On flicking through Greens 24/7 by Jessica Nadel, my first thought was ‘I want to make EVERYTHING’. There are so many gorgeous-sounding (and looking – they’re all accompanied by a photo) recipes, such as creamy spinach curry with tofu paneer, sweet potato and greens burger, and shaved asparagus and roasted tomato terrine, I didn’t know where to start.
Unfortunately, the first dish I tried – samosa burritos with peas – turned out a tad bland. Don’t get me wrong; it was pleasant enough and perfectly edible, it just lacked something. I know it lacked the cumin which was originally stated in the recipe but I’d left that out on purpose as, since The Meat Eater has recently started calling cumin ‘farts’, I’ve refused to use it in any meals I’m cooking which he’ll be eating. Fair enough, I reckon, eh?
Another absent ingredient were the fenugreek seeds as my local Tesco didn’t have any. I read on a website that fennel seeds can be used instead but The Meat Eater doesn’t like fennel, or anything aniseedy for that matter, so that was out.
By now I’m sure you’re thinking – and not unreasonably, I might add – ‘no wonder it was bland, you’ve left out all the spices’ but I did tip in about three tablespoons of curry powder to give it a lift but it still lacked any oomph (for want of a better word).
Still, there are two burritos left over in the freezer and I’ve been thinking about them and have decided that instead of serving them with basmati rice as I did this time, I’ll pour a load of curry sauce over them and perhaps serve on a bed of spinach. That’ll sort them out.
I’m making another recipe from Greens 24/7 tonight – a spinach and mushroom galette. This will involve me making pastry. Wish me luck!
Greens 24/7 by Jessica Nadel is published by Apple Press and is available at Amazon.