So many recipes... so little time...

So its been awhile so I really need to tackle the backlog! There have been a few recipes I have been asked for in recent months and I will do my best to get on to it. Coming soon to a shoddy blog near you - Super Rich Chocolate Cake, Perfect Saag Aloo From Scratch (plus the cheaters version), Baingan Bharta (Indian-style Baba Ganoush) Italian approved Tiramisu - nom nom nom. Plus updates on my first foray into Homebrewing - and Scrumpy Cider-making (and pitfalls)... watch this space :)

Easy Irish Soda Bread

This is my version of a recipe taken from Clodagh McKenna's The Irish Farmers Market Cookbook. I omitted the wheat bran from my recipe, however like all bread recipes, once you become comfortable with recipe you can change the recipe to suit your tastes. This bread is so easy to make that it could very easily become your stable. The quantity is for two 2lb loaves. It is easy to half/double this recipe to suit yourself and your needs, though considering the cooking times it may be easier to make more and freeze up the excess.

Ingredients:
1lb wholemeal flour
2 1/4oz wheatgerm
2 1/4oz plain flour
8oz pinhead oatmeal
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 1/2 tsp bread soda/Bicarbonate of soda
1ltr buttermilk
Butter/Margerine for greasing the tins
Seeds for toping, ie white sesame seeds

1. Preheat the oven to 230'C
2. Place all the dry ingredients in a large bowl except for the plain flour and bread soda, which should be sieved together into the bowl. Mix well with a wooden spoon.
3. Add the buttermilk retaining 100ml or so. Mix well. Add the last 100ml to the point where the mixture is wet but will retain knife mark. It is a wet dough but should not be sloppy.
3. Grease the loaf tins right to the top and dust with seeds. Divide dough between tins and sprinkle more seeds on top. "Cut" a line on the top with a knife.
4. Place in the hot oven for 10-15 minutes until well risen, then lower the temperature to 140'C for at least one hour. At this temperature the bread cooks slowly but steadily. After one hour you can remove it from the oven and the tin. If you tap the base it should have a hollow sound. If you are unsure if it is is suffienciently cooked it is possible to put is back in the oven, either in the tin or as it is. As the temperature is so low you can leave the loaf in the oven for up to a half an hour more as it will not burn.
 5. When the bread is finished remove from the oven and wrap in a clean tea towel.

Elderberry Wine

This recipe was given to me by friend's granddad. I have never used it but he swore by the results. Might be good to research sanitising and other wine-making methods. I'm going to try it out this Autumn.

Ingredients:
5lb Elderberries
3lb granulated sugar
1 Gallon cold water
6 Cloves
Campden Tablet
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
Pectic Enzyme
G.P. Wine Yeast
Yeast Nutrient

Equipment:
Preserving pan - large bucket with lid - long wooden spoon - Demijohn - Airlock and rubber stopper - Wine bottles and corks.

Method:
1. Wash and clean the berries well.
2. Put in a preserving pan with a gallon of cold water and boil until fruit is tender.
3. Strain off liquid into a plastic bucket and add 3lb of sugar, 6 cloves and the ground ginger and stir well until the sugar is dissolved. When the liquid has cooled ass a crushed Campden tablet and pectic enzyme. Cover and leave in a warm room for 24 hours and then add the yeast and nutrient.
4. Cover bucket and leave in a warm place for 10 days, stirring daily. Then strain into a demijohn. Fit with an airlock and keep in a warm place while the mixture ferments to a dryness. The wine can then stacked and bottled

Ready in six months but better if left longer.

The Homebrew Company

Last week on the Ray Darcy show there was a report on alcohol consumption in Ireland. it seems it has gone down in traditional consumption. However like the way allotments and vegetable growing has seen an upsurge in interest, so too has homebrewing.

I have been interested in Homebrewing for awhile. I bought all the equipment for making elderberry wine some years ago. I just never got round to it. So listening to the section on the Ray Darcy show inspired me to get a Kit from the The Homebrew Company.

I ordered it at lunchtime on Tuesday the 15th of June and it was delivered the next day before 10.00am. Now that is great service. Also 7€ delivery countryside.

I also sent them an email about their Kriek Brewferm kits which are currently out of stock. I received a reply promptly informing when they would be back in stock and telling me they would email me when it arrives.

Great prompt service that I would use again.

Elderflowers - I may have missed the boat

What the difference a week makes... Last week I had my pick of flower heads and this week the elder flowers have turned into the early signs of the berries to come. Little hard green berries have appeared where the forthy white flowers were last week.

I will have a look in some shadier cooler places where the flowers may have come out later. Lesson learned though.. :(

Elderflower Sparkle Update

Bottle 1
Opened by my mother after 3 days. She said it was flat and overly sweet. However she found the flavour and aroma of Elderflower to be really interesting and very pleasant.


Bottle 2
Opened the first bottle of Elderflower Sparkler about 5 days after bottling. I had read some alarmist story about screw-top bottles bursting all over someone's hot press so I decided to try one out. It had a light level of bubbles but again it had a very sweet taste. Too much for me.


Bottle 3
Opened last night 1 week after bottling. Beautiful amount of bubbles - fizzed beautifully on the tongue. A little less sweet but still cloying in the after-taste.

I will leave the last bottle for a few weeks. I am going to make another batch up and use less sugar.

Elderflower Sparkle Drink

Ingredients:

5-6 Elderflower Heads, in bloom

600gs of Granulated Sugar

4 Litres of Water

2 lemons, juice and zest

2 tablespoons of White Wine Vinegar

Equipment:

Large Bowl - Jug - Funnel - Sieve - Muslin

Method:

1. In one large bowl place all the ingredients and leave covered over night.

2. Strain through sieve and muslin and place in sanitised bottles.

3. Leave for 3 days, open and enjoy.
Makes about 5 wine bottles full.

Tip 1: If you can't get you hands on muslin, line a sieve with two sheets of unscented kitchen roll and change for each bottle.

Tip 2: Don't fill the bottles to the top, leave some space at the top for the collecting gas.

Check out Elderflower Sparkle Update to find out how the drinking went

Spanish Tortilla (Omlette)

This is one of the Guru's truly amazing recipes. I have been to Spain and done the whole tapas bar thing and this tortilla is up there with the best of them. It is pure soul food and beautiful in its own right. Simply serve a slice of tortilla with crusty fresh bread, or fry a tortilla wrap, and place crumbled up slices inside with a bit of mayo and ketchup. 

Ingredients:

1/2 onion finely chopped (optional)

3 garlic cloves (optional)

3 large potatoes peeled and diced into 1/2 cm cubes (or close enough )

3 - 5 tblsp cooking oil

salt to taste

1 tsp thyme, (optional)

150 gms grated cheese (optional)

4 eggs

Method:

1. Heat oil in a deep thick pan and fry garlic and onion till they begin to brown. Then add the potatoes and salt, mix well and reduce heat to medium to low, covering the pan. Cook until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally. If the potatoes brown a little its okay as this adds to the taste.

2. Meanwhile beat the eggs well in a bowl and add cheese, a little salt and the cooked potatoes. Mix well.

3. Heat oil in a shallow frying pan. Reduce heat to low and pour in the potato/egg mix. If using thyme sprinkle thyme over surface now. Cover completely with a lid or plate and leave it to cook for 10 minutes.

4. Now for the fun bit. Flip over the tortilla using a plate and then sliding it back into the pan. Make sure there is enough oil to stop it sticking. Continue to cook for another 10 minutes.

5. By now both sides should have a beautiful brown colour. Turn onto a plate. Serve.

Sooji (Semolina) Halva

This is a really quick and simple dish to prepare with most of its preparation time spent in the fridge chilling. I've tasted shop-bought Halva and I find it overly sweet. This is a beautiful springy Halva that is less cloying than its shop-bought counterpart. Try making it once and you will be coming back for more. It is also great way to get milk into the little ones.

Ingredients :

1 pint milk (its possible to use reduced-fat milk if you don't allow milk boil)

5-6 cardamom pods (Add more if you like)

6oz sugar

4-5 tbsp ghee (sub with butter)

8oz semolina
3oz raisins

Method :

1. Heat milk, sugar and cardamom pods in large pot until first boiling bubbles appear. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. Melt the ghee in a pan and then add the semolina. The mixture should have a breadcrumb consistency. fry until turning slightly golden. Use a wooded spatual to stop it sticking.

3. Carefully add the milk and stir until it begins to solidify and it is difficult to stir.

4. Turn out onto a plate and shape. 

5. Once cool cover with cling film and place in the fridge.

6. Cut into sweet-size cubes and serve. 

A Three Course meal in no time!

Yesterday working under the premise that we needed to defrost the freezer soon and also needed to go shopping I decided to let the cupboards decide what would be on the menu.

Having done a little research online I decided I wanted to try another Halva. The Guru had mentioned making it from semolina and I had a pack there from making pizza. On the back of the "Natco" Semolina pack was a recipe for Semolina Halva so I went with that. It worked perfectly, according to their instructions and once it had cooled it went into the fridge.

The Guru cooks a lot of Indian dishes but loves other flavoursome cuisines, including Thai. So using that as the basis I used three salmon cutlets from the freezer and made Thai Fish Cakes. After a quick mix in the blender I set them aside to begin on the main course of Easy Thai Prawn Curry. I put the rice on to boil, chopped and prepared the sauce and then added the prawns  and allowed them to heat through. The rice was now ready so I drained it. I heated the oil and cooked the Fish Cakes .

Now there is a three-course meal with no stress. So easy to make, and the main was done in less time than a frozen pizza in the oven.

Quick Thai Prawn Curry

This is a great dish for those in a hurry who want a warm satisfying dish. Most of the ingredients are store cupboard items or can be substituted, or left out if you can not get your hands on them.

Serves 4

Ingredients :

30 or so cooked frozen prawns

1 onion large, diced

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 or 2 green/red chilli, sliced

1 stalk of lemongrass, sliced

1 tbsp ground  cumin/coriander (each)

2 tbps Nam Pla (fish sauce) (or sub with soya sauce)

400g can of coconut milk

3 tbsp peanuts, ground roughly (or  sub with frozen fresh coconut)

3 tbsp of passata or two chopped tomatoes

1 lime

Method

1. Place prawns in bowl of boiling water to defrost and remove shells if present. 

2. Fry the onions in the oil until soft and golden.

3. Add the chilli, cumin, coriander, lemon grass and fry for two minutes.

4. Add the coconut milk and fish sauce, and stir well. Then add peanuts and tomato pasata and cook for five minutes.

5. Drain prawns and add and allow to heat through. If using uncooked prawns add 5-6 minutes before the end allow to boil again before simmering. Do not overcook prawns as they become tough. 

6. Serve with a quarter of a lime and more nam pla to taste.

Naan Bread (in a conventional oven)

Naan bread is something we all love when we go to eat at a restaurant. However the thoughts of making it ourselves can be quite daunting and we often resort to shop bought versions. This recipe gives you the authentic taste of naan bread from a conventional oven. For convenience sake these can be made ahead of time, stored in a towel and simply grilled before serving (step 9). Although this recipe may pose some difficulty for the novice, the experienced pizza or bread maker should have no difficulty with this. Recipe can also be halved easily.

Makes 6

Ingredients:
16oz/225g strong white flour
1 tbsp (level) dried yeast
100ml warm water (skin temp)
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp whole cumin/coriander(each) seeds (optional)
1 egg
4 tbsp natural yoghurt (Room temperature)
1 tbsp ghee/butter
1 tbsp garlic paste (optional)

Equipment:
Large Bowl - Pestle and Mortar - Wooden Spoon - Frying Pan - 2 Tea Towels - Cling Film - Baking Tray - Brush/Paper Towel - Rolling Pin

1. Activate yeast according to packet instructions. Place in 100ml of skin-temperature water with sugar and salt, with a sprinkling of flour. Leave aside in a warm place for 15 minutes.
2. Toast the cumin and coriander seeds in a dry pan until you can smell their aroma. Grind roughly in a pestle and mortar. (Substitute with the ground spices if you wish)
3. Sift the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the spices, yeast mixture, yoghurt, vegetable oil and egg. Mix with wooden spoon.
4. The mixture should be just a little too sticky to knead. Naan is normally cooked in a Tandoor oven very quickly. This will be in a conventional oven for longer so needs to be wetter than a normal bread mixture. Add more skin-temperature water if needed. Knead, in the bowl, by dipping one hand in flour until the mixture begins to stick to your hands again. Repeat this process of dipping your hand in flour until bread has been well kneaded. You may get only 4-5 "kneads" from each flour dipping. Leave in bowl, covered in oiled cling film with a clean tea towel over this, for 40-60 minutes.
5. Pre-heat the oven to the highest temperature it can go to.
6. Cut dough in half, then cut 1/3 of this away and cover remaining dough with the oiled cling film. Dip hands in flour and knead a little. Dust surface well with flour and make an egg-shape with the dough. Roll into tear-drop shape, concentrating on the wider end.
7. Take oven-width baking tray and line with baking paper. Place the naan on the baking tray, stretching out to rolled naan to fit the tray and place in the hottest part of the oven and watch until puffed up. Naan should still be quite white and just starting to get very small brown spots. Take out quickly and close the door of the oven to maintain temperature. Turn over and pop back in the oven until it puffs and small brown spots appear on that side. Remove and place in a clean tea-towel and cover. Repeat for all six naans.
Tip: Use two baking trays so that as one is finished the other can go in. The baking paper will not have to be changed either.
8. Mix butter/ghee and garlic pasted in a pestle and mortar or bowl.
9. Turn on grill. Run tap and quickly wet each side of the naan under the water. Place under grill, allow to brown and turn. Remove and with a brush or a kitchen towel rub with butter/garlic mix. Serve.
Tip: For convenience it is possible to stop at step 7 and leave the naans in a clean towel until just before food is served. Then just follow step 8 & 9 before serving.

Carrot Halva (Halwa)

This unusual dish may take many by surprise. It is rarely, if ever, on the menu at restaurants as the idea of carrot as a sweet is alien to European palates. So for some it is an acquired taste - but once you acquire it - you will never regret it! It is reminiscent of rice pudding but more exotic and with less scrunched-up faces from those who have grown up with it. It is also a great way to get kids to eat both carrot and milk, with all their associated benefits.

Method

Ingredients :
500 g carrot grated
2 litre milk
250 g sugar
5-6 green cardamom pods
15-20 Raisins (optional)
1 tbsp (level) Butter/Ghee (optional)
mixture of Cashew/Almond/Pistachio (optional)

Equipment :
Grater - Large Pot - Wooden Spoon

1. Wash and scrape carrots. Grate using broad-holes on the grater.
2. Pour milk into large pot with cardamom pods and turn on the heat. Do not allow to boil over. Watch until first bubbles begin to appear and remove from heat.
3. Place grated carrot in milk and place back on heat and bring to boil again. Again do not allow to boil over.
4. Add sugar and leave to simmer, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes.
5. When milk has evaporated to the point where it is less visible, ie there less milky fluid around the carrot, increase heat and stir constantly.
6. In a frying pan heat the ghee/butter and fry the raisins until plump. Add to the halva mixture.
7. The halva is finished when there is no liquid present. It should be a rich carrot colour and no longer have a carrot texture. Allow to cool before shaping and placing in fridge to cool further.
8. Chop nuts and in a dry frying pan toast the nuts. Sprinkle over halva and serve.

My Blog Name

In my teens my mother bought a "lazy susan". With her usual enthusiasm for all things kitchen related, she explained what it was and how it was used. My brother duly renamed it the "Stupid Orla" The name has stuck and to this day it is still called the "Stupid Orla". So since my name has has already been given to a piece of wood that lies in my mother's house I chose to use it's name as my blog name. And so Lazy Susan Bites was born...