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!