Friday 28 December 2018

Carrot cake cookies.

- Liam Charles' carrot cake cookies - YOU Magazine from Cheeky Treats by Liam Charles.
MAKES 15
For the filling
150g full-fat cream cheese
150g icing sugar (3 tbsp for filling +rest for decor)
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the dough
350g plain flour
½ tsp baking
powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp ground cloves
150g unsalted butter, softened at RT
100g soft light brown sugar
50g soft dark brown sugar
1 large egg
200g carrot, finely grated

For the decor
juice of 1 orange and zest of 2 oranges
4 tbsp walnuts, finely chopped

Filling & dough you need 3 bowl!
1 bowl - Mix the cream cheese, 3 tablespoons of the icing sugar and the vanilla in a large bowl until combined, then pop in the freezer for 30-45 minutes.

2 bowl - Meanwhile, measure your flour, baking powder and spices in another bowl.

3 bowl - Beat your butter and both sugars together in a third bowl until creamy.
Beat your egg into the butter mixture, then tip in your grated carrot.
Mix together well.

Tip your dry ingredients into the carrot mixture and mix slowly to form a dough.

To roll & fill
Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Flour your hands!
Weigh the dough and divide into 15 equal balls = 59-60g.
Then flatten them slightly into thin discs using the palm of your hand.
Add a generous teaspoon of the cream cheese filling to the centre of each disc and wrap the dough around the filling to seal.
Pinch the top and roll it back into a ball, making sure no filling leaks out.
Pop the balls on to the tray and flatten slightly.
Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6.

Bake the cookies for 20 minutes until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and leave on the tray for a few minutes to firm up, then transfer to a wire rack to cool further.

Do the decor
Sift the remaining icing sugar into a small bowl and mix with the orange juice – you’re aiming for a drizzling consistency. Flick the icing over the cookies and top with zest and walnuts.

These are best eaten the day they’re made.
They’ll keep for up to 2 days in an airtight container.
Pop them in the fridge, though – there’s dairy in the middle.

Wednesday 26 December 2018

Homemade Quick-Pickled Red Onion.

From https://www.theperfectloaf.com/rye-sourdough-and-smorrebrod/
"For the sandwiches you could get away with half a red onion, but I used a full onion and saved the rest in the fridge for more sandwiches or potatoes later in the week.
The pickled onions will keep refrigerated for about a week covered in the brine.
You could use any combination of vinegar you’d like, I used mostly white vinegar with some red vinegar to give them a bright pink color.

Ingredients:
1/2 red onion, sliced very thin
3/4 cup white distilled vinegar
1/4 cup red vinegar
1 garlic clove, halved
2-4 sprigs of thyme
very small pinch of red chili flakes
1/2 tsp raw sugar
small pinch of salt

Method:
Place all the ingredients except the onion in a small saucepan and bring to a boil
Once boiling, pour the hot brine over the red onions in a small bowl, or alternatively, directly in their final glass storage jar (make sure the onions are completely submerged)
Let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before using, preferably 1 hour or more"

Cuisine Fiend | Cooking and baking recipes

- Cuisine Fiend | Cooking and baking recipes:

'via Blog this'

Cranberry sourdough.

300gr bread flour (85%)
50gr wholemeal flour (15%)
273g water (78%)
70g levain (20%)
7g salt (2%)
60g of dry cranberries

08:00 refresh levain (1:2:2)
Dough:
08:00 - mix water and flour.
08:00 - 13:00 - autolyse 5 hours.
13:00 - add levain (5 hours active on its peak, 1:2:2), mix, rest 30 min.
13:30 - add salt, mix,
- add berries, rest 30 min.
14:00 lamination, rest 45 min,
14:45, 15:30, 16:15 - 3 coil folds every 45 mins.
16:15 - 18:15 - Leave untouched for 2 hours.

Total bulk is 6 hours - 13:00 - 18:00 (time starts from adding levain)
18:15 - Preshaping, rest 15 min,
18:30 - shaping, proofing room temperature for 30 min.
19:00 put in refrigerator for 16 hours.
19:00 - 11:00 - refrigerator

10:00 turn on the Oven - 260°C,
11:00 - bake 260°C with closed lid 20 min,
11:20 - open lid 230°C for 10 min,
11:30 - 220°C for 10 min.
11:40 - finish!






Tuesday 25 December 2018

Homemade Giardiniera by Memorie di Angelina.

- Homemade Giardiniera | Memorie di Angelina
Giardiniera is an Italian relish of pickled vegetables in vinegar or oil.

Carrot cake cookies.

- Liam Charles shares recipes from his new book.
Carrot cake, but not as you know it.
Ingredients:
(Makes 15)
For the filling:
150g full-fat cream cheese
150g icing sugar
1tsp vanilla extract

For the dough:
350g plain flour
1/2tsp baking powder
1tsp ground cinnamon
1tsp mixed spice
1tsp ground cloves
150g unsalted butter, softened
100g soft light brown sugar
50g soft dark brown sugar
1 large egg
200g carrot, finely grated

For the decor:
Zest of 2 oranges and juice of 1 orange
4tbsp walnuts, finely chopped

Method:
1. Mix the cream cheese, three tablespoons of the icing sugar and the vanilla in a large bowl until combined, then pop in the freezer for 30-45 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, measure your flour, baking powder and spices into another bowl.
Beat your butter and both sugars together in a third bowl until creamy.
Beat your egg into the butter mixture, then tip in your carrot.
Mix together well.
Tip your dry ingredients into the carrot mixture and mix slowly to form a dough.
3. Preheat oven to 200C/Fan 180C/Gas 6.
Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Weigh your dough and divide by 15 - this is how much each ball should weigh.
Then flatten them slightly into thin discs using the palm of your hand.
4. Add a generous teaspoon of the cream cheese filling to the centre of each disc and wrap the dough around the filling to seal.
Pinch the top and roll it back into a ball, making sure no filling leaks out.
Pop the balls on to the tray and flatten slightly.
Place in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
5. Bake the cookies for 20 minutes, until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and leave on the tray for a few minutes to firm up, then transfer to a wire rack to cool further.
6. Sift the remaining icing sugar into a small bowl and mix with the orange juice - you're aiming for a drizzling consistency.
Flick the icing over the cookies and top with the orange zest and walnuts.

Sunday 16 December 2018

Fastelavnsboller – Lenten buns by by Bronte Aurell.

- Fastelavnsboller – Lenten buns – by Bronte Aurell
- Fastelavnsboller med creme - YouTube
- My new book is out now! – by Bronte Aurell
To make the dough:
25g (1oz) fresh yeast OR 13g (just under ½oz) dried yeast (read the yeast section of the method carefully for what to do before you start baking)
250ml (1 cup) whole milk, heated to 36-37ºC (97-99ºF)
100g (just less than 1 stick) butter, melted and cooled slightly
40g (3 tbsp) caster sugar (granulated will be OK
400-500g (3 - 3⅔ cups) strong white bread flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cardamom /sainsburys, hollandandbarrett, Morrisons/
1 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten

To make the pastry cream filling:
500ml (2 cups) whole milk
1 vanilla pod
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
100g (½ cup) caster sugar
30g (3 and a bit tbsp) cornflour
25g (just less than ¼ stick) butter

To make the topping:
150g icing sugar (1 cup confectioner's sugar)
50g (3½ tbsp) melted dark chocolate
Sprinkles
Hot water

- Start by making the pastry cream by adding the milk and vanilla pod to a saucepan and bringing to the boil.
- In a food processor, whisk the sugar, eggs and cornflour together.
- Pour one third of the hot milk into the egg mixture at medium speed, then pour the contents of the processor bowl back into the saucepan.
Bring it back to the boil, taking care not to burn.
It needs to be at boiling point to thicken, which will take around 30 seconds, so keep your eye on it.
- Take the saucepan off the heat, add the butter and stir.
Transfer the cream to a cool bowl and leave it to set.
- If you’re using fresh yeast, add the warm milk to a mixing bowl and stir in the yeast until it’s dissolved.
Alternatively, if you’re using dried yeast, sprinkle it into the warm milk and whisk together.
Cover with clingfilm and leave in a warm place for about 15 minutes to become bubbly.
- Pour the yeast-milk mixture into a food processor with a dough hook attachment.
Start the machine and add the cooled, melted butter.
Allow everything to combine for a minute or so, then add the sugar.
Leave to combine for another minute.
- In a separate bowl, weigh out 400g (3 cups) of the flour, add the cardamom and salt and mix together.
Start adding the flour and spices into the milk mixture, bit by bit.
Add the beaten egg.
Keep kneading for 5 minutes.
You may need to add more flour – you want the mixture to end up a bit sticky, but not so much that it sticks to your finger if you poke it.
It is better not to add too much flour as this will result in dry buns.
You can always add more later.
- Once mixed, leave the dough in a bowl and cover with a dish towel or cling film.
Allow to rise for around 30 minutes or until it has doubled in size.
- Dust a table top with flour and turn out the dough.
Using your hands, knead the dough and work in more flour if needed.
Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a 30x40cm rectangle (approx 12x16in).
Cut the dough into 12 equal squares.
- On each square, add a good tablespoon of pastry cream.
Gather the corners together on top, then slowly gather the sides to ensure the pastry cream stays inside the bun and won’t seep out during baking.
- When the bun is completely closed, turn over and place on a lined baking tray, seam side down.
Leave the buns to rise for a further 20-25 minutes.
- Heat your oven to 180ºC fan (200ºC conventional, 400ºF, gas mark 6).
Brush the buns with egg.
Pop the buns in and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden and baked through, then leave to cool.
Baking time may vary depending on your oven – adjust your baking time accordingly.
- To make the icing, melt the chocolate.
Mix the icing sugar with a tablespoon of hot water, and maybe another one, until you have a thick, smooth mixture.
Add the melted chocolate and stir until smooth, then set aside to cool a bit (or your buns will have melted icing all over them when you just want it to sit neatly on top).
- Top each bun with chocolate icing, add sprinkles, and serve!

Wednesday 21 November 2018

12 High-Carb Foods That Are Actually Super Healthy

- 12 High-Carb Foods That Are Actually Super Healthy

Recipes - Hairy Bikers.


- Sausage, chicken and squash traybake recipe - BBC Food
...a flat, usually chewy cake which is baked in a tray, cut into small squares, and served as a biscuit.

- Lamb shanks and flageolet beans - Recipes - Hairy Bikers
*If you forget to soak your beans, try boiling them unsoaked for 5 minutes, then leave them to stand for an hour. That should give the same effect.

- Fennel orange salad with harissa dressing | Lucie Loves Food
Fennel orange salad with harissa dressing (adapted from Dave Myers and Si King’s The Hairy Dieters: How to Love Food and Lose Weight)

2 medium size fennel bulbs, trimmed, woody central core part removed and thinly sliced
2-3 oranges peeled (white parts out) and cut into 5cm chunks.
1/2 radicchio washed and thinly sliced (escarole or endive also will also works well)
About 20 roasted salted almost slightly crushed with a mortar
Handfull of raisins or sultanas (or a mix of both).

For the harissa dressing
1 tablespoon harissa
1 tablespoon honey
1 1/2 white wine vinegar
1 pinch ground coriander
3 tablespoons olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper

- Orange, fennel & rocket salad recipe | BBC Good Food
1 fennel bulb
2 large oranges
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 big handfuls rocket
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard

- Red Lentil and Harissa Soup - Recipes - Hairy Bikers

Friday 26 October 2018

Homemade Ricotta Or Lor cheese

Ricotta cheese in Turkey is Lor cheese
4 LT Whole milk
3 lemon juice
1 tablespoon sea salt
Bring the milk almost simmer,add lemon juice and salt,stir gently to combine.Remove the milk from heat. Let the pot of milk sit undisturbed for 10 minutes.Strain the curds.Let the ricotta drain for 1 hours.

- https://www.instagram.com/p/Bh9iYPIgoMJ/?hl=en&taken-by=berguzar.erden

Homemade Borek with Ricotta Cheese.

Savoury pie.
From #berguzar.erden.
I made this cheese borek the same day as the best before date of the milk , that I used to make the cheese it’s self.
For the dough:
500 gram Organic plain white bread flour
10 g dried active yeast
300ml Water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
Heap up the flour, make a well in centre and pour in the water,yeast and sugar.Begin to mix,gradually incorporateing some of the flour around the edges, until you have a soft sticky dough.Leave until the dough begins to rise and bubble.Around 15 minutes.Then mix in the remaining flour,olive oil and salt,and kneed well.Cover with a damp cloth and put in a warm place to rise until it has double.
In the meantime,prepare for the topping:
670 gram ricotta cheese ( or 670 gram leftover cheese)
1 bunches Fresh parsley 1 bunches Fresh mint
Some fresh garlic
2 small onion
80 ml olive oil
1 tablespoon nigella seeds
1 tablespoon red flakes chilli pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt ( check your left over cheese salt)
Combine chopped parsley,onion,garlic,mint and cheese.
Add the olive oil,red pepper,black pepper,nigella seeds and salt,and kneed well.
Form into 9 large egg size.
Divide the dough into 9 pieces, roll out each dough a 2-3 mm thick oval shape.
Spread some of the filing over the top,leaving 1,5 cm around the edge uncovered.
Fold the edge inwards and twist each end into a point.
Bake in preheated oven 220°C for about 15-20 minutes.

*бурек - вид несладкой выпечки турецкого (по-видимому, анатолийского) происхождения, популярный в странах бывшей Османской империи и соседних с ними.

Super moist cake

Super moist cake with leftover levain from #astricus.ventus.
Many of you probably have a go-to carrot cake recipe.
But I will leave this recipe below, in case the photo is enticing you enough to try it

Yields : 1 (9 in) round cake

1 1/4c of flour ( I did, 3/4c AP & 1/2 cup WG spelt flour)
1/2c of sugar
1/2c of packed brown sugar
1 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp of cinnamon
1/4 tsp of nutmeg, ground cardamom, ground ginger, & salt
1/2c of toasted chopped walnuts
1c or big handful of grated carrots
2 eggs
1c of sourdough starter
2/3c of vegetable oil
1/4c of plain yogurt
- 1/4c of almond milk /or milk, if using a stiff starter -
Cream cheese frosting :
1 package of cream cheese (8oz)
1/4c of softened butter
1c of icing sugar
1-2 drops of vanilla extract
1-2 tsp of almond milk if frosting is too thick -

Mix the dry and wet ingredients separate, and combine.
Bake in a 180C preheated oven for 40-45 mins, check with toothpick test.
Cream frosting ingredients together and spread over cooled cake.
You might have leftover frosting, enough for some cinnamon rolls
Your house will smell amazing.

Friday 19 October 2018

Sweet roasted quince.

We've been tucking into quince cooked in honey and spices since the middle ages – try these, and it's easy to see why.
They're delicious served hot with good vanilla ice-cream.
Serves six.

18 cloves
3 quinces, unpeeled, halved and cored
Juice of ½ lemon
200ml port (or sweet red wine)
5 tbsp runny honey
3 cinnamon sticks
2 star anise (optional)

Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4.
Press three cloves into the skin of each quince half, and place the fruit cut-side down in a roasting tin.
Whisk together 400ml water, the lemon juice, port and honey, and pour over the quinces.
Place the cinnamon sticks in the tray, along with the star anise, if using.

Bake for about an hour, until sticky and golden.
Now turn the quince right-side up and continue baking until very tender – about 15 minutes more.
Carefully remove the cloves from the skin.

Remove the pan from the oven and let the quince cool slightly.
If there is lots of liquid in the tin, strain it into a small pan and simmer to reduce to a thick syrup.
Put a quince half on each plate, spoon over some of the cooking juices (or syrup) and serve with ice-cream.

- Quince recipes | Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall | Life and style | The Guardian

Sticky quince and ginger cake.

This makes a pretty, moist cake studded with poached quince and stem ginger.
Save any leftover poaching syrup – it will solidify into a jelly and is delicious spread on toast.
Makes one 23cm cake.

150g butter, softened, plus a little more for greasing
2 large-ish quinces (about 600g)
160g caster or vanilla sugar
160g runny honey
1 small thumb fresh ginger, peeled and finely diced
Juice of ½ lemon
250g plain flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking powder
Good pinch of salt
180g caster or vanilla sugar
3 eggs, plus 1 egg yolk
100g creme fraiche
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 balls stem ginger in syrup, drained and chopped

For the topping
3 tbsp syrup from the ginger jar
3 tbsp quince poaching liquid
2 tbsp granulated sugar

Heat the oven to 170C/325F/gas mark 3.
Grease a 23cm x 5cm round, spring-form cake tin, line the base and sides with baking parchment, and butter the parchment.

Peel, quarter and core the quinces.
Cut each quarter into 1cm slices.
Put the quince into a large saucepan with 600ml water, the sugar, honey, ginger and lemon juice.
Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the quince is very tender and has turned a deep, rosy amber colour – about an hour and a half.
Drain, reserving the liquor.
Leave the quince to cool, and in a small pan reduce the liquor until thick and syrupy.

Sift the flour, ground ginger, baking powder and salt into a bowl.
In a separate bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
Add the eggs and yolk one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Mix in a few tablespoons of the flour, the creme fraiche and vanilla, fold in the rest of the flour, then the poached quince and chopped ginger.
Spoon into the prepared tin and smooth the top with a spatula.
Bake for about an hour and a quarter (check after an hour – if the cake is browning too quickly, cover with foil), until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

While the cake is cooking, whisk together the ginger syrup and poaching syrup to make a glaze.
As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, pierce the top a few times with a skewer and brush on the glaze, letting it trickle into the holes.
Sprinkle over the sugar and leave to cool in the tin for 20 minutes.
Remove from the tin and leave on a wire rack to cool completely.

- Quince recipes | Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall | Life and style | The Guardian

Hot lamb and quince salad from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

The zingy sweetness of the quince goes beautifully with the rosy lamb.
If you like, add a handful of rocket and/or coriander leaves to the salad, but it's delicious just as it is.
Serves four as a starter, two as a main.

1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
Zest of 1 orange
¼-½ tsp chilli flakes
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
500g lamb leg steak, butterflied (ask the butcher to do this for you), trimmed of excess fat
1 large quince, washed but unpeeled
2 tbsp runny honey
Juice of 1 lemon
1 sprig fresh rosemary
Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a small, dry frying pan over a medium heat, toast the coriander and cumin seeds until just fragrant – about a minute.
Grind roughly with a pestle and mortar, and combine in a bowl with the orange zest, chilli flakes and oil.
Add the lamb, rubbing the marinade well into the surface; cover and marinate for two to four hours, turning over once or twice.

Halve the quince lengthways, remove the core, then cut each half into four segments.
Put these into a small pan with the honey, lemon juice, rosemary and enough water just to cover.
Bring to a simmer, partially cover and poach gently until tender – depending on the size of the quince, about 30-45 minutes.
Remove from the poaching liquid with a slotted spoon and place in the marinade with the lamb.
Turn everything over with your hands so the quince slices are well coated.

Warm up a small griddle pan or frying pan over a high heat.
Fry the seasoned lamb steak for a couple of minutes a side, then leave on a warmed plate to rest for five minutes while you cook the quince.
Griddle or fry the quince segments on both sides until starting to caramelise.

Cut the lamb into thin slices and arrange on plates with the quince.
Deglaze the pan with some of the poaching liquid, then pour the pan juices over the meat and fruit, sprinkle on some flaky sea salt and serve immediately.
- Quince recipes | Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall | Life and style | The Guardian

Lamb and quince tagine.

Traditionally the meat for tagines is not browned (Moroccans would no doubt frown on this) but I think it gives the dish a better flavour and appearance.

Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 90 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 55 minutes 60 minutes 55 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients
half tsp Cumin seeds
half tsp Coriander seeds
100g Unsalted butter
4 Lamb shanks
1 tsp Ground ginger
half tsp Cayenne pepper
3 Garlic cloves, crushed
2 Large onions, roughly chopped
400ml Lamb stock
half Cinnamon stick
4 tbsp Clear honey
20g Fresh coriander leaves, coarsely chopped
1 Quince, peeled, quartered and cored
1 Lemon, juice and 2 strips of rind
half tsp Saffron, dissolved in 2 tbsp boiling water

Method
Grind the cumin and coriander together.
Heat 75g butter in a large casserole and brown the lamb on all sides.
Remove the meat and set aside.
Add all the spices (except the saffron), and the garlic and onions; cook for 2 minutes.
Season and add the stock.
Add 2 tbsp honey and about a third of the coriander.
Bring to the boil, return the lamb to the casserole, then turn down to a simmer.
Cover and cook over a low heat for 1.5 hours until meltingly tender.
Meanwhile, put the quince in a small saucepan and cover with water.
Add the lemon rind, juice and the remaining honey.
Bring to the boil, then simmer for 15–20 minutes until tender.
When the lamb is cooked, remove the shanks and cinnamon stick and keep warm.
Add about 4 tbsp of the quince poaching liquid, the saffron and its water.
Bring to the boil and reduce to a thickish sauce. Taste and season.
Slice the quince and heat the remaining butter in a frying pan.
Sauté the quince slices until golden.
Return the lamb to the casserole and heat everything through.
Gently stir in the remaining coriander and add the quince.
Serve immediately with couscous or bread.
Drinks recommendation
The Corker recommends- The rich exoticism of a Spanish blend melds seamlessly with the complex spicing and sweetness of such a subtle tagine.

- Quince recipes | Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall | Life and style | The Guardian: Hot lamb and quince salad.
- Lamb and quince tagine

Bozbash. Caucasian cuisine.

- Bozbash recipe - Recipes of Caucasian cuisine

Monday 15 October 2018

The Pauper's Cookbook.

Before culinary queen Delia Smith and star homemaker Kirstie Allsopp there was Jocasta Innes, a domestic goddess pioneer who taught the world that a great deal of imagination can make a little budget go surprisingly far in the kitchen and all around the home.
‘43 years after it was first published, The Pauper's Cookbook should still have a place in every modern kitchen’
Jocasta Innes. Cookery writer, interior designer. May 21, 1934 - April 20, 2013. Aged 78.

- At Jocasta Innes’ House | Spitalfields Life

- So Long, Sir Richard MacCormac | Spitalfields Life
- The Pauper's Cookbook: Amazon.co.uk: Jocasta Innes: 9780711235618: Books

Kharcho - Caucasian mutton soup.


Mutton lamb or beef brisket.
Lamb which should be cut into small pieces.
We warm the thick thick-bottomed pan and throw mutton into it without any butter, i.e. dry.
“Dry” stewing is generally one of the characteristic methods of Georgian cuisine, often applied to chicken.
The meat should browned for about 15 minutes, after which finely chopped onion is poured into the pan and stewed with the lamb for another 15 minutes.
The ratio of meat and onion is 1:1.
After stewing onions to an intense smell, boiling water is poured into the pan (2:1 to the total weight of meat and onions) and cooked over low heat for about an hour.
An hour later, rice is poured — about half a cup into 2 liters of water — they are stirred and boiled for another 20 minutes.
Garlic is pounded with salt and stinging chilli pepper, black pepper is crushed separately - 8-10 peas, cumin and coriander - in a dessert spoon, finely cut a large bunch of Coriander and put everything in the kharcho 2–3 minutes until ready, then add half a cup of tkemali (Georgian sour plum sauce made of cherry plums) or a quarter cup of red wine vinegar or dried plums.

So:
In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, melt the butter and brown the lamb cubes on all sides.
Add the chopped onion, tomato paste and garlic, and sauté 2 minutes, adding more butter, if necessary.
Add the water or stock and 1 teaspoon optional salt.
Bring to a boil, skimming any foam that rises to the surface, reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for 1 1/2 hours.
Add dried plums and rinsed and drained rice.
Return to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
If soup becomes too thick, add more stock or water.
Serve in heated bowls and garnish with chopped dill, if desired.

- Beef Soup (Kharcho) Recipe - NatashasKitchen.com

- Kharcho - Wikipedia

- The 10 Dishes That Will Make You Fall in Love With Georgian Food | Serious Eats

Chicken with Red Grapes and Marsala.

- Nigella Lawson's Chicken with Red Grapes and Marsala

Ginger and walnut carrot cake.

This is very different from the richly sweet, loftily layered and aerated American original with its ginger-spiked cream cheese icing .

200g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp fine sea salt
175g soft light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
200ml vegetable oil, plus more for greasing
200g carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
100g walnut pieces, roughly chopped or crumbled
75g crystallised ginger, finely chopped (Before you chop the amber dice of crystallised ginger, rub the cubes between your fingers to remove excess sugar.
Then chop them finely, though not obsessively.)

For the icing
100g soft unsalted butter
100g icing sugar, sieved if lumpy
1 tsp corn flour
100g full-fat cream cheese, fridge-cold
1 tbsp coarsely grated fresh ginger

To decorate
25g walnut pieces, roughly chopped or crumbled
25g crystallised ginger, finely chopped

Heat the oven to 170c/335F/gas mark 3.
Grease the sides and line the base of a 20cm springform cake tin with baking parchment.

Put the flour, baking powder, bicarb, ground ginger and salt into a large bowl and mix with a fork.

Beat the sugar, eggs and oil in another large bowl until completely mixed together, then gradually add the flour mixture, scraping the bowl to rescue and incorporate any flour clinging to the edges.
At this stage, the mixture may seem alarmingly stiff, but the carrots will loosen it up.
So, beat in the carrots, then fold in 100g prepared walnuts and 75g crystallised ginger, until everything is evenly combined.

Spoon and scrape into the prepared cake tin.
Don’t worry if it looks as if you haven’t got nearly enough batter, because the cake will rise well as it bakes.
Smooth the top and pop in the oven (this is when to make the icing: see the next step) for 45–55 minutes.
When it’s ready, the cake will be set and golden brown on top, beginning to shrink away from the edges of the tin, and a cake tester will come out with just a few crumbs stuck to it.
Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool in its tin.

As soon as the cake’s in the oven, get on with the icing.
Beat together the butter and icing sugar and, when creamily combined, beat in the corn flour, followed by half the cream cheese.
Once that’s incorporated, beat in the remaining half.
Be careful at all times not to over-beat or the icing will get too runny.
Starting with the grated ginger on a plate, get out a piece of kitchen roll and, moving quickly, spoon the grated ginger into the centre, bring up the edges of the paper, holding them together to form a little swag bag, and press on it over the bowl to squeeze out the intense ginger juice.
Beat this into the frosting bowl.
Cover with cling-film and refrigerate.

When the cake is completely cold, take the icing out of the fridge for about 20 minutes, by which time it will have softened to a still thick but spreadable consistency.
Beat briefly to help this along and make sure it’s smooth.
Unclip and release the cake from its tin, unmoulding it, and sit it on a cake stand or plate.
Spread the frosting on top, swirling it a little, then sprinkle the chopped walnuts and ginger on top.

From Nigella Lawson.

- Ginger and walnut carrot cake recipe - BBC Food

Sunday 14 October 2018

Pasta Gemelli with Anchovies, Tomato and Mascarpone.

Serves 2
Ingredients
175g gemelli pasta
salt, for pasta water
1 tbsp regular olive oil
6 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, peeled and minced
¼ tsp dried chilli flakes
150g cherry tomatoes, halved across the equator
4 tbsp (60ml) dry white vermouth (chicken stock or possibly vegetable stock)
2 tbsp mascarpone
1 tbsp Parmesan, finely grated, plus more to serve
2 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves, plus more to serve
Method
Put a pan of water on to boil for the pasta. (Although you don’t need to start cooking your sauce till the pasta’s in, I’d get everything ready for it while you wait.)
Once it’s come to the boil, salt generously and add the pasta.
Check the pasta packet for advised cooking times, but do start tasting a good 2 minutes before you’re told it should be ready.

Once the pasta is in, put the oil and finely chopped anchovies into a heavy-based wok, or other capacious pan, and cook, stirring over a medium heat for about a minute, or until the anchovies have almost dissolved into the oil.
Stir in the garlic and chilli flakes, then turn the heat up a little and tumble in the tomatoes, stirring them gently for about 2 minutes, or until they are beginning to soften.

Pour in the vermouth, let it bubble up, then stir and push the tomatoes about in the pan for around another 2 minutes until they have broken down a little in the thickened, reduced, now orange-tinted liquid.
Take the pan off the heat, stir in the mascarpone and, when it’s all melted into the sauce, duly stir in the Parmesan and parsley.

Before you drain the pasta, lower in a cup to remove some of the cooking water.
Or use a mesh ladle or pasta claw to transfer the gemelli directly.
Add a tablespoon or so of the cooking water to the pasta sauce; this will help the sauce coat the pasta.
Drain the pasta, add it to the sauce and toss well to mix, adding more of the pasta cooking water if needed.
Sprinkle with a little parsley and take the Parmesan to the table to serve.

- Gemelli with Anchovies, Tomato and Mascarpone - Penguin Books Australia

- Nigella Lawson: exclusive recipes from her new book, At My Table | Food | The Guardian

Friday 12 October 2018

Yogurt Cake.


135 grams yogurt
200 grams caster sugar
3 large eggs
200 grams plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
0.5 tsp salt
125 ml sunflower oil
Fresh strawberries and icing sugar, to serve

Preheat oven to 180 C.
Grease and line a 22cm/9 inch round cake tin.
Combine yogurt, sugar and eggs in a large bowl and beat until well combined.
Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt, and mix well.
Fold in the sunflower oil until incorporated, taking care not to over mix.
Spoon into the prepared baking tin and bake in the centre of the oven for 45-50 minutes.
Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Serve with fresh strawberries and a light dusting of icing sugar.

- French-Style Strawberry Yogurt Cake – Onken
- Yogurt Cake Recipe | Chocolate & Zucchini
- Quick and Easy Recipe: Yogurt Cake | Kitchn

Thursday 20 September 2018

How To Cook The Perfect Sausage.

- How To Cook The Perfect Sausage - Our Guide | Farmison™ - All about Sausage!

- Remove the sausage from the chiller 20 minutes before cooking, this will enable the sausage to cook evenly & stop the skin from splitting on contact with the heat
- Use a heavy based non stick frying pan, place on a low to medium heat
- Add a tsp. of duck or goose fat to the pan, then swirl around until the base is fully coated then tip away any excess fat.
- Place the sausages in the pan, making sure there not touching each other & keep on a constant heat, turn regularly so the sausages get a light golden colour, 10 to 12 minutes for a traditional thick sausage.
- At this point turn the heat up a little to create a rich dark caramel colour, this will only take a few more minutes turning the sausages regularly.
- Once cooked the sausage will be firm to touch, with a internal temperature of 70°C, the secret now is to let the sausages rest for a few minutes, just like you would a steak allowing the expanded protein cells to relax, giving you a tender, juicy sausage.

How to cook pigs cheeks to perfection.

- How to cook pigs cheeks to perfection
Remember to remove your pigs cheeks from the packaging, pat dry and bring to room temperature

Pre heat your oven to 135C

Next choose a suitable sized oven proof casserole with a tight fitting lid

Season the meat just prior to coloring with good quality sea salt

Make a mirepoix* by neatly chopping equal amounts of onion, carrot and celery or my preferred choice of celeriac - the root of the celery plus a bay leaf, sprig of thyme and a few black peppercorns, another nice addition can be a head of garlic split in half

Take a large, heavy based frying pan, and add a few drops pomace/olive or vegetable oil

Fry the cheeks on all sides then transfer to the casserole dish
Next fry the mirepoix until lightly coloured

Then add half a bottle of red wine, cider or a favorite local ale and reduce by two thirds then add 500 ml of essential cuisine veal stock and reduce a little, thicken with a tablespoon corn flour mixed with a little cold water and stirred into the boiling broth

Pour the sauce over the cheeks and cover

Place in the centre of the oven and cook for approximately 3 hours, the meat should be tender when pierced with a meat fork

Remove from oven, carefully take out the cheeks and keep warm

Pass off the juices through a fine sieve into a clean sauce pan and reduce to a glossy finish then pour back over the cheeks ready to serve

- *mirepoix - a mixture of sautéed chopped vegetables used in various sauces.

Wednesday 19 September 2018

Pig's cheeks.

- Nigel Slater's pig's cheeks recipe | Food | The Guardian
Braised* pig's cheeks.
The main ingredient is something that has recently started to appear on the shelves of our local Morrisons - £1.40x3 pieces (£5.40 1kg).
Remember to remove your pigs cheeks from the packaging, pat dry and bring to room temperature.

The accompanying potatoes produce a creamy, almost "wet" mash of a very soft and velvety texture.
Serves 4.
olive oil a little
pig's cheeks 8
carrots 3
onions 2
red onion 1
celery 2
garlic 4
flour 2 tbsp
thyme a generous bunch
orange peel a short piece
bay leaves 3
red wine 1 bottle, rich and bold (OR - 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar+2 cups hard apple cider+chicken stock; OR perhaps cider/calvados or stout)
sugar or fruit jelly 2 tbsp or so
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika (optional)

...in one word:
- equal amounts of onion, carrot and celery or my preferred choice of celeriac - the root of the celery plus a bay leaf, sprig of thyme and a few black peppercorns, another nice addition can be a head of garlic split in half.

- Warm a thin film of oil in a heavy roasting tin over a moderate heat, then season the cheeks with salt and pepper and brown them lightly in the oil.
Remove and set aside.

Cut the carrots into thick slices, peel and roughly chop the onions, cut the celery into short lengths and peel and slice the garlic.
Add the carrots, onions, celery, orange peel and garlic to the pan in which you browned the cheeks, letting them soften and colour very lightly.
...in one word:
- Using the same frying pan, add the **mirepoix of vegetable and colour.

- Set the oven at 140C/gas mark 3.

Return the cheeks to the pan, tucking them among the vegetables, scatter over the flour, season with salt and black pepper, cook for a minute or two then add the thyme, the bay leaves and the wine.
Bring to the boil, cover loosely with foil or baking parchment, then bake for 2.5 to 3 hours until tender.
Check occasionally to make sure the liquid isn't reducing too far.
After an hour or so, it might be prudent to taste and add up to two tbsp of sugar, or some apple or other fruit jelly/runny honey to the gravy.

Taste and correct the seasoning and serve with the potatoes.

Tuesday 11 September 2018

Quince.

- Quince | SimplyRecipes.com

Veal escalopes with prosciutto and chicken livers.

Scaloppine alla Perugina - Veal escalopes with prosciutto and chicken livers.

Ingredients
Serves 4
450g of thinly sliced veal fillet/scaloppine
55 g of prosciutto, diced finely
3 salted anchovies, bones removed
1 chicken liver, chopped as finely as possible
2 cloves of garlic, minced
8 sage leaves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon capers
the juice and zest of half a lemon
half glass dry white wine
plain flour, for dredging
a few sprigs of parsley leaves picked and chopped finely
a few tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Chop the prosciutto, anchovies, chicken liver and sage leaves as finely as possible.
In a sauté pan, heat the olive oil and cook the anchovies, prosciutto, chicken liver and sage leaves for 3 minutes.
Add the capers, lemon zest and lemon juice.
Stir constantly until all the ingredients are combined and soft.
Season with salt and pepper.
Add the white wine and leave to reduce for a minute or two.
Add a tablespoon of butter and mix well.
Set aside and keep warm.

Dust the veal fillets with the flour.
In a large pan, heat the olive oil and butter on a high heat.
Cook the veal for a minute on each side.
Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a plate.
Serve the veal and pour the sauce on top.
Scatter parsley leaves on top.
Serve with rosemary potatoes.

MORE:
- Scaloppine di Pollo alla Perugina - Italian Market
Chicken Fillet with Prosciutto, Chicken Liver and Lemon

Farro Bean Soup from Mimi Thorisson.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients
2 ounces finely sliced Prosciutto
1 onion finely diced
1 celery stalk, finely diced
2 small carrots, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 (14 Ounce) can chopped tomatoes
1 zucchini, diced
100 g/ 3/4 cup green lentils
150 g/ 1 cup farro

A good handful of freshly chopped fresh Basil
Red hot pepper flakes (optional)
Salt & Pepper
To Serve:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil or
Grated Parmesan, to garnish

Heat the olive oil in a large pot and cook the prosciutto for a few minutes.
Add the carrot, celery and onion and continue to cook for 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and zucchini, continue to cook for 2 minutes.
Add the can of diced tomatoes.
Season with salt & pepper, and half a teaspoon of chilli flakes (optional).
Add the equivalent of 3 to 4 cans of water.
Bring to a simmer.
Add the farro and green lentils.
Reduce the heat to low, cover and continue to cook for about 20 minutes, or until the vegetables, farro and lentils are tender.
If the soup is too thick, add more water and season accordingly.
Serve with leaves of basil, grated parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil.

Saturday 8 September 2018

Baked cheesy aubergines by Rachel Roddy.

- Rachel Roddy’s recipe for baked cheesy aubergines | Food | The Guardian





Richard Olney’s aubergine, tomato and ricotta gratin.

- Rachel Roddy’s recipe for aubergine, tomato and ricotta bake | A kitchen in Rome | Food | The Guardian
Serves 4
800g aubergine (ideally, the small elongated variety)
Olive oil, for frying
1 medium onion, diced
1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
500g ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
Salt and black pepper
Sugar (optional)
250g ricotta
1 large egg, beaten
150ml double cream or mascarpone
60g parmesan, grated, plus more for topping
A splash of milk (optional)
A small handful of basil leaves

- Cut the aubergine into 3mm thick slices lengthways, or if you are using large aubergines, across.
If you wish, salt the slices.
Pour oil into a frying pan until it reaches 25mm up the sides, then set over a medium heat.
Once hot, fry the slices in batches until golden on both sides, then lift from the pan and blot on plenty of kitchen towel.
You may need more oil; don’t let it get too hot.

- Dispose of the oil, wipe the pan, return it to the heat and add 3 tbsp of fresh oil.
Fry the onion until soft and translucent.
Add the garlic, tomatoes and a pinch of salt, then cook until most of the water has evaporated away and the tomatoes are thick and saucy – which usually takes about 15 minutes.

- Mash the ricotta.
Add the egg, cream, a pinch of salt and half the parmesan.
Beat into a thick cream – it should pour slowly, so if it is too thick, add a little milk.
Taste and add salt, as needed.

- Set the oven to 200C/400F/gas 6.
Line the bottom of a small, deep gratin or baking dish with the aubergine slices, season with pepper, rip over some tiny pieces of basil, sprinkle with the remaining parmesan and then spoon over half the tomato sauce.
Repeat: another aubergine layer, more basil, more parmesan and the rest of the sauce.
Finish with a layer of aubergine slices, then spoon over the cream and dust with parmesan.
Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 190C/375F/gas 5 for another 15 minutes, or until the surface is set and a rich golden brown.
Rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Roast sausages with fennel & red wine gravy from Mimi Thorisson.


Ingredients: (serves 4)
12 good quality pork sausages (or any good quality meat sausages of your choice)
1 large fennel bulb, coarsely sliced
1 large onion, coarsely sliced
240 ml/ 1 cup red wine
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp mustard
A few sprigs of fresh thyme
Coarse salt & black pepper, for seasoning

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F
In a small bowl, mix olive oil and mustard.
Place sausages in a baking dish, drizzle olive oil and mustard – mix well.
Let the sausages cook in the oven for 20 minutes, add fennel, onions, thyme, salt and pepper (salt very lightly as the sausages and mustard are already salty).
Cook for a further 25 minutes, stirring the pan halfway.
Add the red wine and butter, and cook for a further 10-12 minutes, until the wine has reduced and the sauce has become slightly thicker.
Serve with mashed potatoes.

Spinach & gorgonzola balls from Mimi Thorisson

(for 8 balls)

750 g/ 1 & 2/3 pounds frozen spinach (about 1 pack)
2 small slices of stale bread
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon plain flour
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
8 teaspoons gorgonzola cheese
Parmesan cheese, grated/to serve
Salt & freshly ground black pepper

For the butter sage sauce
A large handful of sage leaves
80 g unsalted butter
Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Steam the spinach until soft and drain.
Squeeze out the excess water (very important otherwise the balls will be watery), and chop as finely as possible.
Place 2 small slices of stale bread in the food processor and pulse until you get fine breadcrumbs.
In a large bowl (or you can mix everything in the food processor, just pulse lightly) combine spinach, breadcrumbs, milk, nutmeg, flour, salt & pepper and mix until well blended.
Roll out approximately 8 walnut-sized balls. While shaping the balls, insert a small teaspoon of gorgonzola inside and reshape.

Heat a large saucepan with salted water and bring to a boil.
Cook the spinach balls for 8 minutes and drain.

While the spinach balls are cooking, prepare the sage butter sauce.

In a large pan, melt the butter on a medium heat.
When the butter starts to sizzle, wat until it turns light golden brown, then lower the heat and add the sage leaves.
Season with salt & pepper, and shake the pan for about 30 seconds.

Drizzle the sage butter sauce on top of the spinach ball. Grate parmesan on top before serving.

Friday 7 September 2018

Plantia’s Tarte Tatin by Mimi Thorisson.

- Plantia’s Tarte Tatin by Mimi Thorisson Recipe | AGFG
Sweet Tart Dough:
1 1/2 cups / 180 g plain (allpurpose) flour, sifted, plus more for rolling
1/3 cup / 65 g caster (superfine) sugar
Pinch of fine sea salt
1 large egg yolk
7 Tbs / 100 g cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for the pan

Apples:
1/2 cup / 100 g caster (superfine) sugar
1 vanilla pod (bean), split lengthways, seeds scraped and reserved
6 1/2 Tbs / 90 g unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 pounds / 900 g apples, peeled, cored and quartered
Crème fraîche, for serving

Method
Sweet Tart Dough:

Make the dough.
Put the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the centre.
Add the sugar, salt and egg yolk and mix slowly with your hands.
Add the butter and mix well until you have a smooth and homogenous dough.
Form it into a ball, cover with cling film (plastic wrap), and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350F/180C.
Butter a 9-inch/23-cm ovenproof frying pan (skillet).

Start the apples.
Mix the sugar with the vanilla seeds.
Sprinkle the vanilla sugar over the bottom of the frying pan, scatter the butter over the sugar, and then tightly pack the apples in the pan in a circular fashion with one flat side down.

Put the pan on the stove over a medium-high heat and cook until the liquid starts to bubble, about 3 minutes.
Reduce the heat and continue to cook until the juices turn a golden caramel colour, about 10 minutes.
Remove from the heat.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to a 1/8-inch/3mm thickness.
Using a sharp knife, cut a round of dough just slightly larger than the top of the frying pan.
Drape the dough over the apples to cover and carefully use your fingers to tuck the dough between the pan and the apples on all sides.

Transfer to the oven and bake until the pastry is golden brown, about 40 minutes.

Let cool for 5 minutes.
Wearing oven mitts or using tea towels (kitchen towels), carefully (the caramel is hot) remove from the pan by placing a large serving plate on top and inverting the cake onto the plate.

Serve with crème fraîche.

Sunday 26 August 2018

German Apple Pancake.

- German Apple Pancake Recipe | Serious Eats
- Preheating the oven to a high temperature allows the pancake batter to puff.
- Precooking the apples adds caramelized flavor.
- Letting the pancake cool slightly in the pan before inverting onto a serving plate allows it to set.
- Once the pan is removed from the oven, it's normal for the pancake to deflate.

Ingredients
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup yogurt
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 to 5 medium tart cooking apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored, and sliced into 1 cm wedges
Powdered sugar for dusting

Directions
- Adjust rack to upper middle position and preheat oven to 260C.
Whisk flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, and salt in medium bowl to combine.
Whisk in milk, yogurt, eggs, and vanilla until just combined; set batter aside.

- Stir remaining 4 tablespoons sugar with cinnamon in a small bowl.
Heat butter in 25 cm non-stick oven-safe skillet over medium heat until melted.
Increase heat to medium high and add apples and cinnamon-sugar to pan.
Cook, stirring frequently, until apples have softened and are beginning to caramelize, 6 to 8 minutes.

- Remove from heat, pour batter over apples and immediately place pan in oven.
Reduce heat to 220C and bake until pancake is puffed, just set in center, and golden around the edges, about 15 minutes.

- Cool pan on wire rack for about 15 minutes, then carefully invert pancake onto serving plate.
Dust with powdered sugar and serve.

- Don't Throw Out Your Sourdough Starter - Dutch Baby Pancakes | Gold Country Cowgirl
Peach Sourdough Dutch Baby Pancakes
modifying the recipe according to...
Recipe per egg:
1 Tbsp. butter
1 egg
1/3 cup sourdough starter
1/8 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. cream, 1/2 & 1/2 or milk (optional)

Pan sizes (allow 2 eggs per serving)
1 egg – 10 cm pan
2 eggs – 15 cm pan
4-6 eggs – 25 cm pan
6-8 eggs – 30 cm pan
10-12 eggs – 40 cm pan

If You use two glass pie plates:
I usually make a recipe with 3-4 eggs.
I place each pie plate in the oven without butter while the oven is preheating, and once heated, I pull them out and add 2Tbsp of butter to each plate, making sure to coat the bottom and some of the sides.
I then pour the batter into each plate evenly in the middle of the butter.
This has made my pancakes foolproof!
Hope that helps…



Sunday 19 August 2018

Giardiniera (Italian Pickled Veggies).

- Giardiniera (Italian Pickled Veggies) Recipe | Cookooree
1 small head cauliflower
1 carrot
1 celery rib
12 pearl onions
12 olives
2 red bell pepper
2 yellow bell pepper
1 small head serrano or jalapena chile
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup white wine vinegar
1 cup EVOO
water to cover the vegetables
1/4 cup sea salt to stir into the water for the brine

Remove the seeds and ribs from the red, yellow and serrano peppers. Cut into 2 inch strips and then 1/2 inch slices.
Cut the celery and carrot in quarters and cut in 1/2 inch slices.
Cut the pearl onion in half.
Cut the cauliflower in quarters and cut out the core and large stem. Break the florets into pieces about the same size of the other vegetables.
Place the green, red and serrano peppers, celery, carrots, onion, and cauliflower in a bowl. Stir the salt into the water and pour into the bowl to cover the vegetables completely.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight.
The next day drain salty water and rinse vegetables well.
Cut the olives in half.
Mix the garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, black pepper and olives in a bowl. Pour in vinegar and EVOO and mix well. Pour the mixture over the vegetables and mix well.
Spoon the giardiniera into a liter or quart jar and seal tightly.
Refrigerate for 2 days before eating.
Gardiniera will keep in the refrigerator of at least 2 weeks.

- Giardiniera – the Chicago Way | from the Bartolini kitchens
Chicago Giardiniera Recipe
Ingredients

8 jalapeños, chopped (for more heat, serranos may be substituted)
1/2 large cauliflower, cut into florets
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 sweet banana peppers, diced
1 sweet onion, diced
1/2 cup kosher salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp celery seeds
black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup vegetable/canola oil

Directions
Combine vegetables and salt.
Add enough water to cover, stir, cover, and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.
Strain vegetables from brine, rinse well, and set aside.
In a large glass bowl, add garlic and remaining seasonings.
To that bowl, add the vinegars and stir until well-mixed.
Whisk the solution while adding the oils.
Add the reserved, brined vegetables into the bowl and gently mix until well-coated.
At this point, the giardiniera may be left, covered, in the bowl or transferred to clean jars.
Either way, it must be refrigerated for 48 hours before serving.
Because this giardiniera isn’t canned, it must be stored in the refrigerator, where it will keep for a few weeks.

Fermented! Italian la giardiniera.

- The Probiotic Jar - The Probiotic Jar

- Melanzane a scapece (Marinated Eggplant) | Memorie di Angelina

- Homemade Giardiniera | Memorie di Angelina
Giardiniera is an Italian relish of pickled vegetables in vinegar or oil.
The Italian version includes bell peppers, celery, carrots, cauliflower and gherkins.


- Rachel Roddy’s recipe for pickled garden vegetables | Food | The Guardian
Italian la giardiniera, which simply means a preserved mix of seasonal garden vegetables.
This March batch included carrot, turnip, red cabbage, beetroot (leaving no doubt about colour – soft pink or absolute purple depending on proportions) fennel and red onion.
This method makes a pleasing, entry-level pickle, with both crunch and jolt, its flavour sour and assertive enough to fill your mouth in a single bite but just sweet enough not to be abrasive.
The pickle equivalent of easy-listening maybe (serious fermenters and pickle aficionados may like to stop reading now).

As a guide, 1kg of vegetables, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces, needs 750ml pickling liquid made by mixing 550ml white wine vinegar with 200ml water in a pan, then adding a heaped tablespoon each of fine salt and sugar, and whatever you fancy of the following: a crushed red chilli, peeled or crushed garlic, bay, dill, peppercorns, juniper berries or coriander seeds.
Then heat it slowly.
Once at boiling point, add all the vegetables, stir, cover the pan and leave on the heat for one minute.

And that is pretty much it.
Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the bottom of each of two large, sterilised jars (wash them in boiling water and dry in a low oven).
Now use a slotted spoon to lift the vegetables into the jars, cover with pickling liquid, share out the spices and screw on the lids.
If you can, wait a week, although they’re good to eat the next day.
I keep my pickles in the fridge for up to two months.
They taste better when cold anyway: brighter somehow, the sweet and sour and taste even more pronounced – especially next to a cheese sandwich, a slice of savoury pie or boiled meat, or simply savoured straight from the jar against a kitchen counter.

- Melanzane a scapece (Marinated Eggplant) | Memorie di Angelina

Rachel Roddy’s Ciambotta Calabrese (Calabrian-style tomato, potato and aubergine stew).

- Rachel Roddy’s recipe for tomato, potato and aubergine stew | Food | The Guardian

Serves 4

600g ripe tomatoes
1 large onion
1 large potato
2 red peppers
2 medium aubergines
Olive oil
Salt

Peel the tomatoes by plunging them into boiling water for two minutes, then under cold water, at which point the skins should slip away. Chop the tomatoes roughly (scooping out the seeds, if you wish). Peel and slice the onion into half moons and chop the peeled potato, red pepper and aubergines into chunks the size of a nutmeg.

In a large, wide frying pan or casserole, fry the onion in plenty of olive oil and a pinch of salt over a low-medium heat, until soft and translucent. Add the potato, stir and add a small glass of warm water so the potatoes bubble. After five minutes, add the tomato and allow to simmer gently for 30–40 minutes or until soft, rich and saucy (add a little water if it starts to look dry).

Now you have two options: you can simply add the aubergine and peppers to the pan about 10 minutes after the potatoes and cook everything together. Alternatively, in a separate pan in a couple of inches of olive oil, fry the chunks of aubergine and pepper in batches until soft and golden, draining on kitchen towel and then stir into the tomato in the last few minutes of cooking. Either way, once cooked, taste and add salt as necessary. Serve at room temperature.

Tuesday 14 August 2018

Gooseberry and almond cake - By Diana Henry.

- Gooseberry and almond cake - Telegraph

Sweet-tart and moist.
There’s sugar in this, of course, making it an occasional treat.
But it’s made partly with wholemeal spelt flour, which is both better for you than white flour and also brings a nutty tone.
You can replace it with wholemeal wheat flour, if you prefer.

Serves 8




125g unsalted butter, plus more for the tin
125g soft light brown sugar
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
50g wholemeal spelt flour, sifted
25g plain flour, sifted
75g ground almonds (preferably freshly ground)
3-4 tsp baking powder
350g dessert gooseberries (red or green), topped and tailed
4 tbsp golden caster sugar
30g flaked almonds icing sugar, to dust

Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5.
Butter a 20cm (8in) springform cake tin.

Beat the butter and soft light brown sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs a little at a time, beating well after each addition.
If the mixture starts to curdle, add 1 tbsp of the spelt flour.
Fold in the rest of the flours, the almonds and baking powder using a large metal spoon, then scrape into the prepared tin.

Toss the gooseberries with the golden caster sugar and spread them over the top of the cake.
Bake for 40 minutes.
Sprinkle on the flaked almonds and return to the oven for 10 minutes.
The cake is ready when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Leave to cool in the tin, then carefully remove the ring and base of the tin.
Dust with icing sugar before serving.


a cherry version…
This is just as good made with cherries.
Just pit 500g of them and throw them on to the cake just before it goes into the oven.
They’ll be soft in the time that it takes the cake batter to cook.
This makes a lovely squidgy cake.

- Tip:
Cake needs to be cooked for much longer – in my experience a fruit-heavy cake like this needs at least 45 – 50 mins in the oven, I had to keep returning to the oven and actually went on to 50 mins.
For lack of gooseberries I baked my blueberry pie!
Nice batter and tasty cake in the end though!