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!


Thursday, 9 August 2018

Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese.

- Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese - TODAY.com
Minced mushrooms are the perfect replacement for ground beef because they have the same texture and mouth-feel.
They'll take on the flavor of the sauce and are a great way to lighten-up this heavier dish. Even people who don’t like mushrooms love this dish!

Technique tip: Mincing the mushrooms in a food processor will chop them up quicker.

Swap option: Try using pre-cooked beluga lentils to the give the dish a hit of protein and a satisfactory bite.

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds cremini mushrooms, brushed clean
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound spaghetti
Big BOSH! tomato sauce
A handful of fresh basil leaves, to serve
Salt and pepper

Preparation
1. Put the mushrooms in a food processor and pulse until very finely minced.
2. Pour the oil into the frying pan. Add the mushrooms and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
3. Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring regularly, until all the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are well browned.
4. While the mushrooms are cooking, bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over high heat and season with a big pinch of salt.
5. Add pasta to the saucepan and cook until al dente, following package instructions. Spoon ½ cup of pasta water into a cup and set aside. Drain the pasta.
6. Heat up your “make-ahead” tomato sauce in the frying pan with the minced mushrooms by turning up the heat and pouring in the reserved pasta water. Stir mixture and let the sauce simmer for an additional 3-5 minutes.
7. When the sauce is done, serve with the pasta and top each serving with freshly-chopped basil.

From the book: BOSH!: Simple Recipes. Amazing Food. All Plants. The Fastest-Selling Vegan Cookbook Ever.

Monday, 6 August 2018

Tumbet recipe By The Hairy Bikers.

- Tumbet recipe - BBC Food
...is a traditional vegetable dish from Majorca.
Mediterranean Ratatouille!
Tombet combines layers of sliced potatoes, aubergines and red bell peppers previously fried in olive oil.
...add zucchini to the mixture...top with potatoes fried with garlic!






Bramble Jelly.

- Bramble Jelly | Recipe | Cuisine Fiend

Sunday, 5 August 2018

Sorrel soup.

- Sorrel soup recipe - Telegraph
A traditonal sorrel soup recipe, with potatoes and cream.
Serves 6
4 tbsp butter
Olive oil
10 spring onions, chopped
½ bunch parsley, stalks and leaves finely chopped
500g floury potatoes, peeled and chopped into 2cm cubes
1 litre chicken stock
250g sorrel leaves, washed
2 egg yolks, beaten
200ml sour cream, plus extra to serve
Chives and fennel tops, to garnish

Melt the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pan and add a splash of oil.
Fry the onions and parsley with a pinch of salt until they are soft, about 3 minutes.
Add the potatoes.

Pour in the stock and bring to the boil.
Cover with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are completely tender.
Roughly chop the sorrel leaves and add to the pan, then take off the heat.

Transfer to a food processor (or use a hand blender) and blend until smooth.
Season to taste.

Beat the egg yolks and sour cream together in a bowl, then stir in two tablespoons of hot soup – you are doing this to prevent the eggs from scrambling.
Very slowly whisk the egg and cream mix into the soup.
Serve warm or chilled with a few snipped chives and fennel herbs.

Friday, 3 August 2018

Paul Hollywood's Sicilian lemon and orange sweet bread.

- Paul Hollywood's Sicilian lemon and orange sweet bread recipe
This citrus-infused sweet bread, topped with toasted almonds, is based on the flavours of the Italian Colomba di Pasqua (an Easter celebration bread).






improved version!




Monday, 23 July 2018

Spinach pide.

- Spinach pide - Telegraph

Pide is a flat bread baked with toppings in a stone oven.
Turkish pizza.
Ingredients
For the pastry:

450g spelt flour
1 tsp sea salt
7g yeast
250ml milk
1 egg beaten, plus 1 extra for wash
30g melted butter

For the filling:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
½ tsp of chilli flakes
1 lemon, zested and juiced
900g spinach
1 bunch of dill, finely chopped
250g ricotta
250g feta
½ tsp of fresh nutmeg, grated
1 egg, beaten

For the topping:
4 eggs
A handful of freshly chopped parsley
½ tsp of sumac

Ingredients
- Mix the flour, salt and yeast together in a large bowl.
Make a well in the centre and pour in the milk, egg and butter.
Knead in the bowl until you have a soft dough - then knead again on a floured board until smooth and elastic.
Place in a lightly oiled container, cover with cling film and leave in a warm place to rise for two hours.

- Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion until soft and golden.
Add the garlic, chilli flakes and lemon zest and fry for another two minutes.
Remove from the heat and set aside.

- Blanche the spinach in boiling water for ten seconds, then refresh in ice cold water.
Drain and squeeze out any excess moisture.
Chop coarsely, then stir through the onion mixture.
Crumble in the ricotta and feta and grate in the nutmeg.
Season to taste, then stir in the beaten egg.
Mix well and set aside.

- Preheat the oven to 250C and line an oven tray with baking parchment.
Divide the dough into four equally sized pieces.
Flatten each piece with your hands, then use a roller to form a long oval shape, measuring approximately 16cm x 24cm.

- Divide the topping among the four pides.
Fold the long sides towards the inside, then twist the ends to give a canoe shape.
Create a little indentation in the topping on each pide using the back of a spoon, then crack an egg into it.
Bake for 5 minutes or until the egg is set to your liking, then scatter with sumac and parsley.

Tuesday, 10 July 2018

Nigel Slater's classic pissaladière (pizza).

Nigel Slater's classic pissaladière recipe | Life and style | The Guardian ... is a dish which originated from Nice in Southern France.
The dough is usually a bread dough thicker than that of the classic pizza Margherita, and the traditional topping consists of usually caramelised (almost pureed) onions, black olives, and anchovies (whole, and sometimes also with pissalat, a type of anchovy paste).

Monday, 9 July 2018

Ricotta and Spinach Gnudi - ricotta gnocchi By Emiko Davies.

- Meet In Your Kitchen | Emiko Davies & Marco Lami's Dolce Vita in Florence - eat in my kitchen eat in my kitchen

Gnudi are gnocchi-like dumplings made with ricotta cheese instead of potato, with semolina.
Serves 4

175g firm ricotta, well-drained
150g cooked, chopped, well-drained spinach (if making from scratch, you need about 1 kg / 2 1/4 pounds fresh leaves)
1 eggs, beaten
A pinch of salt, plus more for the water
A pinch of ground nutmeg
About 25g plus 1 tablespoon plain flour
25g unsalted butter
10 sage leaves
Salt and pepper for seasoning
Handful finely grated Parmesan cheese, to serve

Mix the ricotta, finely chopped spinach, eggs, pinch of salt and nutmeg together in a mixing bowl.
You should have a thick, compact mixture.

Place the flour in a shallow bowl.

With hands, roll walnut-sized spoonfuls of the gnudi mixture in your hands, and then in the flour until well-coated.
Place on a lightly-floured board until they are all ready.

Prepare a large pot of water (salted with a spoonful of salt) and bring to a simmer.
Carefully drop the gnudi into the water and cook for about 4-5 minutes or until they begin to float to the surface.

In the meantime, prepare the sauce by melting the butter in a wide pan over medium heat with the sage leaves.
When butter is melted and before it begins to brown, add about 2-3 spoonfuls of the gnudi water and swirl the pan to create a thick sauce.
Season with salt and pepper.

When gnudi are ready, remove them from the water with a slotted spoon and place in the sauce.
Turn heat to low and swirl to coat the gnudi gently with the sauce. Serve immediately with the cheese.

Monday, 25 June 2018

Homemade yogurt.

MAKES
1 litre

INGREDIENTS
1 litre whole milk
1 heaped tbsp powdered milk
60g natural full-fat yogurt

METHOD
Wash and sterilise a 1 litre jar or a few smaller ones.
Place the milk in a saucepan and heat until a thermometer reads 175F/80C – do not let it boil.
Take it off the heat and stir in the milk powder.

When the temperature drops to 115F/45C, stir in the yogurt.
Pour into the jar and seal with the lid.
Place somewhere slightly warm such as an airing cupboard or near an oven (you can also wrap it in a towel to keep the heat in) for 4-6 hours – the longer the fermentation, the more tart the yogurt will taste.
Place in the fridge for at least three hours to chill and firm up, then it’s ready to use.

OR
- Homemade yoghurt / Borough Market:
1 pint of milk (preferably unpasteurised and unhomogenised)
2 tbsp live yoghurt or yoghurt starter (saved from an old batch of yoghurt)

METHOD
Boil the milk gently for 10 mins.
Allow to cool until it is about 45-50C—the temperature of a hot bath.
Whisk in the live yoghurt or starter.
Pour into a container.
Keep warm and leave to ferment for 7 hours. Refrigerate and eat within three to four weeks.
Recipe: Tom Hunt

Egg Drop Soup.

- Egg Drop Soup Recipe | Serious Eats

- How To Make Egg Drop Soup | Kitchn

Sunday, 17 June 2018

Boozy Trinity cream with langues de chat biscuits

- Boozy Trinity cream with langues de chat biscuits recipe - BBC Food
This traditionally English recipe of set creamy custard has a splash of Irish cream liqueur to stir things up a bit. Great with a couple of French ‘cat’s tongue’ biscuits on the side.
Ingredients
soft butter, for greasing
500ml/18fl oz double cream
150g/5½oz white chocolate, broken into squares
6 large free-range egg yolks
150ml/5fl oz Irish cream liqueur
75g/2½oz caster sugar
For the caramel
150g/5½oz caster sugar
oil, for greasing
For the langue de chat biscuits
100g/3½oz softened butter
100g/3½oz icing sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ orange, grated zest
2 large free-range egg whites
120g/5oz plain flour
Method
Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2. Butter the inside of a two-litre pudding basin.

Put the cream and chocolate in a medium non-stick saucepan and heat very gently, stirring regularly until the chocolate melts. Remove from the heat.

Place the egg yolks, Irish cream liqueur and sugar in a large bowl and whisk until pale.

Slowly pour the warm cream and chocolate mixture onto the eggs, stirring vigorously until thoroughly combined. Carefully pour the mixture into the buttered pudding dish and place in a large roasting tin.

Boil a kettle of water and carefully pour the just-boiled water into the roasting tin so it rises roughly 3cm/1¼in up the side of the dish. Take care that you don’t drip any water on the cream mixture.

Open the oven door, and using an oven-cloth to hold as the tin will be hot, place the pudding in the centre of the oven. Bake for 40-45 minutes. The custard is ready when it is almost set. If you move the dish, you should see the custard wobble like a jelly with a slight ripple under the surface. It will continue to firm up as it cools.

Take the roasting tin out of the oven, lift the pudding dish carefully from the water and set aside to cool for about an hour. Cover with cling film and chill in the fridge overnight.

Up to five hours before serving, make the caramel. Put the sugar and four tablespoons of cold water into a small saucepan and place over a medium heat for about a minute, stirring with a wooden spoon until the sugar dissolves.

Increase the heat a little and cook the sugar, without stirring, for 5-7 minutes, or until it turns golden-brown – the same colour as maple syrup. Uncover the custard and have close to hand ready for the caramel topping.

As soon as the caramel is ready, remove the pan from the heat. Do not touch or taste the caramel as it will be extremely hot. The caramel will continue to cook once it has been removed from the heat, so don’t allow it to become any darker before you take it off.

Brush a large metal serving spoon with oil and slowly pour the caramel over the spoon onto the cooled custard, ensuring it is covered as evenly as possible. Don’t pour into one area only or the hot caramel will begin to melt the cream. Tilt the dish to help it run to the edges if necessary. Leave to cool for 15 minutes before serving or keep covered in the fridge. (The caramel will begin to soften after a couple of hours.)

For the langues de chat biscuits, pre-heat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6 and line two baking trays with parchment paper.

Using an electric whisk, cream the butter and icing sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla extract, cinnamon and orange zest. Whisk in the egg whites one at a time and then fold in the flour.

Using a piping bag fitted with a plain 1cm/½in nozzle, pipe 6cm/2½in strips of the mixture onto the lined baking trays.

Bake for 6-8 minutes until the edges are slightly golden-brown. Leave to cool on the tray.

Serve the caramel-topped Trinity cream with the langue de chat biscuits alongside.