hot red epic

I started reading Rebecca May Johnson’s Small Fires: An Epic in the Kitchen while I was alone in the house for a few days, with only my own appetite and whims to cater to.

One night, I cooked the hot red epic as Johnson calls it (p.89) - the recipe she cooked a thousand times, the recipe whose origins she is determined to discern but which prove murky. The recipe that made her think about what it means to make a recipe over and over, to “put your own spin on it”, and how recipes are affected by their historical context, their ‘source text’, the material circumstances that produced them, their language, their authorship. How a recipe can be a “siren-text, an ‘I’ that also speaks as ‘we’ and ‘they’ and ‘you’.” (p.97).

I was surprised that the hot red epic was just a simple tomato pasta sauce. But, as with all simple things, deceptive.

I didn’t have enough olive oil. Once it was cooked, served and tasted, I found I needed some capers and a pinch of chilli flakes for it to go from “fine” to something more interesting. Was it my supermarket own brand tomatoes, that still said Italian on the label? Should I have gone for the posher ones? I wrote this isn’t something I could see getting obsessed with in my journal as the saucepan soaked.

But the next day, I recalled the thin slices of garlic, the tomatoes, the richness of the (barely two tablespoons, as that’s all I had left) olive oil and yes, now I could see why one would want to perfect it. The simple things often elude us.

Three nights later, I was alone for dinner again, and I saw the homegrown garlic bulbs I had dug out of the garden drying on the kitchen window sill. The jar of living basil next to them. Another can of plum tomatoes in the pantry. Suddenly, all I wanted was to cook the hot red epic again. It was a siren call.

This time, it was undoubtedly richer and more unctuous as I used the full six tablespoons of olive oil. Though it was now a little too on the oily side for me. And I still needed the punchy tang of capers.

This should be the end of it, I wrote.

But no.

I still have garlic, basil, tomatoes and I’m going to make it again, this funny thing that’s wormed its way into my brain somehow, that good cook should have decent tomato sauce in their repertoire. I will try again. I will challenge myself to eat it without capers.

Finally, I see why Johnson was so compelled to keep trying this recipe again and again, a thousand times, and then wondered about everything that lay underneath it. How it became a hot red epic.

Why do we cook? is the question Johnson seems to be asking throughout the book and I liked how she tried to answer it.

I can feel myself getting slightly obsessed

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homemade tahini muesli bars

My friend the GP reminded me of these a few weeks ago when she asked if I still had the recipe - I used to make these when we worked in the same office in London and breakfast at my desk was a regular occurrence (as I rarely feel like eating before 9am). I had not made them for well over 10 years and now I’ve made them again, I’m not sure why…they’re the perfect portable breakfast.

These brought back lots of happy memories of sharing them and working with my dear friend who I miss very much but am grateful to still be in touch with all these years later. These are for you, Zana!

homemade tahini muesli bars

Originally published on the ye olde blog skinnylattestrikesback.com! With a few 2023 additions.

Date mixture:
85g (1/2 cup) dried dates, diced
120ml (1/2 cup) water
120g (1/2 cup) tahini

420g (3 cups) toasted muesli (I like Carman’s or Arnold’s Farm - in the UK I quite liked Sainsbury’s Own) - with or without dried fruit, as per your preference
60g (1/4 cup) wholemeal plain flour
60g (1/4 cup) pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
A drizzle or two of maple syrup (or honey if you aren’t vegan)

Lightly coat a lamington tray or a 9”x9” baking pan with cooking spray, line with baking paper and set aside. Preheat oven to 180 C.

Prepare the date mixture: Place the dates and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for about five minutes, stirring occasionally, until the dates are soft. The mixture will be thick. Allow to cool. Add the tahini and set aside.

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Add the date mixture and a few drizzles of maple syrup (according to taste). Add a bit more tahini or water if it’s too thick or a bit more muesli if it’s too wet. It should be like Anzac biscuit mixture (or, in the UK, like flapjack mixture).

Mix to combine and press into the baking pan.

Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes - keep an eye on it and don’t let the top burn.

Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars. Cut them as big or as small as you like - mine are on the bigger side because they are a desk breakfast and need to keep me going until lunchtime. And they do!

As it’s summer here, I’ve been keeping these in the fridge so they remain chewy but they’re also perfectly fine stored in an airtight container in the pantry.

Enjoy as they are or crumbled over yoghurt, for breakfast or a healthy snack.

silken tofu summer breakfast bowl

This is the most heavenly breakfast on a baking hot summer’s morning, particularly if you’ve just been a for a run or walk and need both protein and to cool down!

Silken tofu is the secret ingredient here, which results in a delicious and protein-rich alternative to yoghurt. You can load up your bowl with seasonal fruits and granola/muesli/seeds as you like. I tend to do a combination of both, as you can see.

The strawberries and blueberries are all homegrown, by the way!

Silken tofu summer breakfast bowls

Serves 2

1 x 300g pack of silken tofu (I tend to use Woolworths Macro brand)
150g frozen bananas
150g other frozen fruit (I most often use mango, blueberries and strawberries, but sometimes I’ve used apricots, pineapple and cherries. Alternatively just use 300g frozen bananas + handful of fresh fruit )
A handful of fresh fruit - optional - I usually put in a handful of fresh blueberries or strawberries from the garden that are fine to eat but a little wart-like in appearance
20g peanut or almond butter
Fresh seasonal fruit, to serve
Muesli, granola or nut/seed mix, to serve

It couldn’t be simpler - but you will need a powerful blender for this recipe, something that can basically crush ice. I’ve not tried it in my food processor but I can imagine it would produce similar results, you might just have to pause and scrape down the sides. My blender came with a special prodding stick, so you can “stir” the mixture as it blends, if anything gets stuck (and it usually does).

Open and carefully drain the excess liquid away from your silken tofu. Don’t worry if there’s still a little bit. Once you’ve done this you can either invert it on to a plate, or leave it in the container (which is what I do!), and use a small sharp knife to cut the tofu into rough cubes.

Place the silken tofu cubes in the blender first, and then add the rest of the ingredients. Adding the tofu first really helps the mixture blend better, as it turns to liquid that then draws all the other ingredients in!

If you have a digital scale, it’s even easier. I just place the empty blender jug on the scale, add the silken tofu, then reset the scale to zero and add the rest of the ingredients.

A note on the fruit: use whatever you’ve got and enjoy the combination of. It’s important that at least half the mixture is frozen fruit, as the more frozen fruit you use the thicker it will be (and I like it thick so I mostly use all frozen fruit with a bit of fresh as an extra). I only tend to buy frozen fruit when it’s on special, as it’s quite expensive these days. When bananas are in season and cheap, I buy several kilograms and freeze them. That way, I always have some frozen fruit on hand for a smoothie or for this breakfast bowl.

Place the lid on and blend until the ingredients become a thick smooth mixture, a bit like soft ice cream. If you have a prodding stick, like me, you can keep the blender running and prod the pesky bits from the sides (but be careful!). Otherwise, pause and scrape down the sides of the blender as needed. If it’s not blending, stop, and rearrange the ingredients, maybe add a touch of water or soy milk. As mentioned, adding the tofu first seems to avoid this.

Stop once everything is well combined and there are no remaining chunks of unblended frozen fruit. Keep an eye on it because if you like it thick, you’ll want to stop once everything is blended - the longer you blend, it will lose its thickness.

Once ready, pour (with the assistance of a spoon/spatula) into two waiting bowls (which you could also have chilling in the freezer, if it’s a particularly hot day).

Scatter the top with fresh seasonal fruit and muesli/granola/nuts/seeds. Eat!

Best enjoyed sitting in your garden in the sun, soaking up the delicious headiness of summer. Memories of winter porridge will feel very distant indeed.

And I promise you, you can’t taste the tofu!

vegan gingerbread truffles

I made these as gifts for our clients, neighbours, friends and family at Christmas and they were a HIT!

I was inspired by this Fix and Fogg recipe, whose nut butters I’m a huge recent fan of, but I had some Biscoff spread I wanted to use up, to make these slightly more indulgent for Christmas. I had planned to make the entire recipe with Biscoff but ended up not having enough, so made up the difference with peanut and almond butters (I’ve written the recipe as 50/50 but my batch was more like 60/40). As long as you have 2 cups in total of spreads (you can use all the same one if you prefer), that should be fine! They still managed to taste pretty healthy though (to my mind!). This is also the perfect opportunity to use up any special Christmas pudding/cake spice mixes you might have lying around. Anything cinnamon-based will be delicious here.

Everyone loved these truffles and I will be making them again for a healthy(ish) treat to have around the house for the rest of the summer going into autumn. I highly recommend keeping them in the freezer if it’s warm where you are, as they do grow soft quite quickly!

Vegan gingerbread truffles

Makes between 45-50 truffles, depending on size! I got 48.

1 cup medjool or dried dates + boiling water to cover
2 cups rolled oats
3 tablespoons pumpkin seeds (pepitas) or pistachios, (optional, they just look lovely!)
1 teaspoon sea salt
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon or a Christmas/pumpkin pie spice blend you might have (I had some Gewurzhaus St Nicholas Spekulaas which was really delicious here!)
3 teaspoons ground ginger (you could up it to 4 teaspoons if you want a strong ginger flavour)
1 cup Biscoff spread
1 cup other nut butter (I used a mixture of almond and peanut)
2 tablespoons molasses or black treacle (molasses is a great iron source!)
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Coating:

200g dark chocolate 
5 tablespoons coconut oil
A sprinkling of demerara sugar (optional)

Soak the dates in boiling water for five to ten minutes until softened. 

Place the oats, pumpkin seeds/pistachios (if using), salt and spices in a food processor and pulse for about 20 seconds until combined.

Drain the dates and add them to the food processor together with the spreads, molasses, water and vanilla. Process again until well combined, pausing to scrape down the sides as necessary. It should be sticky and holding together well. If it’s too dry add a bit more water. If it’s too wet, you can add some ground almonds.

Roll the mixture into small balls and place on a large baking tray. Place them in the freezer for an hour to firm up.

Meanwhile, melt the dark chocolate and coconut oil together gently either in the microwave or on the stove using a heatproof bowl. Make sure it’s combined and then take it off the heat. Allow to cool only very slightly, as you need the mixture to be liquid for dipping the truffles.

Retrieve your truffle tray from the freezer. Get another empty baking tray and line it with baking paper. Using either a teaspoon or a strong toothpick/bamboo skewer, dip each truffle into the melted chocolate mixture, coating all over, then place back on the tray. Repeat until all the truffles have been dipped. The first truffles may get a more generous coating than the others, that’s just the way of things! Save those as a cook’s treat.

If liked, sprinkle the truffles with demerara sugar before the chocolate has set. Return to the freezer or fridge to set completely, at least overnight but ideally for a few days before you need them.

Enjoy straight from the fridge or freezer, all year round! Perfect to serve with coffee, in the morning or after dinner.

how 2023 feels, so far

Provence? No, Tasmania!

Busy, yet peaceful.

Strong, yet gentle.

Scary, yet also eager to see if I/we can pull it off.

And exciting. Very exciting.

It also feels like heat - the long-awaited summer sun that coaxes the garden into bloom and dries laundry in less than an hour, the towels crispy in the hot air.

And like softness, stroking my sleepy niece’s hair as I read her a bedtime story. Like fresh sheets, no need for the duvet. Like warm sand on the beach that we escape to on the really hot days, throw ourselves into the ocean, revelling in our weightlessness. Like placing my head on my husband’s shoulder after a long day.

And sweet, like ripe seasonal fruit cooked into jam, making my home smell like my grandparents’ did. Of passionfruit kombuchas, lychee bubble teas and lime sparkling waters. Of aromatic lillies opening, their incense-like scent and vibrant pink petals as inviting as a mouth you long to kiss.

And expansive, like the sky when we’re at the beach, peerless silky blue, like glass. Or the sky at night, where we sit outside as the barbecue cools down, mozzies be damned, and gaze in wonder at the stars, and Tom points out planets and constellations. Or the sky as viewed from the window seat on a plane to Sydney, looking down and watching the familiar patchwork of green, mustard and brown fields transform into a glittering city, and how the heart lifted on seeing those fields again on the flight home.

And surprising. In my garden, I have had some unexpected and delightful flowerings. Seeds I don’t remember planting, or that have found their own way into the soil, have sprung up and surprise crops of potatoes, tomatoes and pumpkins are abundant and everywhere.

A good omen, I think. This year, bring on the surprise crops. Bring on joy.