With autumn upon us once again, it’s time for pumpkin to make a return to the table. This versatile memeber of the squash family makes for perfect comfort food for the longer, chillier nights. KCC’s back catalogue features a number of pumpkin dishes – try this cousin of lasagne made with chickpeas and mixed greens and this roasted pumpkin with halloumi for starters.
A nutty chickpea and pumpkin fritter served with a lettuce, pear, pomegranate and walnut salad
This time, we’re using the pumpkin in a fritter made with chickpeas and fine bulgur wheat. Recently, we recieved some walnuts from a friend of a friend’s dacha outside Almaty, here in Kazakhstan, which are ideal for adding a nutty edge to these chickpea and pumpkin fritters. We also added some walnuts to a fruity salad made with lettuce, pear and pomegranate seeds to accompany the fritters. Dress it with equal parts of balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil.
This year’s walnuts fresh from the dacha in Almaty, Kazakhstan
Summer is in full flow so it’s time for some lighter dishes that bring to the fore fresh seasonal ingredients at their best. I found this on-trend recipe that uses fresh peas, broad beans and runner beans while going through some old stuff in the UK recently.
A taste of summer
I was at my late parents’ old place and during the archaeological dig I found a copy of the first vegetarian cookbook that I owned – Elaine Bastable’s Vegetarian Feast, a Christmas present from way back in 1985. It was sold by Marks & Spencer under its StMichael guise.
Vegetarian Feast was quite advanced for its time with a recipe for Avocado (and Stilton) on Toast, a Felafel recipe and other dishes that were very exotic for Margaret Thatcher’s meat-heavy Britain of the 80s. The cookbook’s over-reliance on butter comes across in the 2025 filter as a bit dated, but it still stands the test of time in many respects.
A blast from the past
1985 was the year I finally took the plunge and went vegetarian. It had been coming for a while. As an impoverished student the meat that I could afford was of the type that had featured in documentaries of the time looking at the meat industry.
Affordable processed products such as burgers and sausages were shown to contain all parts of an animal – mashed up eyelids, lips, bollocks and toes, to be precise.
Although there are now many more vegans and vegetarians, not much has changed in the meat industry – as I write the Guardian is carrying this article on the shocking rise of factory farms across Europe and the UK.
Here’s the recipe
In the summer of 1985 I had just finished uni and I was travelling through Yugoslavia, as was, to Greece via Bulgaria and Turkey. Bulgaria was a veggie turning point. Cafe menus featured a wide selection but when asking for a particular dish a frosty niama (approx: We don’t have it) was the usual response. Baked meat(of dodgyprovenance) was the only option other than abundant salads. Who needed meat, especially baked meat of unknown origin, with all those veggies on offer?
Moving on into Greece, after the vegetarian heaven of Turkey’s ev yemekleri cafes, I finally started eating tomatoes, which I’d hated with a vengeance since my childhood. The tomato breakthrough opened up many new veggie avenues. From that point on I stopped eating meat and haven’t looked back since.
So, turning back to Vegetarian Feast, I found the recipe for this side dish of summer vegetables and Datça market came up trumps with fresh peas, broad beans and runner beans. Check out the recipe in the picture above.
If you’re looking for a quick and easy yet filling snack, then look no further than KCC’s stuffed coconut roti. This dish is inspired by Sri Lanka’s coconut rotis, that are served with a fiery coconut sambal and a gloopy red lentil dhal.
KCC’s coconut roti with a dhal filling
We decided to combine the roti and dahl in one package. The rotis are easy to prepare, the dough just needs a few hours to rest, so it can be made in advance. It can be kept in the fridge, but needs to come to room temperature before using. If you only want a coconut roti, then skip the filling stage – just roll out the roti and cook it on both sides.
Coconut roti with pol sambol and dhal in a cafe in Sri Lanka
As for the filling, you don’t need anything special. We used some leftover dhal – it always tastes better after being left overnight, and added some fesh lentil sprouts to add a bit of crunch. Here are some ideas for the filling from KCC’s back catalogue – here’s a rhubarb dhal or how about a classic red lentil dhal or even some bulgur biryani – the choice is yours.
Spread the filling over half the rotithen fold it over and fry on both sides
Ingredients (makes four rotis)
200 g bread flour
75 g dessicated coconut (unsweetened)
60 ml coconut milk
60 ml cold water
Salt to taste
Method
Combine all the ingredients together. Knead until you get a smooth dough – if it’s too sticky, add a touch more water.
Leave the dough to stand for a few hours before using. The dough can be kept for a few days in the fridge – remember to let it come to room temperature before using.
Split into four parts and roll the dough as thinly as you can on a lightly floured surface. Place the filling on one half of the roti and then fold the top over. Press the edges together with a fork.
Add a few drops of oil to a frying pan and then cook the roti on both sides until it turns a golden-brown colour, adding a few more drops of oil if needed.
This weekend is Nowruz, a spring festival which originated in Persia some 3,000 years ago. Nowruz, or New Day, is a celebration of the end of winter and the start of a new year on the date when day and night are equal in the Northern Hemisphere – usually on or around the 20 – 21 March. The holiday is celebrated in Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan and Central Asia, and in parts of Turkey, Syria, India, Iraq, Pakistan, Russia and China.
Preparing for Nowruz (Nauryz) in Almaty, Kazakhstan
There are many traditional foods associated with the holiday – Uzbekistan has sumalak, a paste made from what flour, sprouted wheat and oil. Kazakhstan has Nauryz Kozhe, a soup made from seven ingredients: barley, meat, kumis (fermented horse milk), onion, garlic, water and salt.
Iran’s Kookoo Sabzi – a herby frittata
Iran’s Nowruz table features the wonderfully named Kookoo Sabzi, sometimes written as Kuku – a herb-filled cousin of Italy’s frittata. The fresh herbs represent rebirth, while the eggs stand for fertility.
This Kookoo Sabzi’s ready to flip
Kookoo Sabzi is usually a combination of garlic chives, corainder (cilantro) and dill, but seeing as we’re not fans of dill, we’ve opted to replace it with parsley and mint. You can also omit the coriander if that’s not your thing (feel free to add some dill if you must). We’ve added parsley and mint, along with toasted walnuts, for some protien, and barberries (if you can find them – we couldn’t), to add a tart edge to the dish. Cranberries are a good replacement if barberries are proving hard to track down.
Turn it onto a plate and slide it back into the pan
Ingredients (makes four servings)
50 g fresh parsley
50 g fresh coriander
50 g garlic chives (jusai)
25 g fresh mint leaves
50 g walnuts
10 g dried barberries (or cranberries)
4 eggs
20 g chickpea flour
One teaspoon each of: cumin seeds, sumac and turmeric
25 ml olive oil
Method
Wash the garlic chives and cut into 0.5 cm pieces. Leave to dry on a tea towel or kitchen paper. Wash and finely chop the parsley, coriander (including stems) and mint leaves. Combine all these ingredients with the chickpea flour, spices, berries and the eggs.
Crush and then toast the walnuts (without oil) for 10 minutes in a 12 cm frying pan. Remove the walnuts and mix them in with the herbs and eggs. Put half the olive oil in the frying pan and heat it up and then add the herb mixture, flattening it with a spatula.
Cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes. Put a plate on top of the kookoo and turn the frying pan over. Add the rest of the oil to the empty pan and heat it up. Slide the kookoo back into the frying pan and cook for another 10 minutes.
Cut the kookoo into four slices and serve with a dollop of natural yogurt and some olives.
Turkey meets India this time round on KCC as we cook Turkey’s beloved bulgur wheat in in Indian biryani style. Bulgur, parboiled, dried and cracked wheat, is a quick-cooking alternative to rice that works really when combined with spicy vegetables.
Bulgur biryani
Biryani belongs to the family of layered rice dishes that includes Uzbekistan’s plov and other pilafs. The name is from the Persian barian, which translates as ‘roasted’.
The dish was originally brought to the Indian sub-continent by travellers from Iran and has developed into a number of regional variations, with the Hyderabadi one, served with a yoghurty raitha, being the most famous.
As bulgur is parboiled, it cooks really quickly. It takes around 15 – 20 minutes to cook – the total prep time for this dish is less than an hour from start to finish and it is cooked in one-pan, so less washing up to worry about.
Ingredients (for two servings)
100g coarse bulgur
100g diced carrot
100 g courgette
150 g cooked chickpeas
25 g tomato paste
25 g pepper paste (we used tatli (sweet), if you want it hot, use acili)
20 ml olive oil
1 stick of celery (approx 25 g)
2 spring onions (approx 10 g)
1 green pepper (approx 30 g)
250 ml vegetable stock
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon each of mustard seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric, fenugreek, chilli powder
25 g fresh coriander
Method
Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the mustard seeds. When they start to pop, add the chopped spring onion and celery and cook for two minutes. Then add the chopped green pepper and diced carrot and cook for two more minutes. Add the courgettes and cook for another two minutes.
Add the spices and stir well and then add the cooked chick peas and the vegetable stock. Stir in the tomato and pepper paste, bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Add the bulgur in a layer over the veggies. Put a lid on the pan and cook over a low heat for 15 – 20 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed.
Turn off the heat and allow the mix to rest for ten minutes or so. Stir well and then serve. Garnish with chopped coriander.
This year is flying by, I can’t believe it’s already Halloween and the time for Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. The transition into winter is gaining pace with the leaves falling and the nights closing in. The summer veg has given way to pumpkins and squash – an ideal base for comfort food as the colder months approach in the northern hemisphere.
Pumpkin and white cheese pasta
Over the last month, my Insta feed has been full of variations on baked pumpkin and white cheese dishes. Many of these dishes use sprigs of rosemary but I think that the more woodsy flavour of sage makes a better partner for pumpkin.
Oven-baked pumpkin goodness
For this recipe, I used a cheese called adygeisky, a white cheese with a slightly sour taste, that originates in the mountains of the Caucasus between the Caspian and Black Seas. Feta or any other crumbly white cheese that is available in your area that holds itself together under heat will work just as well.
Ingredients (serves two)
300 g pumpkin or butternut squash
100 g white cheese (Feta, halloumi or similar)
140 g dried pasta (of your choice)
25 ml pasta cooking water
Dried sage
Drizzle of olive oil
two teaspoons pumpkin seeds
Method
Line a baking dish with baking paper. Cut the pumpkin into 1 cm cubes. Place the cheese in the middle of the dish and arrange the pumpkin cubes around it. Sprinkle with crumbled sage leaves and drizzle with olive oil.
Bake in a pre-heated oven at 200 c for 30 minutes covered with tin foil and then bake for another 10 minutes uncovered. While it’s baking, prepare the pasta (according to the packet instructions).
Mash the pumpkin with a potato masher and mix with the cheese. Add the drained pasta and 25 ml of cooking water. Stir well and serve straight away with a garnish of pumpkin seeds.
It’s that asparagus time of year once again. These tasty green spears are a harbinger of the warmer months of Spring and Summer – the first tips are ready for harvest shortly after the ground temperature hits 10°C.
Asparagus and chickpea pasta
Here in Almaty, Kazakhstan, locally-grown asparagus is currently having its moment in the sun, with many restaurants offering seasonal dishes featuring these flavour-packed spears of goodness.
Asparagus from Kazakhstan
Over the years, KCC has featured a number of asparagus dishes, such as a bulgur pilaf with asparagus (KCC’s first ever recipe), Mr Alan’s Top Tips, and in a stir-fry. This time round, after tracking down some locally-grown asparagus in Almaty, we’ve cooked it with chickpeas, capers, walnuts and tagliatelle:
Ingredients (for 2 servings)
150 g asparagus
175 g chickpeas
30 g walnuts
20 g capers
50 – 100 ml aquafaba (chickpea cooking liquid)
25 ml olive oil
150 g dried taglaitelle
One teaspoon fresh or dried rosemary
Method
To make the green sauce, blitz 50 g of chopped, raw asparagus in a blender with 75 g chickpeas, the chopped walnuts and capers and olive oil. Keep adding aquafaba slowly until the sauce had a creamy consistency,
Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions in a pan of boiling, salty water. Slice the remaining asparagus into 3 mm slices and cook with the pasta for the last five minutes. While the pasta is cooking, add the remaining chickpeas to the green sauce in a heavy-based pan, warm over a low heat and stir in the rosemary.
Drain the pasta and asparagus, reserving some of the cooking Waterloo to loosen the sauce, if needed, and add to the green sauce and chickpeas, combine well and serve.
It’s been a crazy winter here in Almaty, Kazakhstan. It didn’t really get going until after New Year and has seen short cold snaps interspersed with rapid thaws as the temperature creeps into positive territory. This has made it particularly dicey when walking by buildings, as chunks of ice have a tendency to fall from roofs as the temperature rises. Usually, this is a once in a winter event, but this year it seems to be every few days.
A tahini-infused cauliflower and spinach soup
We’ve been getting through a lot of tahini recently, using it as a salad dressing, a pasta/noodle sauce, in variations on hummus, and, in this case, as an earthy, nutty base for a thick soup – he intermittent cold snaps call for a comforting bowl of hearty, seasonal goodness.
Crazy Almaty weather for 15 Feb 2024 onwards
Tahini is easy to make if you can’t find it in your local Middle eastern store – you just need some white sesame seeds, some olive oil and a good blender. Here’s a link to our tahini recipe from a few years ago.
Ingredients (serves 3-4)
500 g cauliflower
150 g spinach
100 g celery
5 g fresh coriander
500 ml vegetable stock
50 ml tahini
25 ml olive oil
one teaspoon soy sauce
one teaspoon caraway seeds
one teaspoon dried oregano
Method
Heat the olive oil and then fry the chopped celery and caraway seeds in a large pan. Cook over a medium heat for five minutes and then add the cauliflower, broken into small florets, and the oregano. Stir fry over a medium heat for five minutes and then add the vegetable stock. Bring to a boil and simmer for ten minutes.
Put half the soup in a blender, add the soy sauce and tahini and blend until smooth. Add to the other soup in the pan, stir well and add the spinach leaves and cook until the spinach wilts. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve piping hot.
As 2023 draws to a close, let’s take a look at some striking winter salads to liven up the end-of-year table. To complement our perennial favourite, our Olivier (with an Edge) salad, we’re looking to a coleslaw variation to add some colour to the New Year’s Eve spread. With the new year just around the corner, KCC wishes all its readers a prosperous and peaceful 2024, full with culinary adventures and many more mouth-watering meals!
This winter has been a strange one here in Kazakhstan. We should be in the depths of winter now, but the snow didn’t arrive until the first week of December. Then there was a week or so of freezing weather with the temperature dipping to -28c, but now, as we approach the end of December, there’s very little snow on the ground in Almaty – it’s even been raining, which is really unusual at this time of the year.
KCC’s coleslaw variation with pear and rocket
The purple hues of red cabbage pair so well with the orange of carrots and the green of rocket. For a bit of bite, we’ve added some grated radish (we used green radishes, but you can use red radishes or mouli if you can’t find green ones), along with some grated pear and pomegranate seeds for a sweet and tart note. Add in some pumpkin and sunflower seeds and raisins before dressing with tahini and pomegranate sauce.
Ingredients (serves 3-4)
100 g shredded red cabbage
100 g grated carrot
50 g chopped rocket
50 g grated green radish
50 g grated pear
25 g pomegranate seeds
25 g raisins
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons pumpkin seeds
2 teaspoons sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon tahini
1 tablespoon pomegranate sauce
a slice of fresh lime
Method
In a large bowl mix the red cabbage, carrot, rocket, green radish, pear and pomegranate seeds together. Add the raisins, oregano, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. Make a dressing with equal parts pf tahini and pomegranate sauce and thin with a bit of hot water to obtain a smooth consistency. Pour over the salad, stir well, give it a squeeze of lime and serve.
With Halloween and Thanksgiving, the two times in the year when pumpkins take centre stage, now behind us, we’ve got a simple idea to use up any leftover pumpkin you may have with this quick and easy spinach and pumpkin fritter recipe.
Spicy Spinach and Pumpkin Fritters
These fritters are totally vegan – there’s no need to add an egg to bind them together as chickpea flour and rolled oats do a great job of soaking up any extra moisture from the spinach and pumpkin and help the fritters hold their shape. They can be shallow fried on both sides in a little oil or baked in the oven for 30 minutes at 180 c. These spicy fritters taste good served with a side salad and chips or in a burger bun or pita with your choice of toppings.
Grate the pumpkinAdd the chopped spinachAdd the herbs and spices then mix Add the rolled oats and chickpea flour Mix it all together, then put it in the fridge for two hoursForm into balls, fry on both sides, then eat!
Ingredients (Makes 6-8 fritters)
175 g grated pumpkin
50 g chopped spinach
50 g chickpea flour
25 g rolled oats
One teaspoon each of cumin seeds, coriander seeds, oregano, sumac and turmeric.
Half a teaspoon cinnamon
25 ml oil for frying
Method
Grate the pumpkin into a large bowl, add the chopped spinach and herbs and spices and combine all the ingredients. Now add the rolled oats and chickpea flour and mix well. Leave the mixture to rest for two hours in the fridge, so that any excess moisture is absorbed.
Form the mixture into small balls (about the size of a golf ball) in your hands. Heat the oil in a frying pan then turn the heat down low and add as many of the balls as will fit in the pan. Flatten them with a fish slice and after a few minutes turn them over. Cook until golden brown on both sides and then serve straight away.
Knidos Cookery Club 