 9 Comments

    ingredients for purple carrot soup
    Wandering around a market with cash and a cornucopia of fruit and vegetables it’s hard to resist buying. I made a most excellent choice as far as I’m concerned and parted with my pennies in exchange for a majestic purple carrot. For something that I find as rarely as this I wanted to make the most of it without detracting from the magnificent root itself. Carrot soup was to be lunch.

    Ingredients

    What you will need (for two bowls):

    • 2 large carrots (2 purple if you can get them)
    • Butter
    • Chicken or vegetable stock 400ml
    • Garlic clove
    • Coriander seeds 1tsp
    • Fresh coriander
    • Creme fraiche
    • Seasoning

    Method

    If you ever manage to get hold of these little beauties, my advice would be to never boil them. Not only does it turn everything else a strange browny purple colour it also takes all the colour out of the carrots.

    As I only had change for the one purple carrot I added an orange one too. For the soup, fry the carrots and garlic in a nice hearty sized knob of butter. Put the lid on them and let them soften.

    While they do this, dry fry a teaspoon of coriander seeds until they jump around the frying pan and are good and toasted. read more


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