Gardening tots

I think you all know by now that Edible likes to do what it can to promote sustainable living and all that is associated with it. So while I was in Waitrose the other day I picked up a leaflet that caught me eye and followed the link on it.

Basically, the Royal Horticultural Society has teamed up with Waitrose on a campaign to promote gardening in schools. In a world of convenience food and over pasckaged, over processed foods, I think it's extremely important that children are taught how to grow their own food.

Brighton and Hove have approximately 5 schools taking part in the scheme and we really hope to see more getting involved too. We throroughly recommend getting registered and reading more about the scheme. Visit the RHS website here

Pork and cider hotpot

Here at Edible, we try and research as much as possible. So in the name of research, I found myself in possession of a load of root vegetables and some pork. Once they'd been photographed I wondered what I could do with them (you'll have to wait until the summer issue is out to see why). That's when I spotted the cider in the fridge. 


This recipe is so simple and you can do whatever you like with it. Maybe you want to cut some apple and pop it in. 


I basically browned some halved onions, 2 leeks, 2 larges carrots and a small butternut squash with 400g diced pork. I then stuck it all in the slow cooker with some stock and half a bottle of cider. I then added some thyme and garlic and cooked for 5 hours. You can do this in a casserole dish too on a low oven heat, reduce the cooking time to 2 hours though. 


My suggestion for serving? With buttery celeriac mash. Perfect for rainy days like today. 

Indian food. Proper, like.

SUBJI  (sub-jee) n.

1. The Punjabi term for curry

2. Applicable to vegetarian and meat dishes.

3. Makes your life better, no need for bland takeaways

4. A perfect cooking experience with Subji San.

We all like Indian Food don’t we? Curry, whatever you want to call it, has become a part of the British culinary blueprint. It’s become our second nature and accessible to most. Did you know that most of the Indian restaurants up and down the country mainly focus on Punjabi food? It’s become the most accessible of the various cuisines from the Indian sub-continent and a part of our national identity.

That's where Subji comes in - their ethos is simple; to show you the value in cooking Indian food the way it’s meant to be cooked.  They enable you to gain the skills to cook authentic Indian food in your own home without all the fuss. Simple. You don’t need to go to a restaurant, and you certainly don’t need to get that takeaway.

The dishes available to learn from Subji are traditional and home-based. Most of them you’ll recognise, but a lot you won’t – but their approach remains simple. To strip away the unnecessary restaurant veneer and show you how Indian food is meant to be cooked. You’ll still find a Korma in the Subji archive but cooked the way it’s meant to be. Trust us, once you’ve begun making it yourself you’ll never look at an Indian takeaway in the same way.

What do I get?

All your classes include comprehensive tuition, your ingredients (if you don’t decide to provide your own*), and a copy of the recipe. Learn all about the specific ingredients, how combinations work and the skills to understand each stage of the cooking process. They appreciate in this day in age we're all more food aware and more experimental; so you may have most of the spices already / or prefer to buy certain fresh produce inline with your own budget and beliefs.

*That's why Subji offer 2 different prices; one where you provide the ingredients; the other where you leave it to us. 

Subji have kindly shared this Black Eyed Pea Subji recipe with the Edible blog readers as an example of the kind of food you'll learn to cook and master. 

Ingredients (for 4 People)

Vegetable Oil

1 medium red onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed.

2-3 inch piece of ginger peeled and grated.

3 green chillies, finely chopped (include the seeds)

1 tin of chopped tomatoes, or fresh chopped equivalent

1 teaspoon of crushed cumin seeds

2 tins of black-eyed peas, drained (or 1 cup dried equivalent, soaked overnight in boiling water drained and then simmered in fresh water for approx 45 minutes). Just use the tins eh?!

2 cups water

1 teaspoon Turmeric

1.5 teaspoons of ground Coriander

1.5 teaspoons of ground Cumin

2 tablespoons of Garam Masala

1 tablespoon of Salt.

2/3 teaspoon of Pepper

1 small handful of fresh chopped Coriander

Juice of 1 lemon. 

Method

In 2 tablespoons of oil, gently fry the onion, garlic, ginger and chillies together with the cumin seeds for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add the tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes, then add the Turmeric, ground Coriander, ground Cumin, Garam Masala and Salt. Cook out the spices for a good 5-7 minutes.

Add the black eyed peas and the 2 cups of water; and gently simmer for about 20 minutes until the sauce has reduced by a 3rd and is thickened. Finally add the fresh coriander leaves and the lemon juice and serve.


You can learn more about Subji over at their website

Down to a tea

A few years ago I did a very long and quite gruelling nutrition course. While on the course I became rather obsessed about the food I was eating, what I was drinking, my caffeine intake, blah blah blah. I was partial to a good 4 or 5 cups of very strong, black filter coffee and it became quite apparent that this wasn't in my best interests. So I gave it up. Cue two very uncomfortable weeks as my body went through 'the healing crisis'. 


Anyhoo, I also gave up alcohol and sugar at the same time. This made the pub pretty much unbearable unless they did a good line in herbal teas. We all know there are a whole load of rather nasty herbal teas out there (Twinings, I'm looking at you) and I have become quite an expert on the subject. In fact, should you need to know where in Brighton does a good herbal, you'll do worse than ask me. 


I'm back on the alcohol now so pubs aren't a problem though I do have a problem with cafes and coffee shops being unable to serve good tea. 


Enter Teapigs. I'm not sure how they're doing in but they seem to be managing to get around. I'm certainly not complaining though. Teapigs make the best herbal teas this side of... well, anywhere. Full, whole leaf teas that are strong, ethical and damn nice. 


I'm particularly partial to their liquorice and peppermint tea - it's sweet yet minty and perfect for mornings or just after lunch to satisfy a sweet craving. Liquorice is very good for stress too, especially is the form it comes in these amazing dome bags. The plain peppermint is a winner too - peppermint is perfect for settling the stomach so if you've eaten too much or feel a bit bloated from that doorstep sarnie you couldn't resist, get on it. 


I've taken to buying in bulk off their website - it works out a lot cheaper as the tea isn't cheap. But let's all refer back to that old saying 'you get what you pay for'. 


You can buy Teapigs in a few places around town, including Temptation and Cream Tea opposite the dome booking office. You can also get it straight from the Teapig website, as well as a load of information on tea. 

A Druid Always Drinks Sensibly

The Druids Arms is not just a party pub. Many a night I have spent there, drinking Sambuca whilst talking to strangers into the wee hours. And enjoy it as I do I have recently discovered that there is more to be had here than merely booze.

The pub (and I have to say, gratefully, that it is a pub rather than a bar which Brighton is being infested with) has changing faces throughout the night, aided by the food served there. In the early evening Pokky’s Thai Kitchen fills every corner with mouth-watering smells of lemongrass and lime. Steaming plates are carried to tables by Pokky himself with drinkers peering in envy. The erudite food and light chat and banter pairing perfectly. At 10pm, just as the evening is being diluted into shots and giggles, a quick change occurs; drinkers oblivious. Now it’s the turn of the naughty little brother to feed the Druid’s masses – Olly and Benton. With a list of burgers as long as a very long thing they cater to every taste, if you like burgers this is the place for you, and hey, at 1am, after a few jars who doesn’t like/need/crave a burger?!

I tasted and tested both out just for you lucky Edible readers, really, it’s a hard job but someone’s gotta do it.

Pokky’s Thai Kitchen (Mon – Fri 5pm – 10pm, Sat 3pm – 10pm. Starters £3.25/£3.50, mixed starters £6.50/£7.50, soup £4.50, mains and noodles £5.95)

Ok, so Thai food is everywhere these days. Well, yes, it is, but not Thai food that is this good and has this much love and care put into it. Pokky has been serving food in The Druids for the last two and a half years and never disappoints. The menu is straightforward with all of the usual suspects appearing and main dishes are available with tofu, chicken, prawn, pork, beef or duck.

We had the mixed starter, which, at £7.50 is a friggin’ steal. The meaty bites were thoughtfully arranged on one side and the veggie bites on the opposite side. As you can see in the photo the portions are generous and three yummy dips come with it. The sweetcorn cakes were the star for me, whilst meaty mate loved the small spicy meatballs which didn’t seem to appear on the menu as a starter on it’s own. Despite the batter and deep-frying nothing tasted oily and, although filling, it didn’t feel heavy.

For the mains we had Tofu Massuman Curry with coconut rice and Noodles with Chilli and Duck. My curry dish came with lots of tofu and fresh, crisp vegetables. It packed a slight chilli kick made smooth with a creamy coconut milk. The noodle dish had tasty strips of duck and a barrage of complimentary flavours in every mouthful. And, yet again, it wasn’t oily or heavy; although after this and the mixed starter I was feeling slightly more rotund than when I entered!

I have heard rumblings that food from Laos (which Wikipedia has just told me is called Laotian cuisine) may also be available soon if punters are up for it. Count me in!!

Olly and Benton’s Burgers (Mon – Fri 10pm – 1am, Sat – 3am. Prices from £2.90 - £4.50, sides from £1.50 } these prices may change when the boys reopen)

Olly, Benton and their waiter are always on hand to discuss your burger choices and very happy to do so. We made use of this invaluable service (well, it is a big decision!) and we were extremely satisfied with their recommendations for our own particular burger preferences. The list of burgers can be daunting and, with no description of the burger, just a catchy name, it can also be bewildering. However, the result is a personal burger-consultation.

The menu does cater for every taste, onion, tomato and gherkin are optional and cheese can be added. The sides are the standard but ever-pleasing fries and onion rings. An array of sauces are also available. The veggie burger I went for, well, actually, it’s vegan, was the mushroom burger with gherkin. It was mouthwateringly delicious, I wanted another one immediately after I had finished it. Paired with the onion rings my belly was very content, perhaps a little over-content! Meaty mate went for a beef burger with blue cheese. From the enthusiastic mumblings that came from his burger-filled gob he was also delighted with the fare.

As you can see in the pic the burgers arrive in cute little boxes, which are all made from recycled material and then recycled again.

The burger boys are taking a wee break whist they re-jig the menu, the launch party on 15th February, will, I’m hoping, be resplendent with foot-high trays of burgers being waitered around, now that’s an alternative Ferrero Rocher advert I wanna see!

Feta Stuffed Burgers

It's a familiar scene for everyone - peering into the fridge only to be uninspired, to the freezer to be even less inspired, to the cupboard, er, yeah, don't even go there. Back to the fridge - mince! Feta! Surely I can do something with them?

Burgers it was. The mince, cayenne pepper, chopped garlic, soy sauce, nutmeg and some breadcrumbs all went into a bowl and in went my hands. I mixed it all together and shaped as many burgers as the mix would allow. Then I pushed a couple of large cubes of feta into each and sealed by pressing the meat over the hole.

I flash fried the burgers in a hot pan on each side for a minute each and then grilled until cooked.

Serve with whatever you want, I had coleslaw and grilled tomatoes. Mmmmmmmm!

This is not a recipe.

It’s a solution. The problem? The after-dinner sugar craving. After every evening meal my body has a desperate need for a dessert. And, as I sit there (watching The Soprano’s which really doesn’t help as, in every other scene, the characters eat yet another plate of Italian scrumminess) all I can think about is what pudding I can have. However, like many of you I am health- and weight- conscious which makes desserts a tricky, and guilt-ridden, area. The following recipe is healthy, quick and cheap to make and, I think, delicious. It’s probably good for kids too, but as I don’t have kids I didn’t have any of the wee ones to try it out on. And my cat turned up his nose to it. Enjoy.

1 tsp orange juice (fresh is better if you have it)

2 tsp agave nectar or honey

pinch of ground ginger

pinch of ground cinnamon

2 tbsp roughly chopped dates

2 tbsp roughly chopped walnuts

2 tbsp roughly chopped brazil nuts

a few linseeds

Mix the orange juice, agave or honey and spices together. Combine with the dates and nuts. Scatter the linseeds on top. It’s that simple – another reason why I can’t really call this one a recipe!