Add a personalised message with our notecard. Put pen to paper, the MIRROR WATER way.
This month's favourites from the MIRROR WATER team. PASTA FOR ONE The charm of this recipe is that the pasta and its sauce cook together in the same pan. It takes about 15 minutes. It’s creamy and savoury and you can change it up based on your own preferences, or to make use of any herbs and cheese you have on hand. (Good combinations: thyme and cheddar, oregano and mozzarella) Ingredients: One teaspoon of butter One or two garlic cloves, thinly sliced 250ml vegetable stock 75ml milk (dairy or nut-based) Small, short pasta shape… we recommend orecchiette, orzo, or mini versions of other shapes (e.g. tiny shells). They need to be smaller than regular penne so that the pasta cooks at the right place alongside the sauce. 60g (dried) One tbsp chopped fresh herbs, thyme, sage, marjoram, basil, or oregano. Fresh is best. Remove stalks if needed Three heaped tbsp cheese, think cheddar, mozzarella, nutritional yeast, or any other melty cheeses Freshly cracked black pepper and salt Method: Warm the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat while you slice the garlic. Add the garlic and cook until it is fragrant and takes on some colour. Stir in the pasta, stock, milk, and herbs. Brick to a boil, then turn down to low-medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. You’ll notice that the pasta will become plump and the liquid will look less like watery stock and more like a silky sauce. Stir rapidly if it needs to thicken. Stir in the cheese and add the salt and pepper (lots of cracked black pepper if you like it). Once the cheese has melted, taste the mix to see if you need any other seasoning. You could add more herbs and/or salt and pepper. Pour into a bowl, and eat with a spoon. BROWNIES Handwritten recipes are special because they are a tangible repository of domestic life, inscribed with memories (and often with fingerprints or splashes of mixture). Simply put, they represent an act of care, but on a wider scale, recipe cards have a gendered history – largely passed down from woman to woman, often one of a small number of relics of a life. To hold a recipe in your hands is to know that this cake, curry, or bolognese meant something to someone. We will always treasure our recipe cards – should we bring them back and write our own too? Ingredients: Half a cup butter Two eggs One cup flour Half cup chopped nuts One cup brown sugar Half teaspoon baking powder Two squares chocolate Half teaspoon vanilla extract Half teaspoon salt Method: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter, add sugar, then beaten eggs, melted chocolate. Add sifted dry ingredients and vanilla extract. Pour into greased tins, and bake for 20 to 30 minutes. Leave to cool. GOLDEN MILK Golden milk, or haldi doodh is a turmeric-based milk drink. Conceived of as a tasty conduit for the health benefits of turmeric, golden milk is regarded as a natural remedy for restlessness. Makes one mug of golden milk – double or triple recipe to share with friends. Ingredients: A mug of your favourite nut milk (combining two is even better) Half teaspoon of ground turmeric Quarter teaspoon of ground cinnamon Tiny pinch of ground black pepper Two teaspoons or to taste maple syrup, agave syrup, or honey One teaspoon coconut oil Method: Add all of the ingredients to a small saucepan set to medium heat. Whisk to combine and heat the mixture until warm (don’t boil it!), whisking occasionally. Optional: if you have a handheld milk frother, you can use that in the pan for 30 seconds or so once the milk is warm. Remove from the heat and test the taste. Whisk in more turmeric, cinnamon, pepper, or sweetener depending on what you think is needed. STUFFED DATES A sweet and savoury (and portable) snack, ideal to boost energy mid-walk. We’ve all been inundated – see what we did there? – with chocolate and peanut butter dates on Instagram, so let’s see what other flavours work well. Ingredients: Dates. We prefer medjool because they tend to be large (more room for fillings!) and soft Savoury (and sweet): Little cubes of pan-fried halloumi and half teaspoon of tahini Small slice of brie and one walnut Slice of cheddar, a sundried tomato, and a dab of hot sauce Sweet (dessert after the savoury option): Nutella and one almond, tiny pinch of salt Two blueberries, half teaspoon of honey, sprinkle of sesame seeds Cream cheese and honey (half teaspoon each) Method: Slice the date across the top, and discard the stone. Fill the hollow space with at least two different flavours, and enjoy.
