Author Topic: Vegan pub visit. (Read 5321 times)

Kim · « **Reply #25 on:** 31 August, 2021, 05:51:12 pm »

You can always use land to grow electrons...

Beardy · « **Reply #26 on:** 31 August, 2021, 06:24:50 pm »

Quote from: Kim on 31 August, 2021, 05:51:12 pm

You can always use land to grow electrons...

But they’re not as tasty with roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings.

Kim · « **Reply #27 on:** 31 August, 2021, 07:30:39 pm »

Quote from: Beardy on 31 August, 2021, 06:24:50 pm

Quote from: Kim on 31 August, 2021, 05:51:12 pm
You can always use land to grow electrons...
But they’re not as tasty with roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings.

I think Big Clive may have tested this in a recent video...

Beardy · « **Reply #28 on:** 01 September, 2021, 10:22:19 am »

Quote from: Kim on 31 August, 2021, 07:30:39 pm

Quote from: Beardy on 31 August, 2021, 06:24:50 pm
Quote from: Kim on 31 August, 2021, 05:51:12 pm
You can always use land to grow electrons...
But they’re not as tasty with roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings.

I think Big Clive may have tested this in a recent video...

That was CAEK wasn’t it?

cygnet · « **Reply #29 on:** 06 September, 2021, 06:48:28 pm »

Quote from: ian on 31 August, 2021, 03:43:50 pm

It's the myth that all land must be somehow 'productive.'

Vast amounts of arable land are used to grow crops (soybean, alfalfa/lucerne, etc.) as animal feedstock, which isn't efficient land use of course. It'll be interesting to see the effects of climate change on crop growth, it's likely to force some significant re-evaluation of what we grow and where. We're very reliant on a small range of crops that have been extensively bred to return huge yields in carefully controlled conditions. Dairy cows might not be natural, but compared to something like wheat (an amalgam of three different species), most crops are freakish.

I'm mostly vegetarian these days, but I'm not sure I could give up my mild cheddar addiction. Trying to cut back on fish, but my wife is less keen on a vegetarian diet (mostly, I think, because she got electrocuted by a pig once).

If you're not sure you could give it up, it's probably more than a mild addiction

citoyen · « **Reply #30 on:** 06 September, 2021, 06:58:34 pm »

I took ian to mean he was addicted to mild cheddar. Personally, I prefer the extra mature stuff.

ian · « **Reply #31 on:** 06 September, 2021, 07:21:12 pm »

I am.

Also, Waitrose has stopped doing mild cheddar slices (they start number 3, which is proper medium, whereas I'm a fan of number 1 strength).

I can and do occasionally eat mature cheddar, it's not the funky cheese I avoid, but on a sandwich, I'm a fan of the mild.

MattH · « **Reply #32 on:** 06 September, 2021, 07:35:00 pm »

Whilst I'm an omnivore, mostly I eat veggie as MrsH has been vegetarian for several decades and it's easier to just cook one meal.

The plant based thing we both think is horrible is the burgers that "bleed". MrsH simply can't eat them, because they are too close to meat looking. Which means that nowadays she is wary of vegetarian burgers in new places in case she gets one of them, and more than once I've had to sample her food to determine if it is dead or veggie.

Agree on the cheese and milk though - we've yet to find a convincing (or drinkable) substitute. Coconut based yoghurt is good though.

mrcharly-YHT · « **Reply #33 on:** 08 September, 2021, 01:58:59 pm »

I too dislike the 'meat substitute' burgers etc. If I wanted something that looked, tasted and had the texture of meat (particularly beef), I'd eat meat.

I'm a vegetarian (well, pescatarian) because I really don't like the texture and taste of meat, particularly red meat.

Back 15, 20 years ago, 'bean burgers' were a thing. They had whole beans in them, were tasty, and the taste and texture was absolutely nothing like meat. Haven't see a decent bean burger in a very long time.

I think I'm going to have to work on the perfect bean burger recipe. Maybe something curry-flavoured. Imagine a slab of solid dhal, fried until it is crispy on the outside.

[edit], ooh someone has done it: https://keeprecipes.com/recipe/howtocook/chana-dhal-masala-vadai-deep-fried-lentil-snack
I wasn't hungry, but I am now.

ian · « **Reply #34 on:** 08 September, 2021, 02:23:50 pm »

I don't really mind the pretend meaty burgers – I like a good burger, but I'd generally prefer not to eat an actual cow.

That said, I do like the old-school veggie bean burgers, and indeed, they do seem rare on the ground these days unless you make their own. Basically magimix some beans, a bit of onion, garlic, and spices, add enough breadcrumbs to soak up the moisture (this tends to be the main problem, some beans are a bit watery). You can add some egg as a binder and some people recommend giving the beans a brief turn in the oven to dry them a little, but I've found it OK to just use breadcrumbs and not over or under-blend so they remain together in the pan.

grams · « **Reply #35 on:** 08 September, 2021, 02:42:06 pm »

I bloody hate those things, assuming you mean the odd bits of mystery mashed vegetable and potato you get in cafes and chip shops and occasionally more upmarket places. Burgers are supposed to have something protein-adjacent in the middle.

(with a special exception for a chip butty, obviously)

ian · « **Reply #36 on:** 08 September, 2021, 02:52:34 pm »

No, these should be proper beany, the random mushes of vegetables and potato aren't as good, they're often bland.

citoyen · « **Reply #37 on:** 08 September, 2021, 03:10:08 pm »

I love the black bean burger from Fire Smoke Green - proper hipster cookbook, but great in spite of that. The recipe uses oats to bind, rather than breadcrumbs. And has oyster mushrooms in it, which does give it a slightly meatier flavour.

It's vegetarian rather than vegan though (topped with a fried egg - but you could just leave that out)

There's also courgette and mung bean burger and harissa-marinated aubergine burger, but I haven't tried those yet.

The book also has a recipe for a cocktail made with charcoal-roasted celeriac and mezcal.

Efrogwr · « **Reply #38 on:** 08 September, 2021, 07:32:19 pm »

The other night, the other Es had halloumi burgers; a lump of fried cheese in a bun with the usual hamburger extras. They enjoyed them.
I'm intrigued by the concept of a portobello mushroom in a bun..
There was a recipe for onion bhajee burgers in the Guardian. Interesting, but why bother with the.bun?

ian · « **Reply #39 on:** 08 September, 2021, 07:48:53 pm »

I don't mind halloumi burgers, it's a cheese sandwich, but it has to be carefully vetted to be goat free. M&S sell a pur-ewe-ly sheep-only version that I like to slice up, grill, and slap between some flatbread with a slather of rose harissa and yoghurt, and coriander. On a good day, I might not bother with the slicing. I did glance at the packaging the other day, they claim a 'single portion' is 30g. Who eats only 30g of cheese? What's wrong with them? Are they, like, really small people?

I never got a mushroom in a bun. What is that? What is it for? Why? So many questions. You shouldn't eat food made out of questions.

rr · « **Reply #40 on:** 08 September, 2021, 08:35:44 pm »

Quote from: mrcharly-YHT on 08 September, 2021, 01:58:59 pm

I too dislike the 'meat substitute' burgers etc. If I wanted something that looked, tasted and had the texture of meat (particularly beef), I'd eat meat.

I'm a vegetarian (well, pescatarian) because I really don't like the texture and taste of meat, particularly red meat.

Back 15, 20 years ago, 'bean burgers' were a thing. They had whole beans in them, were tasty, and the taste and texture was absolutely nothing like meat. Haven't see a decent bean burger in a very long time.

I think I'm going to have to work on the perfect bean burger recipe. Maybe something curry-flavoured. Imagine a slab of solid dhal, fried until it is crispy on the outside.

[edit], ooh someone has done it: https://keeprecipes.com/recipe/howtocook/chana-dhal-masala-vadai-deep-fried-lentil-snack
I wasn't hungry, but I am now.

Aldi do a good spicy bean burger.

Sent from my motorola edge 20 using Tapatalk

MattH · « **Reply #41 on:** 08 September, 2021, 09:50:14 pm »

Mushrooms in a bun are actually surprisingly nice, depending on what is stuffed inside them.

Sadly that rarely tends to be bacon and cheese.

ian · « **Reply #42 on:** 08 September, 2021, 09:51:54 pm »

Mushroom are just awkward vegetables.

Don't eat them, they're potentially evil. The trees in Hell are all mushrooms. Fact.

citoyen · « **Reply #43 on:** 09 September, 2021, 09:51:51 am »

My late mother-in-law refused to eat mushrooms because they smell of death.

ian · « **Reply #44 on:** 09 September, 2021, 09:56:10 am »

They're peculiar things, weirdly I can eat them raw, but cooked, I'm generally a no as they have a curiously unpleasant texture. It's not absolute though, like goat cheese, which – if I ate – would cause me to explode spectacularly. It's more of a bleugh than a bang.

They're also not vegetables, fungi are considerably more closely related to the animal kingdom than plants. The average mushroom is also smarter than anyone on the front bench of the current Cabinet.

citoyen · « **Reply #45 on:** 09 September, 2021, 10:21:05 am »

Texture depends to a large extent on how you cook them. Also what mushrooms you use. The ubiquitous insipid supermarket white mushroom is often disappointing. They're not really representative of mushrooms on the whole.

I found a load of what I'm fairly sure were chanterelles in the woods the other day, but I wasn't confident enough of my identification to pick them. Plus it looked like some other creature had already been at them before me.

mrcharly-YHT · « **Reply #46 on:** 09 September, 2021, 10:34:05 am »

Quote from: ian on 08 September, 2021, 07:48:53 pm

I don't mind halloumi burgers, it's a cheese sandwich, but it has to be carefully vetted to be goat free. M&S sell a pur-ewe-ly sheep-only version that I like to slice up, grill, and slap between some flatbread with a slather of rose harissa and yoghurt, and coriander. On a good day, I might not bother with the slicing. I did glance at the packaging the other day, they claim a 'single portion' is 30g. Who eats only 30g of cheese? What's wrong with them? Are they, like, really small people?

I never got a mushroom in a bun. What is that? What is it for? Why? So many questions. You shouldn't eat food made out of questions.

Isn't a 'portion' what you can fit on your fork?