6 Amazing Blogs For Bread.

6 Amazing Blogs For Bread Recipes | Make Bread At Home

Russian small pies.

Pirozhki.

about 30 small pies
250 grams of cold butter,
3 cups flour, grits or chop.
Yeast - a quarter of the sticks (25g) diluted in half a glass of warm water, and then put a half spoonful of sugar and salt a little bit.
Yeast left for 10-15 minutes and mix with flour,
there add 250 grams of sour cream, make a ball and put in the cold for 2 hours.

top with egg white or just milk. eggs - more glossy.
The dough is good for the cabbage filling,
Bake at 200C.
Until they turn brown on both sides.
Then you can apply the butter on top.
And cover with a towel for 10 minutes.

NOTE:
Dr.Oetker dry yeast a bag 7g.
The bag is for 500g of flour.
The content is equivalent to 21-25g of fresh yeast.
Thus, if the recipe is 50 g of fresh yeast, then you need about 2-2.5 bags of dry.
One bag of SAF-MOMENT 11 g corresponds to 60 grams of fresh yeast and goes to 1 kg of flour.
About 4 teaspoons.
That is, one teaspoon of SAF-MOMENT corresponds to approximately 15 grams of fresh pressed yeast.
And remember, all types of yeast are fermented as quickly as possible at 30C - a little hotter, and the yeast will be spoiled.

Salzburger Nockerl by David Lebovitz

Salzburger Nockerl - David Lebovitz

The Best Cinnamon Buns (Kanelbullar) by Bronte Aurell.

- Recipe: The Best Cinnamon Buns (Kanelbullar) - ScandiKitchen





36 Buns
Make the dough:
If using fresh yeast, add the luke warm milk (36C) to your mixing bowl in a stand mixer and add the yeast; stir until dissolved.
If using active dry yeast (granules), pour the warm milk into a bowl, sprinkle in the yeast and whisk together.
Cover with cling film and leave in a warm place for about 15 minutes to become bubbly.
Pour into the bowl of a food mixer fitted with a dough hook.

Start the machine and add the cooled, melted butter.
Allow to combine with the yeast for 1 minute or so, then add the sugar and mix for a minute.
In a separate bowl, weigh out 800g of 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 – and you can always add more later.
The mixture has enough flour when it starts to let go of the sides of the bowl.
Once mixed, leave the dough in a bowl and cover with a clingfilm.
Allow to rise for around 30 minutes – or until it has doubled in size (this time can vary depending on the temperature in your kitchen).
Dust a table top with flour and turn out the dough.
Using your hands, knead the dough and work in more flour if needed.
Cut the dough into two equal pieces and using a rolling pin, roll out one lump of dough to a 40 x 50 cm/16 x 20 in. rectangle.
Using a spatula, spread the filling across the dough in an event, thin layer.

Traditional Swirls:
Simply roll the dough lengthways into a long roll and cut into 15-16 pieces, place on a lined baking tray, and leave – covered – to rise for another 20 minutes.
Repeat with the remaining lump of dough.
Beautiful Twists:
Want to make cinnamon bun twist, like in the photo? Just scroll down to see how to twist (video).
The twists are shown at around 4 minutes in.
Roll out the dough, and fold it once you have spread the filling on it.
Make sure it is even and flat – then using a pizza cutter, cut out even sized strips.
Hold one end of the dough while you twist the dough back on itself and allow it to roll into a twist.
Always make sure the ends are tucked underneath or they will unravel during baking.
Leave to rise for a further 20 mins before brushing with egg.
Bake:
Heat the oven to 200C (fan).
Brush the buns lightly with beaten egg, then bake for 7-9 minutes or until golden and done.
Watch it, they can burn easily and different ovens vary in temperature: My oven bakes these on 180C fan in 8 minutes.

While they are baking, heat the golden syrup and date syrup in a pan until warm and liquid.
If you cant get hold of date syrup, just use golden –but Date syrup does add a lovely flavour to the buns.
When the buns come out of the oven, immediately brush lightly with the syrup, then add pearl sugar (nibbed sugar) on top of the buns and cover with a quite damp tea towel.
The tea towel stops the buns from going dry and forming a crust – leave it on there for at least five minutes.
If you cannot get hold of nib sugar (pearl sugar), you can use chopped hazelnuts etc instead as an alternative.
The buns last only for 24-36 hours – as with all fresh bread – so freeze as soon as they have cooled down if you cant eat 36 buns in one go.
Notes
Note for cardamom and cinnamon: buy the seeds (already de-podded) online and grind as you need, using a spice grinder (you can do it by hand, but its hard work).
Or buy pre-ground, but it loses potency quickly.
For cinnamon, never skimp on the quality – buy good ground cinnamon – the cheap stuff is not great and you need lots more to get a good flavour.

From book:

How Canadian Meredith Erickson became the queen of cookbooks - The Globe and Mail

How Canadian Meredith Erickson became the queen of cookbooks - The Globe and Mail

Cranberry Upside-Down Cake from the cookbook Tartine: A Classic Revised.

- House & Home
by Elisabeth M Prueitt, Chad Robertson
Yield: Serves 8 to 10
Ingredients
Fruit Layer
2 3/4 cups (275 g) fresh or frozen cranberries
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp orange zest

Caramel
3/4 cup (135 g) brown sugar, packed
3 tbsp (45 g) unsalted butter

Cake
2 cups (260 g) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/3 cups (265 g) granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup + 3 tbsp (280 g) crème fraîche
1 tbsp vanilla extract
6 tbsp (85 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C).
Butter a 10 by 5 inch (25 by 12 cm) loaf pan and line with parchment paper, leaving a few inches of overhang on each side.
To prepare the fruit layer, combine in a bowl:
the cranberries,
brown sugar
orange zest
- gently mix with your hands or a rubber spatula to coat the cranberries and evenly distribute the sugar and zest.
With a spoon, transfer the fruit from the bowl to the prepared pan, keeping in mind that there will be more fruit than the bottom of the pan can accommodate.
The cranberries will shrink during baking so the fruit settles into an even layer.

To prepare the caramel
- stir together the brown sugar and butter in a small, heavy saucepan;
bring the mixture just to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring to combine with a rubber spatula, so the sugar doesn’t burn before the butter is fully melted.
When the caramel has softened and begun to boil, remove the pan from the heat.
Immediately pour the caramel evenly over the fruit mixture in the loaf pan and set aside to cool and set without agitating the mixture.

To make the cake
- sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Add the granulated sugar and salt and stir to combine.
In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, crème fraîche and vanilla extract.
Add the softened butter to the dry ingredients in the mixer bowl.
Mix on low speed until the mixture is sandy and the butter can no longer be seen.
Add the egg mixture, and then beat thoroughly on medium speed until the batter is smooth, about 1 minute, stopping the mixer halfway through to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

Pour the cake batter on top of the fruit and caramel in the prepared pan and smooth to the edges with an offset spatula.
Give the pan a few hard raps on the counter to knock out any air bubbles from the batter.

Bake the cake until it has risen and become a deep golden brown color, and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour.
It might require more time.
Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes.
To unmold, run a small, thin knife around the sides to detach any hardened bits of caramel from the cake pan.
Place an inverted serving dish onto the surface of the cake, and, using a towel or oven mitts, flip the cake pan and dish and carefully slide the pan from the cake.
Gently peel off the parchment and allow the cake to continue cooling at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.
The cake will keep, covered at room temperature, for up to 3 days.


- Tartine: A Classic Revisited: 68 All-New Recipes + 55 Updated Favorites (Baking Cookbooks, Pastry Books, Dessert Cookbooks, Gifts for Pastry Chefs)
by Elisabeth Prueitt - Published October 1st 2019 by Chronicle Books

- Tartine (Baking Cookbooks, Pastry Books, Dessert Cookbooks, Gifts for Pastry Chefs) by Elisabeth Prueitt, Alice Waters, Chad Robertson - Published August 24th 2006 by Chronicle Books

- Check the price at Cheap books - compare book prices then buy at the cheapest price - Best Book Price

Pilaf rice.

300g white basmati rice
Salt
Generous knob of butter
3 cardamom pods, crushed
1 stick of cinnamon
2 strips of lemon zest
Pinch of saffron (optional)

1. Rinse the rice thoroughly and tip into a large saucepan of boiling, salted water.
Stir, bring back to the boil, and cook for 7 minutes.

2. Drain well and season to taste.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a clean pan over a medium heat then add the spices and lemon zest.
Cook for a minute, then add 2 tbsp water and a layer of rice.
Heap the rest on top in layers, making sure not to push it down.
Make 5 air holes in the surface with the handle of a wooden spoon, wrap a lid of the pan in a clean tea towel and cover.
Cook over a very low heat for 30 minutes.

3. Have 5cm of cold water ready in the sink.
When the rice is done, plunge the pan into the water and leave for a minute, then turn the pilaf on to a platter.

Is pilaf rice's finest hour or do you prefer it fried, baked or boiled with milk and plenty of sugar?
Which country does the best version: do you prefer palau, pilau or plov?

- Finally…Mrs.Shopkeeper’s Secret Recipe for Bulgar Pilavi…. | Veggiestan

Rick Stein's beef and pork meatballs.

- Rick Stein's beef and pork meatballs in a tomato and 'piment' sauce - YOU Magazine
Rick Stein’s Secret France by Rick Stein
400g minced beef
400g minced pork
1 egg
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
small handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp piment d’Espelette, pimentón or unsmoked hot paprika
plain flour
salt and black pepper
3 tbsp olive oil

Sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
100g unsmoked lardons or cubes of cooked ham
1 tsp piment d’Espelette, pimentón or unsmoked hot paprika
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
6 tomatoes, hard cores removed, chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
150g pitted green olives, drained
400g tin haricot beans, drained

1. In a large bowl, mix together the meat, egg, garlic, parsley, cinnamon, piment d’Espelette and 2 tablespoons of flour.
Season with salt and pepper and blend well.
Using your hands, shape the mixture into golfball-sized balls, adding another tablespoon of flour if the mixture feels too wet to form into balls.
Roll the balls in flour to lightly cover.
Heat the oil in a large, preferably shallow, flameproof casserole dish, and brown the meatballs all over.
Set them aside.

2. For the sauce, heat the tablespoon of olive oil in the same casserole dish and fry the onion and the lardons or ham until the onions are softened.
Add the piment d’Espelette and cinnamon and cook for a minute, then add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste and 250ml of water.
Season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil.
Turn down the heat, cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes.
Add the olives, haricot beans and browned meatballs to the sauce, together with any juices they have released.

3. Cover the pan and cook over a low heat for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Check a couple of times during cooking and add a little more water if the sauce looks as if it is getting too thick.
Serve as a tapas or as a lunch or supper dish with pilaf rice.

shakshuka pizza — molly yeh

shakshuka pizza — molly yeh

Potato Dauphinoise by Mary Berry.

- Recipes | Mary Berry
Can be part-cooked for about 45 minutes up to 24 hours ahead.
To serve, return to the oven without the foil for about 20-30 minutes, or until piping hot.
Freezes well cooked.

750g sweet potatoes, peeled
750g King Edward potatoes, peeled
300ml double cream
150ml chicken or vegetable stock
50g Parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat the oven to 220°C/Fan 200°C/Gas 7
You will need a 2-2.4 litre shallow ovenproof dish, buttered.
Slice the sweet potatoes and King Edwards very thinly using a sharp knife or the slicing blade on a processor.
Arrange one layer of mixed potatoes in the buttered dish.
Season with salt and pepper and drizzle over a little cream and stock.
Continue to layer the potatoes and double cream and stock until you have used all the ingredients.
Push the potatoes down into the liquid using your hands so they are all covered.
Sprinkle with the cheese and cover with foil.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes.
Remove the foil and continue to cook for another 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and the potatoes are cooked through.
Leave to stand for 5 minutes before serving.

<a href="https://www.jamesmartinchef.co.uk/recipes/masterclass-potatoes/">Masterclass Potatoes - Dauphinoise, Pomme Parisienne, Pomme Anna, Pomme Soufflé - James Martin Chef</a>

Mary's classic Caesar salad.

Mary's classic Caesar salad recipe - BBC Food

Bowls of Goodness by Nina Olssen.

from book Bowls of Goodness
The Loyal Lentil Chilli
Don’t be discouraged by the long list of ingredients, it’s mostly spices that you will already have in your spice rack.
serves 4
250 g puy or beluga lentils
1 tablespoon coconut or olive oil
5–7 shallots, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped to a paste with 1 teaspoon salt
11/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 red pepper, halved, deseeded and finely chopped
1-2 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
2 tomatoes, finely chopped
400g butternut squash, cooked and chopped into small pieces
400ml coconut milk
1 tablespoon tahini
1 tablespoons honey or agave syrup
juice of 1 lime
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

simple yogurt sauce:
200g yogurt or vegan yogurt (soygurt or coconut yogurt)
1 teaspoon honey or agave syrup
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

quickest cucumber salad:
1/2 cucumber, shaved into ribbons
4 tablespoons rice vinegar

to serve:
fresh coriander
hot sauce, like sriracha
cooked brown rice
lime wedges

Cook the lentils according to the packet instructions, rinse, drain and set aside.
Heat a frying pan over a medium–high heat.
Add the oil and gently fry the shallots until transparent.
Add the garlic, spices, pepper, chilli and tomatoes and fry for a few minutes over a medium–low heat.
Stir in the lentils, squash, tahini and honey.
Pour in the coconut milk and stir, then let the chilli simmer over a medium–low heat for 5 minutes, adding a little water if needed and stirring regularly.
Add the lime juice and soy, then let it simmer for a further few minutes while stirring.
Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
Remove from the heat. Mix the ingredients for the yogurt sauce.
Make the cucumber salad by combining the shaved cucumber and rice vinegar.
Drizzle the chilli with extra virgin olive oil, top with freshly chopped coriander and serve with the cool yogurt sauce and salad.
Serve with a hot sauce, rice and lime as extras on the table.

- Recipes from Bowls of Goodness by Nina Olssen - Wear & Where

- A Day in the Life: Nina Olsson from Nourish Atelier

- Kombucha — nourish atelier

Masterclass with Richard Bertinet

Tim Hayward learns a new technique for handling dough in a bread-making masterclass with Richard Bertinet

My bread from Richard Bertinet's book Crust.

Here's how to get your starter started.
Stage 1
50 g spelt flour
150 g white bread flour
40 g honey
100 g water (at about 100 degrees; Bertinet calls this "blood temperature")

Mix ingredients into a compact dough; cover and let rest in a warm place for at least 36 hours.

Stage 2
Refreshing the starter
170 g starter
15 g spelt flour
140 g white bread flour
75 g water ("blood temperature")

Mix into a tight dough and let rest for 24 hours at warm room temperature (about 24C/75F).

Stage 3
Discard half of Stage 2 dough and refresh remaining 200 g with:
400 g white bread flour
200 g water ("blood temperature")

Mix to a thick dough.
Let rest for 4 hours in a warm place, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 days.
The starter is ready when it smells slightly fermented and is a little stringy.
Each time you use the starter, feed it by adding 2 parts bread flour to 1 part water.
If you go a week without baking, discard some of starter and feed it to keep it alive.

Stage 4
To make 1 large loaves:
307 g white bread flour
42 g spelt flour
209 g starter
312 g water ("blood temperature")
10 g salt

Using your hands or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, work starter into flours.
Add water and mix.
Add salt and keep working dough until glutens activate.
You can tell when this happens, because the dough will come together into a ball.

Transfer dough to a dry, lightly floured surface and fold into center to form a ball.
Place in a large, lightly oiled bowl, cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap, and let rest for 1 hour.

Tip dough out onto a lightly floured surface and fold into center to form another ball,
shape into ball and place in a well-floured basket or lightly oiled bowl.
Cover with kitchen towels and let rest at room temperature overnight to rise.

Stage 5
Baking the bread

Tip dough ball out onto a dry surface and turn over.
Score top.

Bake at 230C/450F for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 200C/400F and bake until loaves sound hollow when tapped with your fingertips, about 1 hour (???!).




Recipe adapted from:
- Starting a Starter for Winter Sourdough Bread | Bon Appétit

Drop scones.

- Drop scones recipe - BBC Food
Ingredients
175g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
40g caster sugar
1 small orange, zest only
1 free-range egg
200ml milk
little sunflower oil, for greasing

To serve
butter or maple syrup or honey
Greek-style yoghurt
fresh blueberries and raspberries

Method
Measure the flour, baking powder, sugar and orange zest into a mixing bowl.
Make a well in the centre and then add the egg and half of the milk.
Beat well, with a whisk, until you have a smooth, thick batter.
Beat in enough of the milk to make a batter the consistency of thick pouring cream – you may not need all the milk.

Heat a large non-stick frying pan and grease with a little oil.
Drop the mixture in dessertspoonfuls onto the hot frying pan, spacing the mixture well apart to allow for them to spread.
When bubbles appear on the surface, turn the scones over with a palette knife or spatula and cook on the other side for a further 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until they are lightly golden-brown.

Lift the pancakes on to a wire rack and cover with a clean tea towel to keep them soft.
Continue cooking the batter in the same way.

Serve at once with butter, or syrup, or honey, and yoghurt and blueberries, raspberries or other seasonal fruits.

Recipe Tips
If you make these ahead and need to reheat them, arrange in a single layer on an ovenproof plate.
Cover tightly with foil and reheat in a moderate oven for about 10 minutes until warm.
Serve at once.

Four Easy To Make Salad Dressings.

Four Easy To Make Salad Dressings | Marcus Wareing Restaurants

Pancake.

- Pancake Day recipe | Marcus Wareing Restaurants
Makes about 36

225g plain white flour
2.5 tsp baking powder
0.5 tsp fine salt
0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
60g caster sugar
4 large egg yolks
500ml milk
90g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1tsp almond extract
6 large egg whites
Vegetable oil, for frying

To serve
Icing sugar
Maple syrup

Sift the flour into a large bowl with the baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
Stir in the sugar, keeping back 1tbsp for later.
Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl until thickened, then gradually whisk in the milk, melted butter, and almond extract.
Make a well in the dry ingredients.
Slowly pour in the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly to make a smooth batter.
Put the egg whites in a clean bowl and whisk to soft peaks, adding the reserved sugar halfway through.
Fold into the batter.
Set a large, non-stick frying pan over a medium heat.
Splash in a little oil to cover the bottom of the pan and heat until hot.
Spoon the batter into the pan to make four pancakes, each 8-10cm in diameter.
Cook for 2 – 2.5 minutes until the underside is golden brown, then turn the pancakes over and cook for 1.5 – 2 minutes to lightly brown the other side.
Lift the pancakes out of the pan with a spatula and serve straightaway, with sugar and syrup.
Make more pancakes in the same way, cooking them four at a time and adding more oil when necessary.
They are best served straight from the pan, or as soon as possible after cooking.

Best 3 Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Ovens

Best 3 Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Ovens - Le Creuset vs Staub vs Combekk Review

Farro Lentils Soup.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients
50g 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 (400g) 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.

Rachel Roddy’s Anglo-Italian cottage pie.

- Rachel Roddy’s Anglo-Italian cottage pie recipe | A Kitchen in Rome | Food | The Guardian
The most important part of the recipe is roughing up the surface with a fork, which I am now going to refer to as gadrooning.

100g rindless streaky bacon
3 tbsp lard, dripping, butter or other suitable fat for frying
1 onion, peeled and diced
1 small leek, trimmed and diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
2 sticks of celery, diced
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper
400g minced beef
1 tsp Marmite (optional)
300ml light stock
1kg potatoes, peeled
Butter
Whole milk

In a heavy-based pan over a medium low heat, gently fry the bacon in the fat.
Add the onion, celery, leek, carrot, bay leaf and a pinch of salt, and continue frying until the vegetables are starting to soften and turn translucent.

Crumble the mince into the pan and stir, breaking it up and moving it around until it has lost any pinkness.
Add the Marmite (if using) and pour over the stock.
Leave to simmer for an hour, by which point it should be rich and thick with just a little liquid.

Meanwhile, boil the potatoes in well-salted water until tender.
Drain, then mash with butter and milk, seasoning to taste.

Put the mince in the bottom of a Pyrex or porcelain oven-proof dish, then spoon over the mash and fork it into place, creating rough peaks on the top.

Bake on the top shelf of an oven heated to 190C (170C fan)/gas 5 for 25 minutes, until the edges are bobbing and the top is golden.

My 50% Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread

Make your own gluten free sourdough starter.

- from Naomi Devlin.
Gluten free sourdough starter
You can make a gluten free starter using any wholegrain gluten free flour, but brown rice works out the cheapest.
Slowly fermented bread, pancakes and muffins not only taste delicious, most people find them more digestible too because of the presence of friendly bacteria who munch on antinutrients in the grains during the fermentation process.
Some people can react to baker’s yeast in the same way they do to gluten, so the wild yeasts in a sourdough starter can often be tolerated where commercial yeast cannot.
Follow the method below to make your starter in 5 days and then you can use it and keep it dormant in the fridge between bakes for the rest of your life as long as you feed it.
Read the pointers below the recipe before you get started.

Day 1
120g brown rice flour (or any mixture of sorghum, millet, white teff, rice or quinoa)
180g tepid (about 28ºC) mineral or filtered water
Small bunch of unwashed grapes (or pear water, see below) (optional)
Mix flour and water (use this quantity of pear water if using) in a bowl, nestle the grapes in (if using), cover with a cloth and leave in a warm place.

Day 2
120g brown rice flour (or flour mixture as above)
160g tepid mineral or filtered water
Lift out the grapes, add the flour and water ‘feed’, whisk, replace grapes and cover again.

Day 3
150g brown rice flour (or flour mixture as above)
200g tepid mineral or filtered water
Lift out the grapes, whisk, weigh out 150g, add the feed, replace grapes and cover again.

Day 4 morning & evening
150g brown rice flour (or flour mixture as above)
200g tepid mineral or filtered water
By now the sourdough starter should have started to bubble and smell a little yeasty.
Take out the grapes, squeeze a little to release a small amount of juice and discard the grapes.
Whisk the starter well, weigh out 150g, discard the rest or make pancakes or crumpets with it, stir in the feed and cover again.
Repeat the feed in the evening.

Day 5 morning & evening
Whisk and measure out 75g of starter and discard the rest as before, feed the starter with 150g of gluten free flour and 200g of water, do this both morning and evening.

Day 6 morning
Whisk and measure out 75g of starter and discard the rest as before, feed the starter with 150g of gluten free flour and 200g of water, put into a 1 litre or larger glass preserving jar and allow the starter to bubble up and double – mark the starting level in the jar with a glass pen or sharpie so you will easily see when it has doubled.
It is now ready to bake with and this is referred to as an ‘active’ starter.
If it isn’t doubling, weigh out 75g of starter and feed again every 6-8 hours.
You might need to do this for a couple of days more in the middle of winter or in a cold house.
Each time you feed it, you must weigh out 75g and discard the rest, otherwise your kitchen will overflow with starter.
You can store any discarded starter (discard) in the fridge until you have enough to make some pancakes or a batch of crumpets.
If you plan to bake a lot of loaves each time, you might want to keep a larger amount of starter reserve, just remember to increase the amount of feed you give it accordingly.

Sourdough Baking Glossary

Sourdough Baking Glossary

Open kibbeh, plus pearl barley tabouleh with marinaded feta recipes from Yotam Ottolenghi.

- Open kibbeh, plus pearl barley tabouleh with marinaded feta recipes | Yotam Ottolenghi | Food and drink | Food | The Guardian

- Open Kibbeh - The Happy Foodie

How to Line a Baking Pan with Aluminum Foil.

How to Line a Baking Pan with Aluminum Foil - David Lebovitz

My malt and molasses bread.

- Malt Extract (from barley)
is derived from barley grains and water.
It is packed with sugars plus some nutrients, including vitamin A and riboflavin.
- Molasses or black treacle (British English)
Treacle - is basically the British equivalent of molasses.
It comes in several grades, ranging from light “golden syrup”, to dark or “black” treacle.
The word “treacle” is defined as any syrup made in the refining of cane sugar.
This includes molasses, though some will debate whether the two are the same or not.
Molasses/treacle.
Molasses at Amazon.co.uk




How to Measure Treacle or Syrup:
- Pour the sticky liquid into the oiled measure and then it will slip off easily into the bowl or pan.
- Dip the measuring spoon or implement into hot water.
Pour the sticky liquid into the measuring spoon or implement straight after the item has been dipped in boiling water.
Again, the measured sticky liquid should pour off easily.
- Use a plastic or glass measuring cup. It's easiest to measure sticky and viscous liquids like syrup if you first measure oil in the cup, then use the cup without cleaning the oil.
Or, if the recipe doesn't call for oil but a little oil wouldn't hurt, you can grease the cup with some.

See My Sourdough for more detail into my basic process!

My Sourdough.

What have I learned to Date.
So. My Process step-by-step.
For One Loaf Bread - 608g.

Preparation:
Feed your starter the night before planning to bake:
- 15g ripe starter
- 30g filtered tepid water (30-40C)
- 30g bread flour
I used 25% Wholemeal rye flour + 75% Strong White Bread Flour.

Feed and leave the sourdough starter at room temperature overnight.
My average RT 20C
I like to use my oven with light on (T 25C).
The next morning the starter should be active and full of bubbles and ready to bake with.
This can take anywhere from 2-12 hours or more depending on room temperature and the condition of your starter.

Do Float Test:
If you’re still unsure whether your starter is ready, drop a small amount (about 1 tsp) into a glass of water:
- Your starter floats to the top - it can be used.
- Your starter sinks - not ready to use OR it's past it's peak and should be fed again.

Note:
If you only bake a few times a month, keep your starter in the fridge and feed it once a week.
If you’re an avid baker, store your starter at room temperature and feed it at least once a day.
When you decide to bake, take starter out of fridge a day before you plan to use and give starter two feeds, 12 hours apart, at a 1:5:5; 1:3:3 or 1:2:2 ratio at room temperature.
This should remove the acid load that it accumulated in the fridge and bring it back to full strength.
Once your starter consistently doubles in volume within 8 hours (average) of refreshment (tripling would be even better) then you can consider:
- refrigerating it or
- use it
before it starts to collapse!

Starter health is key when it comes to successful sourdough!
The number one priority for any would-be sourdough baker is to learn to manage their starter.
Observation gives you knowledge the rhythm of activity your starter: knowledge of the length of time from feeding to its peak.
You can make a less sour bread by using a "young" starter and a more sour bread by using more "mature" starter - when it is ready to collapse.
The "active" or "mature" starter you use in your recipe becomes the "levain".
It is the starter that leavens the dough.

Cheese Knife Guide.

Cheese Knife Guide | Castello

No-stir risotto.

60g butter
2 tbsp olive oil
2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
1 stick celery, finely chopped
Salt and black pepper
350g Arborio risotto rice (OR Carnaroli, Vialone Nano are starchier)
100ml dry white wine or 50ml dry vermouth
1-1.25 litres light chicken or vegetable stock, simmering
1 large unwaxed lemon (zest and juice)
radishes
75g mascarpone or robiola
60g parmesan or pecorino, grated

In a wide, shallow, heavy-based frying pan or cast iron casserole, warm half the butter and all the oil over a medium-low heat then gently fry the onion and celery along with a pinch of salt until soft and translucent - this will take about seven minutes.
Add the rice and stir until each grain glistens – you want them to become partly translucent and to smell slightly toasty.

In another pan keep the stock at a simmer.
Chicken or vegetable are the most versatile, but ham, fish or beef may work better.

Raise the heat, add the wine or vermouth and let it bubble and evaporate for a minute.
Pour in the 3/4 of hot stock, and bring to a simmer.
Cover the pan and leave to cook, undisturbed, for 15 minutes – keep the remaining broth warm!
Cut the rest of the butter into pieces and grated the cheese.

Add the final stock as it warms and butter while everything bubbles.
Add the lemon zest after 10 minutes.
Continue until the rice is tender but with a slight nutty bite, and the risotto is soft and rippling.
This can take anything from 17 - 25 minutes depending on the rice you are using.

Pull the pan from the heat and, using a wooden spoon, firmly beat the remaining butter, mascarpone, parmesan, two tablespoons of lemon juice and a generous grind of black pepper into the rice.
Cover the pan and leave to rest for one minute.
Beat again and serve risotto topped with radishes.

Prepare radishes:
Whisk together vinegar and oil - 1 tablespoon each.
Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
Toss radishes with dressing.

A great way to eat radishes.

Vialone Nano: beloved by the Venetians.
Its stubby grain makes it ideal for creamy Risottos and particularly for seafood.
The Italians love it because:
- It is creamy and velvety
- The rice retains some bite,"al dente"
- It is versatile.

This basic risotto is delicious on its own, or with cooked veg stirred through it (I had mine with wilted spinach and baked squash OR radishes), but it’s easy to adapt.
A classic Milanese risotto, say, is made with beef stock and a good pinch of saffron and served alongside osso buco - a famous Italian casserole: shin of veal cooked in white wine with tomatoes.
- Osso buco with saffron risotto | delicious. magazine
- How to cook the perfect osso buco | Food | The Guardian

Mushroom risotto can be made along the same lines, with meat or vegetable stock and the soaking liquid from dried porcini.
As can, in just a few weeks’ time, asparagus risotto made with vegetable or chicken stock and a glug of asparagus cooking water.
Note that fragile ingredients such as asparagus or seafood are best cooked separately and stirred into the risotto just before serving.

Shchi - Russian Cabbage Soup.

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, sauté onion, carrot and chopped celery stirring frequently (Sofritto recipe!).
Add 1 small red pepper diced and sauté about 3 minutes, stirring frequently (Optional but I like).
Add shredded cabbage and sauté about 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add bay leaf, black peppercorns to taste and 8 cups (or 2 L) hot stock - vegetable or chicken...beef does the job too.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 15 minutes.
Add 1 peeled and chopped potato + 1 whole potato to soup and bring back to the boil.
Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
Add the chopped 3 fresh tomatoes or undrained canned tomatoes or 1 tablespoon of tomato paste and bring back to the boil.
Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper to taste.
Remove bay leaf and peppercorns from the pot.
Some cooks leave the peppercorns in.
Grab the whole potato from soup, crushed it with a fork, and sent the mashed potato back to the soup - stirring.
Add crushed garlic before turning off the heat.
Serve soup in warm bowls with dill and sour cream (optional) as garnish.
Accompany with rye bread, if desired.

Note:
Adding the ingredients to the same pot in stages allows you to build up flavors in a short period of time.
feel free add:
- Chili flakes
- Parsley root and leaf.
- The green or savoy cabbage (green is not quite as soft as the savoy).
- Bacon, chorizo or meatball bring a rich, porky, smoky flavor to the soup.
- Turnip or swede a bit.
- Beans

Basic Soffritto recipe.

Also known as battuto, this is the essential base for Italian stews and soups, some sauces and ragù.
The recipe varies by region, but most versions contain the ‘holy trinity’ of Italian vegetables: celery, onion and carrot.
In summer, make batches to freeze for winter, including some without garlic.

150g carrot (about 2-3)
150g celery (2-3 sticks)
150g onions (red or white)
150ml olive oil
2 garlic cloves (optional)
Salt and pepper
2 large sprigs of rosemary and/or thyme
2 bay leaves

Finely chop the ingredients by hand or in a food processor.
It is best to cut them separately if you are using a machine as the carrots need longer than the celery and onion.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-hot heat.
Add the garlic, if using, and season with salt and pepper.
Fry for 1 minute before adding the remaining ingredients.
Keep frying, stirring frequently, for 15–20 minutes or until the vegetables have softened.
The colours will have changed from bright and sharp to soft and golden.
Use straight away or freeze.

Soffritto.

- One batch of sofrito, four different meals | Get ahead | Life and style | The Guardian

- Soffritto: The Holy Trinity | ITALY Magazine:
Soffritto is the essential base to Italian soups, stews and some sauces that chefs often refer to as "the holy trinity".

The basis of soffritto is simply a combination of three key ingredients: celery, onion and carrot.
Sometimes called battuto, the make-up of this holy trinity is two parts onion to one part carrot and one part celery.
This simple recipe, which can vary from region to region with addition of herbs and spices, is gently sautéed in butter or olive oil to create a flavour base for other ingredients.
In the northern Italian regions of Piedmont, Veneto and Lombardy, a mix of both oil and butter is often used.

Soffritto is a combination of the word sotto, meaning under, and the adjective fritto, meaning fried, creating the phrase under-fried, which sums up the process of gently cooking the vegetables perfectly for them to be underneath the additional ingredients.
The vegetable mix is cooked for about 5 minutes until it softens and becomes golden in colour; at this point it is ready for the other ingredients, such as meat, stock, tomatoes etc.

This holy trinity is created by chopping the vegetables into tiny little cubes of around ½ inch (1.3 cm) or less.
Purists dictate that the smaller the better for a speedier cooking time and also for use in a risotto.
These purists stipulate that this can only be properly achieved with the use of a mezzaluna, a crescent shaped, two-handled blade that fits into a wooden board with a rounded depression that is rocked from side to side.
However, most chefs with good blade skills find any sharp knife does the job just as efficiently.

Many small independent greengrocers and market traders, particularly those in rural areas, will offer the buyer odori, which is basically a few sticks of celery, an onion and a couple of carrots to your shopping as a thank-you for your custom: my local greengrocer does, and it would be shameful not to use these gifts.
Although a laborious task, the chopping of soffritto can be quite therapeutic.

To use fresh soffritto is best, but once chopped, it also stores well in the freezer and can be cooked straight from frozen, making it ideal for busy cooks; now most Italian supermarkets sell soffritto in the freezer section and, although this pre-packed product is convenient for the cook with little time to spend chopping vegetables, many people still create their own.

If you’re going to spend an hour or so meticulously chopping vegetables, why not try adding parsley, mint or any other herbs of your choice to the mix in preparation for different future stews and sauces; but remember to label the bag before freezing.
'via Blog this'

Shchi from sauerkraut.

Shchi - is a Russian style cabbage soup.
When sauerkraut is used instead, the soup is called sour shchi, while soups based on sorrel, spinach, nettle, and similar plants are called green shchi.
Very little is required for cabbage soup.
In my case - actually sauerkraut, quite sour, as I love.
A handful of dried mushrooms, a pair of onions and a pot.

Cut onion into squares 5-7mm and fry in vegetable oil in a saucepan with a thick bottom, add cabbage and fry more for 10-15 minutes.
Then put pot in the oven - 150C for 40 minutes without cover.
During this time the cabbage was browned a bit.
At the time, put mushrooms in cold water, and boil - you can have quite a decent dark broth.
Pour the broth with the mushrooms into the cabbage, stirred it, covered the pot with a lid and returned it to the oven 150C for half an hour.
After half an hour lower the temperature to 110C and held for another 2 hours.
Then turn off the oven, but did not take out the pot - left it till morning.

Sprinkle with dill and ate it with inexpressible pleasure.
A magnificent thing!

Artichoke pasta.

- Artichoke pasta recipe - BBC Food
I call it One-Pan Pasta - I cook it all In one frying pan with relatively high sides or in Dutch oven.
You can save time, water, and energy by starting pasta in just enough cold water for them to absorb and leave a small amount of liquid, which helps make a nice quick sauce.
Cook the pasta in a pan of unsalted water! Artichokes are a very salty!
Drain pasta, reserving a mugful of starchy cooking water.
Pour the artichokes, with their oil into the same pan + garlic, parsley and thyme and heat through for a couple of minutes and then using tongs, drag the pasta straight into the Artichokes pan, letting a little starchy cooking water go with it.
Add the lemon juice and toss thoroughly.
Serve in bowls topped with shavings of parmesan cheese.
happy day!

- How to Quickly Cook Pasta in a Frying Pan - CHOW Tip - YouTube

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice:

Fall has landed in the mountains, which means I set my sights and tastebuds on all things pumpkin.
I’ll be posting all sorts of great fall baking recipes on my updated website next month, but in the meantime let’s start with two basic recipes.
The first is for homemade pumpkin pie spice; it’s way cheaper than the premade stuff and it packs a much spicier punch.
The second recipe is for a delicious pumpkin butter that is seasoned with that very same pie spice.

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice:
-2 tsp cinnamon
-2 tsp ginger
-1 tsp nutmeg
-1/2 tsp cloves
-1/4 tsp allspice
Stir spices together and store in an airtight container.

Homemade Pumpkin Butter:
-850 g of pumpkin
-1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar or coconut sugar
-2 tbsp honey or maple syrup
-1/2 cup apple cider or apple juice
-1 tsp lemon juice or orange juice
-2 1/2 tsp pie spice (from above)
-1/2 tsp cinnamon
-1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
-1 Tbsp coconut oil
-1/2 tsp salt

Bring all ingredients to a simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally.
As the coconut oil melts, use a whisk to gently emulsify it.
Continue simmering over low heat for 25-30 minutes, stirring every few minutes with a spatula, being sure to clear the bottom and sides of the pan to avoid any scorching.
Once the pumpkin butter is thick and fragrant, taste it and adjust salt/sugar levels accordingly.
Funnel the pumpkin butter into a clean 1 qt (32 oz) glass jar that has been warmed briefly under hot tap water.
Clean rim and outside of jar, then tightly screw on the cap.
Carefully place the hot jar into the freezer for at least two hours; this will seal it.
Alternatively, you can process the pumpkin butter in boiling water like any other preserve if you have the proper equipment at your disposal.
Pumpkin butter will keep up to two weeks in the fridge in an airtight container, or up to two years preserved or frozen.

Dutch Oven Bread and Brioche French Toast.

Simple Recipes From Around The World and advice to a new blogger from Sandra Mihic.

- The Best Dutch Oven Bread
- Brioche French Toast - Sandra's Easy Cooking

"This blog gave me the opportunity to work with great brands, agencies, and companies, and I will be forever grateful for that blessing in my life.
One advice that I could give to a new blogger:

1. Stay true to yourself!
Meaning: Do not promote on your blog for $10, $20 or whatever and ruin your reputation.
Don’t sell yourself cheap because you are worth more than that.
Stay in your niche, and work with brands that you really enjoy.

2. Do not rush, or you will get burned.
Nothing comes overnight, and do not expect a herd of people coming to your blog right away.
It takes time!
Trust me.

3. If you feel stressed, or overwhelmed: Take a break, a breather, recharge and continue.
Your readers, followers, we will wait for you and welcome you back with open arms.

4. Learn, learn, learn…
How do you accomplish something, complete tasks on your own?
Lesson learned!
Let me tell you downside: NOT ONE BLOGGER will tell you everything; how much they earn, how they migrated from Blogger to WordPress, which networks they are working with, and so on…
Believe in yourself and learn about everything if you wish to continue to become a successful blogger.

5. Last, but not least:
- Picture is worth 1000 words, as they say.
Learn about photography, food styling, especially if you are a food blogger.
There are so many amazing sources.
Investing your time is necessary to be successful."
- About - Sandra's Easy Cooking
'via Blog this'

Canned Or Dried Beans?

- Canned Or Dried Beans? 5 Ideas When Buying Beans - DrWeil.com
"The most nutritious varieties of beans are black, red, kidney and pinto beans.
Black beans have the most antioxidant activity of any of these bean choices.
To get the most soluble fiber from your beans, choose navy beans: one cup of cooked navy beans provides 19 grams of fiber!
When using dried beans, don’t discard the water used to simmer them – up to 70 percent of the antioxidants that beans provide end up in the simmering liquid.
Instead, simmer the beans until they are done and then give them a chance to soak these key nutrients back in by leaving them in the liquid for at least an hour.
Consider pressure cooking – a growing trend in preparing healthy, whole-food meals is pressure cooking.
Dried beans that were soaked and then cooked in a pressure cooker were shown to retain the most antioxidant value.
The easiest (and possibly healthiest) route?
Buy canned beans.
Canned kidney and pinto beans are two of the most antioxidant-rich foods you can eat, as the heat of the canning process enhances the availability of nutrients in the beans.
Choose low- or no-sodium versions of canned beans without added sugars when possible.
I recommend one to two servings of beans and legumes per day – easy to do if you swap out meat for beans in salads and sandwiches and make hummus or bean dip with cut fresh vegetables part of an afternoon snack."

My allotment Ribollita - a leftover vegetable soup.

Ribollita in Italian means re-boiled, and simply refers to a leftover vegetable soup, mixed with stale bread and then reheated.

My recipe is more like a guideline since the soup has been traditionally cooked with pretty much whatever was available from the vegetable garden.

Ingredients:
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 cloves of minced garlic
Salt and ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. tomato paste or 1/3 cup of canned diced tomatoes or 1 fresh tomato
1/2 cup cooked or canned cannellini beans
1L vegetable or chicken stock
250-300g chopped kale
4 large, thick slices whole-grain bread
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
2-3 thyme sprigs (leaves only)
crushed red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf

optianal:
Add fresh vegetables:
Sweet potatoes or butternut squash (cook before adding)
Savoy cabbage
Swiss chard
Zucchini
Leeks (white parts only), sliced
...freshly grated Parmesan

How i did it:
- Start by putting the dried beans in salted, cold water – about five times as much water as beans by weight.
Now heat the beans to a gentle simmer – keep the beans at a simmer, never a hard boil.
The time of cooking really varies on the bean variety and there is no better method than… tasting.
Cannellini beans usually take way more than an hour – and possibly over three hours.
When the beans are cooked, drain them, reserving the cooking water.
In a blender or food processor, puree about 3/4 of the beans and return the bean purée to the cooking water with remaining whole beans.
OR: Drain the beans; if they’re canned, rinse them as well.

- Meanwhile, prepare the soffritto: put 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large pot over medium heat.
When it’s hot, add onion, carrot, celery and garlic; sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft, 5 to 10 minutes.

Add the thyme leaves, the remaining fresh vegetables, the tomato paste, the bean purée + whole beans (with its water if You like), along with an additional 1L of stock.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat so the soup bubbles steadily; cover and cook, stirring once or twice to break up the tomatoes, until the flavors meld, 15 to 20 minutes.

Fish out and discard rosemary and thyme stems, if you like, and stir in kale.
Taste and adjust seasoning.

Add bread in large pieces and wait.
Wait, wait and wait again.
...so the bread essentially falls apart and thickens the soup.
The soup should be thick but not dry, so add a little more cooking water if you need to loosen it.
Then cook again for 5 minutes until boiling but only before serving.
OR: Let soup sit for at least a few hours, ideally overnight.
Then, reheat the soup, boiling for a few minutes at low heat.
Stir, add olive oil and eat.

You can scatter red onion slices over the top, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with Parmesan if you like.

There are a few boundaries for your creativity:
Ribollita was originally developed as a way to utilize stale bread.
- cook the dried beans without soaking them: “slowly.”
If you cook the fresh beans and add rosemary and salt in the cooking water, you can use some of that water to thicken and flavor the soup.
Another trick is to use a hand blender to blend sauteed garlic cloves, a some cannellini beans and fried sage together and then add that paste to the soup.
Since cooking the beans takes so long, cook the beans the first day (maybe in the evening, while doing other stuff) and then prepare the soup the next day, which then serve on the third day (!) - the taste will be at its peak the following day.
If you don't have cannellini beans you can substitute:
- White (navy) beans
- Flageolets

- Try to keep the same proportion of vegetables to bread.
Cavolo nero should always be present for an authentic taste.
It is excellent when made with swiss chard, cavolo nero and good Italian stale bread.

- Don't stint on the herbs because the white beans absorb flavor.

- Don't put in the microwave.
Ribollita means "boiled again".

- Cook early in the morning or better the day before.

- Ribollita | authentic recipe | Italian recipes | Tuscan | soup

- Canned Or Dried Beans? 5 Ideas When Buying Beans - DrWeil.com

#rhubarb stew

- Stewed rhubarb recipe - A Bunch Of Wild

"I thought I’d share with you a couple of variations on how to stew rhubarb.
Our rhubarb at The Haven is at its best right now and I’m pulling it by the arm load.
There are crumbles to be made, cordial and sauces, plus I shall freeze a load.
One of my favourite things to do with it and the easiest is to stew it.



Here’s how I do mine.

In a pan on the hob:
You will need
400g of chopped rhubarb,
60g caster sugar (I like to add a star anise) and enough water to just cover the bottom of the pan.
Place on the hob and bring to the boil, stir once then turn down to simmer and leave for 30-45 mins or until you have a nice consistency.
Leave to cool then decant and keep in the fridge.

In the oven:
This gives you a more caramelised taste with a bit more depth.
Same measures as above for rhubarb and sugar, a good glug of ginger syrup, a dash of water.

Place all of the ingredients in a baking tray with sides.
Pop in the oven at gas 4 (180C = 350F = Gas Mark 4), check after 15 mins and give a stir, keep checking it every 5 minutes till you are happy with the consistency (there is no right or wrong, it’s how you like it), then leave to cool before popping in a bowl, keep it in the fridge till needed.

I love to have mine on natural yoghurt sprinkled with pumpkin seeds and drizzled with blossom honey, delicious!"

Seasonal cleanse by Amy Chaplin

Seasonal cleanse - Amy Chaplin

13 Ways to Use Lentils.

13 Ways to Use Lentils in Cooking for a Fast, Frugal and Fabulous Meal

Nadiya Hussain Apple Palm Pies.

- Nadiya Hussain Apple Palm Pies Recipe | BBC Time to Eat
Introduction
These are so easy and quick, because there is no peeling of apples, no coring or chopping, so you can have your pie and eat it too.
The filling is a mixture of apple sauce mixed with spices, dried fruit and nuts, then wrapped in filo, perfect enough to fit in the palm of your hand and in your mouth, in a bite, or two.
They freeze well, so when you need pie, be it for yourself or for guests, you’re always one step ahead.

Makes 12 Easy Cook time: 45 min
Ingredients
2 x 285g jars of apple sauce, chunky
0.5 tsp mixed spice
50g mixed nuts, or nuts of your choice, roughly chopped
50g raisins
cooking oil spray
270g pack of filo pastry, or 6 sheets
demerara sugar, for sprinkling

You will need a 12-hole muffin tray.

Instructions
Put the apple sauce, mixed spice, nuts and raisins into a bowl, stir well and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C.
Have a 12-hole muffin tray at the ready.
Spray the inside of each hole liberally with oil.

Unroll the filo pastry on to a work surface.
Using kitchen scissors, cut out all the pastry in one go to make 8 equal squares, which should give you 48 squares in total.
Keep the squares you’re not working with under a tea towel to prevent them drying out.

Take 1 square of filo and spray it with oil, lay another square on top, spray again, then lay another on top and spray again.
You should have three squares oiled together.
It doesn’t matter if the squares are a bit off-centre.
Place inside the oiled cavity of the muffin tray, press down, and repeat this process until you have filled all 12 holes in the muffin tray.

Fill each hole with an equal amount of the apple filling.

Take another square of filo and spray well, then fold in half and in half again to create a small square.
Place the small square on top of the apple mixture and fold the pointy edges inwards.
If any areas feel dry, spray with oil.
Repeat for all 12, then sprinkle with sugar and bake for 14–16 minutes.

Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes.
These are best eaten warm, with ice cream or custard.

Any left over can be cooled and frozen.
I know 12 wouldn’t last very long in my household, so due to the ease of making these, why not double the ingredients and make another full 12 to freeze, providing you have freezer space!

Cheese, pistachio and prune cake. By Rachel Khoo.

- Cheese, pistachio and prune cake recipe - BBC Food
Ingredients
250g plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
150g soft goat’s cheese, cut into small pieces
80g pistachios, roughly chopped
100g prunes, roughly chopped
4 free-range eggs
150ml olive oil
100ml oz milk
50g plain yoghurt
1 tsp salt
pinch freshly-ground black pepper

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and line a loaf tin measuring 22x11cm/8½x4¼in across the top and 6cm/2½in deep with baking paper.
In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, goat’s cheese, pistachios and prunes.
In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs until fluffy and pale in colour.
Then gradually whisk in the oil, milk and yoghurt.
Season with the salt and freshly-ground black pepper.
Fold the flour mixture into the whisked eggs.
Try not to overbeat as this will make the end result tough (it’s better to undermix).
Pour the batter into the prepared tin.
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a metal skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Leave to cool in the tin.

Recipe Tips
Use a rubber spatula rather than a whisk to prevent overbeating the flour.

Swedish Meatballs with Orzo.

- Nigella Lawson’s meatballs with orzo recipe | The Sunday Times Magazine | The Sunday Times

For the sauce:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion (approx 150g), finely chopped
2 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 tsp dried oregano
4 tbsp (60ml) red vermouth
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
275g orzo pasta
- Fill a measuring jug with 4 cups of cold water and put near the stove.

Heat the oil in a heavy-based Dutch oven or saucepan that comes with a lid and is large enough to take the meatballs and pasta, too.
Cook the chopped onion over a medium heat, stirring every now and again, for about 10 minutes, or until completely softened, then stir in the parsley and oregano and cook, stirring for a minute or so before adding the vermouth.
Let this bubble up for a minute and then tip in the tomatoes.
Half-fill the empty cans with water from the measuring jug you have at the ready, give them a good swill, and pour into the pan, along with the rest of the water and salt.
Bring to a boil, turn the heat down, clamp on the lid and leave to simmer gently for 10 minutes.

Uncover the pan and drop the meatballs gently into the simmering sauce.
- I have Smorgasbord Swedish Meatballs - ASDA Groceries
Bring it back up to a boil, then turn the heat down again, put the lid back on and simmer the meatballs for 20 minutes.
Remove the lid, tip in the orzo, stir gently and turn up the heat to bring back to a bubble.
Cook at a robust simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked.
You will have to give the odd gentle stir throughout this time to make sure the orzo isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Serve in shallow bowls, sprinkled with parsley, and with Parmesan on the table alongside.

I love Scandinavian food and these delicious Smorgasbord Swedish Meatballs (from Sainsbury or Asda) are my favourite.
Made in Sweden to a traditional recipe combination of pork and beef, gluten free, no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives!

But if you prefer homemade then here's a recipe for you:
500g minced beef
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves, plus more to serve
2 tbsp dried breadcrumbs
4 tbsp finely grated parmesan, plus more to serve
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

- Line a large baking sheet with plastic wrap, then put all the ingredients for the meatballs into a large bowl and mix together, gently, with your hands.
Don’t overmix, as it will make the meatballs dense-textured and heavy.
Pinch out pieces of this mixture and roll between the palms of your hand to form meatballs that are somewhere between a cherry tomato and a walnut in size, putting them on your lined sheet as you go.
You should get about 30 meatballs.

Greek Moussaka.

Greek Moussaka | KALOFAGAS | GREEK FOOD & BEYOND

Nadiya Hussain's Egg Rolls.

- Nadiya Hussain's Egg and Mushroom Rolls | BBC Time to Eat

Roasted Buckwheat with Mushrooms and Onions.

Roasted Buckwheat with Mushrooms and Onions – Polish Kasha

Sourdough Crumpets with Natural Starter.

Sourdough Crumpets with Natural Starter Recipe | Chocolate & Zucchini

Jam Blackcurrant with oranges.

About the amount of sugar. 
- If you are going to eat jam quickly - you can add just one kilogram of sugar on 1 kg of berries. 
So the jam will be more useful. 
- But if you are going to keep it for a long time - add one and a half kilograms. 
- If you decide to put it in the cellar, it is better to add sugar to two kilograms.

Ingredients:
1 kg of black currant
1 medium orange
1 lemon (optional)
sugar

Method:
Wash currants.
I wash it in the kitchen sink where all the twigs and debris float to the surface.
Or I use a salad spinner.

Oranges:
If necessary, I will remove the white layer and the pulp.

So…
Put the fruit in a saucepan - not because it’s going over any heat, but for the flat bottom surface that makes for easy crushing. 
I like using a potato masher. 
You can also pulse the fruit with an immersion blender or in a food processor, but take care not to over-process it.

Add sugar, mix well with spoon - I prefer a silicone spoon.
Leave the mixture at room temperature for a day.
During this time, you need to mix/stirring the ingredients several times so that the sugar is well dissolved.
Then pour all over the jars.
I sterilize jars in the microwave or jars and lids in the oven to heat it up to 100 celsius and turn it off.
Put the jam in the fridge for a day.
During this time, the jam will thicken.
Then sprinkle the jam in each jar with sugar or use a waxed disc wet in vodka - waxed side down!.
If the jam will be liquid not thicken all the sugar will drown.
I make a uniform layer in half a centimeter of sugar.
So it will be stored longer and will not form mold.
Cover with lids and store in the refrigerator or cold cellar.

The nice thing about these jams is their fresh taste.
Such raw black currant jam with orange is tasty and healthy.

Note:
If you’re going to experiment, start out with a small amount, about 2 cups of crushed fruit. 
If you want to make a larger batch, double this. 
When trying to figure out how much fruit you’ll need, use this rule of thumb: 
400-500 gr of fruit without pits or 600-700 of fruit with pits will give you about 2 cups crushed fruit.

For 2 cups of crushed fruit, use 1/2 to 1 cup of granulated sugar.
You can also use brown sugar and honey, but take into account their stronger and sweeter flavors.

Additional flavorings:
This is where herbs like chopped basil or mint come in.
You can also add a pinch of grated fresh ginger or a dash of cinnamon.
You can also increase the number of oranges as I do - 4 medium orange for 1 kg of berries

Jam can also be put on plastic containers and frozen.

And some of my favorite posts on fruit preserved in sugar, such as jam or marmalade:

- Времена года / Four seasons: Strawberry jam with blackcurrant.

- Времена года / Four seasons: Pam’s delicious autumn preserve recipes.

- Времена года / Four seasons: Carrot Jam.

- Времена года / Four seasons: Ten steps to jam-making.

- Времена года / Four seasons: How to make perfect strawberry jam.

- Времена года / Four seasons: How to Make No-Cook Freezer Jam.

- Времена года / Four seasons: Plum Strawberry Jam. By David Lebovitz.

Dom's Kefir FAQ in-site

- Dom's Kefir FAQ in-site
- Is cold milk straight from the fridge OK to prepare kefir? or does the milk need to be warm?
Cold milk is fine.

- Dom's Kefir-cheese in-site
Kefir Butter can also be prepared with Kefir-SourCream.
This is best prepared with the simplified version above.
Hand beat Kefir-SourCream with a spatula until the butter comes [granulation of milk-fat with the separation of buttermilk].
The milk fat-granules are further beaten to form a thick mass.
The butter is washed with the addition of water with a few ice cubes, and then the liquid is poured off.
More icy cold water is added, and the butter is folded and cut with a spatula with the cold water to further wash the butter of any buttermilk, which is again poured off.
A little salt to taste may be added at this point and folded into the butter.
The butter is placed on a wooden board put on a slant to let any water left in the butter drain away, as the butter is worked by folding and flattening with a flat spatula or with traditional Scotch Hands [see third photo in slide below] to force as much water out of the butter as possible.
It is worked to form a block of fresh butter.
Alternately, the butter may be put in a rectangular wooden form and pressed with a weight to form a block of butter.
Wrap the butter in waxed paper and refrigerate.
It should keep fresh for at least 4 weeks.

Sourdough pancake.

- Sourdough pancake recipe | Food | The Guardian
Break three whole eggs into a large bowl and whisk.
Add
- 170ml whole milk and
- 120ml sourdough, two
- 2-finger pinches of salt,
- 100g plain white flour and
whisk all together.
Then, melt a big knob of butter in a large frying pan and whisk into the pancake batter.

Now, fry the pancakes in the large frying pan, tossing occasionally until they are golden on both sides.
Lubricate your frying pan between pancakes with a little oil on kitchen paper.
Serve while still warm.

OR:
Ingredients for the fluffy sourdough pancakes:
1 cup sourdough starter-mine is 80% organic white wheat and 20% wholegrain spelt, 80% hydration.
1 large egg
2 tbsp coconut sugar (or any other whole foods sweetener that you like)
1/3 tsp Himalaya salt or fine sea salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp organic baking powder
a pinch of vanilla powder
2 tbsp butter

OR:
2 large eggs
245g (1 cup) whole milk
61g (1/4 cup) Greek yogurt (optional)
250g (1 1/2 cup, stirred down) sourdough starter
4g (1 teaspoon) vanilla (optional)
180g (1 1/2 cups) all-purpose, einkorn, or a mix of all-purpose and whole wheat, flour
6g (1 teaspoon) baking soda
4g (1 teaspoon) baking powder
5g (1 teaspoon) sea salt
50g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
63g (1/4 cup or 1/2 stick) melted butter

Tender lamb shoulder by Jamie Oliver.

- Tender lamb shoulder | Lamb recipes | Jamie Oliver recipes
Ingredients
500 g dried chickpeas
2 preserved lemons , (20g each)
1 kg ripe plum tomatoes
1 x 2 kg lamb shoulder , bone in
2 heaped teaspoons ras el hanout

Method
Pour the dried chickpeas into a 30cm x 40cm roasting tray.
Quarter the preserved lemons and trim away the seedy core, then finely chop the rind and add to the tray with a good splash of liquor from their jar.
Roughly chop the tomatoes, adding them to the tray as you go.
Drizzle the lamb with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then rub all over with the ras el hanout and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
Sit the lamb in the tray, pour in 1 litre of water, cover tightly with tin foil and place in a cold oven.
Turn the temperature to 170ºC/325ºF/gas 3 and leave the lamb in there for 6 hours, or until the chickpeas are cooked through and the lamb is pullable – after 3 hours, stir a splash of water into the chickpeas, covering tightly again with foil.
To serve, taste the chickpeas, season to perfection, and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, then pull the lamb apart with two forks.

Высыпьте dried chickpeas в противень размером 30 х 40 см.
Четвертинки консервированных лимонов без семян, с мелко нарезаной кожурой добавить в лоток с жидкостью из банки.
Нарежьте помидоры, и добавьте их в лоток.
Сбрызните ягненка 1 столовой ложкой оливкового масла, затем разотрите с помощью ras el hanout и щепотки морской соли и черного перца.
Поместите ягненка в лоток, залейте 1 литром воды, плотно накройте фольгой и поставьте в холодную духовку.
Поверните температуру до 170ºC / 325ºF / газ 3 и оставьте ягненка там на 6 часов, или пока нут не будет прожарен, а ягненок не будет мягким - через 3 часа, добавьте воды в нут, снова плотно прикрывая фольгой.
Попробуйте нут, доведите до совершенства и сбрызните 1 столовой ложкой оливкового масла, а затем вытащите ягненка на две вилки.

Courgette and Lemon Risotto

From James Martin chef

50g butter
200g risotto rice
400g courgettes, diced
1 shallot, peeled and diced
1 clove of garlic, chopped
500ml chicken or vegetable stock
50g mascarpone
100ml wine
25g Parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), grated
2 lemons, zest only

For the dressing:
1 tbs Dijon mustard
1 tsp water
50ml vegetable oil
25ml white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
1 frisee lettuce centre only

- frisee lettuce

- Place a pan over a medium heat and add the butter.
When the butter is melted add the garlic, shallot, rice, a splash of wine and ¾ of the stock.
- Bring to the boil then allow it to simmer for 15 minutes.
Add the courgettes for the last 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile whisk all the ingredients together for the dressing.
Break up the frisee, add to the bowl and mix so the frisee is coated in the dressing.
- To finish the risotto add the mascarpone, lemon zest and parmesan (or vegetarian alternative).
- To serve, spoon the risotto into bowls, top with frisee, a drizzle of herb oil and chervil.