I hate food waste, but like everyone else I’m not perfect.
One of the things I always ended up throwing out was Greek yogurt. The small pots weren’t enough, and the larger containers meant I always had some left over.
A friend told me about this recipe and I love it. Most people are put off making bread bread because it can take time to prove, knead etc. This couldn’t be quicker or easier.
Equal amounts of flour and yoghurt, and like making scones these rolls benefit from not handling to much. This recipe makes 4 rolls, but you can double the recipe if you want more. You can brush the uncooked rolls with egg or melted butter if you want a glazed top, but I just sprinkled with flour.
Soft and fluffy rolls
I haven’t given exact weights. I literally just used a mug to ensure I was measuring equal amounts.
These also freeze really well.
Ingredients
1 Cup self raising flour 1 Cup of Greek yogurt (I used full fat yoghurt as this is what I had, it also gives a softer texture, but use what you have)
Method
Measure out the flour and yoghurt and add to a bowl.
Pre heat your oven to 180 degrees
Stir with a wooden spoon until the dough is combined and turn onto a lightly floured surface
Divide the dough into 4 equal parts and roll into balls
Place on a baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes or until the bottoms sound hollow when tapped
Mardi gras didn’t really happen this year, but this time of year reminds me of New Orleans.
I was talking to a friend last week about places we had really enjoyed visiting and the food that reminded us of them and it sparked a memory of New Orleans.
About a million years ago when I was a student I worked in a US Summer camp and went travelling afterwards. I ended up in New Orleans and everyone recommended I try a visit to Cafe du Mond in the French Quarter. Their signature dish is a little plate of 3 beignets (little oblong donuts, doused in icing sugar) and a cafe au lait. The place is an institution and recalling it had me craving them. I had my very own Marcel Proust moment eating these, it was amazing (Rememberance of Things Past, is quite a dull book but is famous for passage about how food triggers memories)
This is probably best made at the weekend due to the amount of time you need to prove the dough, but other than that the beignets are pretty simple to make.
I used evaporated milk because I think it makes a richer dough, but ordinary milk is fine if you don’t have it.
N.B. When deep frying, cook at a medium heat. They will brown very quickly because of the sugar in the dough, but the first few I made had raw dough in the middle which was disgusting. I cooked rest at a lower heat and they were fine.
Ingredients
430 Grams Flour, I used strong bread flour, but plain flour is fine
125 ml Evaporated milk (ordinary milk is also fine)
175 ml Warm water (about skin temperature, not too hot or you’ll kill the yeast)
1/2 Tsp Dried yeast
50 Grams Sugar
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Egg (beaten)
30 Grams Butter (melted, and allowed to cool a little)
Icing sugar for dusting
Vegetable oil for frying
Method
In a large bowl, add half the water, a teaspoon of sugar, and the yeast and stir, leave in a warm room (I use an airing cupboard because there are drafts) for 15 mins. The mix start to form a froth on top.
Mix in the rest of the water, sugar, salt, milk and the egg and mix well
Stir in half the flour, and then add the melted butter and remaining flour and mix well. The douch will be pretty sticky so transfer to a greased bowl and cover with cling film and keep in a fridge over night or at least 3 hours
After dough has proved in the fridge its time to roll out. I’ve tried flouring the surface and rolling pin and found it stuck really badly. So the next batch I tried using a thin layer of oil on the surface and rolling and for me it worked better (I know some people prefer using a floured surface so work with what works for you
Roll the dough in to an oblong and trim the edges. I use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into 18 oblongs (you can use a knife, but I found this worked well
Heat your oil, until its warm enough that a cube of bread will sizzle when you drop it in. Cook the beignets in small batches, turning after a minute or two. You really need to pay attention to these as the colour very quickly. As I said early don’t let your oil get too hot or you’ll end up with raw dough in the middle
Drain the cooked beignets on kitchen paper as soon as you take them out of the oil and then sprinkle liberally with icing sugar for a proper taste of New Orelans
I love the spring rolls I usually get from my local Chinese take away, but am conscious that they are deep fried and probably not great for my first waistline.
I wanted to make a slightly healthier version, so these are packed with vegetables and using filo pastry which can be baked rather than deep fried. This version is vegan, but you could also add cooked chicken or prawns if you wanted to add more protein. I used shop bought filo pastry which makes things quicker (anyone who makes their own probably needs to get out more), and is a great way to use up left over veggies.
Stir fried veggies
The dipping sauce was a bit of store cupboard throw together, (my favourite dip is usually shop bought sweet chilli sauce). I have a friend who is much more experienced cooking Asian cuisine and she told me that all good dipping suaces should include sweet, sour, salt, and heat. I’m definately making this again. These are great as a starter or side dish, but I enjoy them as a snack along with a cold beer.
Ingredients
For the spring rolls
270 Gram Pack Filo pastry
1 Onion (finely sliced)
1 Carrot (cut into matchsticks)
1 Red Pepper (finely sliced)
2 Handfuls Cabbage or any greens you prefer (I used some left over cooked cabbage I had, but if using raw cabbage make sure it’s very finely sliced)
4-6 cm Knob of ginger (grated)
2 Cloves of garlic (grated or finely chopped)
1 Tsp Chinese 5 spice powder
2 Tbsp Oil
1 Tbsp Sesame seeds (optional)
For the dipping sauce
1 Tbsp Sesame oil
1 Tsp Chilli flakes/fresh chilli
1 Clove of garlic (grated or finely chopped)
1 Tsp Honey
1 Tsp Soy sauce
1 Tbsp Warm water
1 Tbsp Vinegar (if you have rice wine vinegar is probably best, I didn’t have this so used red wine vinegar and it was fine)
Tuck and roll
Method
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan/wok, and add the vegetables, cook lightly for a few minutes and add the Chinese 5 spice powder, garlic and ginger, fry for another minute or two until the vegetables start to soften. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely before trying to assemble the spring rolls
Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. Open your packet of pastry, most packs recommend that you cover the pastry with a slightly damp tea towel if you are not able to work quickly. This prevents the pastry from drying out and becoming brittle and difficult to work with
I cut sheets of around 8-10 cm long and 6-8 cm wide (you can make smaller rolls if you prefer). Lay a sheet on your work surface and brush or spray with oil (those low cal oil sprays now a available are really handy, but just brush lightly with oil if you don’t have this) and top with another sheet of pastry, and repeat until you have 3 layers of filo pastry
With the pastry lengthways in front of you, lay a good heaped tablesoon of your vegetable filling and place near the right hand corner of the pastry. Tuck short corner of the pastry over the vegetables and tuck on the sides and roll (as shown in the photo)
Brush/spray the rolls with oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds if you are using them and place on a baking tray. Place in your heated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until crisp and golden
The dipping sauce is strainght forward, simply combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir before checking the taste (you mighy want more heat, sweetness etc). Put into separate serving bowls, Serve along side the spring rolls
I’m lucky enough to have a very kind friend Bronagh, who’s husband enjoys hunting. She never arrives empty handed and on a recent visit brought me some delicious venison.
Venison is one of the healthiest meats you can eat. This recipe uses meat that requires long slow cooking. Other cuts of venison like the loin need to be served rare or else they’ll become tough.
The meat should be tossed in seasoned flour
When you have a really great ingredient like venison you don’t need to do a lot to it. About 10 minutes prep at the start and the oven does all the work for you. I love this served with greens, and velvety butter bean mash. It’s also fantastic with mashed potatoes or crusty bread to mop up all the delicious gravy.
Seal the flour coated meat to add flavour and colour, the flour will also help thicken the sauce
1kg Venison (cut into 3-4cm chunks)
1 Large Onion (peeled and roughly chopped)
2 Carrots (peeled and roughly chopped)
2 Parsnips (peeled and roughly chopped)
2 Stalks of celery (cut into chunks)
250ml Red wine (optional, but replace with the same amount of stock if not using wine)
750ml Beef stock
3 Tbsps Plain flour
25 Grams Butter
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Tomato purée
1 Tbsp Dried thyme
Salt and pepper
Cook vegetables and tomato puree before adding red wine
Method
Add the flour, salt and pepper to a plate and mix. Toss the chunks of venison in the seasoned flour
In an oven proof dish heat the oil and butter. Cook small batches of the venison chunks being careful not to overcrowd the pan so that the are sealed
Remove the venison and set to one side. Add all the vegetables (I like to keep them chunky) and tomato puree for 5 minutes stirring occasionally
Add the wine and cook for a further 5 minutes to allow the alcohol to burn off. Stir well to deglaze the pan, then add the thyme and beef stock cover with a lid and move to oven (this can be cook stove top, but I think then gives a more even heat)
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees, and cook for one and a half to two hours until the meat and vegetables are tender
I tried these out these because I misjudged the amount of rice pudding I was making (in my never ending quest to use up things that have hanging around my cupboards).
The up shot is that I had a big load of rice pudding that I didn’t want to throw away so I came up with these as a way of using it up. Turns out pretty much any type of fried carb is delicious. These also make a lovely dessert for anyone who needs a gluten free option. Yes, they might be a bit of work but you can make the rice pudding ahead of time. I would class this as weekend cooking.
Getting ready to coat the rice balls, cornflour, then egg, then rice crispies.
Just like making the savoury version, the rice needs to be cold. I tried a couple of different versions with different centres. If you’re a chocolate lover, I tried one’s with a chocolate button in the middle which were really good. However, for my favourite ones I added a teaspoon of jam for the centre, but feel free to experiment with other fillings.
Ingredients
For the rice pudding
200 Grams Pudding Rice
500ml Milk
300ml Condensed milk
For the coating
2-3 Tbsps Corn flour
1-2 Eggs (beaten)
150 Grams Rice crispies or puffed rice (put in a plastic bag and scrunch up to crush the cereal into finer pieces, but not dust)
Oil for frying.
Method
Add the rice, milk and condensed milk to a pot with a lid. Bring up to just before boiling point, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Stir regularly to prevent sticking, cook until soft (the rice I used took just over an hour, but other brands of rice may not take that long. Depending on the rice you use you may need to add more milk/water, but the pudding should be pretty thick
When your rice is cooked, you can enjoy some rice pudding right away. The rest of it should be allowed to cool before transferring to an air tight container and refrigerate (ideally overnight, but at least for a couple of hours)
Take a large tablespoon of chilled rice pudding and flatten in the palm of your hand. Add whatever filling you are using to the centre of the mix and form the rice around it until you make a ball (wetting your hands stops the rice sticking to them)
When you have finished making all the balls, place on a plate and refrigerate for an hour to allow them to set
To prepare the balls, first of all heat your oil (I don’t know the exact temperature to tell you, but my go way to check the temperature is to drop in a cube of bread if it start frying right away you’re probably good to go. Be careful the oil doesn’t get too hot or else the centre of the rice ball will be cold)
In separate dishes, lay out the cornflour, egg and crushed rice crispies
Roll each ball in first the cornflour, then the egg and finally in the rice crispies.
Add to the oil in batches and fry until golden brown (don’t be tempted to cook too many at one time). These are gorgeous served with vanilla ice cream.
Some ingredients are just made to go together and pears and almonds are two of the them.
I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with pears. When they are perfect they’re hard to beat. The only issue is that they are like granite and inedible, and then turn to mush within about 20 minutes. They are the ultimate passive aggressive fruit!
Frangipane filling
This recipe is great for using pears that are too hard to eat if you can’t be bothered with the game of chicken involved in waiting for pears to ripen.
This is a pretty rich recipe, but isn’t meant to be eaten every day and looks really impressive if you’re cooking for friends.
It’s important to blind bake the pastry case first
You can make the pastry case and the frangipane filling in advance, which means you can have more time with your guests. You could even use shop bought pastry if you don’t have time (home made is better though). This is really good on it’s own but a little fresh cream or ice cream also doesn’t hurt if you want to be properly indulgent.
Yummy with ice cream
Ingredients
For the pastry case
200 Grams Plain flour
100 Grams Butter (chilled and cut into small cubes)
1 Tbsp Caster sugar
1 Egg yolk
For the frangipane filling
115 Grams Butter (at room temperature)
115 Grams Caster sugar
115 Grams Ground almonds
1 Tsp Vanilla extract (optional)
2 Eggs
2 Large pears
Method
In a food processor add the flour, sugar, and butter. Whizz until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs (you can run the butter and flour in together by hand if you prefer)
Add the egg yolk and a small amount of cold water and whizz again until the mix starts to come together. Start to press the mix together to form a dough, adding a small amount of cold water if necessary. Form into a ball, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes
Grease a 9in x 9 in loose bottemed flan tin. When the pastry has chilled, place on a floured surface, and roll out in a circle approximately 1/2 cm thick.
Lay into you prepare flan tin making sure that it’s pressed into the edges. Place a sheet of baking paper on top and baking beans (I use old dried rice) to weigh down the pastry and blind bake in an oven pre heated to 180 degrees. Bake for 15 minutes before taking the case out if the oven, carefully lift the the baking paper by the 4 corners taking care not to spill any of the baking beans/rice onto the pastry case.
Return the pastry case to the oven and bake for a further 10 minutes before removing from the oven and allowing to cool
To make the filling, add the butter and sugar to a bowl and mix with an electric whisk until light and creamy. Add the vanilla, almonds and eggs and beat in until combined
Peel, core and quarter the pears, before cutting into slices about 1cm thick
Spread the almond mixture into the pastry case. Arrange quarter of the pear so the narrow part is towards the centre of the tin and wider part is towards the outside work as quickly as you can to prevent the pear discolouring
Once you have arranged the pears, return the flan tin to 180 degree oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until the centre is just starting to set (it will continue to cook as it cools). Allow to cool in the tin for another 15 minutes before attempting to cut.
Yep, we’re in bloody lockdown again and we’re all trying to limit how much we go out.
With this in mind, like last time I decided to have a look and use up food I already had at home. I first made this type of chilli years ago when I was a flat broke student. My Mum would sometimes send me home with a bag of tinned food. I came up with this version of chilli and it’s surprisingly flavoursome.
I know most people wouldn’t use corned beef in a chilli, but it works well. If you don’t want to use baked beans you can use whichever beans you like, just maybe add some vegetable stock to loosen up the mix. This is also a good dish to use up any vegetables that have been hanging around your fridge or freezer for a while.
It’s cold and miserable outside and while I’ll admit it’s not fine dining it’s quick, cheap and proper comfort food. This goes well with rice, or pasta, in a baked potato or with garlic bread.
Ingredients
340 Gram Tin of corned beef (cut into cubes)
500 Gram Carton of passata (or a tin of chopped tomatoes)
410 Gram Tin of baked beans
1 Tbsp Oil
1 Tbsp Tomato purée
1 Onion (chopped fairly finely)
1 Carrot (grated)
1 Red pepper (cut into 1 cm chunks)
1 Tsp salt
1 Tsp Ground cumin
1 Tsp Chilli powder
1 Tsp Ground coriander
3 cloves of garlic
Method
Heat your oil in a large flat bottom pan. Fry the carrot, pepper, and onion over a medium heat until the the onion becomes translucent
Add the garlic, spices, tomato puree and corned beef, and stir through the vegetables and cook for 5 minutes until the corned beef starts to break down.
Stir in the passata, and baked beans, mixing well. Cook over a medium heat for a further 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking
Serve with your favourite carbs. This keeps in the fridge for 3-4 days
This is another recipe scalped from one of the Great British Bake Off cook books.
I have included the original recipe, but you can change it up. I’ve tried using different fruit like pears or raspberries and it was delicious. You can also add some nuts to the topping for some added crunch, or a teaspoon of cinnamon in the base mix for an extra kick of flavour.
These keep for 3-4 days in an airtight tin
Ingredients
For the topping
50 Grams Porridge oats
50 Grams Caster sugar
50 Grams Plain flour
50 Grams Butter (cut into small cubes)
For the base
250 Grams Plain flour
25 Grams Porridge oats
175 Grams Caster sugar
2 Tsp Baking powder
Zest of 1 Lemon (finely grated)
150 Grams Butter
2 Eggs
100 ml Milk
1 Large eating Apple (peeled, cored and cut into 1.5 cm chunks)
Method
Preheat your oven to 190 degrees, and line a muffin tin with paper muffin cases
In a bowl, add all the crumble ingredients, rubbing in the butter until all the ingredients are combined. Set to one side
In a separate bowl, add the flour, oats, baking powder and lemon zest and mix to combine (dry mix)
Gently melt the butter (either in a pot or the microwave), and allow to cool slightly. In a small bowl beat the eggs and milk together and then add the melted butter (wet mix)
Add the wet mix to the dry mix and stir gently until just combined
Spoon the base mix equally into the muffin cases. Top the muffins with the cubes of apple, and then add the crumble topping (try make sure there is an equal amount of apple and crumble mix on each muffin
Bake for 30-35 minutes and allow to cool on a wire wrack (although these taste fantastic when they’re still warm)
I really enjoy coming up with my own recipes. But, sometimes I just want to make something that I know will turn out well and taste delicious.
For these Blondies I’ve used a recipe featured one of the Great British Bake Off cook books. I don’t know who the contestant was who came up with these beauties, but they taste fantastic.
Ingredients
175 Grams White chocolate
150 Grams Pecans
115 Grams Butter
100 Grams Caster Sugar
2 Eggs
1/2 Tsp Vanilla extract
125 Grams Plain flour
1/2 Tsp Baking powder
Method
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees, and line a 9in x 9in brownie tin with grease proof paper
Cut the butter and chocolate into chunks and add to a heat proof bowl. Put the bowl over a pot of warm water and stir until melted
Add the sugar, (it might look curdled but don’t panic). Allow to cool.
While the chocolate mix is cooling, put the eggs and vanilla in a separate bowl and beat with a fork until frothy, and stir in to the cooled chocolate mix
Sift the flour and baking powder together and mix into the chocolate mix along with 100 grams on the pecans
Transfer the mix to your baking tin and top with the remaining pecans
Bake for 25 minutes, allow to cool in the tin
These should stay fresh for 3-4 days in an airtight tin
I think we’ve established I love a galette. What’s better than a galette, a galette with my two other great loves cheese and mushrooms.
This is definately a pure filth recipe, yes it’s rich but it’s not the type of thing you’re going to make every day.
Don’t be tempted to fry too many mushrooms at once, and don’t move them about too much
When cooking for vegetarians I often feel bad that the main course can look a bit lacklustre. This looks good when you bring it to the table and tastes amazing.
Cover the top of your cheese sauce with cling film so it does not form a skin
If you are making this, it’s really important that the filling is totally cold before you assemble the galette (otherwise you’ll end up with pastry that will melt and be impossible to handle).
Add the cold cheese sauce and mushrooms to the centre of the pastry, leaving a 3-4 cm border
The good thing is that if you are making this for a special occasion you can prepare all the elements in advance and assemble the elements just before baking.
Brush the pastry with egg yolk, and sprinkle grated cheese over the mushrooms
Ingredients
For the pastry
200 Grams Plain flour
100 Grams Butter
1 Egg yolk
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Cayenne pepper (optional)
Additional egg yolk to brush the galette with before baking
For the filling
500 Grams Mushrooms (sliced)
25 Grams Butter
1 Tbsp Olive oil
Salt and pepper
25 Grams Grated cheese
Cheese Sauce
25 Grams Butter
25 Grams Plain flour
250ml Milk
25 Grams Grated cheese (I used Cheddar but you can use other cheeses)
Method
To make the pastry, and the flour, butter, salt, egg yolk and Cayenne to a food processor and whizz until the mix resembles breadcrumbs
Gradually add some small amounts of very cold water until the mix starts to come together
Turn the mix onto a floured surface and form into a ball before wrapping in cling film and chilling for at least 30 minutes
For the cheese filling, melt the butter over an even heat and stir in the flour to create a soft paste
Add the milk and stir continuously until the paste in combined and the sauce starts to thicken.
Cook over a low heat stirring regularly for another 10 minutes until the sauce no longer tastes floury. Stir in the cheese, once it has melted remove from the heat and place a sheet of cling film on the surface to stop a skin forming
In a large frying pan’ heat the oil and butter together, and half the mushrooms (if you add all the mushrooms in one go they steam not fry). One of the best pieces of advice I ever received from a chef is not to stir mushrooms too often, as it makes them release water which makes them soggy. So fry for 5 minutes each side without stirring too much, set to one side and allow to cool
Roll out the pastry on a floured surface in a circle that is about 1cm thick. Transfer to a sheet of baking paper and place on a baking sheet
Spread the thick cheese sauce in the centre of the pastry leaving a 3-4cm border around the edge of the pastry
Place the fried mushrooms on top of the cheese sauce. Brush edges of the pastry with the remaining egg yolk and pleating the edges inward
Brush the outside of the galette with egg yolk and sprinkle grated cheese over the top of the mushrooms
