Saturday’s art auction in Leith gallery AXO is the latest step in The Forrest artists’ collective’s energetic campaign to raise £50,000 by the end of May. ‘Ambitious,’ says the Save the Forrest website, ‘but definitely achievable’.
Continue reading “Art for art’s sake: Forrest fundraising auction”‘You have to be so cautious. I have boys and they are 12, sometimes they will say something, like, about a bomber jacket and I say ‘don’t call it that’ and they are like ‘but mum it’s called a bomber jacket’ and I’m like ‘call it something else’
It might almost be funny if it wasn’t so sad. Of all the findings in a new Scottish Government report that image of the bomber jacket sticks in the mind. With one poignantly simple description a young mother gives a vivid glimpse of what it is like to be a Scottish Muslim in an age of fear and suspicion.
Continue reading “Just don’t call it a bomber jacket”So, is Leith ready for the Big Society? Even as we speak, the very active Leith community theatre group, ACTive Inquiry, is working with local people to explore how communities can improve life in their neighbourhood. Then they aim to turn drama into real life.
Continue reading “Power to the People – an Action Plan for Leith”
A beautiful green spinach cake was a hot (literally) favourite at the World Kitchen brunch. Here Meena Bhana shares her recipe for the spicy savoury cake but first she takes us to the bustling streets of Indian cities with her menu for the World Kitchen brunch.
I put together a menu of Gujerati dishes for the brunch and then I spent hours in the kitchen experimenting. We decided to offer Falooda – a spectacular mix of milk, vermicelli and flavourings topped with ice cream – as a complimentary drink for guests arriving at Out of the Blue. With at least 80 bookings, how much milk would that take?
THE MENU
Chickpea and Potato Chaat – chaat is a dish that takes you right back to the streets of India. Chaat tastes hot, sweet, tangy and crunchy. It contains, potatoes, channa, chaat masala, onions, chillie powder, coriander, puffed rice and tamarind chutney.
Spinach cake is a savoury baked cake to get the taste buds tingling whilst sipping a cup of masala tea. It is made with methi (fenugreek leaves), semolina, maize flour and corn.
Dokhrais a savoury steamed cake that can be eaten at any time of the day. It is made with yoghurt, semolina, green chillies and ginger and is topped with mustard seeds, sesame seeds, curry leaves and coriander. Served with green coconut chutney, dokhra is a perfect accompaniment to a cup of masala tea.
Dokhra topped with seeds and spices
Falooda is a culinary spectacle, a rose infused drink that consists of not only an array of beautiful colours but also numerous flavours and textures owing to the variety of ingredients that go into its making. A gastronomic delight thought to be introduced to the lands of India by the Parsi’s.
(And how much milk? In the end we decided on 10 litres, there was quite a lot left over but Out of the Blue Drill Hall Arts Cafe was able to use it up.)
RECIPE FOR SPINACH CAKE
Note: Methi is another word for fenugreek. You will get it at one of the Asian stores in Leith walk. It has small leaves on a stem but if you are not sure, the store owner will definitely know what it is. It has a slightly bitter taste but works well in this cake.
Liquidise the following ingredients: 2 bunches methi, 1 cup oil, 1 onion, 1 cup milk, 2 tablespoons green chillies finely chopped, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt
Sift together: 1 cup semolina, 1 cup gram flour, 1 cup plain flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder
Small tin of corn
Add liquidised mixture to the above dry ingredients. Add drained corn and mix thoroughly. Pour into greased pan and bake at 180 degrees for 30min.
What to eat? Bea and Parvez help guests make the difficult choice.
“Knowing what to make is not to same as knowing how to make it.” In a story full of Spanish colour, Ellie Casson explains why she chose to make Spanish empanadillas for the World Kitchen brunch – and how.
When my family first moved to Spain, we discovered in a nearby village an outstanding family bakery. It was situated on the square and had a little terrace outside where you could sit with a coffee from the bar (and a little brandy if you were feeling particularly Spanish that morning) and eat pastries or cakes you had just bought at the counter inside.
Continue reading “Found in translation: Spanish empanadillas”
thanks to Ellie Casson for the delicious chorizo stew…and for the picture too
Where to start? That was a problem facing our guests at the World Kitchen multicultural brunch which we organised with Multi-Cultural Family Base in Out of the Blue a week ago. We were spoiled for choice with the range of dishes cooked up by the team plus extra treats provided by our friends at Punjabn De Rasoi and Kleofas cafe. Now we’ve got the task of selecting some recipes for publication so you can try them out at home. Coming up soon…
Continue reading “World Kitchen brunch: a success”Our World Kitchen brunch was a great success (and more about that later). Food is a fantastic way of bringing people together but food is also an essential part of life. For the Women’s Federation for World Peace their new World Recipe Book is now a way to raise money for Japan.
Continue reading “Dedicated to Japan”
Rise and shine: marmalade cake is on the brunch menu too
Yesterday we had one of those isn’t-it-exciting-help-don’t-panic meetings. We’ve gone from worrying no-one will come to finding we are now fully booked. So all we have to do now is make sure we cook enough food to feed a big and enthusiastic crowd of all ages coming to the World Kitchen in Leith multicultural family brunch on Sunday.
Continue reading “The big World Kitchen brunch”
First signs of spring have been showing for a few weeks now: snowdrops in bloom, frogs in the pond but the real clincher is the email from Redbraes Community Garden. As Julian Siann puts it, the committee have been sharpening their spades for the growing season.
Continue reading “Real green shoots at Redbraes”What will changes to the welfare system mean for you? Here’s an invitation to a conference on Monday 14 March which aims to raise awareness of the impact of radical changes to the benefit system. Although the event is of particular importance to disabled people, anyone interested in this highly topical subject is welcome – as long as there is enough room in the conference centre at Norton Park. George Lamb, Leith Open Space member, explains:
