Sometimes you just have to have fun in the kitchen and try new things. This week we did a lot of that. Our experiments included 1) using chickpea water to make an awesome dessert; 2) trying to make tofu tasty and 3) playing around with vegetable scraps.
First, and maybe the coolest: we transformed the water in a can of chickpeas into glossy meringues.
Chickpea water meringues
The steps are shown below, but essentially you drain the water from a can of chickpeas, reserving the chickpeas for later. You put the chickpea water in a mixer and whip for 10 -15 minutes: it goes from foamy to stiff peaks. Add in 2 tablespoons of sugar and some vanilla extract and bake in a 250 degree oven for at least an hour and until firm and dry. And yes, they really do taste like egg white meringues!
Second I (Max) tried cooking with tofu. First I tasted it: sort of like feta cheese without any taste. So I decided to add some flavors. I sauteed red onions in olive oil and then added shredded kale. After that had cooked a bit, I added the tofu and sauteed for a bit. I tasted and it definitely still needed flavor. So I added soy sauce. Much better. But it still was a little soft. Mom suggested pumpkin seeds so I added those and it was delicious. Mom ate it all!
Tofu with kale, red onion and pumpkin seeds
Third I (Alex) wanted to do something with some leftover vegetable scraps that mom had frozen. There were cauliflower stems, broccoli stems, red pepper bits, mushroom stocks, onions, cilantro, carrots, lemongrass and probably some other stuff. Mom suggested I make stock with them and that we save it for a night when were making curry or another Asian inspired dish. So here’s what we did:
Vegetable Stock
We simmered the vegetables in 4 cups of water for about an hour. Then we let the mix cool slightly.
Asian Vegetable Broth
Then we strained it and this is the final product. Can’t wait to use it (it has a faintly cilantro/lemongrassy flavor with hints of red pepper) so I am thinking of using it a Thai curry sauce.
