Give me flour
Lovely food blog I’ve just discovered.
January 21st, 2012
My first recipe: feta & sweet potato stew!
Tonight I made my first original recipe (well, aside from when I saute vegetables and throw a sauce on it) and I was very pleased with how it turned out! Spicey, slightly creamy with a little bit of tang from feta and a little sweet from the potatoes. So here it goes: my feta and sweet potato stew:
1 large or two medium sweet potato, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic minced
1 can chickpeas
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 carrot
2 stalks of celery
1/4 of a bulb of fennel
1/4 teaspoon cayanne pepper
1 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 t paprika
1 t dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups water or vegetable stock
100g feta cheese, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for roasting
Heat the oven to 350F. Coat the sweet potato with olive oil and toss with salt. Roast in the oven for 40 minutes. Meanwhile roughly chop the carrot, celery and fennel and put into a food processor until it’s finely minced.
Heat the olive oil in a pot, add the onion and cook until just gone soft. Add the garlic and cook for a minute more. Add the carrot, celery and fennel mix and cook for five minutes. Then stir in the tomato paste and spices and cook for two minutes before adding the chickpeas, thyme and stock
Simmer for 10 minutes, then add the sweet potato and feta, simmer for five minutes more. Taste to adjust seasoning. The stew should be quite thick but you can thin it out with more water/stock if you prefer something closer to soup. ENJOY!
December 9th, 2011
November 15th, 2011
Because I love Phil, and because he helped me peel, chop, mash and strain five pounds of apples over the weekend, I’m making his favourite cake: applesauce cake (recipe and photo by Smitten Kitchen). It is all the things I love about fall in one delicious dessert.
For cake
2 cups (8 3/4 ounces or 250 grams) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons (10 grams) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) baking soda
1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) salt
3/4 teaspoon (2 grams) cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon (1 gram) ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 stick (4 ounces or 113 grams) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (7 3/4 ounces or 218 grams) packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups (about 13 ounces or 365 grams) unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup (about 1 3/4 ounces or 50 grams) walnuts (optional), toasted, cooled, and chopped
For frosting
5 ounces (142 grams) cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces or 42 grams) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup (4 ounces or 120 grams) confectioners sugar
1/2 (1 teaspoon) teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter an 8- or 9-inch square cake pan. I had no trouble getting my cake out of a nonstick pan by just buttering it, but if you don’t have a nonstick cake pan or are a little nervous, line the bottom with parchment paper and butter that too.
Make cake: Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Beat butter, brown sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in applesauce. At low speed, mix in flour mixture until just combined, then stir in walnuts (if using). The batter will look a little curdly and uneven but don’t worry, it will all bake up perfectly in the end.
Spread batter evenly in pan and bake until golden-brown and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Run a knife around edge of cake to loosen, then invert onto a plate. Reinvert cake onto a rack to cool completely. You can speed this up, as I always do, in the fridge.
Make frosting: Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla with an electric mixer at high speed until fluffy. Sift confectioners sugar and cinnamon over cream cheese mixture, then beat at medium speed until incorporated. Spread frosting over top of cooled cake.
Do ahead: We were impressed with how well this cake kept for three days but were unable to “research” if it lasted longer. Keep frosted cake in the fridge. If you’d like to bake the cake further in advance, I’d wrap it well and freeze it until the day you need it. Leave it out on the counter to defrost and frost it up to a day in advance.
November 14th, 2011
First-ever Thanksgiving
On my own I should say as I have of course celebrated Thanksgiving every year since birth bar 2010 when I had first moved to England. That year was so depressing I vowed never to miss a Thanksgiving every again. This year I have taken on the challenge of putting on my first Thanksgiving dinner for eight adults and two children. And yes, I have already started planning and prepping. Below is my menu with links to all of the recipes that aren’t Mom’s family recipes.
The Menu
- Turkey (Phil is in charge of getting the bird, which is no small task. Apparently here they only eat Turkey at Christmas which means we’ll be stuck with a £70 bird. Yes, the Turkey will cost more than the booze)
- Gravy (unless a can find a good veggie version it’ll be from turkey pan drippings, so any suggestions, let me know!)
- Stuffing (semi-cheating with a box mix + fresh veg and apples)
- Cranberry sauce (here I’m cheating and using canned via my mother to save me time and stress)
- Pumpkin bread (Mom’s)
- Cranberry bread (Mom’s)
- Mrs Green’s rolls (basically whole wheat rolls, a family recipe)
- mashed red potatoes (don’t have a recipe for these - just boil, mash and add some butter!)
- vibrant & tasty greens
- brussel sprouts
- Pecan pie truffles
- Apple pie (Mom’s)
- bourbon pumpkin cheesecake
- whipped cream
And if I can find a pumpkin, which is surprisingly hard to do post-Halloween here, I’m going to make this centre piece:
October 25th, 2011
I haven’t blogged in ages, and it got to the point where I was avoiding the site because I felt guilty about it. Back again though to share this awesome info graphic of food-related searches ranked by month.
Will follow this later with a race recap from my first marathon!
September 5th, 2011
Summer to fall with zucchini bread
When I told Phil I was making zucchini bread, his reaction was that of total indifference. But, much to my satisfaction, when I handed him a slice straight from the oven, he had a look of sublime happiness as he finished it in two bites. I’m guessing it’s not as popular here in the UK, and it is one of those recipes people have to taste to believe it’s good. This is the version I made from Oh She Glows, (that I de-vegan-ified) which doesn’t use any butter or oil (except in the topping) and still is lovely, light and has a hint of fall that is already blowing in.
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup raisins
- 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 egg
- 1 & 1/4 cup shredded zucchini (leave skin on), packed - about one medium courgette/zucchini
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener like honey)
- 1 & 1/4 cups milk
- Cinnamon Streusel topping: 2 tsp butter, 1 tbsp coarse sugar, 1 tbsp flour, 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1. Preheat oven to 375F/190C/Gas Mark 5. Oil and line a regular-sized loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients (flour, powders, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, raisins, and walnuts).
3. In another large bowl, combine the wet ingredients (egg, shredded zucchini, lemon zest & juice, maple syrup, milk).
4. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until just mixed. Be careful not to over-mix the batter.
5. Spoon the batter into prepared loaf pan and spread out evenly. Prepare the cinnamon streusel and then sprinkle on top. Bake for about 35-40 minutes at 375F/190C/Gas Mark 5 or until toothpick comes out clean and the loaf gently springs back when pressed.
EAT and ENJOY!
image source: OhSheGlows.com
August 14th, 2011
30 Minute Mozzarella
From Animal Vegetable Miracle. I finally attempted this recipe after hunting down rennet & citric acid (both can easily be ordered online or if you’re luck are hiding in your grocery store). There is something very satisfying about making your own cheese, at the same level as making your own bread probably. This recipe is insanely easy and it really is just 30 minutes between you and creamy mozzarella goodness.
August 13th, 2011
My favourite snack: smashed avocado + cottage cheese on toast, Little salt & pepper = heaven.
May 15th, 2011
Delicious Days
I love discovering new blogs, especially when they are on the subject of food. This one not only boots good recipes but also interesting site design. Tonight I’m testing one of Nicky’s recipes, ricotta gnocchi which she claims can be made quicker than it takes a pot of water to boil! Let’s hope so as I am FAMISHED after a 14 turned into 16 mile run today with Phil.
May 14th, 2011
The best no mayo cole slaw
I hate mayonnaise. Something about it is just wrong to me, and even more wrong is the fact that people in the UK like to dip their french fries in it. In general I try to keep as far away from the stuff as possible, unless it is virtually impossible to tell it’s there, in which case I probably don’t know it’s there. Anyways - because of this aversion I never ever ate cole slaw because it was my worst nightmare: a salad covered in MAYONNAISE. When my mom first made this cole slaw though I found not just an appreciation for this BBQ staple side, but a LOVE. It’s delicious and tastes better the next day when it’s had longer time to marinade.
Ingredients:
1/2 head of cabbage, core removed and sliced into 1/4” shreds
2 carrots, peeled and grated
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (I’ve used others instead, red wine and sherry would work fine too)
juice of 1 lime
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 Tbsp ground ginger
1/2 Tbsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
Directions:
1. Shred the cabbage and carrots and combine in a bowl.
2. In a small bowl combine the olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, sugar, ginger, salt and pepper. Whisk together and pour on top of cabbage and carrot mixture. Toss to combine and coat well.
3. Cover and chill for at least one hour (I’d say make in the morning and serve in the evening) before eating.
