Comfort food for a dreary wet Sunday. You don't need me to give you a recipe for this.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
A big fat slice of Pizza
Comfort food for a dreary wet Sunday. You don't need me to give you a recipe for this.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Muffins, Crumpets and Pikelets
There's a lot of confusion in the world over the naming of foods. Take muffins for example, in the UK these are griddled and toasted bready buns, in the US it's often hard to distinguish them from cupcakes.
I'm in France but I was brought up in a very English environment and I find that the culinary culture of my youth becomes increasingly important to me as the boundaries of available cuisines are nullified by the overwhelming and all pervading influence of the internet.
So I'm going to try to set the record straight for British breads today and define muffins, crumpets and pikelets as they are traditionally understood in Britain. They haven't had a particularly good press over the years, often being likened to greasy cardboard or soggy blankets. Although they may give the jaws a workout they are still a comforting filling food and anyone brought up them remembers them with affection.
All three are similar in that they are cooked on a griddle, a flat cooking surface often made from cast iron and heated from below. This is sometimes spelled as girdle which can be confusing in itself. The facility of having an oven in every kitchen is really quite a recent thing. Cooking over an open fire or on the hot plate of a simple stove is a very old practice, like these breads.
These ancient bread forms make use of traditional local ingredients, the sort of grains that are easily grown in the British climate. Hard bread wheat does not do so well in our moist temperate climes so most ancient flours were made with lower protein wheats and other grains.
The other similarity they all have to each other is that it was traditional to mix the dough and leave it overnight before cooking the next morning. These are the original no-knead breads, time savers for busy housewives with many mouths to feed. It is unusual to enrich the doughs with extras like butter or eggs but I have seen recipes with both. For the richer families perhaps.
Muffins have the stiffest mixture of the three, firm enough to hold its own shape after rising. A bread dough is made up, lightly kneaded and set to rise overnight. In the morning it is knocked back, shaped into flat buns and cooked gently over a very lightly greased griddle. The buns are later toasted (presumably to freshen them) then split in half and served butter and sometimes preserves.
Crumpets are a much wetter mixture and in order to form their shape on the griddle special crumpet rings are needed. Again, the batter is mixed, left overnight, refreshed in the morning and then cooked on the griddle until the bottoms are browned and the tops pocked with holes where the bubbles in the dough have burst. They are then turned over for a few moments to seal the tops. These also require toasting before eating, fun to do with an old fashioned toasting fork in front of a roaring fire on an autumn afternoon. Their firm texture means they don't fall off the fork as easily as bread does.
I wanted to make crumpets today but had no rings and so after wondering about creating some from old bean cans eventually decided to give them a miss.
Pikelets seem to have become confused in their identification even the UK. I've seen several recipes for baking powder leavened versions which are almost the same as recipes for drop scones or American Pancakes but in my mind a proper pikelet is a thin crumpet. It has to be thin because without a ring there is nothing to hold the mixture high while it cooks. They are small cakes made with a meagre batter and use a little less fuel while cooking. The home made bread of the very poor.
Pikelets
250g plain flour (a fine wholemeal will work, I used a mixture)
200ml water
2g dried powdered yeast (2g granular yeast, reconstituted in a little of the water, 5g fresh)
pinch of salt.
Put everything into a big bowl (the mixture is going to rise) that can be covered and mix well together with a wooden spoon. Beat the mixture until your arm gets tired, then cover and leave at room temperature until the next day.
At this point you can add a little bicarbonate of soda if you want big bubbles. Beat the mixture again and drop small (dessert) spoons of the dough onto a lightly greased hot griddle. Spread them out a little to get nice round shapes, not too thin but equal thickness all over. Allow to cook over a gentle heat for five minutes or so until the tops have dried and the bubbles popped. Turn over and cook for a further couple of minutes.
Remove from the heat and wrap in a clean tea towel while you cook the rest of the batch.
Before serving toast lightly on both sides, butter well with vegan spread and serve for tea with jam if liked. I had some for breakfast with Marmite but maybe that's taking cultural preferences a step too far for most!
I'm in France but I was brought up in a very English environment and I find that the culinary culture of my youth becomes increasingly important to me as the boundaries of available cuisines are nullified by the overwhelming and all pervading influence of the internet.
So I'm going to try to set the record straight for British breads today and define muffins, crumpets and pikelets as they are traditionally understood in Britain. They haven't had a particularly good press over the years, often being likened to greasy cardboard or soggy blankets. Although they may give the jaws a workout they are still a comforting filling food and anyone brought up them remembers them with affection.
All three are similar in that they are cooked on a griddle, a flat cooking surface often made from cast iron and heated from below. This is sometimes spelled as girdle which can be confusing in itself. The facility of having an oven in every kitchen is really quite a recent thing. Cooking over an open fire or on the hot plate of a simple stove is a very old practice, like these breads.
These ancient bread forms make use of traditional local ingredients, the sort of grains that are easily grown in the British climate. Hard bread wheat does not do so well in our moist temperate climes so most ancient flours were made with lower protein wheats and other grains.
The other similarity they all have to each other is that it was traditional to mix the dough and leave it overnight before cooking the next morning. These are the original no-knead breads, time savers for busy housewives with many mouths to feed. It is unusual to enrich the doughs with extras like butter or eggs but I have seen recipes with both. For the richer families perhaps.
Muffins have the stiffest mixture of the three, firm enough to hold its own shape after rising. A bread dough is made up, lightly kneaded and set to rise overnight. In the morning it is knocked back, shaped into flat buns and cooked gently over a very lightly greased griddle. The buns are later toasted (presumably to freshen them) then split in half and served butter and sometimes preserves.
Crumpets are a much wetter mixture and in order to form their shape on the griddle special crumpet rings are needed. Again, the batter is mixed, left overnight, refreshed in the morning and then cooked on the griddle until the bottoms are browned and the tops pocked with holes where the bubbles in the dough have burst. They are then turned over for a few moments to seal the tops. These also require toasting before eating, fun to do with an old fashioned toasting fork in front of a roaring fire on an autumn afternoon. Their firm texture means they don't fall off the fork as easily as bread does.
I wanted to make crumpets today but had no rings and so after wondering about creating some from old bean cans eventually decided to give them a miss.
Pikelets seem to have become confused in their identification even the UK. I've seen several recipes for baking powder leavened versions which are almost the same as recipes for drop scones or American Pancakes but in my mind a proper pikelet is a thin crumpet. It has to be thin because without a ring there is nothing to hold the mixture high while it cooks. They are small cakes made with a meagre batter and use a little less fuel while cooking. The home made bread of the very poor.
Pikelets
250g plain flour (a fine wholemeal will work, I used a mixture)
200ml water
2g dried powdered yeast (2g granular yeast, reconstituted in a little of the water, 5g fresh)
pinch of salt.
Put everything into a big bowl (the mixture is going to rise) that can be covered and mix well together with a wooden spoon. Beat the mixture until your arm gets tired, then cover and leave at room temperature until the next day.
At this point you can add a little bicarbonate of soda if you want big bubbles. Beat the mixture again and drop small (dessert) spoons of the dough onto a lightly greased hot griddle. Spread them out a little to get nice round shapes, not too thin but equal thickness all over. Allow to cook over a gentle heat for five minutes or so until the tops have dried and the bubbles popped. Turn over and cook for a further couple of minutes.
Remove from the heat and wrap in a clean tea towel while you cook the rest of the batch.
Before serving toast lightly on both sides, butter well with vegan spread and serve for tea with jam if liked. I had some for breakfast with Marmite but maybe that's taking cultural preferences a step too far for most!
Friday, August 29, 2008
A Carb Rich Friday
No real cooking for a couple of days, too many leftovers of cake and potatoes to eat. Here are a couple of snack meals taken to break the monotony.
Soyasun Vegetable Burger with cornichons, onions and ketchup
Cinnamon Toast with a nice cup of tea.
Soyasun Vegetable Burger with cornichons, onions and ketchup
Cinnamon Toast with a nice cup of tea.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Stacked
Tower of White Aubergine, Tomato and Mushroom Patty served with Home Style Potato Salad and a Woodpile of Radish Pickle.
I'm going to stop trying to fancy up the food for the camera, it's not working. The food is delicious enough but I can't wait with all the fannying around for the picture.
Back to simple stuff tomorrow and snaps with the Ixus, at least until I get the hang of the Nikon.
But, the mushroom patties at the heart of all this pretentiousness are quite lovely if rather fragile so here is the recipe. Quantities are very small, I'm beginning to have nightmares about leftovers so am really trying to scale down to one person portions, another hindrance in the phood fotography discipline because it's not possible to choose the best item for the shot, there is only one.
Mushroom Patties
Easiest with a food processor, for tiny amounts like these a mini Robotchef is ideal.
25g fresh breadcrumbs
25g peeled shallots
50g fresh white mushrooms with stalks
1 tsp. nutritional yeast flakes
1 tsp. olive oil
Basil, Tarragon and Lemon Thyme
Mince together the shallots, mushrooms and herbs stripped from their woody stalks. Don't use too much Lemon Thyme, it can be overpowering. Add the breadcrumbs, yeast flakes and oil. Go easy on seasoning, these develop a great flavour by themselves.
Mix together well and press down into a bowl. Leave to rest for 20 minutes.
Form small patties, this made three tiny ones the size of aubergine slices. They are very fragile.
Fry gently in some vegan margarine and olive oil mixed. They are difficult to turn so give them at least five minutes on the first side before turning, then cook for five minutes more on the second side. Keep the heat gentle or the outside will burn before the middle is cooked. If they do fall apart it should be possible to pat them back together in the pan.
Serve in a bun or with chips or in a huge stack of vegetables...
Stacked
Tower of White Aubergine, Tomato and Mushroom Patty served with Home Style Potato Salad and a Woodpile of Radish Pickle.
I'm going to stop trying to fancy up the food for the camera, it's not working. The food is delicious enough but I can't wait with all the fannying around for the picture.
Back to simple stuff tomorrow and snaps with the Ixus, at least until I get the hang of the Nikon.
But, the mushroom patties at the heart of all this pretentiousness are quite lovely if rather fragile so here is the recipe. Quantities are very small, I'm beginning to have nightmares about leftovers so am really trying to scale down to one person portions, another hindrance in the phood fotography discipline because it's not possible to choose the best item for the shot, there is only one.
Mushroom Patties
Easiest with a food processor, for tiny amounts like these a mini Robotchef is ideal.
25g fresh breadcrumbs
25g peeled shallots
50g fresh white mushrooms with stalks
1 tsp. nutritional yeast flakes
1 tsp. olive oil
Basil, Tarragon and Lemon Thyme
Mince together the shallots, mushrooms and herbs stripped from their woody stalks. Don't use too much Lemon Thyme it can be overpowering. Add the breadcrumbs, yeast flakes and oil. Go easy on seasoning, these develop a great flavour by themselves.
Mix together well and press down into a bowl. Leave to rest for 20 minutes.
Form small patties, this made three tiny ones the size of aubergine slices. They are very fragile.
Fry gently in some vegan margarine and olive oil mixed. They are difficult to turn to give them at least five minutes on the first side before turning, then cook for five minutes more on the second side. Keep the heat gentle or the outside will burn before the middle is cooked. If they do fall apart it should be possible to pat them back together in the pan.
Serve in a bun or with chips or in a huge stack of vegetables...
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Posh Pudding
Maple Chocolate Glazed Plum Cake with Rum Blackberry Sorbet.
This isn't much more than the sum of its parts. I wanted something pretty to photograph because I've been left the use of the second best camera and I'm supposed to be learning to drive it. Needless to say this picture was taken in a fully automatic mode and doesn't come anywhere near what I hoped to achieve by it.
Anyway, to the recipe. I'm not going to bother with the sorbet recipe today, it's fruity, sweet and alcoholic but not quite right and it seems silly to offer something flawed when there are so many other recipes for sorbet out there.
Plum Cake - this uses fresh plums in case you were expecting a rich fruit cake under all that chocolate. I used greengages but think that a stronger flavoured red plum or perhaps Victorias would do better. Leftover cake is fine in slices with a nice cup of tea.
200g flour
100g sugar
100g soy yoghurt
100g oil
100ml pineapple juice
1 pkt baking powder
8 or 9 greengages
pinch of cinnamon - not entirely necessary.
Stone and chop plums roughly.
Mix all the dry ingredients together and then add the yoghurt, juice and oil. Mix well and add the plums. Stir to combine. Scrape into greased and floured loaf tin.
Bake in a hot oven 200C for about 40 minutes.
Chocolate Glaze (for two puddings)
Over a pan of simmering water, melt 100g chocolate, 2 tablespoons strongly flavoured maple syrup and a couple of teaspoonfuls of vegan marg. Mix everything together well until smooth. Keep warm.
Assembly
I used portions of the loaf made into thick slices cut into circles with a tumbler. Use whatever cutters or shapes you fancy. Working quickly with a teaspoon cover the cylinders of cake with the warm glaze. It is quite stiff and will need to be spread a little with the back of the spoon. Set the covered cakes into the fridge to firm up.
Soften a little sorbet and use to fill heart shaped ice cube trays, as many as you need. Allow to reharden in the freezer.
At serving time, dress the plates with cake and sorbet as desired.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Food for Friends
I've not really been trying very hard with cooking for the last couple of weeks. We've been getting on with enjoying ourselves and the food has mostly been of the quick, easy and good with wine variety.
Here's a round up of the few things I took pictures of, normal service will be resumed shortly.
Brightly coloured BBQ food
Stuffed Courgette and Patatas Bravas
Mushrooms stuffed with Baba Ganoush, aubergines cooked on the embers of that BBQ above.
Tonight's dinner of layered leftovers and nothing in particular rebaked in a hot oven.
Here's a round up of the few things I took pictures of, normal service will be resumed shortly.
Brightly coloured BBQ food
Stuffed Courgette and Patatas Bravas
Mushrooms stuffed with Baba Ganoush, aubergines cooked on the embers of that BBQ above.
Tonight's dinner of layered leftovers and nothing in particular rebaked in a hot oven.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
The Vegan 100
I'm not really a fan of these meme type things but I'd seen the Omni 100 around (and eaten a good deal of it in previous lives) and wondered about a Vegan version. Also Mr Stripey Cat has just this hour departed back to Blighty, the rain is pissing down and I'm comforting myself with Kim Chee soup, the sort of breakfast that can really only be enjoyed while very sad, miserable and alone.
This originated at Bittersweet and was brought to my attention by Destiny's Kitchen.
The Rules are:
1) Copy this list into your own blog, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Post a comment here once you’ve finished and link your post back to this one.
5) Pass it on!
1. Natto
2. Green Smoothie
3. Tofu Scramble
4. Haggis
5. Mangosteen
6. Creme brulee
7. Fondue
8. Marmite/Vegemite
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Nachos
12. Authentic soba noodles
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Taco from a street cart
16. Boba Tea
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Gyoza
20. Vanilla ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Ceviche
24. Rice and beans
25. Knish
26. Raw scotch bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Caviar
29. Baklava
30. Pate
31. Wasabi peas
32. Chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Mango lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Mulled cider
37. Scones with buttery spread and jam
38. Vodka jelly
39. Gumbo
40. Fast food french fries
41. Raw Brownies
42. Fresh Garbanzo Beans
43. Dal
44. Homemade Soymilk
45. Wine from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Stroopwafle
47. Samosas
48. Vegetable Sushi
49. Glazed doughnut
50. Seaweed
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Tofurkey
54. Sheese
55. Cotton candy
56. Gnocchi
57. Piña colada
58. Birch beer
59. Scrapple
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Soy curls
63. Chickpea cutlets
64. Curry
65. Durian
66. Homemade Sausages
67. Churros, elephant ears, or funnel cake
68. Smoked tofu
69. Fried plantain
70. Mochi
71. Gazpacho
72. Warm chocolate chip cookies
73. Absinthe
74. Corn on the cob
75. Whipped cream, straight from the can
76. Pomegranate
77. Fauxstess Cupcake
78. Mashed potatoes with gravy
79. Jerky
80. Croissants
81. French onion soup
82. Savory crepes
83. Tings
84. A meal at Candle 79
85. Moussaka
86. Sprouted grains or seeds
87. Macaroni and “cheese”
88. Flowers
89. Matzoh ball soup
90. White chocolate
91. Seitan
92. Kimchi
93. Butterscotch chips
94. Yellow watermelon
95. Chili with chocolate
96. Bagel and Tofutti
97. Potato milk
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Raw cookie dough
Notes: (1) Not yet. (12) What are inauthentic soba noodles? I'm not a fan of buckwheat but I've eaten them. (15,16, 83,84) Not available in Europe. (23) I don't believe you can have a vegan ceviche but on the basis I've had a lemon juice dressed thin sliced salad I've said yes to this. (26) Not exactly, but I've taken it in vodka. (27) Once I found a coconut milk version at a Chinese supermarket. It was delicious but I've never found it again. (41, 100) My initial reaction is yuck! but I have licked the cake bowl before now. (46, 61, 77) Yer' what?!?. (53) Not tofurky but local equivalents. (90) No vegan version available. (94) I prefer a nice old fashioned red, with pips.
There doesn't appear to be anything here I wouldn't try.
This originated at Bittersweet and was brought to my attention by Destiny's Kitchen.
The Rules are:
1) Copy this list into your own blog, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Post a comment here once you’ve finished and link your post back to this one.
5) Pass it on!
1. Natto
2. Green Smoothie
3. Tofu Scramble
4. Haggis
5. Mangosteen
6. Creme brulee
7. Fondue
8. Marmite/Vegemite
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Nachos
12. Authentic soba noodles
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Taco from a street cart
16. Boba Tea
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Gyoza
20. Vanilla ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Ceviche
24. Rice and beans
25. Knish
26. Raw scotch bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Caviar
29. Baklava
30. Pate
31. Wasabi peas
32. Chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Mango lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Mulled cider
37. Scones with buttery spread and jam
38. Vodka jelly
39. Gumbo
40. Fast food french fries
41. Raw Brownies
42. Fresh Garbanzo Beans
43. Dal
44. Homemade Soymilk
45. Wine from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Stroopwafle
47. Samosas
48. Vegetable Sushi
49. Glazed doughnut
50. Seaweed
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Tofurkey
54. Sheese
55. Cotton candy
56. Gnocchi
57. Piña colada
58. Birch beer
59. Scrapple
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Soy curls
63. Chickpea cutlets
64. Curry
65. Durian
66. Homemade Sausages
67. Churros, elephant ears, or funnel cake
68. Smoked tofu
69. Fried plantain
70. Mochi
71. Gazpacho
72. Warm chocolate chip cookies
73. Absinthe
74. Corn on the cob
75. Whipped cream, straight from the can
76. Pomegranate
77. Fauxstess Cupcake
78. Mashed potatoes with gravy
79. Jerky
80. Croissants
81. French onion soup
82. Savory crepes
83. Tings
84. A meal at Candle 79
85. Moussaka
86. Sprouted grains or seeds
87. Macaroni and “cheese”
88. Flowers
89. Matzoh ball soup
90. White chocolate
91. Seitan
92. Kimchi
93. Butterscotch chips
94. Yellow watermelon
95. Chili with chocolate
96. Bagel and Tofutti
97. Potato milk
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Raw cookie dough
Notes: (1) Not yet. (12) What are inauthentic soba noodles? I'm not a fan of buckwheat but I've eaten them. (15,16, 83,84) Not available in Europe. (23) I don't believe you can have a vegan ceviche but on the basis I've had a lemon juice dressed thin sliced salad I've said yes to this. (26) Not exactly, but I've taken it in vodka. (27) Once I found a coconut milk version at a Chinese supermarket. It was delicious but I've never found it again. (41, 100) My initial reaction is yuck! but I have licked the cake bowl before now. (46, 61, 77) Yer' what?!?. (53) Not tofurky but local equivalents. (90) No vegan version available. (94) I prefer a nice old fashioned red, with pips.
There doesn't appear to be anything here I wouldn't try.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Hazelnut Orange Biscotti
are still very much a work in progress, but because the Stripey male took such a lovely picture of them I thought I'd share a viewing with everyone.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Unplugged
I've been taking the last of the broad bean harvest. Although it might seem like a tedious task to sit and first pod and then peel the individual mature beans, you can listen to music, have a drink, chat to friends, soak up the sunshine. It's not a real hardship.
The food processor broke but I was determined to make this most traditional of Egyptian bean dishes, Ta'amia, using only traditional methods and implements.
Take about 400g of fully mature broad beans, just before the seeds start to dry and wrinkle. At other times of the year use split dried beans, soaked overnight but for a couple of weeks in the summer all you need are the hard old pods of the end of the season.
Pod them and remove the chewy seed coat. I use my thumbnail and raw beans but you might find it easier to blanch the beans and cool them first.
Use your pestle (the pounding tool) and mortar (the solid bowl) to crush the released bean cotyledons into a soft pulp. The finer you make the puree, the easier it will be to form the rissoles but even quite coarse mixes will hold together in the pan. As you go, add a big clove of garlic and a bunch of herbs, parsley, coriander, mint, also a teaspoonful of cumin seed and some salt and pepper to taste. If you like you can add a pinch of chilli powder but I prefer not to.
The smell is wonderful. Scrape the mixture into a bowl, add a small onion finely chopped and knead the mixture a little to make sure everything is well combined then allow it to rest for an hour.
Use a spoon and your hands to shape the Ta'amia. Form into small flat patties, round or oval in shape and about 1cm thick. You should get about 12 from this many beans. If your mixture is coarse it may seem hard to get the shapes to hold together. If they need further processing to make a finer meal return to the mortar and pound some more or use your processor. Fry in medium hot oil either in a shallow pan (use about 1cm oil) or a deep fryer. They will take about 7-10 minutes and should be turned over halfway through cooking. Allow to drain on kitchen towel in the warm while you prepare the Tahini-garlic lemon sauce.
Crush a clove of garlic with a teaspoonful of fine salt. When it's turned to a soft pulp add two or three teaspoonsful of tahini and a teaspoonful of oil, either from the Tahini jar or some olive oil. Add the juice of half a lemon (anything up to a whole lemon if you like it) and mix well. If the mixture seems a little thick add water by the teaspoonful, mixing in well each time until the consistency is how you like it. This is a very strong but delicious sauce.
We served these in soft white bread, with slices of fried aubergine, tomatoes from the garden and fresh pole beans and olives. Add sauce to taste.
The food processor broke but I was determined to make this most traditional of Egyptian bean dishes, Ta'amia, using only traditional methods and implements.
Take about 400g of fully mature broad beans, just before the seeds start to dry and wrinkle. At other times of the year use split dried beans, soaked overnight but for a couple of weeks in the summer all you need are the hard old pods of the end of the season.
Pod them and remove the chewy seed coat. I use my thumbnail and raw beans but you might find it easier to blanch the beans and cool them first.
Use your pestle (the pounding tool) and mortar (the solid bowl) to crush the released bean cotyledons into a soft pulp. The finer you make the puree, the easier it will be to form the rissoles but even quite coarse mixes will hold together in the pan. As you go, add a big clove of garlic and a bunch of herbs, parsley, coriander, mint, also a teaspoonful of cumin seed and some salt and pepper to taste. If you like you can add a pinch of chilli powder but I prefer not to.
The smell is wonderful. Scrape the mixture into a bowl, add a small onion finely chopped and knead the mixture a little to make sure everything is well combined then allow it to rest for an hour.
Use a spoon and your hands to shape the Ta'amia. Form into small flat patties, round or oval in shape and about 1cm thick. You should get about 12 from this many beans. If your mixture is coarse it may seem hard to get the shapes to hold together. If they need further processing to make a finer meal return to the mortar and pound some more or use your processor. Fry in medium hot oil either in a shallow pan (use about 1cm oil) or a deep fryer. They will take about 7-10 minutes and should be turned over halfway through cooking. Allow to drain on kitchen towel in the warm while you prepare the Tahini-garlic lemon sauce.
Crush a clove of garlic with a teaspoonful of fine salt. When it's turned to a soft pulp add two or three teaspoonsful of tahini and a teaspoonful of oil, either from the Tahini jar or some olive oil. Add the juice of half a lemon (anything up to a whole lemon if you like it) and mix well. If the mixture seems a little thick add water by the teaspoonful, mixing in well each time until the consistency is how you like it. This is a very strong but delicious sauce.
We served these in soft white bread, with slices of fried aubergine, tomatoes from the garden and fresh pole beans and olives. Add sauce to taste.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Stuffed Pumpkin Flowers
Delicious as tempura style squash flowers are, they are fried, and too much fried food just isn't nice after a while. The body starts to crave simpler, less rich nutrition.
These flowers have been stuffed with couscous and melon, mint and parsley, then packed together tightly in a deep dish and moistened with lemon juice and water. The dish was covered and baked in a warm oven (about 175C) for half an hour and allowed to cool to room temperature before serving.
The juices thicken to make a lightly jellied sauce around the delicate and tender stuffed blossoms. Serve with a tomato salad and crusty bread for lunch.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Borshch
I thought I'd try to make an authentic Borshch with the beets and cabbage from the garden so I went looking for a recipe. I had in mind the sort of very clear consomme type chilled soup but eventually decided that a thick Ukrainian style soup full of vegetables was the way to go. Even so, I could find little in the recipes on the web that was consistent, so this is my version.
Sweat an onion and some garlic in a little oil until it is softened but not browned. Add beets, washed, peeled and shredded on the mandoline along with a couple of carrots similarly treated. Add about a litre of water, a bay leaf and some ground black pepper and bring to a gentle simmer.
Wash, peel and cube a couple of potatoes and add to the pot. When the potatoes are cooked - say 10 minutes - add a good quantity of finely shredded cabbage and give the soup another five minute simmer. Stir in half a tin of tomato purée (about 60g) then add some finely chopped dill weed and parsley.
Remove from the heat and adjust the seasoning with a teaspoonful of brown sugar, salt and wine vinegar to taste. The end result should be lightly sweet and sour with a refreshing flavour.
Serve with a little soya yoghurt and some rye bread.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Spud U Like
I've been taking a little break from posting while the Mr. is here but we've still been eating as you might have expected. Our potato harvest is nearly complete and we've been taste testing and experimenting with the cooking of the different varieties we've grown this year.
Pictured above, three types of heritage potatoes, Salad Blue, Shetland Black and Highland Burgundy Red parboiled and then refried for breakfast. They are certainly rather filling.
Last night we made a baked potato dish, perhaps entitled Scalloped Potatoes or Pommes Dauphinoise or maybe merely Casserole of Potatoes. Absolutely simple it was nice just as it came but would also make a good accompaniment to a more formal meal.
Slice your potatoes, the exact thickness is a matter of taste but we chose fairly thickly at about 1cm. Layer them with thinly sliced onions (or use a little grated garlic) in a well greased casserole dish or pan that can be covered. Make three or more layers and season well with pepper and a little salt. Melt some margarine in enough non-dairy milk to just come to the level of the potatoes in the pan and when it is hot pour over the potatoes. Cover tightly and bake in a hot oven, say 200C, for an hour, then remove the lid to allow the top to brown.
The colours don't add a lot to this and the overall presentation is rustic but the flavour was delicious and we shall definitely be making it again.
Saturday, August 09, 2008
A Bowl of Soup for one
I'm so excited, Mr. Stripey Cat and one of the Kittens are on their way over to see me even as I write. I'm almost too excited to eat but wanted to show off the wonderful crops we've been getting from the vegetable patches and avoid having a lot of leftovers because my boys aren't going to want to eat scraps when they get here.
So I've tried to portion vegetables for just one bowl.
Needless to say I didn't really succeed, I have enough soup for 3 people at least from that lot. Starting at the left and going clockwise there are; Potatoes, shallots, pumpkin shoots, carrots, courgette, tomato, french beans (three types!), then continuing around next to the potatoes are ulluco greens, magentaspreen, runner beans, peas and broad beans. Not pictured, garlic, coriander, parsley, basil and a bay leaf. Apart from the olive oil (and how I wish I could grow olives here) and the salt and pepper, all grown on the farm.
Not so much of a recipe as an agglomeration. Sweat shallots and garlic in a little oil, add all the rest of the vegetables prepared in small pieces except the greens and tomato, cover with water or light vegetable stock (water is good). Pop in a bay leaf and let simmer for 10 minutes until everything is cooked. Add the greens, green herbs and tomato. Season to taste with salt and ground black pepper and simmer for a few minutes longer for the greens to wilt.
Serve with crusty bread.
So I've tried to portion vegetables for just one bowl.
Needless to say I didn't really succeed, I have enough soup for 3 people at least from that lot. Starting at the left and going clockwise there are; Potatoes, shallots, pumpkin shoots, carrots, courgette, tomato, french beans (three types!), then continuing around next to the potatoes are ulluco greens, magentaspreen, runner beans, peas and broad beans. Not pictured, garlic, coriander, parsley, basil and a bay leaf. Apart from the olive oil (and how I wish I could grow olives here) and the salt and pepper, all grown on the farm.
Not so much of a recipe as an agglomeration. Sweat shallots and garlic in a little oil, add all the rest of the vegetables prepared in small pieces except the greens and tomato, cover with water or light vegetable stock (water is good). Pop in a bay leaf and let simmer for 10 minutes until everything is cooked. Add the greens, green herbs and tomato. Season to taste with salt and ground black pepper and simmer for a few minutes longer for the greens to wilt.
Serve with crusty bread.
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Do it Yourself
So many puddings mean I've been getting through the yoghurt pretty fast. I was going to run out before I'd finished all my kissel and shopping day isn't until tomorrow, maybe Saturday if I can wait that long. There was only one solution, risk the last of my stash on growing some more.
I tried and tried to think of a way to make a bowl of yoghurt look appetising for a photo and failed so here is a pretty picture of clouds.
Making yoghurt at home is so easy I'm not really sure I need to document here but since I often forget just how simple it is perhaps it's worth writing it down as an encouragement to save money on my grocery bills.
For a litre of yoghurt take a litre of soya milk. The soya milk I buy is extremely basic, just non-GMO beans and water, no additives, flavourings, sugar or thickeners. I think that's best.
Put the milk into a big clean pan and bring to a simmer. Let it simmer away for five minutes, stirring from time to time to stop a skin forming. If it does it's fine to stir it back into the milk. The volume will reduce a little. Then turn off the heat and cover the pan while everything cools to blood heat.
I use a Thermos flask to make the yoghurt in. A wide mouthed flask is best but I don't have one like that in France and the ordinary sort works fine. Make sure it's squeaky clean and then sterilise by filling it up with boiling water, closing the lid and letting it sit for a while.
When the milk is cooled down to somewhere between 37C and 40C it's time for the next step. If you don't have a suitable cooking thermometer you can use your extremely clean little finger dipped in the milk. You should feel nothing at all, neither heat nor cold. If it feels at all hot then wait a while. As long as it's not chilly it should still work but may take a bit longer.
Empty the hot water out of the Thermos flask.
Take a little of your warm milk and mix it with your starter. This can be 100ml of a purchased live soya yoghurt or a portion of your previously home made batch. Then mix this all back into the full volume of soya milk, stir well and put into the warm flask.
Close up the flask and leave it for at least 12 hours while the culture turns the milk into yoghurt. If it seems a little thin when you open it, close it up again and leave a while longer. I left mine for 18 hours and it was set in the flask.
Turn the yoghurt out into a pot with a cover. Whisk it up if you want to make it smooth. Cover, allow to cool and then keep in the fridge and use as required. Keeps for about a week.
I tried and tried to think of a way to make a bowl of yoghurt look appetising for a photo and failed so here is a pretty picture of clouds.
Making yoghurt at home is so easy I'm not really sure I need to document here but since I often forget just how simple it is perhaps it's worth writing it down as an encouragement to save money on my grocery bills.
For a litre of yoghurt take a litre of soya milk. The soya milk I buy is extremely basic, just non-GMO beans and water, no additives, flavourings, sugar or thickeners. I think that's best.
Put the milk into a big clean pan and bring to a simmer. Let it simmer away for five minutes, stirring from time to time to stop a skin forming. If it does it's fine to stir it back into the milk. The volume will reduce a little. Then turn off the heat and cover the pan while everything cools to blood heat.
I use a Thermos flask to make the yoghurt in. A wide mouthed flask is best but I don't have one like that in France and the ordinary sort works fine. Make sure it's squeaky clean and then sterilise by filling it up with boiling water, closing the lid and letting it sit for a while.
When the milk is cooled down to somewhere between 37C and 40C it's time for the next step. If you don't have a suitable cooking thermometer you can use your extremely clean little finger dipped in the milk. You should feel nothing at all, neither heat nor cold. If it feels at all hot then wait a while. As long as it's not chilly it should still work but may take a bit longer.
Empty the hot water out of the Thermos flask.
Take a little of your warm milk and mix it with your starter. This can be 100ml of a purchased live soya yoghurt or a portion of your previously home made batch. Then mix this all back into the full volume of soya milk, stir well and put into the warm flask.
Close up the flask and leave it for at least 12 hours while the culture turns the milk into yoghurt. If it seems a little thin when you open it, close it up again and leave a while longer. I left mine for 18 hours and it was set in the flask.
Turn the yoghurt out into a pot with a cover. Whisk it up if you want to make it smooth. Cover, allow to cool and then keep in the fridge and use as required. Keeps for about a week.
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Too hot
Too hot for inspiration today; a cold noodle salad with Asian styled dressing - garlic, ginger, soy sauce - and crowned with baby beetroots.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Keeping it Red
Beetleaf Pullau
I wasn't entirely sure that I'd share this dish on the blog, it was an experiment that I didn't know would work but I would have eaten it anyway, I just wouldn't have talked about it. Anyway, it worked.
The next problem then was what to call it; is it a pullau or a biriani or an Indian inspired risotto? I've settled on pullau and I hope that's not too far wrong.
Melt some ghee or vegetable margarine in a saucepan. Fry some spices in it being careful not to burn them. I used a piece of cinnamon bark, a whole dried red chilli, some cumin seeds, some mustard seeds, ground black pepper and a teaspoon full of rather mild French curry powder, mostly turmeric. I forgot to add garlic or onion, and didn't have any hing either but one or other of these things would be a good addition. Add three small handfuls of basmati rice and stir it around in the warmed spices, then add water, about 500ml but it depends how much rice you have. Give everything a good stir and bring to a simmer.
Wash a huge handful of beet greens (the tops from beetroots) and pick them over carefully for dead and decaying leaves, then chop them quite finely and add to the pot. Stir everything up again and keep on a low heat until the rice has cooked, the greens are cooked and most of the moisture has disappeared. You will have a brilliant coloured one pot meal. Season to taste with salt and add some finely chopped green coriander leaf.
Serve with a chopped tomato and onion salad and a dollop of yoghurt.
Kissel
When I made this pudding last week I was so taken with it I had to make more. Luckily the blackberries are abundant at the moment. You could use almost any fruit for this but I think it's a good choice for blackberries because a lot of the pips are removed during cooking.
300g blackberries
400ml water
75g sugar
35-40g cornflour
Rinse the blackberries and put into a pan with the water. Bring gently to a simmer and cook for a few minutes to soften the fruit. Then put fruit and water through a fine mouli mill or sieve to extract all the fruit pulp and juice and leave the seeds behind.
Put the blackberry juice back into a clean pan and add sugar to taste. I think 75g is about right but I like puddings to be sweet. Let the sugar dissolve and the mixture come back to a boil. Mix the cornflour with a little cold water to make sure there are no lumps and then, stirring continuously, pour the cornflour mixture into the blackberries. Mix well, the kissel will thicken. Cook for a couple of minutes more stirring all the time.
Pour the fruit into individual serving dishes (I made eight tiny puddings for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the next two days!) or one larger dish. Allow to cool and then chill in the fridge.
Top with thick soya yoghurt, soft brown sugar sprinkled over to taste and decorate with a few more blackberries. It's delicious.
Monday, August 04, 2008
Habas Fritas
I had the deep fat fryer out today to make a whimsy for the other blog, brightly coloured crisps from the blue and red coloured heritage potato varieties we've grown this year. And since the oil was hot, there seemed no reason not to make another snack food more popular around the Mediterranean and Middle East than Europe; crispy seasoned broad beans. This is the way to use up those fully mature broad beans where even shelling and skinning appears inadequate as a preparation for enjoyable eating.
You can, if you're lucky, find these as a ready made bagged snack from Turkey or the Lebanon. They can be bought as a tapas dish sometimes in Spain. I noticed several suppliers offering them via mail order over the internet but nobody seems to have mentioned how easy they are to make at home.
Take the biggest oldest broad bean pods for this dish and pod them. Then spend a pleasant while in the shade carefully peeling each seed to reveal the chunky cotyledons inside. Pull the two halves apart and when you have sufficient for your needs spread them out in a single layer and allow them to dry in the sun for an hour or two.
I have made this starting with dried peeled split broad beans, soaked for six hours and then laid out to dry. It works but this is better, and unless you are very fortunate you won't be able to get dried peeled split broad beans any more easily than over-mature pods. Entirely dry beans won't peel. Save these for seed for next year's snack.
Heat a pan of oil to nearly very hot. Now, I can't emphasise too much how careful you need to be near hot oil. Don't leave the room, don't overfill the pan (about a third of the depth is plenty), have a fire blanket handy and know what to do.
The heat you need should be sufficient that when you add a small cube of bread to the oil it sizzles gently and comes to the surface. Any smoke or haze turn off the heat immediately and retire to a safe distance while it cools.
I hope I haven't frightened you but I still have the scars from a fire when I was very young and I think it's important people are warned to take care.
O.k. let's continue...
Add your very dry split beans to the pan and fry for a few minutes until they rise to the surface and start to colour a little. Drain, dry on some paper towels in a warm place for few minutes, salt (or season to taste with pepper, chilli flakes etc) and serve. Alternatively you can toss the dried bean halves in a little oil and seasonings and just bake them in the oven for 20 minutes or so. I'm sure that would work but I had a hot chip pan and I wanted to use it. It's too hot for the oven at the moment and I can't spare the gas.
Now, I was a wuss, the beans foamed and frothed a good deal more than I was expecting today so I turned off the heat, let them cook a while and them removed them to a tray in a hot oven for 10 minutes to finish cooking. I don't really think that was necessary but it's been a long hard week and my confidence is low.
If you need to store them allow to cool fully and then put away in an airtight container but this is very unlikely to ever happen.
Since I ate so much fried stuff today my supper was a very simple vegetable broth, not worth photographing so lets finish up with some of those home made crisps.
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Edible Flowers
A fairly meagre meal today, just my usual simple stew but this time made with flowers. Artichoke flowers.
Although it's nice to boil the flower buds whole and tug away at the leaflets so that the tasty bases can be dipped in dressing and nibbled away the novelty can wear off. With a sharp knife and some patience it's possible to cut away all the ferociously spiky leaves and remove the terrifyingly asphyxiating choke to leave just the heart. Cooked with potatoes these make a delicious light stew.
With my stew I included some Highland Burgundy Red potatoes, onion, broad beans, some tarragon, the juice of a lemon, a splash of red wine, olive oil to soften the onions in and just enough water to cover. At the end of cooking I stirred in a teaspoonful of barley miso.
To serve I used a sprinkle of white pepper, a pinch of salt and few drops of wine vinegar. It doesn't look very beautiful but it tasted marvellous.
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Working lunch
A real first for this blog - I had my other, rather dusty hat on, and was doing a day's work for a change, slaving over a web page.
So, no time to eat or cook really. We have here toast with pizza topping, left over pasta sauce mixed with some extra olives and garlic and topped with the last of the Cheezley brought back from the UK two weeks ago. You can see the rain on the plate too. I had to take the picture quickly and get back inside.
No time to fix that blogroll menu either, maybe I'll have a look at it now but I'm soooooo.... ti....red!
Friday, August 01, 2008
Blogroll Update
I thought I'd try the new Blogger thing everyone else has been using for weeks. Unfortunately it seems to be broken just now. I don't think it's me because I tested the function in my private playpen and it worked just fine. Anyway, when this finally sorts itself out I hope it will show the five most recently updated blogs from the 30 or so I've listed. This should mean everyone gets a chance to be near the top of the list and get visitors. Ain't technology great.
UPDATE: Who the hell knows what's going on with Blogger? It just told me I couldn't sign in because I'd disabled cookies and javascript. Which I haven't. Then, mysteriously I was signed in. It's acting like a virus, which is worrying. OTOH the way hackers seem to get into Wordpress is slowing up my intention to move everything over there. What's a poor blogger to do? Still, for the moment my reader seems to be playing so I'm going to try again to sort out the blog roll.
UPDATE 2: Oh no it isn't.
UPDATE 3: Which means that there are half dozen of you that I can't get to list at the moment so don't be sad if you're not listed. This is going to have to be revisited but I just don't have the mental energy for it right now.
UPDATE 4: See how much I love you, I've just cut and pasted 34 entries individually into the list since the reader link isn't working. Be warned they are not all vegan, I'm interested in cooking ideas, not ideologies so my reading is eclectic.
UPDATE: Who the hell knows what's going on with Blogger? It just told me I couldn't sign in because I'd disabled cookies and javascript. Which I haven't. Then, mysteriously I was signed in. It's acting like a virus, which is worrying. OTOH the way hackers seem to get into Wordpress is slowing up my intention to move everything over there. What's a poor blogger to do? Still, for the moment my reader seems to be playing so I'm going to try again to sort out the blog roll.
UPDATE 2: Oh no it isn't.
UPDATE 3: Which means that there are half dozen of you that I can't get to list at the moment so don't be sad if you're not listed. This is going to have to be revisited but I just don't have the mental energy for it right now.
UPDATE 4: See how much I love you, I've just cut and pasted 34 entries individually into the list since the reader link isn't working. Be warned they are not all vegan, I'm interested in cooking ideas, not ideologies so my reading is eclectic.
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