Saturday 25 April 2020

Comfort food

Apologies I have been very lazy with posting my recipes - I have written a few but not got around to posting them on site. So here goes....the ones below appeared in the local magazine (Teesdale Mercury) in March 2020...Enjoy!

The humble crumble
They are the easiest things to make and I am always experimenting with the crumble topping to give some variety.

This is a crumble recipe using fruit & nut muesli. Mix all the ingredients and blend in a grinder to get a combination of grainy and chunky topping.


The ingredients below will yield 1 cup crumble mix enough to make crumble for 4 people.
·      ¾ cup mixed muesli with fruit & nut clusters
·      ½ cup almonds
·      1 tsp butter
·      1 tsp dark brown sugar
·      ¼ tsp cinnamon

The baked end result is a gooey, crunchy and caramelised topping which is not too sweet and has just a hint of cinnamon to tantalise any taste bud. Spread over fruit of choice with orange juice and bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes until the topping is golden brown and the crumble is bubbling.


Sweet & Sharp yoghurt
I love yoghurt, sharp coulis and acidic jellies so I made this concoction which turned out to be quite pleasant!

Mix 1 cup of fat free Greek yoghurt with 2 tbsp sharp coulis like blackcurrant. Add ¼ boiling water to a sachet of orange jelly, cool for 5 minutes then pour over all yoghurt mix reserving ¼ cup of jelly. Whisk yoghurt & jelly until smooth and pour in a container (big enough to get 4 portions) and leave in fridge for 10 minutes. Pour the reserved jelly on top and chill for 2-3 hours before serving.

Coconut & Orange sponge
I use thick cut orange marmalade in the sponge mix which gives it a zingy flavour. Instead of a jam topping I put a layer of sharp coulis or lemon curd on top then sprinkle with coconut. It can be had cold with cream or warmed up with custard. Delightful!

Makes a large tray bake and can yield from 12-24 slices based on how generous or stingy you want to be!

Prep: 15 minutes        Cook: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
230g butter
220g sugar
230g self-raising flour
3 medium eggs
2 heaped tbsp orange marmalade
150ml milk
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp grated coconut

Topping
½ cup blackcurrant coulis
½ cup grated coconut



Method
·      Preheat oven to 180*C and butter and line a large baking tray with baking paper
·      Put all the cake ingredients apart from coconut in a large bowl and whisk until everything is blended will.
·      Add coconut, mix well then pour in baking tray. Level the batter and put in oven for 30 minutes turning the tray around halfway.
·      Check after 30 minutes – when the sponge springs back on touching it is cooked.
·      Let sit for 5 minutes then pour over coulis and spread all over the cake. Sprinkle grated coconut after 20 minutes as the cake will have cooled down a bit.

Chickpea flour and banana choc chip tray bake
I was looking for a gluten free recipe for a friend as I had some bananas to use up. This is what I came up with after getting some online inspiration!

Prep: 10 minutes        Cook 40-50 minutes   Serves 12 generous portions

Ingredients
1 cup chickpea flour
1 cup rice flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
5 very ripe bananas mashed
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
2 large eggs
¼ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 ½ tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup dark choc chip

Method
·      Pre heat oven to 180*C and grease and line a large baking tray with baking paper.
·      Mix everything apart from choc chips with a whisk then stir in the chocolate chips and pour mix in baking tray.
·      Bake for 40 minutes turning the tray after 20 minutes.
·      Cake is cooked once a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
·      Serve warm with ice cream or custard.

Chickpea Curry
I have made this curry before however I made the current recipe with some tweaks and this version got the thumbs up!

I prefer to soak dry chickpeas overnight then cook them rather than use tinned ones as the taste is definitely sweeter when made fresh. After the chickpeas have been cooked – about 30 minutes – the curry is assembled and dish ready in 20-30 minutes tops.

Serves 4          Prep time: 10 minute plus soaking overnight            Cook time 1 hour


Ingredients
2 cups chickpeas soaked in cold water overnight
1 tsp olive oil
1 medium red onion chopped
1 tbsp garlic & ginger paste
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
¼ tsp chilli powder
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 x vegetable stock pot
500g tomato passata
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves
2 tbsp lemon juice




Method
·      Cook chickpeas until tender – drain liquid and keep to one side
·      In a medium sized pan, heat olive oil and cook onion until dark brown
·      Add garlic/ginger paste, stir for 10 seconds then add cumin, coriander and chilli powder, adding a splash of water if the mix gets too dry while cooking
·      Add tomato puree and vegetable stock then pour over the passata
·      Let the stock pot dissolve in passata stirring all the time then add the chickpeas and stir to combine
·      Add vinegar, increase heat until the liquid is boiling
·      Add fenugreek leaves, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes
·      Add lemon juice, simmer for another 5 minutes and serve with garlic rice

Note: Quick garlic rice can be made by slicing fresh garlic pods and cooking in a little vegetable oil until brown. Mix into cooked rice & season with salt & pepper. 

Quick & Easy Vegetable omelette salad
For this recipe I made a 2 egg omelette with pre-cooked roasted vegetables. Sprinkled grated cheese on top and served with a mix leaf and coleslaw salad. Yummy!

Just the ticket for a cold & rainy night. A generous portion for 1 which can be eaten hot or cold depending on time of day.












Caramelised Date & Cinnamon rice pudding

I love rice pudding and this is my version using dates to sweeten it rather than sugar. Baked in the oven for an hour the end result is a smoky caramelised pudding that was surprisingly light. 

Makes enough for 2 large bowlfuls
Prep time: 10 minutes Cooking time 1 hour



Ingredients
100g dates chopped to small pieces
60g pudding rice
400ml semi skimmed milk
1 tsp runny honey
Pinch cinnamon

Method 
·      Preheat oven to 180*C
·      Stir honey into the milk and add rest of the ingredients
·      Pour in a pint size tin and bake in the oven for an hour stirring pudding mixture a few times.

·      Serve with yoghurt or fresh berries

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