This week is all about plant-based cooking that delivers heavily on flavour.
Last year I had the pleasure of working with a group of chefs in Singapore. The task was thought-provoking and terrifying in equal measure: design the restaurant menu of the future. We invited guests to step into the year 2223 for an evening; six courses were served while a detailed story and show played out on the LED table around which the guests were seated.
In designing the menu, we thought long and hard about what sort of cooking we might be looking at in 200 years. Would fake meat products rule the roost? Would we be eating expandable pizza in a machine a la Marty McFly in Back to the Future? Would we be eating in restaurants at all? We decided to focus on ingredients, and the factors that will affect them in the future. We looked at the idea of scarcity, pricing, climate change, the value of water, stock protection and human migration as factors that will affect how we cook in the future.
The resulting menu was fascinating. Mackerel kicked off, a fast-growing oily fish whose stocks can be managed efficiently. It is quite cheap now but will probably become more of a luxury product in the future. Pike quenelles are a classic European dish that no longer much appears on menus; in 2223 it returns. Pike is a large predatory freshwater fish in abundance in our rivers and lakes. As fish prices increase, we figure freshwater fish will become more economical, especially when turned into a mousse and then steamed in a mould. This allows us to increase portion yield and preserve stocks.
Celeriac is a knobbly root vegetable, its development under the ground a key selling point for future dining. Will these roots be less susceptible to the rising temperatures of climate change?
Back in the here and now, these are two delicious recipes that perhaps point to the future of eating. They are delicious, wholesome, nutritious, seasonal and filling, with the added bonus of being kind to the wallet.
Falafel often gets a bad rap due to the many lazy versions knocking around. These are powerful, the key being the use of dried chickpeas that have been rehydrated. Freekeh is a lesser-used grain, but works beautifully here with the Middle Eastern look and feel.
Celeriac returns too, served with a punchy parsley and shallot salad and horseradish cream. The method of salt baking may seem arduous, but it repays all that effort handsomely with flavour.
Recipe: Falafel with harissa jam and freekeh salad
Recipe: Salt-baked celeriac with horseradish crème fraîche and parsley and shallot salad
