Tricky Ingredients

KITCHEN GADGETS TO THE RESCUE

There are just some ingredients I can’t master cooking using traditional methods.

Rice… Was a problem, until we discovered a Japanese programable electric rice cooker that plays a cute little tune when you press the ‘Cook’ button.

Whole globe artichoke & okra (aka ladies fingers) are another two things that spring immediately to mind.

November in Wales means long, dark, wet and windy nights that cry out for some comfort food. What better than a Cajun meal? This week seemed to have a Cajun theme to dinnertime. First we had Etouffee then last night was Gumbo. I wanted to see if I could cook the perfect Okra to go in the gumbo.

The last time I tried cooking with Okra I was left with a slimy mess. So I turned to another piece of kitchen technology – the Sous Vide – and was rather pleased with the outcome. 

Sous Vide Okra
Preheat the water bath to 82 degrees centigrade
Trim the tops off the Okra
Place the okra in a cooking bag
Seasoning can be added at this stage, but I decided not to season as I was adding them to the gumbo
Seal the bag using a Vacuum Seal
Cook for 15 minutes in the Sous Vide
After 15 minutes place in an ice bath for 10 minutes
Remove Okra from the bag, pat dry and cut into bite size pieces
Add to cooked gumbo and stir until the okra has warmed through
Serve immediately.

I wonder…sous vide a globe artichoke next? If I can find one in the local supermarket. Or maybe we should consider growing our own next year. After all it meets all the criteria for deciding what to grow on our small holding.
We like to eat it
It’s relatively expensive to buy
It’s difficult to buy

Perhaps next year we’ll also experiment growing okra in the hydroponic polytunnel it being an ideal plant to grow in pots.

The Three Musketeers

Basque ChilLi, Tomato & Tomatillo  – Hydroponic Salsa Ingredients

Finally the Basque Chillis are turning red. I bought these seeds from http://www.realseeds.co.uk a family run company based here in Wales. What I like about this company is that they sell seeds for plants that you can save from one years harvest to plant the following year. Traditionally this used to be common practice by farmers and gardeners alike, but I think it is not so prevalent today. When the other job (TOJ) slows down a little I plan on starting to save my own seed. It’s something I feel quite strongly about with regards to ensuring my own food security.

One of the main reasons for the hydroponic polytunnel was to try and grow chillis. I’m growing 2 types,  a green Jalapeño, that’s not doing too well and the red Basque Chilli. The Basque Chilli is a fantastic heirloom chilli pepper from the South of France that does really well in the UK. They are a deep red chilli that will give you a warm glow!

Red Tomato & Tomatillo Salsa Recipe
Red Cherry Tomatoes *
Final Crop of Tomatillos *
Basque Chili *
Parsley *
Sweet Onion
Lime Juice
Spot of Sugar

* Ingredients were all grown in an unheated, natural daylight hydroponic polytunnel here in Wales. 

I made this to serve over a piece of poached sea bass, but any leftovers make a great bruschetta the next day.