Naan Bread
So easy to make...
Continuing in my "breads of the world" series..ok..I made that part up, I wanted to feature a simple no yeast bread that can really be enjoyed at any time. Many are familiar with naan bread as an accompaniment to Indian food. It has a perfect softness that allows you to tear it up and scoop curries with it. I also don't mind it on its own as long as it has some kind of flavour attached to it. Traditionally it is cooked in a tandoor oven but it can easily be made at home. I tell you, when I get my perfect kitchen designed it will have a tandoor in it!
This recipe came about in a number of ways. I wanted to indulge in some traditional Indian fare, namely curries so I could experiment with all the wonderful flavours and spices. Also, don't forget with winter approaching here in Australia, a curry is the perfect winter warming cuisine. Anyway, Allen had recently been doing a series of posts on Indian food after he had discovered the wonderful Anjum Anand. I was fascinated with her very easy approach to Indian food and how simple she made it look. At around the same time, Mango Power Girl, who is one of my favourite foodie bloggers did a post on making naan bread following Anjum's recipe. So the signs were there! Talk about criss cross blogging!..or whatever you want to call it! Anjum is really wonderful. After a bit of research I discovered she was being referred to as the "Indian Nigella"....ummm..I don't think so. Maybe the glamour factor might come into play in the comparison, but I certainly didn't see Anjum in a "summery dress" twirling about the English countryside making strawberry lemonade and sipping it seductively, as the camera pans on her red lips! (don't get me wrong..I like Nigella, I just wish the camera would focus on her food rather than her body parts!).
But I digress...
Dress the naan up with a number of spices
The recipe for the naan bread can be found here. There really isn't any reason for me to repeat it as I followed Anjum's to a tee. I only doubled the ingredients to make more (yes the king of carbs like his breads!) and I varied the spices a little. Some I topped with caraway seeds, others with cumin....Just get creative. In fact this bread is so easy to make you could even add Mediterranean toppings to it...think oregano/thyme/basil garlic etc...I ended up serving mine with some North Indian curry, which I also made using Anjum's recipes. It was great but I didn't really want to focus on the curry. As you know, there are thousands of recipes for that in the blogosphere. Also, just a side note be sure to consume the bread on the day. It doesn't do too well the day after...
"Let's Break Bread!"...Olive Flatbread
Plump Kalamata olives with herbs
Call me "King of The Carbs!". That's right. If there is one simple pleasure I cannot live without it has to be bread. Whether it be a sourdough with its crusty exterior and sour like taste, a good golden brioche from Germany or Australia's very own "damper" . I'm a sucker for it! It was always present at the dinner table growing up. Whilst bread has received a lot of negative press in recent years due to the "no carb" following it was never going to disappear completely. These days I vary the types I eat depending on my mood. But I usually end up with a wholemeal sourdough loaf. I love it toasted and dipped in extra virgin olive oil and dipped in za'tar . Or I end up making bruscetta. Or paninis...the list goes on and I don't want to bore you!
I've managed to make bread from scratch a few times. With varying mixed results. I got into a period a few years back where all I did was bake bread for a whole week and gave it to all the neighbours...all for "testing" of course! It was only recently when I made tsourekia, that I got inspired again. And it sort of freaked me out. My first batch turned out like bricks. Of course on closer inspection I had been using out of date packet yeast, so there was my answer. All the memories came flooding back about how bread making from scratch is like an exact science. The environment has to be warm enough to let the bread prove, the water can't be too hot when you blend it with the yeast, using the correct flour with a high gluten content etc...But nonetheless I enjoy the challenge and the feel of kneading the dough and giving it a good bash about! Nothing like letting your frustrations out!
A few loves for all to enjoy
When I picked up some Kalamata olives up the other day, I knew that i wanted to make some kind of olive bread with these. I looked through my extensive library of books and mags but in the end I settled for a recipe on an Australian website found here. This website is an archive from all the foodie magazines released here in Australia with tons of free recipes. I pretty much followed the recipe except for a few things: I didn't use fresh rosemary on mine. I just used a mixture of dried herbs that I scattered over the flatbread. Also, they call theirs a "focaccia" whereas mine didn't really puff up on the second proving as much. It still worked out ok and was a little flatter, hence me taking the creative licence to name it a flatbread. It kept for a few days too. All I did was reheat it in the oven wrapped in foil and drizzle it with some extra virgin olive oil again. I just love biting into it and feeling the plump, salty taste of the olives and the distinct taste of the olive oil.
After this little experiment. I got crazy again and decided to make some Indian flatbreads or naan...we'll save that for a few posts time.
It's Greek Easter...
Tsourekia and Eggs
This Sunday coming, Greeks all over the world will be celebrating Easter. Its a very big event in Greek culture with many traditions and religious rituals. There's Lent with the fasting, the many cakes, breads, biscuits and of course the dyed eggs. Its a wonderful time with Easter Sunday being the "big day". Everyone feasts and eats so much food!!!
The week leading up to Easter Sunday is termed as "Holy Week" with church services on every night. Its a busy week with the majority of the food preparation being done during this time. I remember when I was growing up the house being so frantic. "Koulouria" (the traditional Greek Easter cookies), "kourabiethes" (icing sugar covered almond crescent biscuits) and "tsourekia" (Greek Easter Brioche bread) were staples for us during the lead up to Easter. And the eggs. And the offal soup a.k.a "magerista"...and the lamb ready for the spit....you get the idea! There is so much food surrounding you, it made fasting during this time all that much harder!
This year, I set out for the first time to make my own "tsourekia" and dye the eggs red. Well lo and behold I got mixed results! The first batch of tsourekia turned out like bricks! On closer inspection I realised I had been using an old packet of yeast! So of course they didn't rise. Oh well you live and learn! Eventually I made them and they turned out gloriously plump and golden. My eggs turned out ok. A few blemishes here and there but otherwise fine. They're probably not the traditional version but they certainly tasted as I remembered. I love eating tsoureki in the mornings, toasted with some marmalade on top. I'm actually going to use the recipe for this and make something else in the near future. Tsoureki are traditionally made with a 3 plait twist. Each plait symbolising an element of the Holy Trinity. They are also baked with an red egg in them as a symbol for the blood that Christ spilt dying on the cross. They are similar to brioche and can store for a few days (if they last that long).
Delicious with a spread.
RECIPE FOR TSOUREKIA
- 250ml of milk
- 80g of unsalted butter
- 750g of plain flour
- 1tsp of salt
- zest of 1 grated orange
- 3/4 cup of caster sugar
- 1 packet of instant dried yeast
- 1/2 a cup of orange juice
- 3 eggs
FOR THE GLAZE
- 1 egg yolk
- a splash of milk
- flaked or slivered almonds
- Warm the milk in a saucepan over a very low heat. Add the butter stirring it into the milk so it will melt. Allow to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl place 100 grams of the flour with the yeast, salt, orange zest and a tsp of the sugar.
- Pour in the cooled milk/butter mixture in and beat with a wooden spoon to obtain a lovely batter.
- Cover with a saran wrap and a towel and leave it for about half an hour.
- When you return you should have a lovely bubbly mixture. Place in the remaining flour, sugar, orange huice and eggs.
- Mix until you have a lovely soft dough. If you find its sticky add more flour. But be careful not to add too much. We're after an elastic, silky dough.
- Give it a good bash and knead for about 5 mins. Work that gluten baby!
- Once kneaded place in an oiled bowl and lightly oil the top of the dough. Cover with saran wrap and a few tea towels and leave it to do its work. (I left mine for about 2 hours in a very warm room and it more than doubled! It was glorious!).
- When you notice it has doubled take it out and divide the mixture in two. With one of the halves, divide into three equal portions and shape these three portions into "ropes". They should be of equal width and length. Now, remembering scouts, form a plait, tucking the ends in underneath on the top and bottom.
- With the remaining dough, I played around a did a few double twists and whole loaves.
- Brush with the egg yolk/milk glaze and sprinkle with the almonds.
- Bake in a 180 deg C pre heated oven for about 25 mins. They should be golden and sound hollow when you tap them underneath.
- Leave to cool and transfer them to wire racks
Enjoy!
ΚΑΛΟ ΠΑΣΧΑ ---HAPPY EASTER
Honey and Oat Cranberry Bites
Some of the ingredients for the recipe
Ben over at Whats Cooking is holding another food for plastic challenge this month. This is a fun event that also offers great prizes. You can't beat that can you? This month's challenge focuses on cooking something that you loved from your childhood or something that kids love. And because April is kids month, Tupperware (who are supplying the gift) are donating $1 of every sale to the boys and girls clubs of America (the bgca). A great cause!
I thought about cooking something that I loved from my childhood but there were so many choices! Instead, I opted to make something sweet that I have served for my friends' kids and make it often with great success. Honey and oat cranberry bites. The beauty of this sweet treat is that adults can enjoy it too. It has oats, honey, dried cranberries and the final touch is drizzled white chocolate! A nice little decadent touch.
Before it goes in the oven
RECIPE FOR HONEY AND OAT CRANBERRY BITES
- 250 g of unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 2/3 cup of honey
- 1/2 cup of brown sugar, tightly packed
- 3 cups of rolled oats
- 3/4 cup of triple sifted plain flour
- 1 cup of dried cranberries
- 100 g of white couverture chocolate , roughly chopped
- Grease a 9 inch square baking pan and line with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 170 deg C.
- Place the butter, honey and brown sugar in a small pan and melt gently till it all starts to foam.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the oats, flour and cranberries. Add the melted butter mixture and combine thoroughly.
- Press the mixture into the lined baking pan, like in the second photo above.
- Bake in the oven for 30 mins.
- Let it cool and cut into small squares.
Serve with a glass of milk for a great snack
When melting the chocolate for drizzling, you may choose to use the "double boiler" method (place chocolate in a heatproof bowl on top of simmering pot of water) or use the microwave. I prefer the microwave. Just be sure to melt it in 30 second intervals on the HIGH setting. Once melted drizzle the white chocolate over the squares, using a piece of baking paper as the base to catch the leftover melted chocolate bits.
These will store in an airtight container for about 5 days.
Thank You's and...Baked Figs
I only realised the other day that I had officially forgotten to thank Ivy on my own blog, for giving me an "excellent Blog" award. Oops! I'm so sorry for that. I know I left a comment in your comments section but I realised I hadn't done that here. Thank you again and it is really nice to be appreciated. All the other bloggers that I would have liked to award it to have already received one! So much love in the foodie blogosphere at the moment!
So on with today's recipe...
Beautiful, soft, delicious figs
When I was at the markets the other day, I noticed some fresh figs on display and I noted to myself that I hadn't really cooked with them this summer. The owner explained they were nearing the end of their cycle and that this batch would be very ripe. I picked up a few and got home thinking about creating a dish with them. They're very popular in Greek cooking often served dried and with cheese and walnuts. They are used in sweets and in jams. I wanted to go a different route with them. I had seen a few recipes about on the net and on many cooking shows where fresh figs are often baked in an oven wrapped in prosciutto and stuffed with a gorgonzola cheese. Well I have issues with strong smelly cheeses. So I opted to bake my figs with mozzarella or the little balls of mozzarella often known as bocconcini. The taste was simpler but before baking them I drizzled some extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. They turned out a treat! The cheese had melted through and the balsamic had slightly caramelized. Try this for something different.
RECIPE FOR BAKED FIGS WITH MOZZARELLA
6 freh figs cut with a criss cross shape
Fresh Buffalo Mozzarella or fresh Bocconcini Balls or pearls
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
a good "splash" of balsamic
salt an pepper to taste
Once you've cut a cris cross shape on each fig, gently stuff it with a piece of mozzarella or bocconcini. Drizzle a little amount of good quality extra virgin olive oil and a good "splash" of balsamic. Season with a little salt and pepper. Bake in a 200 deg C preheated oven for 10 mins. Serve warm and enjoy this soft, sensual dish.
They almost look like flowers...
Home Made Pies
Freshly made pies with tomato sauce
It was my turn recently to host Biteclub. Nothing excites me more than preparing a winter feast for 12! I made fresh pies! There were two types on offer. A chicken, leek and vegetable pie made with a silky smooth cream sauce and a robust red wine, beef and mushroom one. I served them with pea mash and some good quality store bought tomato sauce. I'll break up my recipes for my Biteclub over a few posts.
Pies with pea mash
As you may recall, I recently purchased a pie maker and I have been playing around with mixed results. I should be known as the official pie maker of Sydney! Anyway here are two different types I made the other night. The recipes have been adapted from Stephanie Alexander's "The Cooks Companion". I, of course played around with the recipes and changed bits and pieces here and there.
CHICKEN LEEK AND VEGETABLE PIES
500 g of Chicken thigh fillets chopped up in small amounts
300 g of Italian Pancetta
3 large leeks
2 carrots
2 stalks of celery
1 cup of Chicken stock
1/2 cup of thin pouring cream
1 cup of milk
a handful of freshly chopped continental parsley
seasoned flour for the chicken
butter for frying
Now as you can see the list is not low fat! But very delicious and comforting for this dreaded winter of ours! Roll the chicken thigh fillets in seasoned flour and fry in batches in butter. Remove and set aside.
In the same pot fry the pancetta with a little olive oil and add the finely diced carrot, celery and sliced leeks. Keep the temperature to medium as we don't want to burn this mixture. When the ingredients appear translucent, add the previously fried chicken thigh fillets to this mixture and give it a good stir. Add the milk, cream and stock and allow to simmer for about 20 mins. The mixture will be generously thick. Finally add the chopped parsley and stir through. Take it off the heat and allow it to cool thoroughly.
My pie maker provides the moulds to cut out the tops and bottoms. I used a ready made short crust pastry for the base and puff pastry for the top. If you dont have one of these beauties just place the chicken mixture into a pie tin and cover with puff pastry. Brush it with a little beaten egg and cook it in a moderate oven (about 180 deg C) for 20 mins.
PEA MASH
This is so easy to make! You can either use fresh peas or frozen ones. I used fresh peas that I blanched lightly in chicken stock with some fresh mint. After it was heated through I drained the stock and whizzed the peas and mint in a food processor along with a couple of tablespoons of creme fraiche, freshly ground pepper and sea salt. I wanted a slightly chunky mixture. It all depends on how you like your mashed peas.
Dollop the mash over warm pies and smother with a good store bought tomato sauce or relish.
Pies again
Happy eating!
Pete
Custard Tarts
I just came across a new cooking and kitchen toy. Ok, maybe not a toy really but a great time saving invention. A pie maker!!! Its made by Sunbeam and it certainly delivers on its promise. I had a test run at making some really cute Australian style meat pies and they were delicious. I'm planning on doing a few gourmet ones by making my own pastry but I'll follow that up on another post. The pie maker comes with a recipe booklet for a whole lot of other creations. But one caught my eye particularly. It was the custard tart. Custard tarts were a staple of school recess when I was growing up. Hundreds of kids would line up at the canteen ordering these sweet morsels. It was a ritual along with Vanilla Slices, Coffee Scrolls and Cream buns. When I made these I was hoping to recreate that perfect tasting memory. Mine were good but they did need a little tweaking.
I used ready made shortcrust pastry. The pie maker comes with cutters to make the base and tops of the pies. I used the base one of course since this was going to be an "open" pie. In a large jug I whisked 2 eggs with 100 ml of milk, 50 ml of pouring cream, 1 heaped tablespoon of caster sugar and a dash of good quality vanilla extract. This was a simple and easy custard recipe I found in some old files of mine. (I think next time I will cook the custard using the traditional stovetop method). I poured the custard mixture into the base moulds of the pie maker and sprinkled some freshly grated nutmeg on top. Closed the lid and waited for 10 mins. And before you could say "its recess" they were done. I took them out and let them cool for a while. Three of them had turned out ok but one had exploded and smelt a little of scrambled eggs!!! Now, they tasted fine but as I said earlier I think I will cook the custard next time to avoid a quiche like consistency.
Pete
Party Food
I recently had the pleasure of catering for a friend's baby shower. A very glamorous baby shower at that, mind you. Forty-five people showed up and I was asked to come up with a "stylish" canape and cocktail menu. I love doing this sort of thing. Out of my tiny kitchen I managed to construct 10 courses of yumminess!!! It was a lot of work and it made me realise how intricate this sort of food preparation can be. I only have four pictures because as usual my camera ran out of charge during the event. Plus I was so busy organising the execution of the food that I had no time. Thank you Maria for allowing me to express my creativity. Here are some of the samples. The picture you see here are cucumber cups filled with a Thai Beef salad. I basically cut up Lebanese cucumbers in a few portions and hollowed them out with a nifty new tool similar to a melon baller. I then filled them with a mixture of beef strips that had been stir fried with oyster sauce, garlic, pepper, eschallots and a little red curry paste. I added fresh herbs, such as mint, coriander and thai basil right at the end, along with freshly chopped peanuts.
Here are some samples of crostinis that I made. Crostini are basically mini toasts. I used a sourdough baguette that I sliced up and sprayed the pieces with extra virgin olive oil. I then baked these delicious morsels in a very high oven. At the event I topped them with a variety of options i had pre made. The first one was roast cherry tomato with basil and bocconcini. Previously I had placed the cherry tomatoes in a hot oven along with olive oil and balsamic vinegar until they were soft and had collapsed. (This mixture is quite delicious on its own and is fantastic tossed with pasta.) When I constructed them, I placed an Italian basil leaf on the bottom of the crostini followed by the cherry tomato mixture and then a slice of bocconcini. I then drizzled a high quality extra virgin olive oil over this.
The second crostini were cannellini bean puree with chargrilled zuchinni topped with caramelised onion. The puree was made by whizzing a couple of cans of beans, one or two garlic cloves, extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar and salt and pepper in a food processor. I was looking for a thickish consistency so I could spread them on the toasts. (By the way this mixture is absolutely delicious on cold meats or in sandwiches. Another alternative is to thin out the mixture with more vinegar and use that on grilled summer vegetables). The zuchinni were thinly sliced using a mandoline. Cuts not included!!! I then quickly fried them in a hot pan proceeding to smoke the unit out!!! Once they had cooled I had them marinated in extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar and roughly chopped garlic. The caramelised onion mixture is so delicious yet so easy to make. Depending on how many people you make this for be wary that onions shrink during cooking. I used a lot that I thinly sliced with my mandoline. I then put this mixture in a pot with a very low heat and just a smidgeon of oil. Its important to just leave it as the onions will release their juices and they will caramelise on their own. Once they started to caramelise naturally I added a few good slugs of Modena balsamic vinegar and a few tablespoons of brown sugar. The balsamic and the sugar give it a nice sweet/sour taste and a little colour.
One of the most popular of my creations that night was this little number. Roast chicken, aioli, pine nut and dill tartlets. Very easy and I cheated all the way. Buy a good quality roast chicken or do it yourself. Shred all the meat off it. Place this in a bowl and to that add some very good quality store bought aioli. I used the Simon Johnson one and without being paid to plug it, its fantastic quality. Continue adding some pine nuts that you toasted earlier and some freshly chopped dill. Squeeze in a lemon add a little salt and a generous amount of pepper. Give the mixture a good thorough work through and scoop into tartlet cases. Again I cheated big time and used the store bought cases from Simon Johnson. Look, If I had the time to stuff around with flour and butters I would probably make them myself. Pastry is a whole different ball game when it comes to cooking. It just wasn't feasible. Just make sure the ones you purchase are of good quality. Look for crisp, dry, airy shells.
Some of my other menu creations included Indian curried lentil soup served in shot glasses topped with fresh coriander and a lime yogurt. Parmesan, pesto meat balls with an tomato and olive dipping sauce. Mini Thai fish cakes. Chicken san choy bau served in mini endive leaves and mini parmesan and pancetta muffins served with smoked salmon and a lemon creme fraiche. The menu was very well recieved, If I say so myself but it was hard work. Who knows? Maybe a career in catering beckons me.
Pete
Magic Muffins
Nothing screams like "warm straight out of the oven" like a batch of fresh muffins. Mmmm...Perfect for these blusterry winter days here in Sydney. These little cakes are the perfect soother and I personally love making them. Muffins were probably one of my first recipe attempts in the kitchen. Often with mixed results. I tend to have a fool proof recipe I use nowadays, varying it according to ingredients available, mood etc...These are the questions I ask myself when I'm perusing a new recipe. Self raising flour or plain flour with a little baking powder? Butter or olive oil? Yogurt or milk? Berries or chocolate??!!! Brown sugar, super fine sugar or honey?
The latest batch I made was a cross combination of just a little healthy with just a little batch of devilish goodness. The main principles to follow when making these is not to overbeat the mixture. Otherwise its good bye moisture and hello rubber. Also, many ovens follow their own schedule by baking items as they see fit. Make sure you know your oven's behaviour before you get started.
Here is a recipe I followed for these beauties, give or take with a creative cooking licence.
CARROT AND HONEY SPICE MUFFINS
1 Cup of Wholemeal Self Raising Flour
1 Cup of Regular Self Raising Flour
2 tsps of baking powder
1 tsp of ground cinammon
1 tsp of ground nutmeg
1 grated carrot
3/4 of honey
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/2 cup of greek style yogurt
1-2 eggs depending on "wetness" of mixture
I don't tend to follow these "batter" style recipes to a tee. I look at the mixture as I'm stirring and decide from there. The above quantities will suffice for a regular 12 muffin pan. It's quite easy. Mix all the dry ingredients together. Then mix all your wet ingredients and stir them through quite thoroughly. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir until just combined. It should look quite lumpy and mushy. Perfect! That's what we're after. Spoon them into a 12 hole muffin pan that has been sprayed with oil or cooking spray and pop them in a 180 deg C pre heated oven. Cook them for about 20-25 mins checking on them at around the 20m min mark. Do the old skewer in the centre trick and Voila!!!
Yummy, moist with just the right amount of spice. Enjoy them warm with a good ol' cup of tea or a double machiattio in my case.
Pete