Warming. Spiced. Rich. Moreish.

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Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm oil on linen. According to Wikipedia: "in contrast to European dragons that are considered evil, Chinese dragons traditionally symbolize potent and auspicious powers, particularly control over water, rainfall, and floods. The dragon is also a symbol of power, strength, and good luck." This particular dragon is symbolizing the potency and power of the hot and numbing sichuan pepper integral to this dish. Consider yourself warned!

By the way, all the food painting artwork is available to own in the Official Art Store.

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The meatless meals recipe

Unusual. Chunky. Spiced. Moreish.

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Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm acrylic on linen. In looking into Ecuadorian art I was delighted to find a style of artwork which stems from rock art. Rock art rocks my socks off, so I was pretty happy with this but I had no luck in finding culturally appropriate symbols. The symbol in this piece is from a petroglyph (rock carving) in the Mojave Desert in the USA. Try as I might (and I really did) I couldn't find much in the way of icons of any sort, even deities, much less potato or avocado or plant related from Ecuador. Peru, yes; Mexico, yes; American Indian, yes; Ecuador, ah ah. This one was chosen because it looks like a plant and I was wanting to celebrate the Ecuadorian plant staples of potato and avocado which still manage to grow high up in the Ecuadorian Andes in winter.

By the way, all the food painting artwork is available to own in the Official Art Store.

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The meatless meals recipe

In the hunt for ethnic inspiration for tasty winter soup I stumbled across the notion of an Ecuadorian potato and cheese soup with avocado. It sounded a lot more appetizing than anything I could possibly do with turnip, celeriac, onion or brussel sprouts. I checked it out and immediately began salivating. Then I dashed up to the shop, grabbed all the ingredients and made possibly the most addictive soup I have ever had. It helps that I could happily make a meal of any of the main ingredients on their own, so put them together and as far as I am concerned, magic happens. This is adapted from the recipe by Laylita on her blog, Laylita's recipes and is filling enough to qualify as a main meal.

1.5kg potato (about 10 medium sized), chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper or hot paprika or chilli powder
7 cups weak stock
1 cup milk
300g white or chinese cabbage, finely shredded
1 cup cottage cheese
50g fresh coriander, chopped fine
200g feta cheese, crumbled
3 avocados, sliced or diced
hot sauce (or chilli sauce/powder to taste mixed in 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar per bowl)

Melt butter and soften onion with garlic, cumin and cayenne.
Add potato pieces and stock and boil until potatoes are very well done.
Roughly mash the soup.
Reduce the heat to prevent this boiling over then add the milk and cabbage.
Cook gently until the cabbage is done to your liking.
Add cottage cheese and coriander. Mix thoroughly.
Remove from the heat.
Serve with half an avocado and a handful of feta in each bowl.
Add hot sauce to taste.

Makes 6 chunky, filling bowlfuls.

Chunky. Spiced. Easy. Versatile.

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Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm acrylic on paper. The paper is no ordinary paper, it is textured Hahnemuhle 300 gsm 100% alpha cellulose which is acid-free fibre of vegetable origin. 

Befitting a Moroccan style dish, this piece is done in the Moroccan zouaq decorative style of painting. This is often used to cover furniture as well as doorways and walls. It's colourful and heavily based on pattern. It's finicky and requires patience. The results can be quite exquisite and delicate.

By the way, all the food painting artwork is available to own in the Official Art Store.

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2 medium to large red capsicum

1 large eggplant

2 large zucchini

1 large red onion

1/4 butternut pumpkin

3 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper

3/4 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 1/2 tablespoons coriander seeds

200g green beans

around 260g cooked chickpeas

1 head garlic

350g/2 cups couscous

2 cups boiling water

juice and zest of 1 1/2 big lemons

Heat the oven to 220C/440F.

Chop the capsicum, eggplant, zucchini and pumpkin into large chunks of about 4cm. Chop the onion into large sized wedges.

Put these into a roasting tin and toss in the olive oil and salt and pepper.

Roast for 25 to 30 minutes.

Top and tail the beans and cut into bite sized lengths.

Add the beans, garlic, chickpeas, cumin seeds and coriander seeds to the roasting pan.

Mix well.

Roast for 10-15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let stand while you cook the couscous.

Mix the couscous and boiling water, along with a little salt and pepper. Let stand for 5 minutes or so until all the water has been soaked up and the couscous tastes done.

Squeeze the lemon juice over the vegetables.

Serve up both veges and couscous together.

This feeds around 4 people.

Warming. Spiced. Moreish. Easy.

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Food painting artwork

30 x 24cm acrylic and pen on cotton. Heavily influenced by Medieval illuminated manuscripts which seemed rather appropriate for such an ancient and traditional winter potation.

By the way, all the food painting artwork is available to own in the Official Art Store.

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The meatless meals recipe

What better way to kick off the season of winter but with the happy warm glow of a mug or two of mulled wine? This recipe was collected and refined during my Scottish years but actually reminds me of late December afternoon at work in London when the whole office would get mulled wine ingredients together and the pot would brew away ready for knock off time. 

2 bottles red wine (1.5 L)
1 1/2 teaspoons coriander seeds
5-7cm cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
4 tablespoons sugar
12 cloves
1/2 L orange juice or more to taste

Put all the ingredients in a pot and heat gently for at least an hour.  Do not simmer or boil.

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More vegetarian cookbook goodies

Need help with conversions? Download this handy dandy pdf of cooking conversion charts for every cooking measuring system I could find. It should make your life easier.

Want to check out more vegetarian dinner recipes? They're all in the Table of Contents.

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Aromatic. Easy. Warming. Spiced.

Food painting artwork

30x30cm gouache on canvas. My defining memories of chai tea involve sitting in a very hippy tent with a random shaped returnable mug of warming spicy chai and having equally random conversations with total strangers who each had a different shaped returnable mug. Hence all the various mugs in this picture.

If you love chai tea and always wanted a solid recipe to use at home instead of buying the stuff in the packets, here it is. And this one is free of caffeinated black tea, too.

Lightly boil together for about 20mins:

3 cups water

10cm cinnamon

8 cloves

4 cardamom pods

up to 2.5cm fresh ginger, sliced and peeled (peeling helps stop the scum that unpeeled ginger generates when boiled)

up to half a teaspoon grated nutmeg

Then add one cup of milk or soy milk and heat through.

Pour into mugs and sweeten with honey to taste.

The spices can be used up to 3 times. Obviously the tea is weaker each time.

Don't try and use ground spices. They just make a revolting sludge.

This will make enough for 2 cups.