Monday 16 December 2019

Coriander 'Mojito'

by Diana 

When it comes to Christmas we all know the kitchen becomes the home’s fireplace, a space to recollect and recreate traditional recipes, remember our family and our heritage and pay cooking tribute to the people that are no longer with us. My mother-in-law passed away a few years ago now and I last saw her on a Christmas Eve so it’s inevitably not to think of her even more at this time. I am grateful to her for so many things that go beyond the mere existence of my beloved husband. She gave us extreme valuable advice when emigrating to the UK, supported every project and idea and, cooking wise, she shared generously the counted recipes she made when we were all still back home. She didn’t cook that much or experimented a lot in the kitchen but she didn’t need to as her few key dishes were all family favourites. There was something about the simplicity, consistency and repetition of the dishes that always made me feel stable and safe when I was around her. She never needed to push the limits when it came to make everyone happy. 

When she passed, my husband’s father gave me her recipe notebook and I have endeavoured to make her cakes during family gatherings and when my husband may be having a busy or stressful week- as a way of providing him with that same stability but also as a way of keeping her alive with us. This is one of those recipes she did that are not in her notebook though but that she shared with my via email when we left home. I know this post will make more sense to us but I hope you enjoy the recipe too whilst thinking about your loved ones this time of the year. 

© The Teaspoon


Ingredients

70 g fresh coriander
3 spring onions 
1 garlic bulb (approximately 10 cloves)
1 red chilli (or any of your choice)
4-5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 
1 teaspoon Salt in flakes 
1/2 teaspoon black ground pepper 

Method 

Sautee the garlic cloves, spring onions and chilli in a tablespoon of olive oil until the garlic is crystallised. Set aside.

Chopo the coriander finely and add it to the garlic mix once it’s completely cooled down. Add olive oil and salt and pepper. Mix well and pout in a sterilised jar. Keep in the fridge and enjoy it with bread or salted biscuits of your choice. We used to eat it with baked cassava but that’s more of a challenge to find in the UK. Enjoy! 


© The Teaspoon
© The Teaspoon

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