Kataifi: A comforting Greek pie full of veggie goodness
This pie is based on that comforting Greek favourite – spanakopita – although it is far more forgiving to make,” says Ravinder Bhogal. “There is no buttering and layering of delicate filo pastry: instead, the iron-rich mixture of greens and cheese is blanketed under a nest of buttered kataifi pastry, a shredded filo dough that crisps up beautifully when baked or fried. “You’ll find kataifi pastry in the fridge or freezer section of Middle Eastern grocers.” Broccoli, kale and spinach kataifi pie Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, thinly sliced 3 garlic cloves, very finely crushed 200g kale, tough ribs removed and leaves roughly chopped 200g spinach 250g broccoli, boiled till tender and roughly chopped 4 eggs 60g pine nuts 60g currants, golden raisins or barberries 250g feta cheese 250g ricotta Zest of 2 lemons and juice of 1 Handful of dill, roughly chopped Handful of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped A good grating of nutmeg 150g sour cream 250g kataifi pastry 60g butter, melted White sesame seeds, for sprinkling Sea salt and black pepper Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas mark 4. 2. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over low-medium heat, add the onion and sauté for 10 minutes till sweet and caramelised. Add the garlic and fry again till fragrant, then add the kale and soften before adding the spinach. Once the greens are wilted, take off the heat and cool. 3. Transfer to a large bowl along with the broccoli and add the eggs, pine nuts, currants, feta, ricotta, lemon zest and juice, herbs, nutmeg and sour cream, and season with salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly. 4. Pull apart the strands of kataifi pastry to loosen and fluff them up. Stir the butter through the kataifi, coating it well. 5. Pour the spinach and ricotta filling into a deep pie dish – I use a 34cm baking dish. Gently pile the kataifi over the pie filling, sprinkle over the sesame seeds and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the filling is hot and set and the kataifi pastry is golden brown. Serve with a light salad. Recipe from ‘Comfort & Joy: Irresistible Pleasures From A Vegetarian Kitchen’ by Ravinder Bhogal (Bloomsbury, £26). Read More Showstopping BBQ main dishes for a hot grill summer 7 TikTok food hacks that actually work Saltie Girl in Mayfair will make you happy as a clam – as long as you can afford it Chef Ravinder Bhogal: Vegetables are the secret to saving money How to make tomato confit with whipped feta These recipes will keep you hydrated on hot days
2023-06-08 19:28
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Glastonbury Festival 2023 — what to wear this year
If you’re lucky enough to have secured tickets for Glastonbury 2023, you’ll soon be packing up your camping gear, sunnies and snacks ready for five days of musical magic. Wondering what to wear this year? While your wardrobe will be somewhat dictated by the weather, all being well you’ll be able to bust out some fabulous summer outfits for dancing the days and nights away. We asked style experts for their predictions on the festival fashion trends that will be taking over Worthy Farm this year… Crochet “Crochet is a must-have festival fashion trend this year for so many reasons,” says Talia Johnson, senior creative manager at PrettyLittleThing, who thinks bolder is better when it comes to the boho look. “Opt for a versatile crochet co-ord set in a vibrant colour of your choice,” she suggests. “If the Somerset weather isn’t up to par, a crochet set can easily be matched with a faux fur coat for a really breezy day or a cropped denim jacket for a ‘just in case’ scenario.” Celebrity stylist and presenter Kay Wyer is loving the retro 70s glam look. “This trend is all about crochet anything and everything, like cut-out tops and wide-leg trousers teamed with embellished belts,” she says. “If boho chic isn’t your thing, you can add a fringed jacket or shorts to a simpler, minimal outfit or accessorise your look with a crochet hat.” Matalan Pink Swing Crochet Lace Vest Top, £19 FatFace Crochet Phone Bag, £25 Cowgirl cool PrettyLittleThing Shape Indigo Denim Raw Hem Edge Cropped Jacket, £23 (was £25); Shape Indigo Denim Low Rise Micro Mini Skirt, £20 (was £22), boots, stylist’s ownThe cowgirl trend is still going strong, and this summer there are two ways to wear it. “The coastal cowgirl trend is a Western-inspired style that has taken over social media this year and is simple to embrace into your festival style,” says Johnson, who recommends double denim outfits to “perfectly combat unpredictable UK weather”. And, of course, cowboy boots: “There are so many different styles when it comes to cowboy boots, whether it’s a suede material, a fringed hem or a stitch detail, the choice is yours and you’ll certainly stand out in the crowd.” The other, more colourful, cowgirl look is ‘Western Barbie’. “Unlike your usual cowgirl outfit with muted tones and washed-out denim shorts, this trend is bold and vibrant,” Wyer says. “It’s all about layering up an all-pink outfit, adorned with embellishment or metallics and paired with some eye-catching cowboy boots. Be sure to have at least one statement piece – you can’t go too far with this look.” Oliver Bonas Glam Metallic Cowboy Hat, £29.50 Goldsmith Vintage Striped Pattern Shorts, £32.95 Suit up A jazzy jumpsuit or printed playsuit is your shortcut to festival cool. “From dazzling sequins to shimmery mesh, to bell sleeves and an extreme halter neck, all-in-ones are practical yet glamorous fashion statements that you can quickly throw on and go,” says Johnson. “For even more bust support while dancing the day away, feel free to wear a brightly coloured bikini underneath to highlight the raver vibe.” Very X Lucy Mecklenburgh Long Sleeve Bardot Beach Playsuit, £25 Mesh moment A trend that started on the catwalks last year, mesh and macrame fabrics are big news this summer. “Mesh can be playful and edgy or sheer and sexy, depending on how much you want to cover,” says Wyer. “You can opt for a beachy open-knit dress or a flowy sheer ensemble, worn over a silk slip dress or a bikini and shorts. Team with a pair of statement sunglasses and some chunky boots and you’re good to go.” River Island Orange Mesh Long Sleeve Top, £26 Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live 11 ways to work white into your interiors Archewell donates £10,000 to get diverse book in all secondary schools How to react kindly to people with Tourette’s – and what not to say
2023-06-08 18:52
'Savings running out': high inflation hits Hungarians
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How to make chocolate chip cookies on the BBQ
DJ BBQ – otherwise known as Christian Stevenson – says his love of chocolate chip cookies came from spending time with his grandmother by the beach every summer growing up in America. “Grandma Della would bake these fresh every week and serve ’em still warm with a cold glass of milk. Simple pleasures that I still enjoy to this day,” he says. This is his grandmother’s recipe, and what DJ BBQ refers to as “goofproof”. “Underdone, overdone, perfectly cooked, they are super-good,” he adds. On the BBQ, he recommends using the target technique – where the coals are piled up in the middle – and using a plancha on top. Chocolate chip cookies Makes: 8-10 Ingredients: 115g softened butter 115g granulated sugar 50g soft light brown sugar 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla extract 120g plain flour, sifted ¼ tsp salt ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda 100g chocolate chips Method: 1. The most important instruction for this recipe is: do not eat all the cookie dough before cooking them. 2. Try to make sure all the ingredients are roughly the same temperature, as this will give you a smoother mix. Cream together the butter and sugars until light, pale and fluffy. Then mix in the egg and vanilla, followed by the dry ingredients. Lastly, stir through the chocolate chips. Now refrigerate the cookie dough in the bowl overnight. That’s right, you just made cookie dough and now you have to wait until TOMORROW before you can eat the cookies. I can only apologise. Forgive me. Tomorrow you’ll love me. 3. The next day, get your outdoor cooker going. 4. Roll the cookie dough into balls around 75-100g, depending on how big you like your sweet chocolate-studded frisbees. Next, cut some circles out of baking parchment – double the number of dough balls you have – ensuring they’re slightly bigger than the final size you want your cookies to be. Evenly squish each dough ball between two discs of baking parchment to create a cookie shape. 5. Place the paper-covered cookies directly on the plancha. Cook for five to 10 minutes on each side, flipping with a fish slice. If you like a chewier or crispier cookie, then cook for the shorter time, for crispy cookies cook for longer. 6. Let them cool slightly before peeling off the paper and serving with an ice-cold glass of milk and an episode of Justice League (other cartoons are available, but they’re not as cool). ‘DJ BBQ’s Backyard Baking: 50 Awesome Recipes for Baking Over Live Fire’ by David Wright, Chris Taylor and Christian Stevenson (Quadrille, £20). Read More Showstopping BBQ main dishes for a hot grill summer 7 TikTok food hacks that actually work Saltie Girl in Mayfair will make you happy as a clam – as long as you can afford it Chef Ravinder Bhogal: Vegetables are the secret to saving money How to make tomato confit with whipped feta These recipes will keep you hydrated on hot days
2023-06-08 17:56
Thirsty passenger lets ice melt to avoid paying for water on plane
Planes are pricey and often filled with disappointment, especially when it comes to food and beverages. But now, one TikTok user has come up with an innovative plan to avoid paying extortionate prices for water during a flight. In a viral clip that's racked up almost half a million views, TikTok user @rachealxk explained how she "was thirsty but I didn’t want to pay €3.00 for water." The recording shows the passenger with a cup of ice that she let melt before drinking. "No cause why does water have to be so expensive," she continued in the caption. It didn't take long for fellow TikTokers to flood the comments praising her little-known hack. "Surely having to pay for a cup of water on any flight should be illegal or a health risk," one person suggested. Another commented on the lengthy process, highlighting the colder temperatures on a flight: "The way it would take longer to melt because it’s always so cold on a plane." Meanwhile, one person claimed they do the same thing on a night out. "I did this in the club when they tried charging me for tap water because lol," they wrote. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter @rachealxk No cause why does water have to be so expensive😭 #fyp #holiday #ryanair #travel #europe It comes after one flight attendant lifted the lid on what really happens to the body during a long-haul flight. Speaking to AU News, in-flight services manager for Air New Zealand, Ben Whatman, urged passengers to stay hydrated. "During a long-haul flight, the key thing is to feel comfortable and safe, especially when you’re wanting to get that much-needed shut-eye in an over 10-hour flight," he said. "Due to the recirculated air on a plane, your throat, nose and skin will tend to get dry." He went on to explain that people could, in fact, "lose up to 1.5 to 2 litres of water in a 10-hour flight." As stated by the Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA), passengers should limit alcohol, tea, coffee and caffeine while flying as it could cause people to "lose fluids." They also advise people to drink a cup of water during flights. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-06-08 17:53
How to make tomato confit with whipped feta
Cold, salty feta topped with tomatoes warmed in olive oil that has been studded with aromatics until they are bursting, gooey and have a heightened sweetness are the perfect topping for hunks of grilled bread,” says Ravinder Bhogal of this dish. “These tomatoes are also pretty perfect tossed together with pasta or gnocchi, which I just throw straight into the roasting tin before tossing and eating.” Whipped feta with confit tomatoes Serves: 4 Ingredients: 400g mixed cherry tomatoes 5 garlic cloves, peeled and bruised 3 thin strips of lemon peel ½ tsp caster sugar 1 tsp coriander seeds ¼ tsp dried chilli flakes 4 sprigs of oregano 60ml extra virgin olive oil Sea salt and black pepper For the whipped feta: 200g good-quality feta cheese Juice of ½ lemon 100g thick Greek yoghurt Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas mark 4. 2. Cut some of the larger tomatoes in half and leave some whole and place in a roasting tin along with the garlic and lemon peel. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle over the caster sugar, coriander seeds, chilli flakes and oregano, then drizzle over the olive oil. 3. Bake for 40 minutes until the tomatoes are bursting and fragrant. Cool down slightly, then discard the garlic and lemon peel. 4. In the meantime, put the feta cheese into a food processor along with the lemon juice and whizz until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the yoghurt. 5. Put the whipped feta in a serving bowl and top with the warm tomatoes. Serve with slices of toasted sourdough bread. Recipe from ‘Comfort & Joy: Irresistible Pleasures From A Vegetarian Kitchen’ by Ravinder Bhogal (Bloomsbury, £26). Read More Showstopping BBQ main dishes for a hot grill summer 7 TikTok food hacks that actually work Saltie Girl in Mayfair will make you happy as a clam – as long as you can afford it Chef Ravinder Bhogal: Vegetables are the secret to saving money These recipes will keep you hydrated on hot days Three tomato salad recipes that aren’t boring
2023-06-08 17:17
Uber Eats Pledges to Slash Takeout Emissions and Plastic Waste
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Chef Ravinder Bhogal: Vegetables are the secret to saving money
With food prices hiking, many of us are looking to cut the price of our weekly shops – while still eating delicious food. And the answer, Ravinder Bhogal believes, lies in vegetables. “Vegetables are the ultimate economical thing to cook,” says the chef and restaurateur, who was discovered by Gordon Ramsay after she applied for his competition to find “Britain’s new Fanny Cradock” on The F Word. “Meat has become so expensive. If you lavish the same kind of care and attention on [vegetables] as you do a steak or joint of meat, they are going to sing with flavour.” She continues: “Why can’t you take the time to marinate vegetables, inject them with flavour, baste them, add texture to them or play with their textures?” Bhogal, who was born in Kenya to Indian parents and moved to England at the age of seven, says root vegetables are our real saviour when it comes to budget cooking in Britain. “Anything that’s grown in this country, swedes, celeriac… And if you buy in season it’s naturally going to be a bit cheaper.” The 44-year-old, who owns London restaurant Jikoni (the Swahili word for “kitchen”) is vegetarian “80 per cent of the time – then I might have a Sunday roast or something” has released her third cookbook, Comfort & Joy: Irresistible Pleasures From A Vegetarian Kitchen. “There are so many things that you can do with vegetables where you’re just not going to miss the meat. What isn’t there to love about the lightness and brightness of vegetables?” And there’s a real misconception that vegetables can’t be comforting, she says: “For me comfort is about food that nourishes you, that makes you feel well, that makes you feel alive, that makes you feel revived.” It was Bhogal’s early years in a multigenerational household in Nairobi (“My grandparents, my uncle and aunt, their children, my mother’s brood of five, whoever happened to be visiting, there was a parrot, a dog, kittens, chickens, goats – it was a really chaotic household!”) that would pave the way for how she approached food later as a chef. Her grandfather dutifully tended to his shamba – or allotment – and had a deep respect and connection to the verdant soil where many vegetables grew. “When he came from India to Kenya, he completely fell in love with this beautiful red, volcanic soil that just seemed to give and give and give,” says Bhogal. “And he never stop being grateful for that. He’d come from a place where there was so little, and then suddenly, there was this soil that just blessed him and his family with all these beautiful things to eat.” Everything the household ate was either grown by him or came from the “mama mbogas” – local women with smallholdings who peddled their “the freshest hand grown vegetables” from door to door, she says. The chef in the house was her mother though, who was an “exceptionally talented” cook. “There were so many mouths to feed, so you can imagine the level of organisation that it took. She was the commander in chief and we were all her assistants, whether you liked it or not.” As a result, Bhogal learned to cook from her mother’s direction, although she wasn’t always happy about it. “Initially, I really resented it because growing up in quite a patriarchal household, the boys would be outside playing, and the girls would be in the kitchen. And that really sucked to me. “Anything I tried to attempt to cook, [my grandfather] would always tell me how delicious it was and praise me, and I think I made that connection between food and love and winning people over with food.” And the influence of her time in Kenya can be seen in the latest book; think pili pili cassava (one of the go-to carbs in many African nations) or Kenyan maru potato bhajias with tamarind and tomato chutney (potato coated in spiced chickpea flour and fried). Swapping Kenya for England as a child left a mark on Bhogal. “Kenya is like a state of mind, it’s such a bewitching country, it never really leaves you, it clings to you,” she says. “When you grow up with such colour and such a colossal sky… I was outdoors a lot, playing with all the animals [with] this really beautiful, very lush sunny backdrop. When you are plucked from that age seven and turn up in a very grey dark England, you try and hold onto that and keep connected to that.” South East London was “very different and sort of haggard in comparison to Kenya”, she says. “Everything was very small suddenly. I grew up in a flat above a shop and going from huge trees and sky that was ever blue to turning up to this very dark, dank [place]… The adjustment was very, very difficult.” But it’s all culminated in her cookery style now. “I consider myself a hybrid, I’m Indian, there’s Persian ancestry too, I’m British, I grew up in London, I’m also the product of all kinds of the diverse immigrant communities that helped bring me up.” So you’ll find Persian-inspired fermented rice, lentil, beetroot and coconut handvo (a savoury cake) in her new book, alongside Mumbai street food like peanut and golden raisin poha, and English grilled peaches with silken tofu and Thai basil and lime leaf gremolata. The recipe for pea kofta scotch eggs with saffron yoghurt is vibrant amalgamation; honouring memories of her father bringing home a sack of locally grown peas from Nairobi’s bustling city market and shelling them in the kitchen with her mother – it is a hybrid of her mother’s Indian recipe and her British identity. Plus, some that have been tried and tested by her discerning restaurant diners, like mango and golden coin [curry with dumplings] – where the mangos are served whole, stone and all. “I remember telling my husband I was going to put this mango curry on the menu and he was like, ‘You’re insane, how are people going to eat a whole mango?’ And it’s gone on to be one of the most popular things. “I think the whole joy of a mango is the generosity of serving it whole, there’s something about a whole mango that’s so rapturous,” Boghal says. “When it comes to the table people often go, ‘Is it chicken breasts?’ Nothing gives me more joy than to see people using pooris to scrape off the flesh from the mango and pick up the stone and gnaw on it. “I think if you don’t have a problem picking up a lamb bone and gnawing it, why not a mango stone?” ‘Comfort & Joy: Irresistible Pleasures From A Vegetarian Kitchen’ by Ravinder Bhogal (Bloomsbury, £26). Read More Showstopping BBQ main dishes for a hot grill summer 7 TikTok food hacks that actually work Saltie Girl in Mayfair will make you happy as a clam – as long as you can afford it These recipes will keep you hydrated on hot days Three tomato salad recipes that aren’t boring Try one of these pasta recipes this British Tomato Fortnight
2023-06-08 13:49
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