tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59127004948330899912024-03-21T03:03:44.609+00:00Experiments in FoodBeing a diary of things I have cooked.Prufraxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386003236192210108noreply@blogger.comBlogger94125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912700494833089991.post-14323544339940097642021-11-18T19:39:00.000+00:002021-11-18T19:39:12.218+00:00Simple MeatloafThis particular recipe has been knocking around the kitchen scribbled on the back of an old envelope for a couple of months now, to it's time to write it up here. It turns a packet of cheap mince into a midweek roast dinner.<div><br /></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>500g Lean Mince - any kind will do.</li><li>1/2 cup Dry Stuffing Mix (e.g. Paxo)</li><li>1/4 cup Ketchup</li><li>2 tbsp Worcester Sauce</li><li>1 Egg</li><li>1 Small Onion, finely chopped</li><li>2 Cloves Garlic, minced</li><li>Salt and Pepper to taste</li></ul></div><div><br /></div><div>Preheat oven to 160C.</div><div>Grease a silicone, glass or ceramic 2lb loaf tin.</div><div>Put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix with a spoon until well combined.</div><div>Spoon mixture into prepared tin and smooth down the surface.</div><div>Bake for 1 hour until juices are bubbling and top is browning.</div><div>Let stand in the tin for 10-15 minutes until the juices that came out of the loaf whilst baking have been reabsorbed - this keeps the meatloaf from being too dry.</div><div>Turn out onto a plate and slice thickly.</div><div>Serve with the usual roast dinner accompaniments, such as roasted potatoes, green vegetables and lots of gravy.</div><div><br /></div><div>Categories:
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</div></div>Prufraxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386003236192210108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912700494833089991.post-35706957013381915632021-04-11T14:43:00.000+01:002021-04-11T14:43:26.016+01:00Notes on running a cake plant (aka Hermann or Amish Friendship Cake)<div>Cake plant recipes did the rounds in the 70s / 80s, and we were given starters to feed by friends several times over that period. Inevitably, we would maintain them for a couple of months, handing out starters to any friends who weren't sick of it yet, before it just became too much of the same cake over and over, or the mixture managed to overflow the storage bowl and cause a mess. The mixture would be discarded, and the instructions filed away until the next time we were given a starter to try again.</div><div><br /></div><div>Over the years, on rediscovering the archived instructions, I have restarted the culture from scratch a few times. These restarts have eventually suffered the same fates as the originals.</div><div><br /></div><div>Over time - and especially over this last strange year - I have evolved how I manage the cake plant starter away from the original instructions. I have also added to my stock of recipes using the starter. So I am recording the details here, so I don't forget them once working from home stops being the norm.</div><div><br /></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div>Starting a new Cake Plant from scratch:</div><div><br /></div><div>To start a new culture, mix the following in a LARGE lidded bowl:</div><div><br /></div><div>* 1/2 cup plain flour</div><div>* 1/2 cup milk</div><div>* 1/4 cup sugar</div><div>* 1 tbsp live plain yoghurt</div><div>* 1 tsp dry instant yeast</div><div><br /></div><div>Feed the mixture immediately with a further:</div><div>* 1 cup plain flour</div><div>* 1 cup milk</div><div>* 1/2 cup sugar</div><div><br /></div><div>Then tomorrow, start at day 2 of the feeding schedule below.</div><div><br /></div><div>The hope was that the yeast and the yoghurt might seed the culture. It took a little time to properly catch though. For the first few drawings-off, the starter was somewhat active from yeast, but not yet sour from lactobacilli. The undigested lactose built up and gave it a condensed milk sort of smell. At this stage I used the drawn off starter only for baking cake or making pancakes or waffles.</div><div><br /></div><div>After a few weeks, the lactobacilli and yeast finally came to an agreement and the starter became active and sour with a fruity alcoholic smell. The condensed milk flavour was gone. At this point I started using drawn-off starter for making bread.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The Feeding Schedule:</div><div><br /></div><div>I have adjusted the original 10-day feeding cycle with a single baking day at the end to an 8-day feeding cycle with two baking days in it. This fits better with making bread - I get 2 loaves of bread and a loaf of cake over the course of a cycle.</div><div><br /></div><div>Day 1: Draw off 2 cups of starter for baking or giving away. Then feed the starter with 1 cup milk, 1 cup plain flour and 1/2 cup sugar.</div><div>Days 2-4: Stir starter.</div><div>Day 5: Draw off one cup of starter for baking or giving away. Then feed the starter with 1 cup milk, 1 cup plain flour and 1/2 cup sugar.</div><div>Days 6-8: Stir starter.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Rounding Errors:</div><div><br /></div><div>Every few weeks, the level of starter in the bowl will have risen to the point where you need to draw off an extra cup of starter on day 5 to prevent overflowing. Use this extra draw-off to bake more stuff. Or give it away to a friend who wants to run their own cake plant.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The Cake Recipe:</div><div><br /></div><div>I have divided down the original cake recipe so that it can be baked as smaller loaves, and it has also become more of a template to which I add whatever flavouring combo I fancy.</div><div><br /></div><div>For one loaf of cake (in a 2lb loaf tin):</div><div><br /></div><div>Preheat over to 180C.</div><div>Line a 2lb loaf tin with greased greaseproof paper.</div><div><br /></div><div>In a bowl combine:</div><div>* 1 cup of drawn-off starter</div><div>* 1/2 cup sugar</div><div>* 1 cup plain flour</div><div>* 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda</div><div>* 1 tsp baking powder</div><div>* 1/4 tsp salt</div><div>* 1 egg</div><div>* 1/2 cup vegetable oil</div><div>* flavourings and other ingredients as required - see below for some ideas, or try your own!</div><div><br /></div><div>Mix thoroughly together, then pour into the lined tin.</div><div>Bake for ~45 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean.</div><div>Turn out of tin, peel off the paper lining and let cool.</div><div>Ice if you so desire.</div><div>Will keep for a week or two in a tin.</div><div>Can be wrapped and frozen if not required immediately.</div><div><br /></div><div>Some cake flavour combo ideas:</div><div><br /></div><div>The original: 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 cup raisins.</div><div>Coffee and almond: 2 tsp instant coffee granules, 1/4 cup ground almonds, 1 tsp vanilla essence.</div><div>Ginger: 2 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp mixed spice, 1/4 cup medium oatmeal, 1/4 cup raisins.</div><div>Chocolate: 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1/4 cup chocolate chips, 1 tsp vanilla essence.</div><div>Coconut and Apricot: 1/4 cup shredded dessicated coconut, 1/4 cup dried apricots, finely chopped.</div><div>Using Up: 1/2 cup end of any packet of muesli or granola, 1 tsp cinnamon.</div><div>Cherry: 1/4 cup ground almonds, 1/4 cup raisins, 1/4 cup glace cherries, quartered, 1 tsp almond essence.</div><div>Date and Walnut: 1/4 cup chopped dried dates, 1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, 1 tsp cinnamon.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The Pancakes/Waffles Recipe:</div><div><br /></div><div>Combine in a bowl:</div><div>* 1 cup drawn-off starter</div><div>* 2 beaten eggs</div><div>* 2 tbsp plain flour</div><div>* a pinch salt</div><div>* a tsp cinnamon</div><div>* 1 tbsp sugar</div><div>* 2 tbsp vegetable oil</div><div>* 1 tsp baking pdr</div><div><br /></div><div>Mix together thoroughly.</div><div>Cook spoonfuls on a heated girdle or frying pan for pancakes, or cook in a heated waffle iron for waffles.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The Bread Recipe:</div><div><br /></div><div>Combine in a bowl:</div><div>* 1 cup drawn-off starter</div><div>* 275g cold water</div><div>* 200g wholemeal bread flour</div><div>* 300g strong white bread flour</div><div>* 10g salt</div><div>* optional 50g seeds - sunflower, sesame, pumpkin and/or poppy seeds.</div><div><br /></div><div>Mix thoroughly with a spoon until all the dry ingredients are incorporated.</div><div>Cover bowl with a plastic bag and leave to rise on the counter overnight.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the morning, shape the dough into a ball by wetting your fingers and pulling the edges over the middle a few times.</div><div><br /></div><div>Either:</div><div>* Bake in a casserole dish as for my <a href="https://prufrax.blogspot.com/2016/03/overnight-no-knead-bread.html">Overnight No-Knead Bread</a>.</div><div>Or:</div><div>*Put dough into a greased and floured Pullman (lidded) loaf tin and let rise again for an hour or so.</div><div>* Preheat oven to 220C.</div><div>* Put loaf tin into oven and immediately turn it down to 210C.</div><div>* Bake for 1 hour at 210C, then tip the loaf out of the tin onto the oven shelf.</div><div>* Bake for a further 8 minutes at 180C to crisp up the crust.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>
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Prufraxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386003236192210108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912700494833089991.post-4867270215078555492020-08-16T14:00:00.002+01:002020-08-16T14:02:22.624+01:00Slow Roast Belly Pork Slices and VegetablesI've made this dish a couple of times now, so this article is to record how I've been modifying the original recipe, which is <a href="https://lovindublin.com/recipes/dinner/these-slow-roasted-pork-belly-strips-are-like-sex-on-a-plate">here</a>. This also works if you replace the belly pork with chicken thighs and drumsticks.<br />
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<li>4-6 potatoes, depending on size</li>
<li>a couple of large maincrop carrots - could also use parsnips.</li>
<li>1 large or 2 small onions</li>
<li>6 cloves garlic</li>
<li>2 tbsp dried oregano</li>
<li>2-3 tsp smoked paprika</li>
<li>2 tbsp barbecue rub (sugar, salt, paprika, other spices in this - will need to recreate once used up)</li>
<li>salt and pepper</li>
<li>2 tbsp lemon juioce</li>
<li>2 tbsp olive oil</li>
<li>Pork Belly slices</li>
<li>Other roasting veg - e.g. tomatoes, courgettes, peppers, leeks, cauliflower florets, brussels sprouts, broccoli florets.</li>
</ul>
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First wash and cut potatoes and carrots into large chunks.<br />
Also peel and thickly slice the onion.<br />
Arrange these vegetables in a roasting tin.<br />
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Now make the paste to flavour the pork.<br />
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Mush up half a dozen cloves of garlic to a paste. An <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oroshigane">Oroshigane or Japanese Grater</a> is your friend for this sort of thing - just peel the cloves and then rub them on it to puree.<br />
Combine garlic with dried herbs and spices, salt and pepper, lemon juice and olive oil in a small bowl. Mix to a thick paste.<br />
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Massage the paste into the belly pork slices all over, and lay them on top of the vegetables in the roasting tin.<br />
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Roast at 160C for an hour or so, then take the tin out of the oven.<br />
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Lift off the pork slices and toss the roasted vegetables in the juices.<br />
Add other quicker-cooking roasting vegetables and toss to combine.<br />
Replace the pork slices on the vegetables, turning them the other way up to how they were roasting previously.<br />
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Return to the oven for a further 30 mins of roasting, until all the vegetables are cooked through.<br />
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Prufraxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386003236192210108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912700494833089991.post-90102930704585817182020-08-16T13:57:00.001+01:002020-08-18T12:59:35.618+01:00Fish and Vegetable Fritters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJmhe2XZehyphenhyphenKhf87pLlxTw7oclcZmZE7K6F1JOavuqAn1azMO-JnQ-e4KXa67KQPrJRzOZD0fx8COa38RKHXd27ELTIVx_NgFq2QXB5hvWgCOkhdEKJsaN6qWwzNVD5xjoOfCTAdZOCLgb/s1600/20200818_123823.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJmhe2XZehyphenhyphenKhf87pLlxTw7oclcZmZE7K6F1JOavuqAn1azMO-JnQ-e4KXa67KQPrJRzOZD0fx8COa38RKHXd27ELTIVx_NgFq2QXB5hvWgCOkhdEKJsaN6qWwzNVD5xjoOfCTAdZOCLgb/s200/20200818_123823.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
So, this week's surprise from the vegbox delivery people was a carton of 15 egg whites that needed using in a few days(!) Not wanting to fill the entire house with meringues, I made these for lunch. Two days in a row.<br />
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<li>1 small onion, finely chopped.</li>
<li>3 cloves garlic, crushed and finely chopped.</li>
<li>1/2 a medium courgette, finely grated. Could substitute other grated veg in here.</li>
<li>1/2 cup cooked sweetcorn - if frozen zap to defrost, if tinned, drain.</li>
<li>1 tin fish - tuna chunks, or mackerel in tomato sauce, whatever you have in the cupboard.</li>
<li>1 tbsp mayonnaise.</li>
<li>sriracha sauce to taste.</li>
<li>salt+pepper to taste.</li>
<li>4 tbsp plain flour.</li>
<li>4-5 egg whites - approximate from eyeing the quantity left in the carton before+after.</li>
</ul>
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Drain the fish if it's in brine or oil. The small quantity of tomato sauce for fish in tomato sauce is fine thoough, and will add to the flavour.Tip the fish into a mixing bowl and break it up with a fork. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.<br />
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Heat a few tbsp of vegetable oil in a frying pan. Fry spoonfuls of the mixture over a low heat until brown underneath, then flip them over and continue cooking until they are brown on both sides and cooked through. Keep warm whilst you cook the next batch.<br />
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Serve with salad and more sriracha sauce.<br />
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Prufraxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386003236192210108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912700494833089991.post-62873040697947256082019-02-17T18:58:00.000+00:002019-11-23T16:09:24.172+00:00Slow-cooker Lamb Curry<a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/dwvU2JFryReAFc9H6" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="200" src="https://photos.app.goo.gl/WxfQcxABiZEycDwG8" width="200" /></a>I fancied a curry, but needed something I could pop in the slow cooker all day whilst doing other things. So I adapted a recipe for Seyal Gosht from "50 Great Curries of India" by Camellia Panjabi - by simply throwing everything together and slow cooking.<br />
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It turned out deliciously spicy, and was really easy to prepare. I will definitely be making this again!<br />
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<li>1 tin tomatoes</li>
<li>1/4 cup yoghurt</li>
<li>3-4 garlic cloves, pureed</li>
<li>a knob of fresh ginger (about 2cm long), pureed</li>
<li>1 medium onion, finely chopped</li>
<li>1 tsp ground cumin</li>
<li>1 tsp chilli powder</li>
<li>2 tsp ground coriander</li>
<li>1/2 tsp ground turmeric</li>
<li>1 tsp salt</li>
<li>300g-500g diced stewing lamb</li>
<li>1 tbsp vegetable oil</li>
<li>2 bay leaves</li>
<li>3 cloves</li>
<li>3 green cardamon</li>
<li>1 black cardamon</li>
<li>1 piece cinnamon bark</li>
<li>6 black peppercorns</li>
<li>1 blade of mace</li>
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Combine tomatoes, yoghurt, ginger and garlic puree, onion, cumin, chilli, coriander, turmeric and salt into a paste. Mix the diced lamb into the paste.<br />
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Put the oil into your slow cooker and switch it on to heat. Add the remaining whole spices, and then pour in the lamb and tomato yoghurt mixture, spreading it out evenly. Leave to cook for 6-8 hours.<br />
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Serve with boiled rice and vegetables.<br />
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Categories: <a href="https://verygoodrecipes.com/Indian">Indian</a>Prufraxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386003236192210108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912700494833089991.post-42236747652503938452018-09-30T16:07:00.002+01:002018-09-30T16:07:40.768+01:00Green Tomato Pie<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5qQv1gO4jmqAC2o6U2pvZjthFdGbfwlfmOguHHJz5J3kfYibVOlSCM2juG2pJMMMoTPOgChkoohU6GdvzX5rVh2lONBt5_pXbEON5Br70eMiRWARkBiCYP2wfqru0F3fo99aVpQUxc9pB/s1600/20180930_153740.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5qQv1gO4jmqAC2o6U2pvZjthFdGbfwlfmOguHHJz5J3kfYibVOlSCM2juG2pJMMMoTPOgChkoohU6GdvzX5rVh2lONBt5_pXbEON5Br70eMiRWARkBiCYP2wfqru0F3fo99aVpQUxc9pB/s200/20180930_153740.jpg" width="112" /></a>Summer has turned to autumn. The days are getting shorter, and the tomato plants outside in the garden have stopped flowering. The remaining fruit is not ripening. So the plants have been cut down.<br />
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But what to do with all the unripe green tomatoes?<br />
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Previously, I have used these up in batches of <a href="https://prufrax.blogspot.com/2013/09/green-tomato-chutney.html">Green Tomato Chutney</a>.<br />
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But I have heard rumours that green tomatoes can be cooked much like apples into pies and cakes.<br />
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Google yielded <a href="https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/green-tomato-pie/">this</a> recipe. I made a few tweaks.<br />
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<li>5 tbsp cornflour</li>
<li>1.5 cups sugar</li>
<li>A couple of tsp of ground cinnamon</li>
<li>a pinch of salt</li>
<li>3 cups of finely diced green tomatoes</li>
<li>1 tbsp lemon juice</li>
<li>Shortcrust pastry sufficient to line and top your pie dish(es). It depends how deep or shallow your dishes are as to the proportion of pastry to filling.</li>
</ul>
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Preheat oven to 170C.<br />
Stir together the cornflour, sugar, salt and cinnamon in a bowl.<br />
Dice the green tomatoes - I was using up green cherry tomatoes, so these were cut into quarters, eighths or twelfths depending on size - and toss with the cornflour mix.<br />
Add the lemon juice and stir to ensure all the filling ingredients are thoroughly mixed.<br />
The juices will come out of the tomatoes and turn the sugar cornflour mixture into a thick syrup.<br />
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Roll out the pastry and line your pie dish(es).<br />
Fill with the tomato mixture.<br />
Roll out the rest of the pastry and cut into strips to make a lattice top to your pie(s).<br />
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Bake at 160-170 C for an hour or so until the filling is cooked and the pastry golden.<br />
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Let cool before serving with yoghurt or icecream.<br />
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Categories: <a href="https://verygoodrecipes.com/American">American</a> <a href="https://verygoodrecipes.com/Dessert">Dessert</a> <a href="https://verygoodrecipes.com/Pie">Pie</a>Prufraxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386003236192210108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912700494833089991.post-28746435398168415412017-11-21T20:39:00.002+00:002018-05-27T13:12:32.638+01:00Lamb and Lentil Ragu<br />
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A delicious stew of lamb, lentils, and root vegetables cooked with tomatoes, red wine and herbs.<br />
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This goes well over pasta or <a href="http://prufrax.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/baked-polenta.html">polenta</a>, and cooks fast enough in the pressure cooker to be doable on a week-night evening after work. </div>
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If you don't have a pressure cooker, you can just dump all the ingredients in a slow cooker and let it cook for 8 hours.</div>
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Since this recipe makes enough for about 4-6 servings, I generally serve one third on the day, and divide the rest between tubs to freeze and eat later.<br />
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<ul>
<li>300g diced or minced Lamb</li>
<li>Olive oil - a couple of tbsp</li>
<li>2 medium Onions, peeled and chopped</li>
<li>6 cloves of Garlic, peeled and chopped</li>
<li>2 large Carrots, peeled and chopped</li>
<li>1 medium Swede, peeled and chopped</li>
<li>1/2 cup dry green Lentils</li>
<li>1 tin chopped Tomatoes - 300g</li>
<li>empty tomato tin full of Red Wine</li>
<li>1 Stock Cube</li>
<li>a couple of tbsp of dried herbs: Basil, Oregano</li>
<li>a couple of Bay Leaves</li>
<li>a sprig of Rosemary</li>
<li>1 small tin of Tomato Puree - 50g</li>
<li>Salt and Pepper to taste</li>
</ul>
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Brown the diced lamb in the olive oil in the pressure cooker over a medium heat.</div>
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Then turn the heat down and add the onions, garlic, and diced vegetables and let gently saute for a couple of minutes.</div>
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Add in the lentils, tomatoes, wine, crumbled stock cube and dried herbs and mix all together.</div>
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Pop in the bay leaves and rosemary and then close the pressure cooker and bring it to high pressure.</div>
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Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes.</div>
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Let the pressure cooker cool down naturally to room pressure before opening it.</div>
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Remove the bay leaves and rosemary sprig from the pan.</div>
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Stir the tomato puree through the cooked sauce thoroughly, and then adjust the seasoning to taste.</div>
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Serve over pasta or <a href="http://prufrax.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/baked-polenta.html">polenta</a>, with green vegetables or salad.</div>
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Categories: <a href="https://verygoodrecipes.com/italian">Italian</a><br />
Prufraxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386003236192210108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912700494833089991.post-70929567723577814412017-09-30T17:24:00.001+01:002018-05-27T13:13:01.375+01:00Persian-style Gluten Free Shortbread<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4G13ceDrvh13esJO22qTc9iEUG8bpRPeMcj4381yXFXgvYA1hbe8Yw10WU36-7dfmHY_0nYdzZXfjy261VHEtKh9bm6vPgmf2a1hbgc68uaaJLWchsgOWNBBILomADuBPTxp2MsI2lCA2/s1600/IMG_20170930_164932.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4G13ceDrvh13esJO22qTc9iEUG8bpRPeMcj4381yXFXgvYA1hbe8Yw10WU36-7dfmHY_0nYdzZXfjy261VHEtKh9bm6vPgmf2a1hbgc68uaaJLWchsgOWNBBILomADuBPTxp2MsI2lCA2/s200/IMG_20170930_164932.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
So there's a bag of besan lurking in the cupboard that was bought for some long-forgotten experiment ages ago, and now needs using up.<br />
Coincidentally, I had just rediscovered my copy of <a href="https://amzn.to/2yzJn3O">The Legendary Cuisine Of Persia</a>, that had gotten buried in a pile of stuff.<br />
So I was glad to spot the recipe for Nan-e Nokhodchi whilst leafing through - a simple shortbread made with besan, and flavoured with ground green cardamom.<br />
I scaled the recipe up a bit from the rather small batch size in the book.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
<ul>
<li>250g butter</li>
<li>250g sugar</li>
<li>500g besan</li>
<li>2tsp ground green cardamom</li>
</ul>
Let the butter soften a little.<br />
Gradually work the rest of the ingredients into the butter to form a smooth dough.<br />
Form the dough into a log and wrap it in greaseproof paper.<br />
Refridgerate for half an hour or so.<br />
<br />
Heat the oven to 190C.<br />
Line a couple of baking trays with baking parchment. <br />
Unwrap and slice the dough into biscuits.<br />
Bake for ~12-15 minutes until lightly golden.<br />
Let cool until the biscuits solidify enough to handle.<br />
Carefully lift the biscuits off of the baking parchment and let cool completely on a cooling rack.<br />
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Categories:
<a href="https://verygoodrecipes.com/Persian">Persian</a> <a href="https://verygoodrecipes.com/Cookies">Cookies</a><br />
Prufraxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386003236192210108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912700494833089991.post-59736592718584986932017-09-03T16:41:00.002+01:002018-05-27T13:13:15.670+01:00Peanut Butter Cookies<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-IqCA4FuNtUogoVCkZlh7fbBblTS9YY2GmGNNA88c8dBBmYPO5QatKvK63ublw_keeMI0PhDpwEO8HHs4CCtng6JYFd9Yp-X2Q5nw5OvT41HUMFDTW3QRbkDpl1rm-G6pTK0xHrOOO3Z/s1600/IMG_20170903_141906_431.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="540" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-IqCA4FuNtUogoVCkZlh7fbBblTS9YY2GmGNNA88c8dBBmYPO5QatKvK63ublw_keeMI0PhDpwEO8HHs4CCtng6JYFd9Yp-X2Q5nw5OvT41HUMFDTW3QRbkDpl1rm-G6pTK0xHrOOO3Z/s200/IMG_20170903_141906_431.jpg" width="200" /></a>It's a damp drizzly day, and I found a half jar of nut butter in the cupboard that needed using up. So time to brighten things up with some sweet-salty Peanut Butter Cookies.<br />
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These are based on the recipe from <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-peanut-butter-cookies-247210">The Kitchn</a>, but mixed up a bit to match what was in the cupboard.<br />
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The Cofresh Sweet Chilli Caramel Peanuts are a recent find in the supermarket Ethnic Foods aisle. Very moreish, with just the right level of chilli hit to offset the caramel sweetness.<br />
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<ul>
<li>1 1/2 cups Flour - I used chapathi flour, which is a finely ground wholemeal flour.</li>
<li>1/2 tsp Baking Soda</li>
<li>1/2 tsp Baking Powder</li>
<li>1/2 tsp Salt</li>
<li>1 cup Peanut Butter, and/or other nut/seed butter - if unsalted, add extra salt to taste.</li>
<li>8 tbsp Butter</li>
<li>3/4 cup Dark Brown Muscovado Sugar</li>
<li>1/2 cup Granulated Sugar</li>
<li>2 tsp Vanilla Extract</li>
<li>1 Egg</li>
<li>1 150g packet <a href="http://www.cofresh.co.uk/caramelsweetchillipeanuts.html">Cofresh Sweet Chilli Caramel Peanuts</a>, coarsely chopped</li>
<li>1/2 cup Cacao Nibs</li>
</ul>
<br />
Preheat the oven to 165C.<br />
Line three baking trays with baking parchment.<br />
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Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl.<br />
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In another bowl, cream together butter, peanut butter and both kinds of sugar until pale and well mixed.<br />
Mix the egg and vanilla extract into the peanut butter mixture thoroughly.<br />
Mix the flour into the peanut butter mixture thoroughly.<br />
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Fold the chopped peanuts and cacao nibs into the mixture.<br />
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Scoop rounded heaped tablespoonsful of the dough onto the prepared trays, and press each down with a fork.<br />
Bake for ~15 minutes.<br />
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Makes around 24 cookies.<br />
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Categories:
<a href="https://www.verygoodrecipes.com/Cookies">Cookies </a><br />
Prufraxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386003236192210108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912700494833089991.post-4917157077738689572017-05-06T17:39:00.000+01:002018-05-27T13:13:27.721+01:00Hot Milk Cake with Pandan Kaya filling<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Yn_OAFPhLrU/WQ37Nz1EK1I/AAAAAAAAEEE/629aZpLxEw8Y2lUin7qfbyeKnD_BN4GWwCPcB/s1600/20170506_172423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Yn_OAFPhLrU/WQ37Nz1EK1I/AAAAAAAAEEE/629aZpLxEw8Y2lUin7qfbyeKnD_BN4GWwCPcB/s200/20170506_172423.jpg" width="150" /></a>So we went to <a href="http://www.hoohing.co.uk/">Hoo Hing</a> recently and as usual Random Things To Try somehow found their way into the trolley.<br />
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This time the things included a jar of <a href="http://www.hoohing.co.uk/-dollee-pandan-kaya-c2x18570791">Pandan Kaya,</a> which turned out to be a thick custard-like spread made from eggs and coconut milk, flavoured with pandan leaf. My immediate thought on trying it was that it would make an excellent filling for a cake. Preferably a light plain sponge cake that would show off the filling's flavour without overpowering it.<br />
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<a href="http://www.fwi.co.uk/farm-life/farm-chef-recipe-hot-milk-cake.htm">This American Hot Milk Cake from Farmers Weekly</a> sounded perfect, just needing a couple of tweaks.<br />
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I don't bother to keep self-raising flour AND plain flour, and <i>of course</i> when I looked in the cupboard there wasn't quite enough plain white flour left so it ended up being about 2/3 plain white flour and 1/3 chapathi flour.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<h4>
Recipe For Hot Milk Cake</h4>
Bakes in 2x large round sponge cake tins - around 21-23cm diameter.<br />
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<ul>
<li>250g plain flour</li>
<li>4 tsp baking powder </li>
<li>230ml milk</li>
<li>30g butter</li>
<li>225g sugar</li>
<li>4 eggs</li>
<li>2 tsp vanilla essence</li>
</ul>
<br />
Prepare the cake tins by greasing and lining the bottoms with greased greaseproof paper or baking parchment.<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 180C (or 160C for fan oven).<br />
<br />
Sift the flour and baking powder together two or three times.<br />
Measure the milk and butter into a microwaveable jug and zap for ~1 minute to melt the butter.<br />
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Whisk the eggs and sugar together until thick and pale.<br />
Whisk the vanilla and warm milk mixture into the egg mixture.<br />
Spoon the sifted flour mixture in and fold together until well combined.<br />
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Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for ~25mins until the cake has pulled away from the sides of the tin, springs back when touched, and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.<br />
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Let stand for 5 mins and then turn the cakes out of the tins onto cooling racks.<br />
Let the cakes cool completely.<br />
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Sandwich the cakes together with generous quantities of Pandan Kaya. I ended up using most of the jar.<br />
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If you like, drizzle the coconut icing glaze from the <a href="http://prufrax.blogspot.com/2015/10/coconut-almond-and-courgette-cake.html">Coconut Almond and Courgette Cake</a> recipe over the top to decorate. Actually, Pandan Kaya would be an excellent alternative filling for that cake too...<br />
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Categories:
<a href="http://verygoodrecipes.com/Cake/">Cake</a><br />
Prufraxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386003236192210108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912700494833089991.post-16756121422482852792017-03-22T23:24:00.000+00:002018-05-27T13:13:40.775+01:00West African-inspired StewJust a quick note before I forget what I cooked tonight cause it came out really tasty. I was reading through <a href="http://tasteofslow.com/ghanaian-recipe-red-red/">some</a> <a href="http://www.dobbyssignature.com/2012/08/palm-oil-stew.html">West</a> <a href="http://www.africanbites.com/black-beans-stew/">African</a> recipes for inspiration, and ended up making this stew.<br />
Makes enough for 6 portions.<br />
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<ul>
<li>2 tbsp Unrefined Red Palm Oil</li>
<li>2 small onions, peeled and chopped</li>
<li>500g stewing steak, diced</li>
<li>3 cloves garlic - crushed and chopped </li>
<li>Diced root vegetables - carrots, swede</li>
<li>1 tsp ground ginger</li>
<li>1 tsp cinnamon</li>
<li>2 tsp chilli powder</li>
<li>1 tsp dried thyme </li>
<li>1 beef stock cube</li>
<li>1 tin chopped tomatoes</li>
<li>1 cup dry black eyed beans</li>
<li>2 and a half tins of water </li>
<li>1 small tin tomato puree</li>
<li>Salt and Pepper to taste </li>
</ul>
<br />
Melt the palm oil in the base of a pressure cooker. Add the onions and beef and let the meat brown, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and let it fry for a moment too.<br />
Sprinkle the herbs and spices into the pan, and stir in along with the diced vegetables, crumbled stock cube, dry beans and tinned tomatoes.<br />
Use the tomato tin to measure in another 2 or so tins of water - enough to cover the beans.<br />
Close the lid and bring the pressure cooker to high presure for 30 minutes.<br />
Let cool down til the pressure is released.<br />
Stir the tomato puree into the sauce to thicken it, and season to taste.<br />
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I served half the recipe tonight with steamed broccoli and potato wedges.<br />
The other half of it is in the fridge for tomorrow night.<br />
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Categories:
<br />
Prufraxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386003236192210108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912700494833089991.post-34576367071893425852016-09-26T21:05:00.000+01:002018-05-27T13:13:54.902+01:00Bulgogi flavoured Mince<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E3sAZz2gwUI/V-l2CifMJLI/AAAAAAAADpY/rYQYvUhkbbkUkXXAcnDJN1bKhqhqr738gCPcB/s1600/20160926_195731.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E3sAZz2gwUI/V-l2CifMJLI/AAAAAAAADpY/rYQYvUhkbbkUkXXAcnDJN1bKhqhqr738gCPcB/s200/20160926_195731.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
This is a quick weeknight recipe that has the flavours of Bulgogi, but without the planning ahead and remembering to actually marinade stuff.<br />
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And using cheap beef mince instead of finely sliced steak.<br />
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The sauce paste is based on the Bulgogi marinade from <a href="http://amzn.to/2deGZZo">Our Korean Kitchen</a>.<br />
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<ul>
<li>1 ripe Apple or 2 ripe Pears.</li>
<li>4 cloves of Garlic.</li>
<li>a chunk of fresh Ginger.</li>
<li>an Onion.</li>
<li>2-3 tbsp Soy Sauce</li>
<li>1-2 tbsp Honey</li>
<li>1-2 tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil</li>
<li>Black Pepper to taste</li>
<li>a splash of Vegetable Oil </li>
<li>500g Beef Mince</li>
</ul>
<br />
Quarter the apple (or pears), remove the core, and cut into chunks.<br />
Peel the garlic and cut the cloves in half.<br />
Peel the ginger and slice thickly.<br />
Peel the onion and slice.<br />
Put the apple (or pear), garlic, ginger and half of the onion into a jug.<br />
Add the soy sauce, honey, and sesame oil to the jug.<br />
Attack the contents of the jug with a hand blender until it becomes a smooth paste.<br />
Season the paste with black pepper to taste.<br />
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Put the oil into a sauce pan and brown the mince and the rest of the onions.<br />
Once the mince is well browned, scrape in the paste.<br />
Turn the heat up high and stir and cook for about 5 mins until the sauce smells cooked.<br />
Now turn down the heat to low, pop a lid on the pan, and allow it to stew until the mince is ready.<br />
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Serve over boiled rice, with steamed veggies and <a href="http://prufrax.blogspot.com/2016/09/tomato-instant-kimchi-sort-of-thing.html">some</a> <a href="http://prufrax.blogspot.com/2015/10/red-cabbage-kimchi.html">kimchi</a>.<br />
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Categories:
<a href="http://verygoodrecipes.com/korean">Korean</a><br />
Prufraxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386003236192210108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912700494833089991.post-63670195848485822672016-09-26T20:37:00.000+01:002018-05-27T13:14:05.058+01:00Tomato 'Instant' Kimchi sort of thing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QcRVkLHkH4Q/V-l2CjQYaiI/AAAAAAAADpY/7f1HSd-peqMzqMNDEfaIZ-4MI3AW9yglgCPcB/s1600/20160926_195724.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QcRVkLHkH4Q/V-l2CjQYaiI/AAAAAAAADpY/7f1HSd-peqMzqMNDEfaIZ-4MI3AW9yglgCPcB/s200/20160926_195724.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
The tomato plants in the greenhouse are still fruiting, and there are tomatoes aplenty in need of using up. More tomato recipes are urgently needed! <br />
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Inspired by the 'instant' emergency cucmber Kimchi recipe in <a href="http://amzn.to/2deGZZo">Our Korean Kitchen</a>, I went searching to see if Tomato Kimchi was a thing. And it was - I found <a href="http://www.shinhye.org/2015/09/recipe-park-shin-hyes-tomato-kimchi.html">Park Shin Hye's Tomato Kimchi</a>.<br />
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I didn't have any Gochugaru (chilli pepper powder) , but I did have some Gochujang (sweetened fermented chilli pepper paste). So I substituted gochujang for the gochugaru and sugar. I also added some chopped fresh basil as I was out of chives. It seems to work, even if it's not authentic.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
<ul>
<li>3 tbsp Gochujang.</li>
<li>2 cloves Garlic, pureed - a <a href="http://amzn.to/2cyH6iN">Japanese style grater</a> is perfect for this job!</li>
<li>2 tbsp Fish Sauce - substitute Soy Sauce for a vegetarian version.</li>
<li>1 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar.</li>
<li>1 small Onion, chopped.</li>
<li>A chunk of Daikon, coarsely grated</li>
<li>5 large Tomatoes, cut into eighths.</li>
<li>A small handful of basil leaves - or use chives, or garlic chives, or a mixture.</li>
</ul>
<br />
Combine the first 4 ingredients in a bowl and mix together thoroughly.<br />
Stir in the vegetables and herbs, ensuring that everything is well coated in the dressing.<br />
Leave to stand for half an hour before serving.<br />
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Should keep for up to a week in a covered container in the fridge, if any lasts that long!<br />
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Categories:
<a href="http://verygoodrecipes.com/korean">Korean </a><br />
Prufraxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386003236192210108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912700494833089991.post-33121917822183626752016-09-17T22:11:00.001+01:002018-05-27T13:14:21.342+01:00Quick Chicken Liver Pate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g12Kq9x6hJc/V92u9dG_uTI/AAAAAAAADnM/CdOfT7JEyeUrlPJRWNal6bep8MuzN3qtACPcB/s1600/20160917_215735.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g12Kq9x6hJc/V92u9dG_uTI/AAAAAAAADnM/CdOfT7JEyeUrlPJRWNal6bep8MuzN3qtACPcB/s200/20160917_215735.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
Every fortnight I receive a pack of organic chicken carcasses with my vegbox order. These are what is left over after a chicken has had breasts, thighs, drumsticks and wings cut off - namely the main body, neck and giblets (internal organs). The pack generally contains the remains of two butchered chickens.<br />
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I separate out the livers from the giblets, and throw everything else into a roasting tin, cover with foil and pop in the oven to roast, and then into the pressure cooker to make <a href="http://prufrax.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/chicken-stock-in-pressure-cooker.html">Chicken Stock</a>.<br />
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The livers, I make into pate.<br />
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<ul>
<li>2 chicken livers.</li>
<li>a couple of ounces of roast chicken meat pulled from the bones.</li>
<li>optional: a couple of mushrooms, roughly chopped.</li>
<li>a small onion, peeled and roughly chopped.</li>
<li>a couple of cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped.</li>
<li>a couple of sprigs of fresh herbs - sage, thyme.</li>
<li>olive oil.</li>
<li>butter.</li>
<li>a couple of tbsp sherry.</li>
<li>salt and pepper to taste.</li>
</ul>
Put a tbsp or two of olive oil andd a knob of butter into a small skillet or frying pan, and warm gently til the butter melts.<br />
Throw the onions, mushrooms, garlic, chicken, livers and herbs into the frying pan and cook over a <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zZ7WFJIZ29o/V92tw2VDksI/AAAAAAAADnA/I3vqMKxfDlwn0_qvIIpgwBiaT3aV8_LmwCPcB/s1600/20160917_212155.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zZ7WFJIZ29o/V92tw2VDksI/AAAAAAAADnA/I3vqMKxfDlwn0_qvIIpgwBiaT3aV8_LmwCPcB/s200/20160917_212155.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
moderate heat for a couple of minutes - the livers should still be reddish inside.<br />
Empty the contents of the pan into a food processor.<br />
Deglaze the pan with the sherry, and add that to the food processor too.<br />
Blitz into a smooth puree.<br />
Add salt and pepper to taste, blitzing to mix it through.<br />
Scrape the puree into a small microwaveable serving dish and smooth over the top.<br />
Microwave on full for 2 minutes to ensure the liver pate is cooked properly through.<br />
Melt another couple of tbsp of butter in a small pan until sizzling.<br />
Pour the hot butter over the top surface of the pate to seal it.<br />
Refridgerate for several hours before serving.<br />
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Will keep for a 2-3 of days in the fridge, but best eaten asap.<br />
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Categories:
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Prufraxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386003236192210108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912700494833089991.post-46977391215266109782016-09-16T22:19:00.001+01:002018-05-27T13:14:36.566+01:00Tamale Pie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uqs4VmRv7GE/V9xgQjx0RiI/AAAAAAAADlA/vouL9OtPB1k6YHXaC5dxi0y6hGDQrzZsACPcB/s1600/20160916_200318.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uqs4VmRv7GE/V9xgQjx0RiI/AAAAAAAADlA/vouL9OtPB1k6YHXaC5dxi0y6hGDQrzZsACPcB/s200/20160916_200318.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
This is a way to turn leftover <a href="http://prufrax.blogspot.com/2013/08/pressure-cooker-chilli-con-carne.html">Chilli</a> or Picadillo into a one-dish meal.<br />
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The pre-cooked chilli is topped with a quick-mix cornbread batter, and then thrown in the oven to bake.<br />
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I initially came across this sort of thing in <a href="http://amzn.to/2cMbQfr">Laurel's Kitchen</a>, where it is called Tennessee Corn Pone. However, this dish is apparently more commonly called Tamale Pie across America.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Preheat oven to 200C.<br />
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Dump your precooked <a href="http://prufrax.blogspot.com/2013/08/pressure-cooker-chilli-con-carne.html">chilli</a>, picadillo - or even just tinned beans in chilli tomato sauce - into a casserole dish. It should about half-fill the dish.<br />
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For the Cornbread batter:<br />
<br />
These amounts are enough for 3-4 people depending on hunger.<br />
Scale up the recipe to feed more.<br />
<ul>
<li>1 cup polenta cornmeal</li>
<li>optional 1/4 cup wheatgerm or fine oatmeal - or just use extra polenta</li>
<li>1/2 tsp salt</li>
<li>1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda</li>
<li>1/2 tsp baking powder</li>
<li>1/2 tbsp sugar</li>
<li>1 egg</li>
<li>1 tbsp olive oil</li>
<li>1 cup milk</li>
</ul>
<br />
Put dry ingredients into a bowl.<br />
Beat egg, oil and milk together in another bowl or jug and then pour them into the dry ingredients.<br />
Beat the batter together until well combined. <br />
Pour the batter over the chilli in the casserole evenly, then pop into the oven to bake.<br />
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It will take somewhere between 45 mins and an hour to bake depending on how deep your cornbread layer is.<br />
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Serve with a dollop or two of yoghurt or soured cream on top, and some <a href="http://prufrax.blogspot.com/2014/06/chiles-en-vinaigre-aka-mexican-carrot.html">Mexican Carrot Pickles</a> on the side.<br />
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Categories:
<a href="http://verygoodrecipes.com/American">American </a><br />
Prufraxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386003236192210108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912700494833089991.post-89476192630530434192016-06-13T19:51:00.002+01:002018-05-27T13:14:51.153+01:00Baked Polenta<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZEbjVEMZ0m8/V17_qlCRlWI/AAAAAAAADUw/I0KCk2QFxaQvlwzDWByL0bYolj6PEH8tQCKgB/s1600/20160613_194412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZEbjVEMZ0m8/V17_qlCRlWI/AAAAAAAADUw/I0KCk2QFxaQvlwzDWByL0bYolj6PEH8tQCKgB/s200/20160613_194412.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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I've made this a couple of times now.<br />
It's easy to lob in the oven whilst pressure-cooking something to accompany it, and avoids the traditional constant stirring on the hob of most polenta recipes.<br />
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This method of cooking polenta comes via <a href="http://joythebaker.com/2013/01/baked-polenta-with-tomato-and-basil/">Joy the Baker.</a><br />
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<a name='more'></a><ul>
<li>4 cups Water</li>
<li>1 cup Polenta</li>
<li>1/2 to 1 tsp Salt - use less if your butter is salted, more if unsalted.</li>
<li>4 tbsp Butter </li>
<li>grated Parmesan</li>
</ul>
Heat oven to 180C<br />
Dump polenta, water and salt into a baking dish and vaguely stir together with a fork.<br />
Put the dish of polenta into the oven and bake for 45 minutes.<br />
Take the dish out of the oven, add the butter and stir to combine as it melts.<br />
Put the polenta back in the oven for 15 minutes<br />
Take the dish out of the oven and stir through the grated parmesan.<br />
Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.<br />
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Categories:
<a href="http://verygoodrecipes.com/Italian/">Italian </a><br />
Prufraxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386003236192210108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912700494833089991.post-8512166300096195792016-05-08T13:57:00.001+01:002018-05-27T13:15:07.652+01:00An attempt at something vaguely resembling PhoThis morning's experiment turned out as a good light lunch for a hot sunny day.<br />
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In the meat box delivery this week were a pair of chicken legs and a pair of gammon steaks, so I decided to make a chicken and ham pie. Having roasted the chicken legs, and cut up and cooked the gammon ready for the pie, I had sufficient chicken bones, skin, cartilege and gammon rinds to make a small batch of <a href="http://prufrax.blogspot.com/2013/10/chicken-stock-in-pressure-cooker.html">stock</a>.<br />
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I threw it all in the pressure cooker along with a quartered onion, a sliced carrot, a couple of bay leaves, 4 peppercorns and a tsp or two of celery seed in the usual way. Pouring over a litre and a half of water, I brought it to high pressure and let it cook for an hour or so whilst wandering off to decide on what sort of soup to make for lunch.<br />
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I ended up looking at some <a href="http://aliettedebodard.com/recipes/pho-bo-almost-lazy-recipe/">Vietnamese</a> <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/2012/09/the-food-lab-how-to-make-traditional-vietnamese-pho.html">Pho</a> <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-vegetarian-pho-vietnamese-noodle-soup-recipes-from-the-kitchn-107312">recipes</a>. This is normally made with beef stock, but hey, chicken and gammon stock is what was in the pot.<br />
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The packet of Thai rice noodles in the cupboard looked close enough. Plenty of fresh herbs in the garden for the garnish. Just needed some spices to have gone in with the stock...<br />
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So, a quick cooldown of the pressure cooker under the cold tap later, I added:<br />
<ul>
<li>6 cloves</li>
<li>4 green cardamon, crushed to split the pods open</li>
<li>2 black cardamon, crushed to split the pods open</li>
<li>3 star anise</li>
<li>a couple of inches of cassia bark</li>
<li>a tablespoon of coriander seeds</li>
<li>a tsp of fennel seeds</li>
<li>an inch or so of fresh root ginger, sliced</li>
</ul>
Got it back up to high pressure and gave it another half hour whilst I rounded up and prepped everything else.<br />
<ul>
<li>The rice noodles simply went in a bowl, pour over boiling water to cover and leave for 4 minutes before draining and dividing between the serving bowls.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>A bundle of coriander leaves and chives and a sprig of fennel leaves, all roughly chopped together and divided between the serving bowls.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>A small onion, peeled and thinly sliced, and divided between the serving bowls.</li>
</ul>
By this point, the pressure cooking time was up, so back under the cold tap with it for another quick cooldown.<br />
I strained the soup through a plastic sieve into a large bowl, then added to taste:<br />
<ul>
<li>a couple of tablespoons of fish sauce</li>
<li>a dash or two of light soy sauce</li>
<li>a dash or two of bottled lime juice </li>
</ul>
Pouring the soup over the noodles and herbs in the bowls, and it was ready to serve.<br />
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Not having actually ever eaten the real thing, I have no idea how close I got to the right flavour, but my daughter said she had had pho at a Vietnamese restaurant with her Dad once, and it tasted pretty close.<br />
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She then drowned it in sriracha sauce.<br />
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Categories:
<a href="http://verygoodrecipes.com/Vietnamese">Vietnamese </a> <a href="http://verygoodrecipes.com/Soup">Soup</a><br />
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Prufraxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386003236192210108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912700494833089991.post-1701939944401088122016-04-16T15:17:00.001+01:002018-05-27T13:15:21.913+01:00Broccoli and Stilton Soup<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o6pu2RUdNHc/VxJH8LtGmmI/AAAAAAAADPM/T97FF-Ku57QRahfQ6zHUeG9eUPHXEmjvACKgB/s1600/20160416_143000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o6pu2RUdNHc/VxJH8LtGmmI/AAAAAAAADPM/T97FF-Ku57QRahfQ6zHUeG9eUPHXEmjvACKgB/s200/20160416_143000.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
This is a tasty, creamy soup, full of green vegetableness, and subtly flavoured with stilton cheese. Even the blue-cheese-hating members of this household will eat it.<br />
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It is also very quick to cook up in the pressure cooker.<br />
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<ul>
<li>2 onions, chopped.</li>
<li>500g potatoes, peeled and diced.</li>
<li>2 heads of broccoli</li>
<li>A little oil or butter for sauteeing</li>
<li>2 litres <a href="http://prufrax.blogspot.com/2013/10/chicken-stock-in-pressure-cooker.html">homemade chicken stock</a> </li>
<li>~200g stilton cheese</li>
<li>Salt and pepper, to taste. </li>
</ul>
Sautee the onions in the oil or butter in the pressure cooker base until translucent.<br />
Cut the broccoli up into florets, and then peel and slice the stems.<br />
Add the potatoes and proccoli to the pressure cooker, and pour in the stock.<br />
Bring up to high pressure and cook for 6 minutes.<br />
Bring the pressure cooker back down to room pressure quickly.<br />
Break up the cheese into small pieces and stir it into the hot soup mixture.<br />
Blend with a hand blender until the soup is smooth and creamy.<br />
Adjust sesasoning to taste.<br />
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Serve immediately with crusty bread.<br />
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Any extra soup can be transferred to a plastic tub and frozen for later use. <br />
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Categories: <a href="http://www.verygoodrecipes.com/English/">British</a> <a href="http://www.verygoodrecipes.com/soup/">Soup</a><br />
Prufraxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386003236192210108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912700494833089991.post-18383381678671770812016-04-12T20:15:00.001+01:002018-05-27T13:15:38.720+01:00Black Bean Sauce<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BWZUI3HJYDM/Vw1IBkh2YsI/AAAAAAAADNk/-HkL0tsz_hQJw7wfIxemeM4GbVVXKmY_A/s1600/20160412_193035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BWZUI3HJYDM/Vw1IBkh2YsI/AAAAAAAADNk/-HkL0tsz_hQJw7wfIxemeM4GbVVXKmY_A/s200/20160412_193035.jpg" width="112" /></a></div>
A quick savoury stir-fry sauce.<br />
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All the ingredients are the sort of stuff that is generally lurking in the back of the kitchen cupboards and/or fridge - in my kitchen anyways.<br />
And cause its not from a jar premade, you can juggle the balance of ingredients to your own taste.<br />
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Salted fermented black beans are available from Chinese supermarkets.<br />
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This makes enough for a stirfry to feed 3-4 people.<br />
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<ul>
<li>2 tbsp salted fermented black beans</li>
<li>2-3 cloves of garlic</li>
<li>2 tbsp oyster sauce</li>
<li>2 tbsp soy sauce</li>
<li>2 tbsp sherry</li>
<li>1 tsp cornflour</li>
<li>1/2 cup water</li>
<li>2 tbsp toasted sesame oil </li>
</ul>
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Put the black beans into a mug or small bowl and mash up slightly with a fork.<br />
Peel and mince the garlic and add to the black beans along with all the remaining ingredients.<br />
Stir to combine.<br />
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To cook:<br />
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Stir-fry sliced meat and vegetables in a wok until almost done.<br />
Pour over the black bean sauce mixture and stir-fry for a minute or two more until the sauce thickens and starts to coat the stir-fry ingredients.<br />
Serve immediately over rice or noodles.<br />
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Categories: <a href="http://verygoodrecipes.com/Chinese/">Chinese</a><br />
Prufraxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386003236192210108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912700494833089991.post-47393704441288472372016-03-06T09:27:00.001+00:002018-05-27T13:15:56.261+01:00Overnight No-Knead Bread<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/tZl1LujvvI8O6PIQnSSi2hpR9X0k3uonZCY0F9Mw0ZH9ZnKhQVtXW9QB_6ErsZRTaO9pTmQGWoWsRjSxZx1a6PaMMY7FwUmq3_w1ZeQT_mzjHfNMBf3mh7WjXW7GNzgfHPozZ8oC_X10eYcDLoGP-7VTN2DoaLBdSvuZP-MYHuH5pFzjGZEmabSb21P3uCouj7jRR6tfeydtY2aeXSOmIUxhWwNazPR9jNaTXozwIpN-8CsBLkOCHAmVQWGq0b-87TA399y7kPlv7aIqHmuUSnCCLE5QL0ubEc9GdpLPAXFd5Oo4buKYHDgj1BJV8p-UWUr8ZshvR_btVUH5ulMj0EswqTK9YJHZE1ZV7zWutxkFle6TB6X9PFhcTqMo3HVRSJ5erdQFMuGqoJ6SOQdLOhYUPvKBuBWlBo1gMcvUvr-bDrm1Fe6iy_umyYdgwFsvzbZWKUvpYoGWNUOovZ9jHSLikNEXTogGI8gPR5f095GAdSVfOo4UqH8Q0FgH2ZBUpOdbOqqq-inVMBdBlsbC849S167GYeNBLTgDNYIzXadIXrnypR1b2pxV6ir2QknDxO-Q=w336-h596-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/tZl1LujvvI8O6PIQnSSi2hpR9X0k3uonZCY0F9Mw0ZH9ZnKhQVtXW9QB_6ErsZRTaO9pTmQGWoWsRjSxZx1a6PaMMY7FwUmq3_w1ZeQT_mzjHfNMBf3mh7WjXW7GNzgfHPozZ8oC_X10eYcDLoGP-7VTN2DoaLBdSvuZP-MYHuH5pFzjGZEmabSb21P3uCouj7jRR6tfeydtY2aeXSOmIUxhWwNazPR9jNaTXozwIpN-8CsBLkOCHAmVQWGq0b-87TA399y7kPlv7aIqHmuUSnCCLE5QL0ubEc9GdpLPAXFd5Oo4buKYHDgj1BJV8p-UWUr8ZshvR_btVUH5ulMj0EswqTK9YJHZE1ZV7zWutxkFle6TB6X9PFhcTqMo3HVRSJ5erdQFMuGqoJ6SOQdLOhYUPvKBuBWlBo1gMcvUvr-bDrm1Fe6iy_umyYdgwFsvzbZWKUvpYoGWNUOovZ9jHSLikNEXTogGI8gPR5f095GAdSVfOo4UqH8Q0FgH2ZBUpOdbOqqq-inVMBdBlsbC849S167GYeNBLTgDNYIzXadIXrnypR1b2pxV6ir2QknDxO-Q=w336-h596-no" width="111" /></a></div>
A lovely round crusty loaf, with very little work.<br />
Just a good helping of time to let it slowly rise.<br />
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You will need a large (2.5-3 litres capacity) pyrex or glazed iron lidded casserole to bake the bread in. <br />
<ul>
<li>500g Strong Plain (Bread) Flour - either all white or a 50-50 mix of white and wholemeal.</li>
<li>350g Water - this is 70% of the weight of the flour, a ratio that you will need to maintain if you scale up or down the recipe.</li>
<li>10g Salt.</li>
<li>2 tsp granulated Yeast.</li>
<li>Optional: nuts, seeds, dried fruit - whatever you want to flavour your bread. </li>
</ul>
Measure all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix together until all the flour is incorporated into the dough.<br />
It may need a little extra water added, especially if you are using wholemeal flour or optional extras that will absorb moisture - add this a tablespoon or so at a time until all the flour mixes in. Better to be slightly too damp than too dry.<br />
Loosely cover the bowl with a plastic bag and just leave it on the side in the kitchen to slowly ferment for at least 12 hours.<br />
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When the rising time is up:<br />
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Wet your hands and gently slide your fingers down the side of the dough in the bowl and lift and fold it towards the centre of the bowl. Repeat another 3 or 4 folds, working round the side of the bowl. This will knock back the dough slightly, and gather it into a soggy dome. Let it stand for a few minutes whilst you get the oven ready.<br />
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Put your casserole dish and lid into the cold oven and set it to heat up to 240C. <br />
Once the oven is to temperature, take the hot casserole dish out and stand it on a trivet.<br />
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Sprinkle a little flour over the surface of the dough in the mixing bowl. <br />
Carefully half-roll-half-pour the dough out of the bowl into the hot casserole dish as a single 'ball' of dough. Use a spatula to help push and shape the dough as it rolls and unsticks from the sides of the bowl and finally drops into the hot cassserole dish.<br />
If you want the loaf to spread in a controlled fashion you should slash the top, but I generally find that it rises fine unslashed as the casserole lid traps steam to keep the surface of the bread moist and flexible as it expands in the oven.<br />
Put the lid on the casserole and pop it back into the oven. Set a timer for 20 minutes.<br />
After 20 minutes, open the oven and remove the lid from the casserole.<br />
Bake the unlidded bread for a further 25 minutes to crisp and brown the upper crust.<br />
Now turn it out of the casserole onto the oven shelf and tap the bottom of the loaf. If it sounds hollow, it is done. If not, bake for a few minutes more and test again.<br />
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Once the bread is fully baked, let it cool down completely on a rack before slicing.<br />
If you slice it too early, the bread inside will still be a bit too moist and stick to the knife.<br />
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Store cold uneaten bread in a plastic bag to delay staling.<br />
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Categories: <a href="http://verygoodrecipes.com/bread">Bread</a><br />
Prufraxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386003236192210108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912700494833089991.post-90188795816669495332015-12-16T21:22:00.001+00:002018-05-27T13:16:19.752+01:00Marzipan Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rm4-6-WtNWU/VnQqsQVhWxI/AAAAAAAADAw/8b3iOy1i52A/s1600/20151218_154616.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rm4-6-WtNWU/VnQqsQVhWxI/AAAAAAAADAw/8b3iOy1i52A/s200/20151218_154616.jpg" width="112"></a></div>
This is a rich almondy cake made with marzipan.<br />
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It is moist enough to not need any further icing or filling, and makes a good alternative to a traditional Christmas Cake if you are not into dried fruit.<br />
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I originally came across the recipe years ago on <a href="http://www.amateurgourmet.com/2004/11/the_almond_cake.html">Amateur Gourmet</a>.<br />
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<ul>
<li>8oz butter</li>
<li>7oz sugar</li>
<li>7oz marzipan</li>
<li>1 cup sour cream</li>
<li>4 egg yolks</li>
<li>almond essence</li>
<li>7oz flour</li>
<li>1 tsp baking soda</li>
<li>1/2 tsp salt</li>
</ul>
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Pre-heat the over to 190C (or 180C for fan oven). <br />
Grease a loose-bottomed deep cake tin and line with greased greaseproof paper. <br />
Measure the flour, soda and salt into a bowl.<br />
Measure the sour cream, egg yolks and essence into a jug.<br />
Measure the butter and sugar into a large bowl.<br />
Finely chop or grate the marzipan. - You want to get it as fine as you can in order to not give your mixer (or arm) such a hard time!<br />
Cream the butter and sugar together, and then add the marzipan and cream that into the mixture too. We're aiming for tiny flecks of marzipan distributed throughout the entire cake. This is pretty heavy-going! If your mixer (or arm) is struggling to get it even enough, give it a few minutes rest halfway through.<br />
Once the marzipan mixture is smooth and light, beat in the sour cream mixture from the jug until well combined.<br />
Finally, sift in the flour mixture from the other bowl, and fold in until well combined.<br />
Scrape the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth down the top. <br />
Bake for ~1 hour until a skewer stabbed in the middle comes out clean.<br />
Let cool, then unmould from the tin and peel off the paper.<br />
When cool, dust the top with icing sugar and/or decorate with any remaining marzipan.<br />
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Categories: <a href="http://verygoodrecipes.com/cake/">cake</a><br />
Prufraxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386003236192210108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912700494833089991.post-39801794166625576102015-12-04T16:44:00.001+00:002018-05-27T13:16:32.957+01:00Easy Cheesy Sunflower Crackers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrA1mOxne7Qhs6lNX_AuBapDzeCan6cwBpdb02xmfn175ZLjrgMZSBrutdmJkrMt_hNqX99_HUZqUwO4_WVMWC4tp8WyEAOoDsZ_ADMOt3HRrfke3W0_YhL86KsaR_rDBrbUS2Y70-DMf9/s1600/20151204_154114.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Assorted flavours of easy Cheesy Sunflower Crackers cooling on the rack..." border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrA1mOxne7Qhs6lNX_AuBapDzeCan6cwBpdb02xmfn175ZLjrgMZSBrutdmJkrMt_hNqX99_HUZqUwO4_WVMWC4tp8WyEAOoDsZ_ADMOt3HRrfke3W0_YhL86KsaR_rDBrbUS2Y70-DMf9/s200/20151204_154114.jpg" title="" width="200" /></a></div>
Its time for the annual Xmas baking rush. These simple cheesy crackers made from sunflower seeds and grated cheese can be pimped up with all sorts of different herb and spice flavours and seed toppings to make a good selection for holiday snacking.<br />
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The original recipe comes from "500 Low-Carb Recipes" by Dana Carpender.<br />
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<ul>
<li> 1 cup shelled sunflower seeds</li>
<li> 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese</li>
<li> Optional couple of teaspoons of flavouring herbs and/or spices. Try things like:</li>
<ul>
<li> celery seed</li>
<li> ajowain seed</li>
<li> kalonji seed</li>
<li> onion salad crispies</li>
<li> smoked paprika</li>
<li> chili powder </li>
<li> wasabi paste or powder</li>
<li>mustard seed </li>
<li> black pepper</li>
<li> dried rosemary, oregano or thyme</li>
<li> curry powder</li>
</ul>
<li> 1/4 cup water</li>
<li> Optional toppings. Try things like:</li>
<ul>
<li>sesame seed</li>
<li>poppy seed</li>
<li>kalonji seed</li>
<li>cumin seed</li>
<li>coarsely-ground seasalt</li>
</ul>
</ul>
Preheat the oven to 165C.<br />
Put the seeds, cheese and and flavouring in the food processor and grind on high speed until the seeds have been ground down to a coarse meal.<br />
Add the water and pulse the food processor to combine all into a sticky paste.<br />
Cut two sheets of baking parchment as large as your baking tray.<br />
Scrape out the paste onto the middle of one sheet, then lay the other sheet on top.<br />
Roll out the paste between the two sheets of baking parchment thinly.<br />
Put the paper+paste sandwich on the baking tray. Carefully peel off the upper sheet - this can be saved and used as the lower sheet for the next batch if you are baking multiple batches of crackers at once.<br />
Sprinkle over any optional topping seeds or seasalt.<br />
Carefully score the rolled-out paste into squares with the tip of a sharp knife.<br />
Bake for ~30 mins until lightly golden on top.<br />
Let cool then gently lift the crackers from the baking parchment and snap along the score marks to separate.<br />
Finished crackers will keep for a few weeks in an airtight tin. <br />
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Categories:
<a href="http://verygoodrecipes.com/crackers">Crackers</a><br />
Prufraxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386003236192210108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912700494833089991.post-34096820761112209552015-10-23T22:30:00.000+01:002015-11-13T22:24:09.734+00:00Red Cabbage KimchiWe appear to have built up a surfeit of red cabbage, having received large red cabbages in two vegbox deliveries in a row, so I am trying making a batch of Kimchi.<br />
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Kimchi is like the Korean equivalent of Sauerkraut - generally made from chinese cabbage rather than european, and seasoned with ginger, garlic and lots of hot chillies, rather than caraway seeds. Both are fermented until sour rather than pickled with vinegar.<br />
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This recipe comes from <a href="http://www.gardenbetty.com/2013/07/red-cabbage-kimchi/" target="_blank">Garden Betty</a>.<br />
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I have halved the quantities, and didn't have spring onions to hand, so substituted thinly sliced red onion.<br />
<ul>
<li>1 lb Red Cabbage, sliced into bitesize pieces</li>
<li>1/8 cup of Salt</li>
<li>4oz of Daikon (aka Mooli) (a big white radish), peeled and shredded</li>
<li>4oz Carrot, peeled and shredded</li>
<li>1 small Red Onion, peeled and thinly sliced</li>
<li>2-4 cloves Garlic, peeled and minced</li>
<li>About 1/2"-1" long chunk of fresh ginger, peeled and minced.</li>
<li>Dried red chillies, powdered in a spice mill: 1/4 cup powder.</li>
<li>1 small apple, peeled and cored</li>
<li>1 small yellow onion, peeled and chopped</li>
<li>1/2 cup water, boiled and cooled</li>
<li>1 tbsp thai fish sauce</li>
</ul>
Combine the cabbage and salt in a large bowl and mix together with your hands, separating the layers of cabbage leaf and ensuring they all get coated with salt. Pour in some water to cover, and leave it to brine for a couple of hours until the cabbage feels floppy. Drain, rinse in fresh water and drain again. Return the drained cabbage to the big bowl.<br />
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Add the daikon, carrot, red onion, garlic and ginger to the cabbage in the large bowl.<br />
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Combine the rest of the ingredients in a blender and blend to a paste.<br />
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Pour the paste onto the cabbage and other vegetables. Wearing plastic gloves (or just with plastic freezer bags over your hands), mix the paste thoroughly through the vegetables until all the pieces are coated in it.<br />
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Pack the kimchi into kilner jars, leaving space at the top for the liquid level to rise during fermentation. Cover loosely with lids and let sit at room temperature for at least 3 days until it becomes sour. As the liquid rises in the jars, press down the vegetables with a spoon to submerge them.<br />
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Once the kimchi has soured to taste, tighten the lids and store the jars in a cool place.<br />
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Eat as a pickle, or add to stir-fries and casseroles.<br />
<br />Prufraxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386003236192210108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912700494833089991.post-77915927516498736242015-10-14T23:24:00.001+01:002018-05-27T13:18:05.774+01:00Ninniko ShoyuzukeDon't you hate it when it turns out that somewhere on its journey from farm to shop, someone refrigerated the garlic?<br />
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The garlic thinks: "Hm. It was really cold for a while, but now its getting warmer. Must be springtime! Sprout factor 9, Mr Sulu!"<br />
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...And your lovely big bargain bag of garlic bulbs starts sprouting everywhere and needs to all be used up at once ASAP!<br />
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Fortunately, this Japanese style no-cook garlic pickle is very quick and easy to prepare - though it does take a couple of months to mature. There is even a bonus extra side product halfway through!<br />
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Your sprouty garlic disaster will be saved, and provide a bounty of garlicky deliciousness.<br />
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<h3>Recipe for Ninniko Shoyuzuke</h3>
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Initial stage of pickling:<br />
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To start the preparation, you will need a large, clean pickling jar with a lid suitable for use with vinegar - glass or plastic-lined so it won't rust all over your pickles!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOXwNOnUsqnaWoXSMd2tSU_CVwxR-l0JP3-SytVPE8OYqLX_Ebua7Kq-nYdHitCmk-G7aK0g8iQDDTYs4A9qce4eA61F4ihj6uHgaoD58OTbg-3FNAFsJlBbPlf-X4fgyA4X9z09Wf1-hL/s1600/20150606_142110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOXwNOnUsqnaWoXSMd2tSU_CVwxR-l0JP3-SytVPE8OYqLX_Ebua7Kq-nYdHitCmk-G7aK0g8iQDDTYs4A9qce4eA61F4ihj6uHgaoD58OTbg-3FNAFsJlBbPlf-X4fgyA4X9z09Wf1-hL/s200/20150606_142110.jpg" width="150"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to go in the cupboard.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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You will need your bag of garlic bulbs, and a large bottle of Rice Wine Vinegar from the Chinese supermarket, or the Ethnic Foods aisle of a large supermarket. A tiddly bottle from next to the Sharwoods stir-fry sauces isn't going to be enough!<br />
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Break your garlic bulbs into cloves, and peel them, trimming off any shoots + roots that may have started. Discard any that look manky or mouldy.<br />
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Pack the good peeled garlic cloves into the pickling jar. Pour in rice wine vinegar to cover. Since garlic floats in vinegar, you will need to use something to keep the garlic submerged. In Japan they sell special wooden "drop lids" that fit inside jars and saucepans to weight things down. In the UK, we have to improvise - a ball of scrunched-up greaseproof paper can be used to push down the garlic cloves and keep them submerged.<br />
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Tighten the lid on the pickling jar and put it in a cool, dark place at the back of a cupboard and forget about it for about 6 weeks.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo7Uc7LXqe6Gi5MQa7430lSKb-3PzAwWsWIujriSVNTSdeUAIcCCKi3TL4p5homvebyx4u4X6q7OgGsYARGQ_gBDUHDyoY-gTUjSuthBi1KwMd83Uu4b-A7kVcnlBJaB5GW52jvuu5b0lB/s1600/20150811_113853.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo7Uc7LXqe6Gi5MQa7430lSKb-3PzAwWsWIujriSVNTSdeUAIcCCKi3TL4p5homvebyx4u4X6q7OgGsYARGQ_gBDUHDyoY-gTUjSuthBi1KwMd83Uu4b-A7kVcnlBJaB5GW52jvuu5b0lB/s200/20150811_113853.jpg" width="150"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is normal.</td></tr>
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Six weeks later:<br />
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At the back of the cupboard, you rediscover your jar of garlic cloves in green vinegar! Wait - what?<br />
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DON'T WORRY - this is normal! A chemical reaction between the sulphur compounds that give raw garlic its pungence and the vinegar can produce a greeny-blue tint. It is harmless.<br />
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You now need a clean bottle with a lid capable of storing vinegar, and a funnel. And a large bottle of dark soy sauce from the Chinese supermarket, or the Ethnic Foods aisle of a large supermarket. Remember how much vinegar you needed? You are going to need about half that volume of soy sauce, so a tiddly bottle from next to the Sharwoods stir-fry sauces isn't going to be enough!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4XwbVvr3qJSv_Q92nqGY-jvpbKHmWs3DmXpbiWH2LKcM5t7M69f03Jeu4lXn_XC-Tr2yso5zn2Plb6rZ49QYHDeFFo_P6HBODMo_KLK28WNMxbgzYNp9Gm127KvutiWemCd4oqJEJwouB/s1600/20150811_114347.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4XwbVvr3qJSv_Q92nqGY-jvpbKHmWs3DmXpbiWH2LKcM5t7M69f03Jeu4lXn_XC-Tr2yso5zn2Plb6rZ49QYHDeFFo_P6HBODMo_KLK28WNMxbgzYNp9Gm127KvutiWemCd4oqJEJwouB/s200/20150811_114347.jpg" width="150"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soy sauce added!</td></tr>
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Open the pickling jar and remove the drop lid. Carefully decant half the vinegar into your bottle through a funnel. Put the lid on the bottle and put it in your cupboard next to the other vinegars. This is your bonus extra: Garlic vinegar for use in salad dressings and marinades!<br />
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Now, add soy sauce to the pickling jar until you have submerged all the garlic again. Once again, you may need to use a drop lid or improvise one out of scrunched up greaseproof paper. Tighten the lid on the pickling jar and gently invert it a couple of times to ensure the soy sauce and vinegar have mixed together. Put the jar back in the cool dark cupboard and forget about it for another six weeks.<br />
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Another six weeks later:<br />
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The mature garlic pickle will have absorbed soy sauce, the cloves will have turned dark and savoury. They can be eaten straight from the jar as a pickle, or chopped and added to stirfries, marinades and stews as a flavouring.<br />
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And once the last garlic clove has been fished out of the jar, the garlic vinegar soy sauce that remains can also be used to flavour salad dressings and marinades and the like.<br />
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Categories: <a href="http://verygoodrecipes.com/japanese" target="_blank">Japanese</a> <a href="http://verygoodrecipes.com/pickles" target="_blank">Pickles </a><br />
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Prufraxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386003236192210108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5912700494833089991.post-25176387916074749342015-10-12T00:40:00.000+01:002018-05-27T13:18:59.668+01:00Coconut, Almond and Courgette Cake<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3RmrIILCkuM/V92vAb0SK8I/AAAAAAAADnQ/qOPfPpK5fOQiq7_G-hZeEIqt1FkfbICqQCPcB/s1600/20160917_212144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3RmrIILCkuM/V92vAb0SK8I/AAAAAAAADnQ/qOPfPpK5fOQiq7_G-hZeEIqt1FkfbICqQCPcB/s200/20160917_212144.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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This is another cake based on one from Red Velvet and Chocolate Heartache. I believe I may have <a href="http://prufrax.blogspot.com/2013/08/chocolate-cucumber-cake.html" target="_blank">already mentioned</a> that whilst the recipes are good, I have a distinct antipathy towards the style of the book.<br />
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This is a minor variation on the Coconut Cake recipe, mainly inspired by not having quite enough dessicated coconut left in the cupboard.<br />
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<h3>
Recipe for Coconut, Almond and Courgette Cake </h3>
<ul>
<li>250g finely grated Courgette - don't bother peeling it unless your courgette is so big it's nearly a marrow and the peel has toughened. The peel will leave nice green flecks in the cake.</li>
<li>1 tbsp Vanilla extract</li>
<li>150g dessicated Coconut</li>
<li>50g ground Almonds</li>
<li>120g Rice Flour</li>
<li>2 tsp Baking powder</li>
<li>1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of soda</li>
<li>pinch Salt</li>
<li>180g Sugar</li>
<li>3 Eggs</li>
<li>Jam to fill the cake</li>
<li>3 tbsp Coconut Milk powder</li>
<li>3 tbsp icing Sugar</li>
<li>a little warm Water </li>
</ul>
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Grease a pair of ~18cm diameter sandwich cake tins and line the bottoms with greased greaseproof paper. Preheat oven to 160C.<br />
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Combine the grated courgette and vanilla extract in a bowl.<br />
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Measure the coconut, almonds, rice flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt into a food processor and blitz for a several minutes to grind down the coconut and almonds to a finer powder. The mixture will clump a bit as the oils come out as they grind down. Sieve the processed clumpy powder into a bowl. Tip any last few bits that aren't fine enough to go through the sieve into the bowl anyway.<br />
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Measure the sugar and eggs into a third bowl and whisk with an electric mixer continuously for 4 minutes or so until very thick, pale and creamy.<br />
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Fold the vanilla courgette mixture into the egg mixture thoroughly. Then fold the coconut flour mixture into the egg mixture until it is all well combined.<br />
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Divide the mixture between the two tins, ensuring that it is spread out evenly in each tin.<br />
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Bake at 160C for ~45 mins until the tops are brown and the sides of the cakes have pulled away from the sides of the tin.<br />
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Run a spatula or palette knife round the sides of the cakes to loosen them from the tins and turn out onto a wire cooling rack. Carefully peel off the greaseproof paper and leave them to cool.<br />
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Sandwich the cooled cakes with plenty of jam and put the cake onto a serving plate.<br />
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Combine the icing sugar and coconut milk powder with just enough warm water to make a small amount of spreadable icing. Spread the icing over the top of the cake to glaze.<br />
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Categories: <a href="http://verygoodrecipes.com/gluten+free" target="_blank">Gluten Free</a> <a href="http://verygoodrecipes.com/cake" target="_blank">Cake</a><br />
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Prufraxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05386003236192210108noreply@blogger.com0