What are the hottest food trends in 2020? We’ve got ideas on how to cook up contemporary dishes in your own kitchen
Just like with what we wear, trends come and go with what we eat. Some trends stick around (many of us will barely remember a world before salted caramel), while others fade away (have you seen a chia pudding recently?). But if you’re always looking for something new to cook, try these recipes inspired by 2020 food trends at home…
Experiment With Vegan Cooking
The ‘veganuary’ challenge has exploded with popularity in recent years, with many meat-eaters trying a plant-based diet for a month to help decrease their impact on the environment and explore the delicious possibilities of a vegan diet. This Teriyaki Tofu-Tempeh Casserole makes use of the nutty flavour of tempeh, a vegan ingredient made from fermented soybeans, mixed with firm tofu and plenty of green veggies. Finish off in the oven in your casserole and enjoy this Chinese-inspired vegan bake. If you’re looking for a vegan spin on a favourite, try out this Vegan aubergine and red pepper lasagne recipe. The creamy white sauce is made with soya milk, and the Meditteranean-inspired filling is packed with smoky flavours. You won’t be missing meat after a plate of this. These simple garlic sriracha noodles are coated with a spicy and incredibly moreish tahini hot sauce and topped with sweet broccolini, sauteed in a wok with a little garlic and olive oil. Simple, satisfying, and vegan.
Smoke and Charcoal Flavours
If you’re one of those people who loves the burnt bits at the bottom of the pan, or deliberately leaves their pizza in the oven a few minutes too long for a crispy brown crust, you will love the new flavour trend of incorporating more charred and smoky flavours in meals. Explore more unusual flavours, such as the charred watermelon in these spiced halloumi and watermelon skewers. Cook using a large grill pan and experience a mix of sweet and smoky flavours. Create this charred spring onion butter by cooking sliced spring onions in a skillet and whipping the charred ends into butter to create another unique mix of sweetness and smokiness which tastes divine smeared on fresh bread.
Fresh Pasta Dishes
The trick to the enduring popularity of traditional Italian food is found in its simplicity. Pasta recipes should let the quality of the ingredients speak for themselves, and ‘back to basics’ recipes focused on marrying a few quality elements, bonded with fresh pasta made at home, will be a trend in 2020. You can’t get more basic than cacio e pepe, but this creamy cheese and pepper pasta recipe comes alive when fresh pasta is used. Starchy pasta water from the saucepan is used as a base for a light sauce mixed with garlic and lemon butter to create this fresh pasta primavera, which mixes the silky sauce with plenty of fresh green vegetables.
