Seeds
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In European cookery seeds are most often used in baking, to add taste and texture to bread and biscuits. Other cuisines incorporate seeds in stews and stir-fries.
Sesame seeds, which are little blonde disc shapes, have the most dramatic warm, aromatic flavour; sunflower seeds taste like they are good for you (and they are) and work well in bread; pumpkin seeds have a bit more bite than sunflower and tiny poppy seeds give a fragile graininess that is good in sponge or Madeira cake.
Makes four 1 lb (350 ml capacity) jarsSmoky Tomato Chutney
Pimentón – smoked paprika – gives a smoky flavour to this dark, luscious, red tomato chutney. Great to serve with hamburgers and sausages, and lovely with sharp Cheddar cheese. If you prefer a milder chutney just use the sweet, mild pimentón.
Shiitake Broth with Sesame Toast
This is a lovely light soup without too many calories made with Japanese miso stock and dried shiitake mushrooms, which have a strong flavour, but just the fresh shiitake mushrooms can be used, if you prefer.
Serves 10Four Star Slaw
The four 'stars' in this case are celeriac, carrot, cabbage and spring onion. The result is a very crunchy fresh-tasting salad that can be made the day before, if you cover it with clingfilm and keep it in the refrigerator until needed.
Serves 4 as a light lunch or 6 as a starterThai Crab Salad with Mango
This is a low-fat variation of Thai Grilled Beef Salad with Grapes. In Thailand they serve it with pomelo, which is very similar to grapefruit. When they’re not available, I use mango, but you could ring the changes with grapes or small segments of p
Makes 1 small loafCornmeal and Mixed-seed Bread
This is a very quick and easy loaf, but with lots of varying textures. And don't worry if the sunflower seeds turn green during baking – it actually looks very attractive.
