Cibare Food and Drinks Magazine
Issue 25 BIRMINGHAM Winter 2021/22
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Contents RECIPE
REVIEW
Brian & Gilly’s Granola 20 Pine Nut Butter & Pine Nut Tea 24 Jack’s MeatShackshuka 28 Breakfast Bap 30 Courgette Fritters 34 Tofu Scramble 36 Khao Tom Moo 38 Pancakes 42
FEATURES Pan Con Tomate
The Plough 8 Brood Travels 12 Dishoom 56
GARDENING Gardening This Season
58
BOOK REVIEW 40
Falastin 4
BOOZE Daybreak Drinking Fish n’ Fizz
2
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It’s called balance.
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With winter firmly drawing in and the leaves falling, it’s most definitely time to lean into wearing coats and jumpers and starting your day right. There’s nothing like a good breakfast to get you started and we have a few ideas on how to help your days start that bit better. We have come with some inspiration on how to make your tastebuds dance to the start of a new day. But not to worry, we are still filled with delicious down and dirty things to drink too! And with that this is the first Cibare to have a Birmingham issue!!! We will still bring you all of the great recipes and articles that we always do, but with a review of a great place to eat from our new Birmingham food writer Simon Carlo! And we are so happy to bring him into our Cibare family. So that gives us London and Birmingham magazines. Where shall we go next? 2022 - let’s do this!!
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Editor’s Note
BOOK REVIEW
FALASTIN Reviewed By Despina Mina
I wanted to cook from Falastin, written by Sami Tamimi (friend and business partner of Yotam Ottolenghi) and Tara Wigley (recipe 4
developer, writer and member of the Ottolenghi family) even before Cibare suggested a breakfast themed issue and it just so happened that the first chapter is dedicated to breakfasts. Amongst the herb filled omelettes and spiced hummus there are two shakshukas that caught my eye and all I had to do was decide which one to cook first. Falastin is a celebration of Palestine (pronounced with an F as there is no P in the Arabic alphabet). The sights, the sounds, the smells and the politics but at the heart of this is the food. Despite the ongoing troubles, Palestine is blessed with a bounty of stunning ingredients and inspiring people who want to pass on their culinary history and traditions. Sami and Tara introduce us to Baseema, Cibare Magazine
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PICTURE CREDITS: Despina Mina
‘I’m not a breakfast person’ are words you will never hear from me. I’m one of those chirpy morning people, who can start a conversation five minutes after opening my eyes and it’s often about food. I think I’m a delight, others might dispute this. A creature of habit, I like to wake up a little earlier than necessary so that I can prepare and eat breakfast at my leisure - it’s one of life’s simple pleasures. But it’s at the weekends when I most indulge with a cooked breakfast, one that needs time and effort to make, one that ends up taking so long to cook it ends up becoming brunch.
Falastin is filled with over 100 recipes, each one accompanied with cooking notes. These are ideal if you’re hosting a party, as they advise on how you can plan ahead by cooking parts of the dish earlier and finishing it just before you want to serve. Suggestions on how you can swap certain ingredients also give the reader the confidence to stray from the exact recipes if they wish. I started preparing my Green Shakshuka three days in advance by making the green shatta, a lightly fermented chilli oil. I chose a slightly milder green chilli, but this can be swapped for something punchier and more traditional. The recipe makes a pretty decent amount too, that apparently lasts for six months. But not in my house, as since making it, it’s been added
to almost everything. The acid from the vinegar, the heat from the chillies and the salt to ferment them is a simple combination that creates perfect chemistry. It’s ready just in time for the weekend and after a cold, brisk walk in the local park with our very energetic puppy, I make the Shakshuka. The green part comes from a buttery leek, chard, spring onions, fresh herbs and of course the green shatta. It does take a while to make but the best things are worth the wait. I served this with a sprinkle of za’atar and some fresh bread to scoop up all the yolky juicy goodness. It’s fair to say we skipped lunch that day. Not breakfast related but if you already have this book or are planning to buy it, I can highly recommend the Lamb Bolognese with Okra, especially as the helpful cooking notes explain how to prevent the okra going ‘slimy’ and it works a treat. It was so delicious, I regretted not doubling up the recipe. The Pistachio Harissa was also a winner, a fragrant, nutty tray bake made with semolina (so think a dense texture), steeped in a rose hinted sugar syrup - perfect with a cup of tea or coffee. Falastin is a wonderful book, with so many beautiful stories. If this is your first venture into Middle Eastern food, brace yourself for a taste explosion and if you’re already an Ottolenghi fan, then you’re a fan of Sami and Tara’s too.
PICTURE CREDITS: Despina Mina
the founder of a government funded cooperative called Anza (meaning ‘Hard Rock’). Here, people come to handcraft foods, including a local couscous called maftoul, spice mixes and baked pastries that they sell to schools - all this creates a closeknit community that share stories and teaches skills, ensuring that everyone gets to eat a better quality meal. We’re also introduced to another inspiring woman, Islam, a wife and mother of six children living in a refugee camp. Along with five other ladies, Islam gives cookery classes within the camp and opens her home to visitors.
REVIEW
THE PLOUGH By Simon Carlo
We start, as all good breakfasts should, with a pitcher of Bloody Mary, lipstick red and spicy. Three choices of vodka, for which the right one is Chase Smoked. Coffee for the 8
non-morning drinker: dark, rich, and brooding from the stainlesssteel US imported beast which sits behind its own counter. Then onto the menu, which for the three of us means almost everything. Before we get on to the food, a quick word about the way they do things here. The Plough runs like a highclass hotel. They have two kitchens (pre-pandemic there was a third), and two teams who work pretty much twenty-four hours a day. One goes through the night baking bread and making patisseries for breakfast, which is then picked up by the team who keep the stomachs full throughout the day whilst working the stoves in either kitchen. What is baked and not eaten or sold gets utilised the following day: the Cibare Magazine
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PICTURE CREDITS: The Plough
The Plough sits handsomely at the southern tip of Harborne High Street, where the suburb bleeds into Edgbaston and the road dips and bends before climbing slowly into the city centre some two miles later. It’s a pub synonymous with quality: more upmarket than most and with an ease about the menu and service. It’s an extremely popular venue: on the Saturday morning when we visit it’s filling up nicely despite being open for just thirty minutes. By the time we leave at around noon both the inside and garden area are pretty much full.
That French toast is excellent. The bread part is as rich and flaky as you would imagine from leftover pastries, served topped with fruit compôte, cream cheese spiked with lemon zest and crunchy sweet pumpkin seeds. And there is the superb breakfast brioche roll with fillings of topquality streaky bacon, fried egg, and potato rösti. A sriracha mayo mingles with the warm yolk, with spring onions for that green, toothsome sweet bite. It goes extremely well with a Bloody Mary. It also might be my favourite. My vegetarian friend worked through fritters of cauliflower, perked-up with a zingy salsa, jalapeños, and that quintessential millennial breakfast item, avocado. Here it is ideally placed to temper those items that surround it and provide a creamy texture against the fritters. Avocado also makes another appearance smashed on toast with a poached egg. North African dukkah provides that nutty, slightly spiced texture. It’s balanced, and, more importantly, knows when to stop adding ingredients to the plate.
Best. Sausages and bacon from the excellent Roger Brown’s butcher down the road (Roger is butcher to many of Birmingham’s finest restaurants), fried egg, hash brown, mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, toast, and beans. They know and respect the little idiosyncrasies that haunt the dish, so beans are self-contained and on the opposite side of the plate to the egg. The position of the sausage means that you can if you wish provide a barrier between the two, but please know that I will judge you if you do. Everything is cooked with the precision that you would find in the Wolseley, served with the warmth of a team who know that service matters. At £15 it isn’t cheap, but then the best things never are. With that we consider more Bloody Marys (should that be ‘Bloodier Mary’?) before opting to settle up and leave for the rest of the day. They say that breakfast is the foundation for a good day, the fuel required to start in the correct way. If that is your personal belief, there is nowhere better in Birmingham for that than The Plough. PICTURE CREDITS: The Plough
pastries, for example, get refashioned into the French toast. It’s a very slick operation.
Ultimately anywhere with a breakfast menu is going to be judged on its full English, and here is a prime example worthy of the title of Birmingham’s 10
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REVIEW
SPECIALITY COFFEE CULTURE ON THE ISLAND OF LOVE AND HALLOUMI...
Let me begin by making a statement! I am Cypriot (of Greek origin, if that makes any difference) and as most Cypriots, believe that our little island and its food are the best. This includes our olive oil, our honey, our cheese, our pastries, our BBQed food (this one is definitely fact) etc etc... So, knowing this about me, you should understand that I may come across a little biased at times, however, unlike many Cypriots I am also critically realistic!
my newly made refugee grandfather in lands he wasn’t too familiar with as yet. I remember crying my eyes out every time I had to leave this land of sea, sun and big family. My mother alone is one of nine brothers and sisters! All of whom were small stock farmers, hunters, fishermen and wild food gatherers. I’m lucky to claim that food has been a major part of my upbringing: Cypriots have always had to make best of the little they had/have.
Visiting my motherland consistently from the age of nappies and dummies, I was just two when I ate my first snail that was collected by
I have witnessed first-hand how the island has gone from being a war-torn place with bleak future to a land that still has that war-
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PICTURE CREDITS: Andreas Christou
By Andreas Christou
Now I need to be clear: Cyprus has and has always had a massive coffee culture, the Turkish influence on the island made sure of this. Our Cypriot coffee is in fact Turkish coffee (do not shoot the messenger!). Our postcard coffee shops with moustachioed, Vraka-wearing old men sipping coffee, are still a reality in many towns and villages. They’re where you find out what is happening locally and where experienced backgammon players will throw double sixes at will. However, the island has unfortunately been invaded by the big coffee brands and this has taken away much of the attention of the new generation of coffee drinkers, ordering stacks of coffee via their equivalent of Deliveroo. This leaves little space for independent coffee specialists, but within the little space they have been given, they seem to be putting up a great fight and have started to persuade people that it’s a good idea to drink speciality coffee made by better trained baristas. 14
When the news of speciality coffee shops and roasteries began to hit my Insta feeds I was, to understate it, a little excited, especially when I learned that some of these were situated in my town of Larnaca! I recently visited my little island for the first time after two and a half years, the longest I had ever been away from it, and I was planning which coffee establishments I would visit in my hometown. What I remembered from my previous visits and what remains true, is that whenever I mentioned to family and friends that I roast coffee, the first thing they would mention was their favourite coffee brand - and 99% of them mentioned a commercial brand, from Caffe Nero, Costa, Coffee Berry and so on! They would quickly follow up with the least favourite of these brands too, so I was visiting places they had not been aware of. Previously I found this a little off putting, however, now that I have a better understanding of the journey people take in their route to speciality coffee, it fills me with more hope. A hope that they will realise that real coffee is even better, and that coffee has many tastes and flavours, similar to the wine they love. Excitedly, I went on my planned coffee tour, usually with my father or brother in tow. They have been around me long enough and have Cibare Magazine
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PICTURE CREDITS: Andreas Christou
torn undertone but whose people are now living a lavish lifestyle. It is great to see Cyprus continue to be a melting pot of culture, ranging from a variety of spices from deepest Africa to recipes from the vast lands of the Italian countryside. Cyprus has and will always be the jewel of the Mediterranean where east meets west.
Every place I visited had an exceptional food offering too, bar my favourite coffee spot. I could see that their focus was purely coffee and everything else was there merely to offer an enhanced coffee experience. The tahini pastries I tried were amazing, the traditional Cypriot Boukoma (inspired and added to my own menu) … it was refreshing and good to see these making a comeback, alongside the traditional Cypriot sandwiches, the western brunch items, all fabulous and it made me so happy to see them so popular. Coffee: I don’t want to be that person who focuses on the negatives because there were so many 16
positives however, without going into too much detail of the specifics of each coffee shop I visited, there is a little lack of high knowledge. Some are already doing things really well, but some still lack the training and experience to really call themselves speciality. I believe this has also to do with the amount of competition in their local area. With more skilled and better trained competition, standards are set higher, and product and service can be compared to those of likeminded businesses. The constant upkeep of espresso recipes is one area that needs to be improved across the board, to deliver consistently good coffee. The minimal understanding of how to steam milk for different drinks was apparent everywhere bar my favourite spot. The confidence to realise that more doesn’t necessarily mean better is a destination they need to navigate to. The lack of options in the wonderful world of pour over coffee and how important it is to be OCD throughout the entire process is also something I would love to see addressed in the coming years. The positives and the good news are that they are open to improving, open to new products, to new ideas and I am already arranging to spend more time in Cyprus and offering to do some training with some of the guys I met on my travels. If we can all do Cibare Magazine
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PICTURE CREDITS: Andreas Christou
shared enough good coffee with me to give an in-depth point of view that is more descriptive and accurate than “it’s too bitter” or “it’s too strong”. These companions also enabled me to order two drinks at a time without it seeming I was a secret shopper! My natural line of questioning, however, soon gave the game away. This actually worked to my advantage, as every “coffee person” I spoke to was very open, very welcoming and asked me as many questions as I had asked them. I love our coffee community, and I have rarely met anyone in our field who doesn’t want to improve, who doesn’t think they have more to learn, or who isn’t looking for the holy grail of coffee.
our bit to grow the speciality coffee world through spreading knowledge and our own skill set, then more and more people can enjoy good coffee on this wonderfully welcoming island I call my second home. I am inspired, happy and still as biased as ever towards my beautiful island. I know these seeds of good speciality coffee will keep growing and I can’t wait to see how this wonderful industry develops year on year. Yamas x
RECIPE
BRIAN & GILLY’S GRANOLA By Gilly Balcombe
Granola…everyone thinks ‘Oh good grief, they’re pushing something healthy here.’ And yes, it is packed full of wonderful ingredients, but this is also one of the best granola recipes I’ve ever tried. As with so many recipes, we found the original online and have played around with it and adapted it to its present form! Gather the following goodies and preheat your oven to 180°C, 160°C fan, gas mark 4. 375g oats (organic if preferred) 100g dark muscovado sugar 40g pine nuts 40g flaked almonds 40g walnuts 40g peanuts 40g cashew nuts 40g pumpkin seeds 40g sunflower seeds 20
½ tsp salt 1 to 2 tsp ground cinnamon, depending on taste 1 to 2 tsp vanilla extract 150g clear dark honey or maple syrup (using maple syrup will make it suitable for vegans too!) 115g coconut oil Mix all dry ingredients together well in a large mixing bowl. Melt coconut oil and honey together in a small saucepan, add to the dry ingredients with the vanilla extract and stir well so everything is coated. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper and spread the granola mixture on to it in a single layer. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from the oven and turn the granola to ensure an even browning. Repeat Cibare Magazine
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once more then bake for a final 10 minutes. Remove from oven and turn again, to prevent too many lumps forming. Those that do can be broken up as the granola cools before storing it in a large airtight Kilner style jar. The recipe makes over a kilo of yummy, nutty deliciousness. We have different views on how to eat this! I like mine mixed in a bowl with a small pot of natural live yoghurt while the other half prefers his with milk. What we do agree on though, is that it’s wonderful sprinkled over ice cream or added to a crumble topping. If you don’t have time to sit down with a bowl of this lusciousness, you can make it into granola bars, by simply pressing some of the raw granola mixture into an eight-bar silicon mould and then baking them alongside your granola tray. Now you can have your granola on the run as well at a leisurely pace – and it will definitely set you up for the day. Sunday morning or holiday granola? Add some berries or chopped fresh fruit of your choice and make yourself a Morning Mimosa from the Daybreak Drinking article in this magazine and voilà, a delicious nutty, naughty breakfast!
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RECIPE
PINE NUT BUTTER AND PINE NUT TEA By Anthony Raffo
When the editor of Cibare magazine asked if I wanted to be part of this November edition of course I jumped at the chance. She then went on to tell me it was going to be a breakfast themed edition. Now for people that don’t know me I’m the head chef of Anglo Restaurant in Farringdon and because of this I’m definitely up well before most people consider it an appropriate time to eat breakfast. This also means I very rarely have time for breakfast so I was a little worried about what I would share with you, the readers. I thought back to what I enjoyed for breakfast when I was younger and it’s as simple as peanut 24
butter on toast with a cup of tea. I very much enjoy foraging for ingredients myself to use in the dishes at Anglo Restaurant and one of my favourite plants to harvest from is pine trees. They are so versatile, from young tips in the spring to nuts in the winter. They are of course starting to be a common sight not just in your local woods but in shop windows around this time of year as well. Who doesn’t love seeing a brightly lit Christmas tree to make you feel happy inside? So here is my recipe for pine nut butter and pine needle tea to enjoy throughout this cold month. Cibare Magazine
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Pine Nut Butter
Pine Needle Tea
Ingredients: 500g of pine nuts 5g of sea salt 10g of caster sugar
Ingredients: 100g of fresh pine needles 2 dried orange slices Squeeze of lemon 2 tsps of raw honey 550ml hot water
Method: Harvest your pine nuts by shaking and tapping the pinecone to loosen the nuts, allowing them to fall out. Do this as soon as you notice the pinecones opening and falling so that you get in there before the squirrels do. Failing all this you can always buy pine nuts from your local supermarket. Toast your pine nuts at 180°C, 160°C fan, Gas Mark 4 for 10 to 15 minutes or until they start to take on a golden colour. Remove the pine nuts from the oven and allow to slightly cool for 5 minutes. Now place in a food processor or blender and start to blitz at a low to medium speed. After a while you’ll see the nuts turn from a crumb to a paste. You may have to stop several times during the process to scrap the excess off the sides. When you see the nuts turning into a paste add the salt and sugar and continue till a smooth butter. Or if you like you pine nut butter crunchy stop blending just before you achieve a smooth paste. Place into a jar and chill before enjoying.
Method: Place all ingredients except the water into a tea pot. Heat the water but do not boil as you don’t want to scald your ingredients. Pour water into your pot and let the tea steep for 5 minutes. Pour into a cup though a strainer and enjoy. Pine needles are a great source of vitamin C so they’re great for fighting off colds, especially with the addition of the citrus and honey elements. Very helpful in November and the chilly months that follow!
RECIPE
JACK’S
MEATSHACKSHUKA By Jack and Hayley Rowbottom
Oh wow, this dish is the nuts! It honestly is so tasty that you feel like you are indulging in something really quite naughty when in fact, at its core, this is poached eggs in a spicy tomato sauce and there is positively nothing naughty in that at all.
1 tbsp Jack’s Meat Dust or simple paprika 1/2 tsp ancho chilli flakes Salt and pepper to taste 4 eggs
The dish originates from the Middle East and the word Shakshuka literally means “a mixture” in Arabic slang. It’s bloody delicious.
Roughly chop all your veggies into cubes in preparation. Give your onions and garlic a fry up until the onions are clear. Turn the heat down and add the peppers for about 3 minutes, then add the tomatoes, chillies, basil and spices. We added a touch of stock as well, but this is optional. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes then lift the lid and crack in your eggs. Put the lid back on. After 5 minutes lift the lid… do your eggs look like this? Yes? You’re ready to go! Serve with bread, potatoes or even on its own for a low carb treat.
We will have this on the weekends for breakfast although it’s an any time kind of meal which can be lapped up with or without bread or perhaps even with potatoes if that’s your bag. Ingredients for two servings 2 sweet red peppers 1 onion 3 cloves of garlic 8 ripe tomatoes Fresh basil
Method
RECIPE
THE ULTIMATE MEAT FREE BREAKFAST BAP By Emma Walton-Moore
The 1st of November was World Vegan Day, a day to celebrate the benefits of avoiding animal products. In recent years, eating a plant-based diet has become much easier. Realistic eggs, bacon, sausages and more are now readily available in supermarkets or in specialist stores such as The Vegan Butcher and My Vegan Supermarket. I’ve included my favourite brand recommendations in the ingredients list below.
think again. You can still enjoy lots of your favourite decadent dishes like this breakfast bap.
This hearty breakfast bap is a great example of how you can get all the flavour and texture of meat and eggs without using any foods that have been derived from animals. If you thought that vegan food had to be wholesome and super healthy then
Ingredients: 2 soft white rolls 2 tbsp non-dairy spread (recommendation: Flora Dairy Free Spread) 2 tbsp ketchup (recommendation: Rubies in the Rubble Tomato
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The roll has all the best parts of a full English breakfast in a soft, fluffy white roll. Wrap in tin foil for a delicious breakfast on the go! It’s so much better than any of the vegan fast-food options that are available. Serves: 2 people
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Ketchup) 250g of spinach 2 slices vegan black pudding (recommendation: Simon Howie’s Vegetarian Black Pudding) 2 slices vegan cheese (recommendation: Follow Your Heart Dairy-Free Smoked Gouda Slices) 2 vegan breakfast sausage patties (recommendation: Rudy’s “The Vegan Butcher” Soysage Patties) 200g tofu scramble (recommendation: Tofoo Co Scrambled Tofu) 4 to 6 rashers of vegan bacon (recommendation: Vegan Cartel Bacon Rashers) Vegetable oil, for cooking Salt and pepper to season Method: Cut each roll in half then cover each with a thin layer of the non-dairy spread (roughly 1 tbsp in total, keep the remaining tbsp to one side). Next spread the ketchup over the top. Place the rolls to one side while you cook the fillings. First, heat a little vegetable oil in a pan then add the vegan black pudding and sausage patties to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes or until they have begun to form a crispy outside and flip. Cook for a further 5 minutes. In the meantime, melt the remaining spread in a saucepan. Add the spinach, season lightly then let it wilt. Stir occasionally. Cover with a 32
lid and take the pan off the heat as soon as the spinach is cooked. By now, the black pudding and sausage patties should be cooked. Put them onto a baking tray and place in your oven to keep warm. Add the tofu scramble and bacon rashers to the saucepan you used to cook the black pudding and sausage. Add a little more oil as needed and cook on a medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir the tofu scramble occasionally to ensure that it’s hot all the way through and flip the bacon rashers once crisp on one side. Once the tofu scramble and the bacon rashers are cooked it’s time to assemble your baps! First, add half of the spinach to the bottom layer of each roll. Next, layer on the black pudding, followed by the cheese, sausage patties, tofu scramble and then the bacon rashers. Finally, top with the remaining half of the soft white rolls. Serve while still hot with a big helping of beans!
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CANDIED SMOKED SALMON Premium Scottish Salmon, dry cured, brined with pure Canadian maple syrup, air dried and smoked over old whisky barrel oak.
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RECIPE
COURGETTE FRITTERS By Dani Gavriel
Ingredients:
Method:
3 medium courgettes, grated and squeezed in a tea towel to remove excess moisture 1 small onion, finely grated 100g self-raising flour (or gram flour with 5g of baking powder for a gluten free version) 25g grated Parmesan cheese (This is the bare minimum. Add more to taste if required) 1/2 tsp smoked paprika Handful of fresh dill, finely chopped Handful of fresh spinach, finely chopped Salt & pepper, to taste 1 tbsp olive or other preferred vegetable oil (for frying)
Combine all the ingredients apart from the oil and make up little patties. Fry the patties on each side in a little hot oil on a medium heat, being careful not to burn them: they’re ready once they have turned golden brown on both sides. Add more oil to the pan as necessary.
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Optional: Top with poached eggs and / or crumbled feta with chilli flakes
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RECIPE
TOFU SCRAMBLE By Emma Sousa
This quick, simple and healthy breakfast can easily be adapted to suit your taste - add chilli, mushrooms or whatever you have to hand or that you love. Tofu (or bean curd) is a super source of protein, is low in fat and is an excellent source of iron: it also contains all nine essential full chain amino acids so basically it is a complete food. With 0% cholesterol it is a great alternative to eggs. It has a whopping 525% more calcium than its eggy counterpart, 206% more iron and 3.5 x LESS saturated fat than eggs! What’s not to like! It’s a great food for all. The secret to loving tofu is learning how to prepare and cook it correctly. Most tofu will need pressing before you cook it (not this recipe though - you can cook it straight from the pack) and seasoning properly. It has a wonderful ability to take on flavours which makes it a truly versatile food as part of a healthy, balanced diet.
This recipe provides two servings Ingredients: 300g / one pack of organic firm tofu 1/4-1/2 tsp kala namak (Himalayan black salt) 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp smoked paprika 1/4 tsp turmeric 1/2 red pepper 2 spring onions Plant milk (I use oat) 1 tsp oil (I use rapeseed) Method: Finely chop the onions and pepper and lightly sauté in a pan with the oil, being careful not to overcook. Drain the packet of tofu and mash the tofu block in a bowl, add the dry ingredients and mix together well. Add sufficient milk to make a nice consistency - not too wet and not too dry. Add to the pan and cook for around 3 minutes. Serve straight away on some toasted sourdough bread. Enjoy!
RECIPE
KHAO TOM MOO (THAI RICE PORRIDGE WITH PORK) By Ying Bower
At home in Thailand, this soup is traditionally eaten as a breakfast dish, as it is warm, mild and filling, without being heavy on the digestive system. Ingredients: One cup of cooked rice 50g of minced pork Half a celery – approximately four or five stalks, diced 30g of carrot, diced One pork stock cube Soy sauce Ground white pepper Coriander leaves and finely sliced spring onion to garnish
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Method: Boil two cups of water in the pot, add the diced celery and carrot. Once the water has come to the boil, let it cook for 5 minutes. Add one pork stock cube and let it dissolve in the boiling water. Then add 2 teaspoons of soy sauce and pepper to taste to the minced pork. Mix everything well then form the mixture into small balls and add into the pot so that they cook through. Finally, add the rice Let everything simmer on a medium heat for 10-15 minutes, adding more water if the liquid is reducing too much. And that’s it! Serve the soup garnished with the coriander leaves and spring onion slices. Cibare Magazine
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FEATURE
PAN CON TOMATE By David J Rickett
Ingredients: 3 high quality tomatoes Good quality olive oil 1 ciabatta loaf 1 large garlic clove A pinch of flaked sea salt Method: Cut the tomatoes in half and grate them over a bowl. Season with salt and add a good glug of olive oil.
Spread the grated tomato over the bread and then serve. This deceptively simple recipe is all about treating top quality ingredients with the respect they deserve… it also makes a delicious starter or side dish.
Slice the ciabatta loaf in half lengthways and cut into suitable portions. Brush with a good quality olive oil and arrange on a baking tray. Toast about 6 inches from the grill element until the slices are golden brown. Assemble the tomato bread. When the bread is ready, rub the peeled garlic clove over the hot bread. 40
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RECIPE
CARAMELISED BANANA AND HAZELNUT PANCAKES By Ellie Cook
I’d always heard of buttermilk pancakes as some amazing, otherworldly treat only available in restaurants, but I’d never realised just how easy they are to make at home! This makes a thick, blob-able batter rather than a pourable one, so they won’t really spread in the pan, so don’t worry if they’re not perfect circles! It’s the taste that counts, anyway. Plus, the most decadent and delicious topping that also happens to be one of your five a day? Count me in! This recipe serves two hungry brunchers Ingredients For the pancakes: 1 1/2 cups self-raising flour 1 teaspoon caster sugar 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda 42
1 egg 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup buttermilk 2 tbsp melted butter For the topping: 2 ripe bananas 2 tablespoons caster sugar 2 tablespoons maple syrup A handful of blanched hazelnuts Method Measure the dry pancake ingredients into a large mixing bowl and stir together to combine. Measure the wet ingredients into a separate bowl or jug and whisk together. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, and slowly pour in the wet mix, whilst whisking to avoid any lumps. Lightly butter a large, non-stick Cibare Magazine
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frying pan, and heat over a medium flame. Use a spoon to pour circles of batter onto the pan. Cook until the underside is golden, then flip using a spatula. Wrap in foil or keep warm in a low oven whilst you make the topping. Pour the sugar into a small pan on a medium heat. Heat the sugar until it melts - don’t be tempted to stir it! Just shake it about a bit if some bits are melting faster than others. Meanwhile, peel your bananas and slice into thick, angled slices. Once the sugar has all melted and is a dark, caramel colour, pour in the banana slices and hazelnuts, and stir to ensure they’re all coated with sugar. Add in the maple syrup, using a little extra if the mixture is thicker than you’d like. Cook on a medium heat until the bananas are nicely caramelised, pour over your warm pancakes and serve immediately!
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BOOZE
DAYBREAK DRINKING By Jessica Mason
Start your day with a spring in your step and a twinkle in your eye. Despite side-eyes from the virtuous, let it be known that there is no greater superpower than that of the cheeky breakfast livener. Never underestimate how that little brunch-time lift in a stemmed glass can make your day. Whatever you opt for when it comes to morning-drinking, remember that indulgence of this ilk is only satisfying if it feels special and like a treat. Holidays are often the time we take ourselves out for breakfast, but if your wallet and your responsibilities keep you distanced from boutique cafés you can recreate your own decadent little paradise within your own home. Alternatively, follow these recipe suggestions and take 46
your glassware and a twistable shaker on a hike with your cool bag and pour at leisure. The Ultimate Breakfast Martini You will need: A frozen coupe glass 1 generous spoon of pithy zesty citrus marmalade 50ml of your favourite gin 15ml of freshly squeezed lemon juice 15ml of Grand Marnier 15 ml of any aperitif wine or vermouth - use what you have A thick strip of orange peel to garnish Method: For best results, pop your coupe glass in the freezer overnight and retrieve it in the morning. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and ladle in Cibare Magazine
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a big spoonful of marmalade. Stir it until it melts and coats the cubes and becomes more liquid. Add the gin, lemon juice, Grand Marnier and your chosen aperitif. Shake with gusto until you’ve toned your arms and woken up your neighbours. Strain into your frozen glass. Garnish with a strip of orange peel simply zested around the rim of the glass and dropped into the coupe. Drink smugly.
sauce along with the (optional) dab of horseradish sauce and the celery salt and pepper. Stir until the horseradish is muddled in. Strain into a tall glass and top with extra ice, a celery stick and attach a cornichon or small pickle to the celery stick with a cocktail stick or simply garnish with a slice or two of lemon or lime and a sprinkling of black pepper.
The Best Bloody Mary
You will need: A Champagne flute Chilled Champagne, sparkling wine or whatever your choice of favoured fizz Freshly squeezed orange juice
You will need: A tall glass 100ml of your choice of vodka: we like Dimas, but also Umami from Audemus is great. 500ml of tomato juice 15ml of sherry of your choice (optional) A squeeze of fresh lemon juice A generous shake of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce A few splashes of Tabasco sauce spice as you prefer: we use 2-3 drops. A pinch of celery salt A pinch of black pepper A quarter of a teaspoon of horseradish sauce (optional) A celery stick and a cornichon or a slice of citrus to garnish.
Your Morning Mimosa
Method: Half fill your flute with your choice of bubbles and top with the freshly squeezed juice. Raise your glass and toast the day. Drink chilled, preferably alongside your favourite breakfast or accompanied by your best friends or partners in crime.
Method: Fill a large jug with ice cubes and add the vodka, tomato juice, (optional) sherry and lemon juice. Add a few shakes of Lea & Perrins and Tabasco 48
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WINE
FISH ‘N’ FIZZ By Katie Goodchild
It’s a subject that can divide crowds. Some relish the thought of matching food and wine and others balk at the idea, dreading the moment their wine friends insist on coming over for dinner. For me, pairing the two together brings joy and curiosity. I often think of what wine to pair with a dish, or what to eat with a certain bottle of wine I’m opening that day or week. I should note, I’m something of an oddity for someone who has worked in the wine industry for the past eight years because I don’t actually drink a lot. Maybe twice a week - but it is these weekly moments when I find myself sitting down to dinner with family or friends. So to choose a bottle of wine to match a dish, or vice versa, has become something of a habit. 50
Each of us have our own preferences which will steer us in a certain direction when creating pairings, however there are core flavours in dishes that, when considered, can really elevate a pairing. Those core flavours are sensitive to our taste buds and include salt, sweetness, acidity, bitterness, umami and fat. Salt: Salt and acidity can be brought together in pairings, but it’s important to ensure both are high in their own flavours. For example, pairing a low acid wine with an overly salty dish will only make the wine taste flat. But pairing Prosecco or Champagne with salty nibbles at the start of a meal will taste fantastic. Sweeter wines also make excellent matches to salty dishes, especially cheese. Blue cheese paired with Port Cibare Magazine
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or Sauternes really is delicious - and should be part of everyone’s festive activities. Acidity: Trust me when I say, pair acid with acid. Acidic food needs acidic wine and pairing it with a wine that is anything other will make the wine taste flabby. Sweetness: Sweet foods can make wine taste bitter, which is why dessert and fortified wines are recommended for pairing with pudding. A glass of red wine after ice cream is always going to taste disappointing. If pairing wine with dessert, pick something that is sweeter than the dish. But don’t just think of sticky dessert wines - demi-sec (a sweeter style of) Champagne can be a great match too. If sweetness is part of a savoury dish, opt for an off-dry style of wine. Bitterness: Bitter foods can be slightly harder to pair with wine. In her book The Wine Dine Dictionary, Victoria Moore suggests pairing bitter foods with a wine that has astringency (tannin) and acidity. Umami: Soy sauce is rich in umami flavour - and is fantastic paired with Sake - but we most often associate the savoury, meaty taste of umami in foods such as mushrooms, anchovies and aged Parmesan cheese. These flavours are a great match to oxidised wines, like Oloroso sherry and the 52
white wines of France’s Jura. Fat: Pair fatty foods with wines that have good acidity or tannin and which will cut through the fat. Examples of this are fried chicken with Champagne, and pork belly with young, fruity Pinot Noir. Helen McGinn, author of The Knackered Mother’s Wine Guide and regular wine host on Saturday Kitchen, suggests paying attention to the weight of a dish too, “and try to match that with a wine of similar weight of flavour”. These guidelines are written to lead you to discovering pairings that are interesting, delicious and maybe they’ll even open up new taste sensations for you. Of course, there will be disappointments. One that always sticks in my memory is an off-dry Riesling (from a favourite producer of mine) with Chinese food. All the rules hint that this pairing would be a match made in heaven, but the food completely changed the taste of the wine. Luke Harbor, Head Sommelier at THE PIG Hotels explains it so brilliantly; “[food and wine pairings] strike a chord with powerful emotion and leave a tattooed memory. At worst, well nothing too serious will happen to wine or dish, it may just leave a sense of dissatisfaction”. When asked what surprised her Cibare Magazine
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about food and wine pairings when she first joined Saturday Kitchen, Helen explains; “I cook the recipes on the show during the week to get the matches right and often the one I think is a shoo-in isn’t necessarily the winner. I kind of love it when that happens, to be honest”. And herein lies the discovery and pure joy. A simpler rule of thumb, and one relished by food and wine lovers the world over is the idea of what grows together goes together. I’ve had many triumphs with this notion, and I find it’s the easiest way to start your journey into matching food and wine. Fancy Italian? Pair pork ragù with Chianti Classico. France: goats’ cheese with Sancerre. Spain: Manchego cheese with Manzanilla sherry. “Cheese is a fabulous food with which to explore both food and drink pairings” explains Clare Jackson of Slate (Cheese & Provisions). “These will broadly fall into two categories: those with matching flavour profiles where creamy, buttery flavours complement those qualities of cheese. Then there are contrasting choices that cut through the creaminess with a hint of acidity or effervescent texture.” I have been collaborating with Slate on cheese and wine pairings the last two years and I’ve discovered some fantastic, and unexpected, pairings. A favourite being Caws Teifi Traditional Welsh 54
Caerphilly baked in a leek gratin and paired with Flint Vineyard Bacchus. But whilst I love exploring food and wine pairings, I couldn’t agree more with Luke Harbor’s sentiment: “don’t become bogged down by the food and wine pairing gospel and use a takeaway as an excuse to open something special”. Just so you’re clear, that takeaway should definitely include fried food and that special bottle should be sparkling wine. Fish and chips with Champagne is a real treat. (I’ve also enjoyed a chippy tea with Crémant, Cava and English sparkling wine.) Fried chicken with fizz is equally excellent - KFC and Moët & Chandon have famously been served at more than one international awards show. Whilst caramel flavoured popcorn and Ruinart Brut NV is the ultimate movie snack. If cooking’s not your thing or you feel bewildered by the range of wines on sale, I asked Helen McGinn for her recommendations on which chefs and restaurants have done the work for us by pairing food and wine together; “So many [chefs] love their wine as much as their food. Ollie Dabbous suggested white vermouth with his mussel and monkfish bourride recently and it was a sensation. Also, Theo Randall’s restaurant at the Intercontinental Hotel in London has an incredible seasonal menu with a different wine Cibare Magazine
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matched with each dish. Amazing food and such good value!”. Whether you’re cooking, dining out or eating a takeaway on the sofa there is a wine to match the food and the occasion - and once you’ve decided on that initial step, you’re half way there to creating a food and wine pairing. What the experts are pairing:
Chapel Down Chardonnay with Waterloo, and (for a non-alcoholic option) LA Brewery Lemongrass Kombucha with Cornish Yarg. —— The Knackered Mother’s Wine Guide by Helen McGinn is out now (£8.99), plus find fantastic wine recommendations for every occasion at: www. knackeredmotherswineclub.com.
Helen McGinn, Knackered Mother’s Wine Club: Unoaked Chardonnay with an omelette, and “champagne and gougères. That’s actually my desert island dish”. Katrina Smith, Founder of Tipper Talk: Dry, traditional method sparkling wine with sushi. Chris Haywood, Head Winemaker at Astley Vineyard: Astley Vineyard Kerner with a vegetarian dish of mushrooms and cauliflower, and Astley Vineyard Bacchus with asparagus. Luke Harbor, Head Sommelier at THE PIG Hotels: 2012 Geoff Merrill Reserve Shiraz with turbot, and Egon Muller Scharzhofberger Alte Reben, Kabinett, 2015 with salt crusted beetroot and Oscietre Caviar cream. Clare Jackson, Owner of Slate: www.cibare.co.uk
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REVIEW
DISHOOM AT HOME By Eve Tudor
Having bought the book during lockdown I’ve been waiting to go to Dishoom for dinner. But as that table is most definitely booked, I thought why not, in the spirit of the breakfast issue, order their now infamous breakfast box to get my taste buds going for my imminent dinner. Now this is a bacon butty box with a difference. It comes with dough balls for naan bread and really simple instructions on how to cook them. It also comes with an extra one as let’s face it 99.9% of us are going to screw up at least one! Once you have cooked your bacon and got your head around your naan you can assemble your breakfast. It’s a simple recipe of naan half covered in cream cheese, to which you then add your bacon, an egg (if you like,) their signature chilli sauce and some 56
coriander. Fold your naan over and there you have it. The Dishoom Breakfast Sandwich! Sounds simple? It is. But it’s also a flavour combination that I’ve not tried before if I’m honest. Altogether it’s just delicious. I sat at home all comfy and happy having made naan for the first time and I ate it fresh and warm, filled with the perfect team of bacon, cheese and chilli sauce. It was perfect. Also, it wasn’t expensive, it was really well priced, and I ordered the one with the breakfast cocktail (obviously) - a lovely Mimosa - and it was just a really wonderful morning! Why didn’t I get this before? I’m definitely going to order this again. Soon. www.dishoom.com Cibare Magazine
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GARDENING
WHAT TO DO IN THE GARDEN THIS SEASON During the colder months it’s tempting to lock the back door and snuggle up on the sofa in front of the TV, but Winter is a time to play catch up in the garden or at the veggie patch. All those jobs you just didn’t get time to do during the busy growing months … well now is the time to spend a little while getting all those jobs done and ensuring everything is shipshape for Spring, before it all starts going crazy again. If you haven’t yet made space for some compost bins, then this is the first and most important job to get done if you can. It’s so important that we all make an effort to reduce our waste and throwing your food waste into the regular rubbish bin creates greenhouse gases as well as being really wasteful. Nothing 58
gets thrown into landfill in terms of food waste in my household. We make a super extra effort to eat up all leftovers and any that don’t get eaten for whatever reason are then fed to our rescue chickens who seem happy to finish up the leftovers. Any vegetable peelings that can’t be used by us or the chickens are kept in the fridge and made into soup stock or used up in sauces etc (we have a bowl full of broccoli stems, mushroom stalks etc). We chuck them into the soup pot, cook and blitz them all up and voilà - a perfect base for a pot of winter warming soup. Any scraps that can’t be used go into our compost bins of which we now have four at home - we have a section in the garden where they all sit directly onto the bare earth and are filled each day with our leftover veggies, Cibare Magazine
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PICTURE CREDITS: shutterstock brown32
By Emma Sousa
all the chicken waste from the coop, shredded papers, leaves, straw, toilet roll tubes, dog hair - you name it, if it breaks down it goes into the compost. It is important to get a good mix of green waste (veggies, spent flowers etc) and brown waste (paper, straw etc) and to give everything the occasional stir to aerate it. As soon as one of my bins is full, I start the next and by the time I get to the top of the second bin the first is well on its way to being rotted down. Three bins are an ideal number but whatever you can afford space-wise is good enough. I also put all my spent flowers and weeds into old compost bags at my flower field and leave them in a corner of the field to rot down and this works equally as well if you don’t have bins. The following year I have bags and bags of great compost to mulch all the beds, so you definitely don’t need anything fancy to compost stuff at home or at the allotment. Do not put cooked meat etc into the compost and if you place eggshells into it, either wash or bake them first. I have three different sorts of bins all rescued from people who were throwing them out but the best ones I have are stackable - you can remove layers when it’s time to shovel out the compost which is used to top up my veggie raised beds each year - last year we had so much we also managed to mulch flower beds in the garden. It’s free compost, it will add nutrients to 60
your soil, it’s great for biodiversity and soil health and it reduces your waste by a huge amount, and if you grow on heavy clay soil like mine it improves it no end. It is literally like a miracle when 10-12 months later you have this incredible crumbly fantastic compost instead of a pile of old veggie peelings! And although 12 months seems like a long time, once you are on a roll there is usually a compost bin that’s well on its way to being usable while the others are in the early stages, so it’s well worth setting up a system if space allows. If you have an allotment, then there is no excuse... get composting now! Even giant tubby/builders’ bags will do - just cover the top with an old piece of carpet or thick cardboard. I’m also a big fan of water butts. Again, all our water butts have been rescued from people who no longer wanted them so ask around, keep an eye on local neighbourhood groups - there is always a bargain to be had and usually people just give them away for free! Anywhere you have the floor space and have a gutter put a water butt there - with increasingly dry summers you will be thankful you have harvested rainwater, saving money on your water bills and being kinder to the environment. For me it’s about not wasting a single thing - you may not think it makes a difference but if everyone made the effort the impact could potentially be huge. Cibare Magazine
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If you are someone who likes to sweep up all the leaves in your garden don’t throw them into the green bin. Store them in mesh bags or make a mesh bin to produce leaf mould for mulching the beds next year. I even go around collecting the bags left at the roadside by the council and turn them into leaf mould - it is a great soil conditioner … and it’s free! If you have the patience, then wait two years to use as a compost otherwise after less than two years use it as a mulch or soil improver by mixing it in with your compost. Winter is also a good time to check on broken fences, plants that need staking and general maintenance. Feed the birds now that food is scarce and top up water every day for the birds and other wildlife that may be around, such as squirrels, foxes and other species. Make sure ponds are clear of leaves and don’t freeze over. Bring in all equipment including hoses, forks and spades and if you have outside taps ensure they are insulated to prevent freezing in the colder weather. If you haven’t done so already, bring tender potted plants into the greenhouse or a shed. Now is a great time to put your feet up by the fire and plan next year’s crops, flowers and plantings, to order in seeds and dream of your little patch of heaven and what the next year will bring!
Team Links Simon Carlo - @meatandoneveg Despina Mina - @forkedldn Emma Walton-Moore - @supperinthesuburbs Jon Moore - @beerinthesuburbs Dhruv Baker -@dhruvbaker1 Sam Wilkin - @cellarmansam Charlotte Benbow - @charlotte.benbow Katie Goodchild - @heritagewinesuk Emma Sousa - @theurbanflowerfarmer Ying Bower - @yingenough Dani Gavriel - @dani_gavriel Roz Lishak - @yourpupparazzi Rebecca Stratton -@cakerebecca Gilly Balcombe - @gillianbalcombe Jo Farren - @jo.farren Samina Iqbal - @samina.i Sarah Frow - @thekidstableuk Suzanne Purton - @suzanne4fitness Eve Tudor - @iameditoroffood Theo Michaels - @theocooks Jack and Hayley Rowbottom - @jacksmeatshack Anthony Raffo - @anthonyraffo Jessica Mason - @drinksmaven Urvashi Roe - @urvashiroe David Rickett - @davidrickett Andy Christou - @broodroastery @andy.creative Ellie Cook - @ellie_croissant 62
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