Recipe: wholemeal granary bread

Really gorgeous bread so I thought it worth a posting.

For each 200g of flour (which consists of 100g strong wholemeal and 100g granary flour) use:
half a tsp instant yeast (the kind for breadmakers)
half tsp salt
half tsp sugar
1 tsp dried milk powder
a knob of butter (probably around 10g)
and 140 mls warm water

Method
Mix together and knead for around ten minutes or so until you have a lovely, stretchy, soft dough (it does make a gorgeous dough) or do the hard work in a mixer.
Place in a buttered bowl, cover with cling film and leave in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size.

Tip out and knock back.
Shape into a loaf.
Place in a loaf tin or on a prepared baking sheet, cover, and prove - this takes around half an hour but you have to go with the dough.
Bake in an oven that has been heated as hot as it will go and turned down to 180C as the bread is put in.
Bake for about half an hour.  Cool on a wire rack.

This amount makes a 1 lb sized loaf, six little rolls or four bigger rolls.

I tend to work with 600g flour at a time - just times everything by 3.

I will try it with just one rising to see if that works OK too.

Recipe: Simple Rye Bread

I think discovering rye bread will be a journey.  I've found a recipe that involves making a sourdough started for seven days before making the dough and baking but I need time for that.  I carried on searching and found this:  A half and half and I used wholemeal instead of white (a mistake but it was OK)


Ingredients:
250g rye flour
250g strong white bread flour (or ditto of wholemeal)
10g fresh yeast or a tsp of the instant dried which is what I used.
1.5 tsp salt
350mls warm water
25g caraway seeds, lightly cracked with a rolling pin (I didn;t have any spo missed this out but will get some next time)

Ingredients:

Combine the lot in a bowl and stir with a fork.  Then put in the bowl of a mixer and gove it a good seven minutes at top speed with the dough hook

OR

Put the lot in the bowl of your thermomix and knead for 10 minutes

Line two 1lb loaf tins (or oil and flour)

Divide the dough into two equal amounts.  Shape each into a sausage and place in the tins.
Cover with cling film or a tea towel.
Leave to rise.  It might take a fair old time.
Half an hour before baking, heat the oven up full.  Five minutes before, place a small tin of hot water in the bottom of the hot oven and place a baking sheet on the shelf.

Quickly pop the two loaf tins into the oven and shut the door quickly.  Give them ten minutes and then drop the temperature to 180. Open the oven door for about 20 seconds, then bake for another 20 mins.

Check by turning out each loaf and tapping it underneath.  If it is baked it will sound 'hollow'.

Allow to cool thoroughly before slicing.

It makes a dense, dark loaf that tastes delicious.  Great with strong cheese and chutney or well flavoured meats.  Filling too!

I got the recipe here
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/nov/03/quick-rye-bread-recipe
and, as you will see, adapted it a little bit.

Recipe: best ever soda bread

I have a friend who cannot eat yeast based products so when she comes to stay I either buy or make soda bread for us.
She was with me this weekend, supporting me through an emotional time.  She has responsibility for Student Support in the OU Students' Association, and she does a great job.  Words cannot say how grateful I am to her for this weekend . . .

This weekend I adapted my soda bread recipe a bit.  I cut down on the liquid (because last time the dough was very soft and flattened) and used strong flour instead of ordinary.
Her comment was 'This bread is very good' or words to that effect (and it was) so I have annotated my recipe accordingly.  Sorry, no photo . . .

Here it is.

Ingredients:
400g strong flour (I use 200 white and 200 wholemeal)
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
250 mls buttermilk (because that's how Morrisons sells it) - although I now use yogurt
50 mls milk

Method.
Ten minutes or so before, turn the oven on to 230C so that it is hot when you mix the ingredients because it is literally a couple of minutes, if that.

Bung the ingredients into a bowl and mix well.  Knead briefly but not too much
(I used Thermione and used the knead function for about 15 seconds after mixing it together for about 10 seconds).
Shape into an oval loaf shape.
Place on a baking sheet (I put a teflon sheet on first).
Make several deep diagonal slashes across with a sharp knife.
Bake in the hot oven for 15 mins, then reduce the heat to 180C and bake for another 25 mins or so.

Cool on a wire rack.

It is absolutely gorgeous still warm with butter and a good flavoured cheese and home made pickle or a home made jam or curd.

It dried out quickly and then it toasts well and is great with scrambled egg.

If you want to freeze it, you can - wrap it well as soon as it is cool or, even better, individually slice and wrap.

Even when using strong flour (from Aldi, 75p for 1500g), it is a frugal and delicious bread.  Go on - have a go!

Recipe: fruit bread

I take absolutely no credit for this one whatsoever in that it came to me from Thrifty Lesley, via Pat Parker, in the 'Feed yourself for a pound a day' page on Facebook.  If you want to be more frugal with your cooking, eating and shopping, that is the page for you.  It's brilliant.
And Lesley has a great web site which I have mentioned before in this blog.  http://www.thriftylesley.com/  Ditto as far as brilliant frugal ideas is concerned.

I whole-heartedly recommend both places to you.

I made this.  It is a proper bread, not a cakey or puddingy version, substantial and wholesome.  It is truly delicious and, when it dries a bit, as bread is wont to do, it will toast like a dream.  The list of ingredients looks long but it isn't really, it is all stuff you will have in, if you bake.  If you don't - go on, try it!  It can be addictive.

Here is the recipe.  I've given half amounts that work perfectly with a 1 lb loaf tin.  Choose your ingredients wisely and it is a frugal treat.

Ingredients:
200g strong white flour
1 tsp sugar
1.5 tbsp oil (veg or sunflower - or you can use 37g butter)
half teaspoon salt
1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1 medium egg
50 ml milk
50 ml water
half tsp dried yeast (the kind for for bread makers)
70g mixed dried fruit.  I used some cranberries that were drying up and some value mixed fruit.  Any dried fruit would do and you can also vary the spices you use.  I am wondering about garam masala . . .

The Thermomix method

Put all the ingredients apart from the dried fruit into the bowl.  I added flour first, then the rest.

Knead for 10 mins.  Add the dried fruit and reverse mix on 3 for a short time until the fruit is evenly dispersed.

OR:

Place all ingredients into a bowl, mix well and knead on a floured surface for ten minutes or so.

Shape by hand into a loaf shape and place in a 1 lb loaf tin.  Cover with cling film.   It may seem quite heavy and I found it needs longer than the usual time to rise.  Give it all the time it needs.  If you are short of time or make it overnight, pop it in the fridge.  Just go with the flow . . . talk nicely to it!

Preheat the oven to 230C.  As soon as the loaf goes in, reduce the heat to 180C.  It takes about 30 to 35 minutes to bake.

So, so delish!

Recipe: strawberry jam

Borrowed from Google with thanks.

I'm sure I have posted about this before but seeing as I made some last week I thought it was worth another write up.

I know people talk about setting issues with strawberry jam because strawberries are low in pectin but I get round that by using jam sugar (I got some in Aldi, great value) and also adding a squeeze of lemon juice.  I've never had a jam not set although once I had to reboil!

Ingredients:
Fresh strawberries
jam sugar
squeeze of lemon

Method:
Prepare the strawberries by pulling or cutting out the leafy bit and any hard core.  Try to keep the berries as whole as possible but cut off any soggy bits.

If you use the saucer method for testing set, put them in the fridge now.  Also get the jars ready.  I wash them and place them on an oven tray and in a just turned on oven.  Works a treat.

Weigh the prepared berries and add the same weight of jam sugar.  Carefully mix together and leave for an hour or so.  This draws some moisture out of the berries, enabling them to stay whole in the finished jam.  Place in a maslin (or other suitable) pan and heat very slowly, stirring from time to time, until all the sugar has dissolved.  Add the lemon juice and stir again.

Turn up the heat and bring the mixture to a rolling boil, stirring well.  Continue to boil, stirring frequently, until the jam looks as if it might be setting on the sides of the pan.  Remove the pan for the heat and check using a cold saucer.

If set, add a knob of butter to reduce the scum and skim off any remaining scum.  What you skim off is perfectly edible.  It sets foamy and can be added to yogurt, etc, if you don't fancy it on toast.  Waste not, want not, etc.  Leave the jam for about ten minutes before giving it another stir.  This is because the jam has reached setting point and cooled a bit and doing this will stop the berries from rising to the top of the jar, will keeping them evenly distributed.

Decant into warm and clean jars and cover immediately.  Label when cool.

If not set, repeat the boiling and checking process until setting point is reached.

If by any chance the setting isn't as firm as you want, you can always pour it all back into the pan, reboil and recheck.

Home made strawberry jam is nectar.  There's little quite as delicious.  It's well worth the effort, especially if you have a pick your own farm nearby.  I got my berries on special from Morrisons which makes the jam a bit more expensive, I think, but still wonderful!

Mmmmmm - delicious!

The saucer setting test, aka the wrinkle test, works a treat.  I never use any other way now.
See here.  http://www.goodstuff.recipes/wrinkle-test-for-jam/

Recipe: oat pancakes with bacon and soft cheese

So easy and, I think, so delish.

Oat pancakes with bacon and soft cheese.
Ingredients: (serves one)
2 rashers streaky bacon
Oat pancake batter (half amount - I used the other half yesterday!)  http://fooddiaryofteacher.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/frugal-oat-pancakes.html 
Soft cheese  http://fooddiaryofteacher.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/frugal-soft-cheese.html
Drizzle of maple syrup

Method.
Gently fry the bacon until it is crisp in a non stick pan - don't add any fat as loads will come out of the bacon.  Keep the bacon warm.
Make the pancakes in the same pan, using the bacon fat.  It makes three or four little ones.
Spread the soft cheese over the pancakes.  Arrange them on a warm plate.
Break up the bacon and spread over the pancakes.
Drizzle over some maple syrup.
Eat while still hot.  

Gorgeous.  Filling.  Satisfying.
Mmmmmmmmm . . .

Recipe: almost seedless raspberry jam

I found some raspberries in the freezer and made jam.  It's one of the easier jams and tends to set pretty quickly.

Ingredients:
raspberries
sugar
lemon

Method.
Put the raspberries in a pan with just a very little water and heat slowly.  As they warm up, the raspberries release juice so you don't need much water at all and the less you add the quicker the setting time.
Simmer the berries until they're all lovely and mushy.
Either put the berries through a mouli or push through a seive to catch the pips.  It takes a while but is well worth it.  I can't stand jam with pips/seeds like those found in raspberries and blackberries.
One could use a jelly bag and let the juice drip through but I consider that an awful waste of raspberry pulp.

Throw the pips on the compost heap.

Now weigh the raspberry pulp and add the same weight of granulated sugar.  You could use jam sugar but it is more expensive.  Then add a good squeeze of lemon juice (about half a lemon)

Put the pan on a low heat and allow the mixture to come to a simmer, stirring often.  The idea is to make sure the sugar has dissolved before the jam boils.

While this is happening, wash your jars and get them into a warm oven to warm up.  Then place two saucers in the fridge for testing setting point.

Once the jam is boiling, increase the heat and let it boil vigorously for five minutes, stirring often.  Then remove the pan from the heat while testing the jam for setting point.

To do this you spoon a small amount of jam onto the chilled sauces and put it back in the fridge for two or three minutes.  The you push a finger through the jam.  If it has formed a skin and is starting to clot or 'jell', it's ready.  if it is still runny, boil for another two or three minutes and test again.  Always take the pan off the heat while you are testing.  The more water you used to cook the berries, the longer it will take to reach setting point.

Skim any scum off the surface and place in a small dish (it is nice, goes well on toast or in porridge, just doesn't look nice in the jam but no point wasting it) and then carefully ladle the hot jam into the hot jars.  Screw the lids on firmly and allow them to cool before labelling.

Keep in a cool, dark place.

Soda bread

I've posted this before and I am sure I will post again.  I'm making some loaves in preparation for a friend visiting so thought I would share again.

Ingredients
170g SR flour
170g plain flour (can be wholemeal or white)
half tsp bicarb
half tsp salt
a little butter to rub in (optional)
290 mls buttermilk (or whatever the pot holds and make it up with milk or yogurt)

Method
Heat the oven to 200C/gas 6

Mix the flours, salt and bicarb in a bowl
Make a well and add the buttermilk, mixing quickly with a fork to make a soft dough.
Knead briefly on a floured surface.
(or let your Thermomix do it all)
Shape into a ball, flatten by pressing down the top and cut or press a cross in the centre

Place on a lightly floured baking tray (I use a teflon liner) or you can use bread tins for a more conventional loaf shape.

Place a bowl of boiling water in the bottom of the oven and bake the loaf for around 30 mins until it sounds hollow when the base is tapped
Cool and either eat quickly or wrap and freeze.

Chilli tomato passata

Made yesterday.  It's an idea: amounts are variable!  I have no idea whether it should be called a passata but never mind.

One comment:  because the first chilli I used seemed mild, I bunged in two and didn't seed them.  Er - let's just say next time I will take out the seeds!!!!!

I used:
Loads of flavoursome tomatoes.  Enough to fill a good sized roasting dish.  Cut into wodges and cut out any 'bad bits' but keep the cores, etc, for flavour.
2 medium onions, peeled and chunked
some celery, cut into chunks
olive oil - it's a slow roasting thing so OO is fine.
2 bay leaves, torn into bits
some dried mixed herbs (or whatever from the garden)
Some garlic.
2 chillies
a good pinch of sugar
a sloosh of balsamic vinegar
some sea salt

(and anything else you fancy - if I had some wine I would add some, but I don't)

Put the lot in a good sized roasting dish and stir around until everything is coated with the oil.
Place in a show oven and roast until all soft and gooey.  Cover with foil if necessary.

Push through a fine sieve or mouli.  Check seasonings and adjust.  Freeze in sensible sized portions (or use straight away because it may be very hot the way I made it but it is so gorgeous!)

Recipe: Roasted tomato sauce

This was posted on a page on Facebook called Allotment and Vegetable Growers.  I've scrolled down and can't find it so huge apologies to whoever posted it and I will edit this if I find the source (no pun intended).

It makes a delicious sauce, quite sweet in a good way.  Salt/pepper/other seasonings can be added when you use it.

Roasted tomato sauce

Ingredients
2k ripe tomatoes
2 large onions, peeled and sliced
4/5 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tsp fresh thyme or 2 tbsp chopped fresh marjoram or oregano
1-2 tsp soft dark brown sugar
1-2 tsp balsamic vinegar
4 tbsp olive oil

Method
layer the ingredients in a roasting dish, starting with the onions and garlic and covering the onions with the tomatoes.
Roast at 170 for an hour or more until everything is soft and slightly charred.
Push through a mouli or a sieve to get rid of all the bits.

Freeze in portions.

Recipe: Red onion marmalade

I made this several months ago and intended to post about it when I knew it tasted OK (e.g. a month or so later).  I've just searched and it looks as if I didn't so, as I am making another batch as I type, filling the house with oniony pong despite the open windows and the fan, it's a good time to share it with you all.

This is the recipe, here, if you would like to see the original.

Ingredients:

1 good tbsp olive oil and a dollop of butter The original recipe says extra virgin but I don't see the point, given how long it has to be cooked and I added the butter because I wanted to.

1kg red onions (approx. 6), peeled, halved and sliced I didn't have enough so used some white onions and I sliced them by hand because that way you can get the thickness you want.

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

150ml red wine

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

3 tbsp white wine vinegar

6 tbsp light soft brown sugar

Method:
Heat the oil and butter.  Add the onions with some ground black pepper and a good pinch of sea salt.  Stir well.

Cook over low to medium heat for about 30 minutes or longer until the onions soften and turn translucent, stirring occasionally so they don’t catch and burn. Slow cooking is essential at this point as this is where the delicious caramel taste is developed.

Increase the heat just a bit and add the wine and the vinegars.  Boil, reduce the heat and add the sugar, stirring well.

Cook on the low heat for around 30 to 40 mins until most of the liquid has evaporated.  Don't forget to stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

Clean and heat your jam jars.

Take the pan off the heat, taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary, although the flavours do mature with time and I found that it was just right last time.. Spoon into the warm, clean jars, cover with waxed paper discs,and screw on the lid (non metallic or coated with plastic), making sure there are no air gaps (I push the mixture down with a spoon to make sure), tighten the lids and label. Store in a cool, dark place for at least 1 month to allow the flavours to develop.  It keeps for around three months, the recipe says, although I had some after four months and it was gorgeous!

Recipe: Thermomix white bread: frugal

Using ordinary bread flour with no clever additions it's better value and better tasting than anything you can buy.  I always use Thermione now and this is what I do.  Never known to fail (except when I forgot to add the yeast)!

Ever since the accidental third rising that resulted in such a good loaf, I have added another rising to my normal breadmaking but it doesn't seem to add all that much time to the process.  Once the dough gets going it really gets going.

Borrowed from Google.

Ingredients to make one larger loaf or two smaller loaves (or rolls).

500g strong white flour
1 slightly heaped tsp dried yeast (the kind that doesn't need starting off)
1 tsp salt
a dollop of butter or a sploosh of oil (around 20g of it)
315g warm water
(I sometimes also add 1 heaped tbsp dried milk powder - it makes a softer loaf)

Method:
Place the flour, yeast, salt, oil and water in the bowl in that order.  Give it a bit of a zizz to mix.

8 minutes/bread setting to knead the dough.  Longer if you like but there is a danger of overworking the dough.  I find 8 mins is just about right.

Leave the dough in in the bowl (lid and MC on) to rise.  When it has risen to about 2/3 of the way up the bowl, knead it for another minute to knock it all back.  Then carefully scrape down any dough that has stuck up the sides - there isn't usually any but just occasionally there is.

Leave in the bowl again to rise 2/3 of the way up the bowl.  With your fingers push the dough away from the sides of the bowl and then tip out onto a floured surface.  Knock back, shape and place in your loaf tin(s).

Switch on the oven (I start at 220C and turn down to 200C when the bread goes in).

Sprinkle flour over, cover with a cloth, some easy-leave wrap or similar, prove (until the top is level with the top of the tin) and bake.  Two small loaves take about half an hour but is not an exact science.  To check, remove the loaf from the tin and tap the bottom;  it should sound hollow.  If it doesn't, replace in the oven without the tin and give it/them another five minutes or so.

It is so, so easy and all you need is to be in the house.  I don't recommend going out and doing the shopping or anything.  I swear that dough KNOWS when you are not there and seizes the chance to escape!

Finally, just to say that I always use greasproof liners when I bake bread.  You can buy all sorts of shapes liners and there will be one just right for your tins.  Absolutely no risk of sticking and no need to wash the tin afterwards.

Joy's smooth(ish) cranberry sauce: thermomix

Christmas is closer than you think.

Now, before anyone sighs and mutters and thinks 'not another one', let me explain.  The friend who has been staying with me over the summer on and off, looking after my home so beautifully while I have been away, will be coming back at the beginning of November.  I love cooking, she does not, so she has asked me if, at some point during her stay, I can make her (and her daughter) a Christmas dinner - a real, home made, Christmas dinner.

Of course I said yes.  It sounds like great fun.  It won't be a full roast turkey, of course, but you can get turkey breast, and the rest is a glorified roast dinner.  Or, thinking about it, I might have a rolled turkey breast in the freezer.  I could use that and then exist on the leftovers for the next few weeks.
It will be just after half term when I have time to prepare so I will be getting as much as possible ready beforehand.  Hence this recipe, made out of my head, but nothing original except that I have never used Thermione to make a preserve before.

I like smoothish sauces.  By that I mean no bits but not a clear jelly.  Smooth with texture.
This is what I did.

Ingredients to make one jar of the Bonne Maman size.
200g frozen cranberries (I'd use fresh but they're not in the shops right now)
1 eating apple, washed, any bad bits cut off (and I also remove the stalk and the blossom bit too), chopped.  No need to peel and core.
100ml (which is 100g weight) water
juice of half an orange and half a lemon
sugar (I used granulated)

Method:
Place the chopped apple and the cranberries, the orange and lemon juices (no need to thaw them) into the bowl and add a MCful of water (that's 100mls).  At this point you could also add spices.  I didn't, not this time, but cinnamon, mixed spice or star anise all would go very well.

Cook the fruit (and spices, if using) on 100 for around ten minutes on a slowish reverse speed, about 1/2 - reverse so that if you're using whole spices they won't get chopped to bits.  When that has finished, check that the fruit is soft and mushy, take out any whole spices and blitz for around 10 seconds on speed 6.

Remove the lid very carefully (it is hot!) and pour the lot into a fine sieve over a bowl.  Push the fruit through and discard what is left in the sieve.
(then put the sieve straight into a bowl of hot and soapy water because if you let it cool it will be the very devil to clean)
Now add the sugar.  To be honest, I didn't measure it, I just stirred some in and tasted, stirred more in and tasted, until it was 'right'.  As the mixture is hot, the sugar will dissolve quickly.

Pour the mixture back into the thermomix bowl. (I rinsed it out in between but I don't think you actually have to, it w3as just automatic to put it straight into water)
Put a saucer in the fridge if you use that method to check for set.

Cook on Varoma heat, reverse speed 2 for around 6 minutes, then check for set, removing the bowl from the base as you check.  If not set, cook for a couple more minutes and try again.  If adding alcohol (e.g. port), add it after setting and give the mixture a few more seconds of stirring.

Pour into a clean, warm jar and seal.  Don't forget to label the jar when it has cooled.  Keep in a cool, dark place (I will keep it in the fridge)

Not my photo but it will look like this.

PLEASE BE VERY CAREFUL.  

BOILING JAM IS EXTREMELY HOT AND HURTS IF YOU SPLASH SOME ON YOUR HAND.

Recipe: Jamie Oliver's ultimate hot chocolate: Thermomix

Not a good photo - far too dark.  it gives you the general idea though.

This is NOT frugal in the sense that you might have to buy things for it.  I had to get the dark chocolate and the Horlicks.  Having said that, it is far, far better than any hot chocolate I have ever tasted in any restaurant or other type of eating place, even in its basic, unadorned state, so in that respect is it brilliant value!  It is thick, creamy, clings to the inside of your mouth just enough to be wonderful and the flavour - oh, the flavour.

It isn't healthy - unless you subscribe to the 'dark chocolate adds years to your life' school of thought.

You can find it all over the Internet, such as here and here so I won't bother to reproduce it, I will describe how I made it in Thermione.

Ingredients to make enough for 16 servings (it says) - I made half quantities.
200g quality dark chocolate (70%)
100g good cocoa powder
100g icing sugar
50g cornflour
50g Horlicks
a pinch of sea salt

Thermomix method.

Place the chocolate in the fridge for a couple of hours to chill thoroughly.

Put the sugar in the bowl and blitz on pulse until it becomes icing sugar.  Set aside.
Cut the chocolate into bits (I used a knife so my hands didn't warm it) and pulse until it is fine.
Add the sugar and the remaining ingredients and pulse again until nicely mixed.

Decant into an airtight jar and keep in a cool place.

To make the drink.
Spoon into the bowl two heaped tbsps of the powder (give the jar a shake first) and pour over one mug of milk.
Mix it on 6 for about five seconds.

Heat on 90/ speed 6 for around five or six minutes, until it hits temperature and then cooks for a minute.  I didn't time it exactly, I'm afraid.

Pour back into the mug and enjoy.

I had it just like that and a mug was almost too much as it is gorgeously rich.  Next time I will use one heaped tbsp and a cup of milk (my cups aren't huge).

Also next time I might add a good pinch of cinnamon.  it would be wonderful with a dollop of cream and more grated chocolate or with marshmallows or nutmeg or orange or lemon zest or . . . oh, you get the idea.

It will also be fantastic as a Christmas present in a pretty jar with lots of additions.

Recipe: Pizza base

Home made pizza is wonderful.  It is not likely to be 'authentic' but I don't care, it is wonderful so  I thought I'd post the dough recipe I use.

Ingredients:  To make two pizzas/feed four
300g strong bread flour
1 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil

Method
Measure the flour into a large bowl, add the yeast and salt and stir in.  Make a well and pour in the oil and 200 ml warm water, bringing it all together with a wooden spoon.
When it is a soft, fairly wet dough, turn out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth.
Then you can leave it to rise if you want a thick crust or use it straight away for a thin crust.

OR:  Bung everything onto a Thermione, setting 4 minutes on the bread setting!!

After topping, bake in a preheated oven on preheated trays at 240C (lower if it's a fan oven) for around ten minutes or so.

I prepared everything else earlier:  a tomato sauce, onion, mushroom, yellow pepper, ham and cheddar cheese.

It was very, very good - as my visitors kept saying as they devoured slice after slice after slice!

Recipe: Julian's Green Tomato Chutney

This is the recipe I used to make the green tomato chutney.  It tastes good already but I am leaving to for a month or so before starting in on it.  The only amendment I would suggest is to go easy with the cayenne - it definitely has a glow about it which I like but others might prefer a little less heat.

Also I used a mix of vinegars: brown and white malt.

It can be found on the Internet, here.

Ingredients:
600g green tomatoes
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
250g sultanas
250g dark brown sugar
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp nutmeg (I just grated a whole one)
500mls malt vinegar

Chop everything up small (I used Thermione)
Bung it in a good, heavy bottomed pan
Slowly bring to a boil, stirring while the sugar dissolves
Simmer gently for ages, stirring now and again, until it has reduced down to a thick mass of goodness.

Pour into sterilised jars, seam and label.

I would leave it for a few months as it tasted a bit 'new'.  I made double quantity and it gave me thirteen little pots full.

Recipe: Courgette Appetisers (and Bisquick)

Oh, OK, it's really Zucchini Appetisers but this is an English blog so it's courgettes to thee and me!

It was sent to me by Joan, who sometimes comments on my other blog, Diary of a Teacher, and it was originally sent to her by an American friend.  I'm grateful to both of them because this was delicious.  It's not a quiche or an omelette or a frittata or anything like that.  If anything it is a sort of savoury 'cake' but that's not the right word to use.
Of course, cheese and courgettes are a flavour match made in heaven anyway.

First of all you need to know how to make home-made Bisquick (I had to google this because I had no idea what it is) and as Joan sent a link to a recipe for that too, here it is.  Please excuse the cup measures.  This may be an English blog but I have no idea what they convert to in real weights!!

Home Made Bisquick
2 cups plain flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp shortening (butter or marg)

Mix all ingredients and blend until it resembles fine breadcrumbs (I did it in Thermione as you can imagine).
Store in a dry cool place and use as a substitute for Bisquick mix.

So, having got that out of the way, here's the recipe for courgette appetisers

Ingredients
3 cups thin sliced unpeeled courgette (although the joy of this is that it doesn't have to be courgette, it could be other veg too or instead)
1 cup bisquick (see above)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (I used the not-parmesan version so it was vegetarian friendly)
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1/2 tsp salt (be wary - the cheese has salt already - I didn't add as much as this)
1 tsp chopped oregano (fresh)
Some black pepper
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, slightly beaten

You also need a rectangular pan or dish, well oiled.

Method:
Preheat oven to 170 C

Mix all the ingredients together well.
Spread into the pan or dish and level.
Bake until golden brown and set (about 25 mins)
Cut into pieces to serve.

It can be frozen and then reheated.  Works well reheated in the microwave (it says)

Adapted for Thermione.

I made half the quantity of bisquick and set it aside.  I sliced the courgettes by hand.
Then I chopped the onion, parmesan, parsley, salt, oregano, pepper and garlic together - speed 6 to 8 for about ten seconds; basically until it's all finely chopped.
I added one cup of bisquick mix (nearly all of it) and mixed it into the above ingredients (about four seconds on 6)
Then I added the oil and the eggs and gave it all a good zizz.

I mixed the batter with the sliced courgettes in a separate bowl to avoid breaking up the slices.  Then I poured the mix into the dish and baked as above.

It was a doddle, absolutely delicious and very filling.  We only needed a very simple salad with it although it would be nice (and evil) with chips.

As with the lemon courgette cake (by the way, that mixture does also bake well as muffins - I tried it today), this is definitely one to make again and a great way of using up some of those garden courgettes.  I can see myself making this when my parents come to stay; I think they would really like it.

I think you could use grated cheddar, if wanted.  It would taste different but still delicious.  If I did that, I might cut down on the oil somewhat.

A very big thank you to Joan and her friend (who I haven't named because I don't know if she would want to be named in an open blog) for this recipe.  I'm extremely grateful.

Recipe: chilli lentil and tomato soup

Just made this for lunch.  It's flavoursome with a bit of a kick so I'm sharing.
It has made enough for four, more or less.

Ingredients:
two cans chopped tomatoes
one red onion, peeled and quartered
1 red chilli, seeded
a good glug of olive oil
80g lentils
10 mls marigold vegetable bouillon
1 tsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste
5 mls mixed dried herbs
water

Method for Thermione
Pour the chopped tomatoes into a roasting dish.  Add the onion, the chilli and a good drizzed glug of olive oil.  Roast in the oven at around 200C until you start getting black bits and a lovely roasted aroma.

In the TM bowl, zizz 90g red lentils until powdered.
Add the tomatoes, onion and chilli. marigold, mixed dried herbs, pepper and some water.    Briefly zizz at speed 6.  Cook at varoma heat, 15 to 20 mins, speed 3.

Allow to cool a bit, then blend on speed 9 for around a minute or so until smooth and gorgeous!  Add more water if needed.   Add the sugar and some salt, stir briefly and taste, adjusting seasoning if necessary.

Serve piping hot with a dollop of yogurt and some bread on the side.  I might also swirl in some balsamic vinegar too.

Normal method:
Roast the tomatoes, onions and chilli as above.
Pour into a saucepan, add the lentils, herbs, pepper, water and cook until lentils are soft.
Zizz with a hgand blender, adding more water if needed.  Add the sugar and sal, stir and taste.
Adjust seasoning if necessary

Serve as above.

Recipe: Roast dinner pie: leftovers

OK, so I had quite a lot of leftovers yesterday as grandson, for once, wasn't hungry (he was rather affected by the heat).

I had courgettes, peas, potato, chicken and gravy.

This is what I did with it.

First of all I peeled and thinly sliced a small red onion and gently sauteed it in some fat off the roast chicken until it was all soft.

Then in an oven proof dish I layered courgettes, onion, peas, chicken, peas, onion, courgettes.  Then I poured over the gravy and a bit of the stock.  I topped it with sliced potato and smeared over some butter, then baked it at around 170 for aboiut an hour (because I had a cake in the oven and that's what the cake recipe needed!

I could have added seasonings but it was already seasoned from yesterday so I didn't bother.

You know what - it was jolly nice!

Recipe: Lemon courgette cake

Borrowed from Google Images.

A way of trying to use up that glut of courgettes that appear around this time when it is so very hot.
I made this yesterday and there's another one in the oven as I type, the reason being that the batter isn't quite enough for two cakes in the size of tin I have and Beth wants to take one to a friend so, most unreasonably, doesn't want me to slice into it before I give it to her.  I dunno, daughters!

While I might not have tasted it (yet), the smell is enough for me so I am happily sharing it here.  It's on the internet so I can provide the link . . .

http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/5959/lemon-courgette-cake.aspx?o_is=Hub_TopRecipe_3
(I added some lemon oil to the mixture and it took a lot longer to cook than the recipe said - so be careful with that)

It's basically a muffin type batter and next time make it I will bake it in muffin tins rather than in a loaf tin which should shorten the cooking time.
It's not that expensive if you are given the courgettes.

Also, if you are a thermomix owner, adapting the method to your machine is an absolute doddle, dead easy.