verbs vol. 92
last week's cooking activities
Cooking
Dishoom Inspired Brocolli Salad: it’s finally feeling like summer in London, and I’m deep in salad mode for lunches. Growing up I loved the classic broccoli salad (chopped raw broccoli, dried cranberries, red onion, and a sweet and tangy mayo dressing), and then since moving here have also become obsessed with Dishoom’s chilli lime broccoli salad. This was a mashup of the two, using what I had on hand:
1 head of broccoli, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 handful dried apricots, diced small (any dried fruit would work!)
2 handfuls pistachios, roughly chopped (any roasted nut would work!)
½ red onion, diced
1 handful of fresh cilantro, roughly chopped (any soft herb would work!)
Dressing: Dishoom’s Chilli Lime Vinaigrette (subbed maple syrup for sugar, mostly eyeballed everything as ratios! I didn’t have a hand blender so I just finely minced the chilli and ginger)
Other things I cooked:
Brown Butter & Chocolate Chip Rice Krispie Squares: I did the ratios of this recipe but started with browned butter as opposed to just melted butter, added vanilla extract to the marshmallow/butter mixture, and then added two handfuls of chocolate chips at the end before pressing into the pan!
Julia Turshen’s Almond Chicken Cutlets: one of my fav ways to prepare chicken breasts for salads (from Simply Julia). 1:1 ratio of mayo to Dijon mustard rubbed on the chicken breast, topped with almond flour seasoned with Old Bay seasoning and drizzled with olive oil! Bake at 375F until cooked through and browned on top!
Salad with honey chilli dressing, whole wheat pasta, shredded kale, feta, avocado, cucumber, beets, tomatoes: I wrote about my “sad salad” lunch on Instagram - essentially my go-to combo at the salad bar at work when I forget to bring my lunch. This is my homemade version of it because there’s no need to spend £7.50 on a salad like this! I mixed soy sauce, chilli crisp, honey, rice wine vinegar and olive oil for the dressing!
Lemon Pepper Shrimp Orzo: I hadn’t made this in so long and there’s a reason it’s one of the most popular recipes on my website! The whole thing comes together in 20ish minutes, and the leftovers eat well cold or reheated, making for the perfect ‘bring to work’ lunch.
Baked gochujang maple salmon: I made this simply marinated salmon to go with the broccoli salad - a spoonful of gochujang, a good glug of maple syrup, and a dash of soy sauce with some freshly grated ginger. Baked at 375F for about 15 mins until cooked through.
Roasted sweet potatoes: I chopped the sweet potatoes into ¼ inch slices, then tossed in olive oil with some garam masala, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and salt n pep. Roasted at 375F for about 45 mins. I ate this with the salmon and broccoli salad, and think I’ll use the leftovers to make hash with eggs later in the week!
Natural Nurturer’s Carrot and Zucchini Muffins: this is my go-to blog for muffin recipes, I always just search the ingredients I have to find a use for them. These are a great morning muffin, not too sweet, and a perfect way to check some veggies off the list early in the day. I always find I need to bake her muffins for 5 mins longer if I use AP flour as opposed to whole wheat as they can be overly moist.
Eating
I finally got around to trying Kricket with a friend who was visiting London this weekend, and wow - it lived up to the hype! We didn’t have a booking and had to wait 45 mins on a Friday night which isn’t bad. We just popped to the pub next door for a drink while we waited for the text that our table was ready, so a good option for a night in Soho if you don’t have plans after. It’s hard to pick my favs but I think the grilled squash curry and the mutton curried meatballs top it for me!
Drinking
Last weekend I took the train to Shoreham with some friends to check out The Mount Vineyard - what a lovely day trip! The vineyard is stunning, they have great woodfired pizzas, and the wine is delicious (favs were the Bacchus and the rose).
Reading
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner - I’m about a quarter way through - it is a beautiful tribute to the food that plays such a pivotal role in our memories of people and places. I would like to rename this ‘Crying on the Tube’ because that’s me, every day on the way to work reading this powerful memoir.
Saving
@juliusroberts courgette, ricotta and basil tart - such a simple way to use up all those summer zucchinis and often overzealous basil plants!
Listening
Thinking
About moving to a new house (and new kitchen!). Somewhere in the whirlwind of the last two months I signed a lease for a house flat in a new neighbourhood. I’m excited for this next chapter in London with a bit more space (including outdoor space), and to also go back to roomie-life. I never thought I’d be moving in with a roommate in my 30s but I wish it was more normalised in Canada the way it is in London. I feel like Step Brothers, texting my future roommate every day like SO MUCH ROOM FOR ACTIVITIES. Ready for our dinner party hosting era!
Laughing
Have a great week!
Kaleigh
Great newsletter ❤️