UN forced to cut food assistance from 10 million Afghans
As of September, 10 million Afghans have lost assistance from the World Food Programme this year, the organization announced this week.
2023-09-06 06:27
Three ways to pimp up university student classics
As teenagers start or head back to university this month, we’ve found three ways to level up student classics: instant ramen, ravioli and baked beans. Pre-made food has never tasted this good. As part of our Budget Bites column – where we’ve teamed up with Sorted Food to bring you easy, affordable, quick and (most importantly) tasty recipes once a month – this month’s instalment is all about dishes that make the most of staple ingredients while keeping your fresh shopping list minimal. We’ve also provided a handy shopping list for the ingredients (though hopefully most of it will be knocking about already), which are used across all recipes to ensure minimal food waste. You just need to decide where to shop, whether it’s locally or online. Shopping list 2 baking potatoes (large) 6 cloves garlic 20g fresh ginger 20g fresh chives 60g rocket 200g fresh spinach 200g chestnut mushrooms 125g cheddar 30g unsalted butter 250g spinach and ricotta ravioli 2 instant ramen packets 400g tinned baked beans 1.5 tbsp gochujang 3 tbsp sesame oil 3 tbsp vegetable oil 1 tbsp cider vinegar 1 tsp mild chilli powder 1 tbsp tahini 2 tbsp light soy sauce 1 tsp honey Instant green ramen with sticky soy minced mushrooms If you aren't a fan of mushrooms, try replacing them with crumbled firm tofu. Serves: 2 Ingredients: 200g chestnut mushrooms 3 tbsp vegetable oil 2 instant ramen packets 2 cloves garlic 200g fresh spinach 20g rocket 1 tbsp tahini 2 tbsp light soy sauce 1 tsp honey Method: 1. Fill the kettle with water and put it on to boil, this will be for the broth and noodles later. 2. Mince 200g of mushrooms on a chopping board like you might chop herbs, until rice-like in size. You can use a food processor here if you are low on time. 3. Add 3 tbsp of oil to a large frying pan and place it over a high heat. 4. Once the oil starts to shimmer and loosen, add the mushrooms. Fry, tossing occasionally for 8-10 minutes, until golden in places. Get on with the rest of the dish in the next steps while you wait. 5. Tip the flavour sachets from 2 packets of instant noodles into a medium saucepan. Peel, then finely grate in 2 cloves of garlic and add 700ml of boiling water from the kettle. 6. Place the pan over a high heat, then add 200g of spinach and 20g of rocket. Boil for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the spinach wilts, darkens, and softens fully. Get on with the rest of the dish in the next steps while you wait. 7. Add the noodles from the packets to another medium saucepan and cover with boiling water from the kettle. 8. Place the pan over a high heat and boil for 2-3 minutes, until soft but still with a slight bite. Get on with the rest of the dish in the next steps while you wait. 9. Once the spinach has darkened and wilted, take the pan off the heat, add 1 tbsp of tahini and blitz until smooth and bright green with a hand blender. You have made your green broth! 10. Once the noodles are ready, use tongs to transfer them straight into bowls. Pour over the green broth and turn your attention back to the mushrooms. 11. Add 2 tbsp of soy sauce and 1 tsp of honey to the mushrooms. Cook over a high heat for 1-2 minutes, tossing regularly, until dark and sticky. 12. Spoon the mushrooms over the noodles and tuck in! Pre-made ravioli cheddar cacio e pepe We use spinach and ricotta ravioli in this recipe, but feel free to get creative and use different pre-made filled pastas. Serves: 2 Ingredients: 75g cheddar 10g fresh chives 30g unsalted butter 2 cloves garlic 1 tsp mild chilli powder 250g spinach and ricotta ravioli Method: 1. Fill the kettle with water and put it on to boil. This will be for the pasta later. 2. Coarsely grate 75g of cheddar, then finely chop 10g of chives crossways on the same board - we will need these later. 3. Melt 15g of the butter in a small pan over a low heat. 4. Once the butter starts to foam, peel and finely grate in 2 cloves of garlic and add 1 tsp of mild chilli powder. Take the pan off the heat and allow everything to cook and infuse in the residual heat while you get on with the rest of the dish in the next steps. 5. Add 250g of ravioli to a medium saucepan and cover with boiling water from the kettle. Place the pan over a high heat. 6. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until the pasta is soft and the filling is piping hot. Get on with the rest of the dish in the next steps while you wait. 7. Grind 1 tbsp of pepper into a large frying pan, toast it over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes, tossing occasionally, until fragrant. 8. Add the remaining 15g of butter to the pepper and allow it to melt in the pan. 9. Once the ravioli is ready, use a slotted spoon to transfer it to the pan with the pepper and butter. Toss and swirl everything to create a loose emulsion of the butter and pasta water around the ravioli. 10. Take the pan off the heat and toss through the cheese - add a splash of pasta water if it starts to look a little sticky or thick. We are looking for a loose emulsion of the cheese, butter, and pasta water at this stage. 11. Divide the pasta between plates. Drizzle over the garlic chilli butter and scatter over the chives. Gochujang baked bean jacket potatoes These levelled-up baked beans also taste great on toast or wrapped in crispy puff pastry! Serves: 2 Ingredients: 2 baking potatoes (large) 400g tinned baked beans 1.5 tbsp gochujang 2 cloves garlic 20g fresh ginger 3 tbsp sesame oil 50g cheddar 10g fresh chives 40g rocket 1 tbsp cider vinegar Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 230C. 2. Stab 2 baking potatoes all over with a fork. Cook in the microwave on full power for 10-12 minutes, until soft throughout. Flip them over halfway through to ensure an even cooking. Get on with the rest of the dish in the next steps while you wait. 3. Add 1 400g tin of baked beans to a medium saucepan. Add 1 ½ tbsp of gochujang, then peel and finely grate in 2 cloves of garlic and 20g of ginger. 4. Place the pan over a low heat, slowly bring the beans up to a simmer, and cook for 4-5 minutes, until piping hot. 5. Once the potatoes are ready, transfer them to a small baking tray. Rub with 2 tbsp of the sesame oil and a generous pinch of salt. 6. Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes, until the skin is crisp and golden. Get on with the rest of the dish in the next steps while you wait. 7. Coarsely grate 50g of cheddar, then finely chop 10g of chives crossways on the same board. 8. Add 40g of rocket to a large mixing bowl, toss with 1 tbsp of sesame oil, 1 tbsp of vinegar, and a pinch of salt. If you are still waiting for the potatoes, now would be a great time to crack on with a bit of washing up. 9. Once the potatoes are ready, split them lengthwise in half and fill with the baked beans. Scatter over the cheese, chives, and serve with the salad. In response to the rising cost of living, we have teamed up with Sorted Food to bring you easy, affordable, quick and (most importantly) tasty recipes once a month. Find out more about Sorted and their nifty meal-planning app Sidekick at sortedfood.com/sidekick. Read More Epicurus: American fast food meets the Middle East in Camden Market The dish that defines me: Evelin Eros’s rum cake ‘It started with a radish’: Chef Simon Rogan reflects on restaurant L’Enclume at 20 The true story – and murky history – of Portuguese piri piri oil ‘My depression stopped me doing what I loved most in life – cooking’ What Bake Off’s Jurgen Krauss really thinks of his shock elimination
2023-09-05 20:19
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Epicurus: American fast food meets the Middle East in Camden Market
Camden has long been known as the spiritual home for misfits. Come, all ye oddballs, the streets of Camden scream. All are welcome! Although nowadays it’s a little less punk haven and a little more tourist trap (yes, I’m looking at you, pastas dunked into cheese wheels), there are still pockets of Camden that have retained its unconventional charm. It’s also where punky pair and Israeli chefs Shiri Kraus and Amir Batito have set up shop for both their restaurants, The Black Cow and the newer Epicurus, just minutes away from each other. Like The Black Cow, modeled after the classic American steakhouse but infused with Middle Eastern flavours, Epicurus takes its culinary cue from across the pond. This time, Kraus and Batito decided to focus on the all-American diner and put their Israeli twist on classics like pancakes, wings and ribs. When I ask if this is because American food is a bit of a blank slate, Kraus swiftly corrects me; to her, it’s all about the excitement of infusing the character of American cuisine with Israeli flavours and seeing what’s possible. It’s a pairing that I think is unusual, but to the chefs, makes perfect sense. It’s a warm, balmy day when I make my way to Epicurus to meet my friend, as well as Kraus and Batito. The outdoor space is placed tantalisingly in the late afternoon sun, so we bask in it as our tiny table fills up with more plates than is sensible. The quirky menu features punny dish names like “Chip Chip Hooray”, “Raspoutine”, “Top Dog” and “Sloppy Yossef”, which I find immediately endearing – my love for a good (or even bad) puns knows no bounds. We are instructed to eat as many things as possible with our hands, although Kraus concedes: “You could use a fork, I’ll only judge in silence.” We find delight in the “Oof Gozal” – chicken wings coated in a yellow Amba mango and Scotch bonnet sauce. Despite the use of the fearsome chilli, these wings are barely spicy, favouring the flavour of the Scotch bonnet over the heat. They are incredibly moreish and the fact that your fingers end up being absolutely covered in sauce is only an invitation to get licking. You should also definitely get the “Papi Chulo”, a mix of crunchy deep-fried okra and soft padron peppers covered in spices that come with a lemony-garlicky-chilli aioli for dipping. It’s brilliant for snacking on in the sun. Another honourable mention goes to the Epicurus single decker burger, which is also available as a double. It contains some of the richest, fattiest ingredients I’ve ever seen between buns, like bone marrow aioli and Baron cheese, and it does border on being a bit too unctuous. The Harissa bacon jam helps pull it back a little, but only just. Would I eat it again? Definitely. But I probably would get a salad instead of chips to make myself feel slightly better about ingesting all that fat. I am usually glad when menus don’t have calorie counts – even when they do, I avert my gaze determinedly – and boy, am I really glad there’s no calorie count on this menu. Not everything hits the spot, which I’m hoping Kraus and Batito will be able to tweak until they do. The “Dakdakim”, pancakes stuffed with pulled shawarma chicken, has the trappings of something great, but the addition of both bacon jam and spiced quince make the dish too sickly sweet. Meanwhile, the rack of babyback ribs covered in a deliciously tart-yet-sweet date honey and pomegranate molasses needs a bit more fat on the bones to make it truly delectable – otherwise the mouth-puckering quality of the sauce make the too-lean ribs a bit too dry to really enjoy. But these are small gripes, and ones that I’m happy to forgive if they are improved upon. Is it worth elbowing your way through the thronging crowds of Camden Lock Market to get to Epicurus? I think it will be. Never mind the cheap tat and endless boba tea shops (most of which are simply not very good, there are better places to visit boba tea that isn’t just a sugar bomb) – head to Epicurus for a tasty escape. Epicurus, Unit 90, Camden Stables Market, Greater, London NW1 8AH | www.epicuruscamden.co.uk | 07843 199560 Read More Dorshi, Dorset: Funky Malaysian dumplings are a hit on the south coast National Burger Day 2023: The best burgers in London and where to eat them The best outdoor restaurants, terraces and rooftop bars in London to book now
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