Just when you thought 2012 would be better ...

[french frank]

The eggs are there as an (optional) ingredient or garnish, not as a binding agent, frenchie.

In the kedgeree, yes. But I meant that I never have eggs in the house - and that as a binding agent (I seldom make kedgeree) e.g. in a nut roast - or in the haggis meatball, if it comes to that - a bit of agar agar mixed up is a good vegan alternative. I am partly a vegan ... when not eating other things.


Oh, I've just looked at the picture. The colour isn't the result of adding agar agar which is sort of colourless.

[vinteuil]

... the fleurie looks good. Not quite convinced by the idea of pasta: possibly polenta wd be a good mopping-up substitute? Or some chickpea - dhal - lentil thing?

[amateur51]

Oh, I've just looked at the picture. The colour isn't the result of adding agar agar which is sort of colourless.

No, the colour is the result of a vegan imagination, which is very worrying

Joking aside, good luck with the vegan thing - I eat far less meat than I used to, but I'm far from being a vegetarian - I do get my 5-a-day of fruit n veg

[Anna]

Haggis pakora ... not sure. In any case I was much struck by Anna'l's haggisballs with pasta'l and tomato'l sauce:

Always glad to oblige with culinary tips. And, frenchie cleared the (rather large!) plate it seems. Love that china, it's Royal Copenhagen isn't it?

... the fleurie looks good. Not quite convinced by the idea of pasta: possibly polenta wd be a good mopping-up substitute? Or some chickpea - dhal - lentil thing?

Oh, mais non vints. Dhal/chickpea/lentil would be a disaster, it's all about texture and colour and contrast. Rice could be a possibility of course.

[vinteuil]

Oh, mais non vints. Dhal/chickpea/lentil would be a disaster, it's all about texture and colour and contrast. Rice could be a possibility of course.

... yes, I think you're right - the texture of polenta etc wd be too similar to that of the haggis. The pasta tho' struck me as not offering enough supporting comfort. I think a proper mashed potato might be the answer.

[amateur51]

Always glad to oblige with culinary tips. And, frenchie cleared the (rather large!) plate it seems. Love that china, it's Royal Copenhagen isn't it?

Oh, mais non vints. Dhal/chickpea/lentil would be a disaster, it's all about texture and colour and contrast. Rice could be a possibility of course.

Isn't quinoa the (pseudo-)cereal of the moment in veganland?

http://www.infobarrel.com/media/image/51312.jpg

[french frank]

... the fleurie looks good. Not quite convinced by the idea of pasta: possibly polenta wd be a good mopping-up substitute? Or some chickpea - dhal - lentil thing?

No, I thought afterwards that rice would have been better than pasta, though as you can see, it all went down well.

The Fleurie was quite a find. Thank goodness for the Nanny State, eh? You know that if they get you into their surgeries, doctors now have to advise you on all aspects of your life ?

Him: Alcohol intake?

Me: Yes.

Him: French doctors would advise everyone to take a litre of red wine every day.

Me: I think I might find that a bit too much.

Him: Well, all right, I would recommend a Fleurie, a very smooth wine at about £8 a bottle. You can get it locally at [...].

Me: Thank you. I will go there this afternoon.

I did enquire at W*n* R*ck whether it was supplied on the NHS, but sadly not. I think I may try the Georges Duboeuf next time, though, as it seems to be better known than the Charles Pierre - though I have no complaints about it.

[Anna]

... yes, I think you're right - the texture of polenta etc wd be too similar to that of the haggis. The pasta tho' struck me as not offering enough supporting comfort. I think a proper mashed potato might be the answer.

Obviously mash, but not with a tomato sauce as the mash would rapidly become goo, but sans sauce, creamy mash (horseradish mash?) then it would need a green veg and some kind of jus but then, basically, it turns into meat & 2 veg. Pasta, for me, is a major comfort food but I would have chosen tagliatelle rather than shapes ...

I do hope frenchie doesn't mind us discussing her culinary arts (although she did start the thread!)

[Serial_Apologist]

Isn't quinoa the (pseudo-)cereal of the moment in veganland?

http://www.infobarrel.com/media/image/51312.jpg

Never heard of it - thanks for drawring attention to quinoa, ams - it rather resembles sweetcorn in appearance and from the write up appears maybe more nutritious. Anything for a vegetarian change, eh?

[french frank]

Not Royal Copenhagen, Anna, but by Furnivall's Denmark. I broke a saucer recently and it can still be obtained on ebay quite cheaply.

Isn't quinoa the (pseudo-)cereal of the moment in veganland?

Pretty much so. I bought some flaked quinoa to bulk out my nut roast as an alternative to buckwheat (that's the stuff!) and it has a slightly bitter taste. I'm now trying to put the odd bit into everything in order to get rid of it

[Serial_Apologist]

Him: French doctors would advise everyone to take a litre of red wine every day.

I don't BeliEEEEEEEEEve it!

[Anna]

Quinoa, didn't get to grips with it (the grains, not tried the flakes) and I think, imo, it's rather slimey. However, it's bursting with stuff that turns people into superfit dynamos and enabled the Egyptian slaves to work all day without a break (I may have that wrong and it was the Aztecs?) (Funny sort of veganism that allows haggis - or was it a vegetarian haggis?)