Dirty Tuesdays: A Taste of Saffron

Mondays have officially become the days where I cook meals for the rest of the week; it's kind of like my chance at being a personal chef. We'll call Tuesdays, Dirty Tuesdays as it's a rather blah day of the week, my work weeks begins and I will be posting Monday's creations. This weeks menu was mainly devised from a stack of cookbooks I've hired from the library: Carrot & Saffron Soup, Sancocho Canario, Leek & Broccoli Tart and a Bulgarian Filo Coil. I also made some pesto to use in a fifth dish but I was really quite tired of cooking by that point. I'm currently learning about stocks, soups and sauces in school and took it upon myself to make my first batch of vegetable stock to use for cooking rather than using convenience stocks in the form of powder or cubes.

I took a trip to King & Godfords - a fine foods shop in the Lygon street district - and treated myself to a few products a good cook shouldn't be without: proper sea salt from the salt beds of Italy, smoked paprika and saffron threads; both from Spain. I almost splurged on some luxurious macadamia nut oil, but decided against it. Below you'll find photos of my two contributions to my vegan challenge: Sancocho Canario & Bulgarian Filo Coil

Sancocho Canario adapted from The Food of Spain & Portugal by Elizabeth Luard
(a sweet potato and chickpea stew from the Canary Islands)
1.5 cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 cloves garlic, bruised (smashed with the side of a knife)
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads, lightly toasted in a dry pan without burning
1 kilo of tomatoes, scalded, skinned and chopped
1 medium sized sweet potato (250-350 g), peeled and cut into even sized chunks
1 thick slice of pumpkin, peeled and cut into even sized chunks
1 can of unsalted corn kernels, drained and rinsed
fresh coriander or mint leaves, to garnish

Bring the chickpeas to a boil with 2.25 litres of cold water and add the bruised garlic along with the chopped tomatoes. Allow the pot to come up to a boil again before adding the vegetable in the order given while allowing the pot to come back up to a boil between each addition. Bring the stew down to a simmer and allow the liquid to reduce down to the same level as the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Finish each serve with fresh coriander or mint leaves, or serve over rice if desired.

Bulgarian Filo Coil adapted from The Cranks Bible by Nadine Abensur (my vegetarian celebrity cook hero)
..recipe coming soon...