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.