What's coming up....

As the old saying goes, we must make hay while the sun shines.  This is certainly true for us street food traders, except the sun has been a little unreliable this summer. There's been the odd blip of sunny loveliness and that was certainly true for the Manchester Picnic and my little jaunt to Harrogate for the International Classic Citroen Car Rally.

I'm about to hit my busiest run to date.  Starting this weekend with the Bolton Food & Drink Festival.  I will be there all bank holiday weekend, from this Friday 22nd August.  

This weekend's menu...

Cheshire Beef Rendang, slow cooked beef w/ lemongrass & coconut 

Indonesian ‘jungle’ curry, smoky tempeh & veg w/ spicy peanut & cashew curry (Vg)

Served with choice of lime rice or soft roti bread or both

Butter dal & aubergine masala, w/ stuffed paratha & pickles (V)

Thai Sweetcorn Fritters, w/ hot & sour noodle salad (V)

Spicy seasonal veg samosa, w/ homemade aubergine pickle (V)

“Little bit of everything” plate w/ curries, dal, fritter or samosa, roti, rice & pickles

Fresh watermelon ice pops pure & simple, with frozen lime yoghurt (V)

Mango & lime sherbet lassi w/ yoghurt, Alfonso mango & homemade sherbet 

Indian Chai, traditional masala tea w/ homemade spice mix

Then I'm off to The Big Feastival at Alex James Farm in Oxfordshire with my biggest team to date.  I need to seriously up my turnover if I'm going to meet the costs of going to bigger festivals.  This will be the test bed....

Then it's CarFest North on the 8th and 9th Sept at Cholmondley Castle in Cheshire.  Really hoping Chris Evans bobs over to see Barbarella and maybe try some of my food. I hear he likes a good curry!

After all that, I'm off to London for the British Street Food Awards 2012.  I've been shortlisted to the final 15 and am really excited about creating something new and delicious for the event.  Feeling quite a lot of pressure because it feels like there's an expectation there being a MasterChef alumni.  Everyone expects me to perform well but there's a massive amount of competition this year, with some amazing traders and producers.  It's going to be tough! 

Recipe for Roast Cauliflower, Broccoli & Pasta Fondue

RECIPE TIME!  Roasted cauliflower, broccoli and pasta fondue with a pumpkin seed crust.  This is a fairly quick and easy dish to prepare.  I find it's very popular amongst children and teens, but then the fondue sauce gives a slightly more ‘grown up’ feel to the dish too. 

It came about as a result of my indecision between making macaroni cheese or cauliflower cheese.  You can use different combinations of cheeses, but I do love the classic combination of gruyere and emmental.  I try to include seeds in recipes sometimes as they are a great source of nutrients for anyone's diet, especially veggie's.

Ingredients – to serve 4-6

•  1 medium cauliflower
• 1 medium broccoli head
• 300g penne or rigatoni pasta
• ½ bottle dry white white
• Clove of garlic (optional)
• 200g Gruyere
• 200g Emmental
• 1 tsp English mustard
• 50g Sainsbury vegetarian Italian hard cheese
• Small handful of pumpkin or mixed seeds
• 2 slices of brown bread (preferably a little stale)

Method

1. Heat oven to 220 C.
2. Break and trim cauliflower and broccoli into large florets, drizzle with olive oil and a little salt and roast in the hot oven for 10 mins.
3. Meanwhile, bring add pasta to pan of boiling water and cook until al dente, about 8 mins.  Drain water and then return to large pan and set aside.
4. Rub the sides of a small pan with the garlic clove (if using), then add white wine and bring to boil.  Simmer until reduced by one third.
5. Grate gruyere and emmental and add to simmering wine, along with mustard.  Heat gently and stir until wine and cheese are well combined.
6. Blitz brown bread slices in mixer to create breadcrumbs.  Bread can be grated if you don’t have a food processor.  Mix breadcrumbs with finely grated parmesan or vegetarian Italian hard cheese.
7. Add roasted vegetables to pasta pan, mix together and then add fondue sauce and stir to combine well. Check seasoning and add salt and white pepper to taste. Turn out mixture into large baking dish, ensuring even arrangement of cauliflower, broccoli and pasta.
8. Layer breadcrumb mixture over top and then sprinkle with pumpkin or mixed seeds.
9. Bake in hot oven, 200 C, until top is golden and crispy.

Enjoy :0)

Next up... Split Feastival at Sunderland festival

Looking forward to heading North East in June for Split Feastival Food & Drink Village at Sunderland Festival, in Herrington Country Park. It's a mixed crowd so planning a menu that will offer something for everyone. 

The hot weather at VegFest in Bristol got me thinking about offering more cold dishes.  It was so hot in the trailer.  This was the view from the hatch...

  

I'm also very excited about serving up my audition dish from MasterChef which I'll serve with a kicking coriander sauce.  There'll be a battle of the curries between a slow cooked rendang (with well sourced beef from local Frosts butchers) and my very popular Indonesian jungle curry with marinated tempeh (vegan and super tasty).  The mango and lime sherbets went down well at VegFest so I think I'll make them again.  reminder to self to get the lime sherbets fermenting this week so they're ready in time.  I ran out in Bristol, so had to switch to making pina colada slushies with pineapple and coconut.  I could start a lassi & slushie bar at this rate :o)   

 

Split Feastival Menu

• Paneer shashlik roti wrap, with cachumba salad & coriander sauce
• Malaysian beef rendang,  slow cooked Cheshire beef with jasmine rice
• Indonesian ‘jungle’ curry, with tempeh & jasmine rice
• Sushi platter, fish (inc line caught mackerel) or veggie
• Rhubarb samosas with star anise & vanilla ice-cream

For more info about Split festival check out their website here.

I'm then a bit more local in Stockport for an Olympic torch 'brunch'.  I'm planning a breakfast and brunch menu with a twist, including masala omelette, chilli fried eggs and roti canai, a Malaysian flaky roti with a veg dal.  I'll be serving this up in Stockport Mersey Way from 8am on Sun 24th June.

 

VegFest menu... & some lovely mushroom recipes

I was pleased to be asked to produce some vegetarian recipes for the Mushroom Bureau recently.  As wild mushrooms are now coming into season, it's a good time to start getting creative with one of my favourite vegetables.

I've put together six tasty mushroom dishes, including pot sticker dumplings, tempura, satay skewers and a very tasty mushroom and puy lentil cottage pie.  You can download the booklet for free here.

I'm at VegFest next weekend and am very excited about my new menu... 

• Crispy cauliflower & rocket pakora roti wrap
• Sweet & sour popcorn tofu, with Asian salad
• Indonesian ‘jungle’ curry, with tempeh & jasmine rice
• Hot & sour ‘tom yam’ soup, with wild mushrooms
• Rhubarb samosas with star anise & vanilla ice cream

Hope to see some of you there.  Should be a great event.  And don't forget it's free (the event, not the food :)

For more details about the festival, check out their website here.

Jx

A tasty recipe for quinoa... really? Try this Moroccan style vegetable claypot

Having a rare day off on Sunday, I was enjoying some sofa surfing and bad TV, when hunger drove me to inspect the half empty cupboards and fridge.  This is one of those recipes that comes from trying to make something out of only the things you already have.  Being slightly obsessed with spices, I have a well stocked dry store cupboard to be fair.  But the fridge was looking very lean indeed...

I had 2 aubergines and 1 yellow pepper leftover from a cooking class, an onion and loads of garlic.  There was also a very sad looking half cauliflower, which needed a good trim, half a jar of green olives, half a lemon and half a tube of tomato paste.  And the ubiquitous herbs from the garden....  

For those of you unfamiliar with quinoa, it's a kind of grain that originated in S America.  The Incas believed the crop was sacred, and hardly surprising given it kicks the nutritional backside of most other cereals and grains, containing essential amino acids as well as calcium and iron. 

The recipe looks like a lot of ingredients, but it is very much a 'chuck it in a pot' recipe.  Enjoy :) 

Moroccan style vegetable claypot with quinoa

1 or 2 white onions roughly chopped

4 cloves of garlic crushed

Olive oil for frying

1-2 aubergines, 1" pieces

1 yellow pepper, cut into strips

1/2 cauliflower, trimmed florets

300g frozen quorn pieces (optional, but adds nice texture & soaks up flavour; you could also use tofu mince or tofu pieces, or add more variety of vegetables)

1 can of chickpeas, washed

2 tbsp of tomato paste

2 tins of chopped tomatoes

2 bay leaves

Couple of sprigs of thyme

1 tbsp agave syrup

1/2 tsp saffron, steeped in hot water for 10 mins - then strain saffron water into pot

1 tsp sumac (optional)

1 tsp hot paprika or cayenne pepper

3 pints of veg stock

1-2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted

1/2 lemon, cut into thick slices & deseeded

1 cup of green olives, stoned

1/2 to 1 tsp salt (to taste)

200g quinoa, cooked for 10 mins in 1/2 pint veg stock, then leave to stand for 5 minutes (you could substitute with couscous or bulgar wheat also, soak in same way)

Handful of chopped marjoram (could substitute for coriander or parsley)

1. Prepare ingredients as above.

2. In a heavy bottomed deep pan (I use a creuset pot for this kind of food), soften onions in olive oil until translucent and then add garlic.  Cook for a further minute or two, then add aubergines, peppers and cauliflower (you could use any veg really such as carrots, sweet potato, courgettes). 

3.  Add all the remaining ingredients, except for the quinoa.  Ensure there is plenty of liquid in the pan, as this will be absorbed by the quinoa later.

4. Bring to simmer and cook on very low heat for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. 

5. Stir the ingredients well, then layer the soaked quinoa over the top.  Replace lid and leave to stand for 5 mins.  Sprinkle with some fresh chopped marjoram (or parsley or coriander) just before serving.

6. Serve with hot crusty bread and a green salad!

My first streetfood event @ Ramsbottom Choc Festival

I barely know where to start.  On MasterChef, they say that cooking doesn't get tougher than this.  I may have to contend this point.  I have never worked so hard or learnt so much in such a short space of time.  The preparation and set up during the last few weeks was almost overwhelming.  I've learnt to tow (and even reverse) a 3 tonne 23ft trailer.  I've taken delivery of more produce and prepped more food than I ever thought I would (or could for that matter).  Just bonkers!  But what an amazing experience.  The highs and lows have left me exhausted and exhiliarated at the same time.  The best bit of all was seeing people enjoying my food and hearing such great feedback.  It has made all the hard work, sweat and yes, a few tears, very much worthwhile :)

Our weekend in Ramsbottom at the Chocolate festival was the perfect first event.  I owe a HUGE thanks to the lovely people there for making us so welcome and for helping us out with numerous hiccups and challenges (The Chocolate Cafe, Ruth from Bury Council, Room54 and the lovely Stuart for his impromptu lesson in reversing a trailer).  From class 1 driving lessons to supplying water from local shops, we couldn't have done it without the support of everyone there.  I think I've fallen a little bit in love with Ramsbottom!

So here's a few pics.... 

At one point, the queues were overwhelming and we felt like we just couldn't serve people fast enough.  Thanks for your patience though and the feedback was inspiring! 

  

It has to be remembered that neither my sister Nic or my best mate Fran, have EVER worked in food service or kitchens before.  They did brilliantly and learned so fast.

  

And I only shouted a few times ;0)

My friend H, made some special edition cake pops for The Hungry Gecko including dark choc & chilli and choc fudge & stem ginger.  They went down a storm.  Seriously, her cake pops really can't be beaten and she makes a fine cup cake too.  Check out her facebook page for more info CupCakeCuties

An update on Barbarella, upcoming festivals & that damn car...

I'm happy to say that Barbarella is looking mighty fine.  Kitchen fit out is almost complete.  Flag poles are on their way and I now need to reaquaint myself with a sewing machine.  I'll post some new photos once I pick her up.  In case you missed this earlier, this is what I hope's to come...

Some other VERY exciting news I have to share is that I will be collaborating at the Exeter SW Festival of food and drink with James Nathan (winner of MasterChef in 2008).  You can check out what he's been up to here

We are both working hard in planning our menus and making the most of what the SW has to offer.  For me that's going to include some organic Devon made smoky tempeh, Cornish butter and New Forest mushrooms.  For James, I believe there's some rather marvellous local lobster, chicken and pork making an appearance.  Please do come and see us if you are down for the weekend.  We're both doing demos too.  It's all going to be so much fun...

I'm also really busy with cooking classes, recipe writing and planning menus for my first events.  I will be at the Ramsbottom Chocolate Festival on 31st March and 1st April if you want to come and check out my new street food venture, and maybe enjoy some gourmet Asian delights :0)

Jackie x