SHE'S all about simple creativity when getting back to our vegan roots, so visitors to Derry's Slow Food Festival next weekend can expect a little piece of theatre when former actress and top-selling food book author Aine Carlin, shares some recipes and lifestyle tips with fans and visitors.
Organised by Derry City and Strabane District Council, the two-day event will also feature talks and food demonstrations by Paula McIntyre – director of Slow Food NI – as well as a range of produce from bakers, beekeepers and artisan makers in the main marquee at Guildhall Square.
"I can't wait to get back home and I'm delighted to have been asked to support the festival," says the popular Pea Soup blogger, whose third book, Cook Share Eat Vegan, was published earlier this year.
"Cornwall, where I live, is a real foodie hub, but Derry is very much at the forefront of the slow eating movement now, with more and more people reconnecting with food and where it comes from."
The Slow Food movement – first started by a group of activists in Italy with the aim of defending regional traditions, good food and a slow pace of life – is a concept with which the 37-year-old readily connects.
"We have been living too long in a fast-paced environment where everything is on-demand, so it's great that people are re-connecting with the provenance of food in this way," she says. "I am very much about seasonal eating and I can't wait to go to the festival and see what's on offer."
A vegan for eight years now, Carlin is more passionate than ever about her adopted diet and lifestyle and hopes to attract others to its benefits through her latest venture – a holiday retreat in Murcia on the Spanish coast.
She has teamed up with well-known vegan author Lee Watson (of Peace and Parsnips fame) to offer a beach eco villa to small groups of people keen to sample a plant-based cooking holiday.
"We have the first group booked for November, so it will be exciting to see how it goes," Carlin says. "We're also offering yoga and hiking activities, so there will be more on offer than just cooking."
A regular contributor to BBC Radio Four's Woman's Hour and a regular face at the best UK food festivals – including River Cottage Festival in Devon, close to her adopted home – means the food writer has never been busier, but she still makes time to experiment in the kitchen.
"I am currently looking at reinventing the classics," she says, "and am having some fun at the moment with a rhubarb and custard pudding – with a little vegan twist."
Surprisingly, she never had a heart-stopping Road to Damascus moment in her vegan conversion, citing instead, an appropriately slow, almost accidental, reawakening.
"I first started my blog when I was living in Chicago and after I had been influenced by the smorgasbord of cuisine available in the restaurants there," she recalls. "I used to be a full-blown meat and dairy eater but my palate had been fairly limited up until then.
"I was fascinated that even a hot dog had a vegan option in Chicago; my interest was piqued and something just clicked with me. My husband joined me in an experimental plant-based diet, and it wasn't long before we both noticed the benefits.
"My skin became clearer, my nails and hair were healthier and we both slept better and had more energy during the day, with no afternoon dips.
"A weird bonus also came in form of us both sweating noticeably less – I don't know what the science is behind it, but it might have something to do with our bodies not having to process so many toxins or something."
Her family in Derry are also big fans of her books and her mother especially now enjoys what Carlin describes as a "90 per cent" plant-based diet.
"My mother never used to enjoy cooking that much, but now she loves it," she reveals. "She has really embraced it all and that has surprised me, but then many people get really passionate about vegan food once they give it a try."
Carlin's current career has also been a bit unscripted, given she left Derry to study music at university in London, later teaching music and drama in a secondary school there and then deciding she wanted to act on stage herself.
"I acted professionally for about four or five years, mainly with touring theatre productions which was great fun," she says. "I think when I am now giving vegan food demonstrations, that background definitely helps because I still have to engage an audience."
:: The Slow Food Festival in Derry runs next Saturday, September 29, and Sunday, September 30. For details visit derrystrabane.com/food. Below are two recipes by Aine Carlin for you to try.
CHOCOLATE ORANGE POTS
with a toasted hazelnut and cacao nib crumb
350g silken tofu
100g good-quality plain dark chocolate
(70 per cent cocoa solids), broken into pieces
2 tablespoons agave nectar (or 3 tablespoons maple syrup)
1 teaspoon orange extract
pinch of sea salt flakes
orange rind strips, to decorate
Toasted hazelnut and cacao nib crumb
50g toasted hazelnuts
1 tablespoon cacao nibs
pinch of sea salt flakes
Method
Add the tofu to a food processor and blend until smooth. Place the chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of lightly simmering water and melt gently, stirring until completely smooth. Remove the bowl from the heat and leave the chocolate for five minutes to cool slightly, then transfer to the food processor along with the agave nectar, orange extract and salt. Blend for 5–7 minutes until smooth. Pour the mixture into four ramekins or small glasses and refrigerate for two to three hours.
To make the crumb, place toasted hazelnuts, cacao nibs and salt in a small blender or food processor and pulse together to form a coarse crumb-like texture. Sprinkle the crumb over the pots and decorate with a few strips of orange rind just before serving.
FALAFEL SHAKSHUKA
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 small aubergine, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 scant teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon tomato purée
200g passata (sieved tomatoes)
400g can chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes or 1 red chilli, chopped
pinch of sugar
12 shop-bought falafel
sea salt flakes and black pepper
Tahini sauce
2 tablespoons light tahini
½ tablespoon pomegranate molasses
1 teaspoon agave nectar
juice of ½ lemon
1–2 tablespoons water
pinch of fine sea salt flakes
To serve
8–10 taco-sized tortillas or flatbreads
handful of pomegranate seeds
handful of tarragon, torn
Method
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion, season and sweat for 2–3 minutes until it begins to soften. Add the aubergine and stir to combine. Sauté for 2–3 minutes, then add the garlic, sprinkle over the smoked paprika and cinnamon and stir to coat. Cover and cook for another 2–3 minutes, or until the aubergine has started to soften.
Add the tomato purée, passata and chopped tomatoes to the pan. Fill the tomato can with water and add it to the sauce, together with the chilli and sugar. Season generously and simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes, or until the sauce is rich and bubbling.
Place the falafel in the pan, making sure not to cover them with the sauce – they should be peeking out. Cover and simmer gently for a further 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the tahini sauce by whisking ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth and glossy. Griddle or toast the tortillas and keep warm under a clean tea towel.
To serve, drizzle the tahini sauce over the shakshuka and garnish with pomegranate seeds and tarragon. Put the pan in the centre of the table along with the tortillas and let everyone help themselves.
