Black forest cantuccini

Wanted to make a special person a special birthday treat - but GF, and they don't like cake ... so, this was tried, and it was a huge hit.

2 cups GF plain flour
1 cup golden granulated sugar
1 heaped tsp baking powder

3 eggs
3 tbsp cherry liquer (OK, OK cherry B)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp brandy (I used armagnac ... cos it was for a proper treat ... use brandy .. or leave out)

2 cups (mixed together) of:-

toasted hazelnuts - roughly chopped.
dark chocolate chips (or chopped up plain chocolate)
Dried cherries
almonds - roughly chopped

1.  mix dry ingredients together -
2.  add fruit and nuts.  Mix together by lifting into the air and letting drop back into the bowl, so that all the fruit and nuts are separated and coated in the flour and sugar, and evenly distributed through the mix.
3.  Whisk eggs and liquids together.
4.  Mix liquid, bit by bit, into dry ingredients.  The mix might look quite wet ... but bear with it
5.  Turn out onto floured board, and mix together to a soft dough/batter.
6.  Shape into 3 rectangles shapes - put onto baking sheet, lined with baking paper,
7.  Bake for 20 minutes.
8.  Take out of the oven and leave for 15(ish) minutes until cool enough to handle.
9.  Slice into 1/2 (ish) cm pieces.  Lay onto new baking sheets lined with baking paper.
10  Bake again for 15 mins - until golden brown.

Watch out at a bake sale near you - these are definitely worth selling.

Courgette and broccoli spaghetti

Courgette, onions and broccoli at the end of the veg box ... so, here goes:-
 1.  Sautee chopped onion and crushed garlic in olive oil.
2.  When a little softenned add diced courgette, and the broccoli stem, diced.
3.  Add a little water, so that it doesn't get too dry, and a few chili flakes, season.
4.  Make pasta (GF spaghetti in this case) according to packet instructions.
5.  5 minutes from serving add small broccoli florets and juice and zest of half a lemon.
6.  Drain pasta, toss together ... turn of black pepper
7.  Scoff - with, or without parmesan.

Delicious and under 20 mins to make.

Roasted squash with barley groat and vegetables.

Roast squash in olive oil with garlic and red onion.

 

Sautee onion and garlic, peeled and chopped carrots, green beans and sweetcorn (this was kernals taken off the cob), in a little olive oil.  Add water and simmer gently until veg is nearly done - add shredded kale a little vegetable stock and simmer again until done.  Meanwhile boil groats for 15 minutes, drain and mix with the veg.  Season - quite a lot - add some chopped herbs.

 

It's an earthy dinner, very filling and good for you.

Smoked mackeral, beetroot pasta salad with mustard dressing.

Corn on the cob glut in the veg box, and some beetroot cooked already to use up.  So cooked up a bit of pasta with the corn kernals and steam some green beans, flaked some smoked mackeral and toss in dressing.  Serve with some shredded iceberg.  Dressing - crushed garlic, mustard, fresh lemon juice and olive oil - salt and pepper.

Dry curry with potatoes, kale and paneer - with tarka dhal

 It looks, very much like my last entry - which perhaps says something about how tasty this curry is.  Today it was made with kale, with the addition of fried paneer.  Also, I did a tarka dahl ... cos I can - you know.  I wish I had some chapattis either in the cupboard - or had made some ... because they would have finished it off lovely, innit  - but it was delish as it was.   Oh yeas, can I just say - our potatoes and onions :)



So:-

Dry Curry

2 onions, chopped
Rape seed oil
cumin seeds
Mustard seeds
Chili flakes
Crushed garlic
Turmeric
Potatoes
Water
Kale - shredded
Garam massala

Paneer

Dhal

red lentils
rape seed oil
curry leaves
sliced garlic
chopped chili
fennel seeds
crispy fried onions

1.  Sautee onions in rape seed oil, add spices.
2.  Add potatoes, in bite sized pieces, add water and simmer, keep testing for doneness - add more water when necessary.
3.  Fry pieces of paneer in a dry pan - turn when browned, remove form the heat when ready.
4.  When potatoes are nearly done, add shredded kale.
5.  Simmer some more ... sprinkle on garam massala - cook through.

Dhal

1. Boil lentils.
2.  When boiled, fry spice in oil quickly.
3.  Toss cooked spices onto dhal.

Scoff ... delish.

Potato and pea curry

What can you do with some potatoes, green beans and some peas, and 20 minutes?  Well, this .... and it was truly delicious.

Olive oil
Mustard seeds
Cumin seeds
Fennel seeds
Chili flakes
Turmeric
Diced potatoes
red onion, chopped
Garlic
Chopped green beans
Water
Frozen peas
Garam massala

1.  Sautee red onion, garlic and spices in olive oil.
2.  Add diced potatoes, turn over in oil and then add water.
3.  Simmer, add green beans.
4.  Simmer more, add frozen peas and a smidge of garam massala when nearly done.

Beware, you may need seconds, or thirds.

National burger day burgers

No recipe for this ... it's a burger, with all the trimmings including mushrooms, cheese and pickle ... cos it's national burger day.  Yum.

Veg box fritters with new potatoes - from the allotment.

The photo makes it all look a bit dark - I blame my photographic skills, not my cooking.  These fritters are NOT burnt, they were browned to perfection.

The new potatoes are our first crop from the allotment - very proud!  And, very delicious.

The fritters:

Corn on the cob
Carrot
Courgette
Red onion
Cumin seeds
Fennel seeds
Turmeric
Chili flakes
Salt
Gram flour
Bicarbonate of soda
Rape seed oil

1.  Scrape kernels from sweetcorn (or use tinned/frozen).
2.  Grate peeled carrots, onion and courgette.
3.  Mix all veg together and add salt, let sit for at least 10 minutes to draw out some of the moisture (not to drain off, to activate the bicarb).
4.  Add in spices, mix well.
5.  Add gram flour, bicarb, and mix well.
6.  Fry, gently, in rape seed oil.
7.  Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm.

Yogurt sauce

Natural yogurt
Crushed garlic
Lemon juice
Olive oil

1.  Mix ingredient together, and season to taste.

Tomato and basil salad ... yup. tomato, basil and salt.

I would have added a green salad, but no leaves left from the veg box.  However, this was all delish and the yogurt sauce went spectacularly with the fritters.

Spicy, crunchy fish with new potatoes and peas and stuff

A neighbour, very generously, gave us some home grown new crop potatoes.  She was very proud of them - and quite justifiably so, they were DELICIOUS.  I just boiled them simply and sprinkled them with sea salt.  To accompany them I did spicy crunchy fish and lovely spring vegetables.

Fish

Pollock (or other white fish) fillets, cut into 2 inch(ish) piece

Polenta

Malaysian fish curry spice mix

Olive oil

1.  Toss polenta and spice together,  then toss fish pieces in the mix.

2.  Fry (in batches) in olive oil, drain on kitchen paper, and keep warm until veg and potatoes are ready.

Vegetables

1 onion, finely chopped

Olive oil

Clove garlic, crushed

Petit pois

White wine

Little gem lettuce, cut into 6-8 wedges

Radishes, finely sliced

1.  Soften onion in olive oil, add crushed garlic.

2.  Add petit pois and wine, heat through, about 3-4 minutes

3.  Add lettuce and radich, toss through until lettuce has wilted a little - about 2 minutes.

Serve - scoff - have seconds

 
 
 

Middle eastern lentils and rice with roast vegetables

Olive oil
Lentils
Bay leaf
Garlic
Rice
Onion
Mustard seeds
Cumin
Black sesame seeds
lemon zest, and juice
Fried onions

Butternut squash
Red pepper
Courgette
Aubergine
Garlic
Rosemary
Chili flakes

1.  Boil rice and lentils separately - add a bay leaf and a garlic clove to the lentils.
2.  Roast the veg in olive oil with bay leaves, garlic, a sprig of rosemary and a sprinkle of chili flakes.
3.  When rice and lentils are cooked, drain them and fry with softenned onion, mustard, sesame and cumin seeds.  When mixed grate in a little lemon zest and a squirt of lemon juice.
4.  Top the lentils and rice with crispy fried onions.

Delicious.  I think some lemon yogurt sauce would go very well if you want a bit of a sauce.