Sunday, 16 June 2013
Sunday, 28 October 2012
Parsnips and Bagels...
Back again with more Sunday cooking and baking. I have a batch of parsnip and apple soup on the go, ready for next week at work, and a few bagels in the oven, to try to perfect my bagel making, and provide fuel for next week.
Two foodie things have been on my mind today;
1 - having watched a couple of episodes of Jamie's 15 Minute Meals this morning, I am wondering what the obsession is with quick food, and whether this speed cookery is going to make people cook more, or whether it will mean that people who already cook spend less time in the kitchen! I have no problem at all with Jamie Oliver, in fact I think he's great. But I do wonder, whether people really need 15 minutes of intense, cannot leave the stove cookery, as opposed to recipes that can be made easily, in a half hour to and hour, when you arrive home from work, if you don't have fancy gadgets. Cooking, to me, is something enjoyable, where I can relax and play with textures and flavours - rather than a 15 minute military operation that just happens to have food as an end product. This sounds rather more critical than I mean it to - having just read it back. To be more positive, if this gets people into the kitchen, increases their kitchen confidence, and leads them to cook more and enjoy cooking - brilliant!
2 - I went to my local supermarket earlier only to discover that they no longer sell what I consider to be a basic kitchen necessity, cornflour. I said to the man, how will I make sauce? And he said, use the 'Sauce flour'. This I pointed out was plain flour and made from wheat, whereas I quite often like a wheat free sauce, and flour on its own is not really an effective thickening agent. In short, I need cornflour. But is it the case that no one is using it? That no one bought it and it was simply rotting on the shelves? Or are we all just supposed to buy jar and packet sauces, stuffed with colourings and flavourings and salt??? Grrr.
Oh dear. Rant over. Lah de dah. I've made some popcorn to cheery myself up, Munch Munch, Yum Yum.
So, for a delicious parsnip and apple soup, I have done as follows:
Finely chop a white onion and add to a pan with a slug of plain oil - I use rapeseed. These need to be softened on a medium heat, watch them closely and stir often as you don't want them to brown. I put salt and pepper, a bay leaf and a shake of dried mixed herbs into the onion.
Chop the parsnip into a smallish dice. For quantities, I used 5 medium sized parsnips to one Bramley apple - adjust quantities depending how much you want to make - remember that the apple will dominate if there isn't enough to balance it out - 3/4 parsnip to 1/4 apple seems about the right quantity to me.
Add the parsnip to the softened onion, and stir about for the flavours to get to know each other, and for the parsnip to warm a little before adding stock (chicken or veg). Let it bubble away for 15 minutes or so before adding the apple. Bubble for another 15-20 minutes, and then allow to cool for a little while before blending into a smooth soup.
You could eat this straight away with a swirl of cream, or divide it between some tupperware containers and take to work for a lovely healthy lunch.
To go with this lovely soup, I made some multi-seed bagels. this was my second attempt, the first having gone ok, I wanted to try again to try to improve the look of them. Sadly, I have not achieved this, and the look like, um, well, mishapen bagels! But they taste lovely, they are chewy and soft, and the multiseeded flour I've used this time adds great flavour and texture. The issue with the look seems to be that a skin forms on the dough which makes it hard to change the shape - I will do some research and conquer this delicious doughy treat!
Two foodie things have been on my mind today;
1 - having watched a couple of episodes of Jamie's 15 Minute Meals this morning, I am wondering what the obsession is with quick food, and whether this speed cookery is going to make people cook more, or whether it will mean that people who already cook spend less time in the kitchen! I have no problem at all with Jamie Oliver, in fact I think he's great. But I do wonder, whether people really need 15 minutes of intense, cannot leave the stove cookery, as opposed to recipes that can be made easily, in a half hour to and hour, when you arrive home from work, if you don't have fancy gadgets. Cooking, to me, is something enjoyable, where I can relax and play with textures and flavours - rather than a 15 minute military operation that just happens to have food as an end product. This sounds rather more critical than I mean it to - having just read it back. To be more positive, if this gets people into the kitchen, increases their kitchen confidence, and leads them to cook more and enjoy cooking - brilliant!
2 - I went to my local supermarket earlier only to discover that they no longer sell what I consider to be a basic kitchen necessity, cornflour. I said to the man, how will I make sauce? And he said, use the 'Sauce flour'. This I pointed out was plain flour and made from wheat, whereas I quite often like a wheat free sauce, and flour on its own is not really an effective thickening agent. In short, I need cornflour. But is it the case that no one is using it? That no one bought it and it was simply rotting on the shelves? Or are we all just supposed to buy jar and packet sauces, stuffed with colourings and flavourings and salt??? Grrr.
Oh dear. Rant over. Lah de dah. I've made some popcorn to cheery myself up, Munch Munch, Yum Yum.
So, for a delicious parsnip and apple soup, I have done as follows:
Finely chop a white onion and add to a pan with a slug of plain oil - I use rapeseed. These need to be softened on a medium heat, watch them closely and stir often as you don't want them to brown. I put salt and pepper, a bay leaf and a shake of dried mixed herbs into the onion.
Chop the parsnip into a smallish dice. For quantities, I used 5 medium sized parsnips to one Bramley apple - adjust quantities depending how much you want to make - remember that the apple will dominate if there isn't enough to balance it out - 3/4 parsnip to 1/4 apple seems about the right quantity to me.
Add the parsnip to the softened onion, and stir about for the flavours to get to know each other, and for the parsnip to warm a little before adding stock (chicken or veg). Let it bubble away for 15 minutes or so before adding the apple. Bubble for another 15-20 minutes, and then allow to cool for a little while before blending into a smooth soup.
You could eat this straight away with a swirl of cream, or divide it between some tupperware containers and take to work for a lovely healthy lunch.
To go with this lovely soup, I made some multi-seed bagels. this was my second attempt, the first having gone ok, I wanted to try again to try to improve the look of them. Sadly, I have not achieved this, and the look like, um, well, mishapen bagels! But they taste lovely, they are chewy and soft, and the multiseeded flour I've used this time adds great flavour and texture. The issue with the look seems to be that a skin forms on the dough which makes it hard to change the shape - I will do some research and conquer this delicious doughy treat!
A foodie roundup!
I seem to go through times when there is plenty of time to fill with blogging, and times when there is just not a spare moment. Rest assured, I still cook my little socks off during this time and have had recent success with the following:
Nigella-style steak, salad and chips, followed by chocolate fondant. - this was for a dinner with friends, for which I would never usually do steak as I am worried about it turning out tough and chewy... However, I bit the bullet and headed to Borough Market to chat to a lovely butcher who sold me two delicious long strips of hanger steak (or skirt) for a mere £8! And the opposite veg stall had me in raptures, I bought the most wonderful, frothy-looking lettuce, a beautifully fragrant bunch of thyme, and scarlet cherry tomatoes! I marinaded the steak in oil, salt, pepper and thyme, fried it quickly turning it frequently but allowing a caramelised crust to form on each surface. I made a thick mustardy vinagrette and dressed the leaves with it. I spread these around a chopping board, and sliced the steak thinly and laid it in the middle. I made chips to go with this (just potato sliced, oiled and baked) and chocolate fondants for afters - the recipe for which was insanely simple and the soft little puds were just lovely! Recipe from BBC Food and Mr James Martin.
Baking bagels - A moderate success, and delicious to eat. The look is a little tricky to get right, and the second attempt is currently in progress.
Butternut squash and leek soup - enjoyed for my work lunches
Sweet potato and leek soup - as above - both of these are lovely autumnal soups as simple as a potato and leek but with just a little more sweetness and comfort.
Strudel cupcakes - courtesy of Delicious magazine and loved by those in my office and those in my other half's rehearsal room.
Ribs in Jerk seasoning, with wedges and root veg slaw - so simple, and such a treat!
Root veg rosti - a lovely autumn dish, with grated potato, carrot and bramley apple squashed into a pan with thyme and seasoning, and a good few chunks of butter. The tomato sauce was made with paprika and cinnamon and lent a lovely richness and North African contrast to this English country garden supper!
A fruit cake! Not very exciting, but my first go at a Dundee recipe, and I am impressed by the golden, fully fruited soft cake-ilicious results!
My busy bee levels of cookery have been inspired by reading my two new favourite magazines, The Simple Things, and Delicious. I could not possible cook all these recipes, and I haven't tried - but just having read them makes me want to do more interesting things with the meals that I make, and to put that little more effort in to finding new ingredients, and new combinations.
Nigella-style steak, salad and chips, followed by chocolate fondant. - this was for a dinner with friends, for which I would never usually do steak as I am worried about it turning out tough and chewy... However, I bit the bullet and headed to Borough Market to chat to a lovely butcher who sold me two delicious long strips of hanger steak (or skirt) for a mere £8! And the opposite veg stall had me in raptures, I bought the most wonderful, frothy-looking lettuce, a beautifully fragrant bunch of thyme, and scarlet cherry tomatoes! I marinaded the steak in oil, salt, pepper and thyme, fried it quickly turning it frequently but allowing a caramelised crust to form on each surface. I made a thick mustardy vinagrette and dressed the leaves with it. I spread these around a chopping board, and sliced the steak thinly and laid it in the middle. I made chips to go with this (just potato sliced, oiled and baked) and chocolate fondants for afters - the recipe for which was insanely simple and the soft little puds were just lovely! Recipe from BBC Food and Mr James Martin.
Baking bagels - A moderate success, and delicious to eat. The look is a little tricky to get right, and the second attempt is currently in progress.
Butternut squash and leek soup - enjoyed for my work lunches
Sweet potato and leek soup - as above - both of these are lovely autumnal soups as simple as a potato and leek but with just a little more sweetness and comfort.
Strudel cupcakes - courtesy of Delicious magazine and loved by those in my office and those in my other half's rehearsal room.
Ribs in Jerk seasoning, with wedges and root veg slaw - so simple, and such a treat!
Root veg rosti - a lovely autumn dish, with grated potato, carrot and bramley apple squashed into a pan with thyme and seasoning, and a good few chunks of butter. The tomato sauce was made with paprika and cinnamon and lent a lovely richness and North African contrast to this English country garden supper!
A fruit cake! Not very exciting, but my first go at a Dundee recipe, and I am impressed by the golden, fully fruited soft cake-ilicious results!
My busy bee levels of cookery have been inspired by reading my two new favourite magazines, The Simple Things, and Delicious. I could not possible cook all these recipes, and I haven't tried - but just having read them makes me want to do more interesting things with the meals that I make, and to put that little more effort in to finding new ingredients, and new combinations.
Sunday, 23 September 2012
Rainy Sunday slow cooking
Bleurgh. I am stuck at home with a cold today, which is rubbish, however, it is totally miserable outside - raining, cold and grey - so perhaps it's not such a disaster after all. Also, as I was given a beautiful slow cooker for my birthday it gives me the perfect opportunity to try it out!
I've taken Mum's advice and gone for lots of flavour - as she says sometimes things come out of a slow cooker tasting of very little. I bought some lamb neck at the butcher stall in Pimlico market yesterday and have aimed for a tagine style stew.
So, at 11am this morning, I chopped onion, garlic and carrot into big chunks and put half in the slow cooker. I sprinkled this with cumin, paprika, salt and pepper, and thyme. Then I seared the lamb in a pan and put it on top of the veg, then added the rest of the veg on top, with some more herbs and spices. I put in a pint of water and started the cooker off on medium.
At about 4pm I added some tomato puree to the stock and stirred it in, and then some halved dried apricots and sultanas. I also sprinkled in some ground almonds.
Am going to give this another couple of hours on low setting, and then serve with mash. Will have to report back on how it turns out.
Also on the agenda this afternoon, a wholemeal tin loaf courtesy of a new book given to me for my birthday '100 Great Breads' by Paul Hollywood. And I'm also going to make some flapjack as a tasty snack to take to work next week.
So, the results. I've just had a delicious bowl of fruity, slightly spicy lamby stew, with soft fluffy mash underneath. Before serving I did take the lamb next pieces out, take the meat off the bones, and popped the lovely tender meat back into the juices.
I've taken Mum's advice and gone for lots of flavour - as she says sometimes things come out of a slow cooker tasting of very little. I bought some lamb neck at the butcher stall in Pimlico market yesterday and have aimed for a tagine style stew.
So, at 11am this morning, I chopped onion, garlic and carrot into big chunks and put half in the slow cooker. I sprinkled this with cumin, paprika, salt and pepper, and thyme. Then I seared the lamb in a pan and put it on top of the veg, then added the rest of the veg on top, with some more herbs and spices. I put in a pint of water and started the cooker off on medium.
At about 4pm I added some tomato puree to the stock and stirred it in, and then some halved dried apricots and sultanas. I also sprinkled in some ground almonds.
Am going to give this another couple of hours on low setting, and then serve with mash. Will have to report back on how it turns out.
Also on the agenda this afternoon, a wholemeal tin loaf courtesy of a new book given to me for my birthday '100 Great Breads' by Paul Hollywood. And I'm also going to make some flapjack as a tasty snack to take to work next week.
So, the results. I've just had a delicious bowl of fruity, slightly spicy lamby stew, with soft fluffy mash underneath. Before serving I did take the lamb next pieces out, take the meat off the bones, and popped the lovely tender meat back into the juices.
The flapjack looks good, and is lovely and golden, and even looks like its going to stick together - hooray. But the bread is a disaster - just didn't want to do a 2nd rise. Perhaps because it's wholemeal and needs longer, or maybe I didn't knead it enough. Who knows. Better luck next time.
Wednesday, 15 August 2012
Simple pork supper
Tonight I wanted something quite plain for supper, after my polenta pizza feast last night! I'm not very good at cooking simply but I think I did ok here!
For this dish I had a pork shoulder steak to use and decided to do it in the oven to avoid using oil and frying it. So here is what I did...
First, I sprinkled both sides of the pork with salt, pepper, dried oregano and some crushed fennel seeds. I placed this into a oven proof dish (no oil needed) and put some blobs of soft cheese on the top, and then I lay circles of courgette on the top. I covered the dish with foil and popped it into the oven for about half an hour on 200 degrees.
When this came out the courgettes were lovely and soft, and the pork juices and cheese made a lovely sauce around the meat. The pork was tender and the fennel coming through was delicious.
Oh, and I had some nice new potatoes with it which were scrummy mashed into the sauce.
Mmmm mmmm
For this dish I had a pork shoulder steak to use and decided to do it in the oven to avoid using oil and frying it. So here is what I did...
First, I sprinkled both sides of the pork with salt, pepper, dried oregano and some crushed fennel seeds. I placed this into a oven proof dish (no oil needed) and put some blobs of soft cheese on the top, and then I lay circles of courgette on the top. I covered the dish with foil and popped it into the oven for about half an hour on 200 degrees.
When this came out the courgettes were lovely and soft, and the pork juices and cheese made a lovely sauce around the meat. The pork was tender and the fennel coming through was delicious.
Oh, and I had some nice new potatoes with it which were scrummy mashed into the sauce.
Mmmm mmmm
Polenta Pizza
Whoops! What a delay in foodie blogging! This is down to a new job and my pure laziness in taking photos of food. I had banned myself from blogging sans photos, but, as that is making me lazy, I shall carry on without.
So, I made a delicious Polenta Pizza for my supper last night - a brilliant alternative to a wheat/bread based pizza, and nice and light. And here's what you need to do...
First make the polenta - tip 100g of fine polenta gradually into boiling water, whisking all the time. Keep whisking as the polenta goes thick, and when it has reached the consistency of mashed potato, take it off the heat and beat in some olive oil, s&p.
Working quickly, lightly oil a baking tray, and turn the polenta on to it. Spread it out into a big thin circle - this is the base for the pizza (obvious I know). Let this cool while you do the topping, and as it's pizza - anything goes here.
I softened some courgettes and onions in the oven, and chopped some chorizo into rings. I spread tomato puree on the base, just thinly and dotted some pesto here and there. Then, I spread the veg over the base, then the chorizo, some torn mozarella and lastly I grated some parmesan over the top.
This went into a hot oven (200 degrees) for about half an hour. Taking it out, you can't move it about like a normal pizza as the polenta will be very soft. Let it cool a little and then cut into slices. You will need to serve it carefully using a fish slice and eat with a fork. This won't be a pick up and bite pizza until it is cold - which is great for next day lunch.
Enjoy!
So, I made a delicious Polenta Pizza for my supper last night - a brilliant alternative to a wheat/bread based pizza, and nice and light. And here's what you need to do...
First make the polenta - tip 100g of fine polenta gradually into boiling water, whisking all the time. Keep whisking as the polenta goes thick, and when it has reached the consistency of mashed potato, take it off the heat and beat in some olive oil, s&p.
Working quickly, lightly oil a baking tray, and turn the polenta on to it. Spread it out into a big thin circle - this is the base for the pizza (obvious I know). Let this cool while you do the topping, and as it's pizza - anything goes here.
I softened some courgettes and onions in the oven, and chopped some chorizo into rings. I spread tomato puree on the base, just thinly and dotted some pesto here and there. Then, I spread the veg over the base, then the chorizo, some torn mozarella and lastly I grated some parmesan over the top.
This went into a hot oven (200 degrees) for about half an hour. Taking it out, you can't move it about like a normal pizza as the polenta will be very soft. Let it cool a little and then cut into slices. You will need to serve it carefully using a fish slice and eat with a fork. This won't be a pick up and bite pizza until it is cold - which is great for next day lunch.
Enjoy!
Sunday, 15 April 2012
Brioche Success!
First thing was to create a sticky mess with flour and eggs and sugar. It's quite a tough mix and my hand got completely stuck in it!
This needs to be left for half an hour and then a yeast/flour/warm milk mix is added along with lots of butter chopped into small pieces.
I covered the dough with cling film, so it was completely airtight, and left in warm place for 2 hours.
The dough rose nicely, and was easy to work when I took it out, but I did flour my hands and the surface.
It came out lovely and puffed up, I painted it with a whisked egg yolk, and sprinkled almonds over the top. Hence, pic 1.
It then went into the oven for 20 mins, and cam out as above!
What a treat!
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