Another breadcrumb Recipe (from Priyanka Naik's The Modern Tiffin)

When you have old bread, make bread crumbs!
Then make this recipe:

Priyanka Naik’s Tadka Mac ‘ n’ Cheese with Cajun Bread Crumbs

Actually, Priyanka Naik’s The Modern Tiffin is full of vegan deliciousness, but her twist on this classic dish has to be tried, so….
Our suggestion? …Try this recipe now, then get the book for more ideas!

Tadka Mac’n’cheese (dairy version); photo and food styling by Catherene Wilson Photography @catherenewilson

MAC ‘N’ CHEESE
8 ounces elbow macaroni (cook per instructions)
salt
1 Tbsp neutral oil
0.25 tsp cumin seeds, or 0.5 tsp cumin powder
3 curry leaves (optional)
2 Indian green chilies, minced (NB can be substituted for green arbol chili peppers or serrano chili peppers )
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 hefty tsp turmeric powder
2 Tbsp vegan butter, plus more for the pan
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened full-fat plain oat milk
0.25 cup plain nondairy cream cheese
1 cup shredded vegan cheddar
0.25 cup shredded vegan mozzarella
0.25 cup shredded vegan pepper jack
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp coarsely chopped fresh cilantro (stems and all)

(You know what to do if you aren’t vegan)

CAJUN BREAD CRUMB TOPPING
0.5 cup plain unsalted bread crumbs (Priyanka Naik uses panko)
0.25 tsp Kasmiri red chili powder
0.5 tsp paprika
0.25 tsp garlic powder
0.25 tsp dried oregano
pinch of dried thyme
hefty pinch of salt
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp olive oil

MAKE THE MAC ‘N’ CHEESE; In a large heavy-bottom pan, pour in the neutral oil and set over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and allow them to sizzle and pop for 30 seconds. Add the curry leaves (these pop aggressively). Once the popping subsides, lower the heat to medium and add the chilies, onion and garlic. Saute for about 2 minutes, until the onion looks translucent and starts to sweat. Add the turmeric and toss to coat. Lower the heat to medium-low.

Tadka mac’n’cheese (the dairy version); photo and food styling by Catherene Wilson Photography @catherenewilson

Add the 2 Tbsp vegan butter and the flour and whisk together with the onion mixture to create a roux. Once the roux has a nutty aroma and is slightly golden and clumpy, pour in the oat milk and continue to whisk. After 1 to 2 minutes, after the mixture has thickened to a bechamel consistency - a good test is dipping in a steel spoon and running your finger down the back; if the sauce doesn’t bleed into the middle of your spoon, it’s ready - add the nondairy cream cheese and whisk until completely blended. Next, add the shredded vegan cheese and whisk. Notice no salt yet. Once you have a thick cheese sauce, taste and add salt as needed, along with a pinch of pepper. Switch to a spatula, add the macaroni, and toss to coat completely. Butter a medium baking dish and pour in the macaroni and cheese.

MAKE THE BREAD CRUMB TOPPING; Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl, toss together the bread crumbs with all of the seasonings and the olive oil until well coated and incorporated. Top the macaroni and cheese with the bread crumbs. Bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Broil for another 2 minutes until the bread crumbs are golden brown and the macaroni and cheese is slightly bubbling.

GARNISH AND SERVE; cool slightly and top with the cilantro and serve up to eat or into your tiffin.

(The wording is slightly tweaked, but this recipe is taken directly from Priyanka Naik The Modern Tiffin; On-the-go vegan dishes with a global flair. Tiller Press: New York 2021)

Sandwich spreads - a couple of sweet suggestions

Think outside the square when it comes to sandwiches; think open topped tartines; think Danish blanks for a base; think every kind of bread, cut every kind of way… think SWEET sandwiches, too!!! Dessert, brunch, afternoon tea… high teas… sweet sandwiches have a genuine place in your future. (Well, unless you are a savoury lover through and through - in which case, scroll down!)

• summer berries sliced into a sweet pastry cream couched in a soft white bread

• stewed rhubarb and lychees on a pastry cream base. (Pictured here topping Danish blanks and served as more of a sweet pastry option, but you define ‘sandwich’!)

• honeydew melon in a sweet matcha cream (recipe below)

• sweet black sesame paste (YUM) (recipe below)

Sweet Matcha Cream

0.5 cup (125ml) thickened cream
1.5 Tbsp caster (granulated) sugar)
1 Tbsp matcha powder
0.5 cup (125ml) double cream

Stewed rhubarb and lychee Danishes (on a base of pastry cream). Photo and food styling by Catherene Wilson @catherenewilson

1. Add thickened cream and sugar to a medium-sized bowl, then sift in matcha powder. Stir in gently so as not to over-whip. Mix until matcha and sugar are well incorporated.

2. Add double cream and whip until soft peaks form.

3. To store, place cling film directly on top of match cream and cover completely. Set aside in fridge until ready to use (up to 30 minutes).

Try it with slices of honeydew melon (seeds removed) on a soft white bread. (Honeydew and Sweet Matcha Cream recipe p84 Cult Sando)

Sweet Black Sesame Paste

1 cup (160g) black sesame seeds
2 Tbsp pure honey

1. In a medium-sized frying pan over low-medium heat, add sesame seeds, stirring continuously, and toast until aromatic.

2. While still warm, place in a high-speed food processor with the honey. Blitz until completely smooth.

3. Place in an airtight container with a layer of cling film over the surface to prevent a skin forming. Place in the fridge until ready for use. Lasts up to 1 month in the fridge if stored correctly.

Oh man - Jimmy Callaway actually turns this into a black sesame icecream sando on slices of shokupan (a sweet soft Japanese white bread), layered with red bean paste. (Black Sesame Ice Cream with Red Bean recipe p77 Cult Sando)

Recipes from Jimmy Callaway’s Cult Sando; Classic and modern recipes for the popular Japanese sandwich. Harper by Design.

Sandwich Spreads - a couple of Savoury suggestions

Sandwiches can be made in all breads and viennoiseries! (Here Danish blanks filled with Jamón, Cos lettuce, torn up Burrata, chopped parsley and a white bean dip). Photo and food styling: @catherenewilson

Think sideways; think upside down; think differently.

Sandwiches are more than just butter and marmite cut into triangles (although we should get a good photo of that OG).

The Jamón Danish Sandwiches pictured here are filled with jamón, cos lettuce, torn up Burrata, chopped parsley, roasted garlic and White Bean Dip mixed with a bit of yoghurt as the base.

You might also try:

Miso Butter

100g unsalted butter, softened
40g shiro miso paste
1 tsp sesame oil

1. Ensure butter is soft enough to whip. Add butter, shiro miso and sesame oil into a bowl, then whip until fully combined.

2. If using immediately store in a cool place (not the refrigerator because it will solidify). Lasts up to 2 days in the fridge when stored for later use.

   Go for it in a Miso Eggplant sando; prep a few miso glazed slices of eggplant, layered with toasted nori and miso butter spread on a soft white bread (Nasu Dengaku - detailed instructions p35 Cult Sando)

Toasted Nori Mayo

1 sheet nori, toasted
0.5 cup (125ml) Japanese mayo
0.5 tsp sesame oil

1. To toast nori, take one corner of a nori sheet and gently fan over a low to medium flame or charcoal embers until it becomes aromatic and crisp. Do not rush, because nori burns quite easily. (Use immediately.) Tear toasted nori into small pieces and place in a blender. Blitz on high until it resembles a find powder.

2. In a small bowl, add mayo, sesame oil and powdered nori. Whisk together until completely combined.

3. To store, place a small piece of cling film directly on top of the mayo to prevent a skin forming. store in a cool place ready for later use. lasts for up to 1 week in the fridge.

   Recommended for a Hokkaido Scallop Katsu and Green Onion Nori sandwich (A sando of individually fried scallop katsu - Panko crumbed and fried scallops nestled in aromatic fried spring onion, sesame oil and nori mayo; p52 Cult Sando).

Wasabi Cream Cheese

1.5 Tbsp good-quality wasabi
1 tsp rice vinegar
120g cream cheese, at room temperature
2 Tbsp sour cream
salt and pepper

1. Combine wasabi and rice vinegar in a small bowl.

2. In a separate bowl, gently whip together cream cheese and sour cream until soft peaks form.

3. Fold cream cheese mixture into wasabi mixture, being careful not to over-whip.

4. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Lasts up to 2 days in the fridge.

   Perfect for avocado and cucumber sandwiches.

Japanese Tartare Sauce

0.5 white onion, peeled and finely diced
0.5 cucumber, seeds removed, finely diced
2 hardboiled eggs, halved and yolks separated
0.25 cup (60ml) Japanese mayo
0.5 Tbsp rice vinegar
0.5 Tbsp tomato ketchup
Salt and pepper

1. Soak diced onion in lukewarm water for 30 minutes.

2. Finely mince the boiled egg whites and add to a bowl. Add cucumber, then gently crumble in the egg yolks.

3. Add mayo, rice vinegar and ketchup.

4. Once soaked, strain the onion. Place onto paper towels and squeeze dry. Place into the bowl with the other ingredients.

5. Mix to combine, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper

6. Set aside in an airtight container or in the fridge for later use. Lasts up to 2 days.

   Try it with a Chicken Karaage Sando (Chicken Karaage in Namban Sauce p64 Cult Sando)

Recipes from Jimmy Callaway’s Cult Sando; Classic and modern recipes for the popular Japanese sandwich. Harper by Design.

DAY 7: Breadcrumbs - some ideas

When a bread has truly staled, it is finally perfect for a dish based on breadcrumbs. Especially since flavoursome breadcrumbs are the best ingredient for meatballs, meatloaf, stuffings, coated meats and cheeses, pasta dishes, Christmas Pudding, Queen of Puddings…
Google breadcrumb recipes and USE GREAT BREAD.
NOTE: A sourdough is fully fermented so can take a good week to stale, even in Auckland’s humid climate; the richer breads like brioche and challah will stale faster. A stale bread is a stale bread, though; turn it into crumbs and enjoy!

Try Roast Chicken with Migas à Alentejana:

Heat a good splash of olive oil (20ml) in a frying pan over medium heat, add 150g chopped chorizo and 2 onions, finely chopped. Cook, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes. Add 1tsp chilli paste (recipe next) and 300g pork loin or fillet, cut into 1cm cubes. Cook for 5 minutes. Add 150g torn old bread, drizzle with 2 Tbsp tawny port and 2 Tbsp water and cook, tossing, until bread is golden. Stir in 2 hard-boiled eggs (chopped), 75g green olives (pitted and finely chopped) and 2 Tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley. Serve with roast spatchcock (or chicken), fried potatoes and green beans. Winner.

Chilli paste: process 12 cloves garlic, 8 bay leaves (centre vein cut out, torn), 1.25 Tbsp smoked sweet Spanish paprika, 2 bird’s-eye chillies (finely chopped) and 2 tsp salt in a food processor until a paste forms, then add 80ml (1/3 cup) olive oil and vinegar.

(recipe taken from the ‘Portugal’ section of Vogue’s Food From Our Travels: A collection of recipes from across the globe. p61. News Magazines PTY Ltd, Alexandria NSW 2010)

OR

Pasta with Ricotta White Sauce and Garlic Breadcrumbs 

Pasta with Ricotta White Sauce and Garlic Breadcrumbs. Photo and food styling: Catherene Wilson Photography @catherenewilson

Using “pasta of your choice with ricotta and milk, plus a topping of bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, butter, and Parmigiano” (or another hard cheese), this is a crazy fast go-to use of good breadcrumbs.
Note that the spread below is based on a Food52 recipe, with spinach replacing parsley. You do you!

OR

Here’s another suggestion: Tadka Mac ‘ n’ Cheese with Cajun Bread Crumbs (from Priyanka Naik’s The Modern Tiffin). We’ll post on that soon….

DAY 6: Croutons - some ideas...

We all love great croutons on our soups. Just the right amount of crispy flavour to complement the perfect broth gives you everything you need to flourish during soupy weather. (Is there a soup that doesn’t improve with croutons???).

But… don’t forget how amazing croutons are in salads, too. Again with the perfect crispiness, of course.

You just have to decide on hand-torn vs cubed vs sliced; sourdough vs brioche vs challah vs baguette. Every bread can be made into croutons. Old bread is easiest. Fry it in a little olive oil or ghee. Season it with salt (or dukkah or chicken stock or any other dry spice mix that appeals). Eat it straight away is best, but they keep in an airtight jar too.

Classic Panzanella Salad 

This salad is how you say It’s Summer, without saying It’s Summer.
NOTE: Every recipe that ever mentioned anchovies is a recipe that should probably say “quality” anchovies, and “(optional)”.
(Pictured below, based on a Serious Eats recipe)

Panzanella. Photo and food styling: Catherene Wilson Photography @catherenewilson

Alternatively go spicy: https://www.chefpriyanka.com/spicy-dijon-panzanella-salad-vegan/

Do it how you like!

DAY 5: Puddings or crisp breads

Maybe boarding school puddings killed it for your parents, but look again! Bread and Butter Pudding is actually delicious (and more so with quality aged bread or pastries). It’s a case of “you have to try it” (with chocolate) and then decide.

Pear and Chocolate Bread & Butter Pudding

Pear and Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding; food styling and photo by Catherene Wilson @catherenewilson

DAY 4: Bruschetta

Oh there’s just no end here… Grill the staled bread slices with a sprinkling of olive oil and a twist of good salt, then top with ANYTHING.

Snow Pea & Burrata Bruschetta  
(Here sliced radishes replace the chillies in the original BBC Good Food recipe)

Bruschetta. Photo and food styling: Catherene Wilson Photography @catherenewilson

Maybe try:

Spice roasted grapes and Brie cheese (add chicken if you want to make a meal!).
Best spice roasted grapes we found so far are in James Briscione’s Flavour Matrix.
2Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 6-8 branches fresh, 1 shallot (thinly sliced), 3 cups red or green grapes (cut in half), 1tsp fennel seeds, salt and pepper or sichuan pepper, 1tsp coriander seeds, 1/4 cup red or white wine vinegar, 3 pods cardamom, 1 dried chile (arbol or Thai) or 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes.

Preheat the oven to 220 deg C.
Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof saute pan over medium heat. When hot, add the shallots and saute for 1 minute, until just softened.
Add the fennel and coriander seeds, cardamom, chile, and thyme and cook 30 seconds more, until fragrant.
Add the grapes, season well with salt and pepper, and toss well.
Transfer the pan to the oven and roast for 5 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven and place over medium heat on the stovetop.
Add the vinegar and cook just until it is lightly reduced and syrupy.
Toss well and serve warm.
Serve with sauteed fish, on a cheese plate, or with roasted root veges… and then remember all those leftovers make for perfect bruschetta the next day!!!!

OR think about these ideas from Mindfood magazine 150 (March 2022):

• cottage cheese, oranges and blueberries

• peanut butter, quark and green apple slices

• breaded chicken strips, Chilli Mayo, & marinated onions

• Siroloin steak, coriander cream & pistachios

• Egg salad, bacon & curry onions

• Chicken breast, herb quark & cucumber

• Feta, olives & Harissa mayonnaise

• Marinaded beetroot, quark and Jerusalem artichoke (finely sliced and fried)

• Meatballs, Curry Cream & Sweetcorn Salsa (recipe from p97)
  1 onion, 1/2 bunch coriander, 1 small chilli, 1 Tbsp breadcrumbs, 1/2 Tbsp tomato puree, 300g minced beef, 100g creme fraiche, 250g cream cheese, 1 tsp curry powder, 1/3 tsp ground cumin, 1/3 tsp ground coriander, 4 iceberg lettuce leaves.
  SWEETCORN SALSA: 1 small tin of sweetcorn, 1 small onion, 1 small clove of garlic, 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp chilli flakes, 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar, 2 Tbsp sunflower oil, 4 slices sourdough, 8 stems Italian parsley.

Peel one onion. Pluck coriander leaves and chop coarsely together with the chilli. Mix thoroughly with breadcrumbs, tomato puree and minced beef. Season well with salt and pepper. Form 4 meatballs from the mixture and slightly flatten. Cover and leave to stand in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix creme fraiche and cream cheese with curry powder, cumin and coriander.
Wash the lettuce, dry and cut into thin strips.
To make the salsa, drain the sweetcorn. Peel the onion and garlic and chop very finely. Heat oil in a pan. Fry everything together over high heat for about 3 minutes. Season with chilli flakes, then stir in the vinegar. Remove the pan from the heat. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat sunflower oil in a frying pan. Saute the meatballs on medium to high heat for about 4 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Cool a little and then cut into thickish slices.
Spread the bread slices with curry cream. Top with iceberg, meatball slices, sweetcorn relish and chopped parsley. Season well and serve immediately.

French Toast (as bread starts staling!)

Grilled Banana French Toast 
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/spiced-banana-honey-french-toast 
You can use yoghurt instead of cream, like Catherene did below.

French Toast: Photo and food styling by Catherene Wilson @catherenewilson

Otherwise, try the Banana, Bacon & Blueberry French Toast recipe from (p167) Posh Sandwiches, by Rosie Reynolds.

Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat and fry bacon until perfectly crispy.
Spread 2 slices of bread with peanut butter and sandwich slices of banana in between them (make 2).
Crack 4 medium eggs into a large, shallow dish; add 100ml milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 1 tsp maple syrup. Whisk until combined.
Soak the sandwiches in the egg mixture for 5 minutes, turning them a few times.
Meanwhile, make a blueberry sauce, by heating 100g blueberries with 2 Tbsp maple syrup in a small saucepan until the berries start to pop. Allow the sauce to bubble for about 1 minute to reduce the sauce, keeping some berries intact. Set aside.
Heat a knob of butter and a little olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Once bubbling, fry the sandwiches for 2-3 minutes, then turn (add a little more butter and oil and baste as needed).
Serve it all together.

(Recipe reworded but taken from (p167) Posh Sandwiches; Over 70 recipes, from Reubens to banh mi, by Rosie Reynolds. Quadrille Publishing, London 2018)

DAY 3: Toast and Toasties - some ideas

Dusty loves to put his cheese toasties together then get them all golden and delicious by squashing them flat in the frypan. It lets the cheese go one step further in terms of perfection. TRY IT.

We also recommend Grilled Cheese Croutons and Soup (tomato soup pictured here, following the barefoot contessa’s recipe, but your call!):

Remember the classics:

Roast beef and onion toastie: slice that beef thinly if you’re serving me. Maybe try adding a little cream cheese and a pinch of garlic powder?
Tuna Cheese melt: minced red onion, tuna, mayo, whole grain mustard, finely chopped celery and parsley, salt and pepper, good bread and LOADS of cheese
Chicken and Mustard toastie: (dijon works, so does some finely diced celery, onion and herb)
Prawn toastie: (the ones with sesame seeds, obviously, but there are heaps of recipes out there)
Steak and cream cheese toastie: be sure to add mushrooms and garlic!
Apple and cheese toastie: best to grate the apple; try it with a pinch of cinnamon or a little mustard
Sausage and cheese toast: (@food_with_george skins the sausage, mashes it on, adds mustard and a good layer of cheese before grilling)

Use spreads and staple toppings any which way you like but if you have the following on hand, you’re good to go:

• pesto, chutney, hummus, guacamole, olive tapanade, chilli jam, passata, mustard, mayonnaise, horseradish sauce, black garlic, kimchi, picalilli

• every kind of cheese done every which way (try whipping feta and adding onion)

• meatballs, ham, salami, prosciutto, tinned or fresh fish, sausage, lamb kofta, left-over chicken, crispy-fried squid, crab, crayfish (just mind the food safety rules)

• capers, pickles, mixed seeds, cannelini beans, tofu, felafel, egg, even potatoes!
  …the list goes on!

A few ideas you might not have thought of:

Masala Chickpea bruschetta rounded off with a yogurt sauce (ref Priyanka Naik The Modern Tiffin)
Avocado & Spicy Peanut Chutney Toast (ref Priyanka Naik The Modern Tiffin)
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/spiced-halloumi-pineapple-burger-zingy-slaw
ricotta and fresh raspberry (you could whisk in a little sugar if this alone is not enough)
brie and honey toastie
peanut butter, chocolate & banana toasted sandwich
white chocolate and strawberry toasted sandwich (some people start adding marshmallows. Just saying)

NOTE: You can also use the air fryer to make toasties (@taste_team show you how). Modern technology, classic flavour!

A few book titles for people seeking flavour inspiration:
Darren Purchese (2017) Chefs Eat Toasties Too. Hardie Grant Books: Victoria
Priyanka Naik (2021) The Modern Tiffin; on-the-go vegan dishes with a global flair. Tiller Press: NY
Rosie Reynolds (2018) Posh Sandwiches; Over 70 recipes, from Reubens to banh mi. Quadrille Publishing: London.
Junior cooks might like:
Eliza Cross Small Bites; Skewers, sliders, and other party eats
CookNation Gourmet Posh Toasties; Simple & delicious gourmet recipes for your toastie machine, sandwich grill or panini press
CookNation Student Toasties; Toastie heaven for students on a budget

DAY 2: Sandwiches - some ideas

Roast Pork Belly Bánh Mì 

If you haven’t had bánh mì, then you have yet to discover one of life’s simple pleasures. Get a professional to make it if you can. Otherwise, do it your way with great baguettes (the first ingredient) and an online recipe. In case you’re salivating over the spread below; Catherene used Cantonese Crispy Pork Belly from Taiping and daikon instead of radish. Pâté is optional!

Banh mi. Photo and food styling by Catherene Wilson @catherenewilson

If you’re disinclined to eat meat, try tofu bánh mi (for a full recipe, refer to Priyanka Naik’s The Modern Tiffin (p111))

Roast Beef Focaccia Sandwiches 

Fill with: rare roast beef, tomatoes, radish sprouts, wasabi mayonnaise, Pickled Red Onion. Season with salt & pepper (this goes for all the other bread fillings, but one never knows whether it is a given or people need to be reminded!)

Roast Beef Focaccia Sandwiches. Photo and food styling by Catherene Wilson @catherenewilson

Roast Beef Focaccia Sandwich precut slab. Photo and food styling by Catherene Wilson @catherenewilson

Sourdough Picnic Loaf: photo and food styling by Nessie Sharpe @bakingequalslove

Or maybe try:

Spice roasted grapes and brie

Honey roasted pears, blue cheese and chopped walnuts

Pulled pork, pickles, and Swiss cheese

Roast pumpkin, chilli Halloumi, pesto and greens

And remember to change up the flavour and mouthfeel with different breads (traditional artisan breads offer a range of flavours because of how they are made (not with the same premix, dependent on ingredients, fermented etc).

Some book titles to inspire the young and experienced alike:

Rosie Reynolds Posh Sandwiches; Over 70 recipes from Reubens to banh mi
Jimmy Callaway Cult Sando; Classic and modern recipes for the popular Japanese sandwich