green lunch, domestic super-heroism and tales of drunken bread-making

There’s no way to write the next sentence without sounding a bit irritating, or worse, just plain smug. Still, I guess that’s all part of blogging and if you start to worry about sounding smug then it’s time to switch off the internet and pick up a pencil and paper, to record your thoughts the old fashioned way.  So, here goes….Recently I’ve started making most of our bread. Why do I fear confessing this? Well, there’s something about the idea of making bread that seems to scream of some kind of domestic super-heroism. Which makes talking about it sound a bit brash.

It started with gluten free bread. For anyone who’s had the misfortune to purchase a loaf of super-market gluten free bread, you’ll know that it’s distinctive feature is it’s eye-watering price, rather than it’s mouth-watering taste. I’m still experimenting to find a really good recipe (before I share it) but generally finding it low effort and comparatively low cost, with the benefit of being in control of the quality of ingredients. Which are the exact reasons that motivated me to start baking loaves for us wheat eaters.

In a very different life,  I used to load water, oil, flour, salt, yeast and sugar into a bread-maker set upon the counter of my little London kitchen. Sometimes (often)  I used to drunkenly throw everything in after a night out, inspired by the promise of the hangover-easing smell of fresh bread that I would awaken to. Yes, I have always been a bit odd, and yes I do realise that rolling home from the pub quiz to load the bread-maker isn’t very rock and roll, but that’s beside the point. The fact is that  I don’t think the concept of home-baked bread is the stuff of domestic super-heroism. It’s just sticking ingredients into a machine and turning it on.

So the bread-maker has been dusted down and is back in regular use. Tempting though it is just to eat big slabs of it for lunch slathered in butter then I’m trying to keep things green. If you’re thinking green then a freezer full of chopped spinach is your friend, especially if the promising little spinach plants you put in the garden have either bolted to seed or been flattened by southerly gales (or a mixture of both). This lunch is a mix of spinach, toast crust croutons (kids are still getting used to the wholesomeness of homemade bread and yet to appreciate the crusty exterior), toasted pine nuts, avocado, and crumbled feta cheese, all doused with lemon juice, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

dark chocolate and sun-dried cherry cakes with milk chocolate raspberry cream cheese topping (gluten free)…and a side of spinach

First up can I just say that alongside all these sweet treats I have eaten a lot of spinach this week. Here’s a photo of a saag paneer to prove it (which was a pretty good combination of paneer cheese fried with chilli, turmeric and cumin, mixed into cooked chopped spinach with a couple of spoons of plain yogurt, lemon zest and juice and topped with fresh coriander (OK in truth topped with the last salvageable leaves from an almost dead coriander plant – just can’t seem to grow it).

Now shall we go back to talking about chocolate cake?

(Makes 12 small cakes)

Ingredients

1/2 cup sun dried cherries

50g dark chocolate (I used whittakers dark ghana)

50g butter

1/4 cup of raw sugar

1/2 cup full fat plain yourt

2 eggs

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup tapioca flour

3/4 cup ground almonds

1tsp baking powder

Topping

Approximately 30g milk chocolate

1/2 cup frozen raspberries (defrosted)

2 large spoons of cream cheese (I used zany zues)

Method 

This was a Friday free-style baking with the small folk effort. So it was a bit of an operation, there were lots of different bowls to lick, things to scoop, and general mischief to get into. I happen to like pottering around in the ktichen in this manner but it’s not for everyone. Enthusiastic one and three year olds can be hilarious cooking companions … or they can be a complete nightmare. Today they were in the former category (most of the time).

Melt the dark chocolate and butter over water – add the cherries to the melting mix.

Meanwhile whisk the eggs and the sugar and then beat in the yogurt (this is a great job for the kids)

Blend the cherry chocolate mix to a smooth paste.

Add the baking powder, tapioca flour, ground almonds to the eggs / sugar / yogurt mix and sieve in the cocoa powder. Beat it together and then stir in the chocolate paste.

Spoon into cupcake cases and bake at 180 for around 20 minutes until the cakes spring back and a knife comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack.

For the (optional but exceedingly good) topping…

Melt the chocolate over water. While it’s still hot beat the cream cheese into it. Push the raspberries through a sieve to extract their juice and stir this into the chocolate cream cheese mix. Pipe or smear onto the cakes.

rather exciting spinach salad

Some things in the world are dazzling without adornment. Strawberries for example, or ice crystals, or sunrises. Other things need a little help to push them over the line from being rather dull to rather wonderful. Salad, for example. Some people might enjoy sitting down and tucking into a pile of plain spinach but I like to mix it up a bit. It just makes life a little more exciting.

This salad has raw celery, some left over crumbled manchego cheese, toasted pine nuts, avocado and persimmon. Dressed with oil and balsamic.

The kids didn’t feel they needed that level of excitement in their salad so just stuck with the avocado. I guess life is exciting enough anyway when you’re a kid.

monday night risotto

Full Sunday roast last night ..which means a jug of fresh stock.

I do get the idea that you’re supposed to gently cook risotto, stirring, adding stock, and stirring some more. Preferably with a cold glass of wine and some decent music playing (ideally something from Snow Patrol or maybe some early Coldplay…perhaps The Killers). There’s not time for that kind of carry-on around here. I use the cheats version and it comes out just fine. In fact, this is one of the most popular family meals that everyone will happily scoff down without requiring it to be deconstructed or messed around with – result.

Cook onion, garlic and bacon in butter, add any leftover roast chicken, a mug of risotto rice, throw on a jug (about a litre) of stock, cover and simmer for half an hour until the stock is absorbed. Add spme frozen peas, maybe some spinach. Great for a rainy night. Even better with a serious covering of parmesan cheese.

creamy pumpkin, yam, red lentil and baby spinach soup

This is just garlic, onion, cubes of pumpkin, whole yams and red lentils covered in water and simmered with some salt and pepper (and optional spices – I used turmeric and chilli) then add some baby spinach and sour cream just before blending.

persimmon, spinach, avocado, courgette and cracked hazelnut salad

Persimmons…top salad ingredient!

lamb and pumpkin broth with lacto-fermented ginger carrots

Hard to think of a healthier lunch, and it was pretty tasty too (at least the adults of the house thought so – kids were more into their post footie pastries and fair play to them).  Made with left over slow cooker lamb casserole (bone-in lamb leg steaks, pumpkin, carrot, garlic, onion, fresh ginger, red lentils, a random selection of spices that included turmeric, star anise, cinnamon stick, paprika, cumin and possibly more besides but was throwing things in pre-school drop off so wasn’t exactly keeping notes. Seem to recall a tin of chopped tomatoes going in, some cider vinegar, red wine….you get the idea, slow cookers are seriously forgiving of general acts of randomness)

Leftover casserole mixed with some leftover pumpkin soup (see last post) with some fresh baby spinach leaves added just before serving,  topped with lacto-fermented ginger carrots (recipe from Nourishing Traditions). For more on lacto-fermented veg read this post. The ginger carrots are just made with grated carrot and ginger using same method.

Now, must be time to think about chocolate cake again after all that crazy healthy stuff….

spinach, rocket, courgette, avocado and bacon salad with toasted pumpkin seeds and a side of macaroni cheese

So macaroni cheese is a bit of a favourite with the kids. I’m pretty fond of a bowl myself, but it really needs a good salad. The one in the picture is kind of self explanatory.

Is there any need to post a macaroni cheese recipe? Imagine everyone has their own little way of making it – not exactly rocket science. I use butter and either cornflour or rice flour to make a roux (used to use plain flour back in the carefree glutenous days)… slowly add milk, stirring all the time and then it’s in with a mountain of tasty cheddar. Stir in the cooked pasta and whatever else. Sometimes bacon but we had the bacon on the salad this time. Sometimes toasted pumpkin seeds on top – but they were in the salad too…ditto spinach. Extra cheese grilled on top and a little sprinkle of paprika – the paprika’s become a bit of a ritual – Dad just aways makes it that way so you pick up the habit – it’s pretty good if you haven’t tried it.