thatpearcegirl

[thatpearcegirl]

Super green zucchini and pea fritters

Courgette? Zucchini? I grew up calling them courgettes, but figured I’d better be safe with this recipe. This recipe was inspired when I bought 3 courgettes for the week, made it to day 5 and realised I still hadn’t used them. I’m glad I got them though, because these fritters are a super delicious, healthy meal that tastes just like spring!

Makes 4 servings (around 12-14 fritters)

Ingredients:

Fresh ingredients:

2 medium (450g) zucchini

50g frozen peas, thawed in cold water

70g spring onions (around 2 big ones or 5 small ones)

1 large bunch total of tender herbs: I used parsley, coriander, and mint but dill would be an excellent 

1 egg, beaten

Dry ingredients:

40g SR flour

15g coarse semolina

Spices and seasonings:

½tsp Ground cumin

¼tsp Fresh grated nutmeg

½tsp Black pepper

Salt

Olive oil, for frying

Prep:

Grate the zucchini on the large side of a box grater into a bowl. Add ¾tsp of sea salt, mix well, and leave them to draw the water out for at least 10 minutes, up to half an hour. Drain well and squeeze out excess moisture using a clean towel (or pat dry as well as you can using paper towels). Transfer back to a bowl. Mince the spring onions, finely chop the herbs and stir them in along with the peas to combine evenly with the courgette. Zucchini. Sorry.

Stir in the flour and semolina to the vegetable mixture using a fork to coat, then stir in the egg and spices (cumin, nutmeg, pepper) thoroughly until the mixture looks relatively even.

Cooking:

Preheat a frying pan to medium heat, add a generous amount of olive oil (a thin layer on the surface of the pan). When the oil is hot, fry fritter batter in batches using about 2 spoonfuls of batter per fritter. Fry for 3-4 minutes on each side until crispy and golden on both sides, then transfer to a kitchen paper lined plate or rack to cool. Sprinkle with a little more salt while they’re still hot.

You’ll probably find that you need to stir the batter up between each round of frying, as the batter and peas tend to sink to the bottom of the bowl as they sit.

Serve with tzatziki, or your favourite kind of hummus (harissa hummus pictured), or both... these also make a great topping for a salad!

Tips:

You could easily just use all flour here and no semolina, but I think it adds extra crunch!

This recipe uses a very low batter to filling ratio- if you want a little more substance you could use more flour and add a little milk to thin out the batter enough to coat everything

You might find that the peas want to escape the fritters during frying. This is probably due to the relatively small amount of batter I used here, but hey- free fried pea snacks, I’m not complaining!

[thatpearcegirl]

Versatile tomato, bean, and sausage stew

This concept is excellent for when you have a few basic items in your pantry and want something that gives you flexibility if you make it in bulk. You can make a lot of this at the weekend and eat it all week, in different ways so you don’t get bored! It’s also very forgiving- this is really the bare minimum recipe because that’s what I had, but you could add most any other vegetables that you have around.

Makes 4 large servings

Ingredients:

Cupboard staples:

1 can chopped tomatoes in juice

1 can butter beans or other beans

2tbsp tomato paste

1 vegetable stock cube

Fresh ingredients:

3 medium onions

2 bell peppers

Other vegetables as available (celery, carrots etc)

Sausages (I used veggie sausages)

Spices & seasonings:

2tsp smoked paprika

1tsp fennel seed

2 bay leaves

Dried rosemary, sage and thyme to taste- or one sprig of each fresh

3-4 cloves of garlic

1tsp sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil or other neutral oil

Method:

Firstly, finely chop the vegetables and garlic. Add to a large pot with about 4tbsp olive oil and the dry spices and sweat over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes until the vegetables are soft.

In the meantime, cook the sausages however is directed- I fried mine in 2tsp of oil until golden brown on all sides- and cut into chunks. Set aside.

When the vegetables are soft but not gaining colour yet, stir in any fresh herbs and the tomato paste, turn up the heat a little, stirring constantly to make sure nothing sticks until the mixture is fragrant and the tomato paste is slightly darkened- about 2 minutes.

Add the chopped tomatoes, and about 300ml of water (I just use the tomato can as a measure). Crumble in the stock cube, stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Add the beans and simmer for a further 10 minutes. Add the sausages, and cook until the stew is reduced to your desired consistency. Have it just as it is or jazz it up with a baked potato, an egg, some savoury cobbler topping, or some fried potatoes! (Post to describe all those, coming soon). Enjoy!

[thatpearcegirl]

Aquafaba (chickpea water) chocolate mousse

It feels a bit silly to be writing this down, as I barely consider it a “recipe”, but it was one of my most requested when I posted it so here it is! Aquafaba has been pretty trendy recently as a vegan egg white replacement- I’ve always been curious to try it so when I found myself opening a can of chickpeas for my quick pantry pasta lunch one day I decided that today was the day I tried it.

And you know what? It worked great. And it’s way healthier than regular chocolate mousse (not always a concern, but nice for if there’s not an event or something), only takes half an hour start to finish and is vegan to boot! What’s not to love.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

Liquid from 1 can of chickpeas

25g caster sugar

75g chocolate (I like 70% dark)

½tsp lemon juice (not sure if it’s required, but I used it)

... and that’s literally it. You heard me!

Method:

Place the aquafaba, sugar and lemon juice in a bowl that’s bigger than you think you need. Beat on high using an electric whisk for longer than you think you need to/until your arm gets tired (10-15 minutes). I don’t think it’s possible to overwhip aquafaba and you want those peaks as stiff as possible. In the meantime, heat the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water until completely melted, remove and allow to cool (until it’s cool enough to touch).

Fold the chocolate into the whipped aquafaba gently (gently gently!) so as to not deflate the mixture, until evenly distributed. Spoon into glasses or bowls for serving- or just one big bowl, I don’t judge- and fridge for at least an hour. It’s a long time to wait but I promise it’s worth it for the texture you get...

Like, just look at that. It looks like something you’d buy! And you basically got it for free because you were going to use the chickpeas anyway. Incredible. Make this next time you have friends round for dinner and surprise them with how good it is!

Tips:

This doesn’t have to be chickpea water specifically- any white bean should work, if the liquid is cloudy and slightly viscous

If this turns out a little too sweet or not chocolatey enough for your liking, experiment with the quantities! This is just what worked for me.

[thatpearcegirl]

Grapefruit and fennel salad

I haven’t always been a fan of grapefruit. But I picked up one the other day on a whim, and had a rummage through the fridge. I ended up making this salad, which made the perfect light lunch! With a zesty mustard vinaigrette dressing and homemade orange-pickled fennel, it’s great by itself but would make the perfect side to some smoked fish as well.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

Base salad

½ a cucumber

100g baby spinach (or other tender salad greens)

1 grapefruit

Pickled fennel

Cheese (optional- see tips)

Dressing

1 heaped teaspoon wholegrain/dijon mustard

Citrus juice- about 3-4 tablespoons

1tbsp finely minced shallot

2tbsp olive oil

½tsp salt

½tsp sugar or other sweetener

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Optional nigella/black sesame seeds for garnish

Grapefruit prep:

Cut the top and bottom off the grapefruit so it stands up on end. Then cut down the sides to remove the rind (marmalade anyone?). It’s a bit fiddly, but cut the segments out one by one and remove the membranes which surround them to leave lovely bright fresh segments. They should peel out relatively easily, and it’s kind of therapeutic.

Dressing:

Finely mince some shallot (not much- one very small shallot should be more than enough). Mix the mustard and the olive oil in a small bowl until combined, then mix in the salt, sugar, shallot and black pepper. Add the citrus juice (I used lime) a bit at a time and mix well, using a small whisk or a fork.

Serving:

Cut the cucumber into quarters lengthwise and then into chunks. Add into a medium bowl with the spinach (or other leaves), add all but 1tbsp of the dressing mixture and toss to coat. Split into two serving dishes and top with grapefruit, fennel, cheese and any other toppings (I loved this simple sprinkle of nigella seeds). Serve outside in the sunshine with some crusty bread and butter.

Tips:

I happened to have some of my own orange pickled fennel around which was perfect for this- but a quick-pickled fennel would be just as good!

I really enjoyed some shavings of parmesan cheese on this, I think any italian hard cheese provides a really nice salty textural contrast. But I think it would probably be great with feta too! Or skip it altogether and maybe add an extra drizzle of olive oil and some super flaky salt instead.

Other tasty additions to this could be: avocado, celery, spring onion, anything fresh and green you have lying around. Toasted seeds on top add a lot of nuttiness and crunch that goes really well with the grapefruit!

[thatpearcegirl]

Creamy semolina and roasted vegetables

I made this today, totally planned, definitely not because I impulse-bought a kilogram of coarse semolina the last time I went grocery shopping and needed to find out what the heck to do with it...

Anyway despite being warned that semolina cooked like this ends up like- and I quote- “wallpaper paste”, and having my sanity questioned by two separate Italians, I decided to go with it anyway, and I’m glad I did. This would probably also be really great if you roasted some chicken thighs with the veggies, if that’s your kind of thing!

Serves 2

Ingredients:

Fresh ingredients

1/2 a head of broccoli

1 large carrot

1 onion

1/2 a red bell pepper

100g semolina

1tbsp butter (optional, if you want it to be vegan)

Spices & seasonings

500ml vegetable or other stock

200ml balsamic vinegar

3tbsp light soy sauce

1tbsp sugar

3tsp herbes de provence, italian seasoning, or other miscellaneous mediterranean dried herbs

Olive oil

Salt & pepper

Roast vegetables:

Preheat the oven to 190C/350F

Chop the carrot into 2cm chunks, and cut the onion into chunky slices. Put them on a baking sheet and drizzle generously with olive oil, about half the herbs and some salt and pepper and toss to coat everything evenly. Place in the oven for 10 minutes.

Split the broccoli into florets and cut any large ones in half. Slice the pepper into 2cm strips. Toss in a bowl with more olive oil, salt and pepper, and the other half of the herbs. Halve the cherry tomatoes but don’t toss with the other vegetables to retain their shape.

After the 10 minutes, add the other vegetables to the baking sheet (place the tomatoes cut side up and drizzle with a little olive oil) and transfer back to the oven for another 20 minutes.

Balsamic glaze:

Add the balsamic vinegar, soy sauce and sugar to a small saucepan and heat over medium to high heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. When the mixture starts to bubble, turn the heat down to medium/low and simmer until it is about reduced by half, swirling the pan occasionally to gauge thickness. Then remove from the heat.

Semolina:

Bring the stock to the boil in a pan. Add the semolina in a thin stream to the boiling stock, whisking/stirring constantly, until all the semolina is mixed. Continue stirring vigorously over medium heat as the mixture thickens to your desired texture (around 5 minutes for me), then add the butter (if using, otherwise add 1tbsp olive oil) and keep stirring as it melts in.

Assembly:

Add about half the glaze to a medium bowl, add the roasted vegetables (other than the tomatoes) and toss to coat. Add the semolina to pre-warmed serving dishes and top with the coated vegetables, tomatoes, and drizzle with the rest of the glaze. Great with some red wine.

Tips:

Yes you could probably use polenta for this instead!

The glaze is better when made with dark sugar, but any sugar or sweetener (honey etc) will do!

It’s possible to make the glaze ahead of time and just heat it to a pourable consistency before serving- it is incredibly sticky when cool.

Semolina consistency is really down to personal preference, but bear in mind it will thicken as it sits, so err on the side of caution.

[thatpearcegirl]

Simple tasty korean-inspired greens

This recipe was a priority. I make these greens all the time. Pretty much any Asian-inspired dish gets a side of this- they’re so intensely green and pretty and tasty and go with everything- even just over some rice when you need a quick light meal.

Shamelessly an approach taken from Maangchi, whose videos I watch obsessively when I feel sad and is so skilled, knowledgable and relatable.

For one serving, easily scalable

Ingredients:

Most any kinds of green vegetable! Examples:

1 handful of

Spinach

Bok choy (pictured)

Swiss chard

Broccoli

I haven’t tried it but I bet celery would be good

Seasoning:

1½tbsp dark soy sauce

1tsp sugar

1tsp sesame oil

1 small clove garlic

Prep:

Put all of the seasonings apart from the garlic into a medium-sized bowl. Grate the garlic into a fine paste (or just mince very finely) and add, stir well to combine with a fork until the sugar is mostly dissolved.

Separate the leaves of any bok choy. Break broccoli into small, evenly sized florets. Chop any particularly large leaves into more manageably sized pieces (about twice mouth size pieces since they’ll shrink).

Vegetable cooking:

Bring a pot of water to the boil. Add the vegetables, submerge and stir briefly, then leave to wilt- less than 1 minute for spinach and bok choy, maybe 2 minutes for broccoli.

Remove and add to a strainer and immediately run under cold water to shock them- this will stop the cooking and help them maintain their green colour.

Drain excess water and add the vegetables to the bowl with the seasonings, and toss with a spoon or your hands to coat well. You can leave them to sit a while in the seasoning to make sure they really take it up, but I’m a very impatient person.

That’s it! You’re ready to go! It really is that simple.

You might be wondering: Jules, aren’t those veggies a little cold by now? The answer is: yeah they’re lukewarm, but that doesn’t bother me too too much, especially if I’m about to put them on a hot dish. But if you want you can easily microwave them for 30 seconds to heat them up a bit without sacrificing too much of the texture.

Tips:

I like to use light brown granulated sugar but any sugar is good- I bet you could use rice syrup or other sweetener too if that’s what you had

Generally I love to top veggies with some of the following: fried garlic chips, chilli crisp, sesame seeds, spring onions. They’re all super tasty (and pretty to boot) and can really turn a bowl of vegetables into an interesting meal on a budget.

[thatpearcegirl]

Saag aloo (just like the takeaway)

The other week I had a real craving for takeaway. But my diet and my wallet protested, so I had to come up with a solution... and based on the ingredients in my kitchen, this was the answer. And I was super impressed with myself! I am a real fan of takeaway and I do not take it lightly when I say this is an extremely close replica.

Serves 2 as main or 4 as a side

Ingredients:

Fresh ingredients:

3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

Around 100g of spinach (to taste- fresh or frozen is fine)

1 medium onion

2 medium tomatoes

2 cloves garlic, minced

One slice ginger, minced

2tbsp tomato paste

~2tbsp yoghurt (optional- omit to make it vegan!)

Spices & seasonings:

1-2tsp mustard seeds

1tsp nigella seeds

2+ tsp turmeric

1tsp ground coriander

1-2 tsp curry powder

1-2tsp chilli flakes (depending on how strong you're feeling)

1-2tsp salt 

Sunflower oil or other neutral oil

Vegetable prep:

Peel and cut potatoes into 3cm chunks. Wilt the spinach down and set aside. Slice the onion thinly lengthwise. Cut the tomatoes into wedges (I go for 6ths). Parboil potatoes in salted water until soft, around 10 minutes, drain and put aside.

Cooking:

Put spices in large heavy-bottomed pan/wok , with enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Fry spices on medium high heat, add ginger and cook for 1-2 mins until everything smells super good. Add onion and sweat for 4-5 minutes until soft, add garlic and salt for 1min and then tomato paste and fry for another 2-3 minutes. At this point you might decide it’s not going to be yellow enough and add a little more turmeric if that’s the case.

Add the spinach and stir to coat in delicious oniony oily goodness, cook for a couple of minutes to heat the spinach through. Add the parboiled potatoes and stir well to evenly distribute everything. Cook for 3 minutes to heat through, then add tomato slices and fold in (so you don’t crush them- unless that’s what you want, I’m not your boss). Cook for another 3-5 minutes until tomatoes are soft, then turn off heat and stir in yoghurt if you’re using it. Taste for seasoning and serve!

Tips:

The range of measurements when it comes to spices is due to personal taste. Add what seems right to you!

I like to wilt/heat my spinach in a bowl with a splash of water in the microwave until it’s soft, but you could always blanch it in a pan of boiling water.

I mean it about salting your potato water. If you don’t add enough salt to that water your potatoes will be bland and you will be a little disappointed (speaking from experience...)

[thatpearcegirl]

Roasted squash and halloumi salad

Sweet squash, crispy chickpeas, chewy halloumi, and other salty tangy accoutrements with a herby dressing on a bunch of rocket (it's under there I promise). What’s not to love?

This recipe is great because some of the components can be made in advance and assembled later- so great to cook everything on a weekend for lunches/dinners in the first half of the week. There’s a lot of food in a squash! Use the other half for some tasty soup or curry, maybe.

Makes enough for 3-4 bowls

Ingredients:

Fresh ingredients:

½ winter squash (butternut or acorn is ideal)

1 can chickpeas

200 small plum tomatoes

225g halloumi

Pickled banana peppers

Olives- I used smoky chilli deli-style olives, but any olives would do

200g of rocket/arugula

2 cloves garlic

One bunch each coriander/cilantro and flat leaf parsley

½ lemon, zest and juice

Spices & seasonings:

Sea salt

Black pepper

Smoked paprika

Ras el hanout

Olive oil

Cooked components:

Remove the skin from the squash and cut into wedges, and drain the chickpeas. Put the squash in a large ziplock bag and add a generous glug of olive oil, 2tsp smoked paprika, 1½ tsp ras el hanout, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss in the bag until all the squash pieces are coated with the spices.

Transfer the squash to a baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes at 375F/190c. Use this time to season the chickpeas in the same way as the squash, and halve the tomatoes. After the 10 minutes, add the chickpeas to the baking sheet along with the tomatoes (drizzle the tomatoes with a little olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper). Continue to roast for a further 20 minutes.

Slice the halloumi into ½cm pieces and fry in a dry pan over medium heat for around 4 minutes on each side, or until golden.

Herb dressing:

Chop the coriander/parsley as fine as possible, and grate the garlic cloves. Add to a bowl with ¾tsp salt, and lemon zest. Add 3tbsp of olive oil and half of the lemon juice and stir well with a fork to combine.

Assembly:

Tear the rocket into smaller pieces and toss with 1tbsp of the dressing, plus the other half of the lemon juice (and any leftover minced parsley/coriander).

Place the rocket in the bottom of the bowls and layer all the other ingredients on top in an aesthetically pleasing fashion (you know, for the ‘gram) and spoon ~2tsp of the dressing over the halloumi and squash. Enjoy!

Tips:

Save that chickpea water for any aquafaba recipes!

You could probably make the dressing in a food processor... I just haven’t tried it because I don’t have one.

This could easily be vegan if you substitute the halloumi, maybe for some herby marinated tofu.

[thatpearcegirl]

A fresh start

It’s a bit intimidating, but I finally decided it was time to put my hands to the keyboard and start recording the things that I’ve been making.

I’d hesitate to call myself “good” at cooking, but I’m on an adventure to discover new things and try as much food as possible in my time on the planet, and after several requests for recipes, this seems like the best (and cheapest) solution.

For those who don’t know, hi, I’m Jules! I’m a cell biology PhD student by day but I love to make tasty, simple, beautiful food and I’m finding it very rewarding to share it with the world, so here we are. I was raised vegetarian and as a result a lot of my food is meat-free, and often accidentally vegan. But I’ve been trying to branch out of my old habits so who knows what’ll come down the line.

Thanks for reading, and happy cooking! Always happy to receive messages on instagram @thatpearcegirl.