Bite Me!

Working opposite a Holland and Barratt may be doing my bank balance no good at all (why are ‘health’ foods so expensive?) but it’s certainly broadening my knowledge of exciting vegetarian and vegan foodstuffs.  I say foodstuffs rather than food, because I’m not sure what’s actually in all of the things I’ve been trying.  As I’ve mentioned before, it’s rare to actually find healthy food in a health food shop, and the vegetarian specialties certainly win the prize for the most incomprehensible ingredient lists (maltodextrin and carrageenan gum, anyone?)  Still, I’m not one to let a strange ingredient stand in my way.  Here, for your delectation, are my favourite discoveries so far:

1. Gin Gins and Ginger Chews from The Ginger People.  The Gin Gins are small, ginger flavoured boiled sweets with a good flavour and a certain amount of heat.  The real treats, though, are the Ginger Chews, which are basically like extremely hot, chewy chunks of ginger-flavoured Turkish delight, complete with a dusting of icing sugar.  They are AMAZING.  Sadly you only get about 12 per box, bringing them to the bargain price of about 12p each, which seems like rather a lot to me.  Apparently you can also melt both kinds of sweet into boiling water to create a ginger drink, thus placing them into the same category, unlikely though it seems, as Marmite and Marigold stock powder.  I may have to do a hot drink taste test soon.
2. Redwood’s Cheatin’ Chorizo Style Chunks.  OK, so the name leaves something to be desired (chunks?  What is this, dogfood?) but I had a burning desire for a meaty, smoky, tomato & chickpea-y stew a few weeks ago which gave me a good excuse to try them out.  To make the stew I fried up some onions with cumin, smoked paprika, star anise and garlic, then added chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, chopped butternut squash, a tin of chickpeas and the chorizo chunks.  I let this stew for about half an hour and then served with mashed potato on the side.  Delicious.  I think it would be improved by the addition of some spinach at the last minute; might try that next time.
3. Kallo Organic Savoury Rice Cakes with Yeast Extract.  Crisp mouthfuls of marmitey deliciousness.  Best eaten with…
4. Tofutti Creamy Smooth with Garlic & Herbs.  I know I have said in the past that all vegan cheese is wrong and should be avoided.  I hereby retract that statement.  This stuff is good.

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I'm increasingly finding that I can't get through the day without at least one hit of Marmite - I'm starting to suspect that they put something addictive in it.  Today's recipe - toasted pitta breads filled with Marmite and melted cheddar.... utterly delicious.

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People are always asking me what I eat for Christmas dinner - well, maybe not always, but fairly often around Christmas time!  So here's the answer for this year - roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, carrots, peas, honey & mustard parsnips, stuffing and veggie gravy.  OK, so it's not the most sophisticated-looking plate of food, but it's reeeaaalllly good.  And (ssh!) surprisingly healthy.

I'm especially proud of the vegetarian gravy, which has a really intense flavour and is very easy to make.  You will need:

boiling water

marigold vegetable stock

Marmite

Tabasco

red wine or sherry

Worcestershire sauce

soy sauce

porcini (optional)

Method

 Very easy - simply mix a dollop of everything together in a saucepan and gently reduce down for about ten minutes.   I haven't put amounts down since I just chuck everything in and then see how it tastes.  If using the porcini, soak them in a mug of warm water for ten minutes before you start, and then add both the mushrooms and the water to the saucepan.  Sieve the mushrooms out before serving.  If you want thicker gravy rather than a jus, add a little flour or cornflour to the mixture and whisk to get rid of lumps. 

This is so good my sister even prefers it to normal gravy...

Mmm, Marmite. I’m most definitely in the love camp on this one – I can eat the stuff by the spoonful (and now they do squeezy tubs! How exciting!). Yes, it’s good on toast, and in jacket potatoes (trust me, just mash it all in with some butter, great stuff) but probably my favourite Marmite recipe is one that I used to love when I was little (and still eat now, if I’m feeling indulgent). It’s easy to make – lightly toast a pitta bread, slice in half and open up the pockets, spread with Marmite and fill with grated cheese (quite bland Cheddar works well here). Then put in the microwave for a minute or so (until all the cheese has melted), stand to cool for another minute, and then eat. And immediately afterwards make another one. The standing period is important as it brings the cheese to the right texture – eat it too hot and the cheese will all run out down your arms and probably give you scalding burns to boot. Similarly, don’t leave in the microwave for too long or they will go all crispy, which is just wrong. Squidginess is key here.