Saturday 4 November 2017

Beautiful veggie moussaka by Jamie Oliver.

- Beautiful veggie moussaka | Jamie Oliver:
I’ve taken this classic Greek recipe, usually made with lamb, and transformed it into a veggie delight for the lovely Amanda Holden – this dish is one of her favourite foodie memories from her childhood and it’s pretty damn good!

SERVES 12/6
Ingredients

15/7 g dried porcini
2/1 medium onions, peeled
2/1 cloves of garlic, peeled
olive oil
a few sprigs of fresh rosemary and sage, leaves picked
dried oregano
250/125 ml red wine
100/50 g dried brown lentils
2 x 400 g/1 x 400 g tins of chickpeas
4/2 fresh bay leaves
2 x 400 g/1 x 400 g tins of plum tomatoes
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4/2 large firm aubergines, trimmed
800/400 g potatoes, peeled
750/375 ml semi-skimmed milk
5/3 black peppercorns
75/40 g unsalted butter
75/40 g plain flour
50/25 g feta cheese
50/25 g kefalotyri or pecorino cheese
2/1 large free-range egg yolks

Method
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4.
Place the porcini in a small bowl, cover with boiling water, then set aside to soak.
Finely slice the onions and garlic, then add to a large pan over a medium heat with a good lug of olive oil, the herbs and 1 teaspoon of oregano.
Remove the porcini to a board, reserving the water for later, then roughly chop and add to the pan.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and fry for around 10 minutes, or until softened but not coloured.
Turn the heat up to high, then add the wine and allow to bubble and boil away.
Stir in the chickpeas (juice and all), lentils, 2 bay leaves and the plum tomatoes, then strain in the porcini water.
Season and gently bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for around 1 hour, or until thickened and reduced, stirring occasionally and breaking up the tomatoes with the back of a spoon.

Meanwhile, peel the aubergines
with a speed-peeler, leaving a little of the skin to create a stripy effect, then slice into rounds, roughly 1cm thick.
Place into a colander, sprinkle with a good pinch of salt and leave aside in the sink to soak.

Meanwhile, slice the potatoes into rough 1cm rounds, then parboil in a pan of boiling salted water for around 5 minutes.
Drain and allow to steam dry, then place into a large roasting tray (roughly 30cm x 40cm).
Season, drizzle with oil and scatter over 1 heaped tablespoon dried oregano, then toss well to coat and spread out into an even layer.
Place in the hot oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden and tender.

Meanwhile, rinse the aubergines in cold water and pat dry with kitchen paper, then spread out into another large roasting tray.
Drizzle with oil, then season with pepper and oregano and place alongside the potatoes in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.

Warm the milk with the remaining bay leaves and the peppercorns in a medium pan over a medium-low heat – you don’t want it to boil, so keep an eye it.
Once hot, strain into a jug, then wipe the pan and return it to a medium heat.
Add the butter and allow to melt, then stir in the flour to form a paste.
Start adding the hot milk, a splash at a time, stirring in each before adding the next.
Once all the milk has been added and you have a smooth and creamy sauce, crumble in one-third of the feta and grate in one-third of the kefalotyri (hard, salty white cheese) or pecorino (hard Italian cheeses), then simmer over a low heat for a further 5 minutes, or until thick and smooth.
Leave the béchamel aside to cool slightly.

To assemble your moussaka, spoon half the ragù over the tray of roast potatoes and layer half the aubergines on top, then repeat with the remaining ragù and aubergines.
Whisk the egg yolks into the béchamel sauce, then gently pour onto the aubergines in an even layer.
Crumble and grate the remaining cheese on top, followed by a drizzle of oil, then place in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden and bubbling.
Leave to cool for around 30 minutes, then serve alongside a Greek salad.
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Sunday 29 October 2017

Maple Glazed Apple Pull-Apart Bread.

Maple Glazed Apple Pull-Apart Bread. - Half Baked Harvest:
INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup warm milk
3 teaspoons instant yeast
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 eggs
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted
3 1/2 - 4 cups all-purpose flour
FILLING
6 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 Honeycrisp apples, diced
GLAZE
1/4 cup real maple syrup
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon bourbon optional
1 vanilla extract
Get Ingredients Powered by Chicory

INSTRUCTIONS
1. To make the dough:
Combine milk, yeast, and sugar in a large mixing bowl and mix on low speed until incorporated.

2. Add the salt, eggs, and melted butter and mix until combined. Gradually mix in the flour until the dough comes together and pulls away from the side of the bowl. The dough will be sticky. Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Kneed into a smooth ball. Grease a large bowl and add the dough to the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit 45 minutes-1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

3. Meanwhile, make the filling.
Add the brown sugar and cinnamon to a bowl and mix well.

4. Lightly dust a surface with flour.
Once the dough has doubled in size, punch the dough down and roll the dough into a rectangle (about 9inches/22cm x 24 inches/60cm).
Drizzle half the butter evenly over the dough.
Sprinkle with half the cinnamon sugar.
Arrange the apples over the cinnamon sugar, then sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon sugar and drizzle with the remaining butter.
Starting with the long edge closest to you, pull the edge up and over the filling and carefully roll the dough into a log, keeping it fairly tight as you go.
When you reach the edge, pinch along the edges to seal.

5. Place the log seam side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
With a pair of sharp kitchen scissors cut diagonal slices almost to the bottom of the log.
Arrange the cut sections so that they lean to alternating sides.
Use your hands to gently push the dough together to almost the size of you bread pan.
The dough will zigzag slightly.
Using the parchment paper, lift the dough up and into the bread pan.
If using a bread pan smaller than 22cm/12cm = 9 inches x 5 inches, divide the dough among 2 bread pans.
Cover and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

6. Preheat the oven to 177C/350 degrees F.
Place the bread on a rimmed baking sheet and bake 45-50 minutes or until lightly browned on top, do not over bake, this bread is best when still doughy.

7. To make the glaze.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, powdered sugar, and bourbon, if using, and vanilla.
If needed, add water to thin the glaze, 1 tablespoon at a time.
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Saturday 28 October 2017

Ajapsandali - Georgian Ratatouille.

Ajapsandali - Georgian Ratatouille, a ratatouille that bites back.
Translated from the Turkic dialects means "How delicious you are!"

- Ajapsandali - A Ratatouille That Bites Back — Chesnok:
3 large eggplants, stemmed, quartered lengthwise, and cut into ½-inch slices
2 large onions, medium chop
3 large carrots, cut into half moons
3 bell peppers (preferably of various colors), medium chop
1 jalapeño, finely chopped (depending on your spice preference, leave as much or little seeds)
3 large tomatoes, peeled, deseeded, squeezed of any extra juices, and roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, one pressed, the other three thinly sliced
1 large bunch cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped
4-5 springs of basil (preferably purple if it’s available), sliced in chiffonade
kosher salt
sugar (optional)
sunflower or grapeseed oil
Prepare the vegetables and spices.
Peel and cut the eggplant into long pieces.
Cut potatoes into large pieces.
Cut green pepper.
Cut onions.
Chop greens.
Fry eggplant in oil on the pan.
Fry potatoes.
Stew pepper and onions in oil.
You can put the layers of chopped ingredients in saucepan without stewing; pour oil, sprinkle with greens, spices and boil. You can use rice instead of potatoes.
Put together fried vegetables, add tomatoes and stew.
Stew until vegetables are ready. Sprinkle with greens and garlic. Remove from fire.

Sunday 22 October 2017

How to make chilli pepper jam By Thane Prince.

- BBC Food - Recipes - How to make chilli pepper jam:
Ingredients
5/3 red peppers
8/4 red chillies
1.25kg/625g granulated sugar
360ml/180ml white wine vinegar or cider vinegar
225g/112.5g canned chopped tomatoes
125g/62.5 liquid pectin

Method
To clean the jars, preheat the oven to 140C/275F/Gas
- Wash the jars well in warm soapy water then rinse thoroughly under running water.
Leave the jars and lids to dry, upside down, in the oven. (Or you can clean the jars by putting them through the hot cycle of a dishwasher.)
Place a clean plate in the freezer to chill.
This will be used to test if the cooked jam has reached setting point.

For the jam,
cut the peppers and chillies in half, then remove the seeds and white membranes (keep the white membranes of the chillies if you want more spicy heat).
Either chop the peppers and chillies finely by hand or, alternatively, roughly chop them, then place in a food processor and pulse to chop finely.
Place the chopped chillies and peppers into a wide, deep saucepan with the sugar, vinegar and tomatoes.
Bring slowly to the boil, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved.
Bring the mixture to a rolling boil for 7-10 minutes to reduce the liquid by a half.
Remove from the heat and stir in the pectin.
Return the pan to the heat and boil for another couple of minutes.
To test if the jam has reached setting point spoon a little onto the chilled plate.
Leave for a moment, then push the edge of the jam with your finger - if the jam is ready the surface will wrinkle as you push.
Once the jam has reached setting point, let it cool for five minutes before potting into the sterilised jars.
The jam will keep in the sealed jar for up to six months.
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Saturday 21 October 2017

Kombucha.

https://www.instagram.com/deannacat3/
.
There have been numerous scientific studies about certain positive health impacts of kombucha floating around for decades, and recently, researchers at a northeastern European university (University of Latvia) did a comprehensive analysis and summation of 75 peer-reviewed academic studies, attesting to both the safety and the proven health benefits of consuming it. Here is what they found; 18 reasons to raise a glass of booch and cheers to your health 🍻
.
"1. Detoxification - Kombucha contains substantial amounts of glucuronic acid (GA). GA is well known as a detoxicant. In the body it combines with toxins like pharmaceuticals and environmental pollutants. It then converts them into compounds that are soluble and the body can excrete. Drinking kombucha may also help prevent tissues from absorbing industrial toxins in the environment.
.
2. Antioxidants - Kombucha contains abundant antioxidants including vitamins E, C, beta-carotene, and other carotenoids. Like black tea, kombucha also contains polyphenols and other compounds with antioxidant powers. But because it is fermented, kombucha is much more powerful than plain tea. Its antioxidant activity has been found to be 100 times higher than vitamin C and 25 times higher than vitamin E. For that reason drinking traditional kombucha may help cure chronic illnesses caused by oxidative stress.
.
3. Energy - Kombucha sets iron free from black tea. That helps increase levels of blood hemoglobin, and improves oxygen flow to tissues. It also improves the body's absorption of other non-heme (plant-derived) iron.
.
4. Immunity - Oxidative stress suppresses the immune system but kombucha's high levels of vitamin C support immunity. Its antioxidant power also protects against cell damage, inflammatory diseases, suppressed immunity, and tumors.
.
5. Gastric Illnesses - Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are toxic to the gut. They can lead to gastric ulcers. Indomethacin, a popular NSAID, can disrupt blood circulation......

Wednesday 18 October 2017

Chai-Spiced Pound Cake.

- Chai-Spiced Pound Cake - Flourish - King Arthur Flour:

'via Blog this'

Chicken Thighs with Squash, Fennel, and Grapes.

- Sheet-Pan Cumin Chicken Thighs with Squash, Fennel, and Grapes recipe | Epicurious.com:

'via Blog this'

Chocolate babka.

- How to make chocolate babka - delicious. magazine:

'via Blog this'

Apple cider vinegar from Carl Legge.

- Fermenting Revolution 2 – Apple cider vinegar » Carl Legge:

- Sourdough cider » Carl Legge:

'via Blog this'

Tomato sauce by The Clever Carrot

- 6 am tomato sauce - The Clever Carrot:

'via Blog this'

Pasta puttanesca.

- How to cook the perfect pasta puttanesca | Life and style | The Guardian:

'via Blog this'

Vietnamese Meatball and Sweet Potato Noodle Bowl. by Half Baked Harvest

- Vietnamese Meatball and Sweet Potato Noodle Bowl. - Half Baked Harvest:

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Smoky White Bean Kale and Wheat Berry Stew - Vanilla And Bean

- Smoky White Bean Kale and Wheat Berry Stew - Vanilla And Bean:

'via Blog this'

One-Pan Roasted Chicken with Sherry Vinegar Sauce.

- One-Pan Roasted Chicken with Sherry Vinegar Sauce Recipe on Food52:

- Easy One-Pot Chicken Recipe Gets Even Easier With This Trick
'via Blog this'

Tuesday 17 October 2017

Caramelised Onion Soup by Donna Hay.

- Caramelised Onion Soup | Donna Hay:
Ingredients
1kg brown onions, unpeeled, cut into wedges
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons caster (superfine) sugar
1 litre milk
1 bulb garlic, halved
2 bay leaves
½ cup (125ml) single (pouring) cream
⅓ cup (90g) store-bought caramelised onion
Thyme sprigs, to serve

Method
Preheat oven to 220°c (425°f).
Place the onion, oil, salt, vinegar and sugar on a large oven tray lined with non-stick baking paper and toss to combine.
Cover with aluminium 
foil and cook for 55–60 minutes or until soft and lightly golden.
Set aside until cool enough to handle.
While the onion is cooking, place the milk, garlic and bay leaves in a large saucepan over high heat and bring to just below the boil.
Remove from the heat.
Remove and discard the garlic and bay leaves.
Peel off the onion skins and discard.
Place the onion in a blender, add half the milk and blend until smooth.
Return to the saucepan with the cream and remaining milk, and place over low heat until combined and warmed through.
Divide the soup between bowls.
Top with the caramelised onion and thyme to serve.
Serves 4.
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Sunday 15 October 2017

Ossetian Pies. Khachapuri.

from
- @londonbreadbaker • Instagram photos and videos:
"I converted a yeast recipe from a website called Lyukum to sourdough- have a look on their site for ideas for fillings:
220g starter,
110g water,
290g bread flour,
100g buttermilk or kefir (recipe says sour cream but my kefir worked well)
2 level tsp salt,
2 tsp sugar,
1 large egg,
2 tablespoon sunflower oil.
This is a fairly wet dough so easier to mix in a mixer.
Mix all ingredients except the oil and mix until it clears the bottom of the bowl- add oil and mix again until completely absorbed.
Bulk in a warm place and refrigerate overnight.
Easier shaped from the fridge.
I didn’t have to add any flour to my dough but I guess it will depend on what flour you use-the one I used has over 13% protein.

- Ossetian Pies | Lyukum Cooking Lab:
for the dough
400g bread flour
5g Saf Instant Yeast
2tsp kosher salt
2tsp sugar
220ml water
100g sour cream
1egg large
2tbsp sunflower oil
for Tsaharadjin filling
160g beet leavesfinely chopped
10g chivesfinely chopped
10g cilantrofinely chopped
180g Feta cheese
for Kabushkadjin-Syht filling
200g cabbagefinely chopped
50g onionfinely diced
1tsp sunflower oil
1pinch kosher salt
1pinch black pepperfreshly ground
50g walnutstoasted, finely chopped
115g Feta cheese
for Davondjin filling
90g chivesfinely chopped
60g rampsfinely chopped
115g Feta cheese

- Ossetian pies are baked two at a time on two racks.
They are baked on naked stone or in shallow heavy-bottom pans.
What is good for baking pizza is good for baking Ossetian pies.
I prefer pans.
Preheat the oven to 232C/450F with two 30cm/12" pans in inside.
Do not shape pies until your oven is ready.

Khachapuri (Georgian: ხაჭაპური), is a filled bread stuffed with melting cheese and often served sliced, like a double-crust pizza.
- Delicious Georgian Cuisine:

- Сахараджин - tastes are made, not born: (RU)

- Осетинские пироги - tastes are made, not born: (RU)

- Осетинские пироги. Тесто и две начинки - tastes are made, not born: (RU)

How to get the best results from your Pizza Stone.

- - tips - Émile Henry:
You can use our Pizza Stone to prepare and cook your homemade pizzas.
Following our advice, you will produce pizzas with a beautifully golden, deliciously crisp crust.
Preparation and cooking
For best results and for a crispy crust, pre-heat your Pizza Stone in the oven at 240°C / 475°F / Gas Mark 9 for 10 minutes.
Do not flour the Pizza Stone (as the flour might burn) and place it on the lowest shelf of the oven.

During this time, sprinkle flour or very fine couscous over your work surface.
The couscous will help you remove your pizza easily afterwards.
Roll out your dough, put the toppings on your pizza and, using a pizza peel, place it directly on your Pizza Stone in the oven.
Cook for 10-12 minutes at 240°C / 475°F / Gas Mark 9.

The thinner the dough, the higher you should set the oven temperature: up to 250°C / 480°F / Gas Mark 9 for very thin dough.

You can also use it to cook thin-crust tarts, appetizers etc.
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Friday 13 October 2017

Khachapuri - Imeruli pirog.

13 October 2017




15 October 2017







Khachapuri (Georgian: ხაჭაპური), is a filled bread stuffed with melting cheese and often served sliced, like a double-crust pizza.
It is justifiably considered to be one of Georgia’s national dishes and is popular in restaurants and in homes.
Different regions of Georgia have their own type of khachapuri with the most common being –
Imeruli (Georgian: იმერული ხაჭაპური) – Imeretian khachapuri (from Imereti), which is circular and probably the most common type.

Khachapuri Dough Recipe
There are several recipes but we find this one the easiest way to prepare the dough and we used this method to make all three types of khachapuri mentioned in this article.
Ingredients (for 3 khachapuri):
1.15 kilos of flour,
200 ml of water,
200 ml of milk (or water),
1 egg,
1 tbs of yeast and 50 ml of oil.

Warm the water to 35C and stir in the yeast.
Add 1 kilo of flour to a mixing bowl and make a depression in the flour.
Add the yeast water, oil, milk and a raw egg. If you want the bread to have a golden color you can add 1 tsp of sugar.
Mix the ingredients from the middle of the bowl until all of the flour is mixed.
The dough should be formed into a soft ball.
Cover the bowl with cling film and leave in a warm place for 2 hours.
The dough will rise and look like the picture below.
Add 150 grams of flour and knead the dough.
The dough is sufficient to make 3 khachapuri.
Separate the dough into 3 pieces as shown in the picture below.
Congratulations, your dough is now ready to make khachapuri!

------------
Ingredients:
200 grams of khachapuri dough and all purpose flour (for kneading dough and dusting).

Prepare the dough as per the step-by-step guide in the link to the article mentioned above.
The recipe for the dough is enough to make 3 khachapuri so you will need to reduce the quantity of ingredients if you only want to make one or two.

Other ingredients:
2 eggs (1 egg yolk for glazing but this is optional),
30 grams of butter and 600 grams of Imeretian cheese (alternatively, you can use feta cheese and mozzarella together).
Grate the cheese.
Add the grated cheese, one egg and 20 grams of butter to a mixing bowl.
Mix thoroughly.
Knead the dough before using.
Leave for 10 minutes and then make a circular shape, with a lip around the edge, like in the picture below.
Spread the cheese filling onto the middle of the dough.
Fold the edges of the dough over the cheese filling.
Seal the dough as shown in the picture below.
Turn the dough over and flatten it out to make a circular shape.
As you spread out the dough make sure the cheese filling is spread evenly.Be careful not to tear the dough.
A rolling pin can also be used to flatten the dough.

The dough should like the one in the picture below.

Lightly dust a baking tray with flour (to stop the khachapuri sticking) and put the khachapuri in a pre-heated oven for about 15 minutes at a medium temperature (200-220 C ).
If you want to glaze the khachapuri with egg yolk do this 5 minutes before it is ready.
Glaze the khachapuri with butter as soon as you remove it from the oven.
This makes it soft.

Serving: Cut into slices and serve immediately.
Enjoy this famous Imeretian dish!

PS
- Imeruli Khachapuri (Georgian Cheese Bread) Recipe | SAVEUR:

Heat a large griddle or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until hot.
Add as many khachapuri as will fit in a single layer without crowding or overlapping.
Cook on one side until the breads are well browned and lightly charred in some places, 3-4 minutes.
Using a wide spatula, turn and repeat on the remaining side.
-------------
- Preheat the oven to 230C/450° F, and place a dish full of water on the bottom rack.
- Transfer the khachapuri to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat.
Mix the egg yolk and water in a cup, and brush the dough with the resulting egg wash.

- Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Let cool 5 minutes, then slice and serve.
I had already turned the oven and preheated it on the 180 degrees Celsius and I just put the pan into it and had it for 40 minutes.

- Slide the khachapuris on their papers onto the pizza stone, leaving a few inches of space between them.
Bake, turning them 180 degrees after about 8 minutes, until golden and crisp, about 12 minutes total.
- About Food – Megruli Khachapuri | Georgia About:

- Imeruli Khachapuri (Georgian Cheese Bread) Recipe | SAVEUR:

- Delicious Georgian Cuisine: