2 bunches broccolini
4 tbsp tahini
1/2 tbsp honey
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
salt
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp nigella seeds
Steam the broccolini. It is pretty tender and doesn't take as long as regular broccoli.
Mix the tahini, honey, lemon juice and salt, and add enough water that it reaches a good, creamy consistency.
Toast the sesame and nigella seeds together in a dry frying pan.
To eat, splodge the sauce on top of the steamed broccolini on your plate and sprinkle some seeds on top.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Rosemary and olive focaccia
Having for some reason rejected the breadmaker and started hand-making bread a while back, I thought it might be an idea to give the breadmaker another chance. To ease back into it, went with a recipe involving breadmaker kneading and oven baking.
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp yeast
2 1/4 cup bread flour
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup warm water
~10 little sprigs rosemary
~6 black olives, pitted and halved
coarse salt and ground black pepper
Add the ingredients to the breadmaker in the order listed, then put on the dough setting and off it goes.
When ready, take the dough out of the breadmaker, pat into a circle 2-3cm deep and place on a baking sheet dusted with semolina or cornmeal.
Brush the bread with olive oil and push in pitted black olives and little sprigs of rosemary. Sprinkle with coarse salt and grind some black pepper over it.
Heat the oven to 400F. Leave the bread to rise for 15-20 min. Bake for about 20 min, until golden brown.
Looks beautiful; the olive / rosemary / coarse salt mix on top is a winner; the bread is a bit dense and dryish though - the breadmaker has a way to go to convince me.
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp yeast
2 1/4 cup bread flour
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup warm water
~10 little sprigs rosemary
~6 black olives, pitted and halved
coarse salt and ground black pepper
Add the ingredients to the breadmaker in the order listed, then put on the dough setting and off it goes.
When ready, take the dough out of the breadmaker, pat into a circle 2-3cm deep and place on a baking sheet dusted with semolina or cornmeal.
Brush the bread with olive oil and push in pitted black olives and little sprigs of rosemary. Sprinkle with coarse salt and grind some black pepper over it.
Heat the oven to 400F. Leave the bread to rise for 15-20 min. Bake for about 20 min, until golden brown.
Looks beautiful; the olive / rosemary / coarse salt mix on top is a winner; the bread is a bit dense and dryish though - the breadmaker has a way to go to convince me.
Roasted brussels sprouts with grapefruit
Thought of roasting brussels sprouts, and of trying something different. Had pretty much all the ingredients for this, and was intrigued.
600g brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
250g shallots, peeled (used a white onion instead, chopped into large chunks)
75ml olive oil
Salt and black pepper
100g sugar
100ml water
2 cinnamon sticks
5 star anise
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 large pomelo (300g after peeling and segmenting) (used a pink grapefruit instead)
10g coriander leaves
Heat the oven to 200C / 400F. Toss the sprouts and onion with 3 tbsp of the oil, a half-tsp salt and some black pepper. Spread out on a baking tray and roast for 20 minutes, until the sprouts are al dente and golden-brown. Leave to cool.
Meanwhile, heat the sugar, water, cinnamon and star anise in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook for a minute, remove from the heat and add a tablespoon of lemon juice. Set aside to cool.
Peel the grapefruit and divide into segments, releasing the flesh from the membrane. Break into bite-size pieces and put in a shallow bowl – don't get any of the bitter white membrane into this. Once the syrup has cooled a little, pour it over the grapefruit and leave to marinate for at least an hour, stirring occasionally.
Before assembling the salad, strain the grapefruit and keep the juices. Just before serving, put the sprouts, shallots, grapefruit and coriander in a large bowl. Add the remaining oil, lemon juice and a tablespoon of the grapefruit marinade juices. Gently mix, check the seasoning and serve.
Interesting and very more-ish. Full of ingredients I like and seem to go well together, so hard to go wrong...
600g brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved250g shallots, peeled (used a white onion instead, chopped into large chunks)
75ml olive oil
Salt and black pepper
100g sugar
100ml water
2 cinnamon sticks
5 star anise
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 large pomelo (300g after peeling and segmenting) (used a pink grapefruit instead)
10g coriander leaves
Heat the oven to 200C / 400F. Toss the sprouts and onion with 3 tbsp of the oil, a half-tsp salt and some black pepper. Spread out on a baking tray and roast for 20 minutes, until the sprouts are al dente and golden-brown. Leave to cool.
Meanwhile, heat the sugar, water, cinnamon and star anise in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook for a minute, remove from the heat and add a tablespoon of lemon juice. Set aside to cool.
Peel the grapefruit and divide into segments, releasing the flesh from the membrane. Break into bite-size pieces and put in a shallow bowl – don't get any of the bitter white membrane into this. Once the syrup has cooled a little, pour it over the grapefruit and leave to marinate for at least an hour, stirring occasionally.
Before assembling the salad, strain the grapefruit and keep the juices. Just before serving, put the sprouts, shallots, grapefruit and coriander in a large bowl. Add the remaining oil, lemon juice and a tablespoon of the grapefruit marinade juices. Gently mix, check the seasoning and serve.
Interesting and very more-ish. Full of ingredients I like and seem to go well together, so hard to go wrong...
Ratatouille
I was dithering over the best way to cook a ratatouille, and decided it might be a good time to go with one of the Guardian's 'Perfect...' recipes. This one. Seemed to have a reasonable combination of ingredients and cooking methods.
1 huge red pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, cut into small dice
4 cloves garlic, minced – 1 kept separate
4 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and cut into small dice, plus juices
3 sprigs of thyme, plus 1 tsp thyme leaves
Pinch of saffron
1 tsp balsamic vinegar (optional)
3 courgettes (a mix of yellow and green is good if possible), thinly sliced
1 aubergine, thinly sliced
4 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
Heat the oven to 230C / 450F. Cut the pepper in half, removing the seeds and pith, and place cut side down on a lightly oiled baking tray. Roast for 20 minutes until the skin has blistered, then remove and leave to cool, turning the oven down to 140C / 280F.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over a low heat, add the onion and cook until very soft, but not browned (about 8 minutes), adding 3 cloves of minced garlic 5 minutes in. Stir in the tomatoes and juices, and the sprigs of thyme, and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated.
Peel the pepper, cut into small dice and add to the pan to soften along with the saffron. Remove the thyme, season to taste, and stir in the vinegar.
Spread the sauce on the bottom of an oven dish, then arrange the sliced vegetables on top. Mix the remaining clove of garlic with the extra virgin olive oil and thyme leaves, season and sprinkle over the top. Cover tightly with foil, and put in the oven for 2 hours until the vegetables are tender to the point of a knife.
Remove the foil, and cook for 30 minutes more – if the top starts to brown, cover loosely with the foil again. If there is any liquid left in the dish after cooking, decant it into a small pan, and reduce over a medium heat, then pour back in. At this point it can be kept for a couple of days.
Just before serving, re-heat if desired, then put the ratatouille under a hot grill until lightly browned
Was fine. Nothing special and a bit faffy. Still dithering over the best way to cook ratatouille.
1 huge red pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, cut into small dice
4 cloves garlic, minced – 1 kept separate
4 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and cut into small dice, plus juices
3 sprigs of thyme, plus 1 tsp thyme leaves
Pinch of saffron
1 tsp balsamic vinegar (optional)
3 courgettes (a mix of yellow and green is good if possible), thinly sliced
1 aubergine, thinly sliced
4 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
Heat the oven to 230C / 450F. Cut the pepper in half, removing the seeds and pith, and place cut side down on a lightly oiled baking tray. Roast for 20 minutes until the skin has blistered, then remove and leave to cool, turning the oven down to 140C / 280F.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over a low heat, add the onion and cook until very soft, but not browned (about 8 minutes), adding 3 cloves of minced garlic 5 minutes in. Stir in the tomatoes and juices, and the sprigs of thyme, and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated.
Peel the pepper, cut into small dice and add to the pan to soften along with the saffron. Remove the thyme, season to taste, and stir in the vinegar.
Spread the sauce on the bottom of an oven dish, then arrange the sliced vegetables on top. Mix the remaining clove of garlic with the extra virgin olive oil and thyme leaves, season and sprinkle over the top. Cover tightly with foil, and put in the oven for 2 hours until the vegetables are tender to the point of a knife.
Remove the foil, and cook for 30 minutes more – if the top starts to brown, cover loosely with the foil again. If there is any liquid left in the dish after cooking, decant it into a small pan, and reduce over a medium heat, then pour back in. At this point it can be kept for a couple of days.
Just before serving, re-heat if desired, then put the ratatouille under a hot grill until lightly browned
Was fine. Nothing special and a bit faffy. Still dithering over the best way to cook ratatouille.
Chocolate Cake
I wanted to try the Moosewood recipe, since it seemed so simple as to be almost too good to be true.
1 ½ cups plain flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup cold water or coffee
2 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbsp cider vinegar
Grease and line a 9-inch round or 8-inch square cake tin.
Heat oven to 375F. Mix flour, cocoa, soda, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl with a fork. Mix oil, cold water or coffee, and vanilla in the measuring cup. Add wet to dry and mix with a fork. Add vinegar and stir quickly, until just combined.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes and set aside to cool.
It was fine: cakey and dense. Not very chocolatey, and it didn't come out of the tin very well. I didn't bother with the glaze (below) - this would probably up the chocolatey-ness.
For the glaze:
8 oz chocolate
3/4 cup hot water
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
Melt the chocolate. Stir in the hot water and vanilla smooth. Spoon over the cooled cake. Refrigerate the glazed cake for at least 30 minutes.
1 ½ cups plain flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup cold water or coffee
2 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbsp cider vinegar
Grease and line a 9-inch round or 8-inch square cake tin.
Heat oven to 375F. Mix flour, cocoa, soda, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl with a fork. Mix oil, cold water or coffee, and vanilla in the measuring cup. Add wet to dry and mix with a fork. Add vinegar and stir quickly, until just combined.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes and set aside to cool.
It was fine: cakey and dense. Not very chocolatey, and it didn't come out of the tin very well. I didn't bother with the glaze (below) - this would probably up the chocolatey-ness.
For the glaze:
8 oz chocolate
3/4 cup hot water
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
Melt the chocolate. Stir in the hot water and vanilla smooth. Spoon over the cooled cake. Refrigerate the glazed cake for at least 30 minutes.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Lentil curry with beetroot raita
This was what I felt like making when I got home through the rain. I wasn't going to bother with the raita but then S wasn't home yet and I was waiting for things to cook and I thought yeah, why not.
250g large brown lentils
60g fresh ginger or galangal (used galangal), peeled and roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ground coriander
3 tsp garam masala
2 small red chillies
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tbsp veg oil
1 medium onion, finely sliced
400g can chopped tinned tomatoes
For the raita:
200g soft silken tofu
4 tbsp beetroot, coarsely grated
coriander, chopped
juice of 1/4 lime
Bring the lentils to the boil in a pan of deep, unsalted water, then let them simmer for 20-25 minutes, until they are quite soft.
Put the galangal into the blender with the garlic, cumin seeds, ground coriander, garam masala, red chillies, ground turmeric and enough water to make a soft, but not runny, paste.
Peel and finely slice the onion. Warm a tbsp or two of oil in a medium saucepan over a moderate heat. Add the onion and let it colour, stirring occasionally. Then add the paste and stir / cook til fragrant. Then add the tinned tomatoes and a can of water, salt, and the drained, cooked lentils and leave to simmer for half an hour or so. The lentils should be soft but still retaining a little of their texture; the sauce thick.
To make the raita, blend the tofu until smooth and put in a small bowl with the other ingredients and gently fold the beetroot through the smooth tofu with a fork (don't over mix).
We ate it with brown rice, and it was good. Homely and comforting and exciting all at once. Glad to use some galangal at last. And the tofu-beetroot raita turned out way better than I expected.
250g large brown lentils60g fresh ginger or galangal (used galangal), peeled and roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ground coriander
3 tsp garam masala
2 small red chillies
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tbsp veg oil
1 medium onion, finely sliced
400g can chopped tinned tomatoes
For the raita:
200g soft silken tofu
4 tbsp beetroot, coarsely grated
coriander, chopped
juice of 1/4 lime
Bring the lentils to the boil in a pan of deep, unsalted water, then let them simmer for 20-25 minutes, until they are quite soft.
Put the galangal into the blender with the garlic, cumin seeds, ground coriander, garam masala, red chillies, ground turmeric and enough water to make a soft, but not runny, paste.
Peel and finely slice the onion. Warm a tbsp or two of oil in a medium saucepan over a moderate heat. Add the onion and let it colour, stirring occasionally. Then add the paste and stir / cook til fragrant. Then add the tinned tomatoes and a can of water, salt, and the drained, cooked lentils and leave to simmer for half an hour or so. The lentils should be soft but still retaining a little of their texture; the sauce thick.
To make the raita, blend the tofu until smooth and put in a small bowl with the other ingredients and gently fold the beetroot through the smooth tofu with a fork (don't over mix).
We ate it with brown rice, and it was good. Homely and comforting and exciting all at once. Glad to use some galangal at last. And the tofu-beetroot raita turned out way better than I expected.
Chili gnocchi and onions
I mashed the potatoes I had boiled for the potato 'maple' syrup on Sunday, so had a tub of mash in the fridge. We went out for Italian food for S's birthday on Tuesday, which made me realise the thing to do with the mash was gnocchi. I made pumpkin gnocchi once before and it didn't really work, but that was a while ago and it felt like time to try again. The mix is very similar to that for tattie scones, another good thing to do with leftover mash.
For the gnocchi:
~2 cups / 9 oz mashed potato (it was already seasoned and mixed with some chopped spring onion)
~1 cup / 4 oz plain flour
~1 tsp chili flakes
~ 1 tbsp chopped coriander
~ 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
salt and pepper
For the onions:
2 medium onions, finely sliced
4 cloves garlic, finely sliced
1 sprig of thyme, leaves only
2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp chili flakes
salt and pepper
olive oil
Put the gnocchi ingredients in a medium bowl and mix with a fork. Check seasoning. Modify amount of flour to give a workable dough (but don't use too much or it won't taste good).
Take a handful of dough and roll on a well-floured board into a long sausage about the thickness of your thumb. Cut into little pillows (about 2 cm long) with a knife, and transfer to a floured plate - they are ready to go.
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. When at a rollicking boil, drop in the gnocchi. They will sink initially, and within a few minutes they will start to rise up and float. This means they are done - fish out the floating ones with a slatted spoon and drain.
Meanwhile, heat about 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan and add onions and garlic. Add other ingredients, cover and cook at a medium heat until completely softened and slightly caramelised.
Eat the cooked gnocchi straight away, with a pile of onions.
These turned out really good: texture is lovely and light; I enjoyed the irregular shapes of the gnocchi, and the additions made them really interesting and different from any I've eaten before, in a good way. Inspired to try different additions - specifically thinking of the wonderful gnocchi stuffed with porcini we ate in Italy - stuffing might be a bit ambitious, but adding mushrooms to the gnocchi mix seems realistic...
For the gnocchi:
~2 cups / 9 oz mashed potato (it was already seasoned and mixed with some chopped spring onion)
~1 cup / 4 oz plain flour
~1 tsp chili flakes~ 1 tbsp chopped coriander
~ 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
salt and pepper
For the onions:
2 medium onions, finely sliced
4 cloves garlic, finely sliced
1 sprig of thyme, leaves only
2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp chili flakes
salt and pepper
olive oil
Put the gnocchi ingredients in a medium bowl and mix with a fork. Check seasoning. Modify amount of flour to give a workable dough (but don't use too much or it won't taste good).
Take a handful of dough and roll on a well-floured board into a long sausage about the thickness of your thumb. Cut into little pillows (about 2 cm long) with a knife, and transfer to a floured plate - they are ready to go.
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. When at a rollicking boil, drop in the gnocchi. They will sink initially, and within a few minutes they will start to rise up and float. This means they are done - fish out the floating ones with a slatted spoon and drain.
Meanwhile, heat about 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan and add onions and garlic. Add other ingredients, cover and cook at a medium heat until completely softened and slightly caramelised.
Eat the cooked gnocchi straight away, with a pile of onions.
These turned out really good: texture is lovely and light; I enjoyed the irregular shapes of the gnocchi, and the additions made them really interesting and different from any I've eaten before, in a good way. Inspired to try different additions - specifically thinking of the wonderful gnocchi stuffed with porcini we ate in Italy - stuffing might be a bit ambitious, but adding mushrooms to the gnocchi mix seems realistic...
Monday, February 20, 2012
Amazing Rainbow Cake
We took the idea from here. It's not a vegan cake: I had some eggs left that I had to buy for a protocol I'm using at work, so we used them up. The frosting is the coconut oil based frosting I've used before.
Cake Mix:
3 cups plain flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks (1 cup) softened (fake) butter
2 1/3 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla essence
~1 cup coconut milk beverage (add more or less to get a good consistency)
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet gel food colouring
Frosting:
2 cups coconut oil
~5 cups icing sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
~2 tbsp coconut milk beverage
Decoration:
multicoloured sprinkles
squiggly, brightly coloured candles
a sparkler
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease seven 9 inch cake tins (we had 4 tins, so did one round of 4 and another of 3), and sprinkle with flour. Mix the baking powder and salt with a fork in a medium sized bowl. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and mix. Add the vanilla and mix. Alternately add the flour mixture and milk starting with the flour. Check for good dropping consistency and add more liquid or flour if required.
Split the mixture equally between seven smallish bowls. Add each colour of food colouring to a different bowl, mixing thoroughly. Then transfer each mixture to a separate prepared cake tin. Smooth out. Bake for about 15 min, until the cake comes away from the edge and a skewer comes out clean. Repeat until all cakes are done. Move the cakes to a cooling rack and leave until cool. Refrigerate until needed (the coldness may help with stability during assembly).
Prepare the frosting: beat together the ingredients gradually until a good consistency is reached. Note that the melting point of coconut oil is right around room temperature, so consistency can be very sensitive to temperature.
To assemble, place the violet layer on a plate, cover with icing, then add the indigo layer. Repeat with the blue, green, yellow, orange and red layers, being careful to keep it in a straight stack. Note, to keep the top straight it may be a good idea to invert the red layer on top (we forgot to do this and it wasn't noticeable though). Cover the top and sides with remaining icing - the idea is to make a smooth white outside to hide any hint of a rainbow. We were actually a little short on frosting, for looks - for taste it was plenty enough. Scatter multicoloured sprinkles on top. Chill (we just put it in a very chilly outer room of the big house). Before serving, remove from chiller and arrange candles around the outside / sparkler in the middle.
The whiteness and stability of the cake and icing mixtures are really important. The gel colours (which are key - liquid food colours won't do this) combined with a white cake mix make the the layers really bright. And the white icing really sets the colours off - coconut oil is whiter than butter, so the coconut icing was perfect. I'm kind of glad we didn't attempt a completely vegan cake as I think the eggs are probably important for the cake stability, which is important for making a neat stack and for getting a clean, beautiful cut. It would probably be possible, but might require experimenting and optimising the cake mix recipe.
The coconut icing also gave it some flavour interest: with butter icing it would have been visually amazing but relatively dull in taste. The frosting was a little short to get a perfect finish on the outside, although this wasn't so noticeable by the time it was decorated - for a smooth exterior more would have been necessary (although it already felt like loads when eating it).
It is an amazing, epic, huge cake: each slice is seven layers deep so there's a lot of cake and a lot of frosting... and a lot of awesomeness!
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Potato 'Maple' Syrup
I read about making 'maple syrup' from potatoes and immediately wanted to try it. For a bunch of reasons. One, it seemed so crazy: can potato water really work magic? Two, it seemed like a wonderful way of using something (the potato water) that I had formerly discarded without thought. Three, I have developed a bit of a maple syrup habit since living here, which will not be sustainable if I leave the US - perhaps potato 'maple' syrup could be an alternative?
6 medium sized potatoes, peeled
2 cups of water
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
a few drops lemon juice
Boil the potatoes uncovered in the water until one cup of fluid remains. Remove the potatoes (they should be cooked about right for eating).
Bring the remaining liquid to the boil, and slowly add the sugars and lemon juice. Once the sugars have dissolved, take the pan off the heat to cool slowly.
Bottle the syrup and put it in a cool, dark place for several days to mature.
So I think this was good. It tasted good, and certainly looked a lot like maple syrup (perhaps a little thinner?). I wondered how much the taste just came from the brown sugar - does the potato water really work any magic? Would have to try again with just water and see what happened... I want to believe!
Unfortunately I mis-remembered how long to leave it, and left it in the cupboard for several weeks instead of several days. By that point there was some growth in it and I didn't fancy it much. I tasted some at earlier stages though, which is what the above comments are based on.
6 medium sized potatoes, peeled
2 cups of water
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
a few drops lemon juice
Boil the potatoes uncovered in the water until one cup of fluid remains. Remove the potatoes (they should be cooked about right for eating).
Bring the remaining liquid to the boil, and slowly add the sugars and lemon juice. Once the sugars have dissolved, take the pan off the heat to cool slowly.
Bottle the syrup and put it in a cool, dark place for several days to mature.
So I think this was good. It tasted good, and certainly looked a lot like maple syrup (perhaps a little thinner?). I wondered how much the taste just came from the brown sugar - does the potato water really work any magic? Would have to try again with just water and see what happened... I want to believe!
Unfortunately I mis-remembered how long to leave it, and left it in the cupboard for several weeks instead of several days. By that point there was some growth in it and I didn't fancy it much. I tasted some at earlier stages though, which is what the above comments are based on.
Citrus rice pudding
Noted this recipe a while ago: from the Guardian, by Nigel Slater. It sprang to mind when thinking about gluten-free things to make.
Serves 4-6
150 g pudding rice (or any rice that will go slooshy, e. g. risotto rice)
500 ml water
500 ml fake milk
3 tbsp candied peel
1 lightly heaped tbsp orange zest
1 lightly heaped tbsp lemon zest
4 tbsp sugar
Put the rice in a heavy-based saucepan, pour in the water and milk and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down so the rice simmers gently and leave for 15 minutes, with the occasional stir. Add the peel, the finely grated zests and the sugar. Partially cover with a lid and cook over a low heat for 15 minutes, stirring until most of the liquid is absorbed. Keep a check on the liquid – it should be thick and creamy. Pour into a dish and leave to cool, then chill thoroughly for a couple of hours. Check for consistency and add more milk to make it good, if desired.
Looked kind of gross - became a kind of orangey-brownish colour. But tasted good: pungently citrussy and not too sweet.
Serves 4-6
150 g pudding rice (or any rice that will go slooshy, e. g. risotto rice)
500 ml water
500 ml fake milk
3 tbsp candied peel
1 lightly heaped tbsp orange zest
1 lightly heaped tbsp lemon zest
4 tbsp sugar
Put the rice in a heavy-based saucepan, pour in the water and milk and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down so the rice simmers gently and leave for 15 minutes, with the occasional stir. Add the peel, the finely grated zests and the sugar. Partially cover with a lid and cook over a low heat for 15 minutes, stirring until most of the liquid is absorbed. Keep a check on the liquid – it should be thick and creamy. Pour into a dish and leave to cool, then chill thoroughly for a couple of hours. Check for consistency and add more milk to make it good, if desired.
Looked kind of gross - became a kind of orangey-brownish colour. But tasted good: pungently citrussy and not too sweet.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Walnut Raisin Bread
I was pickling beetroot today, having remembered just how much I like it. Meanwhile, I got thinking I'd like to make some bread. So I leafed through my collection of potential bread recipes, and settled on this one of Nigel Slater's from the Guardian.
Makes 2 small loaves.
200 g strong wholemeal bread flour
300 g strong white flour
7 g dried yeast (2.5 tsp)
1 tbsp black treacle
1 gently heaped tsp salt
350 ml warm water
100 g raisins
50 g walnut pieces
Put the flours in a large bowl with the yeast. Add the treacle and the salt then mix in the water with a wooden spoon.
Knead for 3 or 4 minutes. Cover with a clean cloth and leave in a warm place for an hour, until doubled in size. Push the raisins and walnuts into it, kneading lightly. Cut the dough in half and make two equal balls.
Line a baking sheet with baking paper and leave to prove for an hour until risen. Heat the oven to 430F/220C. Bake for 25 minutes, until the bread sounds hollow when tapped.
I like this bread: the method, the taste and the texture. I've been trying various different bread prep / cooking methods - haven't figured out my favourite yet, but I'm working on it...
Note: this recipe could be very easily adapted to make S's favourite cranberry pecan loaf - he used to always buy it in the canteen but now they don't seem to ever have it any more.
Makes 2 small loaves.
200 g strong wholemeal bread flour
300 g strong white flour
7 g dried yeast (2.5 tsp)
1 tbsp black treacle
1 gently heaped tsp salt
350 ml warm water
100 g raisins
50 g walnut pieces
Put the flours in a large bowl with the yeast. Add the treacle and the salt then mix in the water with a wooden spoon.
Knead for 3 or 4 minutes. Cover with a clean cloth and leave in a warm place for an hour, until doubled in size. Push the raisins and walnuts into it, kneading lightly. Cut the dough in half and make two equal balls.
Line a baking sheet with baking paper and leave to prove for an hour until risen. Heat the oven to 430F/220C. Bake for 25 minutes, until the bread sounds hollow when tapped.
I like this bread: the method, the taste and the texture. I've been trying various different bread prep / cooking methods - haven't figured out my favourite yet, but I'm working on it...
Note: this recipe could be very easily adapted to make S's favourite cranberry pecan loaf - he used to always buy it in the canteen but now they don't seem to ever have it any more.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Sesame Tofu with Fried Lettuce
I came across this tofu recipe the other day and mentally filed it under simple, interesting and potentially tasty. Tonight I felt like making it.1 box firm tofu (about 16 oz)
~1/4 cup sesame seeds
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
a few drops hot sauce
2 tsp veg oil
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 head Romaine lettuce, rinsed and roughly chopped
Slice the tofu into 8 thin, square-ish slabs. Spread the sesame seeds on a plate, then press all sides of the tofu slabs into them to coat them.
Heat the sesame oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Place the tofu slabs in a single layer in the pan and fry for 5-10 min on each side, until lightly browned.
Add the soy sauce and hot sauce, turn the tofu squares over, and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed. Transfer the tofu squares to a plate (leave stray sesame seeds in the pan).
Add the veg oil and the garlic to the pan and cook for about 30 seconds, until golden. Add the chopped lettuce and cook for few minutes until slightly wilted but still with some bite.
Excited to stumble across the Moosewood recipes - I heard of the place a while back but never thought about looking them up online. We ate it with some cold soba noodles (with sesame, lime, spring onion and coriander). So into fried lettuce right now. I appreciated the lack of prep in this tofu recipe: just tofu straight out of the packet and sesame seeds/oil. It was great - good balance of crispy edges, toasty sesame seeds and firm tofu texture in the middle.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Mushroom barley 'risotto'
I had been trying to solve a problem with risotto: you really need white wine to make it good, but if we opened a bottle of white wine for risotto the other 90% of the bottle will go wrong before we'd ever get around to drinking/using it. I did some research, and decided the answer might be to use white vermouth instead: you can put the lid back on and keep it in the cupboard til next time. We bought it at the same time as creme de cassis (for cake) and a bottle of single malt (for Burns Supper) - what a weird combination.
Last night S and I had quite a lengthy discussion about what to do for dinner, and in the end I made a mushroom risotto with barley instead of risotto rice. Mushrooms and barley are one of those combinations that is just meant to be, in my book
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
~ 8 mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (use a mixture of different kinds of fresh and dried mushrooms if you have them)
1/2 tbsp thyme leaves
~1 cup pearl barley
1 tsp soy sauce (optional)
3 tbsp white vermouth
~3 cups vegetable stock
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
salt+pepper
toasted sunflower seeds, to serve
Heat oil in a medium saucepan, add the onion and garlic, cover and sweat for 5-10 minutes, until the onions are softened. Add the mushrooms and thyme and cook for a bit longer, uncovered, until the mushrooms are browned, then add the soy sauce. Add the pearl barley and stir and mix for a few minutes to coat. Add the vermouth and cook until it is mostly evaporated. Next add the stock a bit at a time, stirring and waiting for it to bubble off while you cook. As you get close to using it all up taste the barley grains for texture - they are good with a little bite left. Use a little more or less stock until the texture is good. The cooking process takes about half an hour. Finally, add the parsley and season to taste. Serve with toasted sunflower seeds on top, if you want.
This was pretty successful. The vermouth worked very well as a wine substitute. The process took about an hour from beginning to end: more than I was thinking when I was just thinking of the barley cooking time. May consider soaking the barley in stock while doing the first steps to speed it up, but I think the flavour might not be as good. Happy to have the fresh thyme and parsley too, they really made it good.
Last night S and I had quite a lengthy discussion about what to do for dinner, and in the end I made a mushroom risotto with barley instead of risotto rice. Mushrooms and barley are one of those combinations that is just meant to be, in my book
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
~ 8 mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (use a mixture of different kinds of fresh and dried mushrooms if you have them)
1/2 tbsp thyme leaves
~1 cup pearl barley
1 tsp soy sauce (optional)
3 tbsp white vermouth
~3 cups vegetable stock
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
salt+pepper
toasted sunflower seeds, to serve
Heat oil in a medium saucepan, add the onion and garlic, cover and sweat for 5-10 minutes, until the onions are softened. Add the mushrooms and thyme and cook for a bit longer, uncovered, until the mushrooms are browned, then add the soy sauce. Add the pearl barley and stir and mix for a few minutes to coat. Add the vermouth and cook until it is mostly evaporated. Next add the stock a bit at a time, stirring and waiting for it to bubble off while you cook. As you get close to using it all up taste the barley grains for texture - they are good with a little bite left. Use a little more or less stock until the texture is good. The cooking process takes about half an hour. Finally, add the parsley and season to taste. Serve with toasted sunflower seeds on top, if you want.
This was pretty successful. The vermouth worked very well as a wine substitute. The process took about an hour from beginning to end: more than I was thinking when I was just thinking of the barley cooking time. May consider soaking the barley in stock while doing the first steps to speed it up, but I think the flavour might not be as good. Happy to have the fresh thyme and parsley too, they really made it good.
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