New Tricks: Freshly Ground Iced Coffee

Recently I've been on a bit of a mission to bring lots of nice smells into the house. When you live in a basement, have a laundry space that is far away from one of the two windows, AND have a rabbit, it can be a little hard sometimes to keep things smelling, erm, fresh. One length I went to was to go on the definition of all sprees at Lush Cosmetics, which is pretty much one of my favourite shops in the world and universe. Their passionate use of fresh ingredients is not unlike my love of food, and the aromas their products emit as a consequence is really kind of heavenly. Queue a load of soaps and bathbombs dotted around the house for everyone's smelling pleasure, and a nice bit of escapism because each time you walk by, they make you feel like you're in Happy Dreamland.

Aroma Type #2 was inspired by our recent purchase, the Andrew James 4 in 1 Smoothie Maker. We were looking for an affordable blender because 1) The VT-BF wanted to start blending his own protein shakes in line with his recent health kick, and 2) I LOVE breakfast but it slows me down. I'm kind of thinking if I can whizz up some lovely fruits, oats, yoghurt and maybe even nuts in the morning I can drink one of the best breakfasts ever on the bus, whilst consuming plenty of stuff that helps to bring down my high, Diabetic cholesterol. So with that philosophy in place, there were really two more things that sold me on the reasonably priced Andrew James model: 1) it was red. Lots of things in my kitchen are red. 2) It came with a detachable GRINDER.

The grinder, not to be mistaken for a particular social media app, excited me ridiculous amounts. I've always wanted to be able to grind my own spice blends and coffee; we have a beauuutiful old coffee grinder which the VT-BF's grandmother acquired many years ago, but its grinding isn't actually all that. It's more of an aesthetic-but-completely-essential piece on the coffee table (also given to us by VT-BF-Nan).

So back to my smell mission. There is nothing more heartwrenchingly satisfying than the smell of freshly brewed coffee, and it's therefore one I wouldn't mind my house smelling of all the time. With my new grinder in place, the flat was just asking for some coffee beans that I could grind at least once a week, to re-release the aroma on a consistent basis and so smoothly eradicate any memory of damp clothing or rabbit pee.

I settled on a strength 5 Italian bean from Waitrose, and because it had been a particularly hot and tiring day (probably because I spent ages choosing the coffee bean) I excitedly came to the decision that I would ice my blend. I first became obsessed with iced coffee (just plain coffee with ice, milk or no milk, sugar if you want it but I don't - not the cream blended syruppy milkshake style things we get in all the high street chains) when I moved to Brooklyn and my soul was invaded by amazing coffee shops everywhere I explored. Having at least one iced coffee a day seemed to enlighten my life in all sorts of ways.

The instruction manual for the smoothie maker was just the kind I love - short and with big fonts. All I did to make my magic beans was pop them in the grinder cup, attach the RIGHT attachment (an area I could easily go wrong) and blend for thirty little secs. A nice little touch was that the grinder cup has a seal, so you can store whatever it is you might be grinding and keep it fresh - so I got to make wonderful hot coffee the next morning, too. To make the iced coffee, I took two big spoonfuls of my freshly ground beans and put them in a cafetiere. Treat as normal - add hot water and allow to brew. I lied earlier when I mentioned what the most heartwrenchingly satisfying thing was - because it's actually pushing down the plunger on a cafetiere. Arguments welcome.

Put a good handful of ice cubes in a cup - make sure it's heatproof! I love these glass ones - they're meant for tea, really, but whenever I need something heatproof I take advantage of their subtle gloriousness. Then just pour in the hot coffee and stir, and add milk or/and sugar if relevant. Give it a wee taste to see if it's chilled enough - just chuck some more ice cubes in if not.

Basically, I can't recommend all of the above highly enough. From choosing a bean that you think will suit you, to blitzing them up to oblivion and releasing their spellbinding smells, and then drinking your work in a way that tells you 'this is iced, so it is actually summer now', is just all the best. Seeing your coffee transform from those wholesome, nutlike beans into a mystical, silky, chocolate-coloured powder is a wonderful thing. And I'm happy to report that the house is still benefitting from the experiment. It's the most refreshing and inspiring thing to wake up and smell the coffee.

PS - here's what's next on my blitz-list. Pink peppercorns, fennel seeds and coriander seeds... my house is happy with me!

A journey to discovery: Green Harissa Leftovers Lasagne

The other week I made a Thai-style curry using a Green Harissa from Unique Foods; I don't think I emphasised how excited I was to discover this brand. I had gone into a Sainsbury's in central London for a VERY quick shop - I'd had a day that was super-long, super-stress, and the VT-BF had insisted I pick up a jar of pesto on the way home (so he could make his signature - pesto pasta). I was furious to find a complete absence of pesto as I just wanted to leave the shop and get home - and then I discovered a tiny section full of little, vibrant jars, filled with things that had glorious but natural colours: greens, reds, yellows, oranges. All of a sudden I forgot I was in Sainsbury's in London and was transported to the countries that Unique Foods seem to specialise in (seems to be predominantly Italy, but the harissa is from their Unique Arabia range). I felt like an artist who had been presented with some magical pots of paint, all unique in their own way and all with the ability to create an absolute work of art on their own.

Back to reality - I picked up the green harissa in an attempt to both salvage and re-introduce the need for that day's pesto. I was delighted with this pot, because I adore harissa - but a lot of the ones I find in the shops (I will make my own again soon) include the needless addition of my arch-enemy, Tomato, and so I'm frequently not able to use it. This green version was both safe and immensely exciting for me.

On the way to the till, I found a standard jar of pesto in the most stupid place. Transported back to my Londonny, don't-talk-to-me mood, I opted to take the pesto to give to the VT-BF to make his signature dish. I resolved to find something a bit more special to use my magical harissa for.

Obviously, the first thing I used it for was for my Thai curry, in experimental replacement of my usual, homemade paste. But I couldn't forget the original reason why I picked up and even discovered this jar - as a fiery replacement to  pesto. In my store cupboard, there were a load of lasagne sheets that have been chilling there for close to a year, which got me thinking. I love finding new ways to twist lasagnes, as they are so classicly made with tomato sauce and often meat too - two ways to completely push me away from a dish. And that is how my tale of epic discovery lead to my...

Green Harissa Leftovers Lasagne

Everything in this dish was already in my store cupboard or leftover from something else - except the cabbage. I had to buy this fresh but am thinking I can still classify it as one of my 'leftovers' inventions, as I used the other half to make a really nice stir-fry the next day, so it was a completely economical, no-waste purchase.

The herbs, garlic and obviously the harissa were from my Thai curry, I had the mascarpone in the fridge from picking it up in a 3 for 2 deal, and everything else was from the store cupboard. You should feel very free to replace the herbs with whatever you have a round, the beans with whatever happens to be sitting in your cupboard, and the cheese with a ricotta, cream or even sour cream if that's what you happen to have in the fridge at the time. It's always about making your current situation work!

1) Fry the onion gently in a little olive oil, then add the cabbage, shredded. Stir a bit and let it wilt down slightly - about 5 mins.

2) Add the garlic, beans and three quarters of the herbs to the mix. Pour over a little white wine vinegar - enough to stop the ingredients from sticking, and a bit more if you love white wine vinegar. Season as you like - white pepper is great in this.

3). Make the sauce. Very carefully, heat the mascarpone in a small saucepan, and add in the harissa. Mix well, and allow to heat very gently. No boiling!

4) At the bottom of a heatproof dish, organise your first layer of lasagne sheets. Depending on your dish, you may have to adjust the quantities slightly. Spread half of your cabbage mix over the top and try to flatten it as best you can. Then spoon over a third of your sauce, followed by a third of the remaining herbs. If you're going with the hard cheese (and let's face it, most of us will), give your first grating over the top of the sauce. Layer two is exactly the same - lasagne sheets, cabbage, sauce, herbs, cheese. Layer three is just lasagne sheets, sauce, herbs, cheese - but you probably guessed that already.

5) Put in the oven for half an hour on about 180 Fan. Wait for it to go mischievously bubbly and brown, then tuck in and savour.

I'm always a bit reluctant to use tiny, precious jars of stuff. It feels like a huge responsibility to decide what to use something on if you only have a little bit to last you, but eventually it's essential to bite the bullet or the precious jar will go to waste and become very depressed in your store cupboard or fridge. I'm glad the bullet was bit in regards to using my green harissa on this lasagne. It was spicy, very refreshing and oozed not just cheese but the satisfaction of an experiment gone right - as well as a bit of an 'in your face' to traditional, tomato based lasagnes. Writing this now, I would say it was a bit of a self-esteem boost, as well as a moreish and wholesome summer dinner. I recommend exploring the hidden depths of Sainsbury's (and Waitrose apparently) and making your own fortunate discoveries.

Served: Three
Took: About 20mins prep and cooking, and 30mins in the oven
Things that went wrong: Has anyone ever seen circular lasagne sheets? I have not. It's therefore pretty hard stuffing a circular dish with rectangular sheets (this can be resolved by not breaking your beautiful rectangular dish, which is what I may have done)

Saturday Night Makeaway: Thai Tofu Curry

I don't think I'm the only one in this country who relents to that naughty tradition of ordering takeaway when it gets to the weekend. The connotations behind it are simultaneously celebratory and relaxing; you've made it through the hard and tiring working week and are completely entitled to a reward, and for someone else to do all the work. HOWEVER, whilst this does make perfect sense and I'm guilty myself of agreeing and acting upon the notion, when you think about it logistically it seems a bit silly. Would it not be more logical to treat yourself to a takeaway on one of those terrible working days, when you've got home late and the thought of cooking is the last thing on your hungry, tired mind; and cook up a beautiful storm when the weekend is yours - when you have the time, energy and attitude to experiment in the kitchen and put some soul into something delicious and homemade?

It seems sensible to me, so I excitedly employed the philosophy this Saturday night. The cuisine of choice was Thai. My favourite Thai takeaway and restaurant ever ever ever, Yelo, closed down around a year ago for reasons, as far as I'm aware, are unknown. It was an awesome little hidey-hole in the ever popular and hipstertastic Hoxton Square, which was surprisingly cheap for the hopelessly trendy area it was in. Most importantly, they gave amazingly delicious and quality Thai dishes and delivered them to our humble little flat in Bow for free. Needless to say, it was devestation all round when I discovered they had gone, as quietly and sneakily as we found them.

Besides the exquisite flavours, one of my best things about Thai food is I never have to worriedly state my 'allergy to tomatoes' and wait in fear, expecting the things to have made it into the dish somehow anyway - because they're a rare addition in this cuisine. So my Saturday Night Makeaway was a bit of an homage to the mindblowing tastes, favourite restaurants and fearless eating that Thai food has brought to me.

When making a Thai curry I will nearly always make the paste from scratch; I'm not a fan of shop-bought sauces (except pesto!) and find that blitzing up garlic, onion, green chilli, ginger, lemongrass, lime, coconut, basil and coriander is one of the most rewarding things you can do - not just for the ridiculously fresh and beautiful taste but also the aromas you release into the house. That said, for this particular recipe I had JUST discovered a wonderful little pot of green harissa from Unique Foods, and was super keen to use it in something. So this time around, my paste was essentially pre-made - but like I said, all you need to do is blitz the above ingredients if you want to make your own.

Thai Tofu Curry

1) Marinate the tofu: just cube your tofu and place it into a large, sealable dish, then chuck in all your other ingredients and give it a shake. I think it's important to do this at least 6 hours before you're going to be making your dish, but I equally know this isn't always possible (this Saturday included). When his happens, I always stick the tofu in the oven while I'm making whatever it is I'm making - this helps the flavours to sink in and also crisps the tofu up a little bit.

2) If you're putting your tofu in the oven, do it now, just as you're starting. Heat some oil in a wok, and chuck in the spring onion. Keep a good few pinches of the onion back so you can use it as garnish at the end. Then add in the herbs, and make sure you include the stalks. Typically, I would be inclined to use coriander in a Thai dish, but never be afraid to improvise when what you expected isn't available. The combination of parsley and basil worked gorgeously for this. Next is the ginger - I use the Lazy jars because they come in white wine vinegar which adds to the dish. Then your garlic, chilli, lime, and finally the pastes. Give it a good mix and add the coconut milk. Stir, turn down the heat, and don't let it boil!

3) Meanwhile, heat another pan with a small amount of oil and then add your vegetables. Stirfry for a good few minutes so they get a little crispy, then add to your coconut wok. Get the tofu out of the oven - eat one now, as they're too good by themselves - and then add them to the wok as well. Leave for a few minutes so it all heats through.

4) Make the garnish: put your reserved spring onion, basil and parsley in a bowl and add the peanuts. I crushed mine all together with my mojito muddler.

5) All done - serve the curry with rice and sprinkle the garnish with extreme generosity.

I guess the good thing about Thai takeaways is that - usually - they taste much fresher (and even healthier) than your other typical takeouts. But the good thing about a homemade Thai is that it tastes even fresher than that. AND - it was made in the same OR LESS amount of time than it would take for a takeaway to arrive. Sounds like a pretty rewarding Saturday to me...

Serves: three
Took: 30 mins (plus the marinating, which took less than 5 minutes)
Things that went wrong: The VT-BF complained that we didn't get takeaway. I didn't care.