Baked Things

I'm not gluten intolerant but I do love this cake. It's a little heavy being denser than flour.  But the syrup makes it nice and moist. The orange flavour develops after a day or two, which personally I prefer.

The trick is to boil the oranges, whole, twice. Cover the oranges with water in a pot, bring them to the boil and simmer for 15min. Rinse and repeat. More cold water and another 15min simmer. Blast them under a cold water tap to stop them cooking and making them easier to handle.

Now roughly chop them and remove any seeds. And blitz them in a food processor. I don't have a food processor so I use a nutribullet type thing. You could use a magic wand, or chop the sh*t out of them, they may end up a little coarse but personally I'd like it.

Whisk the eggs and sugar together. Then add the orange pulp, almond meal and baking powder. Mix gently until just combined. The key to most baking (bread aside) is to not over combine.

While thats cooking you can make the syrup. The scond orange is optional, but I like the bitter orange taste, so I slice the second one up and put it the mix. Plus it makes a great garnish. You need to soften the rind and optional second orange slices. Place in a pot, bring to the boil and simmer for 5 min until soft. Make sure you have the right water quantity at this point and mix in the sugar and stir until disolved. The more water the mositer the cake. Roughly half a cup suits me. Set the mixture aside to cool while the cake bakes, then spoon over the cooked cake.

Orange Almond Meal Cake

This is my really novice approach to bread baking... theres loads of room for improvement but even still I love the outcome.

I'm undecided yet if this step if necessary. But I like to awaken the dried yeast by placing it in lukewarm water. Either use the water you'll end up using. Or as I did in the photo I used 160ml (about half the total water) of warm water from the tap and a tiny pinch of sugar as food for the yeast.

Here I barely combined the ingredients. I attempted kneading for about 1 min. Then it was too sticky and I didn't want to do what I did years ago when I last attempted making bread which was adding more and more flour. So I stopped and let it rise. They say it should double in size. I'll find out in time how to knead properly but you know what, this worked.

Once it rose I smooshed it with my hands to push the main gas from the yeast out. Then popped it in a bakeable casserole pot. Then let it rise again.

This pot baking is one trick I do know. By cooking it in a pot it keeps the moisture from the bread around the dough while it bakes. This steam gives it an awesome crust. Fancy pants bakeries have steam ovens. House holds have casserole pot ;)

The result is at the top. I should have included a photo of the bread slathered in butter while still steaming after the bake... I'll do that next week while baking.

Basic Bread Recipe

Simple bread recipe to make in a kitchen aid

4 cups (500g) strong, high protein bread flour

https://kitchenaid.com.au/blogs/kitchenthusiast/classic-white-crusty-bread-0

Kitchen Aid Basic White Bread

I found this recipe on YouTube. Made it a couple of times and the recipe is solid! Produces a wonderfully soft sponge cake. Perfect for decorating. I doubled it for a larger cake size

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRPDzRkFsDo

Basic Sponge Cake

100g (1/2 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar

60ml (1/2 cup) golden syrup (or honey also works well)

Mix butter and sugar together well. Add the reset of the ingredients and combine. Cover in plastic wrap and let sit in the fridge for 30min to let the dough reset. Preheat over to 180C and bake for about 10min.


Baking time is depending on the thickness that you've rolled the cookie dough at. You'll see the edges start to brown which is an indication of readiness.

If the dough is a little dry add another egg yolk.

Ginger Bread

This was the first time I've made scones and I was pleasantly supprised how easy they were to make. 

Combine the dry ingredients, sifting the flour if nessasary. Gather the wet ingredients together then combine with the dry. The trick is to not over work it, don't knead the mixture, just stir until combined.

Apple Cinnamon Scones

I found this recipe on Alexandra's Kitchen. A wonderful site with lots of great recipes. https://alexandracooks.com/2021/06/26/how-to-make-ciabatta-bread/

50 grams (about 1/3 cup) all-purpose flour

2 grams (1/2 teaspoon) instant yeast, SAF is my preference

50 grams (about 1/4 cup) water, lukewarm or room temperature

360 grams (about 1.5 cups) water, lukewarm or room temperature

12 grams (about 2 teaspoons) salt, kosher or sea salt

450 grams (about 3.5 cups) bread flour, see notes above

Mix flour and yeast together and let sit for a few hours.

Mix in the rest of the flour and water until combined. Leave for 30min and come back every 30-40min to stretch out the dough. Once stretched a few times, pop in a bowl with a tea towel on top and pop in the fridge over night to let flavour develop.

In the morning let it come up to room temperature. Pop on the oven at 220C fan forced. And bake for 25-30min. 

TIPS: I pop in a bowl of water in an oven proof dish or ramekin to give it extra crust. Use wet hands to deal with wet dough, stops it sticking 😉

Simple Ciabatta Bread

Beverages

I had to join the Kombucha band waggon. Mostly because I love a beverage and having Kombucha in the fridge saves me reaching for the beers. Also, I just enjoy brewing. Having dappled with beer brewing Kombucha is a breeze. And you get the reward within a week or two.

I say a week or two because technically it's ready after a week. But you can do a second fermentation in a bottle. This carbonates the brew, by sealing off the air it keeps any gas that would otherwise escape locked in the bottle. It also gives you a chance to flavour it. In the photos below I tried Mandarin.

It would be best if you had a glass vessel to brew in. I'd avoid plastic. Glass is easy to clean too. There is no need to get clinically sterile with it. Just a good wash in hot soapy water and you're good to go.

Also, you need to get a scoby either off of a friend that brews or online. I picked mine up for AUD 10 which was delivered to me.

This recipe makes 3 litres, I use a 4-litre glass jar to brew it in.

I add the sugar and tea bags in a mixing bowl with 500ml of boiling water. The first time I boiled all the water then I had to wait hours for it to cool down. You can use warm water but boiling water kills the scoby and starter kombucha. After the tea has steeped for 10 minutes, when it's looking lovely and tea-like you can add the 2.7 litres which cools. Next, add the starter kombucha and the scoby. I cover the jar with the lid but don't seal it! The gas needs to escape. Then put the vessel in a dark place. I use the pantry. The length of time you leave it to brew will vary depending on the condition it's brewed in and how acidic you like it. Other recipes I looked up suggested 5 to 7 days. For me in Melbourne and currently winter I've been leaving mine for about 12 days. Just taste it and you'll figure it out. The sugar is supposed to be eaten up by the microbes. So a good test is to taste it, if it's not sweet it's ready. If it's your first brew, try tasting it after 5 days, if it's too sweaty leave it longer.

Once it's good you can bottle it and flavour it. Bottling and flavouring deserve their own write-up.

Basic Kombucha Brew

Dinner

I can't remember where I stumbled accross this recipe for meatballs. But it works a charm. Soft fluffy meatballs that can be modified into many dishes. I've meat spaggetti meatballs, morrocan madras curry even transformed them into burger patties.

500g mince (generally I go for beef, but could be lamb or goat)

The ingredient base is too easy! Which makes a great base to get creative with. For Spaggetti meatballs adding parmasan into the mix works a treat!

Get yourself two small mixing bowls and one large. Measure out the breadcrumbs first while the measurer is still dry. Place in a small mixing bowl then measure out the milk and place in the same container. Giving the milk and breadcrumbs time to soak in helps them bind the other ingredients together later.

In the other small mixing bowl crack an egg into it and whisky with a fork... or a whisk.

Now dice an onion put it in the large bowl with the mince. The milk and bread crumbs should have soaked in. Combine all the ingredients together now. With clean hands start smushing. It'll take a few minutes of smushing until its all well combined. If you have kids or other yongsters about this is a great time to get them involved. Getting kids involved in kitchen takes is a great way to get them interested in food and cooking. Plus its a lot of fun getting your hands dirty.

Grab a portion (I go for a heaped tablespoons worth) between the plams of your hands and roll is around to form little sculpted balls. If you're making burger patties make larger portions then flatten out on the bench by pushing down, this will make nice disks.

You can fry these on a grill. Bake them in the over. Or place whole in a sauce to simmer away. They're so well combined they don't break apart even if they're submerged in a deliscious tomatoe sauce or stock.

Basic Meatballs

This was a delicious alternative to a chicken or bacon based pasta. It still has the same depth. 

Fettuccine (or whatever pasta you prefer)

Bring a large pot of water to the boil for the pasta. Roughly chop the leak, mushrroms and garlic, saute with butter on a low heat in a medium sized pot.  When they start breaking down add the cream and salt and pepper to taste. If you put the pasta on first at this point they should be nearly cooked, you can add a few table spoons of the pasta water to the leak mushroom mixture. The water has a lot of starch from the pasta and as the water reduces it can thicken the mixture. Lastly put in some parmesan cheese to taste.

You can reduce the heat of the sauce if you're wating for the pasta to cook. When the pasta has cooked drain then add to the sauce. Through in the spinach and use some tongs or spoon to turn all the contents together. The spinach will wilt and the pasta will coat in all the delicious sauce.

Serve in a bowl top with sundried tomatoes and some flakes of parmesan.

I didn't add any freash herbs but some parsley or chives would have worked well taking the dish to the next level.

Leak & Mushroom Creamy Pasta

Leak & Potato Soup

Chop onions garlic and capiscum. Doesn't really matter how thick. Put some olive oil in pan and bring it up to a medium heat. Add onion and garlic for a few mintues till transparent. Just trying to take the picante out of the onion and garlic.

Add all the spices and cook for hmmm maybe 2 minutes. It really depends how hot the pan is, if it's super hot maybe a minute will do.

Finally add the capsicum and tomatoe. Cook out the acidity from the tomatoes. Once it's cooked maybe 10min or so pop in the eggs and goats cheese or any cheese you have on hand.

Shakshuka

I'm not really sure what goes in an authentic dahl (currently at least). But this ticks so many boxes. Cheap, tasty, quick to prepare. And vegetarian with a tonne of tasty vegetables.

Cook off the onions for a few minutes. Chuck all the spices in to cook them out a little. Add the stock and the rest of the vegetables then let it cook out for maybe an hour. Super simple.

Lentil Curry Dahl Thing

I've been tring more vegeterain meals recently after watching a documentary called The Game Changers.

Its about pro atheletes reporting higher stamina and energy. With a race on the horizon I thought I'd give it a shot to see if it influences me.

Side of chips or salad depending how indulgent you feel.

Mushroom Burgers

This is a delicious recipe to put in the slow cooker. Brown the duck breast in a pan before adding to the slow cooker. Chop up the other ingredients and pop in. Cook on low for 8 hours.

Slow cook duck curry

Mix it all up, let it rest in the fridge for 30min, roll it out and slice it.

Pasta Dough

Soup

Meatball lentil and madras soup

Heat over to 200C (180C fanforced). In a baking tray place the pumpkin sliced, capsicum, onion and garlic cut side down. Dizzle with oil and add the paprika and rosemary. Bake for 30min. Take out the onion garlic and capsicum and cook the pumpkin for another 15-20min to cook through.

Transfer to a saucepan and blend the roasted veggies together. Put on a medium heat adding the stock and almond milk to warm through.

Smoky roast pumpkin soup

Slice the onion and garlic. Cube the pumpkin. Add the onion and garlic to a pan on medium temprature and cook for a few minutes till clear. Add the cayenne for a bit of spice. Add the pumpkin, stock and lemon grass, reduce heat and cook for 20-30min until the pumpkin is soft. Remove the lemongrass and blend with the coconut milk. I like the re-add the lemon grass and store for a few hours or overnight to let the lemongrass flavours develop through the soup. Easy and delicious.

Coconut Lemongrass Pumpkin Soup

2 carrots, peeled and halved lengthways then chopped

4 tbsp dried margheritine soup pasta, or another small pasta

Heat oil in a large pan, add the leek and carrots and cook over medium heat for at least 5 minutes until the carrots begin to soften.

Port in the tomato sauce and 1 litre of water, then simmer for 10 minutes. (you can boil the water first to speed things up)

Add the pasta and cook for a further 10 minutes.

Stir through the peas and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and season generously to taste with salt and black pepper.

Pantry Minestrone

Place the parsnips and onion in a roasting tin and drizzle with the oil. Roast in the oven for 30min until golden.

Remove the roasted parsnips and onion from the oven, and spoon into a high-powered jug blender. Add the garam masala, then pour in the coconut milk and hot vegetable stock. Bliz until completely smooth. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper.

Ladle into warmed bowls and serve hot, sprinkled with a little extra garam masala and black pepper if you like.

Spiced parsnip bisque

Smoothies

Celery Pea and Mint

Breakfast Banana 

I like this with quite a lot of ginger, about 2cm cube. But some people find this too much. 

Beetroot and orange

Slow Cooker

This was a really simple way to prepare and use the whole bird. Plus I found a free range chicken on specical for $5 which really makes this meal economical.

Thinly slice the onions, half and slice the carrot, slice ginger. Rinse the chicken ensuring the insides are clean. Pop in the chicken, stock, chopped vegetables, bay leaves and leave to cook over night or 8 to 10 hours.

We halved the stock mixture, freezing half and using the other half for dinner. Half server 4.

To serve, slice the corn off the cob, put in a pan over medium heat with oil. And cook until golden. Rinse and slice the kale. Bring the soup back up to a high heat and add the kale till wilted. Take off heat and mix in the corn.

12 hour slow cooked chook

Chop everything up chunky like. In regards to mushrooms I love a shit tonne of them, the more the merrier for me. If you have time brown of the meat, dust it in flower and  place in a hot pan with some oil to brown the sides off.

Whack everything together in a slow cooker and wait patiently for about 6 hours. 

Beef stew

Something Different

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1½ cups cracked rye berries or regular rye berries, barley, or buckwheat

I found this recipe here https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/rye-porridge-with-morels

I'm really excited to try it after recently discovering buckwheat and how delicious it is.

Rye Porridge with Morels

Cocktails

Mojitos

New Parents

This is basically an Asian fusion poke bowl... but the things I had on hand weren't very Asian at all so basically just a rice bowl. 

Any amount of salmon would work. This was for a family of 2 and a half.

Vegetables that work well are colourful things the family eats.

I used Broccoli and tinned corn. But greens beans, tomatoes, edamame, carrot, zucchini all would work well.

Preheat air fryer at 200c. Dice and season Salmon. Place skin side down and cook for 7min.

Air Fried Salmon

Sauces

Cook out the mushrooms in butter until softened. Add the cream mustard and stock and reduce. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Mushroom Sauce

Really you can use any apples you like and as much or as little sugar as you like. For me I love Granny Smith apples they have a tart sour kind of taste which complements pork really well. 

Get a little zest off of the lemon. Thinly slice up the apple into a pot. Squeeze in the juice. Whack in the zest and sugar and put on a low heat. No water is needed as the apples should sweat it out as they reduce down. Cook until all is tender. I cooked for about 45min. Then using a stick blender smoosh it all together. This helps integrate any skin on the apples into the sauce. 

Apple Sauce

Grate ginger and garlic. Add Soy Sauce, Mirin and honey to taste. Add a splash of Sake or a plain white spirit thats on hand. Whisk in some corn starch and bring to a gentle boil. Take off the heat and allow to cool before marinating anything.

Teriyaki sauce

Condiments

This is so easy! But does need a lot of time on the stove. I cooked mine for 3 hours until a beautiful ruby red colour.

Chop peal and de-seed the quinces. Pop in a pot with the water and sugar. Simmer for hours! About 3. The mixture to begin with will look like stewing apples, but as time goes on they turn a wonderful ruby red colour. This is a sign they're done.

But you have to be attentive, I burnt this batch and nearly ruined my favorite pot. I managed to salvage what was on top.

Interestingly quinces have a lot of tannins in them, which make them horrible to eat as is. But as they're cooked these tannins break down which becomes this ruby red. This is also an indication that the paste is ready.

Quince Paste

I've been enjoying this on simple rolled oats and yogurt.

The origonal recipe called for vanila (1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste) but I don't bake enough deserts right now to warrent having it about. So I subsituted it with star anise. It's still delicious.

Roughly chop the rhubarb and pop it in a pot along with peal star anise sugar and water. Put on a really low heat and simmer for 15-20min. The rhubarb will fall apart and almost disolve. 

It's got a wonderful acidic quality. You don't need much of it, but you'll want to conteract that acidity with sugar.

Rhubarb Compote

I've been experimenting with pickled things recently. Why? Because I freaking love pickles. And I want to understand the Harry Potter wizardary that goes into making them.

I can't give you precision measurements... why? becuase I was stupid and didn't measure them. This was an experiment. It worked. But out of the Beetroot, onion, radish, carrot, cucumber, zucchini. The Onion, Radish, and Cucumber were the best! They held their texture well. The zucchini was a bit soft and the carrot & beetroot were too firm.

I did try apple cider vinegar and a plain white vinegar. The apple cider clearly one. It added some depth and wasn't as harsh as a standard vinegar.

With cheese these pickles were a success!

Pickled Things

Cut off the green outer skin. Slice and salt, place in a container in the fridge overnight. Discard the watermelon tears and rinse of excess salt, dry them. 

On a low heat brine ingredients, dissolve the sugar, bring to a gentle simmer then turn off and let it all infuse. Cover your melons and allow to cool. Once cool pop them in the fridge and they'll be good for two months.

This recipe was sourced from Cornersmith Salds & Pickles. Its a great book with lots of great pickling info.

Lex