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.

My sourdough with bran

My sourdough with bran

Beehive Sweet Buns.

- Beehive Sweet Buns | Beyond Kimchee
brioche-style buns
288g all purpose flour uk
Dough = 560g : 19 = 29g each bun








- Honeycomb Buns Recipe | King Arthur Flour

Bearnaise sauce recipe | BBC Good Food

- Bearnaise sauce recipe | BBC Good Food

Shepherd's Pie

- Mary Berry's shepherd's pie recipe

- The perfect ... shepherd’s pie | Felicity Cloake | Food | The Guardian

- Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

Mushroom Barley Soup.

- Mushroom Barley Soup - Comforting Deli-Style Soup Recipe

Ricotta and oregano meatballs by Yotam Ottolenghi.

Serve four.

5 tbsp olive oil
2 large onions, peeled and chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1cm dice (optional)
2 large stalks celery, cut into 1cm dice (optional)
8 whole sprigs fresh oregano, plus 10g chopped oregano leaves
400g tinned chopped tomatoes
1 tsp sugar
500ml chicken stock
Salt and black pepper
500g minced beef
100g freshly made breadcrumbs
250g ricotta
60g grated parmesan
1 egg
20g chopped parsley

First, make the tomato sauce.
Heat half the oil in a large sauté pan for which you have a lid.
Add half the onion, half the garlic and all of the carrots, celery and oregano sprigs.
Place on a medium-high heat and cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring a few times, until the vegetables have softened without taking on any colour.
If need be, put the lid on the pan, to help prevent the onions from catching and burning.
Add the tomatoes, sugar, half the stock, half a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper.
Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring from time to time, to give the sauce a chance to thicken gradually.

Meanwhile, make the meatballs.
Put the remaining onion and garlic in a large bowl with the beef, fresh breadcrumbs, cheeses, egg, oregano leaves, parsley, three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt and some black pepper.
Mix together with your hands, then shape into 12-14 balls weighing about 70g each.

Heat a tablespoon and a half of olive oil in a large frying pan and, when hot, add the meatballs.
Sear for two minutes on each side.
(Depending on the size of your pan, you may have to do this in two batches, adding the remaining tablespoon of oil before cooking the second batch.)

Remove the whole oregano sprigs from the tomato sauce, then gently press the seared meatballs into the sauce.
Pour over the remaining stock, or just enough almost to cover the meatballs; top up with a little water, if need be.
Cover the pan and cook on a very gentle simmer for 30 minutes.
If the sauce needs to thicken more after this time – you want a thick, pasta sauce-like consistency – remove the lid and increase the temperature a little so everything bubbles away.
Remove the pan from the heat and set aside for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with orzo or tagliatelle, warm or at room temperature.

Pancakes.

My recipe
35g Self-rising flour
1 egg
125ml warm milk
30g butter
Pinch salt
1/2 tsp sugar

Method.
Put the egg, salt and warm milk in a bowl whisk until frothy, add the flour a bit at a time
with the sugar and salt beat well.
Set aside for 30 mins.
Melt the butter.
Heat a frying pan with a little butter and cook the pancakes until golden. Turn out onto a plate
brush lightly with melted butter,sugar,lemon or creme Fraiche.

My No-Knead Bread.

100.0%, 320.0 g Strong flour + 40g Rye Flour + 40g Wholemeal Flour = 400g
2.0%, 8.0g Salt
0.5%, 2 g Instant Yeast
78.0%, 312.0 g Water

Beef brisket.

- Pot-roasted beef brisket recipe | BBC Good Food
The dried porcini will add about three quid to the cost of this dish, but you get a lot of flavour for your money. We ate this with mashed swede, and loads of butter and black pepper.

Serves 6-8
dried porcini 25g
beef brisket 1.5kg, rolled and tied
banana shallots 6
carrots 350g, small ones
black peppercorns 12
bay leaves 4
thyme sprigs 6
swede 1, mashed to serve

Put the kettle on.
Set the oven at 230C/gas mark 8.
Put the dried porcini in a heatproof bowl, then pour the boiling water over it, cover with a plate and leave to soak for 25 minutes.
This will give you a deeply flavourful broth.

Place the rolled and tied brisket in a large casserole - lid off, then put it in the oven and roast for 25 minutes.
Peel and trim the shallots and halve them lengthways.
Scrub and halve the carrots lengthways.
Add them to the casserole together with the porcini and its broth, the peppercorns, bay and thyme, then cover with a lid.
Lower the heat to 160C and bake for 4 hours.

Remove the brisket from its broth and leave to rest for 10 minutes.
Put the casserole over a high heat, bring the contents to the boil and leave until reduced by about one-third.
Slice the brisket into thick pieces, dividing it between deep plates, then spoon over the broth and vegetables.

For the mashed swede
Peel a large swede and cut it into large chunks, pile it into a steamer basket or colander and cook over a pan of boiling water for 20 minutes until soft.
Tip into a bowl and crush thoroughly with a potato masher.
Add a thick slice of butter (about 30g) and lots of coarsely ground black pepper.
Beat firmly with a wooden spoon till fluffy.
Serve in generous mounds in the broth that surrounds the beef.

OR:
- Nigel Slater’s beef brisket recipes | Food | The Guardian

Artichoke Soup by Memorie di Angelina

- Zuppa di cardi (Cardoon Soup) | Memorie di Angelina

Brioche – a recipe from Crust by Richard Bertinet.

- Bread and buns: The foolproof baking guide | Weekend | The Times
Rum and sultana brioches

Strawberry croustillant from French chef and baker Richard Bertinet

French Memories from French chef and baker Richard Bertinet

Chicken with fennel and herbs from French chef and baker Richard Bertinet.

- French Memories from French chef and baker Richard Bertinet
This is all about baking a whole meal in one dish, which you can bring from the oven to the table.
I love the aniseedy flavour of fennel.

For 4-6
Ingredients
125g butter
1 corn-fed chicken
2 large fennel bulbs
4 large tomatoes
4 garlic cloves
16-20 small new potatoes
few sprigs of chervil, parsley, rosemary
and thyme
sea salt and freshly groud black pepper
1 large or 2 small unwaxed lemons
2 whole star anise
125 dry white wine
6 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Take the butter out of the fridge to let it soften.
- If you have bought a whole chicken, joint it into 10 pieces so you end up with 4 breast pieces (on the bone), 2 drumsticks, 2 thighs and 2 wings.
- Cut the fennel bulbs in half lengthways to give 2 identical halves (as if you had opened out the fennel like a book) and cut each piece lengthways into 4.
- Halve the tomatoes.
- Crush the garlic cloves with the back of a knife.
- Wash the otatoes.
- Finely chop the chervil and parsley; leave the rosemary and thyme sprigs whole.

Method
- Layer the tomatoes, cut-side up, in a very big roasting dish.
Lay the fennel on top, followed by the garlic cloves and a few sprigs of rosemary and thyme.
Put into the oven for about 20–30 minutes to start them cooking.

- If the butter isn’t soft enough, bash it with a rolling pin! Mix all of the chopped herbs into it.

- Put the chicken pieces into a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the herb butter and really massage it well into the chicken.

- Take the roasting dish out of the oven and put the chicken pieces on top of the vegetables.
Cut the lemon(s) in half and squeeze the juice over.
Tuck the squeezed halves in amongst the chicken.

- If using whole star anise, crush them in a pestle and mortar (or use the end of a rolling pin to crush them on a chopping board).
Sprinkle the star anise over the chicken and put the potatoes on top, so that they can brown.
- Pour over the wine and olive oil and put in the oven for 30–45 minutes.
Halfway through take the dish out and turn the chicken over.
The potatoes will tumble underneath, but that is fine.
At the end of the cooking time, check that the largest piece of chicken breast and the biggest thigh are cooked by inserting a sharp knife into the meat.
The juices should run clear.

Tapenade from French chef and baker Richard Bertinet.

- French Memories from French chef and baker Richard Bertinet
I like to use Kalamata olives for this, but you can use any good-quality black olives.
The tuna and anchovies give a really deep ‘meaty’ flavour, but if you want to do a vegetarian version you can leave them out and just add some more olives and capers instead.

Makes enough to fill 2 medium (250ml) jars
Ingredients
Kilner jars
300g black olives
75g tinned anchovy fi llets, in oil
75g tinned tuna, in oil
150g capers, in vinegar
1⁄2 lemon
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Preparation
- Drain the olives, anchovies, tuna and capers.
If you are using Kalamata olives they will usually be in oil – if this is good-quality oil, use a few tablespoons in the tapenade in place of the olive oil.

- Stone the olives: with a small, sharp knife make three incisions in each olive from end to end – keep the cuts at equal distances – then pull away the three similar-sized segments from the stone, without tearing or bruising the fruit.

- Juice the lemon.

Method
Put the olives in a food processor and make good use of your pulse button to chop them quite roughly.
Add the rest of the ingredients and keep pulsing in short bursts until you get a coarse paste.
I like tapenade to be quite coarse, but some people prefer it smoother, in which case just process it a little more. It really is up to you.
You shouldn’t need to add any salt because the anchovies should make it salty enough.

White Bean, Chorizo and Cavolo Nero Soup.

A chunky autumn soup-come-stew, made with white beans, paprika-laced chorizo sausage and Italian black cabbage leaves.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion - halved and thinly sliced
pinch of dried chillies
half can of 400g Beans in Water
100g smoked dry-cured bacon lardons
100g spicy cooking chorizo - skinned and sliced
1 large garlic cloves - crushed
two small peeled floury potatoes, such as King Edwards: 1 - cut into small chunks, 1 - whole
1 litre chicken or vegetable stock
100g cavolo nero leaves - washed
2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in the casserole.
Add the bacon lardons and fry for 3 minutes until lightly browned.
Add the chorizo sausage and fry for another 1- 2 minutes until these too are lightly browned.
Add the onion and dried chillies, cover and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes until soft but not browned.
Add the garlic and fry gently for another minute, make sure that the garlic does not brown.
Stir in the potatoes (1 - cut + 1 - whole), beans, stock.
Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes until the potatoes are almost soft.

Meanwhile, slice the green leaves of the cavolo nero away from either side of the thin stalks.
Discard the stalks, bunch up the leaves and slice them across into 2.5cm wide strips.
Stir the cabbage into the soup, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
Mash whole potato from soup with fork and stir in.
Uncover and simmer for another 2 - 3 minutes until the cabbage leaves are tender, the beans have heated through and the potatoes are just beginning to break apart.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and serve sprinkled with some chopped flat leaf parsley.

Cook's Notes
- If use dried white beans, such as haricot or cannellini - soaked overnight
Drain the soaked beans and add them to the pan with 1 litre of fresh cold water.
Bring to a simmer, part-cover and cook gently for 45 minutes - 1 hour until the beans are tender.
Add 1 teaspoon of salt, simmer for a further 5 minutes, then tip them into a colander set over a bowl to collect the cooking liquid.
Measure this and make up to 600 ml with water if necessary.
If more, return it to the pan and boil until it has reduced to the required amount.

- Seek out cooking chorizos that are sold whole from the deli counter rather than the pre-sliced chorizo sold in packets from the chilled cabinet.
The whole raw cured sausages have a much better flavour and texture for cooking.
- Any bright green leafy vegetable would work well in this soup like; kale, Savoy cabbage, Swiss chard or spinach.
Add to the soup and just cook until wilted down or tender.
This soup would work well with British butter beans.

Recipe adapted from:
- White Bean, Chorizo and Cavolo Nero Soup | Le Creuset

- Cavolo nero, meatball & cannellini soup recipe | BBC Good Food

- Italian Soup | Vegetables Recipes | Jamie Oliver Recipes

- Nigel Slater's classic ribollita | Food | The Guardian
Ribollita is a famous Tuscan bread soup, a hearty potage made with bread and vegetables. There are many variations but the main ingredients always include leftover bread, cannellini beans, lacinato kale, cabbage, and inexpensive vegetables such as carrot, beans, chard, celery, potatoes and onion.