Herd Gastronomy | Dispatches from the COVID-Canteen

Announcements

April 2, 2020

Herd Gastronomy on Twitter

Literally tweeting what we had for lunch.

March 31, 2020

#101pastas: Request for submissions

We’re pulling together 101 ways to use all that pasta you panic bought.

Recipes

June 25, 2020

RECIPE: Do Chua (Vietnamese pickled vegetables)

Do chua is carrot and mooli (aka daikon radish), pickled in salt, sugar and vinegar. It’s the key ingredient in what is undoubtedly one of…

Recipes

June 25, 2020

#101pastas 025: Aglio e olio

Pasta simplicity. We think this works best with a long pasta such as spaghetti, but we’re not going to dictate here. We’ll leave that up…

Recipes

June 25, 2020

#101pastas 024: Spaghettini with sardines and oven-dried tomatoes

I had some tomatoes the other day that were rapidly approaching end of life. In the absence of anything to do with them immediately, I…

Recipes

June 8, 2020

RECIPE: Bistec a la Cazuela

This tasty and straightforward slow-cooked stew – whose name translates to the much less elegant “steak in a pot”- is a one-pot classic popular in…

June 4, 2020

#101pastas 023: Cacio e pepe alla Romana by @piattorecipes [v]

Very kindly donated by Piatto Italian Recipes on Twitter from their excellent YouTube channel, this is an authentic version of really simple dish which is…

June 3, 2020

#101pastas 022: Crab meat and bacon linguine by Jim Delaney

A smashing linguine recipe submitted on Facebook by our friend, Jim. Serves 2Green bacon 6 rashersShallots 1-2Garlic 1-2 clovesLemon zest of halfRed chilli 1, deseeded…

June 3, 2020

#101pastas 021: Duchess Farm heritage wholegrain flour pasta dough by Chef Michael Chan

Very kindly donated by our friend and fantastic chef, Michael Chan, this is a simple pasta dough recipe using the excellent Duchess Farm‘s heritage wholegrain…

June 1, 2020

#101pastas 020: Seafood chilli linguine by @g_eats

Yet another great submission from @g_eats for our potentially over-ambitious pasta odyssey. Pimentón pepper 1 redGarlic cloves 2 slicedCherry tomatoes 500gParsley 25gOlive oil a dashSpinach…

Recipes

June 1, 2020

RECIPE: DIY Orangina

I appreciate Orangina is probably still quite widely available even in lockdown, but if you’re stuck for things to do, then this is fun for…

June 1, 2020

#101pastas 019: Bucatini all’Amatriciana with anchovy crumb

After a week of waistline worriment, we’re back on the pasta, lads. Made this for today’s lunch with store cupboard items and things that needed…

Recipes

May 23, 2020

RECIPE: Hawayej

This simple but tasty spice-mix is the other Yemeni thing I know how to make apart from Zhoug. It can be used to spice soups,…

Recipes

May 20, 2020

#101pastas 018: Pesto alla Genovese

No introduction required. Kindly submitted on Twitter by Georgie from the excellent G-Eats blog, a classic pesto, served here with penne. Serves 2Penne 200gFresh basil…

101 Pastas

May 12, 2020

#101pastas 017: Chorizo and black olive marinara

Another really quick lunchtime recipe, this is loosely based around one by the late, great Gary Rhodes, who sadly passed away far too young last…

May 7, 2020

#101pastas 016: @veggiechefbef’s vegan carbonara [v]

This recipe was kindly donated by Beth and James, known digitally as @veggiechefbef

Music

May 7, 2020

Thank you, Florian Schneider

Not sure many will say it better than Alexis Petridis…

May 7, 2020

RECIPE: Slaw [v] | Prepping for the Bank Holiday barbecue bonanza

I promised the other day in my barbecued brisket recipe that I’d post the accompanying slaw. I’m in full Bank Holiday barbecue mode and the…

Music

May 6, 2020

Goodbye, Millie Small

Though we never, knew you at allYou had the grace to… etc. We are very sad to hear of the death of Millie Small. Our…

Recipes

May 6, 2020

#101pastas 015: Spaghetti al pranzo di lavoro

This is a quick 10 minute pasta I’ve just knocked up for my lunch, hence the name working lunch pasta. It’s basically just an aglio,…

Recipes

May 5, 2020

#StayHome Pizza stretch goals

If, like me, you’ve attempted countless homemade pizzas and plateaued various times en route to your current level, here are some ideas to try to…

May 4, 2020

RECIPE: Banana bread muffins [v]

Time is all over the place during lockdown. Without the routine of a daily commute, I struggle to know what day it is, let alone…

Recipes

May 1, 2020

RECIPE: Texan-style barbecued brisket… even without a barbecue

Living in a big city like London, you’re often lucky to have outside space of your own. We’re fortunate enough to have a balcony with…

April 30, 2020

RECIPE: #StayHome Shakshuka [v]

I can’t believe my fellow Herders haven’t beaten me to posting this simple, tangy and delicious North African egg dish – and I don’t know…

Recipes

April 30, 2020

RECIPE: Ceviche (Mexicano, no Peruano)

The Peruvians have a rightful claim to have invented ceviche, and to be fair every time I have eaten ceviche described as Peruvian (twice), it…

April 29, 2020

#101pastas 014: New York meatball marinara

Earlier today we were fortunate enough to be given a cracking Napoletana/Napoli/marinara sauce recipe by a new chef friend on Twitter. We’d been thinking about…

April 29, 2020

#101pastas 013: Classic Napoletana sauce [v]

Very kindly submitted by Chef Simon Conroy on Twitter, the Napoletana, also known as the Napoli or (in the US) marinara sauce, is perhaps unsurprisingly,…

April 30, 2020

#101pastas 012: Vegan mac ‘n’ cheese by Magic Castles [v]

Very kindly donated by Jason Edmonds – founder of Minneapolis-based psychedelic folk-rock band, Magic Castles – we are pleased to present the first vegan dish…

April 29, 2020

RECIPE: Tuscan bean soup [v]

This is a really simple, rustic one pot dish with loads of veg. Cook up a big vat of it and it’ll be your lunch…

April 24, 2020

RECIPE: Spiced carrot & red lentil soup [v]

This hot, zingy soup is hearty, healthy, and turns out to be vegan (until you butter your bread).

April 23, 2020

RECIPE: Tortilla Española [v]

This iconic Spanish omelette is an example of how a few humble ingredients can be elevated to something great through patience and technique…

April 22, 2020

RECIPE: Borscht style beetroot soup with croutons and soured cream [v]

A colourful and tasty soup that uses up lonely fridge vegetables…

April 22, 2020

RECIPE: #StayHome harissa paste [v]

This North African pepper paste is so distinctive, punchy, fragrant and summery…

Misc

April 22, 2020

COVID-Canteen cartoon

Artist and friend of the project Alastair Graham has kindly sent in this brilliant cartoon entitled ‘Covid Canteen Cartoon’…

April 23, 2020

#101pastas 011: Zucchini, mascarpone e limone [v]

Kindly submitted by Johanna Harrison, this is a simple, courgette pasta with mascarpone, parmesan and lemon…

April 21, 2020

#101pastas 010: Spaghetti carbonara

Very kindly submitted by Francesca from her website Dolce Mente Baking, this is a classic carbonara dish using guanciale however we appreciate this may not…

April 20, 2020

#101pastas 009: Bolognese stretch goals

Ragù alla bolognese has had its fair share of reimaginings over the years. A lot of the ‘hacks’ we see, like adding marmite / chocolate…

April 20, 2020

RECIPE: A template for making British Indian* restaurant-style curry** [v]

A quintessentially British kind of hedonism…

April 18, 2020

RECIPE: Chimichurri verde [v]

Chimichurri is a table sauce originating from the countryside of Argentina and Uruguay, traditionally used on barbecued meats but it is great on pretty much…

April 17, 2020

#101pastas 008: Juusto-lihamakaronilaatikko

I must admit we weren’t expecting too many pasta dishes from Finland but this has been submitted by @dragonblaze on Twitter and is very much…

April 17, 2020

#101pastas 007: Ben Watt’s pea, ham and nutmeg penne

Very kindly donated by musician, singer, songwriter, writer, DJ and fellow pasta enthusiast, Ben Watt, this is a quick, low fat penne adapted from an…

April 16, 2020

RECIPE: Chiltomate and cebolla asada [v]

A grilled tomato salsa and some tangy onions from the Yucatán peninsula in Mexico

April 10, 2020

RECIPE: Simple and effective lentil soup [v]

The cost of the ingredients to make this vegan-friendly soup must amount to less than the loose change currently hiding down the back of your…

April 10, 2020

#101pastas 006: Part puttanesca

This is so good I’m literally typing while I eat, such is the urgency to bestow it upon you all. It’s really salty so good…

Recipes

April 9, 2020

How to oven-dry onions

There was recent talk in the press about potential shortages of onions due to the COVID-19 lockdown. If, like me, you panic bought a load…

April 8, 2020

RECIPE: #StayHome houmous [v]

Making your own houmous – along with having a bash at sourdough bread – is a rite of passage for any enthusiastic quarantine culinarian.

April 8, 2020

RECIPE: Marcus Samuelsson’s berbere spice mix [v]

An Ethiopian spice mix, with its origins in the 16th century spice trade routes. The name comes from the Berber people of North Africa and…

April 8, 2020

RECIPE: Garlic and ginger paste [v]

Having a big jar of this in the fridge not only allows you to save heaps of time when you want to knock up a…

April 8, 2020

RECIPE: South Asian curry paste [v]

It would be an understatement to say that there are numerous ways to make a South Asian curry.

Recipes

April 8, 2020

RECIPE: Faux-Cuban black bean and leftover ham stew

I got a book about Cuban food last year when I was in the US. Whilst this isn’t specifically one of those recipes, I’ve spent…

April 8, 2020

#101pastas 005: Brussels sprout, blue cheese and chestnut cavatappi [v]

Kindly submitted on Twitter by Katie Deacon (@Katie_Cakes)

April 6, 2020

RECIPE: Zhoug [v]

This is a coriander and chilli sauce originally from Yemen. The best thing about this sauce is that it…

April 6, 2020

#101pastas 004: Spinaci e pancetta (or szpinak i boczek?)

Shopping local is now often an easier option than queuing to get into the supermarkets. This also means…

April 4, 2020

RECIPE: Basic bread [v]

Bread baking and beard stroking go hand in hand (maybe not during COVID).

Music

April 3, 2020

Bills, Bills, Bills

We are very sad to hear of the death of Bill Withers.

April 3, 2020

RECIPE: Tostadas con tomate [v]

I’m fortunate enough to live a few metres away from City View Off-Licence on Bethnal Green Road. This shop is an absolute unit.

April 2, 2020

#101pastas 003: Emergency pasta [v]

This is my go-to Amatriciana-style pasta recipe for when stocks are running low. It’s a beauty.

April 2, 2020

#101pastas 002: Basic bolognese

Spag bol was the first thing I learned to cook. I reckon it was about 1993.

April 2, 2020

RECIPE: Why stabbing your own hand while trying to cut avocado is toxic behaviour (bog-standard Mexican guacamole) [v]

I keep hearing that the surge in avocado popularity in the “global West” has led to…

Misc

April 1, 2020

Help for your #StayHome virtual pub

https://www.thestayinginn.co.uk/onyourphone

April 1, 2020

RECIPE: Beetroot & butternut squash soup [v]

A punchy soup which is really easy, looks amazing and is cheap. Serves quite a few.