Cook Something Different Challenge

Lizling

Today I made this butternut squash with tahini and za'atar recipe. http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/dec/16/roasted-squash-stuffed-quince-recipes

I think Mr Ottolenghi must be using a different type of tahini to me because mine is the texture of cold butter and not in the least bit whiskable. No problem though. It just went in the mini blender instead. Then again, that might have something to do with how mine's best before date is June 2013.

The tahini ended up a bit overpowering in my opinion, but can always just use less. Otherwise, really good!

It's more of a side dish than a meal, so I had it on top of spaghetti. Spaghetti with the tahini sauce was surprisingly not bad at all!

sams247

Tonight I am going to make lemon curd for the first time ever, Very excited!

lilbert

making a thai green curry tomorrow with fish instead of usual chicken :P does that count?

Lizling

I made harira tonight. Lovely winter warmer. Veggistan cookbook again. I think I might be making that a lot for the next few months.

kboss2010

I'm using my freezer full of fish to make a fish pie for the first time tonight. It'll either be lovely or stink out my kitchen for nothing lol!

Lizling

This one doesn't sound great, but it actually was very nice! Mung bean casserole. I still had most of a bag of mung beans left from another recipe I needed them for, ages ago, so this used them up.

Apart from the beans, it had peppers, tomatoes, limes and spinach in it - and a scotch bonnet again. It was meant to have potatoes too, but I didn't have any and I don't really think it needed them. Another Veggiestan recipe.

MandM90

Last night I made BBC Good Foods slow braised pork in cider with parsnips. Fantastic! Usually don't make things with such gentle flavours, but this was a joy!

Lizling

I cooked something today from Plenty instead of Veggistan, for once. I went for the spiced red lentils with cucumber yoghurt because as Ottolenghi recipes go, it was very straightforward and I thought I had all the ingredients in.

It turned out far more delicious than spiced red lentils have any right to be and was so simple! You soak the lentils while you put an onion, chilli, garlic and coriander in a blender then fry it with mustard seeds (so far, so much like dal) then you tip in the lentils, soaking water and all, a tin of tomatoes and a few other common ingredients and that's it!

Very good OS dish as long as you've got access to very cheap fresh herbs, but it turns out that 50g of coriander is actually quite a lot - hence being wrong about having all the ingredients in already and having to go out in the rain after all.

Lizling

Ottolenghi's leek fritters, and I won't be making them again. WAY too much faff for what turned out no different at all from faff-free fritters.

I can't remember what I used to cook before I started doing this challenge now. A lot more pasta, I think.

Lizling

Tomato and semolina soup, from Plenty. Very simple to make, especially for an Ottolenghi recipe. It was nice enough, but nothing special. I do like the idea of using semolina to thicken soup though, so I feel like I've learnt something.