Page 38 - ALG Issue 1 2020

members articles
A no recipe approach to cooking
I am not a chef or nutritionist, just a woman who cooks and has a lifelong interest in the effect food can have on health and wellbeing. I have always tried to grow as much as possible of our own fruit and vegetables, mostly for the fun of it.
Recipes just do not work for me. I sometimes read them out of interest and occasionally glean ideas to try myself, but the whole notion of choosing a recipe, buying the ingredients and following the instructions is, in my view, unsustainable. It must inevitably lead
to a lot of wasted food because you will never be able to buy the exact amount in the recipe. Worse still, people are put off cooking something because they lack one ingredient but do not have the confidence to substitute. I prefer to see what looks good in the supermarket or on the allotment, bring it home and put it in the dinner.
As the seasons go by, I return home from the allotment with a larger
or smaller variety and quantity of vegetables. The challenge for me is to make meals with them and keep the shopping to a minimum. For this reason, I prefer to develop failsafe methods rather than recipes. This style of cooking becomes an act of creativity, much
more art than science, and obviously more interesting. We never have the same meal twice as the ingredients are always changing with the weather and seasons. My methods have evolved to take account of the many allergies we have in the family. I have to cook without gluten, dairy, tomatoes and some fruits. Chilli is off the menu, as are peanuts and seafood. If you try one of my methods, you might like to experiment with the addition of some of these.
One of my staple dinners is savoury rice. With a change of seasoning you can make it into a risotto, a paella, a biryani or jambalaya. The basic method is the same. You only need one pan, and can even cook it on a camping stove.
INGREDIENTS
• Cooking oil (whichever you prefer)
• Any assortment of vegetables
including any tired ones from the fridge, outside stalks of celery etc. Iit is best to have an onion and perhaps some garlic; I have to buy red pepper and mushrooms, but they make a great contribution to the flavour, especially if you are using nuts for protein.
• 50g of rice per person – any type
will do (if you are short of time use white rice as it will cook in under 15 minutes; I prefer to use long grain brown rice as it has more flavour but it takes about 25 minutes to cook).
• 1 stock cube
• YOUR choice of spices and seasoning
(paprika is good for paella, garam masala for an Asian flavour and lovely warm smell, Mediterranean herbs for risotto, soy sauce if you are going Chinese, chilli for a Mexican zing).
• YOUR choice of protein (cooked beans or chickpeas, cooked chicken pieces, nuts – cashews work really well, grilled sausages, bacon pieces, prawns... whatever you like really, as long as it is cooked through properly).
METHOD
Chop the vegetables. If you are using white rice, they need to be cut into smaller pieces so they cook more quickly.
Heat the oil in a deep frying pan or large saucepan. Add the onion, garlic and tougher vegetables and sweat them on a low
heat. When the onions soften, add the rest of the vegetables and continue to fry them for about 10 minutes on a low heat.
One of my staple dinners is savoury rice. With a change of seasoning you can make it into a risotto, a paella, a biryani or jambalaya
Rinse the rice and add it to the pan. Let it brown off a bit in the hot oil for about 3 minutes. If you are using nuts, add them now.
Dissolve the stock cube in boiling water. You need about a pint per 100g of rice, a bit less if you are going to put tomatoes in. Add enough stock to cover the vegetables and rice, bring it to the boil and then turn the heat down to allow a gentle simmer. If you are using herbs, add them now.
At this stage you have to keep watch, stirring frequently and adding more liquid as the rice absorbs it. You may need to add some water.
Stir in your chosen protein.
Keep checking to see if the rice is cooked through. This is the time to add your chosen seasoning. For 100g of rice you need 3tsps of paprika OR garam masala OR a tablespoon of soy sauce OR a pinch of chilli powder. When the rice is nearly cooked you might like
to add (not essential) coconut milk or cream – not too soon though as it can stop the rice absorbing the liquid. A risotto especially benefits from cream.
When the rice is soft, it is time to eat.
The permutations are endless.
Jill White, Sturry Road Allotments, Canterbury
38 Allotment and Leisure Gardener