Just as mountain bikes keep evolving, so does food. There was a time when a prawn cocktail would impress people with its juicy shellfish piled high on lettuce with a nice tangy Marie Rosé sauce, and now it seems … well… somewhat ‘canti’.
At the end of 2021 I went on a noble quest to find the ‘new food’. I bravely ate and drank my away across London to a Gaye Bykers On Acid gig, and back again… gently grazing on new wave food, wrapping up on Brick Lane around 3am. I liberated two great recipes from that trip. So, let’s get our starters right up to date with two dead easy fancy pants vibrant starters that will make you look like the pro new wave fusion hipster king of culinary’ness.
Starters are super important – first impressions count. This is one reason I try to win the start of every race I enter. First off the line, a blaze of hair and sprinting, leading the pack into the woods, swiftly followed by a complete meltdown and a return to my Sunday pootle pace. Who wants to win the end of a race? No one is there to see it; we are all still happily pootling in the hills. Go ugly early. Win the start.
Tools
While both recipes can be made with a regular sharp kitchen knife, a good eye and a steady hand, you will find a mandolin will give you perfect results in no time. They cost about £15 and have a V-shaped blade that adjusts for thickness to give you instant, consistent slices. Simply move the food up and down the mandolin and you’re in business. Keep your fingers out of the way.
Beetroot Carpaccio
Carpaccio is normally wafer-thin slices of raw beef or fish. This is a dead healthy vegetarian alternative… full of colour and flavour. It’s also very quick and easy.
Ingredients
- Fresh mint leaves, chopped
- 2 Garlic cloves, crushed
- Olive oil, 100ml-ish
- Lime juice, about 10ml or a couple of sloshes
- Cooked beetroot from the veg section of the supermarket
- Pistachio nuts
Method
1. Chop up the mint leaves, mix with crushed garlic, olive oil, and a dash of lime juice in a glass. That’s your dressing sorted. It improves if left in the fridge for a few hours.
2. Slice up the beetroot wafer thin and arrange on a plate.
3. Pour the dressing over your beetroot.
4. Take the pistachio nuts out of their shells, and crush them with the side of a knife. Sprinkle these over the beetroot and try not to eat the lot on your way to the table.
Manchego Courgettes
A warm starter like nothing you have ever experienced before. It is a great mix of flavours that are not normally found together, but should be.
Ingredients
- Courgettes
- Ground black pepper
- Salt
- Olive oil
- Good honey
- Manchego cheese shavings
Method
1. Slice the courgettes wafer thin, lengthways, ~3mm thick.
2. Pop on baking tray. Rub a little olive oil into them, and season with salt and pepper.
3. Put in a hot oven until they brown at the edges. You are aiming for just a little colour and slightly firm courgette.
4. Mix up olive oil with a little honey in a 70:30 mix.
5. Gently move them to a plate, sprinkle with cheese shavings and pour the honey oil dressing over the top.
