So, what does a girl do when she has a new problem challenge to take on? She makes sure she’s properly equipped to deal with it and/or finds the best people to help her take it on. On this occasion, I was lucky enough to have the right people and the right tools to help me whip up a bit of a cultural mish-mash, inspired by my mum’s latest gadget.
For a couple of months before Christmas, spiralizers had been a regular topic for discussion due to Mum’s dislike of pasta but love of Italian sauces and my interest in alternative approaches to healthy eating. So Steph and I went halves on one for her, opening up whole new avenues in the world of vegetables. I’ve even tried making sweet potato noodle pancakes! But that’s not the subject of this particular dish. On a spur of the moment when discussing what we should have for dinner, I suggested trying butternut squash noodles! As we knew there was beef mince in the freezer, the logical step was to take the idea of Spaghetti Bolognese but give it a Mexican twist by cooking a good Chilli Con Carne instead.
However, a good chilli requires good knife work to chop onions and the ability to open tinned tomatoes. Unfortunately tendinopathy makes this a little more difficult. Enter the next two gadgets. My electric chopper and hands-free can opener have made my cooking adventures so much easier. However, the chopper has taken practice. As you can see in the photo, this time around I ended up with minced onion rather than diced. But I am getting better and just being able to chop finely again is amazing!
But enough about how I overcame my culinary challenges and on to the dish itself. It turned into a little bit of an ode to butternut squash, with noodles, roasted cubes and fried seeds featuring largely. These were partnered with a rather fruity chilli (I even added sweetcorn for a bit of variety) and plenty of melted cheese to bind it together. While it might not have reached foodgasam standards (yes, I do use that word to describe really good food despite still being a virgin), it was a darn good meal. The only thing I would advise is having someone who has full use of their wrists for the spiraliser. Fortunately I had my mum as it can be a bit tough going on my weaker wrists.
What’s been your latest culinary challenge? I love to know what gadgets make your kitchen a happier place. Or maybe you’ve been mashing up cuisines from across the world. Whatever you’ve been up to in your kitchen, let us know below.
xxx
The post CounterCultural Kitchen: Chilli, Noodles and Gadgets first appeared on CounterCultural. CounterCouture.