Book of t he Mont h
from the book!
TIN CAN MAGIC Jessica Elliot Dennison (Hardie Grant, £15)
JESSICA CARTER
JO N ATH A N LOV E K IN
Ever find yourself with a cupboard full of food – dusty jars and tins, and almostfull packets of grains – but still without any meal inspiration? This storecupboard companion aims to broaden your horizons when it comes to tinned food, which is not just convenient but is usually happily cost-effective, too. Not that the stylishly shot recipes in this book – from cavolo nero and salsa verde butter beans to lime and coconut prawns – give away their humble foundations at first glance. Chapters are each dedicated to a popular tinned ingredient – green lentils, tomatoes, anchovies, sweetcorn and more – and are preceded by recipe tips and the basic rules of building a meal around a tin of food. The recipes themselves have plenty of substitution ideas to make the most of what you already have in the cupboard, too. Anchovy and dried chilli linguine, whipped butter bean dip with crispy herbs and condensed milk and orange zest semifreddo are just three of many midweek winners here, pitched perfectly for those that want to eat well without the fuss.
INDIAN-STYLE CREAMED CORN WITH NAAN, CORIANDER AND TOASTED SPICES This is half way between a dahl and a curry, where a few tins of regular sweetcorn are transformed into something fragrant and special by the help of the spices from the back of your cupboard. I’ve suggested using a stick blender to give your corn a nice creamy texture, but if you don’t have one, don’t worry, just mash some of the corn by hand using a potato masher instead. SERVES 2 6 tbsp rapeseed, light olive or coconut oil 1 onion, finely sliced 3 garlic cloves, finely sliced 2 x 340g tins sweetcorn, drained 2 tsp ground coriander 1½ tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp curry leaves (optional) ½-1 tsp dried chilli flakes, to taste 1 lemon 1 large naan or 2 chapatis handful coriander leaves 1 First, heat 4 tbsp oil over a medium heat in a wide pan. Add the onion and garlic, reduce to low, then fry for 15 minutes until soft and translucent. Stir occasionally and add a splash of water if beginning to catch. 2 Add half the corn to a jug with a splash of water. Then, using a stick blender or food processor, blitz it into a rough pulp. 3 Add 2 tbsp oil to the onion, then add the spices and curry leaves. Stir for 1-2 minutes until
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fragrant, then add the creamed corn and reserved kernels. Add the zest of one lemon and the juice of half, plenty of seasoning to taste, and a splash of water to loosen if it’s too thick. Cut the remaining lemon half into wedges. 4 Meanwhile, use tongs to heat the naan bread directly over a gas flame for a few seconds until lightly charred. You can also do this in a pan or oven. 5 To assemble, divide the corn and naan between two plates. Roughly tear over the coriander and serve with a lemon wedge each. TIP! Try substituting the onion for leek, ground coriander for garam masala, or lemon for lime.