Tuesday tea is a tradition started by our lovely volunteer, Niels. It’s a weekly communal meal where we invite guests, volunteers, artists and visitors alike, to sit down together and enjoy some delicious dishes on a pay as you feel basis.

Niels, who is originally from the Netherlands, is often our Tuesday tea head chef but it definitely isn’t a one-man show. Over the past eight months, our volunteers and a fair few enthusiastic guests have helped to serve up some fantastic vegan dishes. All of the money raised goes back into supporting Art Hostel and East Street Arts too!

So, in no particular order, here’s our top five Tuesday teas!

5. Squash curry with the trimmings – 17th April 2018

We welcome everyone to our Tuesday tea. One 17th April, two of the East Street Arts directors, Karen and Jon, made an appearance at our table. On the menu this particular evening was a squash, black eyed bean and coconut curry with toasted naan bread, basmati rice, poppadoms and mango chutney. Jess was wearing the chef’s hat. A massive fan of cooking curries, this is one of her signature recipes. Luckily she wasn’t phased by having to serve 22 people!

Ingredients:
2 squash – cubed
2 cans black eyed beans
2 cans coconut milk
6 cloves garlic
300g diced tomatoes
2 onions
4 small green chillies
Salt
Pepper
Turmeric
Garam masala
Mustard seeds
Vegetable stock cube
Inch of ginger
Oil
Fresh coriander
Rice
Turmeric
Vegetable stock

Method:
• Heat oil in a large pan, add the mustard seeds and cook until they pop. Dice the onion, garlic, ginger and cook until soft and translucent.
• Peel and dice the squash and add to the pan along with the chillies, salt, pepper, turmeric, garam masala and a vegetable stock cube.
• Dice the tomatoes and add the pan, cook until soft and easily mushed with a spoon.
• Add the coconut milk and the black eyed beans.
• Simmer for forty minutes or until the squash is cooked and the sauce has reduced. Season to taste.
• For the rice, rinse thoroughly, boil the rice and add the veg stock and tumeric to the water.

4. Carrot and mushroom risotto – 31st October 2017

Our Halloween celebrations were superseded by our lovely volunteer Ann-Marie’s birthday. And what an autumnal feast we shared! It was the kind of chilly evening where you just needed a good plate of wholesome stodge to warm your bones. Niels definitely delivered with a medley of carrot and mushroom risotto, carbonara and autumnal veg couscous.

Ingredients:
White wine (no silly, not a sweet one) but you can use a red one too!
Vegetable stock 1,5 L
Garlic (lots of course)
Diverse range of mushrooms – exploring is a must
Carrots (wash them)
Shallots 3 or 4
Thyme
Pepper and a bit of soya sauce – I prefer soya over sault, more flavour!
Risotto rice (100 grams per person)
Olive oil

Method:
• Prepare the stock.
• Grab the oldest looking pan you have, like one of those grandma pans with a nice thick bottom and big enough for the whole family.
• Heat up some oil (two tea spoons) and before it is hot put in the garlic and shallots.
• Let it fry, don’t burn the garlic!
• Now put the risotto in and some extra olive oil to make the rice become shiny. Wait three minutes and add about a reasonable amount of wine (a glass).
• Let the risotto absorb all the wine and add then half of the stock with the mushrooms, carrots and thyme.
• Keep stirring and add some soya sauce and pepper while continuously tasting.
• When all the stock is absorbed add some more and keep doing this till the risotto rice has a nice bite!

3. Chinese rice noodles and plum puff tart – 2nd January 2018

What better way to see in the new year than with great food, great company, a session in a sauna and maybe a couple of drinks? We battled the two day hangover and thoughts of diets with some Chinese rice noodles, cooked by Niels (again) and a delicious dessert – plum puff tart – generously brought by Helen Russell Brown, to whom the Art Hostel had become a second home while she was running Arctic Bazaar. After dinner we fired up the sauna for one last cleansing session of body and soul, making us truly ready to face the new year!

Ingredients:
Garlic
Chili flakes
Red onion
Onion powder
Spring onion
Black pepper
Soy sauce
Lime
Green cabbage
Ginger
Mushrooms
Coconut milk
Broccoli

Method:
• Heat a pan with water, after it boils add the cabbage and cook 10 min. After 5-6 min add the Broccoli.
• Meanwhile, cut enough garlic and the onion. Fry them in a wok with olive oil and add some chopped ginger.
• After it starts frying add chili flakes, soy sauce, onion powder and black pepper with the mushrooms. Put the fire low and slow cook it.
• When the cabbage and broccoli are ready add it with the rest in the wok.
• Give it a good stir, add the spring onion, some more garlic and the coconut milk. Add the noodles into the wok and leave it on the fire for five minutes.
• Check if the noodles are ready and taste the delicious meal.

For the plum puff pastry
Just get some puff pastry – Jus Rol is vegan and maybe some other brands are too.

Then just melt a load of dark brown sugar with a bit of water and caramelise it for a bit then add some vegan butter, vanilla and mixed spice. Add some cooked plums and reduce for a bit then put this in the oven in a tin with puff pastry over the top and bake for like 25 mins. It can be reheated between two trays on a hob.

The custard was just soy milk with vanilla, sugar, cornflour, and star anise – pop in a pan, heat and stir.

2. Yam curry with rice – 14th November 2017

This recipe has been chosen by our lovely duty supervisor Jess, who says that this is the best meal Niels has ever made for her – an African yam, spinach and pepper curry! (Are you noticing a trend?!) For this recipe, we used two varieties of yams, sourced from the Kirkgate Markets. A small pale yam, imported from Ghana, called Eddoes was used to give the curry a great texture and a firm bite. While the second yam, a large purple variety from Uganda, gave the curry a special sweetness and added flavour. Thank you ‘Spice Corner’ for providing the goods!

Ingredients:
2 large purple yams
2 small pale yams
3 mixed peppers
2 bunches of spinach
1 400g coconut milk
2 400g canned tomatoes
5 gloves of garlic
2 medium sized onions
1 inch of ginger
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tablespoons of yellow curry paste
2 vegetable stock cubes
Salt and pepper to taste
700g basmati rice

Method:
• Heat oil in a pan.
• Dice onion, garlic and ginger, add to the pan and heat until translucent.
• Dice the yams and add them to the pan. Add curry pasta and seasonings and cover the vegetables in the paste.
• Pour in the coconut milk and cans of tomatoes.
• Add the stock cubes and salt and pepper to taste.
• Simmer for 40 minutes, or until yams are soft and have achieved desired texture.
• Thoroughly rinse the rice and put it in a large pot of water, bring it to the boil and cook until soft.

1. Jambalaya – 3rd April 2018

This day was very special to us at the hostel. Niels, our head chef, had brought his mother, Mariette, all the way from The Hauge, Netherlands! We were able to meet the woman who gave us our resident Dutch man and have a real family meal. We borrowed an amazing recipe from aramblingcook.com, for an aubergine jambalaya. We hold this day very close to us here at the hostel.

Ingredients:
1 large onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 large carrot
4 cloves of garlic
1 green chilli
2 bay leaves, 1 tbsp oregano, 1/2 tbsp marjoram, 1 sprig of thyme (leaves picked)
1 tbsp ancho chilli flakes (or whatever you have), 1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika
220g rice
1 aubergine cut into small cubes
2 handfuls of frozen peas
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
400ml veg stock
chopped spring onion & parsley or coriander to finish

Method:
• Heat a glug of oil in a massive casserole style pan then add the onion, carrot and pepper and cook for five minutes or until everything’s started to soften.
• Add the garlic, chilli, herbs and spices and cook for another few minutes, vigorously stirring everything to coat the veg with all the lovely spiciness.
• Add the rice, aubergine, tomato puree and the tinned tomatoes. Stir everything really well again, season generously and cook for a few minutes until the rice changes colour a bit. Like when you’re cooking a risotto.
• Add the stock, bring to a boil, simmer then stick a lid on and cook for 20 minutes or so stirring every five minutes or so to make sure nothing sticks to heavily to the bottom of the pan. Add your peas or anything you want to add after 10 minutes. Once it’s all ready leave off the heat for a beat to steam. Fluff up with a fork and then serve with the spring onion, parsley/coriander and a good glug of oil on top.