Photos taken by Urszula, an enthusiastic chef, and Nadege, project worker
The days are getting shorter and darker but here is an easy way to brighten them up! Make a lovely curry, easy, economic and with loads of flavour.
We had good fun harvesting, experimenting a new recipe with our cooking groups, roasting and planting pineapple. Yes, yes… planting!
Menu of the day
Curry with
chard, chickpea and broccoli
Served with couscous and green salad
Grilled pineapple with rum
Harvest from the garden: chard, nero kale, broccoli, salad leaves, coriander and coriander flowers, parsley!
Let’s talk about curry
What is great with curry is that you can add anything to it. Play with the spices, add some chilli for a kick and empty your fridge! Sweet potato is a delicious ingredient to add, be aware it will take longer to cook. It is also a great way to have a plant-based and gluten-free (depending on what you serve it with) meal. Perfect to please everyone!
Curry
Ingredients
- 1 tin of chickpea
- 1 tin of coconut milk
- Ginger (optional)
- 2tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1tsp garlic
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 broccoli
- ½ onion
- Nero Kale leaves, Chard
- Salt and pepper
- Red pepper
- Add coriander and parsley for a stronger taste! Coriander flowers are edible and yummy 🙂
Method
- In a saucepan, heat the chopped onion with all your spices, garlic and the oil. The onion will suck in all the flavours.
- After a few minutes, add the chickpea (preserve the aquafaba for any other recipes), the broccoli florets, the nero kale, chard, chopped peppers. For the kale, remove the harder stem that is in the middle.
- Add the coconut milk, grate the ginger and stir.
- Simmer for 20 min (or when the broccoli is tender).
- Add salt and pepper.
- Serve with rice, couscous, bulgur …
Other suggestions: Sweet potato, different type of peppers, chilli, sweet corn, olives, spinach
Cooking with alcohol, why?
The answer is simple enough: chemistry. Alcohol has a great hand in amplifying the flavour of a dish. And this happens because its properties make it easy for it to bond with water and fat molecules. Be aware that the alcohol doesn’t totally evaporate while cooking. Keep that in mind if you are driving or if you are sharing a meal with
kids.
Grilled pineapple with rum
Ingredients
- 1 pineapple, peeled, cored
- 1 lime, juice only
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp dark rum
- 1 tsp ground ginger or cinnamon
- 4 tbsp plain yoghurt or crème fraiche (Opt)
Method
- Heat a barbecue or griddle pan to a high heat.
- Place the pineapple in a large bowl. Add the lime juice, maple syrup, ginger/cinnamon, rum and mix well to combine
- Cook the pineapple for 2–3 minutes on each side, or until lightly charred.
- Serve with the yoghurt or crème fraiche. (optional)
Did you know you could grow a pineapple? Here are the steps (that we should have followed!)
- Grasp ripe pineapple and gently twist off leafy top.
- Remove lower 1 to 2-inches of leaves.
- Let crown dry for 1-2 days.
- Sit crown in jar of warm water, submerging leaf-free area.
- Change water every few days.
- When roots are at least 3-inches long, you can plant crown.
The cooking group is not only about cooking. We discover new flavours and new people, we feed ourselves, others and become more confident with our cooking skills. We harvest chemical-free vegetables and herbs, and understand better the necessity for our soul and guts to have a heathier diet.
When you make something yourself, share it and learn more about resilience, that will brighten up your day. After all, it is not about the curry, but about the empowerment we have when we chose to eat differently.
Join the cooking group!
Thursdays and Fridays from 11am to 1pm. All diets welcome. Booking essential. Limited space, first come first served. Email Nadege at ndmaxinfo@gmail.com if you want more information. 🙂
Grow Dundee 