Gaby Thinks It Food

Silo’s Pumpkin Party

From the short 2 weeks of internship, now turning into a full-time role! I wanted to share the processes of how Silos Kitchen turns all body parts of a pumpkin into pretty much anything tasty.

The Pump Flesh is exposed to show off its curves and vibrant orange colour through shaping precision while the taste is elevated by steaming, brining and smoking processes.

The Pump Skins to Pump Marmalade, Seasoning Powder and Silo’s signature Treacle (dayam)

They don’t stop there. The pumpkin guts and seeds are broken down and seasoned to create an umami bomb to brighten your dish.
The bottom left of the illustration roughly shows the way it’s plated by the restaurant :)

Something as humble as a pumpkin can bring so much potential.
The colours used are all inspired by the kitchen appliances used in house, including Silo’s recycled plastic chopping boards and the natural beauty of the baby orange, blue and grey pumpkins :)

Back in the UK as of today. Fells like winter! I hope this brightens up your Monday and inspires conscious cooking. Grateful to be learning from the absolute best within the Silo Family :))

Oh! We are back in the Watamu Passport! Thanks Mom (quite literally) PS back in Kenya - sweaty mince pies and decorated mini palm trees to come :)

So.. Silo London hey

Words can’t describe the passion, wisdom and rich knowledge this small community of people have in a venue created through up-cycled “waste” has to offer. Not only that, but it’s no secret. They encourage followers of there philosophy and are prepared to walk you through each step to get you to understand it and explore it your own way.

From churning cream to make butter, cooking down vegetable skins for trickles and ferments, presenting apple glazed celeriac with a sauce made from whey (byproduct of butter making) and tasting concoctions along the way that you can’t comprehend .. it’s that mind blowing (that Raspberry Cheong is something else) I loved following the currents of service with roaring laughs in all kitchen corners to lighten the late evenings :)

I’ve been incredibly (incredibly) lucky to be given a spot in the kitchen starting in the new year as a Commis Chef at Silo. Thank you to everyone involved for making it happen!!

Bread. But not JUST bread

It is just bread but it’s my FIRST SUCCESSFUL(ish) SOURDOUGH LOAF rom about a week ago.

Followed by a sourdough forcassia we enjoyed with infused jalapeño and garlic olive oil. But this forcassia is made with the discarded sourdough starter mixture (if you don’t know sourdough, then get to know what that means. I’m totally joking you don’t have to… am I a push over?)

Anyway, it means there’s no waste in the process of sourdough bread making if your one of those ppl who don’t make them everyday (3rd pic is a attempted sourdough forcassia loaf!)

I’ve really been loving the time taken with perfecting their chemistry and just eating them really.. I love how much more there is to learn.

Breads are for all time of year. Homemade bread is for everyone (even the GF folks… corn bread ppl!)

Love x

Miso and tomato paste broth with sliced bread chicken, topped with sharp green spring onions.

It’s never a disappointment in my eyes when it comes to making anything broth related for dinner. Most of the time, we don’t have time to simmer anything for hours - but sometimes we only need 30 mins, Miso paste and stock to feel warm and fuzzy in the winter evenings. In this case, we even used spaghetti to replace noodles (not a normal consideration, we just cheap and it really worked).

I’ve got a couple things to share this week which is really exciting me :)

Recipe, In order in the pan:

2 onion (cook out, char slightly)
2 garlic cloves (1 min cooking)
1 tbs tomato pureé (cook off for a min)
1 or 2 tbs soy sauce
1/2 sliced fresh chili
Splashes of fish sauce (optional)
500ml veg/chicken stock (add, simmer for at least 30 mins to reduce)
1-2 tbs dark or light miso paste (you always add this at the very end to season your broth as you like, while also not boiling off the healthy bacteria colonies :)

Meanwhile make your protein of choice as you wish, you could do
- Breaded or grilled chicken (Sourced responsibly, obvs)
- Fried whole portobello mushroom with herbs
- Pan fried cubbed tofu, which has been dusted with corn flour and salt so its crisps well!
- Anything really

Enjoy x

Watermelon-Up-cycle

And another NotJustJuice Illustration for you. here are some ways your whole watermelon can be utilised :)

Watermelon rinds, when peeled and thinly sliced (Can use a mandolin), can be a great additive to homemade pickles like kimchi! Tossing though spices and other fruit and vegetables, which could be sitting around going bad. I’m a big fan of this method of utilisation.

Growing its seed is surprisingly simple, and it will be easier to grow in hotter climates (obvs).

Salads in the summer time watermelon is fantastic with feta and mint of course. Blitzed WM flesh with some additional sugar of choice makes great ice lollies too.

I also did try the tuna steak trend, which popped off last summer for the family, and honestly, I would have it again. Simply marinade a large slice of watermelon (without the rind) in soy plus Miriam for a couple hours before frying like you would with a stake. Accompany it with rice, green vegetables, and the rind kimchi. Why not?

I get watermelons are not local to the UK, but for this specific series, I’m targeting the tropical fruits of east coast Kenya where I will be doing a small stall selling prints on the 22nd of December :)

But I want to do a couple of related drawings for members to keep us in the UK feeling satisfied.

Hope you like this one :)

Along side my CHOCOLATE SALTED CARAMEL SLICE is a needed cup of coffee. Dark chocolate ganash and a nutty salty caramel with a chew cradled with crumply short crust pastry. Made this for Lucy’s 25th bday dinner we hosted (fun!)

Oh! And BOTH the ceramic bowl and coffee cup hand crafted by (isn’t he talented).

A vid coming of this baby on the weekend 🙂

Side note: I officially gradutated last Tuesday (weird feeling!)

Boost Memory with ROSEMARY VODKA

Sorry? Alcohol for memory? I don’t think so.

It’s not so much the alcohol but the herb, Rosemary. Rosemary carries properties which can help with your blood circulation, which creates a domino effect towards boosting your concentration and memory.

My attention span isn’t my strong point, even when it comes to doing projects I enjoy (like illustration work, I know), and it can take me a second for the dots to connect in convocation or remembering certain things. So, the inspiration behind my herbal poison is that, really! I know more people like me just need a little boost in this area, so why don’t we try it in a natural way?

I've personally been having this 2 - 3 times a day for the last 3 months, and I'd say I've felt some sort of difference. This could be a placebo.. but hey, its working!

How To Use:
- 5 drops under the tongue 3 times a day
- 5 drops in your glass of water with your meals

Disclaimer: I’m not promoting morning drinking; the vodka is purely the carrier of the Rosemary fusion.

From Today till Friday, just DM me for a bottle to be sent to your door :) Prices depend on where it will be sent to :) £14 a 60ml bottle. Hope your Monday was bright :)

Herbal remedies

Use your Avocado!

Hello to the 2nd illustration of the NotJustFruit series, where I share a few of the many ways you can use your loose Avocado.

I like to explore the angles outside of purely eating the food you are still trying to figure out what to do with. This only applies to a whole fruit/veg/herb you have… not the takeaway from Leons or Thursday carbonara. Please don't put that on your face.

But, Avocados I'm sure you all know, are healthy fat-containing amino acids and high in Vitamin E. That's why facial treatments with the addition of other fatty foods like olive oil and a whole egg can be really soothing for the skin (You don't have to put in an egg if that's weird for you, slime). Avocados can also be a complete butter replacement in baking due to their fat content. Works with brownies well.

When boiled for a while, Avocado skins realise a natural pinky/red pigment that you can use to dye your clothes or sheets.

Growing the seed of the fruit can give you your own tree (in 3 years :(). Use toothpicks to staple its position in a glass of water with the tail end just below its surface. You will notice a shoot coming down in a couple days, and after some time, you will have a little baby to plant yourself :).

Avocados go very well with fish "cooked" in fresh lime juice too MMM MMM. Good cracking of black pepper and some coriander will also fit :)

Look out for more soon :)

Tebasaki Chicken with Asian Slaw and Wok Fried Greens

Started the evening really unsure with what to have for dinner. I really don’t cook meat all too often, but when I do, I like to go for it. Thursday night, we had “” which popped out the wagga mama cook box of mine. The Tebasaki sauce (which is a spicy and sweet Korean BBQ sauce) slaps you in the face while the Asian slaw zaps your tongue with nothing to say but “your welcome”. It was yummy basically.

A photo taken by the sweet Rawdon who was lucky to be there.

Who’s ready for Bake Off tomorrow?

Soulful Salad with a happy soy egg

A pick me up salad consisting of mixed green leaves, with thinly sliced carrot and onion with the trusty mandolin😝, pan fried beans with spice and marinaded garlic. Topped with feta cheese and a soy stained egg :) been into fermented things recently (or was that always the case🤷🏼‍♀️)

Had some focaccia along side too.

Look how crazy the cross section of a carrot is!?!?! Who knew!!

Plus a fridge clean out sparked more food waste recipe ideas .. 🤩

More yummy numbers to come to update this backlog (bebetterbebetter😅)

Hello, NOT JUST JUICE SERIES

I’ve been excited to release first piece of a new series I’d like to build up called Not Just Juice, whereby we explore the many uses from a singular fruit or vegetable in a colourful (and slightly manic) illustration 🤪.

Here, we indulge in every part of the Apple Mango, found all over East Africa which is fantastic as a fruit juice BUT can also be the topping for sushi (sounds weird, but it really WORKS) frozen into sorbet with no added sugar. Its skins can be dried and crushed into powder for a nutrient-full face mask with the simple addition of water or left to perform osmosis in sugar to create a flavourful sugar syrup for anything your creative brain can construct.

I've recently found myself thinking way too hard about what my niche is on this food account when comparing it to the thousands of very talented and successful ones already well established out there… I’ve had so much inspiration and many reels saved on my account, but at the end of it, you just need to do what’s enjoyable and to not force anything creative when you feel like you have to! I have a natural pull towards utilising raw foods to its fullest potential, as that’s what it deserves!

For any creative people in every field, never force your brain to flow in a a certain direction. This illustration came by while I was eating an Apple mango wondering how I could make it last longer.. The flavour gets me everytime.

Rough chop mushrooms with egg noodles hugged in a nest of dressed zested rocket.

Nothing too special here apart from simple ingredients. Olive oil olive oil. Garlic punch and well salted makes my taste buds pop.

Used with scraps from the fridge. What could you make today ?

Recuperate

In times of many plans and summer spontimuety, it can feel virtually impossible to fit the time for a nutrition-full meal. This my friends has the satisfactory punch with many diverse ingredients. After festival blues got me craving this today.

The bowl
- Steamed rice of your choice
- Fresh dressed rocket
- Garlic chilli mushrooms
- Woke fried soya greens (Broccoli, edamame beans and green beans)
- Crispy chickpeas with almond butter
- Lemon wedge
- Roasted cashews

This construction honestly took about 25 to put together. You always look for which element takes the longest to cook and start from there. In this case, the rice. Illustrations to come your way :)

Outside Eats

Was an enjoyable time cooking for some lovely ladies yesterday :)

Revolving around the foods in season and thoughtful purchasing, the creation was:

Spicy Pulled Chicken with smashed cucumber salad, charred peppers and feta, new potatoes accompanied with tzatziki, classic lemon hummus, chicken jus, smashed avo and mint garlic dressing.
Would have loved to have made homemade pitta... However, time beat me to it.

I'm not normally one to cook meat, but when I do I always always make sure I'm buying in the most concise way possible. Waitrose or butcher we're my choices.

The outside decor was done by Tilly while I darted around the kitchen. She collected all the odd parts of a student kitchen to create what could have been a miss matched mess into a pleasant unique dining experience in our weird little garden.

MORE READING:

Chicken Marinade: A white onion, 4 garlic cloves, a good amount of ginger, cayenne pepper, fermented chilli flacks, toasted pistachios, lemon juice, salt and pep. This can be done all so quickly and allow to sit for at least 30 mins before baking till the juices of the chicken run clear.

Salad: cucumber smashed and salted to draw out excess water, sliced tomatoes, sliced radish, pickled sumac onions, dressed in mint garlic oil. Ottolenghi test kitchen inspired salad :)

Peppers and feta: Charred on the direct hob flame then peeled n sliced, crumbled feta and olive oil.

Outside Eats

Was an enjoyable time cooking for some lovely ladies yesterday :)

Revolving around the foods in season and thoughtful purchasing, the creation was:

Spicy Pulled Chicken with smashed cucumber salad, charred peppers and feta, new potatoes accompanied with tzatziki, classic lemon hummus, chicken jus, smashed avo and mint garlic dressing.
Would have loved to have made homemade pitta... However, time beat me to it.

I'm not normally one to cook meat, but when I do I always always make sure I'm buying in the most concise way possible. Waitrose or butcher we're my choices.

The outside decor was done by Tilly while I darted around the kitchen. She collected all the odd parts of a student kitchen to create what could have been a miss matched mess into a pleasant unique dining experience in our weird little garden.

MORE READING:

Chicken Marinade: A white onion, 4 garlic cloves, a good amount of ginger, cayenne pepper, fermented chilli flacks, toasted pistachios, lemon juice, salt and pep. This can be done all so quickly and allow to sit for at least 30 mins before baking till the juices of the chicken run clear.

Salad: cucumber smashed and salted to draw out excess water, sliced tomatoes, sliced radish, pickled sumac onions, dressed in mint garlic oil. Ottolenghi test kitchen inspired :)

Peppers and feta: Charred on the direct hob flame then peeled n sliced, crumbled feta and olive oil.

Cauliflower panko wings with sweet, salty kale, bbq sauce and homemade truffle mayoooooooo.

A student meal that is easy to construct and looks/tastes amazing.

Cauliflower:
- Cauliflower in bite-size chunks
- Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- Plain Flour
- Seasonings: S, P, Paprika, Dry Herb

Kale:
- Washed and roughly chopped kale
- Salt
- Sugar
- Flavourless oil

Topping:
- BBQ sauce
- Mayo
- Ketchup, maybe?
- Sliced spring onions

Method:
Chop ya cauliflower into chunks (I did the whole thing), then get your 3 bowls ready. 1. Egg 2. Plain flour with seasonings 3. Panko Bread crumbs

Cauliflower pieces dipped in flour, then Egg, then Breadcrumbs. Repeat if you want a thinker crust.

Pop on a tray and into the 180 degrees Celsius oven until golden (20 or so mins)

At the same time, you can dress your Kale with Oil, Salt, n Sugar to join the cauliflower in the oven. It will need about 20 mins. Then, after 10 mins of cooking, mix it and put it back for a further 10 mins.

Once everything is ready, place it in a shallow bowl and top it with your favourite sauces or veg!

Kitchen Khaos

Somtimes you just need to throw things that are in your fridge together to create the best of the best. Illistration inspired by a lovely dinner with Zach Mia and Teilo, followed by a Wez Anderson film. Zach and his brain of culanary knowlege made it clear that risotto is all about building layers of flavour (And definatly not adding salt till the very end if needed)

This means adding one element, reduce, next element, reduce. Untill you have a concentrated jus of natural oumami the risotto rice can soak up.

This also captures a scean of chaos in the kitchen coupled with spontinuety of foods found in the fridge. But i wouldnt take the steps here quite litterally, it is dramatisised..

It was a fully body of flavour that weighed us to the sofa, a must do a must try again and again.

Recipe? Ill ask Zach first.

Blue Weber Agave and its Products

This a fun illustration showing you just the more popular products that the agave plant is used for!

"A gift from the gods" and "what saved the Mexican race". This plant provided so much more than just Tequila.

The Agave gave life and opportunities to the population and has been used by humans for 10,000 years.
For the gatherer populations living among arid to semi-arid environments in the North of Isthmus of Tehuantepec and as far as Rio Gila In Arizona (Mexico), the Agave plant was one of the only primary food sources of carbohydrates.

This old technique consisted of digging pits where the "Piñas" (The core of the Agave without its leaves) and its Leaves were separately cooked underground for three days to tenderise and turn a caramel colour. Awesome right?

The plants provided slow-release energy to maintain survival in harsh weather. Later, other crops, such as maise, beans and squash, were introduced. A.K.A "The Three Sisters" later became more critical, making the agaves used for consumption only in times of scarcity or among the poorer communities of Northern Mexico.

Luckily, the agave purpose had many other uses, which meant it wasn't completely abandoned! Fermented drinks, medicines, rope, paper, cloth, binding against such sewing needles as well as a building material, alcoholic beverages, sugar substitutes and more modern food varieties… like what else cloud you want from a plant?

More on Agave? (Can you tell I'm doing an assignment on it)

Reducing Waste Through Bread Making … how?

It's interesting. Here and there, ill make my fresh juice from our juicer machine. After squeezing and shredding six carrots to gather a glass of juice, it seems ridiculous to let all those fibres go to waste.

We made carrot, apple and celery juice = about 2 cups of fruit/veg pulp. I patted dry the pulp until most of the excess liquid was out, then blitzed it with some strong bread flour until it was equally incorporated.
Next, I followed a simple bread recipe (without scales, ill add = not easy or recomemnded) to create what felt like a rye bread density loaf with a great crust and tasted like a complex brown bread :) And no! Not really that sweet tasting!

I'll definitely be doing this more to develop this in the best way.

Looking for a Fibre Rich Bread ?
Well..

Health value: A bread with a more complex variety of nutrients and a lower gluten percentage. Keep that digestive track excited and dancing this weekend :)

BLACK BEAN BROWNIES

Yeah! High protein with a fudgy finish is possible in brownies. A few people close to me know I enjoy hiding something random which doesn't traditionally belong in brownies. Still, being experimental and open to new non-traditional baked cooking methods can be exciting.

You may not always like it, but someone else might …

This brownie needed more depth of sweetness rather than just caster sugar, as suggested in the recipe. But hey, if you have a can of Beans and wanna feel better about eating 1/2 a brownie, try then I'd recommend these ;) Look up Black Bean Brownies!

What I learned: Nothing is a waste of time when making brownies.

BLACK BEAN BROWNIES

Yeah! High protein with a fudgy finish is possible in brownies. A few people close to me know I enjoy hiding something random which doesn't traditionally belong in brownies. Still, being experimental and open to new non-traditional baked cooking methods can be exciting.

You may not always like it, but someone else might …

This brownie needed more depth of sweetness rather than just caster sugar, as suggested in the recipe. But hey, if you have a can of Beans and wanna feel better about eating 1/2 a brownie, try then I'd recommend these ;) Look up Black Bean Brownies!

What I learned: Nothing is a waste of time when making brownies.

Sometimes Sunday require you to just use up what’s left in your Fridge to avoid waste. These dishes are mostly great… you know why?

1. You don’t know how it will taste, the likelihood is you have never made it before, so you can’t compare it!
2. High chance of satisfaction for making the effort to create it, specially for more than one of you!
3. No Monday morning start of cleaning out a week old shop with no time.
4. Pride of using your moneys worth of food. Which was the whole intention from last Monday.

What will you make?

I made a sweet potato base, veggie cheese stuffed quiche… I think anyway?

Sometimes Sunday require you to just use up what’s left in your Fridge to avoid waste. These dishes are mostly great… you know why?

1. You don’t know how it will taste, the likelihood is you have never made it before, so you can’t compare it!
2. High chance of satisfaction for making the effort to create it, specially for more than one of you!
3. No Monday morning start of cleaning out a week old shop with no time.
4. Pride of using your moneys worth of food. Which was the whole intention from last Monday.

What will you make?

I made a sweet potato base, veggie cheese stuffed quiche… I think anyway?

CULTIVA RESTAURANT IN KAREN NAIROBI, KENYA

Happy happy belated NEW year to all of you!

I'm starting 2023 with a bit of a bang by summarising an incredibly forward-thinking restaurant in Karen, Nairobi. My last meal out in Kenya before returning to the UK.

Cultiva is a self-sustained restaurant that grows there own produce and consciously sources meats and poultry from reliable local suppliers. Creative, innovative and exciting food is always in play.

They make their own sodas! Like what. We had lemon grass and watermelon soda as our drinks (3 + 4), with fermented peanuts and herbs to activate our gut (2). Never had them before, but I was stunned by their flavour.

Our Starter (1): an insane platter of all things vegetables. Crispy sweet potato, chilli peanut praline broccoli, soy marinaded watermelon (which tasted freakishly like tuna sushimi!), avocado foam, carrot herb parcels, edible flowers and crispy sourdough. Oooff.
We also had a plantain stuffed with almond butter, mozzarella and coriander (5). Urg.

Mains: Charred cauliflower taco with corn pureéncrispy leeks, lime and coriander.

Tumeric battered while fish with crispy ginger garlic kale on a bed of casava foam… this was a bomb texture and harmonising flavours.

Too full to pick out a dessert with much regret, but then had a lovely little walk around their gardens (1/2 harvested) to see where the magic grows from (8, 9 + 10).

I can wait to share more magical spots.

#2023

Miso Honey Roasted Cabbage with a zesty 3 bean salad and a paprika poached egg.

A dish I whipped up together with the scraps left from my cupboard before leaving Bournemouth for Xmas :)

Sustainable eating through seasonal purchasing. Cabbage is di season.

Been loosing momentum here and there on gabythinksitfood in terms of posts and stories. It’s a month of celebration with the people you love and I’m really going to soak that in.

Balancing uni and social while doing this isn’t easy! But please stay tuned and keep up the faith in this follow ! I’ve got loads more vision and plans to share, just need the time to really create it :)

Yes, England didn’t bring football back home and yes England is now covered in snow.

What other way to process both these situations than with a chicken broth?

Hello to December.

1. Crispy breaded chicken ramen with broccoli, soy sauce mushrooms and udon noodles
2. Shredded chicken with ginger garlic broth, spinach and ramen noodles

This week! I’ll be heading back to Kenya for a tropical Christmas and new year! So more time for a fresh loads of foods coming your way.

Passion Fruit Martini.. Using Blue Marmalade Supermarkets ingredients!

Feel really happy to have been asked to creat an illustration for the Watamu Passport this year! I thought about personalising it further by drawing the familiar ingredients the people of Watamu Kenya would recognise:)

I had fun with this :)

Look up for future holiday rentals along the Kenyan Coast line :)

Panko Baked Aubergine Stakes! 🤯

With green apple and celery slaw, bbq quince sauce and a Parmesan fried egg.

Wow. I liked this

One of Zena’s () creations inspired me to recreate it … vegetarian style. With a couple of changes here and there (mostly cuz I try to use what’s in my draw) Shes so inspiring it hurts. Please check her out if you don’t know her already!

But how did I make this!!?

The “Steaks”:
Aubergine (slice thick slabs)
Chilli powder
Salt and Pep

1. Make sure your oven is 180-200 degreeese C. have a tray with a wire rack on it ready.
3. Seasoned each side of the “steaks’ wit your spice, allow the flavours to absorb.
4. Paner Process: Dipped in seasoned flour, then egg, then bredcrumbs, then egg again, lastly more breadcrumbs (Doubel trouble)
5. Place on yoru wire rack, middle of the oven, bake till golden brown (30 mins or so)

Slaw:
Green apple (fine slice)
Celery (fine slice)
Mayo
Mustard
Lime juice and Zest
Salt

1. B**g all together in a bowl, you will be wanting more for later, its incredible thanks to Zena

BBQ Quince:
Butter (unsalted)
Quince Jam
Balsamic Glaze
Salt and Pep

1. Heat all up into a sauce pan til thicken. Taste to season

Parm Egg:
Egg (1 or 2)
Grated parmazan

sprinkle parm on pan, crack n fry yo egg!

Put all the elemebts together how you like. Wow i love i love. Happy Mid Weekkkk. Xmas foods tropical style to come soon :)