Flavours for life
Ahead of National Vegetarian Week and keen to up her meatfree repertoire, Clare Trodden signs up for a vegetarian cookery course and finds that it transforms what and how she cooks
Bubbling fat and burnt offerings weren’t what I intended to serve up to the woman who introduced me to the delights of an ‘ample drizzle’ and the cult of Korean seitan. Yet, after whisking up a frothy beer batter and crafting tofu and seaweed into shape, that’s what was left. And almost raw shortcrust pastry (always re-check oven settings). I could have wept in frustration and suddenly felt for the snivelling divas previously mocked on Masterchef.
A few deep breaths, then in to salvage something from the wreckage. The filling wasn’t too bad but the batter was burned beyond crisp. There was no way the finely honed tastebuds of chef Maz Linford could be subjected to this.
The pastry was sidelined. Liquid smoke and tempered spices enlivened pressed tofu, with a side of zingy citrus coleslaw. A salty peanut brittle and a dash of spiced rum in a chocolate dessert left a good taste at last.
This was the final day of the Vegetarian Society’s certificated cookery course and it was time to freestyle. One or two reverted to old favourites, others created absolute feasts, the rest of us were in the middle – trying to perfect newly acquired techniques, or play with flavour.
Our tutor Maz wanted us to be confident enough to experiment and not get stressed about creating perfect dishes. “If your ingredients are good and you have the right balance of flavours, it will taste good, even if you make some mistakes.”
With more oil, a squeeze of lemon juice and lots of blender-powered elbow grease, an insipid attempt at vegan mayo becomes a creamy and delicious dip.
The simplicity and speed of some dishes belie the final flavours. Soaked in a simple marinade, Smoky Aubergine Steaks create a quick and moreish supper and demand a complete review of a previously personally loathed veg.
From the start of the week, Maz has been keen to get us to think about food differently. The inspirational Vegetarian Society chef has several other projects and works with educators and food charities. She is committed to zero waste, without sacrificing taste. “Food is getting more expensive, yet we can still use fairly simple ingredients and have delicious food,” she says.
Split peas are the main ingredient in a delicious Mauritian snack, beans flesh out a burger and also a Ghanaian stew, tofu in curries and “Tofish and chips” and as the stealthy star in a wonderful chocolate mousse.
Among the nine students, there are vegetarians and vegans, carnivores and pescatarians, very
accomplished cooks and some with little experience. There is no piety or preaching. It is all about fabulous food and it’s a lot of fun. There are short online courses as well as those in the Altrincham HQ.
Parents of newly confirmed vegans or vegetarians nod in recognition of the “bacon butty ban”. “It doesn’t matter if you like the delicious taste of bacon, but don’t want to eat pig anymore.”
Or even love barbecue ribs but not the high cholesterol. According to Maz, you don’t have to lose out. “You can get the taste and often the texture in vegan and vegetarian cooking.”
After comparing costs, one confirmed carnivore with vegetarian offspring says the ingredients work out cheaper. “I really am not missing meat at all this week,” he says, tucking into those Korean seitan ‘ribs’. Liquid smoke is a game changer.
Even the most experienced and gifted cooks in the group love the extra hints and tips from Maz. Sticking your fingers to make dips in the dough gives extra delicious crusty surface area to your focaccia; mostly it’s a waste of time to sieve flour; if doubling up, don’t double up carrot in sauce recipes as it will be overwhelming.
We’re taught how to layer ingredients to make an impact, how to use chillies and hot spices but also to combine other spices for a flavour boost without heat.
From the start, we were all learning. After some knife techniques and professional kitchen drill, we were off, chopping, tempering, whisking and getting to grips with industrial ovens.
There is a fair amount of partner work and sharing hobs and ovens, so cooperation is key.
Maz is all seeing, she can spot a pan that is not quite on the boil from at least 100 paces. With individual advice and encouragement, she keeps us all going when we begin to flag.
It can be hot and tiring, especially a few days in. A shift in the kitchen is not for the faint-hearted.
We eat lunch at our stations while Maz expertly demonstrates a new technique or recipe. Watching her at work, you can see how she manages to feed the hundreds, maybe more, who queue at her popular food stall in
Levenshulme market on a Saturday.
And a coffee or tea and a piece of Biscoff and salted caramel cheesecake while witnessing how to rustle up a huge pan of pho soup gives an energising boost to see you though the rest of the afternoon.
We managed to get around the world in 40 or so recipes. Partly through expert planning and Maz keeping everyone up to speed and in good time. Partly thanks to the kitchen angels who whisked away most of the washing up and allowed us to focus on cooking.
There was a roasted version of Kelewele, a tasty plantain West African street food worth making for the joy of saying the name alone, and those moreish fried Mauritian snacks. We also journeyed through focaccia and pasta, Sicilian sauce, shaksuka, teriyaki and katsu and beer-battered banana blossom.
Old favourites were given a twist: a cheesy pie elevated with subtle spices and beautiful lattice pastry; apple and blackberry crumble pie; an ingenious combination of shortcrust pastry base and crumble topping. Techniques in making pastry, gravy, crackers and even curry powder help create confidence and provide the foundations for so many dishes.
At the end of each packed day, there’s a lot to digest and wonderful dishes to take home.
As for feedback on likes, dislikes, surprises? Everything was positive. Transformational even as a few longheld dislikes became favourites. There’s the aubergine steaks. And, after a decades-long, zero-tolerance policy to tofu, it’s now a staple in various guises, from stir fries to desserts. Despite the earlier ‘disaster’, I’ve even (almost) overcome my fear of deep-fat frying.
Quick kidney bean burgers
We’re taught how to layer ingredients, how to use hot spices but also to combine spices for a flavour boost without heat
For the burger
1 x 400g can kidney beans, drained and rinsed 2 tomatoes, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, crushed 2 heaped tsp mixed herbs 115g breadcrumbs
50g semolina
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 Mix together the beans, tomatoes, garlic and herbs in a large bowl.
2 Add the breadcrumbs and semolina. Mix well.
3 Add soy sauce and lemon juice. If necessary add a tablespoon of water to increase moisture (but don’t be tempted to add any more!)
4 Shape into burgers. You can freeze the burgers to cook another time at this step if you like.
5 Gently fry the burgers in the vegetable oil until golden brown, approximately about 10-15 minutes.
6 Serve in the buns with your choice of salad and relish.