Stratford-upon-Avon Living Jul - Aug 2021

SLOW &
The slow cooker is having a bit of a
revival, not least because it takes the time
pressures of home-cooked meals off of
family life and offers hands-free dishes
which warm the heart and soul.
Katrina Meynink is such an advocate of
the process that she’s created a beautiful
booked, filled with inspiration for each
cooking mood. Here we have some tasters
from her new book, Slow Victories.
EGGPLANT CHREIME
Steady
This is a bit of a slow cooker riff on the
traditional Tunisian braised fish dish of
the same name. But instead, here I’ve
cooked down eggplant in a harissaspiced
ragu and added the umami
heat of urfa biber (Turkish red pepper
flakes; available from specialist grocers),
served on top of hummus and finished
with some cooling coconut yoghurt and
herbs. This one gets better with age, so
embrace the leftovers. Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
2 medium eggplants (aubergines),
trimmed, quartered lengthways
2 teaspoons cumin seeds,
roughly crushed
1 teaspoon coriander seeds,
roughly crushed
bunch of coriander (cilantro), roots
trimmed, cleaned and chopped
2 ox-heart tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
(concentrated purée)
1 × 400 g (14 oz) tin chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon rose harissa
1 heaped teaspoon urfa biber
(Turkish red pepper flakes)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
To serve
150 g (51/2 oz) hummus
125 g (41/2 oz/½ cup) coconut yoghurt
fronds from 2 dill sprigs
chilli flakes, to taste
METHOD
Preheat the slow cooker for 15 minutes
on high. Set the cooker to the sauté
function and add the oil, garlic, eggplant,
cumin and coriander seeds. Sauté until
fragrant and the eggplant starts taking
on some colour. Add the remaining
ingredients, give it a gentle stir, then close
the lid and cook on low for 8 hours.
To serve, smear the hummus onto the base
of serving plates. Gently scoop out the
eggplant and place on top, then finish with
the coconut yoghurt, dill and chilli flakes.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
FREEKEH WITH KALE,
CHILLI, YEAST &
PEPITA SALAD
I’m just going to say this up front:
the nutritional yeast in this salad is
a revelation. It truly adds the most
phenomenal umami flavour, as well as
being a superb seasoning mechanism.
This salad has excellent holding power,
so it’s always a good one for work
lunches or those irksome bring-a-plate
scenarios. Serves: 4 (as a side)
INGREDIENTS
200 g (7 oz/1 cup) whole freekeh, rinsed
500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) vegetable stock
50 g (13/4 oz/1 cup) nutritional yeast
150 g (51/2 oz/1 cup) salted pepitas
(pumpkin seeds), roughly chopped
(see Note)
125–185 ml (4–6 fl oz/½–3/4 cup) olive oil
150 g (51/2 oz/2 cups) cavolo nero,
finely sliced
1 green chilli, finely sliced
baby cavolo nero leaves, to garnish
METHOD
Heat your slow cooker on the low setting
for at least 20 minutes. Add the freekeh
and vegetable stock, give it a good stir,
then cover and cook on low for 1 hour.
Check it at the 45-minute mark and
if there still seems to be quite a lot of
stock, leave the lid off for the last 15–20
minutes. Once cooked, fluff with a fork. (It
should be cooked through, but al dente.)
Turn out into a bowl and season
generously with salt and pepper, then
allow to cool.
For the salad, add the nutritional yeast,
pepitas and 125 ml (4 fl oz) of the oil to
another bowl and stir to combine. If the
mixture looks too dry, add more oil until
it reaches a lose pestolike consistency.
Add the cavolo nero and chilli and toss
with your hands. Add the freekeh, season
again with salt and pepper, and garnish
with baby cavolo nero leaves, if using,
then serve. If you need to revive this for
another day, simply slice some more
cavolo nero and toss it through.
COOK’S NOTE
Use unsalted pepitas if you prefer. You
can even add these to a mortar and
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