5 Minute Food Fix Yumi Stynes

This episode is a game-changer for the time-poor home cook.
You've got some zucchini, broccoli stems, a few withered cherry tomatoes and an eggplant looking more wizened than Gandalf?
Use them up in this amazing way to reduce waste and have food ready to go for when you need a pasta sauce, a soup base, or something to layer in a lasagna.

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Avocados being as cheap as they are right now (May 2024) feels like a TREAT.
So what can we do with them and how do we get our kids to eat them?
Yumi has a couple of ways to get them into your body! And your kids!
And Simon knows about what the different varieties mean and how much a local cafe can charge for Smashed Avo these days.
JAPANESE ABSORPTION METHOD RICE
You need a relatively small, good quality saucepan with a lid that fits. You also need kitchen scales.
Weigh out your rice.
Rinse rice in cold water twice.
Allow the rice to sit for at least half an hour, no more than 16 hours.
Cook on your smallest stove element, on HIGH for 7 minutes. Turn the heat to the stove's lowest settings for another 7 minutes, then switch off the heat and allow the rice to steam. (Don't remove the lid.)
Some portion options...
I use this quantity most often. It's enough for a modest portion for 3-4 people.
240g rice + 360g water = 600g total weight (not counting the saucepan)
Single serve?
150g rice + 220g water = 370g
Bigger family?
300g rice + 440g water = 740g

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Today we're taking a break from the old routine. I've got a recommendation for you that is NOT food related.
Check out the podcast "Can We Be Real?" hosted by two of my friends - Meshel Laurie and Simon Baggs. We've known each other for years, I love them both dearly, but more important than that, they're fantastic broadcasters.
Can We Be Real is a weekly show that delivers laughs. If you like it, it's available on all major podcast platforms.
I highly recommend it. XX

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From bolognese on toast for one, to a GLORIOUS tuna and tomato on toast for 2 - 4, today's episode is a chance to shed shame around picking the easy route to dinner. Toast is FINE. Toast is GOOD. And if you want to elevate your dinner toast? Listen up.
5 good tomatoes
1 medium tin of tuna in springwater
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
1/4 - 1/2 tsp dried oregano
fresh basil
4 slices of excellent sourdough

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A share plate of steak is a great way to centre this nourishing ingredient while keeping it light - and dare I say - digestible?
Based on a recipe by the wonderful Sabrina Gahyour, this is a beautiful platter that gets one steak in front of the whole family!
Using a dressing of 200ml pomegranate molasses, 75ml balsamic vinegar, 1tbs olive oil and 2tsp Dijon mustard.
Cook the steak (whichever you like, eg., sirloin) hot and fast for rare. Allow it to rest for 5 minutes before slicing finely. Serve the slices circling a nest of rocket leaves, drizzle with the dressing and top with a gorgeous tousle of pomegranate seeds.

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I love VEG FRITTERS but the frying process is a drag.
Bee Wilson is an English food writer and author of the column Table Talk. Her cookbook THE SECRET OF COOKING is genuinely wonderful and from it Simon and I have both drawn huge amounts of inspiration.
400g potatoes, grated
500g zucchini, grated
1 small onion, finely diced
1/2 clove garlic, finely grated
salt, pepper and a soft herb like mint, chopped
3 eggs
75g self-raising flour (gluten-free = ok)
Sprinkle the potato-zucchini mixture with a teaspoon of salt, toss then leave in a sieve while you prepare everything else.
Turn the oven on to 180C.
Add about 4 tbs of olive oil to each roasting pan and put in oven to heat.
Combine all the other ingredients. Squeeze, wring and throttle the grated vegetable to get out as much liquid as possible. Mix it in with everything else, then portion out to fritter size portions (like a crumpet but thinner) into the hot oil, which should sizzle.
Cook for 10 mins per side, check for doneness.


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