The Week UK 01Feb2020

37

Food & Drink

LEISURE

Three vegan porridge recipes

Sugo Pasta70 Mitchell Street,

Glasgow(sugopasta.co.uk)

This200-seatpasta joint hasonly

justopened,andisalready “Glasgow’s

mostoversubscribed restaurant”, says

MarinaO’Loughlin inTheSunday

Times.Itisfrom the teambehind

Paesano,apizzeria that was also a

“smashhit”. It’snosecretthat pasta

–likepizza–isa“banker”for

restaurateurs, but Sugo has entirely

resistedthetemptation to cut corners.

Fromits glorious setting in the old

Glasgow Herald building, to thecareful

pairing ofpastas and sauces,everything

has been meticulously thoughtthrough.

The shortmenu is splitupbyregion:

there’sagnolotti stuffedwith veal

andcavolonero(anodto Emilia-

Romagna),andtaglioliniwithgreen

beans,pestoand–in“atypically

Ligurian touch”–potato.One of

my diningcompanions declares his

pappardelle with slow-cookedbeef ragu

(Tuscany) “thebestpastahe’seatenin

arestaurant,ever”.That they cando all

thisandstill producea“gentle”billat

the end is “littleshortofremarkable”.

Dinner forthree,includingdrinks,£69.

Bistro Forty Six 46 Brentwood

Avenue, Newcastle (0191-28 18 081)

Fromthe outside, this restaurantin the

trendy Newcastle neighbourhoodof

Jesmond looksasthoughit’s goingto

be“knockingout beetroot andgoat’s

cheese salads”, saysJayRaynerin

The Observer. Butit turns out that its

speciality isgame, much of itpersonally

shot by chefMax Gott in the hills of

Northumberland. We start with

“pheasantbonbons”: seasoned balls

of“mincedloveliness”servedwith

burntleeks andfinely shredded puffball.

That“Gotthasaway with pheasant”

is equally clearfromanotherstarter,

pheasantscotchegg,its yolk“atthat

perfect place betweensetandrunning”.

The stand-out mainis“deeprosy

slices” of venisonservedwith

impeccablemash.Todrink,weare

servedcloudy cider, made from “apples

scrumpedfromthestreetsofJesmond”.

Butmoreimportant thanthe “field

tofork thing”is the “completely

delightful” mood. Runbyateam

ofenthusiasts,BistroForty Sixisa

“small restaurant with heart”.Starters

£6.95-£8.95; mains£15.95-£24.95.

What the experts recommend

Although“Englishwhiteshavebeen

uptherewiththebest”forsome

time,ourreds–generallymadefrom

pinotnoir–havetendedtobe

“thin,weedy,acidicaffairs”,

saysJaneMacQuittyinThe

Times.In2018,however,a

combinationofidealweather

conditions and “better equipment,

knowledge and finance” resulted

in the “vintage of the century”.

Don’t expect English pinot to taste like

Burgundy or New World editions; it has a

“light, floral, fruity quality–partcranberry,

part raspberry–ofi ts own”.See whatImean

with the “red cherry-spiked”2018 Bolney

Estate Pinot Noir(£16.99; Waitrose). Also

bursting with “ripe yet tangy red fruit” is the

same winemaker’sDark Harvestfrom the

previous year (£11.49; Waitrose)–made this

time primarily from rondo.

Worcestershire’s2017 SixteenRidges Pinot

Noir Early(£19 .50 ;Hawkins Bros), produced

from an early ripening clone, is tangy and

smoky. And when judiciously oaked, English

reds acquirea“classy dimension”–aswith

Sha rpham Estates’s soft, velvety2018 Pinot

Noir(£19.95; Noel Young).

Englishpinot noir

Takenfrom7DayVeganChallengebyBettinaCampolucciBordi,publishedbyHardieGrantat£15.

TobuyfromTheWeekBookshopfor£12.99,call020-3176 3835 orvisittheweekbookshop.co.uk.

Mostly apples

and oat

porridge

Makes2portions

2dessert apples

½tsp coconut oil

½tsp ground cinnamon

½tsp ground cardamom

1pinch of ground cloves 125g oats (or

quinoa, rice, millet or buckwheat flakes)

500ml oat milk or other plant milk nut

butter, plant milk, jam or plant yoghurt, to

serve boosters:hemp hearts chopped nuts

• Grat ethe apples, including the core and
  peel, and set aside. Gently heat up the
  coconut oil inasmall pan, then add the
  spices and give themastir. Addthe oats
  and plant milk and bring toasimmer for
  5minutes untilthickened and the oats are
  soft, stirring occasionally.


• Take the pan off the heat and ladle in the
  grated apple. Enjoy with milk andadollop
  of nut butter, jam or plant yoghurt.

Banoffee oats

Makes2portions 2bananas ½tsp coconut

oil1tspvanilla paste 2medjool dates,

pitted and torn 125g oats (or quinoa,

rice, millet or buckwheat flakes) 500ml oat

milk or other plant milk apinch of salt

coconutyoghurt, to serve boosters:grated

dark dairy-free chocolate (with at least 70%

cocoa solids) cacao nibs hemp hearts

chopped nuts

• Peel and mash the bananas and set
  aside. Gently heat up the coconut oil in a
  small pan, add the vanilla paste, then stir
  in the dates. Add the oats, plant milk and

salt and bring toasimmer for5minutes

unti lthickened and the oats are soft,

stirring occasionally.

• Take the pan off the heat and ladle in the
  mashed bananas. Enjoy withadollop of
  coconut yoghurt.

Spicy carrot oats

Makes2portions ½tsp coconut oil ½tsp

ground cinnamon 125g oats (or quinoa, rice,

millet or buckwheat flakes) 500ml oat milk

or other plant milk 2carrots, grated 1tbsp

currants nut butter, or chopped nuts or seeds,

to serve (optional) boosters:hemp hearts

cacao nibs

• Gently heat the coconut oil inasmall
  saucepan,thenadd the cinnamon and give
  it astir. Ad dthe oats and plant milk and
  bring toasimmerfor 5minutesuntil
  thickened and the oats are soft,
  stirring occasionally.


• Take the pan off the
  heat and ladle in both
  the carrots and the
  currants. Enjoy with a
  dollop of nut butter,
  or ahandful of
  chopped
  nuts or
  seeds.

1February2 02 0THEWEEK

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LARE WINFIELD

Porridge makes foraperfect breakfast–quick, healthy and 100% satisfying, says Bettina Campolucci Bordi. These

dishes can all be topped with “boosters” (see options below) and can be made the evening before if you prefer.