Favorite vegetarian dishes

[Âme]

 I like the sound of that, Fridgeman. Will give it a go.

Like you, I'm not too worried about poisoning myself with veg... everything in moderation, and that includes books on nutrition. ;)

Here's one of my favourite comfort foods:

Steamed kale (or spinach) and mashed potatoes mixed together with olive oil, salt, pepper, freshly grated nutmeg and a few toasted pine nuts on top. Miam, miam!

[Gardengirl]

One of my favourite easy comfort standbys is baked potato with the middle scooped out, mashed up with some grated cheese, butter (or alternative) and a little milk mashed together. Replace in potato shell and grill lightly. Delicious, and vanquishes all sorts of problems for me!

I'll have to try that kale recipe, which sounds delicious. I'm a recent convert to kale, having been told how good it is for the eyes; I'd just been diagnosed with an early form of macular degeneration, so cheesy baked potato was needed in quantity, plus lots of rose wine and bars of Cadbury's wholenut chocolate - not at the same time though! Anyway, I already loved broccoli and sprouts, but had never really tried kale - it's very tasty! [:)]

[Théière]

[quote user="Dog"]

Théière you have to follow your own path.

I cannot tread the path for you.

Tinned Patra is fine as a treat.

Grand Frais where selling malanga leaves today so you could make some fresh.

 

[/quote]

Fresh malanga leaves, that's better and the turkish shop had fresh tamarind and at at a very reasonable price I thought.

I feel another curry is due this week Fridgeman, thank you again.

 

[mint]

Did, in fact, cook veg curry last night.  And deffo NOT sloppy.  Could be because I don't use tinned or curry pastes or sauces.

I use groundnut oil, fresh ginger (when I have it or ground if not), sometimes a few dry chilli flakes (OH doesn't like it hot), crushed coriander seeds and those fragrant pods whose name I cannot now remember (!), ground turmeric, ground cumin, ground sweet parika and loads of garam masala (my absolute favourite), lemon juice.

As fridgeman has said, don't burn the spices, just cook them and the intensity of the flavours is pure heaven.

[Âme]

Sweet, those pods... cardamom?

[mint]

Yes, Ame, I remembered it this afternoon but was out walking the dog and couldn't rush back here to say what they were!

Do you think I am really going senile?[;-)]

[Fridgeman]

Sweet .......how can you not have fresh ginger !!!!

next time you buy some buy 3 times the amount you normally do, use what you need that day put rest in plastic bag and pop in freezer, next time you need it, take a piece out and grate off what you need ( the skin will be separate from the ginger ) and replace in freezer, use grated ginger as you would fresh, now you will never be without fresh ginger and what a difference it makes.

[Théière]

Don't freeze the root, grow it and have your own ginger plants

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/grapevine/herb-bed/grow-your-own-ginger-challenge-part-2-a_41922.html

[Fridgeman]

Hi T & all

have tried growing ginger does OK to start but then dies off, great success with chillies though, had 12 plants last year all the same type, this year have at least 20 plants 5 different types so should be interesting one of them blows your head off so can't wait for that one as I've only used it dried, got hold of some fresh tumeric (now in freezer) what a difference in taste much sweeter, coriander is doing well but could really do with some sun, pak choie (spelling) is sprouting so should be OK there, my bean sprouts are sprouting well too.

[mint]

Wow, good gardener as well as good cook then, Fridgeman.

Have never thought of turmeric as something that you could get fresh.  Does it come in the form of seeds like coriander?

Ginger, yes that's the one ingredient that I really miss in its fresh form.  And before anyone tells me you could buy it at Intermarché, I must emphasise that I don't mean that dried up stringy stuff they sell.  I mean the plump, hardly fibrous tuba that you buy maybe in the corner Middle Eastern shop.

BTW, has anyone tried growing okra (ladies fingers)?

[Gardengirl]

Should that be womens' fingers, Sweet?  [:)]

[mint]

I ain't no lady, you understand, GG.  I love eating things like chips, drumsticks, pizzas with fingers:  so, yes, perhaps women's fingers would be more appropriate![:)][:P]

[Dog]

We are growing Ladies Fingers - Okra - Gumbos -  this year they are now 6 inches tall so half full size.

[Fridgeman]

Hi sweet

tumeric is a tuba, looks like a skinny ginger only a dirty yellow, ginger in our intermarché is fine, why not try another supermarket? like I said buy loads and freeze it, never thought about ladies fingers, mmmm might try then

[Théière]

[quote user="Dog"]We are growing Ladies Fingers - Okra - Gumbos -  this year they are now 6 inches tall so half full size.[/quote]

Is this some stem cell research you doing?

[mint]

[quote user="Théière"]

[quote user="Dog"]We are growing Ladies Fingers - Okra - Gumbos -  this year they are now 6 inches tall so half full size.[/quote]

Is this some stem cell research you doing?

[/quote]

Giggles!!!

Fridgeman, don't you find that when you thaw out fresh ginger, it kinda comes out in a grey, mushy mess and all the juice seems to separate from the flesh?[:(]

[Fridgeman]

Sweet, no not really as I use it straight away from frozen, I aways grate it from frozen the flesh is inside the grater and the skin on the outside then into the pan so the juice does not get a chance to seperate, same with the chillies out of freezer chopped into pan, you will never beat fresh but frozen is not far behnd, we do the same with herbs, off the plant into freezer within minutes so when used just llike fresh but they MUST be dry when you freeze them otherwise they stick together and you want them seperate.

[Fridgeman]

Hey sweet, I've just remembered you where having trouble with your quiche's "burnt tops" I believe, any improvement??

[Dog]

[quote user="sweet 17"]I ain't no lady, you understand, GG.  I love eating things like chips, drumsticks, pizzas with fingers:  so, yes, perhaps women's fingers would be more appropriate![:)][:P][/quote]

Have you tried cassava ?- roasted or deep fried it's delish especially with a spicy tandoori or tamarind sauce.

Roast potatoes can be added to curries for extra texture and are also good tandooried.

[mint]

Yeah, Fridgeman, last few quiches have been fine.  But, I did use some of the tips given on that thread.  For example, I now pre-bake at a lower temperature and usually on a lower shelf.

Then, instead of milk for the filling, I use crème fraîche (spelling?) as per Frenchie's advice.

Wish I could do just the once -bake method but that doesn't seem to work out so well for me.

If only the weather warms up a bit, I'd be baking all sorts of quiches for picnics!

Listen, Teapot and Chancer, quiches are wonderful if you don't mind cheese (not sure if you can get vegetarian cheese in France).  In the summer, ratatouille quiche is the ultimate....yum, miam.....

[Théière]

[quote user="sweet 17"]

Listen, Teapot and Chancer, quiches are wonderful if you don't mind cheese (not sure if you can get vegetarian cheese in France).  In the summer, ratatouille quiche is the ultimate....yum, miam.....

[/quote]

I used to make (what I considered to be a very good quiche), maybe you can help with an answer to this;

Visited a welsh cheese producer who said they don't use animal rennet any more too many regulations so its a vegetable/chemical solution that's commonly used these days. Any thoughts?

Not that I'm that bothered about conventional cheese using rennet anyway.

[Fridgeman]

Sweet, I thought you liked me :(

"Hi Sweet

I think you will never have a soggy bottom again....................................

I always used creme fraiche NEVER milk....................try it, I think you will be pleasantly surprised."

my post to you in the "quiche burt tops" thread

Why can't you do the once-bake method I do and no soggy bottoms or burnt tops!!!!

just a thought what is your pastry mix? (exactly)

how long and what temp are you baking at?

[mint]

Up to recently, I have been using a recipe very well loved on here a couple of years ago.  I always call it Teamed-Up's pastry because that was the name of the person who gave it to us.

Use flour (I use plain) 8 oz with 3 oz butter and then half of a tub of 250G mascapone.  No milk, no water, just mix together.

Recently, I have found the pastry made like that a bit too rich for quiches and now I use 6 oz plain flour with 3 oz butter and mix to stiff dough with cold water.

Bake lined with foil and ceramic beads at 170 for approx 20 minutes.  Then cool, usually then paint with beaten egg or sometimes with a good, strong mustard (depends on the filling)

Once filled, back in oven at same temp until risen, bubbling and attractively brown.

Don't have a bakestone so couldn't try Gengulphus' suggestion of using that and baking only once.

Tried using a heavy duty baking well heated tray under the quiche but bottom still soggy.  Couldn't seem to get that crisp base without baking twice.

Do love using the crème fraiche as per your instructions.  Oh, and I also use only the freshest, free-range eggs from my friend's chickens.

I think the tins I use are 10-inch ones.  What I now do is I overlap the tin, as another poster suggested, and I cut off the edges afterwards.

Must say the quiches really do look fantastic and I get OH to admire them extravagantly before I'd allow him a slice!

[Fridgeman]

Hi Sweet......have sent PM

[Théière]

[quote user="sweet 17"]

Must say the quiches really do look fantastic and I get OH to admire them extravagantly before I'd allow him a slice!

[/quote]

Ya little tease [:D]