Start and finish right, and you’ll never have a bland dish. Top cooks explain how … • Got a culinary dilemma? Email feast@theguardian.com HOW CAN I MAKE MY VEGETABLE- AND BEAN-BASED STEWS LESS BORING? I FALL BACK ON THE SAME SEASONINGS EVERY TIME. _HILARY, BRIGHTON_ It’s all about the base, Hilary. Get that right and you can’t really go far wrong. “If you build the flavour and season from the start, you’re not going to have a boring, bland stew,” says Noor Murad, co-author of Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Shelf Love. When in “stew mode”, Murad always starts with a paste: “I blitz garlic, ginger and green chilli with herb stems [coriander, parsley; the fresh leaves will be stirred in at the end], a bit of oil and whatever spices I want.” These could be warming spices (think cinnamon and cloves) or more Middle Eastern flavours (fenugreek, turmeric). “That’s the foundation, then I’ll throw in chunks of vegetables and broth, whether that’s chicken or veggie.” Got a culinary dilemma? Email feast@theguardian.com Continue reading...
 |
| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.theguardian.com |