This is as basic as I get! I would usually add freshly chopped tomatoes but Kaye demanded faff-free guac for you all, and her wish is my command! Even this unfussy version is about a hundred times better than the awful shop-bought green mush she used to eat.
Author: Chef M
In Kolkata there is a restaurant called Kasturi that has no menu. The chef there cooks some of the best food I’ve had, and always serves this pineapple and ginger chutney to boot. It really does go with anything – I’ve eaten it with fish, meat and dosas, and it makes a wonderful sandwich filling with Cheddar, ham or fish.
This is a very clever chutney. It’s essentially a powder which you bring to life by adding it to equal parts oil, then mixing it all up. It’s got a deeply savoury toasted chickpea flavour and is hot without being ear-tinglingly so. It’s usually eaten with dosas or mixed in with rice. I like to sprinkle the powder over green beans, or drizzle the chutney over hot pillowy naan bread.
If you see French sweet onions (Roscoffs, ideally) in the shops or online, snap them up. They’re naturally sugary and need only a little heat to make them agreeable to eat. That said, here their cut faces are given more than a little, as they’re left to blacken fully in a hot pan. During that time, the rest of the onion softens just enough and then, when it is pushed apart, you’re left with the prettiest of charred, tender, sweet petals, which cup cooling cubes of cucumber and a nutty, sharp dressing. The whole thing is reminiscent of lip-puckering pomegranate…
For those of us accustomed to finding raw spring onions harsh and astringent in a green salad (and discarding them upon discovery), it might be a surprise to find that these alliums can also make a gentle, soft and warming side. When braised, as in this recipe, their inner cores become tender and sweet and resemble cooked leeks or Spanish calçots. White fish, chicken and lamb are particularly big fans. You’ll get the best results from generously bulbed and thick-stemmed onions, especially the purple-tinged ones if you can find them. A mass of thin salad onions is okay too, though.…
Have you ever Googled how to make real hollandaise? It’s rich on rich on rich! Rather than relying on butter and egg yolks for fat and flavor, I make the base with lean, mean almonds. You’re definitely serving it with the Tofu Benny, but it’s also a classic pairing with grilled asparagus or other green veggies.
These baked Swiss dumplings with a cabbage filling go well in a lunch box but are also fit for a party. They taste different but just as good without Salsiz or bacon. Try serving with a fresh salad for a great lunch.