The Recycled Cook

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 Piedmont Peppers Another vegetable dish for you today which can either be used as a starter, a side dish or even on as a light supper. The original recipe uses dried anchovies but I have substituted Serrano ham in this version. To make this as a vegetarian option simply revert back to the anchovies. Firstly halve the peppers, cutting through the stem which makes the presentation better. This is easiest with a large, sharp cooks knife. De-seed and take out the core. Place some thinly sliced slivers of garlic in the base of each pepper, bashing them lightly with the handle of the knife to release their flavour. Tear some small slices of cured ham such as Bayonne, Serrano, Parma or, as I do sometimes, Carmarthen ham (legend has it that the Romans took this idea back to Italy and created Parma ham).  Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with black pepper. Add some small sweet basil leaves if you have them or tea...

The Recycled Cook By Adrian Sleeman Fennel, Cucumber and Apple Salad A very easy, if a little dangerous vegetarian cooking blog from me today. This is a simple side salad which can be served with any light lunch dish but it works particularly well with a warm Quiche. The contrast of hot and cold adds another dimension to what would otherwise be a very simple dish. In truth this is not so much of a salad as a cold pickle as all the ingredients are allowed to rest in a mixture of lemon juice and vinegar. As always with these dishes there are no hard and fast rules about the ingredients or the proportions, it is a matter of what you have available and how adventurous you are feeling. I had a Fennel bulb and a green Apple available as well as some baby courgettes but I could have equally added radish celery or a fruit such as Mango or Pineapple. Now comes the dangerous bit, you need to slice the ingredients thinly and the best way to do this is with a Mandolin (if you ha...

The Recycled Cook Cheese and chive jacket potato Jacket potatoes are one of those really comforting dishes that seem to have been around forever, w e all have our favourite   toppings. Chucking the potato in the microwave and adding your topping is one way but they can be a lot more interesting than that too. Prick the skin all over and put straight onto the rack in the oven on 200° (Gas mark 6) and bake for about 40 mins, turning half way through cooking.  The time will vary depending on the the size of the potato. Use any large potato you have available. After baking, halve and gently score the potato in a criss cross pattern, being careful not to pierce the skin but if you do it is not disastrous. For this one I used left over cheese from the fridge and fresh chives from my  garden.  You can substitute finely chopped spring onion for the chives. Scoop out the centre and place in a mixing bowl, season well with salt and black pepper...

The Recycled Cook By Adrian Sleeman Petit Pois Francais (French peas) If you want something a little different to serve as an accompaniment with a French twist instead of the usual vegetables try this simple method of cooking peas with lettuce and onion. Easy to make and a simply delicious alternative which will lift your meal. This works particularly well with fish but could just as easily be served as a side dish with chicken or pork or even supplemented with other vegetables and served as a soup in its own right.  I find that adding a particular choice of herb can change the whole character of this dish, for example you could add Dill or Fennel with fish, Sage or Mint with pork and Tarragon or Coriander with Chicken, The basis of this dish is of course a good vegetable stock which ideally you will have made yourself and frozen, the recipe for which you can find here  Making Stock . You can of course use shop bought stock cubes, gels or even liquid sachets the...