Since it was Burns Night last Friday, I made our favourite vegetarian haggis, with leeks and potatoes. I didn't have the yuba to wrap it in - no idea where to get that around here - so I just scraped the haggis into a loaf tin when it was finished cooking on the stovetop, and baked it in the oven for about 30 min. The best part was the browner, crunchier bits around the edges. So I decided to try turning the leftovers into baked falafel type things...
vegetarian haggis leftovers (we had about a third of the total amount left)
olive oil
Heat oven to 200C. Lightly rub a large baking tray with olive oil. Mush haggis together with a fork. Then roll into falafel-sized balls and spread them out on the baking tray. Bake for approx 20 min, turning halfway through, until nicely browned and hot.
Ate them together with: a tabbouleh-ish salad with couscous and lots of parsley based on this; hummus; tahini sauce; bread and carrot sticks. They were everything I hoped for. I should really make baked beanburger-y things more often...
Monday, January 28, 2019
Wednesday, January 23, 2019
Sweet potato and red kidney bean chilli
The day after baby S's first birthday, a Sunday, he and I went up the road to the airbnb house that Dad, S and sisters were staying in. S made us dinner. It was lovely. It suddenly felt like a long time since I'd had a proper home-cooked family dinner, and it was soooo nice. She made a chilli based on this one (with reduced chillis to make it baby-friendly) with tortillas and sour cream and she made guacamole too, and it felt a bit like being back home. It was really tasty, I loved the sweet potatoes and the kidney beans - and so did baby S - he ate loads, and revelled in being the centre of attention while everyone sang and made a fuss of him. And I saw how much he gets out of being around family. And anyway, I am making this again now, to try and stave off anxiety about my surgery tomorrow, and to make sure we have something nice and nourishing to keep us, especially me, going through the next few days.
500 g sweet potatoes (1 massive one or 2 normal sized ones), peeled and chopped into big chunks
1 level tsp cayenne
1 heaped tsp ground cumin
1 level tsp cinnamon
olive oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 red bell peppers (or 1 red and 1 yellow), chopped into big chunks
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 bunch coriander, chopped with stalks and leaves approximately separated
1 red chili and 1 green chili, deseeded and finely chopped (skipped this to make it baby-friendly)
2 x 400 g tins red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 x 400 g tins chopped tomatoes
salt+pepper
Heat oven to 200C. Put sweet potato chunks onto a baking tray, sprinkle with pinches of cayenne, cumin, cinnamon, sea salt and black pepper, drizzle with olive oil and toss. Roast for 40 min, until golden and tender. Remove when ready and set aside until needed.
Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pan, medium-high heat. Add onions, peppers and garlic and cook for 5 min. Add the coriander stalks, chillis if using, and the rest of the spices, and cook for 5-10 min. Add drained beans and tinned tomatoes, stir and let simmer for 25-30 min until thick and reduced. Stir in sweet potato chunks and coriander leaves, taste and season, and scatter a little coriander on top before serving.
Thinking about making cornbread to go with it.
500 g sweet potatoes (1 massive one or 2 normal sized ones), peeled and chopped into big chunks
1 level tsp cayenne
1 heaped tsp ground cumin
1 level tsp cinnamon
olive oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 red bell peppers (or 1 red and 1 yellow), chopped into big chunks
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 bunch coriander, chopped with stalks and leaves approximately separated
1 red chili and 1 green chili, deseeded and finely chopped (skipped this to make it baby-friendly)
2 x 400 g tins red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 x 400 g tins chopped tomatoes
salt+pepper
Heat oven to 200C. Put sweet potato chunks onto a baking tray, sprinkle with pinches of cayenne, cumin, cinnamon, sea salt and black pepper, drizzle with olive oil and toss. Roast for 40 min, until golden and tender. Remove when ready and set aside until needed.
Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pan, medium-high heat. Add onions, peppers and garlic and cook for 5 min. Add the coriander stalks, chillis if using, and the rest of the spices, and cook for 5-10 min. Add drained beans and tinned tomatoes, stir and let simmer for 25-30 min until thick and reduced. Stir in sweet potato chunks and coriander leaves, taste and season, and scatter a little coriander on top before serving.
Thinking about making cornbread to go with it.
Blue+white pizza with apple, walnuts and rosemary
(makes 2 pizzas)
1 quantity pizza dough (must be made in advance)
1 tub cream cheese
c 1/2 cup diced gorgonzola
1 large apple (Belle de Boskoop), cored and thinly sliced
handful of walnuts
c 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
Roll out half the dough, using some flour, and transfer to a baking sheet. Repeat with the other half. Prepare a white sauce by mashing the gorgonzola together with the cream cheese, and then spread it evenly over the two bases. Arrange the apple slices across the pizza bases, then sprinkle with walnut pieces and chopped rosemary. Bake for 20-25 min until done, take out of the oven and let cool for a few minutes before eating.
We made this twice, and the second time I did a little variation, using thinly sliced superfresh chestnut mushrooms instead of apple, and that was really good too. And then we started speculating about all sorts of other fruits and veggies that would be good in this combo instead of apple - figs? thin potato slices? etc...
Beeswax candles
I have been hoarding beeswax for a while - edges and pieces and cappings from when harvesting honey. So it's not pure - still contains unevenness and odd bits of honey or bee, although I usually rinse it (honey vodka aka honning syppe!), drain it and air dry it as well as I can... and then was thinking about what to do with it... I decided to try to make candles this time - and to try putting them into jars instead of moulds. Sooo this is what I did.
For the moulds and wick:
2 clean small (c 100 ml volume) jars with lids
thick (c. 2-3 mm) braided cotton string for wick
2 x 2 DKK coins (to use as wick weights)
tape and 2 toothpicks to keep wick in place
For the wax:
175 g beeswax
41 g coconut oil
(this should be good proportions of wax:oil to give a candle that burns well)
large jar for use in double boiler
First, estimate how much wax you have - weigh it. And how much you can fit into each jar - weigh volume of water that fits into each. Then make sure you prep an appropriate number of jars.
Next, prepare the moulds. Take a piece of wick, put one end of it through the hole in the middle of the coin and tie a knot to stop it slipping back through. Melt a little wax and use it to stick the coin+knot to the bottom of the jar in the middle. Bring the other end of the wick to the middle of the top of the jar, gently taut, and fix in place by taping to a toothpick (or similar) balanced and taped across the middle of the mouth of the jar. Cut the wick at the top of the jar for now. Prepare all moulds like this. They are now ready to fill.
I like to use a large jar that I do not need and can go in the recycling afterwards as the bowl of a double boiler (as the wax is a bit tricky to clean off thoroughly - don't put it down the drain). Melt beeswax and coconut oil together in the jar over nearly-boiling water. It takes a while, be patient and keep stirring. I did half the quantity (ie one mould's worth), then the other half. When the wax is melted, pour carefully into the prepared mould, up to approx the top of the straight sides, around 2 cm from the top, and let sit until solid. Repeat for the other wax and moulds. Let them sit, undisturbed, for a day or two to cure.
When ready to finish, remove the tape and toothpicks and trim the wick with small sharp scissors so it sits just inside the jar top. Put the lids on and decorate the jar as you wish. The candles are now ready to burn.
Note: you could add scent via essential oils, but I preferred the idea of just having a gentle coconutty / beeswax-y smell.
For the moulds and wick:
2 clean small (c 100 ml volume) jars with lids
thick (c. 2-3 mm) braided cotton string for wick
2 x 2 DKK coins (to use as wick weights)
tape and 2 toothpicks to keep wick in place
For the wax:
175 g beeswax
41 g coconut oil
(this should be good proportions of wax:oil to give a candle that burns well)
large jar for use in double boiler
First, estimate how much wax you have - weigh it. And how much you can fit into each jar - weigh volume of water that fits into each. Then make sure you prep an appropriate number of jars.
Next, prepare the moulds. Take a piece of wick, put one end of it through the hole in the middle of the coin and tie a knot to stop it slipping back through. Melt a little wax and use it to stick the coin+knot to the bottom of the jar in the middle. Bring the other end of the wick to the middle of the top of the jar, gently taut, and fix in place by taping to a toothpick (or similar) balanced and taped across the middle of the mouth of the jar. Cut the wick at the top of the jar for now. Prepare all moulds like this. They are now ready to fill.
I like to use a large jar that I do not need and can go in the recycling afterwards as the bowl of a double boiler (as the wax is a bit tricky to clean off thoroughly - don't put it down the drain). Melt beeswax and coconut oil together in the jar over nearly-boiling water. It takes a while, be patient and keep stirring. I did half the quantity (ie one mould's worth), then the other half. When the wax is melted, pour carefully into the prepared mould, up to approx the top of the straight sides, around 2 cm from the top, and let sit until solid. Repeat for the other wax and moulds. Let them sit, undisturbed, for a day or two to cure.
When ready to finish, remove the tape and toothpicks and trim the wick with small sharp scissors so it sits just inside the jar top. Put the lids on and decorate the jar as you wish. The candles are now ready to burn.
Note: you could add scent via essential oils, but I preferred the idea of just having a gentle coconutty / beeswax-y smell.
Apple galette with walnut pastry
This was one of those ideas that crystallized suddenly, and I just had to figure out how to do it. I wanted a galette, with a sticky apple filling and a crisp walnut pastry. I based the pastry on this recipe, and the filling on this one. I love a galette just now, a pie without needing a pie dish, brilliant.
(makes one galette - approx 4 portions)
For the pastry:
30 g walnuts, toasted
120 g flour
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
23 g chilled butter, cut into small cubes
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
c 3 tbsp cold water
For the filling:
8 small apples
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
Grind walnuts until finely chopped. Mix with flour, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Add butter and rub in until the mix resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in oil, then stir in water 1 tbsp at a time until it comes together. Gather into a ball, flatten into a disc, then wrap in cling film and chill for at least an hour.
While the pastry is chilling, prepare the filling. Peel, halve and core the apples, then slice crosswise c 1/4 in thick. Keep the good slices whole, and chop the ends and broken pieces, so about half the amount of apple is slices and the rest chopped. In a separate, small bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon.
When ready to assemble, first heat the oven to 210C / 420F. Roll out the chilled pastry on a piece of baking paper and transfer to a baking sheet. Spread the chopped apples over the pastry, leaving about a 2 in border around the edges. Drizzle with honey. Arrange the sliced apples over the top, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and dot with pieces of butter. Fold the edges over, and brush with egg (or milk, or nothing). Bake for approx. 45 min, until golden brown and pastry is crisp - cover with tinfoil if it starts to catch.
We ate with custard and it went down very well. The pastry was delicious and crisp, but the walnuts gave more texture than taste - another time maybe I'd try increasing the walnut content... and could potentially add half as much apple again and pile it high, too.
(makes one galette - approx 4 portions)
For the pastry:
30 g walnuts, toasted
120 g flour
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
23 g chilled butter, cut into small cubes
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
c 3 tbsp cold water
For the filling:
8 small apples
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
Grind walnuts until finely chopped. Mix with flour, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Add butter and rub in until the mix resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in oil, then stir in water 1 tbsp at a time until it comes together. Gather into a ball, flatten into a disc, then wrap in cling film and chill for at least an hour.
While the pastry is chilling, prepare the filling. Peel, halve and core the apples, then slice crosswise c 1/4 in thick. Keep the good slices whole, and chop the ends and broken pieces, so about half the amount of apple is slices and the rest chopped. In a separate, small bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon.
When ready to assemble, first heat the oven to 210C / 420F. Roll out the chilled pastry on a piece of baking paper and transfer to a baking sheet. Spread the chopped apples over the pastry, leaving about a 2 in border around the edges. Drizzle with honey. Arrange the sliced apples over the top, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and dot with pieces of butter. Fold the edges over, and brush with egg (or milk, or nothing). Bake for approx. 45 min, until golden brown and pastry is crisp - cover with tinfoil if it starts to catch.
We ate with custard and it went down very well. The pastry was delicious and crisp, but the walnuts gave more texture than taste - another time maybe I'd try increasing the walnut content... and could potentially add half as much apple again and pile it high, too.
Cabbage and spelt soup
I have never before made anything that was so much more than the sum of its parts: this was delicious! And the recipe was posted just after I picked up a big white cabbage, a huge bunch of rosemary and some shallots from our vegetable club, and a little rooting around revealed we also had some spelt in the house... It took a while but it was amazing - I've never enjoyed anything with long-cooked cabbage this much! Strangely reminiscent of pasta+chickpeas, which we also love.
1 lb cabbage, white, savoy or green
olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
salt and pepper
3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1 sprig of rosemary or thyme (used rosemary)
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup uncooked farro (not sure what farro is - used pearled spelt because that's what we had)
c 4 cups veg stock
parmesan rind (optional)
1 tbsp lemon juice
shaved parmesan, to finish (optional)
Cut out the cabbage core and finely chop it. Cut the leaves into fine shreds or about 1/8-inch ribbons. Heat c 3 tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cabbage core, some salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion starts to soften but is not yet browned, about 5-7 min. Add the garlic and cook another 3-5 min, until the garlic softens too. Add the shredded cabbage leaves and herb sprig, if using. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the pot and let it steam a bit to soften the leaves, then toss the cabbage to combine with other ingredients. Cook, covered, until the cabbage is very sweet and tender, approx 30 min. Stir occasionally.
Meanwhile, in a small frying pan, heat a glug of olive oil over medium and add the uncooked farro. Toast it, stirring, for a few minutes, until half a shade darker.
When the cabbage is ready, stir in the vinegar. Taste and season with more salt and pepper. Add toasted farro, stock, and parmesan rind. Bring mixture to a lazy simmer and cook for 25-35 min, until farro is tender and all the flavors are married. The soup will be very thick, but if you’d prefer more liquid, add another 1/2 cup stock or water. Taste and adjust seasoning again. Stir in lemon juice. Ladle into bowls and finish each with a drizzle of olive oil and a shower of parmesan (if using), with more parmesan passed at the table.
Soup keeps well in the fridge for 3 days, and for weeks or longer in the freezer.
I ended up making this twice! The first time we wowed over it at home, the second time I made double, and it was 3 meals - one dinner at home, one work lunch for seb and me, and I took the final portion for lunch with C and new baby M.
1 lb cabbage, white, savoy or green
olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
salt and pepper
3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1 sprig of rosemary or thyme (used rosemary)
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup uncooked farro (not sure what farro is - used pearled spelt because that's what we had)
c 4 cups veg stock
parmesan rind (optional)
1 tbsp lemon juice
shaved parmesan, to finish (optional)
Cut out the cabbage core and finely chop it. Cut the leaves into fine shreds or about 1/8-inch ribbons. Heat c 3 tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cabbage core, some salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion starts to soften but is not yet browned, about 5-7 min. Add the garlic and cook another 3-5 min, until the garlic softens too. Add the shredded cabbage leaves and herb sprig, if using. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the pot and let it steam a bit to soften the leaves, then toss the cabbage to combine with other ingredients. Cook, covered, until the cabbage is very sweet and tender, approx 30 min. Stir occasionally.
Meanwhile, in a small frying pan, heat a glug of olive oil over medium and add the uncooked farro. Toast it, stirring, for a few minutes, until half a shade darker.
When the cabbage is ready, stir in the vinegar. Taste and season with more salt and pepper. Add toasted farro, stock, and parmesan rind. Bring mixture to a lazy simmer and cook for 25-35 min, until farro is tender and all the flavors are married. The soup will be very thick, but if you’d prefer more liquid, add another 1/2 cup stock or water. Taste and adjust seasoning again. Stir in lemon juice. Ladle into bowls and finish each with a drizzle of olive oil and a shower of parmesan (if using), with more parmesan passed at the table.
Soup keeps well in the fridge for 3 days, and for weeks or longer in the freezer.
I ended up making this twice! The first time we wowed over it at home, the second time I made double, and it was 3 meals - one dinner at home, one work lunch for seb and me, and I took the final portion for lunch with C and new baby M.
Pulled jackfruit
After one of my chemo appointments, Seb and I went for lunch at a vegan place in Nørrebro. I ate something with jackfruit and wasn't that into it - whether it was the preparation or just how I was feeling that day. But Seb was intrigued, and he later returned from the shops with a tin of it - after we'd spotted the fresh stuff at the Thai supermarket in Vesterbro and resisted... So it was a mission for him, to convince me to like it. He made a classic pulled jackfruit, following this recipe. And I did like it! It was sweet and salty but the texture of the jackfruit was really tender and delicious. More experients may be in order!
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp chipotle Tabasco
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
4 tbsp BBQ sauce
200 g can chopped tomatoes
2 x 400g cans young jackfruit in salted water
Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the onion until very soft, for around 10-12 mins. Add the cinnamon, cumin and paprika to the onions and cook for a further 2-3 mins. Next add the Tabasco, vinegar and bbq sauce and mix well before adding in the tomato, the drained jackfruit and 200ml water. Leave to simmer gently, covered, for 30 mins stirring every 5-10 mins to help break down the jackfruit, then take the lid off and cook a further 10 minutes.
Once cooked, use a fork to make sure all of the jackfruit is well shredded. Check seasoning and add another tbsp of bbq sauce if necessary for extra stickiness.
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp chipotle Tabasco
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
4 tbsp BBQ sauce
200 g can chopped tomatoes
2 x 400g cans young jackfruit in salted water
Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the onion until very soft, for around 10-12 mins. Add the cinnamon, cumin and paprika to the onions and cook for a further 2-3 mins. Next add the Tabasco, vinegar and bbq sauce and mix well before adding in the tomato, the drained jackfruit and 200ml water. Leave to simmer gently, covered, for 30 mins stirring every 5-10 mins to help break down the jackfruit, then take the lid off and cook a further 10 minutes.
Once cooked, use a fork to make sure all of the jackfruit is well shredded. Check seasoning and add another tbsp of bbq sauce if necessary for extra stickiness.
Tuesday, January 8, 2019
Sage's First Birthday Cake (cinnamon-cream cheese icing)
Basic icing:
3/4 pack of butter, softened
3 tubs cream cheese, at room temp
c 3 tbsp maple sugar (ground up maple candy)
2 tsp ground cinnamon
For cake decoration:
pumpkin seed butter
fresh raspberries and blueberries
Cream butter, then beat together with the cream cheese, maple sugar and cinnamon. Chill until needed.
To decorate, I mixed about 3/4 cup of the icing with some pumpkin seed butter to make it green (didn't come out as bright as I'd have liked but never mind). Then iced the cake with the non green icing, piped the words and stars with the green stuff, and added raspberries and blueberries.
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