In My Kitchen: April 2020

My Kitchen like many people around the country is very quiet in relation to new ingredients and shiny new things, so I am going to share some things purchased a little while back, early last month, as well as what I have been cooking whilst in quarantine. 

I have had this Bumble Bee Beeswax Sandwich Wraps this in my kitchen cupboards since September, I have plans to have a go at making some of my own at home and hope to share it with you next month. Its been something that I have been wanting to do for a long while.

Easy bake bread yeast is so hard to come by now, so I was glad that my niece found some at a supermarket in her town and sent me some. 

I was grateful as we have been able to make bread at home, please don't be that impressed - the Bread maker machine is doing most of the work. We didn't have to purchase any bread flour as we had a sack load still from last year.  I think I have said before we have always been in the habit of doing a big bulk shop (tinned tomatoes, dried beans, lentils, grains, as well as flours) in the long-run its often works out much cheaper for us, but also the fact that we don't really like supermarket shopping. So I am both thankful and feel privileged to be in a position to do that. 

D picked up these oranges early March before quarantine, but in true D style its me that ends up having to find ways of using them.  I have made Orange Ginger Apple Loaf Cake and have plans to make a Orange and Caraway Madeira Loaf tomorrow. 

We also have a load of sweet potatoes and I have been making lots of dishes with them such as   Double Potato and Pepper Curry with Chickpeas  and this Sweet Potato, Sweetcorn and Red Pepper Soup - I will share the recipe tomorrow. 

I also have a stash of dried beans, such as blackeye peas and have made Sweet Potato and Blackeye Bean Soup, as well as this Creole Hoppin' Rice dish (below).

Pasta is hard to get at the moment, not that I am desperate for it at home, but the last time I went to the supermarket with D which was mid March, this was the only pasta left on the shelf.

Other than the unrecyclable packaging, I am not complaining at the spinach farfalle at all, but obviously it did not appeal to other people. I picked up two.

This Sage Derby Cheese which now seems like a luxury cheese under the circumstances was finished off last month in a Sage Green and Lettuce Quiche.

One of the neighbours gave us some freshly laid chicken eggs, so I have made Cheese Quiche more than once in the last three weeks.  If you look closer, it looks like there is meat in this - but it's actually leftover Quorn Roast.  This Golden Cheese and Mock Ham Quiche was really nice to eat on the first day, but I must admit, I wasn't keen on the mock ham filling the following day. 

I  am sharing this blog post with Sherry's Pickings for the In My Kitchen series, I look forward to seeing what you have in your kitchen cupboards in these quarantine days. 

Golden October In My Kitchen

Well its Orange October, but its looking more gold, bronze and wood colours in my kitchen.  

Before I share some things in my kitchen, I want to say that October perhaps is my favourite month, as its my husbands birthday in a couple of weeks time and our wedding Anniversary.  I found this birthday card that I gave him last year and couldn't resist sharing it with you all, especially as he loves growing his tomatoes. Every year I grow to love him more. I am going to find it hard to find a card to top this one. 

Last month in IMK, I send out my Thanks to Kath who blogs over at The Ordinary Cook. who sent me some sourdough starter through the post including a recipe booklet that I was able to start learning to make sourdough bread at home.  Kath also runs cookery and bakery classes under Veg Patch Kitchen  in Ironbridge, rural Shropshire.  Although I have not had the opportunity to attend one of her classes yet, it is still thanks to her that I was able to experiment and bake!

I was off last week from work, we didn't go anywhere, so I decided to practice every other day making  sourdough - you know what they say - practice, practice, practice. The crust was light and could have been baked a little longer

And even though there were air pockets inside, it was still a little dense, so it needed proving a bit more. Every time, I learned a bit more on how to improve.  I think I made five sourdough loaves last week.  I think I have this very weekend (see below) made the first sourdough loaf that I am pleased with in golden bake, air bubbles, lightness and taste.

I am thanking both Kath for the sourdough starter and Johanna who blogs over at Green Gourmet Giraffe whose overnight sourdough recipe I have been making. I also feel a lot more confident in maintaining my sourdough starter and feeding it. 

I should mention the edged grooved markings on the sourdough loaf come from my new banneton, which I picked up two weeks ago when we went to Hay on Wye.  

We are enjoying some slices of sourdough bread with mushroom pate, olive pate and a spicy Mexican pate, but also as Pan Con Tomate - Catalan Tomato Bread  or is it  Catalan Pa Amb Tomaquet - bread with tomatoes, whilst we still have some homegrown tomatoes. 

Also on our continued path to reduce plastic in our lives and leading a sustainable life, we picked up this pot brush to replace plastic scrubbies.  

Zucchini and Cheese Bread

This is not bread 'bread'.  It is not one that is kneaded.  

It is more cake form but even then its not a cake, its a savoury loaf.

We have had it a few times, over the weekend and then twice in the evening, early on in the working week as a light snack in the evening.  It is perfect as a portable savoury snack too. 

vegan Cream Cheese and Kimchi Sausage aka Kimcheese Bagel

One of the most popular ways to eat Kimchi is in a Grilled Cheese Toastie.  I've enjoyed eating Kimchi this way a couple of times, but I also enjoy eating it in bagels as I always seem to find bagels in my bread bin, thanks to my husband. 

I decided to make Kimchi Sausage Cream Cheese Bagels which I have pretentiously dubbed as Kimcheese Bagels.  If you don't want to use cream cheese, you can substitute it with a more melty cheese like Cheddar, then I would definitely recommending grilling it. 

This Kimcheese Bagel made for a satisfying snack in between housework and other things.  I am sharing this Kincheese Bagel with Soups, Salads and Sammies hosted by Kahakai Kitchen 

Mango, Pineapple and Coconut Irish Soda Bread

What is it with the British weather?!  I had plans for finishing weeding and digging up the garden, so that I could get started with some planting and growing, but the weather which has turned from being dry to drizzle in the last two days. So everything is on hold again.  

I am still recovering from being a bit unwell, so do not wish to venture very far especially in the rain, though we did drive into Abergavenny yesterday and spend a few hours there in the town centre. On the way back home, we stopped at The Secret Garden, a family run garden centre.  We did come home with some flowers, tomato plants and a bird feeder holder.  

Last week, my mother bestowed upon me some fresh mangoes from Sri Lanka, but while I was nestling them in my hands thinking of what to do with them, I was reminded of some dried mango and dried pineapple that I had in my cupboard.  So instead of using the fresh mango, I used the dried fruit for my Irish Soda Bread.  This was perhaps one of my favourite Soda Breads, even D enjoyed what he had.  He regretted not eating much of it as he was still recovering from being unwell.

So what became of the mangoes, they were enjoyed au naturale - all it sweet juices sucked straight from the mango, and squished to softness with my fingers to push out all its succulent golden fruit.  I am sharing this with Utterly Scrummy Food For Families who is hosting Bready Steady Go.  the theme is with bits in, next month the host will be Jen's Food. 

Matcha - Green Tea Irish Soda Bread

I am afraid the next few posts, like the previous one may be very green.

With St Patrick's Day a few days away, I am even more inspired. 

To be absolutely honest, I was prompted and inspired to make an Irish soda bread a few weeks back, when an Irish colleague at work started raving about Irish Soda Bread.  She spoke about it with so much passion that it reminded me of how much I actually liked Irish soda bread, but also how easy it was to make.  I have made many variations in the past, with dried fruit, fresh fruit like summer berries, with bananas, nuts and cheese. 

A month or so back, I found a tub of matcha  - green tea powder that I had picked up from a Oriental supermarket a year back and decided to include that in my Irish soda bread recipe.  Yes, I know I could have just used a bit of green food colouring, (rather than this expensive powder ) but I was curious to try it out in a sweet bread, as I've seen Matcha used in chocolate eclairs, cupcakes, cheesecakes and lattes (vegan and dairy versions).  

When the Matcha Sweet Soda Bread came out of the oven, it seemed to have lost its green colouring, but when we sliced into it, we could see a shade of green-ness.  Its not in your face kind of green, but a light gentle soothing green.  We spread a little butter on top and ate it warm, it was quite nice.  I am sharing a slice of this Soda Bread to Caroline Makes and  More Than Occasional Baker for Alphabakes.  The theme this month is the letter S (for Soda Bread).  I am also sharing it with Eat Your Veg and Bangers and Mash for March edition of Family Foodies event: the theme is Let's Go Baking.  

Beetroot Brazil Nut Roast

The  last curly kale polenta wedges were consumed yesterday morning for breakfast. So in the next few days a slice or two of this Beetroot Brazil Nut Roast will grace our plates.  

Its been a long while since I've made nut roast, well when I think of it - it was last year around Christmas time, still that is a while ago.  With the season changing, well it makes sense for a vegetarian who wants more texture and bite on the plate.

Spiced Cabbage Flatbreads

The shredded Sweetheart Cabbage in these flatbreads, originally started off as a topping for a rustic wintry pizza.  Then for no apparent reason it evolved into a stuffed flatbread.  These spicy stuffed flatbreads are not that dissimilar from the South Asian stuffed Paratha, except these are much more healthier as they are not laden with butter.

The sweet spicy flavours contrasted wonderfully with the slight bitter undertones of the cabbage. These are best eaten in your hands, the way you would a hand pie such as a pastry, or even a sandwich.

Spiced Cabbage Flatbreads
Serves 6 – 8
For the dough
260g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for frying
1 teaspoon salt
225ml water
For the spicy cabbage filling
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 generous teaspoon cumin, ground
1 teaspoon coriander, ground
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
Small green cabbage, core removed and sliced (I used Sweetheart cabbage)
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
For the dough: mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl (not you may not need all the water) and knead for 10 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave to rest for 1 hour.
For the filling: Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the garlic and spices and fry for a few seconds, then add in the shredded cabbage and season to taste. Put the lid on and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently until the cabbage is tender. Turn off and set aside to cool.
Divide the dough into 6 or 8 balls. Lightly flour a work surface and roll each ball.

Spread some of the cabbage mixture on half the dough, then fold over the over half to enclose the filling. Run your rolling pin over the top a few times to flatten and seal the edges. Layer the flatbreads on sheets of baking paper, so that they don’t stick together. You can put them in the fridge for cooking later if you wish. To cook the flatbreads, heat a little olive oil in a large frying pan until hot. 

Add one flatbread at a time and fry until golden brown on each side. Keep the cooked flatbreads warm in  the oven while you cook the rest.

Slice and eat immediately.

Wild Garlic Roti

I mentioned in my Wild Garlic Salan blog post that I had made some Wild Garlic Roti, but hadn't for whatever reason got round to taking a photograph of it.  This time I made sure I did, so here are some warm home-made Wild Garlic Roti's.  I am hoping to make some Wild Garlic Parathas stuffed with spicy wild garlic and potato mash.  Oh I can already imagine it already: flaky, buttery and wonderfully spiced, but one step at a time.  

There have not been that many culinary occasions in my life where I have been invited to eat with my fingers, but when there is roti aka chapatti; even the naan bread or paratha on the table, I know that I happily can.  Here I enjoyed it with Wild Garlic Channa Dal.

 Scooping in and then

 Scooping out - the torn piece of roti acts like a edible spoon.

Wild Garlic Roti
Makes 4 - 6
Ingredients
250g chappati flour
25g - 30g wild garlic leaves, washed and minced
Luke warm water
Method
Tip the flour and the minced wild garlic leaves into a bowl, then make a well in the centre of the flour, add a little cold water at a time and knead until combined and smooth. Form the dough into a ball and leave to rest for 15 - 30 minutes and cover.
When ready to cook, divide into four - six equal parts and shape into small balls.  Roll out the dough to a thickness of about ¼ inch.
Heat the tava, griddle pan or a wide non stick frying pan and cook until both sides are brown.
Serve as an accompaniment to an South Asian meal.

No Knead Wild Garlic Focaccia

I'm not very adept at making bread from scratch.  My efforts often mean measuring flour, yeast, salt and water and then adding it to my bread maker to do all the muscle work.  This is not to suggest that I've never made bread from scratch, I have a kneaded dough a few times and have enjoyed the results immensely.  Homemade bread is so much more superior from supermarket brands.  Sadly though I just don't have the patience of waiting for the dough to rise; then whilst reading a fellow bloggers blog I was reminded of focaccia and how simple it was to make.

I've made focaccia bread once in my life.  I remember topping it with sundreid tomatoes and sliced black olives, it was delicious.  So with all this foraged wild garlic stinking up my flat, it occurred to me to incorporate some into the focaccia recipe.  It was lovely, the wild garlic infused the bread wonderfully.   

The original recipe for No Knead Focaccia comes from Laura at My Seasonal Food Blog.  I've adapted it a little.  First I've reduced the quantity as her quantities serve a family; secondly I've added wild garlic to the dough. 
No Knead Wild Garlic Focaccia
Serves 3 - 4
Ingredients
265g bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry active yeast
225ml luke warm water (you may not need to use it all)
A few leaves of wild garlic, washed and minced
Olive oil
For the topping: sea salt and wild garlic, washed and shredded
Method
In a large bowl, stir flour, salt and yeast together until well combined.  Add minced wild garlic and warm water and stir well until a sticky dough is formed. Let rise, covered, in a warm place for about 45 minutes to an hour.
Preheat oven to Gas mark 8. Lightly oil baking pan and then add the dough to it and using your fingertips stretch the dough to fit the baking tin.  Drizzle the dough with olive oil, evenly scatter over the sea salt and shredded wild garlic.  Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.  Serve immediately.

Homemade crumpets

I've made my first batch of crumpets ever and I was most pleased with the results. I'm finding it hard to describe the Crumpet. Its a doughy, round and yeasty pancake; or soft spongy cake. Crumpets are traditionally cooked on a flat top griddle. The creamy batter is gently ladled into ring moulds, and whilst being slowly cooked the crumpets develop its distinct porous texture. For me watching these tiny bubbles appear and burst was quite amazing to witness. My mother has a fondness for crumpets. When I was a child, I remember her always bringing some home with her from her supermarket shop. I never quite understood her liking for them, as I found them bland, stodgy, bouncy and spongy. My mother would simply toast them under the griddle, spread them with a little butter and enjoy. I think I may have appreciated them more had they been pasted with something a little more exciting than just butter. Perhaps some berry jam, peanut butter, golden syrup, honey, even chocolate. Just imagine that melted chocolate being sucked up into those yeasty nooks and crannies. Well, I may not have had an appreciation for the crumpet then, but now I do. Forget about butter, chocolate and jam though. I enjoyed some this morning with Melon Chilli Jelly - how posh am I?! Well I have to start making a dent in all those homemade preserves, jams and jellies. Oh I don't want to mislead you, these crumpets do take a little while to make. First the batter, which you will have to rest for a few hours or so, and then the making/cooking of them is a slow, but rather calming process. I was in the kitchen a good hour, but I had nowhere to rush. Homemade Crumpets Makes 12 Ingredients 450g plain white flour 350ml warm milk 350ml warm water 5g powdered dried yeast 10g salt 1 tsp baking powder A little sunflower or vegetable oil Method In a bowl, whisk the flour, milk, water and yeast into a rather runny batter the consistency of single cream. Cover with cling-film and leave for an hour until really bubbly (or three to four hours, if need be). Heat a heavy-based frying pan or flat griddle over a medium-high heat. Whisk the salt and baking powder into the batter. Lightly grease the crumpet rings and pan. Put one ring in the pan, fill to just below the top – the batter should stay in the ring and lots of holes should appear on the surface after a minute or two. (According to Hugh, if it dribbles out underneath, it is too thin, so whisk a little more flour into your batter mix. If lots of holes don't form, it's too thick, so whisk in some water.) Assuming your test crumpet is OK, after five minutes or so, when the surface is just set, flip it over, ring and all. (If the cooked base seems too dark, turn down the heat.) Cook for two to three minutes, until golden on the other side. Repeat with the remaining batter in batches. Butter and eat at once, or cool on a wire rack for toasting later. Original recipe from the Guardian. For a vegan version of crumpets, please check out Emma's adaptation on her blog Vegan Food for the Hungry Student.

Eggnog and Pineapple Loaf

My first Christmas with Ds parents saw me introduced to shockingly yellow drink known as eggnog. It was served to me with lemonade and looked like banana milkshake laced with cinnamon and nutmeg. I actually didn’t mind it at first, but after my third glass I was sick of its heavy silky texture. Eggnog is a sweetened dairy-based beverage traditionally made with milk, sugar and beaten eggs. I have also seen a number of vegan alternatives recipes to eggnog. Eggnog is a popular drink throughout the States and Canada, and is usually associated with winter celebrations. As such the one time I see this turmeric yellow bottle is around the Christmas festivities.

D had a craving for some eggnog on Christmas day, hence the bottle in our home. So after he had satisfied himself with a couple of glasses, I was left with an on open bottle. Once opened, eggnog is one of those drinks that does not keep well and has to be consumed, or thrown away. As someone who does not like to waste, I set about finding recipes to use it up as there was no way I could drink more bubbly eggnog.

I have often seen eggnog used as a flavouring for both drinks and baked goods such as eggnog scones, eggnog ice-cream and eggnog coffee, but I settled on the idea of making an eggnog loaf studded with golden pineapple chunks. I did not go out of my way to purchase a can of pineapple rings for the recipe. I actually stumbled upon a can whilst hunting for the tinned pureed chestnuts for the soup. (I also found a can of water chestnuts and mango puree). So for me this was the right recipe to make.

On first bite, the eggnog and pineapple loaf reminded me of a cake my father would often bring home for his children known in the U.K as Iced Squares, also known in some parts as Iced Custard slice. D said this loaf had a touch of Madeira cake about it too. It was really nice, moist and light.

So if you have a open bottle of eggnog that is unlikely to be drunk in the next few days, please do give this Eggnog loaf a go. You can substitute the pineapple chunks for fat juicy raisins, and the nuts with walnut if you wish.

This is a moist loaf and is best made a day in advance.
Eggnog and Pineapple Loaf
Makes 2 loaves
Ingredients
450g self raising flour
110g caster sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 medium egg
200 - 250ml eggnog (that is all I had left in the bottle)
100ml vegetable oil
1 x 432g pineapple in juice, chopped if whole
80g chopped pecans
Method
Preheat oven to Gas mark 4. Grease with oil or line two loaf tins with baking parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, mix the egg, eggnog, oil and pineapple. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until well combined. Gently fold in the pecans.
Pour the batter into the loaf tins. Bake for 50 minutes to an hour or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then remove and cool on a wire baking rack. Recipe slightly Adapted from ‘Tis the Season by Nanette Blanchard.

Scented Lavender Bread

‘Beautiful full heads of blue, mauve, indigo and yes even pink’. Lavender is indeed one of the most elegant and delectable flavours you can use in cooking. I’ve been looking for an excuse to open my jar of my home grown lavender and last week I found it when I stumbled across Vanessa Kimbell’s from Prepped.

Vanessa had an invitation for foodies to get involved and test recipes for the cookbook she is currently writing. I was more than happy to oblige my time and taste buds as a tester. So I wrote to her excited to be part of the development of her book and offered my humble services. I was even excited when it happened to be a recipe using lavender, and then a little nervous when it was a bread recipe. You see, I am not accustomed to giving my upper arms a work out, but it was so worth kneading and stretching. Homemade bread is the best, especially when it comes out looking like this.
The bread wasn't sweet at all, but delicately scented from the infused lavender. I will be making the bread again, so please come back in a weeks time when I’ll be able to share the recipe with you, it just needs a little bit of tweaking.
Updated 5 December 2010. I haven't heard back from Vanessa regarding re-testing the recipe. When I originally tested the recipe, she did say it was okay to post the recipe on my blog as other testers had, so for those of you who have been wanting to give it a go, here it is as it was given to me. I think I know where I may have gone a little wrong with my making of the Lavender Bread recipe, the salt I used was sea salt which dominated the flavour over the lavender.
Lavender Bread
2 tablespoons of culinary grade dried lavender
30 ml of hot milk
750g strong plain white flour
2 tsp salt
75g butter, cut into small pieces
7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
1 tbsp caster sugar
330 ml milk
100 ml hot water - but not boiling
Method
1. Pop the lavender in a cup and heat about 30ml of milk soak the Lavender in the milk for about 15 minutes. In the meantime tip the flour, yeast and salt into a large bowl and mix together with the butter turning it into fine breadcrumbs.
2. Pour the milk into a large measuring jug and stir in the hot water ad the lavender and milk solution. The liquid should be just about hand temperature, as this warmth will help the bread to rise.
3 Mix this until it forms a soft dough that leaves the sides of the bowl clean. Dust your surface with flour, then tip the dough onto it. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes by hand or alternately use a dough hook on your mixer to do the same job. The dough should be stretch y and elastic. Put this into a lightly greased liter tin and over with a clean damp tea towel to rise for about 35 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C/gas 7. Once the dough is risen Bake for 30 minutes, until risen and golden brown. Leave in the tin to cool.
5 Tip it out onto a cooling rack and tap the base of the bread to check it is cooked. It should sound hollow.

‘La fěte du pain’.

Whilst we were in Paris, admiring and posing in front of the magnificent architecture of the Notre Dame, we stumbled upon a ‘La fěte du pain’.
Here young Parisian apprentices, some wearing their gold and silver medals around their necks with pride, demonstrated their skills in bread making, from kneading to lovingly rolling the bread dough into thin sticks or coils to create an elegant design before baking. Look at some of these.

I really loved the variety of bread on offer in Paris, the subtle differences in flavour, the texture and presentation. I understand when some people say they would be ‘more than happy to live of bread and cheese’, if bread and cheese was this good here. I would be a content person. But there are barely any decent independent bakers here, those that are you have to make a special journey into the city and how often is that likely to happen, when you have other things going on in your life.

Although I am competent in the art of ‘basic’ bread making, it is something I easily lose patience with. I have to be in the right frame of mind to make bread from scratch, the kneading and all that waiting around for the dough to rise. Because of my impatience to make bread at home and my dislike for supermarket bread, I made a compromise, I got a breadmaker.

I know, I know I am a little cheat, but it works for me and I am more than happy with it. I would happily advocate the purchase of a good breadmaker to those like me who do not always have the time to make their own bread from scratch.