Surely one of the most delicious ways to warm up! A fruity little livener!! This is a simple method to preserve berries and produce some wonderful flavoured spirits to make winter cocktails.
It’s Halloween and we’re having a big fire and welcoming in the darker, wintery times with some luxury hot chocolate spiked with cherry brandy and some rich chocolate mousse (see recipe here) and drunken cherries. There’s a theme there!! Cherries and chocolate are a match made somewhere very, very nice.
I love an open fire at Halloween, staring into the flames I feel inspired and a real connection to the festival; from light to dark. It’s also just great to be outside at night in the winter, especially with a clear sky overhead and maybe a glass of cherry brandy warming your cockles!! Lighting fires at Halloween (or Samhain in Celtic Traditions) especially on higher ground is said to aid a souls way to heaven.
Samhain was a day set aside for fasting and reflection, but things have changed a little. Halloween is now a big party of course, all about feasting and treats. We’re well stocked for trick or treaters and I’m enjoying Rye flour at the minute, so loaves and cakes are on the way for tonight as well as plenty of squash/ pumpkin in a variety of forms. I might go for a good old school Soul Cake (like a spiced scone really)? We’ll see….
Beautiful Snowdonia – October is a spectacular month over here
North Wales has been sparkling of late in Autumn sunshine and crystal clear skies. I love this time of year up here, probably my favourite time in these hills. We’ve been out walking, exploring new corners of Snowdonia, there seems to be endless trails and paths that lead to new vistas, lakes and terrain. Soon it will be a bog-fest, many paths transformed into marshes. The walking is still incredible, but you need to get a little more semi-aquatic, and definitely, a whole lot muddier and chilled.
I’m not a huge fan of the dark, long nights, so tonight is a chance for me to celebrate the brighter times of year. October has been so beautiful and November is the turning point where the wet and grey rise up and take control. I’m always reminded of the villages I’ve visited in the high Himalayas, where they are snowed in for many months a year and spend the days with friends and family, drinking local chang (like a watered down moonshine), singing, dancing and telling stories. That’s their approach to living through a really arduous winter. I think we all need more singing, dancing and story telling in winter and lets face it, homemade cherry brandy is way better than chang (trust me)!!
You can use this method (technically it’s called ‘macerating’) to preserve and transform any berries really into something warming and delicious in the winter months. We love to make things like Sloe Gin, Blackberry Whiskey and whatever soft fruits we can get our hands on. I managed to get some tasty cherries a couple of months ago and now we are reaping the rewards! I love preserving the bounty of summer/ autumn and enjoying it in the depths of winter, it seems like such a gift to pop open a jar of jam or pickle and share in the joys of the brighter months. It makes winter slip by a little easier, some summertime sweetness.
Macerating cherries brings out some surprising flavours
Recipe Notes
Berries/ fruits like blackberries, strawberries, loganberries, sloe, plums, damsons, mulberries, blueberries will all be very nice in this recipe.
The longer you leave the fruit to macerate, the more the flavours will develop and change. Taste it regularly and drink it when you like it! It’s a fascinating process!!
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Drunken Cherries
The Bits – Makes enough for one medium kilner jar
700g cherries (pitted and cut in half)
½ bottle brandy
2 handfuls sugar (to taste)
Do It
Place the cherries in medium sized kilner jar, if you’re keeping for awhile, or any large sealable container if otherwise. Pour over the brandy and sprinkle the sugar over. Place a lid on and gently shake to combine the sugar. Now taste. If you like it sweeter, add more sugar. Seal and store in a cupboard.
These can be enjoyed after a few days but are better when left for a few weeks or longer. If there are any cherries sticking above the brandy, either add more brandy or a splash of water.
Use the cherries in desserts and drink the brandy as you like it. It’s nice when served warm, especially in hot chocolate.
Here’s a simple, wholesome and tasty loaf for all made with one of our favourite flours, spelt. In the wonderful world of bread making, this Seeded Spelt Bread is one for the beginner but will no doubt be enjoyed by everyone. There is nothing that can beat the fresh wafts of warm bread floating around your house, although Dad’s mulled wine at Christmas does come close. Bread wafts instantly makes a house into a home.
Shop bought bread, not even the posh deli style stuff, can come close to a lovely loaf of home baked happiness. Some things you just can’t buy and I believe that most foods are well worth that little bit extra effort and bread is definitely one of those.
There is something priceless and utterly magnificent about the whole bread making process. Its magical and only takes a little practice and know how. I’ve popped a few tips below that will get you started on the road to bread brilliance. If you’re a keen baker, and lets face it, its become a bit of trend recently, this loaf is simple and yet delicious.
A loaf of bread is surely one of the nicest things you could ever give to someone. If I enter a persons house and they say ‘I’ve just taken some loaves out of the oven’ it’s like entering some kind of ideal parallel universe where everything is just about right. I was once made a German sourdough loaf by some friends and I rave about it still. It was over five years ago but I’ll be taking that loaf to the grave! I wanted to move into their kitchen and make baked goods for the rest of my days.
In my humble opinion, making bread is one of the most soulful things you can do in the kitchen. Really, I see cooking for people as a privilege. Once you get the hang of it, the world of bread is yours to explore. There is no doubting that bread making can be daunting at first and you’ll probably not knock out a perfectly risen and crusty sourdough loaf at the first time of asking. But stick to the basics and you’ll make something wholesome and full of homemade goodness.
We don’t eat loads of bread in the BHK, I might bake one morning a week. At work, I bake bread every morning and its one of my favourite ways of starting a day. All that kneading wakes the body up nicely. For me, keeping things simple first thing is always a good idea!
WHAT IS SPELT?
Spelt is one of my favourite flours giving a lovely light and nutty loaf. It is really different from using wheat flour and is a highly nutritious grain that many people who are sensitive to wheat can enjoy. Sometimes known as dinkel wheat (a word I appreciate) spelt has been cultivated since 5000BC. It’s fair to say that folk around here in North Wales have probably been making loaves like this since the Bronze age.
Spelt is basically a sub species of wheat and being an ancient grain, has not been manipulated to meet manufacturing needs (like many variations of wheat have for example). Spelt is easy on the digestive system as the gluten in spelt is water soluble and breaks down when mixed or chewed. Being an ancient grain, spelt has kept its hard hull intact. Many modern wheat grains have no hull which protects the grains from pests and the elements. These wheat grains have now developed an enzyme inhibitor that keeps pests at bay but effects the way that we digest these grains, as enzymes are an essential part of good digestion. If you feel bloated or heavy after eating bread, switching to spelt bread may be a good idea.
SIMPLE TIPS FOR AWESOME LOAVES
Bread takes some time and effort, not to mention a little technique and skill:
LINING – Line your loaf tin/ oven tray with baking parchment. If your equipment is not totally non-stick, and that attribute is quite rare, then don’t risk a sticky situation. Quickly line with baking parchment and you are certain of a simple extraction.
PROVING – The texture of a loaf comes mainly from the gluten waking up and doing its thing. This takes a long proving and some kneading. You don’t always have to pummel your dough for a long time, you can even leave dough in a fridge or a cool place for a very slow prove, overnight for example. This allows gluten and flavours to develop and makes for a delicious loaf. In Wales, it is so cold and we have no central heating, we have no choice but to take it slow. We have however been known to use a warm hot water bottle to help get our dough woken up.
OVEN – Baking in general will mean getting to know your oven. They are all different and timings may vary. Where you place loaves/ cakes in an oven has a huge effect on the outcome and results will vary depending on whether the oven is heated by a fan or the main heat source is from the base etc. It can be trail and error at first and the only way to learn sometimes is an over baked bottom on your loaf.
PRESENTATION – Bread looks cool when its a bit rough I believe. Smooth is nice but try and give the surface some texture by not playing with it too much. Tears and bobbles are great on bread and add to the texture of an interesting loaf. You may also like to slash the top of the loaf before the final proving. This adds texture to the loaf and also looks mighty fine. Dusting with flour will result in a soft crust and brushing with soya milk will result in a crisp and darker crust. With wet doughs, the loaf will spread out in the oven a little, this is worth bearing in mind if you have a particular shape in mind.
OBSERVE – Its also important to remember to be patient with bread making and flexible. Observe the bread, whats happening to it? When proving the loaf, is it rising too quickly or too slowly. This will all be dependent on the ambient temperature (or you forgot the yeast!!) Gauge whether the loaf is actually twice the size and amend the timings, less or more. Sometimes the loaf will take much longer to prove and that is fine and actually preferred. The key factor is that the yeast wakes up and does its thing, working its magic within the bread. A quick prove can result in off, sour aromas and big air pockets in the loaf.
KNEADING – A wet, sticky dough is always better than dry and floury loaf. I use oil when kneading the loaf as this will not add flour to the recipe, changing the texture of the loaf. Many bread makers use dough spatulas instead of hands when ‘kneading’. The old fashioned image of sleeves rolled up and pummeling an hapless lump of dough is not always the best way to go. When your dough can stretched easily without breaking, around 8 inches is a good gauge, then its ready.
STEAM – Turn your oven at home into a professional bakers oven by adding a cooking tray to a lower shelf whilst preheating and when the loaf goes in, pour some water into the tray. Creating steam which allows the loaf to develop a nice thick and light crust. I do this with most loaves.
YEAST – This is the magic dust that makes bread rise. Always keep it separate from salt, they don’t get along and salt can kill it. Add them to different parts of the bowl. You can add your yeast to the warm water before mixing, but I find that it wakes up by itself.
Recipe Notes
I like this loaf with poppy seeds included in the seed mix. They have a lovely flavour and give a nice bite to the loaf. You may also like to add dried fruits like dates, apricots or herbs like rosemary and thyme to the loaf. Spices like cinnamon and even garam masala can be delicious.
Rapeseed is one of my favourite oils and is local to us in the UK. It has a great flavour that compliments spelt well, but you can use any oil, olive or sunflower etc.
Remember that spelt proves quicker than wheat. I have proved this loaf twice, but you can easily omit the first prove and go straight for a single 40 minute prove followed by baking. This is of course quicker and leads to a lighter loaf and ever so slightly crumbly. Not better or worse really, just different.
This bread can be baked in a loaf tin, this makes it easier to handle as the dough can be quite wet. If your just starting on your bread journey, go for a 1kg tin here. Handling a spelt loaf is different from a wheat loaf, it can be quite floppy and needs some gentle encouragement (see below).
Add white flour instead of spelt for a lighter loaf.
Due to the gluten being different in spelt, it does not take as much kneading as wheat. This can actually break down the gluten in the loaf, as oppose to strengthen it as with wheat.
Seeded Spelt Bread
The Bits – For one large loaf (10-12 slices)
500g spelt flour
1 teas yeast
1 1/3 teas salt
1 tbs malted rice extract (or sweetener of choice)
In a large mixing bowl add the flour, seeds, salt and yeast. Stir the sweetener into the water and gradually pour the water into the flour mix. Mixing it in with your hand or a wooden spoon. Once all of the water is combined and a dough is formed add the oil and brush/ rub all the excess dough on your hands/ spoon back into the bowl and begin to knead the dough.
If your bowl is big enough, its possible to knead it in the bowl. Otherwise turn out onto a cool surface, ideally lightly oiled. Knead, it will be quite sticky, don’t worry, just give a good twist and pummel. A lightly film of oil on your hands helps with the stickiness. Work it! Imagine you’re a kid again playing with food. Its fun! Give it roughly a couple of minutes kneading. When the dough is smooth and pliant, you’re ready.
Form a ball and lightly oil it all over, in the bowl, lightly cover with a kitchen cloth and leave in a place that is slightly warmer than room temperature for 45 minutes. The warmer it is, the more the yeast will come to life, so keep your eye on it. The key is that the dough doubles in size.
A nicely shaped spelt dough ball, ready for its first prove
Now knock it back (or knead it again). Basically knocking the bubbles out of the bread and getting the gluten going even more. This will all add to the firm and chewy texture of the loaf. Form a rough and fat ball. It will spread out, so tall is good.
Sprinkle or roll the dough in seeds if you like. Grab an oven tray lined with baking parchment and place your dough on it and leave to prove for 35 minutes, until the dough has almost doubled in size (ideally, in a very perfect world, leaving just a little room for expanding in the oven).
Preheat an oven to 200oc and place a baking tray on a lower shelf.
The loaf ready for its final 35 minute prove
This is spelt so the loaf may now look like a fat pizza base. This is fine. Using your hands or a spatula, gently form the loaf back together into the shape you prefer, pushing it and tucking it in. You don’t want to handle it much at all at this stage. A bit of gentle persuasion is best. The loaf will be quite thin, nothing like a sphere but should not resemble a gorgeous, 2D frisbee.
Pour a couple of cups of water into a the now hot oven tray (lots of steam) and pop the loaf into the oven on a middle shelf.
(The tray steaming step is not essential).
Bake for 40-45 minutes. Tap the base, it should sound nice and hollow with a good crust. If this is not the case, pop it back in for another five minutes and repeat the process.
Lovely light spelt loaf with a good thick crust
Once baked, leave the loaf on a wire rack (with a few inches of clearance underneath, too close to the surface and you’ll end up with a soggy bottom, which is never pleasant). I give it at least 30 minutes before tucking in. If you are in a hurry to cool the loaf down, cut in half or quarters. This will release the steam making the loaf cool much quicker.
Serve
Makes a brilliant slice of toast and is ideal with soups especially. I like it best warm with a drizzle of nice rapeseed oil or a little pot of balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Just a quick dip in that and then………woahhhhhh! Lovely stuff.
Foodie Fact
Spelt is a good source of protein, dietary fibre, some B vitamins and minerals, especially manganese with good levels of iron. It makes for a highly nutritious loaf.
Mum’s here!!!! (and Dad) When Mum visits we get stuck into loads of cooking. We always have done and I’ve had these scones in mind for a while. I knew Mum would love ’em! Coconut + scones = genius.
This is a light, rich and crispy scone recipe especially for all those Mum’s out there. It’s MOTHERS DAY!! (Well it was yesterday when we made them!) This will make any afternoon tea a little bit special. Just add your favourite jam or Mum just had one with chocolate spread. Yowzah!
These little beauties are based on the awesome recipe sent across to us by Janice at Nourished by Nature. A place we visit regularly for nutritious, delicious, healthy recipes. Janice is so passionate and creative and we love the way she cooks! These scones even scooped the ‘Sweet Treat’ award at our last cookbook giveaway. We just had to share our version of the recipe.
I love making scones and must admit, that at the moment I make more savoury scones. Rosemary scones being my favourite. They work so well with a nice hearty vegetable broth in these chilly winter months. I have some great memories of Mum’s baking as a child. Mum’s walnut and date scones were always amazing! They were at least three times the thickness of these little guys. I must remember to ask very nicely for a recipe…..
I have never used a food processor to make scones before, but I will again. If used with care, i.e. not over working the mixture, the resulting scones are light with a delicious crispy crust. I do not have a massive sweet tooth but these are right up my street! A brilliant twist on a classic, just what we’d expect from Janice.
Recipe Notes
I use the coconut oil here in solid form. This works best.
Feel free to use vegan spread instead of coconut oil, which I realise is quite expensive. I must admit, I prefer the coconut oil ones. Richer, lighter and with a crispier crust.
These scones can be made thicker, but I find thin scones great because there is less leftover mixture at the end and that means more lighter scones. Once we start to reform the leftover straggly bits, the scones become heavier (although still very tasty). Try weighing them in your hands, you’ll see what I mean.
Remember when baking scones, cookies etc they will seem a little underdone when removing them from the oven, they tend to firm up on the cooling rack. This is perfectly normal and its best to take them out slightly undone than slightly overdone I feel. Check the tops and bottoms, if they are beginning to brown, you’re there.
The Bits – Makes 8 medium-sized scones
225g self raising white flour
2 level teaspoons baking powder
50g unrefined white sugar (unprocessed)
100g coconut oil or vegan spread (olive, sunflower etc)
55g desiccated coconut
4-5 tablespoons plant based milk (soya milks works well)
2 tbs soya milk (for brushing)
2 tbs desscated coconut (for topping
Do It
Preheat an oven to 200oC (180oC Fan Oven)
In a food processor, add all the dry ingrdients and pulse a few times until a loose crumb forms. Add the soya milk gradually whilst pulsing until the mixture just starts coming together.
If you are not using a food processor, place all the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl and crumble the mixture using your fingers and thumbs (think breadcrumbs). After a while it will form a fine crumb, add the milk gradually, mixing with a spoon.
Fresh out of the oven
Pop the mixture onto a floured surface and bring it together with your hands. Do not over handle at this stage or your scones will be dense. Light scones will come about from very little handling.
Roll out the mixture using a rolling pin to a depth of 1 – 1/2 inches and cut out the scones using a cutter of your choice (Janice using a very cool heart shaped one). These ones will be the lightest, gather together the straggly bits of pasty and make into extra scones.
Place on a baking tray lined with parchment and bake on a middle shelf in the oven for 12-14 minutes until the tops are have browned.
Coconut Scones with Rhubarb and Blueberry Jam – one ain’t enough!;)
Serve
You know how you love ’em! A scone eaten still warm from the oven is a thing of rare beauty (blazing fire and purring cat on lap optional).
Foodie Fact
Coconut is an incredibly good thing in so many ways. It is high in fat, giving it that gorgeous richness. The fat in coconut is no ordinary fat however, a large portion of it is known as lauric acid. A fat which has been shown to heighten our good cholesterol levels. A medium coconut covers all of our energetic, mineral and vitamin needs for a whole day! If you are ever in a tropical country and feeling the heat, reach for coconut water. It is excellent at rehydrating the body
This is the perfect accompaniment to your Saturday night curry feast! Curry makes any weekend extra special.
I like shop bought pickles, it’s generally what you eat in restaurants in India. Although the very best pickles I’ve ever eaten have been home made (no surprises there then!) Mango, lime and mixed pickles are my favs but I had a few nice carrots in the kitchen, so I thought I’d give this a go. The spice combination and method can be used for most firm, sweet veggies, pumpkin or squash for example also work very well. This is very much a milder pickle don’t expect that eye-popping and taste bud tickling saltiness. Its mellow like a mango pickle with spicy bells on with a nice sweet and sour chilli-ness.
The drawback of most shop bought pickles is the salt. In India I have noticed pickles are used sparingly, a couple of teaspoons per meal. In Britain, I think we can overdo it sometimes and all that salt is just not cool. The lovely thing about taking a wholefood approach, making an effort to cook much of your food at home, is that you know whats going into your dishes. We can moderate the sugar and salt levels here accordingly.
FIVE HEALTH BENEFITS OF GINGER
Really ginger is more like a medicine than a food! It is just so good for us. Some people get a little freaked out when I start talking about the health properties of food, but I can’t help myself!! I love to know that the food I enjoy is actually doing me some good, not just tasting amazing, but filling me with nutrition and vitality. Healthy food is not the worthy, boring grey slop of old, its the bright and very tasty future for us all!
Anti-oxidant – Ginger contains a powerful anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory called gingerol. It is one of the natural oils in ginger which gives it such a powerful aroma. Ginger may also help to prevent cancer and helps to fight infections.
Helps Nausea – Many people use ginger to treat nausea like morning sickness and sea sickness.
Lowers Cholesterol – Ginger has been shown in many studies to reduce bad (LDL) cholesterol and has even been shown to lower blood sugar levels.
Helps the brain – Studies show that ginger can help to prevent age-related damage to the brain and improve brain function in elderly people.
Can help to treat chronic indigestion and pre-menstrual aches – Food containing ginger leave the stomach quicker, beneficial for people who suffer from indigestion. It may also help reduce pre-menstrual pains if taken at the start of the menstrual cycle. It has shown to be as effective as taking drugs like Ibuprofen.
Ginger is most certainly one of those foods worthy of the ‘superfood’ name!
Back to pickle. Enjoy this tangy, spicy pickle with flat breads and of course, a curry or two for company. It also goes down well in sandwiches and I even like it on toast in the morning. Remember, I also eat chillies for breakfast on occasion. I understand that it’s a slightly more intense affair than strawberry jam.
The Bits – Makes 1 jar or serves 4-6
450g carrot (peeled and cut thin half moons – slice anyway you like really as long as its thin)
1 onion (finely sliced)
3 tbs ginger (finely sliced or grated)
3 tbsp oil
½ tsp fenugreek seeds
1 1/2 teas cumin seeds
1 teas coriander seeds (the smaller ones are best)
5 whole dried red chillies (cut in half length ways – more if you love chilli)
1 ½ tsp turmeric
2 tsp salt
5 tbsp unrefined sugar
1/2 lemon (juice)
Very simple recipe with brilliant results:)
Do It
If you are jarring the pickle and looking to preserve it for a while, sterilise the jars by either boil the jar and lid in a pan of water or bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
Add the oil to a large saucepan on medium heat and when hot pop in the fenugreek, cumin seeds and dried chillies. Fry until they pop, a minute or less, then add the carrot, onion and ginger, fry for five minutes.
Add the salt and turmeric, stir and lower heat, cover the pan and leave to cook until the carrot is soft, 20 minutes. Add the sugar and lemon juice stir, warm through for a minute and then leave to cool.
This pickle can be enjoyed once cooled or preserved for later tasty times. It will keep nicely in a sealed container for three days.
Quick Carrot and Ginger Pickle
Serve
With your favourite curry or like I said, good on toast!
Foodie Fact
See above – we’ve got ginger covered.
We’ve been loving the winter sunshine down on the beach.
Windfall Apple and Oat CrumbleSo the leaves are all turning burnt gold, auburn, crimson and the morning are crisp with deep powder blue skies. I love this time of year, wandering through dried leaves, staring into fires, wrapping up, rediscovering the delights of sloe gin and big, bombastic bakes!
Desserts or otherwise, its time to wake the oven up, it tends to be underused in the summer months and dust off our oven dishes. Autumn and winter mean we need warm hugs and serious sustenance in our bowls/ plates. It’s something of a survival mechanism and certainly leads to oodles of well-being. Cosy soul food!
Nothing says autumn more than the first crumble of the year. Your body knows what’s coming, the dark and windy time when we crave large plates of stodgy happiness to warm our wintery bones. We are enjoying a beautiful September up here on Tiger Mountain, but the nights are getting a bit chilly and crumble is the perfect antidote. Easing us into this time of year in the tastiest of ways.
Crumble’s beauty lie in their simplicity and the way they gobble up our autumn fruity abundance. This recipe is beautifully basic and can be taken in so many directions with addition of other fruits (think blackberries, damsons, mulberries, dried fruits etc) or flavourings (like elderflower, orange blossom, I’ve even tried a tahini and apple crumble which was a treat). Adding chocolate to a crumble has been tried and works like a dream. This recipe is a lovely foundation to add to as you see fit.
ORCHARD DREAMS
We are setting out a little orchard in the garden. The trees are young (bar our ancient looking plum tree and windswept crab apple) and normally offer scant fruit. My Snowdonia Pear Tree, a juvenile, was unceremoniously beheaded by a storm recently. Its tough going for saplings in these parts! Our little Bardsey Apple tree however is a rugged super star, branches laden every year with tart and juicy, vivid green apples. Not such great eaters (too much of a twang) but perfect when cooked. These apples were actually all windfall, saved from the fate of an army of slugs that camp out and descend like slimy vultures on any fruit that hits the deck.
Windfall Bardsey Apples in the garden
APPLE ABUNDANCE
What to do with all those apples? If your, family members, neighbours, avid scrumpers know of an apple tree, I’m sure you’re asking yourself the same thing. Here are few little ideas for all those surplus apples:
Make a Tart Tatin (see below)
Cook into apple sauce and use on desserts and breakfast bowls. Apple sauce is also wonderful in baking, it helps to bind cakes etc together.
Spread them out somewhere, preferably on cardboard and keep them for as long as possible. Crunch and yum!
Make cider.
Discovery Apple and Apricot Tart Tatin
ALL APPLES ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL
When cooking with apples its worth tasting one first. They can be so varied and this is what I love about them. They are surely one of the finest things we grow in the UK and our traditional varieties offer up a fascinating and varied palate of flavours and textures to play with in the kitchen; some are flowery in texture and sweet, some crisp and tangy, we just need to find them the right home. I have to say that the best way to eat a good apple is to give it a little polish on our trousers or jumper (why do we do that?) and crunch into it. I like to eat the core and seeds as well.
Making this pud into a pure plant-based pleasure is a cinch, you’re really just substituting the butter in the traditional crumble with oil and some flax seeds, which offer a lovely nutty flavour and help to give the crumble a little bite and oodles of nutrition. I am also not great at using large scoops of sugar, I need gentle persuasion. You can probably make this with other sweeteners, but for once in the BHK, we’re going (almost) traditional.
Crumble is oh so simple but surprisingly many are still not great. Being too sweet or having a dry, floury crumble are two cardinal sins of crumble-hood. I like a nutty, crisp crumble. This is why crumble is always enjoyed best straight out of the oven. The longer its left, the more time for the crumble to loose its magic crunch. I like to add nuts and flax seeds to add even more flavour and bite. To avoid just a mouthful of floury sweetness, I like oats bound with a little flour. Simple pleasures are always the best!
So grab a fireplace, a large spoon and a nice crisp autumn night and enjoy this true British classic.
Recipe Notes
You can use gluten free flour and oats to side step gluten here.
The amount of sugar you will need depends on your apples. Ours are very sharp, so we went for 90g. Jane has a sweet tooth (see above) and was very pleased with the sweetness level with that amount.
Crumble is amazingly adaptable, make it well in advance or make a large batch of apple sauce and use for other purposes (see above). Crumbles also freeze brilliantly.
I don’t like going ott with cinnamon, I just like it somewhere in the background. Not a main player in a crumble. Add more if your a spicy crumbler.
Enough frivolity, lets crumble!!!!!!
The Bits
Apples
950g apples
60-100g light brown sugar (unrefined)
3 tbs water
1/2 – 1 teas cinnamon
Crumble
100g oats
20g flax seeds (ground)
75g mixed nuts (roughly chopped)
30g light brown sugar (unrefined)
70ml rapeseed/ olive oil
1 teas cinnamon
20g buckwheat/ wholemeal flour
Do It
In a saucepan, add all of the ingredients for the apples. Bring to a gentle boil and cook for 20 mins with a lid on or until the apples are tender and just falling apart.
Mix all of the crumble ingredients together in a bowl. Preheat oven to 200oC.
In a baking dish (approx 10″ by 8″), spoon in the apple sauce and sprinkle over the crumble mix until there is a nice thick layer.
Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, until the crumble is a dark golden colour and the apple sauce is bubbling away.
Beginning….. Middle…… End! The Prequel (?) – Windfall Apple and Oat Crumble with lashings of custard
Serve
We had ours with custard. Mainly because we don’t have any ice cream in the freezer. If we had ice cream, I am sure there would have been a long debate about which way to go. Which way do you go? The timeless question. I think it depends on how the stars are aligned (or something). PS – It must be vanilla ice cream. Of course. Anything else would be utterly ridiculous.
Beach walking off all that crumble – Dinas Dinlle, near Anglesey
Foodie Fact
Crumble is food of the Gods and makes you happy:)
Dinas Dinlle Beach Happy Autumn to you all!!!!!!!!!!!!
Charred Cauliflower Steaks with Coconut and Kale Puree
This really is vegan food for everyone! Charred cauliflower is something that appeals to all and not something you’d expect from the humble cauli. It’s actually a superstar veg and has been hopelessly cooked over the years, giving it a bad rep. Don’t boil it to death, breath life into it by bringing out its intense flavours and creaminess. Of course, this being the BHK, we have to talk a little about its shining health properties. Its REALLY good for you (see ‘Foodie Fact’ below).
Here’s a dish that looks great, tastes mighty fine and takes very little preparation. This is the easy kind of recipe that anyone can whip up at home and make it look like a restaurant style dish. I love it when that happens! This is also a very BBQ friendly way of cooking cauliflower. These steaks will grace any BBQ and make a tasty burger filling (or two). Charring the cauliflower ‘steaks’ (what else could we call them?!) and poaching the rest of the cauli in coconut milk highlights two of the amazing flavours hidden in a humble cauliflower. In this dish, you get the best of both worlds. Great texture and superbly creamy when poached and blended (something to do with the natural pectins).
Vegans can easily cook this for self-confessed carnivores (aka people who cannot live without meat….until they try these!!!) and want to make their way into the world of plant-based food. There is a huge shift towards plant-based foods happening and there are an infinite number of ways of making plants incredible; vegans are now making meringues and macaroons out of chickpea/ bean juice, the other night I made something like a parmesan cheese out of gram flour (its a long story……more to come in that department). Endless is the plant kingdoms culinary surprises and I feel we are only beginning to harness the tastiness of plants. Watch this space. Vegans are pulling out all the creative stops!
BLEEDING BURGERS!?
Somebody has recently made a vegan burger than bleeds. I have very contrasting feelings about that. One, a little unsettled. Two, amazing for our health, animals and the planet. Looking at it like that, the little weirdness is something I can get over. The more plants we pack into our diets, the better for all!
Its a stormy day up here on the hill, but we’ve had a few nice days of sunshine which always makes me very happy for our little veg patches. I also get to dig my shorts out. Our cauliflowers are nothing to write home about this year, slugs seem to find them irresistible and our slug issues are many and overwhelming sometimes. You know we’ve only watered the garden once this year. Once! This is surely some kind of record. Wales will not be running low on water anytime soon. Its a blessing (in a way). But maybe it could bless us more in autumn, than in the heart of summer. We’ve been harvesting blackberries (strangely early), raspberries, rocket and kale. We’ve also got a good looking crop of potatoes, beetroots, parsnips and we may even get a few peas if the wind stays down.
BEACH LOVIN’
When the sun comes out, we’re on the beach. Our local beach Dinas Dinlle (where a lot of the pictures in Peace & Parsnips were taken) is one of my all-time favourites. Backed by the Snowdonia hills and mountain rangers, it stretches for many miles, all the way from Caernarfon down to Trefor near the Llyn Peninsula. There is a large Bronze age fort halfway along the beach and at one end you have a bird anctuary and the other, a dramatic mountain range, the Rivals. I run along the beach quite often and when the tide is out, feel like the only person alive. No footprints to be seen, just me and the smooth sand stretching off into the distance, the sea birds, the occasional wave. Even though the weather is….changeable, the sea is still warm and the water seriously rejuvenating. A swim in the Irish Sea is not easily forgotten! There is something very special about our local beach, overlooking Lovers Peninsula on Anglesey and the Menai Straits. (Maybe I should start working for the Welsh Tourist Board?) Anyway…..back to the kitchen….
No complaints here – North Wales is beautiful! Dinas Dinlle Beach
The Bits – For 2
1 large cauliflower (750g)
1 white onion (finely diced)
3 teas ground cumin
2 teas turmeric
2 pinches chilli flakes
3 large stems kale (roughly 80g leaves only)
3 tbs light olive/ coconut oil
500ml coconut milk
Black pepper and sea salt
Do It
Trim your kale leaves off the woody stems. Finely slice. Cut cauliflower (as below) down the centre into two cross sections/ steaks, roughly 1 1/2 inches think. Nice and chunky. Trim the end of the stems off. Roughly chop the rest of the cauliflower. Sprinkle the steaks with salt and pepper.
Cut your ‘steaks’ from the centre of the cauliflower. Nice, neat, cross sections if poss. (they cook nicer that way)
Preheat oven to 180oC.
For the puree – In a large saucepan, add 1 tbs oil and warm on a medium heat, saute your onions for 2 minutes, until softened. Now add the cauliflower and 2 teas turmeric and 2 teas cumin. Stir well and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in the coconut milk, bring to a boil and lower heat to a simmer. Pop a lid on and leave to cook for 15 minutes. Stirring occasionally.
For the steaks – While the puree is simmering. Grab a large, heavy frying pan. On a high heat, warm 1 tbs oil. When hot, place your cauliflower steak (one at a time), face down, into the pan. There should be a good sizzle now. Press down with a spatula to get it nicely charred. Check after 1-2 minutes of frying. Once you get a nice char, flip over and do the same on the other side. You may need a drizzle more oil here. don’t be shy with it, this dish needs a bit of oil to get that nice colour.
Straight out of the pan, sprinkled with spices, ready for the oven
Now place the cauliflower steak onto a baking tray, lightly sprinkle with ground cumin, chilli flakes and a few more twists of fresh black pepper. Repeat the process with the other piece of cauliflower. Once both are cooked, place the tray in the oven and finish off cooking the cauliflower for 15-20 minutes. Check that the base of the stem is softened. You can do this by trimming off a slice of the stem and trying it.
Finish the puree, by adding the finely sliced kale leaves and stirring them in. Pop a lid back on and simmer for a few minutes. Then blend the puree well with a stick blender or add to a food processor and blitz, thin with a little water if needed. Check seasoning and keep warming.
Charred Caulifower Steak – Ready for your resident/ local carnivores approval!
Serve
On a warm plate, ladle out some sauce into the centre, spread out evenly in a circular motion with the base of the spatula and gently place a cauliflower steak in the middle.
Foodie Fact
Cauliflowers are actually really high in Vitamin C, in fact, this dish will easily supply your daily RDA for Vitamin C in one tasty plate. Cauli also contain a good amount of protein and high levels of fibre. It also offers a load of the vitamin B’s and a healthy helping of omega 3 fats. So if you’d like to keep a healthy heart, brain, give yourself a bit of a detox, cauliflower is perfect.
Catching a few precious sun rays in the herb garden aka the sun trap
A nice slice of proper, old fashioned cake here. I love baking these traditional style cakes, you can’t go wrong with them. Its so quick and easy to get together and it is also very cheap. I doubt you’ll be able to cobble a cake together for much less. This recipe is a request from one of our lovely guests at Trigonos, Debbie. It is a Trigonos classic and a variation on Ed’s (long serving chef and all around superhero) recipe that has been served to many thousands of artists, meditators, yoga students etc over the years. One of the best things about it, is its ease in preparation. Never a bad thing when working in a busy kitchen!
I was going to make Jack Monroe’s awesome looking Extra-Wholesome Banana Loaf and will be soon as I am always open to adding coconut oil to cakes. I think its the closest we vegans can get to butter in baking and certainly adds richness and a fuller texture to your favourite slab of sweet happiness. The extra-wholesome element in this cake is the buckwheat. Adding great nutrition and a depth to the flavour of the cake.
PLEASE EAT MORE CAKE:)
Afternoon tea at Trigonos is always a highlight for most of our guests. It seems that this tradition is fast disappearing, maybe Great British Bake Off is reversing the trend a little, but a nice sit down with a cup of tea is a British institution that is dwindling due to our now fast paced lifestyles. I think eating cake is essential to a balance, healthy, blissed out existence. A little sweetness brings a smile. Even if its a piece of fruit or one of the vast array of healthy cakes out there now; no sugar, gluten free etc. We’re making one today actually, something revolving around polenta, garden blackberries and gram flour. Watch this space (idea pinched from the brilliant Laura at Whole Ingredient blog!)
THE LUCKIEST CHEF ALIVE!
Trigonos is rocking at the minute with local produce. I’m the luckiest chef living to be able to cook everyday with glorious organic produce. Its all thanks to Judy and Owain who work their socks off year round to make the conditions right for these summer gluts. The team have just podded over 200lb of peas alone, the sun has been out a little recently meaning the tomatoes are finally going red and we’ve a whole poly tunnel of them to munch, roast and/ or jar up.
Lovely to see the Ruby Chard back on the Trigonos Menu
As a cook, its a busy time of year, but a wonderfully satisfying one. Our freezers are beginning to burst at the seams with blanched and fresh veggies, prepared for the more leaner months. Our guests at the retreat centre really appreciate the fact that a lot of the food they eat was grown on the land, it certainly adds to the dining experience. You can’t beat the flavour and vibrancy!
The courgettes are just taking off and that’s always interesting, overnight they can turn into something resembling a canoe crossed with a marrow. They just blow up! Sometimes these are great stuffed, as a real centre piece. Basil has also ran wild this year, meaning many pesto/ pistou’s. An abundance of basil is always a rare gift. I’ve been loving Toasted Cashew and Sun Dried Tomato Pesto, hopefully I’ll get the recipe on the BHK soon. Jane and I are also doing a few house renovations and working on plenty of Beach House/ Peace & Parsnips based projects. More news of those to follow soon.
Overall, I’m consistently amazed at how the Trigo guys eek out such abundant harvests from what is quite a damp and overcast part of the world with fairly dodgy volcanic soil. Its taken 17 years to get it to this stage. I think that is the main lesson with organic farming/ veg growing. Patience.
Gorgeous summer peas – post pod
This recipe makes roughly 24 slices. It comes directly from my Trigonos recipe book (a cluster of precious, undecipherable scrap paper) where recipes are normally fit to serve 20-30. Please feel free to scale it down a little. I’ve also made this with added tahini and sesame seeds (no walnuts) and it becomes even richer with a nice chewy texture. You may also like to add seasonal berries to the cake. Raspberries and blackberries, for example, work beautifully. As ever, use this recipe as a base and go wild! Feel ever free to experiment………… Use any oil you like, of course unrefined is much better, preferably with a neutral flavour. If you don’t have buckwheat flour, you can use all wholemeal.
IDEAS FOR REPLACING EGGS
The bananas here act as a egg replacer. Other vegan options for helping to bind things together when baking are apple sauce (cooked apples), silken tofu, mashed sweet potato/ squash, ground flax seeds……there are loads of healthy and effective plant based options.
This one’s for you Debbie!!!!!!!x
Trigonos farm – looking a bit misty yesterday. We’re having a pretty good year with produce, but much less sunshine than last year.
The Bits – 24 Slices
Do It
11 oz (310g) self raising wholemeal flour
5 oz (140g) buckwheat flour
10 oz (285g) unrefined brown sugar
1/2 pint (285ml) sunflower oil
1/2 pint (285ml) soya/ rice milk
4 ripe bananas
3 oz (85g) crushed walnuts
Do It
Oil and line a 10 inch x 14 inch (roughly) pan with baking parchment. Preheat an oven to 375oF (190oC).
Sieve the flour and sugar into a large mixing bowl. Mash your bananas in a seperate bowl with a fork, until smooth. Make a well in the flour and sugar, gradually pour in your oil and milk followed by your bananas. Stir until all is nicely combined (not too much).
Pour into the baking pan and pop in the oven for 40-45 mins. Until your trusty skewer comes out clean when pressed into the centre of the cake.
Turn out onto a wire rack (removing the baking parchment) and leave to cool for 20 minutes. Devour at will.
Serve
Big cups of tea with your neighbour or granny. Cats are also nice to have around when eating good cake.
Foodie Fact
Buckwheat is a great alternative when used as a flour or grain. Buckwheat is classed as a whole grain but is actually a fruit and is related to sorrel and rhubarb. Buckwheat is a good source of magnesium and has other properties that promote good cardiovascular health. Fibre is so important in a well balanced diet and buckwheat, being a whole wholegrain, is full of it.
I use buckwheat, both flour and grain, loads in Peace & Parsnips, things like Buckwheat Pancakes, Toasted Almond Buckwheat Crumble, Kasha with Rosemary, Apricots and Walnuts……. It’s such a nutritious and tasty thang.
When the Welsh sun is out and proud, salads suddenly become highly relevant, essential and a playground for all things fresh and seasonal. They become a palate for vibrant colours and fresh textures. This recipe has a real taste of South Asia about it, with the chillies, sesame, ginger, orange and tamari. Certainly a wake up call for the taste buds! I love to take gorgeous British produce and jazz them up with some global flavours.
We are getting the first stages of our glorious organic veg bounty from the hardworking local growers and its truly a beautiful time of the year! Spring has bowed out to full on early summer (with the occasional patch of dramatic storms) and things are starting to leap from the ground in the most wonderful ways. Even our garden is waking up and every fertile day sees growth.
ORGANIC VEG FARMERS ARE REAL HEROS
Tyddyn Teg is back up and running with a new gang of lovely folk at the helm, they even have a facebook page this year! The farm is looking incredible which means we are going to be a busy one in the BHK, in the best possible way. Loads of fresh and lovely local produce (you can probably tell we’re a bit excited about this!!!) The farm is 10 acres and a huge under taking. These guys are real hero’s, nothing to do with money and profit and all to do with integrity, promoting organic farming practices and ensuring folk around here have healthy affordable food.
John and Pippa have been growing organic veggies near Bethel for many years and have taken a well earned step back, it has taken six young people to replace them! We’ll be showcasing their beautiful produce throughout the year.
BOK CHOI LOVES WALES!
Succulent Bok Choi is something that thrives in poly tunnels up here and we use a lot of it at Trigonos and in the BHK. Trigonos have many different varities growing at the minute. My favourite is the crunchy, peppery, purple Mizuna Leaf (surely a close relative?!) a real surprise package in salads and stir fries. Does anyone really, truthfully, know the real difference between bok and pak? It’s a size thing no? I feel that flavour and texture wise, there is very little between the two. They sound so exotic and yet thrive here in North Wales, as does our brassica buddy Mr Kohlrabi with his alien tendrils. Its basically a turnip/ cabbage crossed with an extra terrestrial space craft. Sometimes called a German Turnip. We love them grated in slaws, roasted whole or just chopped simply into a salad.
THE WANDERERS RETURN
Jane and I’s wandering summer got off to a flying start in Durham and Newcastle this weekend. We both made talks at the brilliant Vegan Festival Newcastle which took place in the lovely, historical Assembly Rooms. We met loads of inspiring people, vegans and non-vegans alike, and really enjoyed our first speaking engagements. Afterwards we enjoyed a cool drink high above the River Tyne, perched in the Baltic Art Gallery Restaurant. Newcastle looked glorious with the setting sun and glittering river, even the roaring gangs of stag-do’s seemed to mellow out as the light became richer.
Delicious vegan salad with avocado on toast – Flat White, Durham
On Sunday we whizzed over to beautiful Durham (where my family are all from) and spent a morning at Flat White Cafe with the ace Patrick and his gang of merry baristas. Its such a buzzy little place, tucked in a nook, packed with style and surely the coolest place to enjoy a coffee in the North East of England. You get a proper mug of intense Americano!
So its been a weekend of meeting kindred spirits and plenty of celebrating so returning to the little Beach House on the hill seemed like a very peaceful, healthy proposition indeed. This salad certainly brightened things up, its insanely nutritious and fresh. We are looking forward to more food and chat-based adventures this summer mixed in with our usual raw food month (probably in September this year). This salad gave us a flavour of what is to come……(minus the toasty sesames!)
Jane and I in Durham at Flat White is Durham, signing books and sipping sensational coffee.
The Bits – For 2
1 large head of Bok Choi (leaves trimmed from the heart)
1 handful red cabbage (finely diced)
1 courgette (cut into long thin slices or thin ribbons using with a French peeler)
1 orange (cut into segments, without pith preferable)
1/2 small red chilli (thinly sliced)
1 tbs fine capers
1 tbs toasted sesame seeds
2 tbs fresh coriander (finely chopped)
Peel the pith off your orange with a sharp knife, following the shape of the fruit, to leave very little pith. Then, holding the orange in one hand, gently cutting each segment out, using a sawing motion, just inside the pith of each segment. When you are finished, squeeze out the juice from the left over orange piece to make your dressing.
In a nice shallow bowl or large plate, scatter your bok choi and then courgette ribbons/ slices and orange. Sprinkle over the red cabbage, chillies, capers and finally the coriander and sesame seeds.
Whisk up the dressing in a small bowl and drizzle over the salad.
Serve
This crunchy number makes for a very colourful side dish and just by adding a little chopped firm tofu or a handful of nuts and serving with some bread, a brilliant summery main course. Adding the tofu and nuts are an obvious protein addition to most plant-based dishes, but there are so many ways of getting good, healthy, plant protein onto our plates:
We have oodles of fresh basil at the minute and feel that a couple of handfuls of basil leaves would be quite sensational (and probably highly excessive in a good way!)
Foodie Fact
Sesame seeds have a higher calcium content than milk! In fact, they are a great source of so much! Read more nutritional info here.
Random little fact, Myanmar is the top producer of sesame seeds in the world.
Enjoying a cuppa at the Pant Du Winery (just down the road). Richard and his family are making wine up here in North Wales! Very nice tipple as well, red, white or rose (the cider is especially amazing).
Here we are again, challenged by our beautiful hill side climate. The Beach House Garden is a wild place to be. We’re 400 metres up Tiger Hill, staring out towards Ireland and Angelsey and the weather so far in 2015 has been unrelenting and way too chilled. The veg patch is not very photogenic at the moment, the plants look a little timid, not sure whether they’ll bother this year. But, when the sun is out and you’re lying on the grass, watching the apple tree dance; the world seems bountiful and ever generous. Thank you nature, I’m not complaining.
The back of the garden, where the wild ones live…..growing freely for all the little critters, bees and hedgehogs.
Now Buster (our semi-feral part-time cat) seems to have found a better deal, small birds are flocking to our garden. Its wonderful. Goldfinches and all sorts of busy tits. We even have a robins nest directly opposite our kitchen window in the dry stone wall. We can see the little Mum robins head poking out of the nest when we’re washing up. I have to say, the Dad robin is working a hard shift getting the twigs sorted and gathering fat worms.
Mrs Robin keeping an eye on us.
Jane bought me a very cool, Snowdonia Pear Tree for my birthday, so that will be going into the earth very soon. We have a lovely little sunny spot ear-marked for Percival (2.5/10 for originality there!) I’ve always thought an orchard would be beyond me, but it seems we’re getting a nice little gathering of fruit trees together. Even the cherry tree has decided to burst into life.
The herb garden is doing well, we have some funky varieties of mint growing, I’ve gamble on some tough ‘bush’ basil and of course, the rosemary, thyme and sage are doing well (they’re toughies). Mint is such a trooper, we now have ginger mint growing in our grass. A nice surprise! I’m in charge of edibles and Jane loves to work with the frillier plants. The colourful ones that look nice. Jane’s favourite plant is a ‘Lady Shallot’ Rose, beautifully peach. It gets favourable marks from me just for having an onion in its name. Our Acer tree is loving it this year and has doubled in size. Acers always remind me of Japan. I love the little red guy for that.
Our noble red acer
When the sun does get out and we are both at home, we chop wood. The chainsaw gets cranked up and we fill our garage full of scavenged trunks and branches. There is something very reassuring having a garage half filled with logs for the fire. Jane’s brother in law, Paul, will be coming up soon to help us get one of our years biggest projects finished. A new woodstore. Knowing Paul, it will be a work of art!
Chopin’ logs – Feeling warmer already
I think one of the highlights of our garden is the succulents. They are an interesting plant, like a cactus meets a rose, normally on a stony wall. I planted a little succulent and couple of years ago, wedged it between a few stones with some soil and it now looks like a perfect, crimson, lotus flower.
The Crimson Lotus Succulent
Our apple and plum trees went wild with blossom, which is now blown all over the garden. Hopefully the bees did there work and we’ll have some fruit again this autumn. This year is, so far, nothing like last, which was a bumper year for fruit and berries. Come on plums!
Plum blossom going strong. Last year we had a festival of plums. This year will be more like a quiet get-together.
We are growing our own lettuce this year and have trays of seedlings all over the place, we’re also going for plenty of rocket. Our veg patch is sporting tiny shoots of cauliflower, cavolo nero, beetroot, fennel, potato, chard and savoy cabbage. We’re realising that the veggies we grow up here on Tiger Hill need to be the equivalent of a very enthusiastic SAS commando to even stand a chance. If Bear Grylls was a carrot, he wouldn’t last long in our veg patch! Anything like a creeping bean will soon be blown over to the curious sheep (or horses) next door and turned into a tasty bite.
Orange, gold and black, at sunset, Tiger Hill lives up to its name. Overlooking Nantlle Valley.
One of the advantages of the plants being small, is that the slugs seem to have followed suit. They’re tiny little guys, still doing a slugs-worth of damage, but in smaller nibbles than usual. I have built up some of the edges of the veg patches, but have generally given up on slug traps/ assault courses. I think the best way is patience and surrendering a decent portion of each crop to the greedy little critters.
Eeking out a few veggies is more than a hobby though, it helps to keep me connected to the seasons and what’s going to be good on the BHK menu and the menu at Trigonos. When the weather is beautiful I feel great for the garden, when the storms set in, I just hope they survive another day!
Pond ferns
The pond is doing brilliantly. We rarely touch it, which seems to do the trick. Everytime you walk past you can hear small amphibians throwing themselves into the safety of the overgrown water feature. We have many newts living there, and frogs. We have also noticed baby red dragonflies. I think this all points towards a nice clean pond. Again, since Buster left us (we miss you little man) the frogs especially are thriving.
At this time of year sorrel is really doing its thing. We’ve tried growing it in beds, but our sorrel prefers to grow through the slates in the front garden. It seems very happy there and is thriving. Its one of my favourite leaves, full of bitter apple twang, I’m happy to see its found a home.
Sorrel is a star
It looks like the garden this year will be more play than productivity, I can see the fire pit being cranked up later in the summer. Apparently, September is going to be a stunner. Only another three months to wait then!
So after four years of Beach House gardening adventures, we’re still roughly a million miles away from our wonderful goal of partial self-sustainability. But I know we are on the right track! If all else fails, maybe we can dive into the world of poly-tunnels. We’ll keep experimenting until we figure something’s out, we learn a little more each year and for that alone, the Beach House garden is ever valuable and fertile.
This curry is perfect for a Saturday curry festival. I love BB, its surely one of my favourite Indian dishes and is always a delight. This is one of those recipes that I will surely be cooking for the rest of my days. When we look at Indian recipes, they can look a bit long, but most of the ingredients are spices and when you break it down, this is a very straightforward recipe and packed with gorgeous smoky flavours.
Baingan Bharta is eaten all over India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Its like an Indian version of Babaganoush (or is Babaganoush a Mediterranean version of BB?). There are many variations, they use plenty of mustard oil in West Bengal of course and it is eaten in many parts of the sub-continent at weddings. Brinjals (Aubergine) in India normally come in quite a small size, but its alot easier and convenient in Europe to use the larger varieties of aubs for this dish, more delightful aubergine flesh and less skin to deal with. You can imagine that traditionally, a warm flatbread is the best accompaniment to this dish.
IS IT A DIP?
Some would call BB a dip, but I cannot get to grips with the word dip. Especially for something so majestically tasty as BB or Babaganoush. I always think of a supermarket bought ’90’s style dip medley’ (those four shades of dodgy dips that come in plastic trays) and these dishes are light years away from that kind of fare. BB has serious heritage and is a feast in puree form.
Because aubergine breaks down so much when cooked, this seems like one (only one I may add) of the finest ways of treating an aubergine. In Turkey they do amazing things to aubergines and its known as the ‘Sultan’ of vegetables. In Wales we’ll call it the ‘Tribe Leader’ of vegetables! I made a version of Babaganoush a couple of days ago and will post it somewhere soon. You can never have too much aubergine on one blog! Impossible!!
COOKING TIPS
I like to caramelise the aubergine in the pan, making it stick to the bottom a little. A crust will form, this is fine and adds to the richness and depth to the sauce. Just make sure that it doesn’t burn too much! As with so many recipes, the pan scrapings are the best bits for making sauces/ gravy, basically concentrated flavours.
Traditionally Baingan Bharta is made a little like Babaganoush in that the aubergines are cooked over open flames. Unfortunately, in the Beach House Kitchen we have an electric hob. No open flames, so this technique is a decent option and more straightforward. It also means that you get the benefits of all the goodness found in aubergine skins.
If you are getting a BBQ going this summer, I cannot recommend smoking a load of aubergines highly enough. The flavour is wonderful and you can always freeze any excess aubs. This gives you the base ingredient to make either of these delicious vegan dishes. I mentioned on twitter recently that there is nothing as decadent as a well roasted aubergine and a few of you commented that you can probably think of a few things slightly more decadent. This is probably true! But aubergines to me are a sensational veg, especially for a vegan. They have so many qualities, a wonderful vegetal creaminess and when mixed with something rich like olive oil or tahini, for example, I’ve got one foot in Nirvana.
G.M. CROPS IN INDIA
Genetically Modified (G.M.) crops are becoming a huge problem in India as large multi-national agriculture businesses, with a myriad affiliates and branches, try to introduce GM crops to India. There are many people fighting against this unnatural invasion, one of the main spokesperson in Vandana Shiva. In 2011 to protest against the introduction of GM Brinjal (Aubergine) into India, the Meridien Hotel and Greenpeace volunteers in Delhi cooked a world record 342 kilograms of organic aubergine and presented a portion of the dish to the president at the time, Manmohan Singh. A very tasty protest!
A RADIANT DAY ON THE HILL
Its a lovely day up here on Tiger Hill and Jane is facilitating a Woman’s Workshop, so I am home alone. Jane has been working really hard on her new website this week, Womans Wheel. It looks beautiful! I’m off for a walk up ‘Myndd Mawr‘ (Big Mountain, also called Elephant mountain because it looks like a massive sleeping Elephant or ‘Yr Eliffat’) and will then plant Percy, our new Snowdon Pear Tree in the garden. We’ve picked a nice sunny spot for him. I’m also making tofu today and am seeking a nice firm tofu texture. I’m going for a different salt to coagulate the beans and hopefully this will help. Homemade tofu is really easy and cost effective, I’ll post the recipe soon. Anyone got any top tips for homemade tofu?
Jane at the base of Snowdon with Mynydd Mawr in the background
JO POTT SUPPER CLUB
We had a delicious meal at Jo Pott’s last night. Each month Jo puts on a fantastic five course menu, served in a very cosy and stylish attic space above her cafe in the Kiffin area of Bangor. Last night, the theme was South Asia and we enjoyed all kinds of traditional delicacies with a twist. I loved the Aduki, rice and ginger balls and I think Jane was quite taken with the Watermelon and Vodka crush (which I ate half of because Jane was driving). The Lentil Cakes in Citrus Broth was also really interesting. Jo’s food is always creative and looks beautiful. Jo does this every month and the fact that Jane and I could sit down to a 5 course vegan meal in a beautiful space was a real treat. Nice one Jo!
The Bits – For 2
2 large aubergines (cut into chunky batons)
4 medium tomatoes (roughly diced)
4 cloves garlic
3 cm fresh ginger (finely chopped)
1 medium onion (finely sliced)
Spices
1 teas mustard seeds
2 1/2 teas ground cumin seeds (1 teas ground)
3 teas coriander seeds (1 ½ teas ground)
1 teas turmeric
2 teas sweet paprika
1 chilli (finely diced or 1/3 teas chilli powder)
1/2 teas asafoetida
1 -2 teas sea salt
3 tbs oil
125ml water
Garnish
Fresh coriander (or sprouted lentils as we used)
Do It
On a medium heat, add your coriander seeds to a pan, toast for two minutes and then add your cumin seeds and toast for one more minute, until fragrant and slightly brown. Bash up well in pestle and mortar. Use ground spices if you’re in a hurry.
In the same pan, add 2 tbs of cooking oil on a medium high heat and fry the aubergines. Stir/ toss them regularly and add 1 teas salt. Cook for 12-15 minutes, until nicely soft and well caramelised. They will stick to the bottom a bit, but this is perfect. That crust equals deep flavour. Set the aubs aside and cover with a plate.
Now put the pan back on the heat and add your tomatoes to the remaining oil on a high heat, stir them well and try to scrape up the aubergine crust to combine with the tomatoes. Fry for around 5 minutes. Set aside and cover.
Wipe out the pan and add 1 tbs of oil and on a medium heat, fry your mustard seeds for 30 seconds, they will pop a little, then add your onions and lower heat slightly. Cook the onions until they are becoming golden, 8 minutes, then add your garlic, chilli and ginger, cook for three minutes, then your spices hit the pan, stir them well, not allowing the spices to stick to the bottom, add 1 tbs of water if this happens. Saute for two minutes and then add your tomatoes, aubergine and 125 ml water and cover cook on a fast simmer for 5 minutes. Add salt to taste.
Baingan Bharta
Serve
We love it with fresh, homemade super simple chapattis (recipe here). They are really easy once you get into a flow. We also love Baingan Bharta with pulao and pickles, or with daal, why not go the whole shebang and get a Indian feast together, Beetroot Raita and all. It is Saturday night almost after all!
One of our new neighbours – Not sure what to call him yet?
Foodie Fact
Aubergine is just one of those veggies that has it all, good lucks, charisma, tastiness, and dashing nutritional properties. I love all veggies and when I learn about their nutritional benefits to body and mind, I get even more excited.
Aubergine has loads of dietary fibre, which is amazing for the digestive system and is one of the most important factors in detoxifying our body. Vitamins are important, fibre equally so.
Aub is a nightshade, like tomatoes, peppers and potatoes. Called ‘eggplant’ in many parts of the world, I think the coolest type of aubergine is surely the ‘graffiti’ aubergine, with its purple, speckled skin.
Aubergine is a good source of B1 and B6, potassium, copper and magnesium.
I thought I’d pop these on #thebeachhousekitchen as I had such a laugh doing them, it was the first time I’d ever set foot into a radio studio and spoke to a nation! Quite a day out. All the people I met were lovely and made me feel very relaxed. I’ve never had a problem talking (loads) about anything! Especially veganism, something I’m so passionate about. They could hardly shut me up!
I ended up chatting about all things vegan, fav foods, chia seeds, healthy eating, nutrition, vegetarian week and ‘Peace and Parsnips’. I started the day with BBC Radio Wales and Eleri was a real star. We kicked off with a little ABBA ‘Knowing me, knowing you’ and halfway through the interview we went for ‘Whhhaakkaaan Be Your Hero Baby’ by Enrique Inglesias. The banter could hardly live up to the tunes, but we tried. Eleri is the daughter of a cattle farmer and I had little chance of converting her to vegan ways (not that I expected to!) but we had a real laugh and some of Eleri’s questions were quite a surprise. My favourite of the day was;
‘So Lee, tell us, where is the peace in ‘Peace and Parsnips’?’
I wasn’t prepared for something so deep! I thought we’d just talk a bit of tofu.
Steve and Janie Lee Grace were very nice and welcoming, the interview was high energy with loads of chat and questions flying around the place. I challenged Steve to a ‘Roast Squash Gnocchi’ (a recipe from the book) which he didn’t fancy much, but I got the impression that they were both open to the idea of vegan food and more veggies in our diets. I was sandwiched between the guys from ‘Made in Chelsea’ and Gilbert O’Sullivan. A mixed bag! I also got my picture taken outside of the BBC building by the paparazzi and touched Elton Johns piano. Quite surreal times.
Todays cook off – Loads of new tasty recipes for the Beach House Kitchen.
Listen to me chatting with Eleri Sion HERE about vegan wind issues, the joy of plants and PEACE. I start about 2:05 minutes.
Sunbathing today on Dinas Dinlle, many miles away from a Radio interview! PS – This is how we sunbathe up here, wearing jeans and hiking boots.
If you’re not in the U.K. I don’t think you can access these. Sorry about that. If you’d like to hear them, Jane’s recorded them on her ZOOM. We can maybe transfer them across somehow.
PEACE AND PARSNIPS ROCKS THE TOP 20
Peace and Parsnips has been selling really well and even stormed the Amazon top 20 bestsellers recently. It is still the number 1 selling Salad cookbook on Amazon and we have plenty more promotional behaviour planned for the summer. Jane and I are organising some supper club style nights in local cafes and restaurants, I’ll be doing book signings and cooking demos around the country and we may even run a vegan cooking course (with yoga and hiking) this winter. We’ll let you know. Add all that to tending to our veg patch and cooking up a storm in the BHK and 2015 is looking like a busy one!
WIN!
If you’d like to win a copy of Peace and Parsnips, have a look here. Plenty of sparkling veggie books being given away by the great folk over at The Happy Foodie.
Roast Squash and Pepper Soup with Bharat – bowls of sun in The Beach House Kitchen
I’m conscious that on a day like today, Monday, time is more precious than at other times of the week. I am very much, in the same boat. I made tonight’s soup as easy as possible, but did not want to compromise on deliciousness! The roasting part here adds unmistakeable sweetness and the bharat brings a spicy edge to the soup.
You may ask the obvious question, “but Lee, you are in a hurry and yet you take pictures of your food and write a blog piece?!” It does seem like a strange way to behave, I admit this, but such is the ways of the food blogger. We are those people in the restaurants who unabashedly whip out their camera when presented with a particularly nice slice of cake while the rest of the table pretend they aren’t with you. Its a passion/ affliction. Once you blog, you can’t stop……
We are in the middle of some very stormy and chilly days up here in the Beach House and soups seems like a very good idea. I love the bright colour of this soup, with added radiance from the turmeric. Its sunshine in a bowl and is a real lift when the sun is hiding behind the clouds.
We’ve been celebrating a little after the release of ‘Peace & Parsnips’. Jane and I took a trip down to Criccieth, a local beach and went down to Black Rock Sands for a proper bag of chips. There is an amazing chippy in Porthmadog that we frequent on rare occasions. Chips = celebration! We sat on the flat sands, a rare place where you can actually drive cars around on a beach without the imminent danger of sinking like a stone. Black Rock Sands reminds me of beaches in Australia, or what I imagine the tip of South Africa to look like. You can look out over maybe a kilometre of flat sand before you see the sea. A truly beautiful place to scoff chips!
Us. Catching some well earned rays on Criccieth beach
BAHARAT
Is basically a spice mix from the Middle East, as well as Turkey and Iran. Although the ingredients may vary, some usual suspects are: black pepper, cardamom seeds, cassia cark, nutmeg, chillies, cumin seeds, coriander seeds. The baharat we use is very much a Middle Eastern style, in Turkey they add a lot of mint and in Tunisia they make a mix with rose petals, cinnamon and black pepper. There are an almost infinite number of combinations of spice mixes, but most of the baharat sold in large shops in the UK is similar. More a warming spice mix than a turmeric or chilli driven one.
If you don’t have any Baharat around the kitchen, use the same amount of Rae El Hanout or Garam Masala. They will add a similar spice kick to the background of the sweet peppers and squash.
This soup is as easy as roasting a tray of very roughly chopped vegetables and blending.
The Bits – For 4 small bowls
1 medium butternut squash – 1kg (cut into 1/4 lengthways)
1 head garlic (skins on)
2 yellow peppers (deseeded)
1 large onion (sliced)
3 teas bharat
2 teas turmeric
2-3 teas salt
Olive oil (for roasting and frying)
Do It
Preheat oven to 190oC.
Grab a large baking tray and rub a little oil over the squash and peppers. Pop them in the oven for 20 minutes. Rub a little oil into the garlic cloves and take the tray out of the oven and scatter the garlic cloves onto the tray. Pop back into the oven and roast for another 15 minutes. Take the garlic and pepper out, check to see if the squash is nice and soft, if not, put back in for another 10 minutes. Set the garlic and pepper aside to cool, do the same with the squash once it is lovely and softened.
In a large sauce pan, add 1 tbs olive oil and fry the onion on a medium heat for 6 minutes, until translucent and soft. While the onions are on, peel the skin off your peppers, garlic and squash. Chop them all roughly. Add the spices to your soft onions and stir for a minute, then add the squash etc. Pour over 1 ltr of hot water and check seasoning (add salt as needed). Leave it to simmer for 5 minutes before blending the soup with a stick blender or using a food processor (leave the soup to cool a little beforehand for this).
Roasted Squash and Pepper Soup with Baharat
Serve
A nice idea, for added richness is to stir some tahini into the soup. Tahini is also packed with goodness, so nutritionally the soup becomes a real shiner. If you are going all out tonight (it is a Monday after all!!!) chop up some coriander leaves and finish with little sprinkle of baharat.
Foodie Fact
Butternut squash is one of the healthiest veggies you can eat. It is much lower in calories than potato and leaves you feeling nice and full after eating it. Calories are of course only one part of the dietary picture, counting calories is definitely not our thing (big bags of chips and all!) You can tell by the colour that its loaded with some good carotenes, which are ace anti-oxidants. Squash is also good for vitamin C and is high in dietary fibre.
Our car off in the distance at Black Rock Sands, North Wales And who can forget……the glorious CHIPS!
It’s a bit like Christmas morning in the Beach House today……..Peace & Parsnips goes on sale across the world. There are people selling it in Germany, France, Spain, Czech Republic (we think), Japan, Korea, Russia….all over…..Its very cool indeed!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Peace & Parsnips is finally out in the shops. It seems like an age since I first sat down to begin writing it and dream up the recipes and how best to showcase vegan food. “How can I make vegan recipes appeal to everyone?” Make them outrageously tasty I think is the answer!
The process has been long and fascinating and I must thank all at Penguin Books UK for their amazing support and enthusiasm. Peace & Parsnips was written in India, Spain, Turkey, Italy, Wales and various family and friends houses in England. It has been a wonderful experience getting this cookbook together and seeing it morph and change, finally creating a gorgeous vegan tome. I still can’t believe it happened!!!! The shoots in London and Wales especially were a real laugh and the photography in the book is just stunning.
Peace & Parsnips have been a labour of love for sure. It really is ‘vegan cooking for everyone’ and I have packed as many tantalising recipes into the 350 pages as possible. No filler, all foodie heaven. There are many recipes I love, so many great memories of friends and family are linked to them. Food is so important to Jane and I, we believe it links us all and goes a long way to representing who we are.
Chestnut, Millet and Sage Sausage Sarnie with Homemade Ketchup
If I had to do a top 11 recipes that I’d make right now for lunch. It would be (drum rollllllllllllllll pllleeaassseee):
– Portobello Pecan Burger with Roast Pumpkin Wedges
– Blueberry and Macadamia Cheesecake
– Shiiitake Tempura with Wasabi Mayo
– Seitan and Sweet Potato Kebabs with Mango Barbecue Sauce
– Oven Baked Squash Gnocchi with Spinach Pesto
– Smoked Chocolate and Beetroot Beans with Baked Chilli Polenta
– Pakistani Beetroot and Pumpkin Bhuna with Banana and Lime Raita
– Puy Lentil and Walnut Burger with Parsnip Clotted Cream
– Chargrilled Chorizo Pinchos with Pistachio and Coriander Pesto
– Okra, Corn and Black Eyed Bean Succotash with Chilli Cornbread Crust
– Spiced Apple and Date Pie
Portobello and Pecan Burger, Raw Blueberry and Macadamia Cheesecake – a few shots from Peace & Pasrnips
In the book, Jane and I share with the world what it is to live up here in the Beach House and cook in our lovely kitchen. The book revolves around our little cottage and the beautiful landscape around. There is, of course, some shots of us on the beach and me trying to catch some little waves on our surfboard. Unsuccessfully! We also take in local waterfalls, lakes, valleys, mountains and of course, our local glorious veg and fruit farms. Wales sparkles and shines in the book.
Burgers, curries, many sweet treats, bakes, salads, sauces and dips, tapas style little plates, mammoth style big plates, hot drinks and smoothies, its all here in P & P. All superbly healthy and naturally vibrant. I hope you love it as much as I loved writing it!!!
Falafels are a simple ‘go to’ in any kitchen, the addition of fava beans changes things up a bit. Chickpeas are awesome, but fava beans are at least an equal. They also happen to be indigenous to the UK.
Anyone can eat falafels (almost), no matter what the food allergy or persuasion (carnivore or otherwise) EVERYONE loves a well crafted falafel with lashing of creamy yoghurt and preferably a warm wrap somewhere on the scene. They are almost always gluten free, dairy free, almost saturated fat free (depending on the oil usage) but packed with the flavours and textures that we adore.
The idea for Egyptian falafels made with fava beans came from one of my old bosses in London, Henry Dimbleby, and his ever tasty Guardian column. I used to work with Henry at Leon Restaurants and had a ball down there in the big smoke making healthy food for happy people. His article claims ‘the worlds best falafel recipe comes from Egypt’, something I whole heartedly agree with. I had some magical falafels over there in Cairo and surround, having said that, I am yet to visit Lebanon or Israel. There seems to be alot of competition in the falafel/ hummus stakes in this whole region. I have heard many a heated debate between various nations over bragging rights to the worlds finest chickpea creations.
Henry’s article is a quest to find the perfect falafel recipe and shows a great deal of passion for the subject. I remember Leon’s sweet potato falafels bringing about a u-turn in my falafel habits and opinion. I had once thought them late night, bland and stodgy, kebab shop fodder. I came to realise that a day without a Leon sweet potato falafel, was a day wasted!
The great British outdoors – Up a Welsh hill, Snowdonia
FAVA BEANS – AS BRITISH AS A BEAN CAN BE
Really, they are. Fava beans have been growing in the UK since the iron age and would have probably been made into bread back then. Something I’d be interested to try out. They are Britain’s original bean. Its strange how these things just come up, but I was in our local shop and saw a new brand Hodmedod’s, I liked the look of them and noticed they were selling Black Badger Peas. Intriguing stuff. I bought some and loved their full flavour (like a big pigeon pea, normally used in Caribbean cooking). British peas and beans. How marvelous is that! I then noticed that they do split and whole fava beans and this recipe had to be made.
Split fava beans are perfect in in stews, dips, curries and can easily be made into a very flavourful daal. They are like lentils in many ways, they don’t need soaking which is perfect if you’re in a wee rush. Hodmedod’s have got some creative, global recipes on their site HERE.
Henry’s original recipe is brilliant and very easy to make. I, of course, had a little play and added a few tantalising twist and tasty turns. I’ve also toned down the oil usage to make them even shinier and healthy. Hodmedod’s have a really nice looking Egyptian Falafel recipe HERE.
Plenty of variations to try, but I think falafels are so easy and delicious, once you’ve made one batch, you’ll be hooked and want to try them all!
The falafels may seem a little crumbly when yo handle them, but they firm up in the fridge and pan. The ground coriander and gram flour help with this. Just “try a little tendernessssssssssss……”
The Bits – For 12 falafels
250g fava beans (soaked overnight, or at least 6 hours, in loads of water)
2 tbs olive oil
1 onion (finely diced)
1 carrot (grated)
1 ½ teas cumin seeds
2 ½ teas ground coriander
1 teas turmeric
1 teas dried mint
½ teas bicarb soda
2 tbs gram (chickpea) flour
1 big handful fresh coriander (soft stems and all – finely diced)
Salt and pepper (to taste)
Coating
2-3 tbs sesame seeds
Extra oil for frying
Cucumber Yoghurt Sauce
6 tbs soya yoghurt
1/2 medium cucumber (grated)
½ lemon (zest)
1 tbs lemon juice
Pinch of sea salt
½ handful fresh mint leaves (finely sliced)
The carrot mix with all those gorgeous, spicy aromas….
Do It
In a large frying pan, on a medium heat, add the oil and warm, followed by the cumin seeds. Allow them to fry for 30 seconds and then add the onions and carrot. Stir and cook for 6-7 minutes, until they are soft and just getting caramelised. Add the ground coriander (not fresh) and turmeric to the pan, stir in and warm it all through for a minute. Take off the heat and leave to settle and cool a little.
Once cooled, add the carrot mix and the rest of the falafel ingredients to a food processor/ blender and blitz until almost smooth, but still ‘grainy’ and coarse. This will take a few goes, you will need to scrape down the side of your blender with a spatula.
Scatter the sesame seeds onto one plate and have another clean plate ready. Using your hands, make small, golf ball sized globes of falafel. Press them gently down into the sesame seeds, flip them over and get a decent coating. Pop the finished falafel on your clean plate and continue. Once the mix is finished, cover the falafels and place them in a fridge for an hour or more.
Mix all the yoghurt ingredients together in a nice bowl. Check seasoning. Jane loves lemon, so we are liberal with citrus.
Preheat an oven on a low heat (160oC) and line a baking tray with parchment and pop it in to warm.
Clean out your pan and warm on medium heat, then add roughly 1 tbs of olive oil. In a large frying pan, you should be able to fit 5-6 falafels comfortably. Don’t over fill or it becomes fiddly. Fry the falafels for 2-3 minutes each side. Using a flat spatula, loosen the falafels a little and flip them over. They will firm up in the pan, but need be handled gently. Place the falafels onto the warm baking tray and keep warm in the oven. Once the batches are finished, leave the falafels in the oven to warm through for 5 minutes. Moderate the amount of oil in your pan, you will need to add a bit more as the falafels love soaking it up.
Playing the Preserved Lemon waiting game (they take at least four weeks)
Serve
We made some Peanut and Lime Hummus (recipe coming very soon) and a big salad to accompany these lovelies. A warm flat bread would also be nice. We would serve this with some of our Preserved Lemons, but they need another week.
Egyptian Fava Bean Falafels with Cucumber and Lemon Yoghurt (vegan and gluten free)
Foodie Fact
Fava beans are used all over the world in dishes, especially in the countries around the Med. For some reason, they are not so popular in Britain, but I think that is going to change. Fava beans are more British than baked beans!!!
When legumes grow, they actually enrich the soil with nitrogen, fixing it. This means that they actually benefit the fertility of the soil as opposed to drain it. Legumes and pulses are incredible in that respect.
STOP THE PRESS – I’ve just read that Hodmedod’s are supplying British grown Quinoa. HOORAH! Quinoa is back on the Beach House menu.
(Just for the record, we only promote products we really like and will say if anyone has sent us freebies. Hodmedod’s, we just love the whole ethos and have received no bean-based bribes to promote their brilliant pulses. We want to support the good guys ’tis all!)
Only a couple of days until the BIG DAY!!!!! No, I’m not talking about the election (which surely must be a little refreshing), I’m talking ‘PEACE AND PARSNIPS‘!!!!!!!
‘Happy, healthy and hearty – it’s time to cook vegan…discover the delights of eating meat- and diary-free recipes, bursting with vitality and taste. Using fresh produce, Lee celebrates this incredibly healthy way of eating through recipes that are varied, nutritious and utterly delicious. From curries, burgers and bakes to show-stoppers….’
Preparations are almost complete, like Christmas Day, all of the vegan elves and parsnip fairies have been working overtime to get the book ready and on Thursday, all the good veggie (and non veggie) boys and girls of the world will wake to a massive slice of vegan deliciousness. It’s a real tome, over 350 pages packed with recipes and gorgeous pictures of North Wales, many of which are gluten free (or with options for GF). Its the full montilado!!!!
Here’s a little look behind the scenes of the shoot where I’m trying to keep my cool in the middle of a heatwave and full on cookathon:
Stacked Portobello Mushrooms, Hazelnut Tofu and Leeks with Caramelised Garlic and Red Lentil Sauce (Quite a mouthful in so many ways!)
We are really giving it to you here! A restaurant-ified dish made at home with very little mess and fuss. Our kind of food! It also happens to be outrageously good for you. This is utter, guilt-free indulgence.
These stacks sound quite complex, but are actually anything but. In fact, it would be a good restaurant dish for the same reasons. It’s simplicity. A few ingredients speaking nicely together all wrapped up in a creamy lentil sauce.
If you meet a vegan/ vegetarian who says they don’t like Portobello mushrooms, look them right in the eye and repeat the question very slowly and slightly suspiciously. “Are you sure????” They may be an undercover carnivore. All veggies like Portobello mushroom, they are so flavoursome and have a magnificent texture. They can be used in all sorts of ways to sate even the most ferocious of carnivores. Some whack them in a burger, other use them as a base for stacking fun and games (that’s me).
Hazelnut tofu is not that easily sourced, but you can always use firm tofu instead. I’d recommend marinating it in a fridge for a while. Press the tofu to get rid of most of the excess moisture and then glug a little tamari (or good soya sauce) over the top. Toss the tofu in the tamari and leave for a couple of hours before use. Hazelnut tofu can be bought in health food shops and the like, it can also be ordered online and is one of Jane and I’s favourite treat bites.
You would like the lentils quite thin, it is a sauce by name after all. Add a little more water to make it the consistency of a thick gravy. Leeks, how we have missed them. Most of our recent dishes have revolved around the mighty leek. Wales does many things well; sunsets, leeks and hail stones and you can only eat one of them.
Cookin’ up a stack! (Fleece essential)
The Bits – For 2 (as a big plate) or 4 (as a little plate)
Red Lentil Sauce
1 tbs olive oil
3 garlic cloves (peeled and finely sliced)
2 tomatoes (roughly chopped)
200g red lentils (well washed and rinsed)
1/2 teas dried thyme
750ml water
Leek Greens (finely sliced, see below)
Leeks, how we adore thee.
Stacks
1 pack hazelnut tofu (roughly 250g, cut into 8, 1 cm thick slices)
4 large Portobello Mushrooms
2 leeks (washed well, green part cut off and finely sliced, white part cut length ways into quarters and then sliced into 4, 3 inch pieces/ chunks)
1 whole head garlic (seperated into individual cloves, skins still on. Use three of the cloves for the lentil sauce)
A good drizzle of olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper
Garnish
Something green (preferably a little fresh thyme, parsley or even finely sliced spinach – as I used here)
Tray of goodness, ready for the oven
Do It
Wash your lentils well, cover them with fresh water and drain. Keep doing this until the water is clear. Grab a medium sized saucepan and add 1 tbs oil, warm on a medium heat and then add the sliced garlic, stir and fry for a minute, then add the chopped tomatoes, stir well. Pop a lid on and allow to bubble on a fast simmer for 5 minutes.
Now add the lentils and water, turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Drop a lid on and lower the heat to a steady simmer. Cook for 15 minutes. Stir in the leek greens and the thyme, place the lid back in and cook for a further 20 minutes. Adding more water to make thick, gravy like consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
Preheat and oven to 180oC.
Line a baking tray with baking parchment, drizzle over a little oil and rub over the tray with your hand. Then lay out all of your veggies onto the tray, including the tofu. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pop in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, remove the mushrooms and tofu, turn over the leeks and garlic, place them back into the oven for 10 minutes (if they need them, they should be nice and soft with the occasional caramelised hue).
Assembly job – in a warm serving dish (or you can serve each stack individually on warm plates). Cut your tofu in half lengthways, pop the garlic out of their skins (they should not need much encouragement). Now place two pieces of leek and two cloves of garlic onto a mushroom and top those with four nice slices of tofu (criss-crossed looks cool). You can put these back in the oven on a low heat to keep warm until serving.
Serve
Pour a thick layer of lentil sauce over your serving dish/ plate and gently place one of your towering stacks on top. Sprinkle with something green, a little more seasoning with salt and pepper and a slight drizzle of good olive oil.
Stacked……..YUM!
Foodie Fact – Leeks
Leeks can be a little overlooked from a nutritional point of view, their more popular cousins the onion and garlic get all the attention. This means there isn’t as much nutritional info out there about them. However, we know that leeks are champions of Vitamin K (see our last article, No-Knead Everyday Loaf, for more on ‘K’). We also know that they are high in Manganese (good for bones and skin) and Folates (Vitamin B’s that keep our cardiovascular system in order).
Probably the most interesting thing about Leeks are their history. They originate from Central Asia (not Wales) and were highly revered by the Romans, in fact Emperor Nero used to eat alot of leeks to help give him a strong voice. Leeks were in fact introduced to the UK by the Romans and are probably most famous for being worn in the helmets the Welsh army, who defeated the Saxons in 1620.
‘Peace and Parsnips’ our new cookbook, taking off!
We went up to the top of Tiger Hill and it turned into a full power ‘Peace and Parsnips’ fest, with various pictures of me goofing around with our brand new cookbook (out on May 7th!). Forgive Jane and I, we are little excited about it all.
Our friend Shira was amazing at catching me in mid air, looking like I’d just been dropped out of a passing plane.
I also went back to cooking at Trigonos Retreat last week, which is always a real pleasure. You could call this my day job, cooking vegan fare for meditators and yoga folk. I am a very lucky chap indeed. It is the place where many of the cookbook recipes were tried and tested.
Playing with food, back cooking at Trigonos Retreat Centre, Nantlle, Wales
Once more, just for kicks…..
‘Peace and Parsnips’ is coming to get yaaaaaah! (Its all in the hips)
We’re also sticking loads of new Beach House Kitchen stuff on Twitter and Facebook. Check. It. Out. Xxxx.
If you haven’t bought the book yet (tuttututututututututtttttuuuut), HERE is a great place to pre-order your very own copy for a superbly reasonable price. Over 200 vegan/ gluten free recipes straight from the Beach House Kitchen. How cool is that! Priceless….. The books contains chapters like: Nuts About Nuts!, The Vegan Larder, Eating from soil, shoot or branch, Seasonality, A Very Meaty Problem, Homemade Milks, The ‘Whats Up’ With Dairy and of course the recipes:
Breakfast, Smoothies, Juices, Steamers and Hot Drinks, Soups, Salads, Sides, Nibbles, Dips and Little Plates, Big Plates, Curries, Burgers, Bakes and Get Stuffed, Sweet Treats and finally Sauces, Dressings, Toppers and Other Stories.
That’s quite a plateful of vegan fare. It’s a tasty vegan tome.
Friends, family and loved ones (everyone) I will even sign your copy for no extra charge!!!! Expect many more gratuitous ‘Peace and Parsnips’ plugs coming in the next couple of weeks.
“Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.” HH Dalai Lama
Viva Vegan (peaceful, bright and bountiful food)xxxx
Risk free, no brainer baking. Perfect! If you have never made bread before, start here…….if you’re a pro kneader, give this one a whirl, you’ll be surprised by the results.
This is bread making without all the fuss and mess. In fact, its as simple as; combining, baking, eating. This is a light loaf, with a slightly crumbly finish, like an Irish soda bread (without the faint twang of soda). You can really taste the yoghurt which is a nice addition, giving richness to the loaf.
This is a bread that we make regularly and is perfect for a quick loaf in a hurry. There is no proving or hanging around with this one. Mix it up, whack it in the oven and before you know it, your whole house is fragrant with the joys of imminent warm bread. Homemade bread is the only way to go and with recipes like this, its hassle free.
Adding sparkling water to your baking really adds a lightness to proceedings. Normal water works fine here also.
Jane nibbling on a ‘Tostada con Tomate’ – One of the recipes in our new cookbook – Peace and Parsnips
Modified from the awesome vegan baking book ‘The Vegan Baker’ by Dunja Gulin
The Bits – Makes a 1/2kg loaf (around 8-10 slices)
275g unbleached white flour
125g wholewheat flour
2 teas baking powder
50g rolled oats
1 ½ teas salt
250ml soya milk
225ml water (sparkling water is best)
4 tbs soya yoghurt (unsweetened)
2 tbs olive oil
Everything in neat bowls, probably the tidiest bread making recipe (no flour everywhere for a start)
Seed Mix
3 tbs rolled oats
1/2 teas caraway seeds
2 tbs flax/linseeds or sunflower seeds (any seed will do….)
Loaf topped and ready for the oven
Do It
Preheat an oven to 220oC (425oF).
Sift the white flour with the baking powder, then stir in the oats and salt. Mix well.
Mix in the wet ingredients and combine well with a trusty wooden spoon until a sticky dough is formed. It should be easy to spoon, add a touch more water if needed.
Line a loaf tin with oiled baking parchment, the neater, the better. Sprinkle half of the seed mix on the base and then spoon in the bread mix. Level with a spatula (a wet one works best) and sprinkle over the rest of the seed mix.
Pop in the oven and lower heat to 200oC (400oF) and bake for an hour. If you’re using a fan oven, check after 30 minutes that the top is not burning (our oven is a beast and tends to burn tops). Cover with more parchment if this is happening.
Remove from oven and allow to cool in the tin. Turn out and peel off paper. Leave to cool further on a wire rack, the crust will now crisp up nicely.
Store as you do, this bread lasts well, 5 days.
We let it cool outside, meaning you can start eating it sooner!
Serve
Warm with Marmite and good olive oil or some of Jane’s lovely Apple and Tomato Chutney (coming soon on the B.H.K). This loaf is a good toaster.
Foodie Fact
Oats are a concentrated source of fibre and nutrients, a pocket battleship so to speak. They are very high in minerals like manganese, phosphorous and copper. It contains beta-glucan, which is a special type of fibre that actually lowers cholesterol. Isn’t nature kind! Have loads of fibre also means that oats help to stabilise our blood sugar level, meaning a better metabolism and less freaky weight gain. Oats are very cool.
So Jane and I decided to go for a walk along the beach yesterday and nearly got blown away. Spring hasn’t quite arrived in North Wales!
I know this may sound like a winter time treat, but having just returned from India, Wales seems pretty damn wintery to me! Jane and I are warming our cockles around steaming mugs of hot ginger drinks (I have managed to pick up the dreaded sniffles). Ginger is the best thing for colds et al, more like a potion than just a refreshing tipple. This cordial also work brilliantly cold, over ice and in a tall glass (glug of gin optional).
The B.H.K is a global thang and we know that many of you are getting ready for winter. This zingy cordial will help to ease the blow of dark days and timid sun. We know that our mates Fran and Steve down in Tasmania will dig it for example. Serendipity Farm will be buzzing!
Jane throwing shapes on Dinas Dinlle beach – Wales is yet to feel the heat wave of the south
We love making our own stuff, you know what goes into it. Most cordials, even if they are organic and well made, are packed full of sugar. Here, you can use as much or as little sweetener as you like. Sometimes we have it neat, sugarless. A real wake up zing in the morning! Try this with hot apple juice for an even more decadent steaming cup of joy.
This is one of those things, once you make one batch or cordial, you cannot stop. Roll on the elderflower season. Coming soon hopefully……..
Glorious grated ginger – can you smell that zing!!!!
The Bits – Makes roughly 500ml
100g grated ginger root
1/2 lemon (peel and juice)
1 lemon (juice)
4 green cardamom pods (split)
1 star anise
1/2 stick cinnamon
5 cloves
650ml water
Sweetener (agave, maple syrup etc) – as you like, we go sugar free if poss.
Place all (except the lemon juice) in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, pop a lid on and simmer for 20 minutes. Set aside, squeeze in the lemon juice and leave to cool and steep for an hour.
We find that after a night in the fridge, the flavours are even more full power. You may like to add your sweetener now, but we prefer to do it when we drink it, depending how our sweet tooth is feeling.
Strain into a jug and pour into a clean glass bottle or a kilner jar. Something sealable and preferably glass. Because it is lacking in loads of sugar, this won’t last for as long as other cordials. Keep in the fridge and enjoy within 3 days. Trust me, it won’t hang around that long!
Serve
Add to cup of hot water (just off boiling) to make a lovely steeper or serve over ice with a slice of lemon and sparkling water, making an awesome ginger ale. Either of these can be made a bit boozy with a glug of dark rum (a Dark and Stormy) or gin for example (as if you need guidance!)
Sweeten as you like, with what you like. We use brown rice syrup or sometimes stevia if we are being supremely healthy. Liquid sweeteners work best as they dissolve quickly and easily.
Hot off the hob – try it warm or cold with great apple juice. YUMMMAH!
Foodie Fact
All the spices in this cordial are AMAZING for the body! They are natural medicines for all sorts of ailments. We will focus on star anise. Boil star anise in some water and sip it gently, it can soothe stomach pain and cold/ coughs.
Anise has a delicate liqourice flavour and the seeds of the star are simply anise seeds. Surprisingly! The seeds and the husk can be used in cooking, baking etc. The main source of anti-oxidant glory is the volatile (in a good way) oil named anethole, but anise does boast a potent cocktail of other anti-oxidant oils.
In many traditional medicines anise is used for: anti-flatulence, anti-spasmodic, digestive, anti-septic, expectorant, stimulant and tonic. They are also a wonderful source of the vitamin B’s, vitamin C and A and contains high levels of iron, copper (good for red blood cells), calcium and potassium.
A very belated Happy Samhain/ Halloween to you all! We spent it packing up the house, soup bubbling and preparing the garden for winter. Here are a few images of the last days of Autumn, a week ago, in the Beach House Garden.
We have flown the nest again like migrating birds. We’re in Turkey, up to our necks in ancient ruins and scrumptious kebabs and salads. Looking at these pictures makes us feel privileged to live in such a special little corner of the world. More news from Turkey, Spain and India soon…..goodbye Beach House until AprilXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The Beach House Garden bracing itself for the Welsh winter
Our Hawthorn tree all red and sparkly
Last of the blackberries, still fruiting into late October!?
Autumn sunset off the Llyn Peninsula
Late Autumn and the chills are setting in. Soup tonic, Pumpkin, Fennel and Leek with Soda Bread
Kindling ready for the fire
Potato patches covered with manure and compost, ready for next year
The source of great potato manure, our neighbourly horse in the next field. Not the friendliest, but quite a quite prolific manure provider
Stash of funky rocks from the beach
Steamy kitchen action, Welsh cottages not cut out for heavy saute action
Wake up, 3oC, warm Banana Bread cookie time (recipe to follow)
Drunken Cherries
Beautiful Snowdonia – October is a spectacular month over here
Macerating cherries brings out some surprising flavours
Hiking in Snowdonia near Moel Siabod
beach house kitchen 