Cheese and Onion Tear and Share Bread

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Serves 8

500 Grams Strong White (bread) Flour

1 Sachet dried yeast

350Mil Luke warm water

1 1/2 Tsp Salt

1 Onion (cut in half and finely sliced)

125 Grams Grated Cheese (I used 100 Grams of mature cheddar and 25 Grams of parmasan, but use any combination you have)

1 Tsp dried Thyme

Black pepper

1 Tsp Oil

  • Stir the yeast into the luke warm water
  • Add the salt and flour to a large bowl before pouring in the yeast mix and mixing well until it forms a dough
  • If you have a mixer with a dough hook, mix for 5 minutes.  If you don’t, turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes
  • Transfer the dough back to a bowl that has been wiped with a little oil. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and and prove for 1 hour
  • When the dough has proved, uncover and hit it a punch to knock out the air and then form it into a ball
  • Turn onto a floured surface and with a rolling pin (or wine bottle if you don’t have one) roll out the dough into a rough rectangle 12cm x 24cm
  • Sprinkle the surface with the grated cheese, finely sliced onion, thyme and black pepper
  • Roll the dough into a sausage shape (using the long side of the dough)
  • Cut the dough into 8 equal sized slices
  • Line a spring form baking tin with parchment (scrunch the sheet up first, it makes it easier to spread out)
  • Place the slices of dough into the tin in a circle, cover the tin with a tea towel and prove again for 15 minutes
  • Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius
  • Bake the bread for 35-40 minutes until golden brown
  • Serve while still warm (your kitchen will smell amazing)

No Churn Pistachio and Rose Water Ice Cream

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Making ice-cream without an ice cream maker is a pain, but this recipe is super easy and doesn’t need one (who needs another appliance you’ll only use a couple of times a year clogging up your kitchen).

Ingredients

400 mil Condensed Milk

200 Mil Double (heavy) cream

1 Tsp Rose Water (don’t be tempted add more, trust me this is enough)

50 Grams Pistachios

Pink food colouring (optional)

Method

  • Add the condensed milk and cream to a large bowl and whisk with an electric whisk (or use a stand mixer) until thick and nearly doubled in size
  • Mix the rose water and food colouring if you’re using it, together and whisk in the cream mix
  • With a spatula gently fold in 2/3 of the pistachios
  • Line a 1lb loaf tin with cling film, leaving 6-7cm  hanging over each end
  • Pour the ice cream mix into the loaf tin and sprinkle the top with remaining pistachios (I had some rose petals and sprinkled these across too, because i was feeling fancy)
  • Cover the ice cream with the extra cling film hanging over the ends of the tin.  Freeze for at least 6 hours

Sausage and Courgette/Zucchini Pasta

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Quick, cheap and easy weeknight dinners are the best.

I had forgotten to go food shopping and whisked this up with some sausages that needed to be eaten before their use by date and a big courgette that was hanging about the fridge.

Serves 2

100 Grams Dried pasta (or more or less depending on how hungry you are)

4 Pork sausages (skins removed)

1 Tbsp Olive oil

1 Large courgette (grated and as much water as possible squeezed out of the grated courgettes)

2 Cloves of garlic (finely chopped)

1/2 Tbsp Rosemary (finely chopped)

Salt and pepper

Grated parmasan to serve

Method

  • Cook the pasta as directed on the  packet until al dente
  • Heat the oil in a large pan before adding the sausages.  Break the sausages up with a spatula into small pieces and cook until it starts to brown
  • Add the grated courgette to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  The courgette will start to breakdown becoming creamy, and when this starts to happen add the rosemary, garlic and a ladle full of the starchy water the pasta is cooking in to the frying pan and cook for another 1-2 minutes, the courgettes will have soften into sauce like consistency
  • Drain the cooked pasta, and to the pan, stir into the courgettes and sausages
  • Check the seasoning and add salt and black pepper if you think it needs it.
  • Sprinkle wth parmasan before serving

Coconut and Lentil Enthusiasm Soup

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My sister calls this enthusiasm soup (you throw everything you have at it). Meaning its a great fridge raid soup to make when it’s the week before payday and you have to use what you can find at home.

So feel free to make this your own based on what you have in the fridge/cupboards.  I was feeling kind of  lazy and chopped all the vegetables on a food processer which made this even quicker to make.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp Oil

1 Tsp Cardamon seeds

1 Tsp Nigella seeds (onion seeds)

1 Tsp Ground Ginger

1 Tsp Chilli powder

2 Cloves of garlic

1 Onion

4 Carrots

4 Stalks of celery

400 Mil Can of Coconut milk

1 Vegetable stock cube

50 Grams red lentils

Salt

Method

  • Heat the oil in a large pot, add the nigella and cardamon seeds and cook until they start to pop before adding the finely chopped vegetables to the pot and cook for 2-3 minutes
  • Add the lentils, a stock cube, and the rest of the spices to the pot and stir well.  Add 750 mil of water to the pot and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and cook for 10 minutes.
  • Pour the coconut milk into the pot and stir well, cook for another 10 minutes.  Check the seasoning and add salt if you think it needs it.

Serve with crusty bread

Fifteens

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I’ve never heard of anyone making these outside Northern Ireland (unless that person happened to have a Granny from NI), so I think we can claim these as our own.  Fifteens are delicious as a teatime treat, or with an ice cold glass of milk or a tea/coffee.  They are easy to make, and ideal for little hands to help with it.

The name comes from needing fifteen of most of the ingredients, so it’s really hard to mess up.

These are sweet, but they aren’t for everyday so little it’s all about balance.  Sometimes we need a little indulgence, so go ahead and treat yourself.

Make 15

Ingredients

15 Digestive biscuits (Graham crackers)

15 Marshmallows

15 Glace cherries (if you really hate these, you can experiment with alternatives like Turkish delight or maltesers, go nuts)

150 mls condensed milk (double check you’re buying condensed milk, not evaporated or else these will be totally rank.  I’ve done it before I know, but if you did check out the recipe for gypsy pie which does use evaporated milk)

100gms Desiccated coconut

Makes 15

Method

  1. Put the digestive biscuits in a bag and bash the life out of them with a rolling pin until the crumbs look like rough sand (this is a great stress reliever).  When this is done, put the crumbs into a mixing bowl
  2. Cut marshmallows and glace cherries in half, and add to the digestive biscuit crumbs
  3. Add the condensed milk, it will look like there isn’t enough milk to make the mix come together but trust me.
  4. Put a 12-15 inch piece of cling film on a counter top and sprinkle with the coconut
  5. Sprinkle the 15s mix in a line down the centre of the sheet of cling film, and press the biscuit mix into a log shape, about 10-12 cm long  depending on how wide you want the 15s to be.  Sprinkle the remaining coconut on the top and sides of the log.  When this is done, gather the cling film tightly around the sausage shape making sure it is completely covered.
  6. Refrigerate the log for 2 hours, and then remove the cling film and cut into 2 cm thick slices.  You can cut off as little or as much of the log as you want, and as long as it is covered in the cling film it will live in the fridge quite happily for several days (Although I can promise it won’t last that long)

Islandmagee Witch Trials and Portmuck

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The Witch’s Rock

Who knew that my wee corner of the world had our very own witch trials back in 1711 in Islandmagee, Co, Antrim which echoed the Salem trials.

Attending another fantastic Wild Women of Woods NI event we were treated to the tale of supernatural occurrences, with gender and class politics all coming into the mix, all brilliantly brought to life by Vicky, a local storyteller at the Witch’s Rock.  If you ever want to see it for yourself, its a short hike along the coast from Brown’s Bay.

There’s also a good book by Andrew Sneddon on the subject if you’re interested in finding out more.

We then decamped a few miles to Portmuck, for a swim in the sea and have a BBQ. I know the name isn’t particularly inviting, but it’s a very pretty little bay where kids jump of the dock, paddle boarders can practice in the sheltered bay and its safe to swim.

It’s also the first time I’ve ever came across “The Wee Sauna” a super cute mobile sauna that’s perfect to pop into after a dip in the sea.  It’s there most weekends (season and weather permitting) and can also be hired for private events.

Another visit to a gorgeous spot with some great women, and always very well fed with delicious food.  If you’re interested in attending a Wild Women event you can find them on Facebook

Black Olive and Chilli Focaccia

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I made this as I needed to rage bake as I was totally pissed off.  Belfast has had far right knuckle draggers riot over the weekend and destroyed businesses owned by people who immigrated here for no other reason than the colour of their skin.  For the record, if you don’t know Belfast this is a tiny minority of fuckwits (many of whom had travelled here to start shit) and while these morons were destroying people’s livelihoods we also had the Feile (brilliant festival) with 10,000 people partying happily at an 80s-90s concert where everyone was welcome.

So at the weekends when you have a little bit more free time, make this and it takes time to prove while you get on with all those mundane tasks that steal your free time (yes laundry, I’m giving you serious side eye).  But hey, at least you have delicious freshly baked focaccia at the end of it all).

Ingredients

500 Grams Strong white flour

7 Grams Dried yeast

1 Tsp Salt

300-400 Mil Luke warm water

100 Grams Black Olives (well drained if in brine)

1 Large chilli pepper (sliced in 1/2 cm slices)

4-5 Tbsp Olive oil

Method

  • 1. Mix your yeast with 300ml of luke warm water and set to one side while you measure out the flour and add it to a large bowl
  • 2. Add a teaspoon of salt to one side of the (this will stop it coming into direct contact with the yeast and killing it). Make a well in the centre of the flour, add two tablespoons of olive oil and the water and yeast mix.
  • 3. Mix well, you may need to add more water, your dough should be quite soft and sticky, but not super wet
  • 4. Turn your dough onto a floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes. If you have a mixer with a dough hook you can also use this, but I enjoy kneading the bread
  • 5. Clean the bowl you were using, (I always give the bowl a quick wipe with a little oil to stop your dough sticking). Put your dough back in the bowl and cover with a tea towel and prove for one hour
  • 6. Grease an 8 x 12 inch tin with some olive oil and transfer the dough from the bowl to the tin. Stretch the dough out to fill the tin. Cover with a tea towel again and prove for 45 minutes
  • 7. Pre-heat your oven to 220 degree (Celsius). Remove the tea towel from your baking tin, and with your finger tips press little dimples into the dough. Gently press the olives and chilli slices into the dough
  • 8. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of olive oil across the top of the dough.
  • 9. Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown. Allow to cool in the tin for 10-15 minutes

Creamy Lemon Spaghetti

Seaneen's Sunnyside Kitchen1 Comment

Everyone needs a couple of different quick and easy pasta recipes.

This is great for lunch, or if you want it for dinner you can add some prawns or cooked chicken to make it more substantial

Serves 2

200 Grams Dried Spaghetti or other pasta (you can increase/decrease depending on how hungry you are)

1 Lemon (zest and juice)

1 Clove of garlic (finely chopped)

Salt and pepper

50 Mil Double/heavy cream

Knob of butter or tablespoon of olive oil

1 Tbsp Chopped herbs (I used basil, but parsley or tarragon also works well)

Grated parmasan to serve (optional)

Method

  • Fill a large pot with boiling salted water and cook your pasta according to the instructions on the packet
  • In a large pan, heat the butter/oil and gently fry the garlic making sure not to let it brown
  • Add the lemon juice and zest to the pan and cook over a gentle heat for 1 minute, add the cream and increase the heat until the cream starts to reduce
  • Take a ladle full of the water the pasta is cooking in and add it to the sauce (the starchiness in the water will help the sauce stick to the pasta), continue cooking until you are happy with the thickness of the sauce
  • Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce along with the chopped herbs and stir well.  Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper if you think it needs it
  • Transfer to plates and sprinkle with grated cheese

Easy Apple Chutney and Camembert Crostini

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Like most cooks I hate food waste.  So the sad looking bag of apples that was getting past their best got turned into an easy and delicious chutney.

If you’re serious about chutney and want to make a massive batch I would recommend sterilising your jars beforehand and this should ensure the chutney can last for months.  I was only making a small batch, so its fine to keep in the fridge for 4-5 days.

This is amazingly versatile.  I just used it on crostini because i was having people over and I wanted to make something a little boujie, but it will also turn a bog standard ham or cheese sandwich into something super yummy.  I’ve even used it on cheese burgers and it was incredibly tasty.  If you’re making the crostini, try to make the chutney the day before, it will give it time to cool, let the flavour develop and saves you time, you can then spend with your guests.

Ingredients

For the chutney

3-4 Dessert apples (peeled, cored, and cut into 2cm chunks)

1 Small red onion (finely sliced)

75 Grams Brown sugar (you might need a little bit more or little less depending on on how sweet/tart your apples are)

125Mil Cider vinegar

1/2 Tsp salt

1/2 Ground cumin

1 Tsp Ground ginger

For the crostini

  1 French baguette (cut into fine slices)

1 Tbsp Oil

1 Clove of garlic

125 Grams Camembert or brie

Method

For the chutney

  • Place all the ingredients in a large pot and bring to the boil
  • Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cooked for 30 mins before checking the seasoning and see if want tweak anything
  • Allow to cool and store in tje fridge for 4-5 days.  See, I told you it was really easy
  • For the crostini
  • Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius
  • Brush the slices of baguette with the oil and place on a baking tray, bake for 10 minutes or until they golden brown.  Allow them cool, and you can even do this the day before and store them in an air tight container if you don’t want to be running around at the last minute)
  • To make the crostini, simply spread the toasted baguette slices with apple chutney and top with a slices of cheese

Devils on Horseback

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I love the names of some dishes and make them just because they sound cool, this is one of them.  I also love the sweet, salty little nuggets of deliciousness that these are with a frosty beverage.

Super simple to make and only 3 ingredients, these are cool little one bite canapes if you’re having friends round.  Essentially these are stoned prunes wrapped in bacon, but you can substitute the prunes for dates if you prefer.

If you’re feeling super fancy you could make Angels on Horseback.  These are oysters wrapped in bacon.

Ingredients

12 Prunes (stones removed)

6 Rashers of smoked streaky bacon (cut in half)

A little oil for brushing

Cocktail sticks

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius
  • On a chopping board cut the slices of bacon in half and run the back of your knife along each slice to flatten it out
  • Place a prune at the top of each slice and roll the bacon arond the prune and secure with a cocktail stick
  • When you have wrapped all the prunes in bacon, place on w backing sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes until the bacon is brown and crispy
  • Serve immediately