5 Minute Food Fix

Not gonna lie, Yumi still sounds sick on this episode and mercifully Simon runs the show to talk through the uses of nut butter, in particular peanut butter!PEANUT NOODLE SALAD YOU'LL MAKE WEEKLY:Dressing140g peanut butterjuice of 2 limes1/4 cup soy sauce2 tbs sesame oil2 tbs maple syrup1/4 cup water2 tsp grated ginger2 finely grated garlic clovesNOODLES:200g Udon noodles, cooked in boiling water according to the packet instructions then rinsed in cold water.1/4 cup of dressing3-4 finely sliced Lebanese cucumbers4 sliced spring onions1 cup of coriander leavesoptional: 1/2 cup peanutsMETHOD:Toss, taste and if necessary, add more dressing.Eat immediately and love it sick! Leftover dressing will last long enough for you to make this again,*Yumi recommends this with chopped red chilli.This recipe can be found in our cookbook - The Food FixAnd email us any time! foodfixemail@gmail.com

We just did an episode about capers and I was fired up to talk about Smoked Salmon Bagels, given that they're a classic and I have eaten PLENTY.So what are some of the elements of the perfect Smoked Salmon Bagel?As usual, Simon knows a gobsmacking amount about a niche food (Caperberries and boiled bagels, in this case), and we leave you with a completed episode and a rumbling tummy. Is that you immediately heading out for supplies for tonight's dinner?

Today, Yumi is still sore of throat and there's an alarming revelation about the waste of money that is cough medicine!But Simon has energy around the delicious ingredient - CAPERS.What the heck are capers?They're actually the unripened berried from a prickly caper bush and food-wise, they're probably best-known as the thing you find atop of a smoked salmon bagel.On today's episode, Simon talks us through what they're commonly used for, how to maximise their punch in your day-to-day cooking, and then a brilliant recipe from his favourite cookbook (so far) of 2024, Anna Jones - EASY WINS.Cauliflower Caponata:Heat your oven up to 220C.Break up 1 cauliflower into big florets directly onto a big oven tray.Cut up 3 onions into wedges and chop up 3 sticks of celery, add them to the tray then toss through 1tbs olive oil, 2tbs white wine vinegar, salt and pepper.Cook for 25 mins until charred and softened.Remove from oven. Turn the oven down to 200C.Add in 2 tins of plum tomatoes, 100g of good quality pitted olives, 3tbs of a star ingredient CAPERS, and 50g of raisins. Mix them all together, mashing the veg a little with a fork as you do.Back in the oven for another 40 minutes.Take out the tray and while it's cooling add another tablespoon of vinegar and some chopped parsley.Serve immediately while still warm or jar it up to last at least a week, finishing with olive oil.

As we near our 300th episode, Simon and I review our reasons for doing a food podcast. Is it because we love the sound of our own voices? Not so much! (Maybe!)It's because even the BEST cooks struggle to feed their families every day, especially when running households, multiple jobs, parenting, and all the other things we're doing just surviving.So one thing you can do is prepare a few things when you DO have time - like a daal that can be frozen, sweet potato croutons that can be used on a soup one day and then to plump out a salad the next. Find out more by subscribing to your favourite food podcast! DAILY DAALCube a couple of sweet potatoes, toss in 2-3 tbs of oil, shake over some salt, pepper and cumin seeds, then roast until soft, about 20mins at 180C,MEANWHILE... fry up some onion in a deep, wide saucepan or frying pan. Add in 2 cloves of garlic and a hearty knob of ginger, and fry out. Add in half a packet of Herbie's Daal Spice Mix and cook to release the aromas. When ready, add in a tin of tomatoes, the same tin again but filled with water, a tin of coconut milk or cream, and crumble in a stock cube. Allow to cook for 20 mins, stirring, then check for doneness. At cooked, add in a squeeze of lemon. Freeze what you don't need for later. To serve: Add another squeeze of lemon. Top with a dollop of Greek yoghurt, some fresh coriander leaves and those delicious sweet potato croutons.

The science does NOT back turmeric as anything other than a brightly coloured tuber... but having it with ginger in SHOT form can certainly enliven the feeling in the back of your throat, make you feel like you're at least TRYING to feel better - and it's kind of delicious! It certainly worked for Simon - who reports that this is a MASSIVE retail fad back in the UK - and after recording Yumi also gave it a go. Didn't cure her hayfever, but it was YUMMY, used up some ginger and turmeric and was a bit of a morning heart-starter!In a high-speed blender combine:400ml fresh apple juice60g loosely chopped ginger20g turmeric (powdered or fresh)juice of 1/2 a lemonspoon of black pepper (optional!)BLEND FOR A REALLY LONG TIME. Then strain the mixture through a Chux in a sieve or through a good, old-fashioned tea-strainer. Serve cold in 50ml shots.

It's true that we "eat with our eyes". Most cooks consider the appeal of contrasting (and bright) colours when putting together a meal.Simon gets deep today, asking, "Is there a place for grey food?"Yes, if you count oysters as a grey food!What else? Listen here...Tomato Tonnato recipeArrange 5-6 big chunky vine tomatoes (about 900g), sliced on a gorgeous platter.In a blender5 tbs olive oil85g tin of tuna in oil2 anchovy fillets2tsp drained capers1/4 cup of mayonnaisejuice of 1/2 a lemon1 garlic clovea few basil leavesWhizz until creamy. Adjust the seasoning to taste. Spoon the sauce over the tomatoes. Sprinkle with sea salt, black pepper and more basil leaves. Serve with crunchy bread.

We can't nail every meal!Especially when we're cooking in someone else's kitchen!On today's episode, Yumi and Simon both get pod therapy about their most recent disasters, and Simon does a do-over on a delicious Baba Ganoush.DO-OVER BABA GANOUSH2-3 eggplants, pricked with a skewer or fork (if you don't want to live dangerously)Cook the eggplants WELL on the BBQ. Like, REALLY WELL, so they're blackened and blistered and completely yield.Allow them to cool and sweat a bit on a plate, then rub off the skin, cut off the heads, and with the remaining soft cooked flesh, chop in up on a big board with a big knife.In a big bowl, season with salt (but not too much), a good glug of olive oil, the juice of at least 1 lemon, and some spoons of tahini. Greek yoggut *could* be deployed here but is optional. Serve with crusty bread or on the side with lamb. Yum.

All green, raw food does not have to flee from your kitchen just because it's cold.Yes, the weather definitely affects what you feel like eating but salad can still comfort and nurture you even when you're putting an electric blanket on the couch. (Try this! It's excellent!)On today's episode Yumi revisits one of the GOAT salads. The classic. Rocket, Pear and Walnut. It appears in her cookbook Endless Summer. But she's giving it a rejig to make it more weather-appropriate. THE SALAD240g rocket leaves2 firm pears, sliced into chips3/4 cup of walnuts, refreshed by being toasted under the grill for 2-3 minutesbetween 1/2 cup - 3/4 cup grated Grana Padano or Parmesan CheeseTHE DRESSING (enough for 3 salads, so only use a third of this!)40ml White Balsamic Vinegar80ml of your best olive oil1tsp honey3/4tsp salt2tbs tahini