The Recycled Cook

Mixed Bean Salad Now the summer is pretty much over and we are moving into Autumn we are at the end of the bean growing season. The young juicy runner beans have either been eaten or, if you are like to think ahead, have been sliced, blanched and frozen for winter use. If you still have beans now that you picked late on in the summer the chances are they will be either past their best or very stringy. Here is an idea of something you can do with them that is easy to make, light and of course healthy. Firstly split open the pods with your fingers and pop out the beans into a container, mixing several varieties make this salad a lot more interesting. Rinse them thoroughly and then blanch them in boiling water for two minutes. pour into a sieve and drain well.  Once cool you can keep these covered in the fridge until ready to make your bean salad.  The blanching will have killed any bacteria so they should keep well for a couple of days but I would recommend...

The Recycled Cook By Adrian Sleeman "Som Tam" Thai Salad Traditionally this salad is made with Green Papaya but they are a little hard to get in Carmarthen so I have made this dish, as always, with what I had available. In this case that was carrots and courgette, the latter courtesy of my neighbour's allotment. This salad makes a really great accompaniment to Thai food but also works well as a side dish, a starter or just a healthy snack. Preparation time is about ten minutes but don't rush if using the Mandolin. What Thai people call a Salad feels more like a pickle to me as they use citrus juice (lime or lemon), Fish sauce (Nam Pla) and vinegar in their preparation. The Thai term for salad can be confusing for Westerners. Mandolin with shield Carrot and Courgette Start by shredding your vegetables into thin ribbons, I used a Mandolin with a medium side shredding attachment but a potato peeler and a knife will do the jo...

The Recycled Cook By Adrian Sleeman Recycling food, a way of life Having had a break from writing this blog I have had time to look at the whole concept of recycling food in a new light. When I first started to write this blog it was based on the notion that past generations had always tried not to waste anything in the kitchen. Not only that but they seemed to be able to extract more flavour from simple foods. They didn't do it because they felt it was socially responsible or politically correct they did it because they had very little choice and could not afford to waste anything.  When I first started thinking about the whole idea of recycling food it was based on the nostalgia of remembering how good food used to taste when we were children growing up in Wales. Mostly, after the initial introduction to the idea of recycling I posted recipes for meals based on what I had available at the time. What I have now come to realise and will hopefully be reflected in where ...