A little break from blogging…

“The whole of nature, as has been said, is a conjugation of the verb to eat, in the active and in the passive”
- William Ralph Inge (1860 – 1954) – an English author, Anglican priest, professor of divinity at Cambridge, and Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral

This post has neither any pictures nor any recipe. This has not been caused by sheer laziness,  not even by a lack of initiative in the kitchen…It’s just that the time has come to take a little break from this =wonderful world of blogging…. Not that this is going to stop me from tweeting about food or having endless food natter….’cos as the quote above says, that is not technically possible as everything in this world is about eating.…

I will take this time to re-do the entire website, maybe even give it another name as I have discovered that there is a lot more than baking that I want to share with people. Lots of ideas buzzing in my head…so, will use this break most effectively to organise these ideas and give them shape….I am excited, infact very excited about the new look, though in this new journey, my wonderful friend Jenny will not be a part of this food adventure anymore because since all her children are now at school, she has decided that she needs time to think, plan and decide the way ahead for her future…She has been my ‘baking guru’ and I’m going to miss her…

However, as the wise folks say…life will go on…cooking, chatting, learning and sharing will go on….I start work on the new look and will keep you all posted of all the developments…all the creations and stories…and then before you guys know it, I’ll be back again… I’m not really going away as I will not be able to stop myself from peeping into your spaces to learn and comment on your fab adventures…

See you very, very soon and watch this space….

Shilpa xx

Weetabix treat!

Whilst in New Zealand last year I came across a recipe for a Weetabix cake.  I was intrigued so I thought I’d try it out.  I made half of the mixture as per the recipe and the rest with a couple of tweaks.  I added approx 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, the juice and zest of an orange along with an extra couple of tablespoons of milk and it really tasted great, however I would leave out the extra addition of milk next time as the texture was too wet and it really needs that chewy, crunchy texture, but the flavour was good. I wouldn’t really call it a cake, it was more like a delicious flapjack so I call it a Weetabix treat, as that’s what it is to me.  This would be a great snack for children’s lunch boxes my children loved it!

If you would like to make it you will need:

• 125g butter
• 2 tbsp water
• 3/4 cup sugar
•  1/2 tsp baking powder/soda
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup desiccated coconut
•  2 tbsp milk
• 1 tbsp black treacle, white treacle or golden syrup
• 1/4 tsp salt
•  7 weetabix crushed or blitzed

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 deg

Melt butter, golden syrup, coconut, baking powder dissolved in a little water, salt and vanilla in a saucepan and bring to the boil.  Add the crushed weetabix, sugar, flour and milk.  Blitz in a processor or just crush with a masher and once well mixed, press into a greased tray and bake for 10 minutes. Leave to cool and slice into squares.  Enjoy!

Sticky-And-A-Very-Chocolatey-Cake

“Chocolate is the first luxury. It has so many things wrapped up in it: Deliciousness in the moment, childhood memories, and that grin-inducing feeling of getting a reward for being good” – Mariska Hargitay

Can anyone deny this? I sincerely hope not…What does lots and lots of Chocolate remind you of? Please do not drift away into the land of memories but stay with me to answer another question in the chocolate quiz. How does having lots and lots of very, very sticky chocolate sound to you? I can see the lovers of chocolate grinning….and I can also see the ‘I don’t have a sweet tooth’ folks trying to click away. Please stay and read on…Even if you do not like to eat it, I am very sure you will want to join me in learning and exploring about the wonderful marvels of chocolate.

The story of chocolate began on a plantation within 2 degrees of the equator. I wish I could trace back to the exact second, infact the exact nano second this phenomenon began. Our planet was then blessed……Did you know that the botanical name of the chocolate plant is ‘Theobromo Cacao’, which literally means ‘Food of the Gods’? Cocoa or cacao beans are not beans but the seeds of the fruit of the Theobroma cacao tree. The seeds are dried and then processed to produce cocoa powder. Hot Chocolate anyone?

Anyone can survive on just chocolate? Ok, I re-phrase my question. Can anyone survive mainly on chocolate? Well, I am told that Captain Robert Scott, a wonderful British explorer took a 3500lb load of cocoa and chocolate on his Antarctic expedition and stayed happy, warm and very productive….Is there a message here? Well, if this wasn’t enough to convince you, read this brilliant article on how people are suggesting that the very addictive chocolate can fight tooth decay…dear dentists, are you listening? “Carefully prepared chocolate is as healthful a food as it is pleasant; that it is nourishing and easily digested; that it does not cause the same harmful effects to feminine beauty which are blamed on coffee, but is on the contrary a remedy for them” wrote Jean-Antheleme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826) in The Physiology of Taste (1825). Who I am to disagree? Though, I love my coffee as much as I love chocolate….

Want to know how to make this Very Sticky Chocolate Cake? This is adapted from Clotilde’s beautiful blog. Ready to bake? Then march towards the kitchen armed with ingredients for making this sticky delight. Thank you Chocolate & Zucchini for all the wonderful recipes.

For the cake, you’ll need:
- 14 dried pitted prunes
- 80 ml Earl Grey Tea (2 tea-bags brewed with 2 green cardamoms and 1 cinnamon stick)
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) plain yogurt
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 75 grams (6 tablespoons) unrefined light brown cane sugar
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 120 grams (1 cup) flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 150 grams dark chocolate, roughly chopped

For the syrup, you’ll need:
- 50 grams (1/4 cup) unrefined light brown cane sugar

All set, now carry out these tasks:

• Preheat the oven to 180 deg C and grease a 10″ cake pan/tin (muffin tins could be used too)
• Place half of the prunes and the tea in a small saucepan (with all the brewing ingredients) and heat over low heat until just slightly warm. Set aside to plump up
• Blend the remaining prunes and yoghurt in a blender and process until smooth
• Pour the prune-yoghurt mixture into a large mixing bowl and whisk in the egg, sugar, and maple syrup, beating well between each addition to combine very well
• Place the flour, baking powder and soda, salt, and cocoa powder in another large bowl and ensure that these are all mixed very well
• Take the prunes out of the earl grey tea and set aside
• Now, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined (please do not over mix). Fold in the chopped chocolate. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, level the surface, and top with the prune halves, pressing them down gently so they’re half engulfed in the batter
• Bake for 30 minutes or until set. A cake tester inserted in the centre should come out clean (melted chocolate is good, raw flour is not….)
• Make your syrup while the cake is in the oven. Add the 50 grams (1/4 cup) sugar and 80 ml (1/3 cup) water to the brandy in the pan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, and remove from heat immediately (it’s that easy…no thermometer required!)
• When the cake comes out of the oven, pierce a few holes through it with a skewer and brush with the warm syrup with a pastry brush until it is all soaked in.  Let cool completely before taking out of the cake pan/tin.

The original recipe used liqueur to soak the prunes…I chose tea…maybe soaking them in coffee would be quite good too…Do whatever takes your fancy. The end result will be good…I mean it’s got chocolate in it….it can’t be bad….it’s not technically possible…Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) in Star Trek:The Next Generation said “I never met a chocolate I didn’t like”. Have you?

Jenny’s Pretzels made with Coconut milk and pineapple

I was in my kitchen wondering what to bake the other day, so I decided to raid my pantry for inspiration. I found a small tin of pineapple, a small tin of coconut milk, some bread flour and standard baking flour so came up with these really lovely Pretzels with a twist! The flavour of the coconut milk was very subtle, well to be honest not particularly noticeable, however it gave an amazingly soft texture to the dough and the pineapple made it slightly sweeter than a plain pretzel. I must admit I wasn’t sure they were going to work, but to my delight my family and friends really enjoyed them .

 Makes 7 large

• 1 small tin of pineapple in juice
• 3 tbsp coconut milk
• 1 tbsp of dried powdered yeast (from a sachet)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup of strong white flour
• 3 cups of plain all purpose flour (or use self raising if it’s all you’ve got, I did) 

Pour the pineapple into a blitzer with warm water and pineapple juice from the tin enough to fill 1½ cups.  Once blitzed pour the pineapple slush into a bowl and add the yeast, flours, salt and coconut milk.  Get your hand in and mix it all together to form a dough, if it’s too dry add a little more water or pineapple juice and add flour if it’s to sticky.

Cover and leave to rest for around 30 minutes or until doubled in size.  It shouldn’t be sticky now. Preheat the oven to 220 deg. Once rested place onto a clean surface, ready to make the dough into pretzels.  Cut a slice off about the size of a large egg.  Now get rolling into a snake shape.  It was better not flour the surface, as the dough was then easier to work with.  Make it into a long snake then take the two ends and cross them over at the top so it’s kind of like an Easter egg shape and twist the two around each other bring the twist down to the bottom of the pretzel and tuck the ends under the pretzel as in the pictures.  When all are shaped, dip them into a bowl of warm water mixed with a little baking powder for a couple of seconds each.

Bake for 10 minutes checking after 6 and 8 that they are not browning too much.  Once out of the oven and still warm I brushed coconut milk on some, melted butter on others and plain milk on others, I then sprinkled them with different toppings, I used desiccated coconut, cocoa powder, cinnamon and icing sugar, they all tasted great and were wonderfully soft and fresh.  If you eat them again over the next couple of days warm in the oven to freshen them again. 

Sticky-And-A-Very-Chocolatey-Cake

“Chocolate is the first luxury. It has so many things wrapped up in it: Deliciousness in the moment, childhood memories, and that grin-inducing feeling of getting a reward for being good” – Mariska Hargitay

Can anyone deny this? I sincerely hope not…What does lots and lots of Chocolate remind you of? Please do not drift away into the land of memories but stay with me to answer another question in the chocolate quiz. How does having lots and lots of very, very sticky chocolate sound to you? I can see the lovers of chocolate grinning….and I can also see the ‘I don’t have a sweet tooth’ folks trying to click away. Please stay and read on…Even if you do not like to eat it, I am very sure you will want to join me in learning and exploring about the wonderful marvels of chocolate.

The story of chocolate began on a plantation within 2 degrees of the equator. I wish I could trace back to the exact second, infact the exact nano second this phenomenon began. Our planet was then blessed……Did you know that the botanical name of the chocolate plant is ‘Theobromo Cacao’, which literally means ‘Food of the Gods’? Cocoa or cacao beans are not beans but the seeds of the fruit of the Theobroma cacao tree. The seeds are dried and then processed to produce cocoa powder. Hot Chocolate anyone?

Anyone can survive on just chocolate? Ok, I re-phrase my question. Can anyone survive mainly on chocolate? Well, I am told that Captain Robert Scott, a wonderful British explorer took a 3500lb load of cocoa and chocolate on his Antarctic expedition and stayed happy, warm and very productive….Is there a message here? Well, if this wasn’t enough to convince you, read this brilliant article on how people are suggesting that the very addictive chocolate can fight tooth decay…dear dentists, are you listening? “Carefully prepared chocolate is as healthful a food as it is pleasant; that it is nourishing and easily digested; that it does not cause the same harmful effects to feminine beauty which are blamed on coffee, but is on the contrary a remedy for them” wrote Jean-Antheleme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826) in The Physiology of Taste (1825). Who I am to disagree? Though, I love my coffee as much as I love chocolate….

Want to know how to make this Very Sticky Chocolate Cake? This is adapted from Clotilde’s beautiful blog. Ready to bake? Then march towards the kitchen armed with ingredients for making this sticky delight. Thank you Chocolate & Zucchini for all the wonderful recipes.

For the cake, you’ll need:
- 14 dried pitted prunes
- 80 ml Earl Grey Tea (2 tea-bags brewed with 2 green cardamoms and 1 cinnamon stick)
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) plain yogurt
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 75 grams (6 tablespoons) unrefined light brown cane sugar
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 120 grams (1 cup) flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 150 grams dark chocolate, roughly chopped

For the syrup, you’ll need:
- 50 grams (1/4 cup) unrefined light brown cane sugar

All set, now carry out these tasks:

• Preheat the oven to 180 deg C and grease a 10″ cake pan/tin (muffin tins could be used too)
• Place half of the prunes and the tea in a small saucepan (with all the brewing ingredients) and heat over low heat until just slightly warm. Set aside to plump up
• Blend the remaining prunes and yoghurt in a blender and process until smooth
• Pour the prune-yoghurt mixture into a large mixing bowl and whisk in the egg, sugar, and maple syrup, beating well between each addition to combine very well
• Place the flour, baking powder and soda, salt, and cocoa powder in another large bowl and ensure that these are all mixed very well
• Take the prunes out of the earl grey tea and set aside
• Now, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined (please do not over mix). Fold in the chopped chocolate. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, level the surface, and top with the prune halves, pressing them down gently so they’re half engulfed in the batter
• Bake for 30 minutes or until set. A cake tester inserted in the centre should come out clean (melted chocolate is good, raw flour is not….)
• Make your syrup while the cake is in the oven. Add the 50 grams (1/4 cup) sugar and 80 ml (1/3 cup) water to the brandy in the pan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, and remove from heat immediately (it’s that easy…no thermometer required!)
• When the cake comes out of the oven, pierce a few holes through it with a skewer and brush with the warm syrup with a pastry brush until it is all soaked in.  Let cool completely before taking out of the cake pan/tin.

The original recipe used liqueur to soak the prunes…I chose tea…maybe soaking them in coffee would be quite good too…Do whatever takes your fancy. The end result will be good…I mean it’s got chocolate in it….it can’t be bad….it’s not technically possible…Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) in Star Trek:The Next Generation said “I never met a chocolate I didn’t like”. Have you?

Rosemary-Fig-Lemon Cake

“The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits” – Albert Einstein

I was bordering very close to the stupidity department here. I had this mad need to buy Rosemary, not because I had a plethora of dishes to make using this herb but because as a vegetarian, I hardly ever get a chance to use it as it seems to be always paired with the likes of lamb. Well. it was high time I did something about this. I wanted to bake…bake with something I had not baked before...so, I begun my research on ingredients I had no clue about…Of course! in the long list, came up the lovely rosemary too. Taking inspiration from Martha Stewart, I got baking a Fig-Lemon-Rosemary Cake made with olive oil (I was extremely tempted to add chilli too…now, you know why I have Einstein’s words mentioned above).

Figs are gorgeous, sweet and yummy. The Egyptians believed that fasting was a brilliant way to keep a healthy digestive system and history tells us that during times of fasting, they consumed figs (as was known to be a mild laxative even then) to keep themselves healthy (at least the digestion part of being healthy!). So, come on…go on and have a fig every morning. If just there sweetness isn’t enough to lure you in eating them or cooking with them, then remember that these little figs are rich in calcium, iron, phosphorus and potassium. Infact, the drier ones are packed with more goodness. Fig specialists (don’t know if this category of people exists) claim that a dried fig has as much calcium as that found in an egg! Calcium or not, even the Greeks have been known to consume it since ancient times. Infact,  it is said that Cleopatra ended her life with an asp brought to her in a basket of figs! There is tonnes more very exciting information to be found on figs and the role they played in our history.

However, lets pause for a moment…and turn our attention to Rosemary…a herb with the most amazing aroma, beautiful colour too and lots of health benefits too. It was time to push the fear out and get baking…Throw in the figs, the lemons and of course the rosemary and hope for a finger-licking good result…Just so that you read this post further and not discard this as a silly experiment, let me take this opportunity to mention to you that it was liked by all… All right, by ‘all‘ I meant my lovely colleagues at work, who enjoyed it. May I also add that some of them are rather experienced bakers…

So, if you fancy attaining the same happy state of mind too, get baking. Make sure, you have:

• 2 eggs
• 250ml unsweetened yoghurt (I used the low fat version)
• 200g raw cane sugar (unrefined sugar)
• 80ml olive oil
• juice of 1 lemon
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp of very finely chopped rosemary
• 10 figs, very finely chopped
• 2 cups all-purpose flour / plain flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• a good pinch of salt

Now, all you have to do is:

• Preheat the oven to 180° C
• Line the bottom of a round 25-cm (10-inch) cake pan with parchment paper and grease the sides
• In a large mixing-bowl, gently combine the yoghurt, eggs, sugar, and oil
• In another bowl, sift together the flour (from a height makes it more airy and hence a lighter sponge), baking powder, baking soda, and salt
• Add the flour mixture into the yoghurt mixture, and blend together, very gently – don’t overwork the dough (important)
• Add the lemon zest and lemon juice followed by rosemary and figs
• Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean
• Let it stand for 15 minutes and transfer onto a rack to cool

I have to say that ever since I came across a recipe for a yoghurt based sponge, I have never, ever gone back to making a butter-based sponge. I blogged the Strawberry Yoghurt Cake in May and have never gone back to making a sponge with butter since…it’s extremely simple and truly yummy. No butter and yet so moist….Don’t just believe me…Please do try this for yourself….It is so delicious. This creation goes rather beautifully with a nice cuppa and for simple beings like myself who have been yearning to use rosemary….happy days!

Banana, walnut and peanut butter loaf

 

The humble banana offers incredible health benefits. According to http://thetaoofgoodhealth.com/ bananas are good for your heart and nerves: as they contain a high dose of potassium, an essential ingredient to keep your heart and nervous system in good shape. Some studies have also linked low potassium intake to high blood pressure and increased risk of stroke.  Including a banana in your diet everyday would take you a step closer towards getting your daily recommended dose of potassium

Bananas are good for your blood: Bananas are one of the highest sources of naturally available vitamin B6. Banana helps the body to make haemoglobin – a crucial ingredient of your blood. Vitamin B6 is also essential for antibody production and to maintain a healthy immune response. It also helps to convert carbohydrates to glucose and thereby maintains proper blood sugar levels. A medium banana can take care of 1/5th of your daily recommended intake of vitamin B6 and is one of the easiest (and cheapest) ways to increase your dietary intake of the vitamin.

Availability is the best part: Bananas are very affordable and are generally available in almost all grocery stores and that makes them ideal as quick lunch substitutes. Consider bananas as an awesome and affordable dietary supplement.

Despite being called “fattening” and too high in sugar, a small banana only contains about 100 calories, which is not much more than a medium apple. Nor should it raise your blood glucose level too high.

Like always, all things should be done in moderation and it should be noted that all the above health benefits are “general observations” – and there must be, for sure, exceptions to general observations. If you have specific health conditions related to any nutritional constituents of bananas, make sure you consult your doctor before you go bananas on bananas.

This recipe comes from Jane Asher’s book  called Beautiful Baking

Makes a delicious 900g/2lb loaf or 9 cute individual loaves

You will need:

• 2 medium eggs
• 3-4 very ripe bananas
• 125g caster sugar
• 120g spreadable butter
• 225g self-raising flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 tablespoons sour cream
• 75g walnut pieces

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 deg (165 deg fan). Put everything, except the walnuts, into a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high spread until smooth and blended together. Stir in the walnuts. Tip the mixture into the lined tin or paper cases and bake for 60-65 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove from the oven and lift the loaf out of the tin and allow to cool slightly on a rack. Serve with a small bowl of peanut butter (or see below to serve a special peanut butter icing!) for your guests to spread over themselves or as I did split the cake in half and smear the peanut butter icing over and sandwich back together. Eaten warm or cold if you are a fan of peanut butter this will be devoured in no time! For an extra special topping try making a peanut butter icing: 50g peanut butter (smooth or crunchy to taste) 50g sieved icing sugar 25g spreadable butter. Mix together, split cake and spread generously inside then sandwich back together, divine!

Tandoori-style Salad

“Leave your drugs in the chemist’s pot if you can heal the patient with food”
~Hippocrates

What do you create when you find some lovely brightly coloured vegetables and a very pure looking tofu slab in the refrigerator? A finger-licking tandoori-style delish salad! Of course, you need to ask for help from some Indian spices that are resting in your larder, waiting to be used….Also, this dish brings to you masses of protein, vitamins and minerals …just as Hippocrates would have liked…so, read on…

I absolutely love tofu and have been thinking about posting a recipe using tofu since ages. Tofu is said to be brilliant for us mortals. It is a complete protein in itself and is said to contain all the eight amino acids crucial to a person’s health. Did I just hear you say, it is flavourless? Oh! please, allow me to defend this gorgeous creation from the soy family. I prefer to think of it as a nice piece of protein that absorbs any flavour given to it….just mould/ transform it the way you would like to see it or infact eat it. How many food items would let you do that? Not many! Most of them would cry from under and sometimes even scream for attention…not this lovely tofu…It just lies in there quietly, watching the world go by and allows you to use all your gastronomical skills to make the most perfect dish…I used these vegetables and tofu from the fridge:

• 2 medium sized pink onions
• 1 each of red, yellow and green pepper
• 100 gms of tofu (frozen, then marinated – absorbs flavours really well when frozen)
• Juice of 1 lemon

I stepped into the larder for getting the ingredients required for the marinade:

• 3/4 tsp paprika or Kashmiri/ degi chilli powder (for the vibrant red colour as this variety of chilli is very mild)
• 3/4 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp garam masala powder
• 3/4 tsp black salt
• 2 tsp chaat masala
• 3/4 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (very important ingredient)
• 1 tsp tomato ketchup
• 2 tbsp rice bran oil (or any vegetable oil)

All, I did was:

• Cut all the vegetables into large cubes, about 2″ and set aside
• Combine all the ingredients (that you have picked up from the larder) with the vegetables and the tofu in a bowl (remember, the tofu should be frozen prior to being marinated. That way, it absorbs most flavours)
• Squeeze the juice of the lemon
• Leave to marinate for at least 4 hours (I left it overnight to marinate)
• Now, cut the tofu into 2″ cubes as well
• Throw the vegetables and the tofu into a roasting dish and bake at 180 deg C for about 20 – 25 minutes
• Serve hot with a green salad or inside a wrap or with some toasted bread sticks!

This is my humble contribution in my mum’s kitchen before I head back to the UK. My mum uses Paneer(Indian Cottage Cheese) instead of Tofu and she also adds about 2tbsp yoghurt to the marinate mixture. Some people throw in some pineapple and tomatoes too…I personally am not very keen on pineapple with tofu, so I skipped it…though I am a big fan of tofu…A zillion things you can do with it….Want to make your sandwich spread creamier? Just blitz it with some silken tofu…and it won’t scream, it won’t shout but it will just let you get on with what you set out to achieve in the first instance. It will make your sandwich spread very, very creamy (and no butter or cream to be found in sight!).

Fancy a creamy, lovely chocolate cake? A gorgeous one that I didn’t get around to posting but was loved by all at home was one from Sissi...Have a read of her recipe…how often do you find a cake with some goodness in it too? It’s almost like a lovely chocolate cheesecake…Do give it a go and please, please do not get put off by tofu…I repeat for the nth time, Tofu was placed on this planet to be loved….

Allright, coming back to what I did with this salad. My mum made some semolina-chick-pea wraps(you can use plain tortillas too) and I placed generous portions of this salad in the wrap and what a gorgeous lunch it turned out to be…. Some folks will cook this salad in a Tandoor (A clay oven) but it works very well when baked in a home oven – the spices do all all the talking!

Let me end this post with some benefits of some of the ingredients used here (these are taken from Schott’s Food & Drink Miscellany by Ben Schott). Did you know that:

• To thicken the Moustache – 1 oz of tincture of cantharides, 1 oz of tincture of capsicum(we refer to this as pepper in our recipe) and 1 oz of rosewater. Mix into a lotion and rub well into the moustache and you’ll be the proud owner of a thick moustache!
• On a more serious note, use lemon juice with salt to take rust stains  off

Before the summer disappears, which salad would you really, really want to have whilst watching the world go by?

Healthy Oatcakes

Oats so good for you!

At www.eatmoreoats.com  they suggest that a  daily serving of whole oats rich in soluble fibre can reduce hypertension, or high blood pressure and Oats are high in both soluble and insoluble fibre. Insoluble fibre does not dissolve in water. It is spongy and absorbs many times its own weight of liquid.  As the soluble fibre of oats is digested, it forms a gel. The gel delays stomach emptying making you feel full for longer. New research suggests that children between ages 2-18 years old who have a constant intake of oatmeal lowered their risk of obesity.

Oats contain phytochemicals (plant chemicals), which have been associated with protection from chronic disease such as cancer. They contain a good balance of essential fatty acids, which have been linked with longevity and general good health, and also have one of the best amino acid profiles of any grain. Amino acids are essential proteins that help facilitate optimum functioning of the body.

So now you can eat these crackers with a smug grin, just go easy on the cheese, chutney and chilli sauce!  This recipe came from the fabulous Good Food magazine

To make these delicious Oatcakes you will need:

• 60g self raising flour, plus extra for dusting
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• Pinch of salt
• 30g oatmeal
• 50g cold unsalted butter, diced
• 3 tbsp milk (more if needed)
• Preheat oven to 160 deg fan.

Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and pinch of salt into a bowl. Mix in the oatmeal, then rub the butter into the dry ingredients.  Gradually stir in the milk and 60ml cold water (more if needed).  Form into a ball of dough.

Halve the mixture.  With floured hands, roll each section in turn into a cylinder measuring about 7.5cm long and 5 cm in diameter.  Lay on a floured surface and, with a  knife, slice into ½ cm rounds. They’ll look quite rustic and that’s fine.

Bake on 2 paper lined oven  trays for approx 25 minutes until golden and cooked through.  Cool on a wire rack and serve with your favourite cheese and chutney. These will keep in  an airtight container for a couple of days.

A treasure from years gone by…

“Once in a young lifetime one should be allowed to have as much sweetness as one can possibly want and hold.”

~Judith Olney

I agree! Since time immemorial, ‘Chik-kees’ have been enjoyed by Indians living across the globe..Also, the Brazilians have been enjoying a form of this peanut delight since years. I have tried to re-create this at home many times with no success and then yesterday, the story of my life changed….my little sis mentioned to me how she had found a recipe scribbled in one of her recipe books (dated 1961) of this yummy delicacy…We decided to give it a go and the end result was smiles, smiles and more smiles…Traditionally, these are made with jaggery (a kind of unrefined sugar) and loads of nuts…I have made my version with cane sugar as it is easier to find across the globe. Also, the scribbled recipe had a little note stressing the significance of using the best possible essense (rose water or kewra) – this would apparently decide the success of the recipe! A good ‘Chik-kee’ should be crisp but not chewy…hard to describe..so, go ahead and give them a try..

Peanuts are meant to be so, so good for us…eating peanuts is good for the soul too…

Did you know that two peanut farmers have been elected president of the USA- Thomas Jefferson and Jimmy Carter? Seeing, being close to peanuts can take you places….Also, Astronaut Allen B. Sheppard brought a peanut with him to the moon….so, a peanut has also been very most of us have not…good, isn’t it? And finally, did you know that the peanut is not a nut, but a legume related to beans and lentils….and still people are allergic to this…Why O Why?Now, lets get cooking these crispy delights…For making these Vintage Style Crispy Peanut Toffees, you’ll need:

• 75 gms peanuts, roughly chopped
• 170 gms unrefined cane sugar (tradionally Jaggery was used)
• 15 gms butter or ghee (clarified butter)
• 5 green cardamoms, crushed
• 2 – 3 drops of Kewra water or rose water (available in Asian or Middle-eastern shops)
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 1 dessertspoon water 

Method:

• Dry roast the nuts on a hot griddle
• Boil the sugar with water and butter in a heavy pan on medium heat (The mixture will go quite dry but continue to stir. You will notice that on further stirring it will turn into thick syrup).
• Add lime juice and stir briskly (very important) and quickly add the nuts, rose water and lime juice to the mixture
• Pour the mixture without any delay (delay will lead it to this mixture becoming granular and it will refuse to set!) onto a greased baking tray
• Spread the mixture with a greased rolling pin
• Without any delay, cut into rectangles/ squares (If for some reason there is a delay in the cutting process, then heat both, the tray and the knife before proceeding to cut into pieces)
• Store into an air-tight container to keep them crisp

Enjoy with a cuppa, whenever you fancy something from the bygone era….

 

Jenny’s Chocolate Peppermint Cake with a Lentil difference!

Love your Lentils!

What an intriguing cake you may think! Well my dear friend Shilpa’s wonderful chickpea brownies got my creative juices flowing! I thought I too will try an experiment with something unusual but healthy, so my dairy free chocolate peppermint cake with a lentil difference was born! Yes you did read correctly lentils in a sponge cake. I added a whole cupful of cooked mashed red split lentils to my cake mixture and it was delicious and moist too! I then divided the mixture into two bowls and flavoured one with cocoa powder and peppermint extract and the other with vanilla extract. I passed it around in the school playground and no one would have guessed it had lentils in at all. The peppermint flavour in the chocolate was yummy for some, with suggestions that more peppermint would be better still or even chunks of peppermint chocolate chips instead of extract, but a couple of people were not so sure the peppermint in the chocolate sponge worked for them, they did however love the sponge itself and ate plenty of the vanilla sponge instead! I liked it, but would like to try  flavouring a chocolate cream filling with peppermint extract instead of the sponge and see which I like best, it’s so much fun experimenting with different ingredients and flavourings. Orange zest would of course be fab in the chocolate sponge too as an alternative!

Lentils are so versatile. They can be used in a variety of different ways and are rich in protein, carbohydrates, iron and B vitamins, they are also a good source of calcium too!  They are cheap to buy and do not need to be soaked before use so are very convenient to use. You can soak them for a few hours if you wish as it will reduce the cooking time by about half but it’s not necessary. You can just pop them in the pot and more or less leave them to their own devices. They are inexpensive too and are very filling, and more importantly, full of flavour. They come in a variety of colours, with red, brown, and green being the most popular.

So here goes for my delicious, unusual dairy free lentil cake….

• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 cup golden caster sugar
• ½ cup dairy free spread (I used Pure)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3 large eggs
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup of mashed lentils
• 1 tablespoon peppermint extract
• 1 large tablespoon of cocoa powder

Mix the butter and sugar together with a mixer, then add 1 egg at a time with 1 tablespoon flour (to prevent curdling) and mix together, then put your dry ingredients into a bowl, mix together briefly and add to the mixed wet ingredients. Now add your mashed lentils.  Divide the mixture into two bowls and add the cocoa powder and peppermint extract if using, to one bowl and mix gently. Now add your vanilla extract to the other bowl mixture and mix gently. Pour the vanilla mixture into a tin of your choice 20cm is fine or (I used a 22cm ring mould) then pour the chocolate mixture on top.  Use a spatula for a marble effect or leave as is to have a two-tone cake as in my pictures.

Now for my Dairy Free Lentil Quiche…..      

This is a savoury favourite of mine! My friend and neighbour was very kind to share this divine recipe with me. I really love it and especially enjoy it with sweet potato chips and a refreshing, tasty carrot and courgette salad with a twist of tangy refreshing lime juice and a dash of salt accompanied by a fresh spinach salad with my tasty home made simple vinaigrette. I made this for our tea recently and counted 10 different fruits and vegetables on our plates, super healthy and yet it felt like a treat!

• 225g lentils
• 1 large onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 3 tablespoons of oil
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• 1 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons of mixed dried herbs
• Salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion and garlic until nicely golden,  add lentils and fry for another minute.

Add half of the stock and the whole tin of tomatoes and boil fast for 3-4 minutes then add herbs and salt and pepper to taste and the rest of the stock.

Simmer for 35-40 minutes checking every now and again (Be careful not to let the pan boil dry!)  Add more stock if needed.

For the dairy free pastry you will need:

• 175g of dairy free spread straight from the fridge (I used Pure)
• 250g plain flour

Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and rub in the dairy free spread until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.  Add approximately 2-3 tablespoons of cold water from the tap and knead gently for a minute or two to form a dough.  Chill for at least 15 minutes, knead gently and roll out onto a floured surface to the size of your quiche tin mine was 22cm and I still had some lentil mixture left over to have with some flatbread the next day.

Line your quiche tin with the pastry, prick the base a couple of times with a fork and place foil inside the pastry using baking beans or similar to hold the foil down.  Bake blind for approx 15 minutes then remove beans and foil and bake for another 4 or 5 minutes.  Place lentil mixture into the pastry case (top with cheese if you like, I prefer not but it is delicious) and bake for around 15 minutes.

Ready to serve…..

I hope you enjoy these lovely lentil dishes!

A Part of the ‘Eat more lentils‘ drive….

Spelt Flour + A Burst of Vegetables + Seeds = Tasty Delights

“You don’t get tired of muffins, but you don’t find inspiration in them.” said George Bernard Shaw. Was I simply going to believe this or would I actually do something to change what Mr. George Bernard Shaw had said. I decided to create a muffin that would have a story to tell…A muffin that would inspire us mortals to achieve goals we had never dreamt of before (all right, this is a bit dramatic!)….A muffin that just wasn’t  a muffin…and yes, all this distress caused by the words of Mr.Shaw led to the creation of a A Spelt -Vegetable muffin, with it very own tale to tell…Inspired by Sanjeeta’s invitation for an Wholesome Wholegrain Cooking (WWC) event that she is running with Heather to create a breakfast dish using Spelt, I set out on this adventure with Jenny, trying to figure out how to make this very ancient grain (believed to have been introduced to the world about 9,000 years ago!) interesting, exciting and of course inspirational!!! Have a look at this table below to get an idea for how beneficial Spelt is for our bodies:

(The above information is taken from http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts)/cereal-grains-and-pasta/10356/2)

People say that the body is a temple and needs to be looked after. I belong to this school of thought too and this is my contribution(read advice) to humanity…. Please, please include this ancient grain in your diet. Totally packed full of nutrition, is good for the body and good for the soul! Spelt flour is believed to be a ‘super food‘, as it does wonders in helping people lower their cholesterol, helps the diabetics manage their blood sugar and even prevents arteries from getting clogged! Now, do I need to say any more? So, go on lovely people and try these lovely mini muffins and the very special ‘bake-d-pan-cake’! Once you have brought home a bag of wholegrain spelt flour, get your apron ready.

You’ll need:

• 150 gms of spelt flour (I used wholegrain, but plain would work too)
• 50 gms of plain flour
• 2 eggs
• 2 grated carrots
• 1 grated courgette
• 50 gms roasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds (I roasted them in a dry pan)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 100 ml of yoghurt
• 3 tbsp of vegetable / rice-bran oil
• 2 – 3tbsp water (Just enough to make sure you have a thickish paste)
• handful of chopped parsley
• salt and pepper to taste

Now to make this mini-muffins :

• Preheat the oven to 175 deg C
• Mix the dry ingredients together
• Add 1/2 tsp of curry powder
• Mix the wet ingredients in a large bowl (eggs, yoghurt, oil and water)
• Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture
• Place some of the mixture in greased mini-muffin cases
• Bake for 17 – 20 minutes or until the skewer comes out clean
• Voilà! you have just created the most delicious, ‘good-for-you’ Spelt muffin, the perfect start to the day that would even perhaps make Mr. George B. Shaw re-phrase his words!

If you still find muffins far from being inspirational, then make some baked pancakes (I like to call then bake-d-pan-cake):

• Follow the instructions as above for making the dry and the wet mixture
• Instead of pouring them into muffin cases, drop them using a large spoon on a greased baking tray with about 2 – 3 cm between each bake-d-pan-cake
• Bake for 20 – 23 minutes or until completely cooked (skewer test)
• The ‘Bake-d-pan-cake‘ is ready!!

Rather than slave over the stove, flipping one pancake after another, these pretty, yummy things all get baked at once…The Indian in me cannot but help dishing up a curry with just about anything….I just couldn’t stand the thought of these baked pancakes sitting alone on the plate…they were dying out for company and I had to rustle up an ‘Aaloo-matar’ sabzi (in the English language, this translates to dry Roasted Potatoes and Pea curry!). If you fancy making some, follow the instructions below:

• Place a pan over medium heat
• Add chopped almost boiled (but not mushy boiled!) potatoes
• Sauté for about 3 – 5 minutes until they start turning a nice golden brown
• Add sea salt and lots of already-ground pepper
• Add the peas and cover and simmer for about 3 – 5 minutes
• Take off the heat
• Add lots of fresh coriander (I didn’t have any) and squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon
• Place in the bake-a-pan-cake…roll up and enjoy!!!

How do you plan to include Spelt in your diet? I am sure there must be a million different ways…I am looking forward to hearing yours…Have a super healthy week and stay well!

Mum’s Swiss Hazelnut Cake!

This delicious recipe was given to me by my late Swiss Mother and I plan to keep it in the family for many generations to come! It is known as Einfache Nusstorte in Switzerland and is delicious served alongside a freshly brewed cup of tea either plain or buttered and goes equally well with custard or whipped cream for dessert.

This was a family favourite when my sister and I were younger and the smell of it brings back so many wonderful memories! I especially remember pleading with Mum to let me have the leftover mixture in the mixing bowl and trying to persuade her to give my sister the mixing spoon, trying very hard to convince them that was fair…….Oh what fun we had! We couldn’t find ground hazelnuts in the UK at that time so we used to buy them in packets from Switzerland and bring them home in our suitcases, or in between visits to Switzerland we would ask family to send them to us in little parcels, that’s how much we loved this cake!  As a bonus my grandfather used to send some Swiss chocolate too and he used to tuck a few Swiss Franks inside the wrapper for my sister and I to buy ourselves a treat, so sweet! If you can’t find any ground hazelnuts then just grind your own. I still buy them from Switzerland so have not had to do this yet but I’m sure it would work just the same.

According to http://hazelnut-health.blogspot.com/ Hazelnuts are very important in our diet and have many fantastic health benefits.  Apparently eating around 25-30grams of hazelnuts a day, is enough to satisfy your daily requirement of vitamin E.  Hazelnuts are also rich in oil helping to maintain healthy heart muscles. They are also thought to be a good source of vitamins B1, B2 and B6 and contain Calcium, Iron, Zinc and Potassium.

For this delicious cake you will need:   

• 100g softened butter (salted or unsalted)
• 200g caster or granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 100g ground hazelnuts
• 1 lemon rind
• 1/2 cup milk
• 200g self-raising flour

 Preheat oven to 180 deg

I sometimes use a 2lb loaf tin or a 20cm round cake tin or whatever tin I fancy that’s approximately 20 or 22cm.

Method

Mix the butter and sugar together and add all the other ingredients to the bowl, mix to combine.  I like to add the juice of ½ lemon as well as the rind, but that’s just my preference.

Pour mixture into a greased lined baking tin and bake for 40-50 minutes. Test with a skewer to make sure all the mixture is cooked. Enjoy!

Coconut and Orange come together to create a CAKE

Coconut and Orange in a Cake? Well yes! Not cake in the real sense of the word..since there is neither any flour nor butter! and the texture is rather crumbly too (not something you can hold and eat, if you know what I mean!)…but delicious nonetheless. I love coconut. It is perhaps the only fruit on our planet that makes use of every single part of the tree it grows on. Someone had wisely remarked ‘He who plants a coconut tree, plants vessels and clothing, food and drink, a habitation for himself and a heritage for his children’. I think this phrase is very true. Should we see how? Here goes:

• The coconut water (coconut milk) that fills the space in the center of the coconut is used as a drink (is brilliant for digestion, skin ailments, sunburns…)
  
• The white flesh (endosperm) can be eaten fresh (is very refreshing in the summer months) and is also used in South Asian curries
  
• From the dried endosperm (copra) coconut oil can be extracted, which is used in soap and other cosmetic products (Have a read at this brilliant site – will enlighten you on the process of making virgin coconut oil at home!)
  
• The fibres of the husk of the coconut are used in the production of ropes, floor mats, brooms and even as decorative items
  
• The wood is used as a building material or sometimes even to make furniture
• The leaves are used for making thatched roofs sometimes

I think that coconut and Marmite are rather similar…you either love them or hate them….I happen to love them both. I grew up eating lots of coconut…I drink coconut water (when I can get my hands on the fresh green coconuts that have been picked from the tree)…eat the fruit and what is left goes into a curry or into a fresh chutney that is blitzed together with some dry lentils, coriander and chilli……until today had never ventured into making a cake with it…but then, there is always a first time…

‘The devil has put a penalty on all things we enjoy in life. Either we suffer in health or we suffer in soul or we get fat’ said Albert Einstein. I think that this recipe is packed full with Vitamin C, protein and all the goodness from the coconut, but it does come with its share of fat…So Einstein was right after all….So, my coconut loving friends, please have this Moroccan inspired delight in moderation…I wasn’t quite sure if this will work…the absence of any flour, butter/ oil and nuts did make me a bit uncertain…but then I glanced at this little poster (see picture below) hanging in my study about Einstein (I do love his wise words!)So, I decided that I was going to give this a try even if this turned out to be a silly experiment…Also, on the other hand, this could turn out rather well and then I could prove this great physicist wrong!!! I started my research on whether something like this was ever made…and I came across a couple of recipes….One by the great Mary Berry, using coconut and eggs to make coconut pyramids and the other of course was the one that I am presenting here. This gorgeous recipe has been inspired by Claudia Roden’s Moroccan Coconut Orange Cake (I loved her website – glad I came across it…). So, without much further ado, I present to you this really easy recipe:

You’ll need:

• 250 ml of freshly grated coconut (you could use dessicated coconut if you prefer to not grate it yourself)
• 250 ml of orange juice
• 6 eggs separated
• 200 gms of raw cane sugar
• zest of 1 orange
• 1 tbsp of orange blossom water (I didn’t have any but I am sure will enhance the flavour greatly)
• 4 tbsp of sunflower oil

Now:

• Pre-heat the oven to 180 deg C
• Soak the coconut in orange juice for about 15 – 20 minutes
• Beat the egg whites until you can hold them over your head without them falling
• Gently fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture (do not over beat as it will take the air out)
• Grease and line a 21 cm cake tin
• Pour the mixture into the cake tin and bake in the centre of the oven for about 35 minutes or until the skewer comes out clean

I could not decide whether the browned top looked better or the bottom eggy look…Present whichever look takes your fancy….It may go beautifully with Rum n Raisin ice-cream…or maybe just with a dollop of coconut ice-cream…I had none of these exotic ice-creams to hand…so, enjoyed mine just on its own….

Cheese and Marmite rolls

Perfect Picnic Food!

 WHAT IS A PICNIC?
Well according to www.foodtimeline.org/foodpicnics.html food historians tell us picnics evolved from the elaborate traditions of moveable outdoor feasts enjoyed by the wealthy. A fashionable social entertainment in which each person present contributed a share of the food.

Typical foods were pastries, hams, cheeses, and so on. Picnicking really came into its own during the Victorian era. Dickens, Trollope, Jane Austen and many more all found pleasure in introducing this form of social event into their fiction.

Not very long ago, picnics were much more formal affairs, with tables, chairs, and even servants!

Nowadays, we typically take along home baked treats such as cookies, cakes and savouries, alongside sandwiches, crisps, fresh fruit and pasta or rice salads, the list is endless!  To me though it’s about spending time with family and friends, surrounded by the wonderful outdoors and having fun whilst enjoying whatever food is brought along be it home made or otherwise! I wonder what it means to you?

So why not impress your friends with these fabulous Cheese and Marmite rolls.  They are just perfect for taking on a picnic.  They require no butter, so are not too indulgent but are savoury delicious delights for all you Marmite lovers!  I found this recipe inside Morrisons(a British Supermarket) free magazine…..thank you Morrisons!

You will need:

•  500g strong white flour
• ¼ tsp salt
• 7g sachet fast action dried yeast
• ½ tsp sugar
• Flour for dusting
• 2 tbsp marmite
• 100g cheddar cheese grated

 Method

 Place the flour and salt in a bowl.  In a measuring jug, mix the yeast and sugar with 300ml warm water.  Pour this into the dry ingredients and mix with your hands to form a dough about 3-4 minutes.

Transfer onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes, then return to the bowl, cover with cling film and leave in a warm place to double in size (about 30 minutes).

Preheat the oven to 200 deg c. Scoop the dough out of the bowl and knead again for 1 minute.  Roll it out on a lightly floured surface, into a rectangle about 40cm x 20cm.

Spread the Marmite on top and sprinkle the cheese on top.  Then take the long edge and roll towards you into a Swiss roll shape.  Cut into 12 slices 2-3cm in width and bake for 15-20 minutes until the rolls are golden and sound hollow when tapped underneath.

What is your favourite picnic food?

Waste Not, Want Not – Butternut Squash Cake (made with leftovers)

“A gourmet is just a glutton with brains” said Phillip H. Haberman Jr.  Just when I thought I was becoming a ‘gourmet’, I was given the advice that this term is being replaced with the term ‘foodie’. Foodies like experimenting with unusual flavours and textures and have carried out quite a few experiments with lots of fruits and vegetations, using them in strange permutations and combinations. For this post, the supreme force decided that the chosen fruit will be butternut squash. I am going to carry on that tradition (I love being called a foodie…small pleasures of life!) of creating new out of something old and possibly wasted.“He that takes medicine and neglects diet, wastes the skill of the physician” is a very famous Chinese proverb. Since, the merits of this gorgeous fruit are plentiful (It is a good source of fibre, Vitamins C, A and E and if that wasn’t enough, it is also packed with manganese, magnesium and potassium!), I decided to include it in this cake (a person on this cake diet would never need a physician, would they?). Chilli and raisins were included for the same reason(remember, be kind to your body)…With every mouthful, will come total divine pleasure and unknowingly the benefits of all the fruits will enter the body too…Now, that’s killing two birds with one stone!. This beautiful fruit can be toasted and roasted with flavours of your choice…Eaten on its own or embedded into a dish…it is totally gorgeous.

It wasn’t that just one fine morning I woke up and was totally inspired to make a butternut squash cake. The real story goes like this….I was over at Jenny’s house to have a go at making pasta from scratch…Neither of us own the required gadget. However, a very lovely friend let us borrow her very special pasta machine (that was last used three years ago!)…We were inspired (or not!). We chatted until about 1.00 pm (about everything on this planet other than pasta making – we were terrified of it going terribly wrong!) and then it was time for lunch of course! So Jenny raided her refrigerator for something for us to eat…and lo and behold! Out came a bowl of leftover roasted butternut squash with a million(am exaggerating just ever so slightly!) chilli flakes…..That’s when the cake for today’s post was born….Jenny did make me a nice bowl of pasta (not the rubbish that we rolled out thankfully – we will blog about our very special ‘Pasta Disaster’ soon, when we we are able to muster the courage to go through this painful exercise again (even fixing the pasta machine to the table didn’t happen easily…then making the dough..then rolling it out !).However, back to writing about the butternut squash creation. Carrying on the same theme of ensuring (and piling on) health benefits with every mouthful (or most, anyway!), I present to you a Butternut Squash-Chilli-Sultana cake(adapted from a recipe on Farmboy’s website). This is a Butterless, Moist, Yummy delight….(made with leftover butternut squash – Waste not, Want not….is the theme. So, read on…

Get together:

• A bowl of roasted butternut squash with chilli flakes (use leftovers or make your own)
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup raw cane sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon

For the glaze:

• Juice of 1 lemon
• Juice of 1 large orange
• 4 tbsp of honey

Now, for the method:

• Pre-heat the oven to 180 Deg C
• Beat the oil, sugar and eggs together
• Add squash and mix well
• Add all the other dry ingredients and beat until smooth
• Grease (I spread butter and dusted with flour) a 21″ cake tin or line with parchment paper
• Bake in the centre of the oven for about 50 minutes and check (skewer comes out clean test). If not done leave for another 5 – 10 minutes.
• Heat the ingredients for the glaze together on low heat until well mixed
• Take the cake out of the oven
• Pour the glaze over the warm cake (it’s still in the same cake pan)
• Let the cake sit in the cake pan for at least 30 minutes
• Now enjoy with a cuppa or maybe even with a dollop of cinnamon ice-cream

It does taste amazing with a cuppa. A. Lee Martinez said “Reality is like a fruitcake; pretty enough to look at but with all sorts of nasty things lurking just beneath the surface”. This may be a cake made with fruit (hence I call it  fruit cake!) and lots of sultanas and chillies may have found a resting place within the squashy, gorgeous cake crumbs, but I promise you, none of these are nasties…..Fancy making this? In these hard economic times, this will be just perfect….well, whatever the times, everybody needs cake or else the cuppa will feel terribly lonely…

Indian flatbreads in a New Avatar – Baked Parathas (not pan-fried)

“Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not OK, then it’s not the end” said a wise person. These were exactly the feelings that were being resonated by me, during this kitchen adventure (during the making of baked parathas, the Indian pan-fried flatbreads). I must confess that I had about 4 – 5 attempts at getting the baking timing right….I managed to stock up on a lot of burnt, crispy parathas before I baked one with just the right texture – absolutely perfect with a dip or maybe with some salad and if you want to be in food heaven – then with a generous spread of some real butter…Traditionally, these are pan-fried and stuffed with potatoes, cheese or any other vegetable/ minced meat mixture. I was not going to pan-fry these and I was not going to stuff these. Most people’s advise is to not tamper with the traditional techniques but I love these gorgeous breads far too much to only allow myself to eat them only occasionally (due to them being pan-fried!). That is why I set out on this adventure…

Before I move on to the recipe, I have to satisfy this personal need to talk, talk and talk even more. So, as a big lover of Indian food, I take pride in the fact that Indian cooking heritage is thousands of years old. Though it has undergone various cultural and evolutionary changes, Indian cooking tradition still partly complies with the origin of these recipes that were perhaps created during the initial Vedic period, where each meal included fruit, different grains, vegetables, meat and milk. A good assorted mix of food groups packed with nutrients to keep one healthy; I will perhaps blog about it at another time. Coming back to Indian food, I believe that home-cooked food is generally very well-balanced and great for the body. However, as we are becoming more aware of health benefits and a wide range of cooking methods, we alter some traditional cooking methods whilst still maintaining the tastes. Indian food isn’t just something that constitutes a big meal out in a restaurant. How about making some for your lunch or having it for a packed lunch for school or office? Or perhaps even as a perfect lazy Sunday brunch?Get your apron on and get ready to bake some Vegetable Baked Parathas:

Get together:

• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 1 cup finely steamed and finely chopped spinach leaves (frozen works well)
• 1/2 cup of roughly mashed peas
• 1 finely chopped red onion
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp of mixed seeds (Cumin, Ajwain- also referred to as Carom seeds, are brilliant for digestion)
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder (this is packed with antiseptic properties)
• 1/4 cup yoghurt
• warm water (as much is required to make the dough)
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

Now:

• Preheat the oven to 220 deg C and place a baking sheet or pizza stone in the centre of the oven
• Mix all the dry ingredients and gently add the oil and the yoghurt
• Add water gradually to make the dough (it should be slightly moist but not overly wet or sticky). When you can see the flour coming together into a ball, then add water very gradually so you don’t overdo it
• Divide the dough into golf size dough balls
• Roll out each dough ball into a thin round shaped paratha
• Brush the rolled out dough with butter (I used ghee, which is clarified butter and has a very high burning point, hence reducing the amount of free radicals created when cooking at high temperatures using oil)
• Place the rolled out dough on a greased baking sheet or the pizza stone
• Bake for 3 minutes – turn and bake for another 2 minute (time may vary based on your oven – so, keep an eye – look for red, browned bits then turn – do not overcook as it will become like a very crisp poppadom! )
• Enjoy these hot, yummy creations  either with a tomato dip or a yoghurt dip or simply with lightly spread butter (my son’s favourite version)…now sit back and enjoy the experience of your very own dancing taste buds!

Sometimes, I sprinkle cheese between two rolled out parathas, stick them together really tight, roll them out again to make them thinner and bake – I do this quite often for my son’s lunch box. Sometimes, I sandwich two rolled out parathas with left over dry vegetable curry or dry lentil curry too. Minced lamb is used quite often too…Whatever you do, you get a perfectly well balanced meal in one single dish….packed with vegetables, grains, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and protein. Meal times couldn’t be easier….Next time, before you spend your child’s inheritance on a ‘take-away’ tandoori naan or any sort of flat-bread, think again…and please, please make your own…Will you?

Fabulous Chocolate and Beetroot Cake!

What a wonderfully versatile vegetable and beautiful coloured root this is!  It’s believed that Beetroot powder is used as a coloring agent for many foods, apparently some frozen pizzas use beet powder to colour the tomato sauce!  The most common garden beet is a deep ruby red colour but there are many diffeent varieties.  After World War II, pickled beetroot in jars was the most widely available form of the vegetable.  It’s estimated that about two thirds of commercial beetroot crops now end up in cans or jars. 

To make this divine cake you will need:

• 1 jar or can of sliced beetroot (preferably in natural juice otherwise in vinegar, but rinsed)
• 1 cup of golden caster sugar or white caster sugar
• 6 desertspoons cocoa powder
• 1 ½ teaspons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons of vanilla essence
• 2 large eggs
• ¾ cup of oil
• drop of milk to loosen

Method

Put beetroot into the food processor, add eggs, oil and vanilla and pulse to combine.  Put dry ingredients into a bowl and stir wet mixture into it with a fork.  Bake at 180 deg for 45-55 minutes until skewer comes out clean.

According to http://www.lovebeetroot.co.uk/history/ In early times, the medicinal properties of the root were more important than its eating qualities and it was used to treat a range of ailments including fevers, constipation, wounds and various skin problems. At that time, the roots were long and thin like a carrot.  Back then Beetroot was mostly grown as a winter root vegetable but we have now the smaller more tender, summer grown beetroots that have since been developed.  They come in all shapes and sizes but the most common is round and deep red/purple in colour. The humble beetroot is sweet, earthy and tender to eat and related to the turnip, swede and sugar beet.  It is delicious baked, fried, raw or pickled and goes beautifully well in cakes as you can see here with my lovely Chocolate and Beetroot cake!

Indian flatbreads in a New Avatar – Baked Parathas (not pan-fried)

“Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not OK, then it’s not the end” said a wise person. These were exactly the feelings that were being resonated by me, during this kitchen adventure (during the making of baked parathas, the Indian pan-fried flatbreads). I must confess that I had about 4 – 5 attempts at getting the baking timing right….I managed to stock up on a lot of burnt, crispy parathas before I baked one with just the right texture – absolutely perfect with a dip or maybe with some salad and if you want to be in food heaven – then with a generous spread of some real butter…Traditionally, these are pan-fried and stuffed with potatoes, cheese or any other vegetable/ minced meat mixture. I was not going to pan-fry these and I was not going to stuff these. Most people’s advise is to not tamper with the traditional techniques but I love these gorgeous breads far too much to only allow myself to eat them only occasionally (due to them being pan-fried!). That is why I set out on this adventure…

Before I move on to the recipe, I have to satisfy this personal need to talk, talk and talk even more. So, as a big lover of Indian food, I take pride in the fact that Indian cooking heritage is thousands of years old. Though it has undergone various cultural and evolutionary changes, Indian cooking tradition still partly complies with the origin of these recipes that were perhaps created during the initial Vedic period, where each meal included fruit, different grains, vegetables, meat and milk. A good assorted mix of food groups packed with nutrients to keep one healthy; I will perhaps blog about it at another time. Coming back to Indian food, I believe that home-cooked food is generally very well-balanced and great for the body. However, as we are becoming more aware of health benefits and a wide range of cooking methods, we alter some traditional cooking methods whilst still maintaining the tastes. Indian food isn’t just something that constitutes a big meal out in a restaurant. How about making some for your lunch or having it for a packed lunch for school or office? Or perhaps even as a perfect lazy Sunday brunch?Get your apron on and get ready to bake some Vegetable Baked Parathas:

Get together:

• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 1 cup finely steamed and finely chopped spinach leaves (frozen works well)
• 1/2 cup of roughly mashed peas
• 1 finely chopped red onion
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp of mixed seeds (Cumin, Ajwain- also referred to as Carom seeds, are brilliant for digestion)
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder (this is packed with antiseptic properties)
• 1/4 cup yoghurt
• warm water (as much is required to make the dough)
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

Now:

• Preheat the oven to 220 deg C and place a baking sheet or pizza stone in the centre of the oven
• Mix all the dry ingredients and gently add the oil and the yoghurt
• Add water gradually to make the dough (it should be slightly moist but not overly wet or sticky). When you can see the flour coming together into a ball, then add water very gradually so you don’t overdo it
• Divide the dough into golf size dough balls
• Roll out each dough ball into a thin round shaped paratha
• Brush the rolled out dough with butter (I used ghee, which is clarified butter and has a very high burning point, hence reducing the amount of free radicals created when cooking at high temperatures using oil)
• Place the rolled out dough on a greased baking sheet or the pizza stone
• Bake for 3 minutes – turn and bake for another 2 minute (time may vary based on your oven – so, keep an eye – look for red, browned bits then turn – do not overcook as it will become like a very crisp poppadom! )
• Enjoy these hot, yummy creations  either with a tomato dip or a yoghurt dip or simply with lightly spread butter (my son’s favourite version)…now sit back and enjoy the experience of your very own dancing taste buds!

Sometimes, I sprinkle cheese between two rolled out parathas, stick them together really tight, roll them out again to make them thinner and bake – I do this quite often for my son’s lunch box. Sometimes, I sandwich two rolled out parathas with left over dry vegetable curry or dry lentil curry too. Minced lamb is used quite often too…Whatever you do, you get a perfectly well balanced meal in one single dish….packed with vegetables, grains, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and protein. Meal times couldn’t be easier….Next time, before you spend your child’s inheritance on a ‘take-away’ tandoori naan or any sort of flat-bread, think again…and please, please make your own…Will you?

Jenny’s favourite Quick Apple and Walnut loaf

Walnuts are the healthiest nut, say scientists according to www.bbc.co.uk/news/health. Eating raw walnuts is thought to give you the full benefits of antioxidants. Antioxidants are known to help protect the body against disease. That sounds like good news to me, as I really like to snack on them or to use them in baking! Although, roasting nuts generally reduces the quality of the antioxidants.

Walnuts are thought to be the healthiest of all the nuts and should be eaten more as part of a healthy diet according to scientists, who also say that all nuts have good nutritional qualities. Walnuts though are said to be healthier than peanuts, almonds, pecans and pistachios.

Nuts are well known to be healthy and nutritious, containing high-quality protein, lots of vitamins and minerals as well as dietary fibre. They’re also dairy and gluten-free.

I discovered this wonderful recipe using walnuts on Maris’s lovely blog, In good taste where you can find some beautiful recipes with mouthwatering pictures alongside and a food blog full of passion!

To make this simple and delicious loaf you will need:

1 cup chopped, peeled apple
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking or steel-cut)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk (or if you can’t find any just warm a cup of milk and add a sqeeze of lemon juice to it)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup walnuts, separated into 1/2 cup and 1/4 cup

Method:

Preheat the oven to 325°C . Grease a 2lb loaf pan and in a large bowl, combine the  flour, oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla.

Add the liquids to the dry ingredients and stir gently until flour is completely combine into the liquid. Fold the apples and 1/2 cup walnuts into the batter.Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan and top bake for 50 – 60 minutes, rotating the pan partway through. The loaf is done when a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing. Allow it to cool completely before slicing. Makes 1 loaf/12 slices. I served it alongside my chunky minestrone soup and it was a delicious combination. Enjoy! How would you serve this gorgeous loaf?

Citrus Burst – A Lemon and Poppy Seed Cake

“The wise man must remember that while he is a descendant of the past, he is a parent of the future” said Herbert Spencer and this is exactly how I feel when baking. Baking isn’t a part of my past but hopefully will be in my family’s future generations….I march on with this belief and today’s event is dedicated to the meeting of lemons and  poppy seeds (also known for being slightly notorious at times!). The end result was a very healthy, amazingly delish summer cake – perfect with a cuppa, whenever your heart demands a break….

I know that having too many cakes is not good for you….but this cake is rather kind to the body (if something like this is technically possible!). This cake is made without butter, contains ONLY egg whites, milk, poppy seeds and of course lemons (packed with vitamin C and a zing that brings the tired soul in you alive!). Also, hasn’t someone wisely said “What you eat standing up doesn’t count”. So, whenever you want to indulge in a slice of this heavenly, lemony delight,  just ensure that you are vertically positioned.

This recipe is taken from the lovely Hummingbird Bakery Book. I wouldn’t have known about this at all if it wasn’t for Jenny talking endlessly about how she had a couple of slices of this cake when she was away for a picnic with some friends….how she can still remember the taste very vividly. I was so intrigued that I had to try it…It is truly delicious..Ready to bake yours?

Make sure, you have:

For the sponge

• 85 ml veg oil
• 245 g raw cane sugar
• grated zest at 1.5 unwaxed lemons
• 15 g poppy seeds plus extra to decorate
• 165 ml semi-skimmed milk
• 235 g plain flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 0.5 tsp salt
• 3 egg whites

For the lemon syrup (Pour as soon as the cake comes out of the oven)

• freshly squeezed juice and zest 01
• 1 lemon
• 50 g caster sugar

For the lemon glaze (Pour when the cake is cool and just before serving)

• freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon
• 250 g icing sugar, sifted

and a 18-cm ring mould greased and dusted with flour

Now, get baking:

Put the oil, sugar, lemon zest and poppy seeds in a bowl and beat until all the ingredients are well incorporated. Slowly add the milk and continue to beat until incorporated (don’t worry it the mixture looks slightly split).

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture to the oil, sugar mixture in 3 additions, scraping any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula after each addition. Beat thoroughly until all the ingredients are well incorporated and the mixture is light and fluffy.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Using a metal spoon, fold the whisked egg whites into the cake mixture until well mixed but do not over mix. Pour into the prepared ring mould and smooth over with a palette knife. Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until the skewer comes out clean.

For the lemon syrup: While the cake is baking, put the lemon juice and zest, sugar and 100 ml water in a small saucepan and bring to the boil over low heat. Raise the heat and boil until it has reduced by half, or until it has a thin syrup consistency. When the hot cake comes out of the oven, pour the syrup all over the top. Leave to cool slightly in the mould before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

For the lemon glaze: Mix the lemon juice and icing sugar in a bowl until smooth. It should be thick but pourable – add a little water or more sugar to thin or thicken as necessary. When the cake is cold, put it on a cake stand, pour the glaze over it and decorate with poppy seeds (As you see from the picture, mine didn’t turn out quite right as I added too much lemon juice and ran out of icing sugar…(if this happens to you, just add more icing sugar until you get a thickish consistency).

It is absolutely brilliant with a cuppa or just on its own . Lemons are such versatile little babies. They come to the rescue to take away the extra salt (that was accidentally  added to your dish) to being used as a cleaning / bleaching agent.  Use them to brighten your face (great astringent!) or to make Indian style cheese (paneer) at home and even to clean your furniture.

To apply on your face, just rub a used lemon (the insides) on to your washed face just before applying a moisturiser.

To make paneer add lemon to boiled milk, drain the whey and paneer is ready. Use this to stuff inside a flat bread or sauté in a pan with some onion, salt, pepper and chopped tomatoes….have it with a chappati or any flat bread…

To make your own furniture polish: mix equal parts of white vinegar and real lemon juice in a spray bottle. Use just as you would use your supermarket bought one.

Anna Katharine Green had once said “We are living in a world today where lemonade is made from artificial flavours and furniture polish is made from real lemons.” What a pity! Go ahead and make your own lemonade before the summer vanishes into thin air, of course using real lemons and while you are cleaning away or stocking up on home-made lemonade, don’t forget to be kind to your body…have a slice of this gorgeous cake with a cuppa…

Jenny’s Barbecue flavour Sweet Potatoes

http://whfoods.org say that Orange-fleshed sweet potatoes may be one of nature’s unsurpassed sources of beta-carotene. Apparently several recent studies have shown the ability of sweet potatoes to raise our blood levels of vitamin A. Sweet potatoes are not always orange-fleshed on the inside but can also be a spectacular purple colour. It’s important to have some fat in your sweet potato-containing meals if you want to enjoy the full beta-carotene benefits of this root vegetable. Recent research has shown that a minimum of 3-5 grams of fat per meal significantly increases our uptake of beta-carotene from sweet potatoes.

You will need:

4 small sweet potatoes, scrubbed

• 50g butter
• salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 ½ tsp mustard powder
• 1 ½ tsp white wine vinegar
• 1 ½ tsp runny honey
• dash of Tabasco sauce
• 

 Method: 

Halve the potatoes and place cut side up on a large piece of foil.  Dot with the butter, season well and wrap the foil loosely around the potatoes.  Bake at 200 deg for 30 minutes. 

In a small bowl, mix together the tomato ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, mustard powder, honey, vinegar, Tabasco and seasoning.

Open out the foil and brush the cut side of the potatoes with the barbecue sauce and return the potatoes to the oven for further 30 minutes ort until tender and slightly caramelised.

Delicious served with a fresh salad! How do you like to have your sweet potatoes?

 

Wake up to Multi-seed-Molasses-Vanilla Granola

“Man is so made that when anything fires his soul, impossibilities vanish” said Jean de la Fontaine. Only 5% of the Oats Crop that is produced globally is used for human consumption – the rest is fed to livestock. Who would have thought that this grain which served the purpose of being a wholesome meal to animals would become a highly sought after food for us humans?  Well, Jean de la Fontaine was right, I suppose. When the human mind did accept the goodness present in the oats grain, it did everything possible to present it as a meal for us mortals. From suggesting the use of oats for breakfast to using it in the form of biscuits…possibilities created for the usage of oats are now endless…all because the the soul was fired….

Oats can be put to great use at home. Some of the ways they come to our rescue are:

• For helping our breakfast taste super yummy!
• As a core ingredient for making a face mask to make our face glow
• For brewing beer at home
• For improving eczema conditions of the skin (by soaking in an oatmeal bath!)

Waverley Root, ‘Food’ (1980) had remarked that “The oat is the Horatio Alger of cereals, which progressed, if not from rags to riches, at least from weed to health food.” Oats indeed had a very humble origin. Apparently, this cereal was found growing as weeds amongst other crops and was sometimes also referred to as ‘diseased wheat’.

Pages and pages can be written about the benefits of this humble grain, but without further ado, I’ll just swiftly move on to baking some granola. A friend of mine gave me this recipe ages ago and ever since I have been making it, especially through the summer. So, now lets make some for your family’s breakfast. Get together:

• 350 gms rolled oats (lower the cholesterol too)
• 2 tbsp Rice bran oil (very high burning point – so, doesn’t create free radicals when cooked) / vegetable oil
• 150 ml apple juice (remember, an apple a day...)
• 100 ml maple syrup (known to help in managing Type 2 diabetes) / golden syrup
• 2 tbsp molasses (packed with iron and calcium)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract / 1/2 tsp vanilla paste
• 50 gm each sesame seeds, linseed, pumpkin seeds, flaxseed and sunflower seeds (super packed with minerals and are truly amazing…incorporate these in your diet)
• 200 gm dried mixed cranberries and blueberries (great antioxidants – so, help your body in staying fit and healthy)

Now, get your apron on and let us commence the granola making operation:

Preheat oven to 160 deg C. In a small pan, combine apple juice, molasses, maple/ golden syrup and vanilla extract. Heat gently for a 2 – 3 minutes. Take off the heat and let it cool a little.

In a big bowl, combine oats and all the seeds. Pour the molasses-apple juice mixture over the oats and seeds and stir until all the oats are well coated. Spread out on a baking tray.

Bake for 45 minutes turning and breaking up the oat mixture every 10 minutes or so. Let it cool and then throw in the cranberries-blueberries mixture. Keep in an airtight container.

Neil Diamond summarises the wonders of this crunchy oat mixture beautifully using lyrics that go… “Drop your shrink and stop your drinkin’, crunchy granola’s neat…”. He implies through this song that Granola indeed is the answer to all problems…So, if you haven’t yet enjoyed this healthy-yummy breakfast/ snack option, then go straight to your kitchen and make some…

Wake up in the morning to home-made granola and enjoy it either with milk or yoghurt and pack some to take away for a snack on its own. What is your favourite breakfast dish?

Jenny’s Pear and Cinnamon Upside Down Cake

Do you love Cinnamon? I know I do! It’s wonderful sprinkled over a Café Latte or hot pancakes and it’s also delicious sprinkled over freshly cut Honeydew melon. Cinnamon is usually found in the shops pre-ground or in sticks either way they both taste delicious. For lots of information on cinnamon and much more visit http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/nutrition/a/cinnamonbenefit.htm. They say that just a teaspoon of cinnamon contains calcium, iron, fiber, and vitamins C and K and that cinnamon has been used for digestive ailments such as indigestion, and diarrhea. They also say it has a mild anti-inflammatory effect. Apparently it was used as an embalming agent in ancient Egypt and has anti-fungal properties as well. It’s best to buy it fresh and keep it fresh. At home it is best stored in a cool, dark dry place. Cinnamon sticks can keep for 2 to 3 years like this, but powdered cinnamon does gradually lose its flavor, so it is best to use it within six months to get the best flavour.

 

 This delicious recipe came from Billingtons Sugar and my added hazelnuts give it an extra special flavour!

Pear and Cinnamon Upside Down Cake

•  2 Pears, peeled, cored and sliced lengthways into 8 pieces
•  Zest and Juice ½ Lemon
•  1 Cinnamon Stick
•  85g Golden Granulated Sugar
•  225g Ground Almonds or 125g Ground Almonds and 100g Ground    Hazelnuts for a delicious twist
•  2-3 tsp Demerara Sugar
•  225g Butter
•  225g Caster Sugar
•  3 Eggs, beaten
•  100g Plain Flour, sifted
•  1 tsp Ground Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 190C. Grease and base line a 20cm loose bottomed cake tin.
Put the pears, 250ml water, lemon zest and juice and cinnamon stick in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 3-4 minutes until the pears are slightly tender. Leave to cool in the liquid.
Heat the Granulated sugar very gently in a small pan until it melts and starts to caramelise. Take off the heat, and then add 20g of the butter – be careful as it will split. Pour the caramel into the prepared tin.
Drain the pears and place them in a circle on the caramel.
Cream together the remaining butter and the caster sugar until light and fluffy.
Gradually add the eggs beating after each addition and adding a little flour if the mixture starts to curdle.
Fold in the ground almonds, (and hazelnuts if using) flour and ground cinnamon, then spoon the mixture into the tin on top of the pears.
Bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes until golden and cooked through (test this by inserting a skewer into the middle – it should come out clean).
Run a knife around the edge of the cake then turn out into a plate.
Sprinkle with Demerara sugar whilst still warm, then serve cut into wedges, with dollops of crème fraiche.

 

 

Your very own ‘Edible Plate’ – complete Bliss…

“Have no fear of perfection – you’ll never reach it” said Salvador Dali.  I felt the need to create a pizza for my family… No wood-fired oven, no pizza stone…will I ever achieve the perfection of a real Italian thin crust, hand tossed pizza? Then, I remembered those magical words of Salvador Dali.  I was fired up again…ready to create pizza magic in my kitchen remembering that there is always room for improvement…things can only get better…pizza creations can only get better..even for the Italians… The magic of flour, yeast, oil and water…. In today’s magic session, we would aim to create the best ever pizzas…some cinnamon straws,…cheese-marmite rolls….maybe even a Calzone…the possibilities only limited by your imagination…Add vegetables, cheese, meat of your choice…and you are good to go…Tell me one pizza lover who doesn’t like the simple yet delicous margherita pizza?  It is believed that in June 1889, a Neapolitan chef created the “Pizza Margherita” to honour Margherita of Savoy, the Queen consort of Italy. This pizza was garnished with tomatoes, cheese, and basil, representing the Italian Flag. God bless his soul! What a creation!

I am unable to understand why this particular Italian food (fit for the Gods) has got a bad name over the years. I very emphatically defend this lovely creation ‘cos I believe this gorgeous food from Italy is:

•     Kind to the environment (you eat the plate and the food placed on it)
•     A totally balanced meal (protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals)
•     Loved by most humans
•     Providing employment to millions

Before we lose ourselves in this baking adventure, let me talk about some absolutely brilliant facts about this food of the poor (well, it certainly was once upon a time). Born in Naples around the first century BC, it quickly found followers across the world by the 19th century (hardly surprising as it is so delish!). From time immemorial, people have been enjoying creating pizzas. From the Ancient Greeks, who had a flat bread called “plakous” which was flavored with various toppings like herbs, onion and garlic to Persian Kings. I think the fact that soldiers of the Persian King, Darius (521-486 B.C.) baked a kind of bread upon their shields and then covered it with cheese and dates is super innovative!  I could go on and on about stories about pizzas… however, before we actually put the oven on for creating a gorgeous pizza, lets remember these brilliant lines by Virgil, the great Roman poet, who wrote in the first century BC summarising rather beautifully, the creation “Pizza”: “Their homely fare dispatch’d, the hungry band invade their trenchers next, and soon devour, to mend the scanty meal, their cakes of flour. Ascanius this observ’d, and smiling said: “See, we devour the plates on which we were fed.”Now, without much ado, let’s get baking. This is Delia’s recipe (we added the wholemeal flour bit and it tastes as gorgeous, if not better – has a nutty texture too) which is absolutely brilliant. The end result is a thinnish crust (I must admit, it didn’t quite turn out like the ones you get in those gorgeous pizzerias in Italy though!).

You will need:

• 175gm plain white flour OR wholemeal flour (both kinds were delicious)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp easy-blend dried yeast (from a supermarket or any bakery)
• 1/2 tsp of golden castor sugar
• 1tbsp olive oil
• 120ml of hand-hot water
• 2 – 3 tbsp cornmeal (polenta) to roll out
• Pizza stone or a pizza tray (with holes at the bottom to stop the pizza from becoming soggy)

Make the Pizza Dough:

• Preheat your oven to the lowest setting
• Warm the flour in the oven for about 10 minutes, then turn the oven off
• Sift the flour, salt, yeast and sugar into a bowl and make a well in the centre
• Add olive oil and the water
• Make a dough by starting mixing with a wooden spoon and then out it together as a ball with your hands (extremely therapeutic)
• Transfer the dough to a flat surface and knead for about 3 minutes (it should now be springy and elastic)
• Cover with a large upturned bowl or place in a bowl and cover the bowl with a cling film (making sure the side of the cling film facing the dough is slightly oiled)
•  Leave it to double in size (should take about an hour at room temperature)

Now, time to roll out your pizza (the edible plate!)

• Preheat the oven to 230 deg C along with the pizza stone
• Tip the dough back on a surface which has been sprinkled with cornmeal
• Knock out all the air and knead for a couple of seconds to shape into a ball
• Dust your rolling pin with cornmeal and roll out to about 10 inches (25.5 cm) in diameter
• Push the dough out with the flat part of your fingers (for a very thin crust pizza with slightly raised edges)

Time for adding your Toppings:

• Very carefully lift the rolled out pizza onto the pizza stone
•  Spread a generous helping of tomato sauce (I was lazy and spread a spiced up ketchup!)

I made pizzas with two different toppings. One with roasted vegetables as the topping (and very little cheese) and the second pizza had a topping of olives, roasted tomatoes, lots of rocket (I love this peppery herb!) and some ricotta.

Now Bake:

Place on the centre shelf in the oven and bake for 10 – 12 minutes or until the edges look nice and crusty…..

You should be very proud of yourself! You have just created a totally, yummy edible plate….thus minimising the carbon footprint….I still had some dough left. I did not have the heart to throw it…so, created little spirals and dipped them in a mixture of ground cinnamon and sugar…brushed them with milk and baked in the oven at 200 deg C for about 5 – 6 minutes or until they turn a lovely golden (and before they turn into the colour of charcoal!). On a different note, aren’t the words (in the picture above) of Oscar Wilde totally magical? Look at the stars…aim high…and you’ll already begin to feel happy…One day, I will replicate the very authentic, hand-tossed pizza that today exists mainly in pizzerias in Italy…

Enjoyed the magic of flour, yeast and oil? I never got around to create a Calzone or a marmite roll… but then hey! there is always a tomorrow….Wonder what else can be made with these magical ingredients?

Jenny’s Spanish Tapas

 The History of Spanish Tapas

According to www.spanish-hams.co.uk/Spanish_tapas.html Tapas originated in Andalucia, a Southern province of Spain. The word “tapa” translates as “cover”. Tapas traditionally may have been a complementary piece of sliced ham served on top of a glass of wine, but we know them today as small portions of food commonly served as a snack before lunch or dinner. Tapas can be as simple as a bowl of olives or more hearty, such as slices of Serrano ham.

The tapa was born when, due to an illness, the Spanish king Alfonso the 10th, the Wise, had to take small bites of food with some wine between meals. Once recovered from the disease, the wise king decreed that no wine was to be served in any of the inns in the land of Castile , unless accompanied by something to eat. This was a wise precaution to counteract the adverse effects of alcohol on those people who, through lack of money to buy a nourishing meal drank alcohol on an empty stomach.

Apart from the story of the royal disease we should consider the theory that the tapa first appeared because of the need of farmers and workers of other unions to take a small amount of food during their working time, which allowed them to carry on working until time for the main meal. This main meal, rich in fat, was so heavy to digest that a “siesta” had to be taken for a couple of hours before going back to the fields or to the workshop. Longer working hours in the morning meant an easier workload after the meal.

Wine was the natural accompaniment to this snack, as it induced a mellow mood and increased strength, while in winter it warmed the body as protection against very cold days in the fields and in the workshops of the Middle Ages. In summer, the drink taken in the South was “gazpacho” (cold tomato soup), instead of wine, which increased body heat rather than providing the necessary cold refreshment.  The glass or jar of wine was served covered with a slice of either smoked ham or cheese, for two.

These delicious little tapas dishes came from my lovely Tapas recipe book by Love Food.  I made them for a friends Spanish tapas style birthday party.  They were fun to make and delicious too!

Stuffed Mushrooms

Serves 6

• 175g butter
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 6 large open mushrooms, stems removed
• 55g fresh white breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
• salt and pepper
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Method

Preheat oven to 180 deg.

Cream the butter in a bowl until softened, then beat in the garlic.  Divide two-thirds of the garlic butter between the mushroom caps and arrange them, cut side up on a baking sheet

Melt the remaining garlic butter in a heavy based or non-stick frying pan.  Add the breadcrumbs and cook over a low heat, stirring frequently until golden.  Stir in the thyme and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Stir in the beaten egg until thoroughly combined.

Divide the breadcrumb mixture between the mushroom caps and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until the stuffing is golden brown and the mushrooms are tender.  Serve hot or warm.

Spanish spinach and tomato pizzas

Makes 16 or if rolled out very thinly 32

• 2 tbsp Spanish olive oil plus extra for brushing and drizzling
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 400g canned chopped tomatoes
• 125g baby spinach leaves
• salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp pine nuts

Bread dough

• 4 tbsp warm water or as much as you need to make a dough I used around 8 tbsp
• ½ tsp active dry yeast
• pinch of sugar
• 220g white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• ½ tsp salt

These dishes were accompanied by my Spanish tortilla, chorizo in garlic and fresh mixed herbs, Spanish garlic mayonnaise (Aioli) and  courgette fritters accompanied by a delicious pine nut sauce!

Plums Magic

I always remember these wise words of Albert Einstein “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere”. Imagination is a key to amazing results in cooking/ baking but one has to remember to never tamper with the ‘core’ ingredients – this is the ‘science bit’. Whoever, created this plum recipe is a true genius…Come to think of it it, it’s no rocket science sticking plums into a goey looking batter – but then hey! it’s just pure creativity and imagination at its best..really is…It’s so light, moist, pretty and incredibly delish! Don’t just take my word for it…try it for yourself…

It is believed that the first ever mention of the gorgeous Plums (Prunus domestica) dates back to 479 B.C and that Alexander the Great, brought them to the Mediterranean regions. Plums are also said to have played a very significant part in the great Chinese history. Plums are said to have originated in China and then came to Japan only about 300 years ago…

I had these at my friend’s place and totally fell in love with these…She passed on the recipe to me and I have not deviated at all….It was so yummy and juicy…I just didn’t dare to muck around with it…

Before I go to share the plum based dessert, allow me to tell you about one of my favourite weekend breakfast recipes….Roasted Plums with Yoghurt – Plums go beautifully with orange and cinnamon as well… Just roast halved plums with some sugar+cinnamon+orange juice for about 25 minutes or so at 200 deg C…then enjoy it served over greek yoghurt (mix some orange juice to it as per your taste)…it makes for a lovely breakfast…Start the day with plums and end with plums….now, moving on very swiftly to dessert time….

I came across a beautiful youtube clip when I was trying to find out how plums get used in the Japanese cuisine. It shows you how to make a plum syrup and your very own plum wine at home…very well explained…(it uses rock sugar which am sure is available in Japanese stores but also in Indian stores under the name ‘mishri’). Try and have a look before you make my very tasty plum mini-muffin…

“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand” said Confucius. Absolutely true! so, get your apron on…and you’ll never forget this beautiful plum creation….

Get together:

• 1.5 cups of plain sifted flour
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp of baking powder
• 1/4 tsp of salt
• 1/4 tsp cardamom
• 150 ml of flavourless oil
• 3/4 cup of light raw cane sugar
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 8 plums, cut into thin slices
• 2 tbsp of milk

Now:

• Preheat the oven the 170 deg C
• Grease and flour a 12 mini-muffin tin (remember to shake off the excess flour)
• Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom together
• In a large bowl, beat the oil and sugar for about 3 minutes (at medium speed)
• Add one egg and continue to beat until well mixed (for about a minute or so)
• Then add the other egg and continue to mix (about a minute)
• Now, add the orange zest and the vanilla extract
• Fold in the sifted flour (do not over-mix) using a rubber spatula
• Place the mixture into the muffin tin
• Place the plum slices on top of the mixture and slightly press them in
• Bake in the centre of the oven for about 20 minutes (check with a skewer now…if not ready then give it another 2 – 3 minutes again)
• Let it rest for about10 – 15 minutes in the tin and then using a palette knife transfer to a wire tray to cool

So, how was the first bite? Could you taste the orange and the cardamom? I am not a big fan of those giant muffins…for me personally, just a few small bites of a muffin are savoured and enjoyed a lot more than a never ending giant muffin….I love the mini-muffins…just the right amount of sweetness (and the calories!)…The juices of the plum makes it so beautifully moist and the lovely red makes it so vibrant and beautiful….Great with a cuppa or just on its own….not very sinful…yet very yummy….

Delicious German Apple Cake

The health benefits of Bramley Apples for more info visit www.bramleyapples.co.uk

Research has shown that the path to good health is as simple as an apple a day. Bramley apples are a powerful source of antioxidants and vitamin C, as well as a good source of fibre, and potassium. Cooked apples have been used in traditional medicine to help stop diarrhoea. Stewed Bramley apples are delicious hot or cold added to breakfast cereal or porridge or as a side to cold meats and are easliy added to soups to contribute to- 1 of your 5 a day when added to 1 whole chopped butternut squash with 1 onion and 500ml beef stock, 500ml of chicken stock and cooked on high in the microwave for 22minutes. Just blitz and sprinkle with a dash of curry powder, bliss! Apples pair really well with spicy foods too like curries, and many other savoury dishes.

The history of the Bramley Apple?

In 1809 the first Bramley tree grew from pips planted by a young girl, Mary Ann Brailsford, in her garden in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, England and in 1846 a local butcher, Matthew Bramley, bought the cottage and garden. In 1856 while Matthew Bramley lived in the cottage a local nurseryman, Henry Merryweather, asked if he could take cuttings from the tree and start to sell the apple. Bramley agreed, but insisted the apple should bear his name – hence ‘Bramley’s Seedling’ and in 1862 the first recorded sale of the variety is in Henry Merryweather’s book of accounts on 31 October 1862. In 1876 fruits of the grafted apple were first exhibited before the Royal Horticultural Society’s Fruit Committee on 6 December 1876. They were highly commended.  However after huge success and much recognition for the great apple disaster struck in 1900 when the original Bramley tree blew down during violent storms. However, the tree somehow survived and continues to bear fruit to this day. Those few pips planted by a little girl in her garden in Nottinghamshire 200 years ago are responsible for what is today a £50 million industry. 

To make this delicious cake you will need:

For the base

• 2oz soft brown sugar
• 3oz butter
• 1 egg
• 4oz self raising flour
• 2oz ground almonds
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Filling

• 1lb cooking apples
• 1oz soft brown sugar

Topping

• 2oz self raising flour
• 2oz butter
• 2oz brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 150-160 deg c and grease and line an 8” cake tin 

Start with the base: 

Sieve flour, add sugar and 1oz of the almonds and rub in the butter.  Mix into a dough adding 1 egg and the lemon juice.  Press into the tin and sprinkle with the remaining almonds.  Refrigerate for ½ hour. 

Onto the filling: 

Thinly slice and peel the apples and mix with a little sugar and lemon juice. Then take the base out of the fridge and place apples into the tin.

Topping:

Rub the butter into the dry ingredients to make a crumble topping.  Then place on top the apples.  Bake in a preheated oven at 150-160 deg for approx 1 hour. Wonderful served as dessert with a drizzle of fresh cream or simply serve a slice with a hot cup of tea or coffee!

Phirni – An example of Indian brilliance

“Lord, forgive us that we feast while others starve” said Bishop Charles Gore. I bring this post to you from my mum’s kitchen in India. This is the beginning of the festive season in India. With Muslims getting ready to celebrate Eid, the Hindus already having celebrated the wonderful festival of ‘Rakhi‘, and today the birthday of God Krishna, ‘Janam-mashtami’ is being celebrated with great fanfare. With festivities come great food and sweets and one can’t help but think about those who have gone without a meal today. Wish hunger could just magically disappear from this planet. One day….

“Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are” said Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin. How very true! Have a Phirni and feel like a true royal. Phirni is believed to have been originated in India during the Mughal rule. Mughals ruled many parts of India between 1500 and early 1800 AD. For them cooking was a form of art and a lot of creativity and expense went into creating their dishes. Some dishes from the Mughal period were cooked with as many as twenty-five spices, rose water, saffron, pistachios, cashews, raisins and various dried  fruit.               

                                                                                            

This delicious dish can be created using extremely exotic ingredients or can be rustled up simply with just rice and milk, for those ‘no exotic ingredients available in the pantry’ moments. Either way, it is totally delish, refreshing and a visual treat for the eyes when served in little terracotta/ earthern pots in little individual portions.

Infact, if you ever get a chance then try and get your hands on a book ‘Ni’matnamah‘ which translates to  a ‘Book of Delights’ and is available in the British Library. It provides a little overview on how the the royal Sultans ate and lived. It contains masses of information on recipes, remedies and aphrodisiacs. Widely used essences like rosewater and kewra (from saffron) were made from flowers of the fragrant screwpine. Now, its time to bring to life a breath-takingly beautiful and sumptuous dessert, ‘The Phirni’, created by my mum in a kitchen where a million flavours come to life..Join us in enjoying these flavours of India….

Get together:

• 5 tbsp rice, soaked and then drained and ground into a paste
• 1 litre sem-skimmed milk
• 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
• pinch of saffron, soaked in 1 tbsp of milk
• 10 – 12 pistacios, roughly chopped
• 3 -4 whole cardomoms
• 1 tbsp of rose water
• 1 tsp freshly ground cardomom powder

Now, all you need to do is:

• Mix the rice paste in 1 tbsp of milk, ensuring no lumps are formed
• Pour the rest of the milk to an empty pan
• Add the rice paste-milk mixture to the pan too
• Add the sugar, rose water, saffron and cardomom to the milk
• Bring to boil and take off the heat
• Pour into the earthern pots (it adds that typical earthern taste!)
• Let it chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours
• Garnish with pistachios / cardomoms and serve

Did you know that the Romans would scatter saffron (crocus  stigmas) upon their marriage bed. Infact, the story goes that Zeus slept on a bed of saffron…Well, no such tales to tell of the uses of saffron these days…

If you fancy adding a little twist to the traditional recipe given above, please feel free to. My mum sometimes does these:

• Feel free to add fruit to the phirni as a garnish before serving (mangoes go particularly well with this)
• Add edible silver sheet, also referred to as ‘varak’

  Enjoy this cool and refreshing dessert on a hot summer’s day after a very special dinner….If you do not have earthern pots, then serve it in little china bowls  or glass bowls. No cream, no evil and still yummingly gorgeous…I think an absolutely brilliant way to end a meal…”After dinner, sit a while; after supper, walk a mile” said someone. Very true! Especially a 3-course meal….What is your preferred way to end a big Asian meal? 

 

Divine Coffee and walnut cake

Coffee and Walnut layer cake 

This has to be one of my favourite classic cakes of all.  This recipe comes from Nigella Lawson the queen of baking!

For the sponge:

• 50g walnut pieces
• 225g caster sugar
• 225g soft unsalted butter, plus some for greasing
• 200g plain flour
• 4 tsp instant espresso powder
• 2 ½ tsps baking powder
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 4 eggs
• 1-2 x 15ml tbsp milk

For the buttercream frosting: 

• 350g icing sugar
• 175g soft unsalted butter
• 2 ½ tsps instant espresso powder, dissolved in 1x 15ml tbsp boiling water
• 25g walnut halves, to decorate

 2 x 20cm sandwich tins 

Preheat oven to 180 deg.  Butter the sandwich tins and line the base of each with baking parchment or to make it easier I use one springform tin and just slice the cake in half horizontally to decorate when cool. 

Put the walnut pieces and sugar into a food processor and blitz to a fine nutty powder. Add the 225g butter, flour, 4 tsp espresso powder, baking powder, bicarbonate and eggs and process to a smooth batter.  Add the milk, pouring it down the funnel with the motor running, or just pulsing, to loosen the cake mixture.  It should be a soft, dropping consistency, so add more milk if needed. If you are going to make this by hand just bash the nuts to a powder and mix with the dry ingredients then cream the butter and sugar together and beat in some dry ingredients with the eggs and then the milk. 

Divide the mixture between the two tins or one if using and bake in the oven for approx 25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool in the tin/s for a few minutes before turning out onto a rack. 

When the sponges are cool, make the buttercream.  Pulse the icing sugar in the food processor to remove any lumps and then add the butter and process to make a smooth icing. Dissolve the instant espresso powder in 1 tbsp of boiling water and add it while still hot to the processor, pulsing to blend into the buttercream.  If you are doing by hand, sieve the icing sugar and beat it into the butter with a wooden spoon then beat in the hot coffee liquid. 

If you made one cake slice horizontally through the middle and spread about half of the delicious buttercream over and sandwich back together. If you made two then just turn one cake over and decorate with cream and sandwich together.  Cover the top of the cake with the rest of the icing and gently press the walnut halves into the top of the icing all around the edges to make a pretty pattern.