Tag: Cooking

Categories
Bakes Recipes

Spiced Plum & Almond Bakewells

It’s Valentine’s Day, and here’s a sweet treat you’ll love.

Recently we received a delicious present from a family friend – a jar of her home made Spiced Plum jam. Rich with soft plums in a silky, sweet coating and laced with the delicate influence of star anise, it deserved some special treatment.

I liked the idea of pairing it with almond, so have used it here as the jammy foundation for these bakewell slices. Never mind if you don’t have any spiced plum – ordinary plum or raspberry jam will do a perfectly fine job. Try to use home made though, as it gaves the cake that extra personal touch!

Servings

This made 16 bakewell slices.

Timings

30 mins to prepare, 10 mins to blind bake the pastry base at 180C, and 40 mins to bake the whole traybake at 160C (fan oven).

You Will Need:

For the Pastry Base

  • 125g plain flour
  • 100g plain wholemeal flour
  • pinch of salt
  • 100g butter or baking spread
  • a few drops of cold tap water

For the Sponge Filling

  • 150ml veg oil
  • 100g ground almonds
  • 100g self-raising flour
  • 1tsp baking powder
  • 160g caster sugar
  • 1tsp almond extract
  • 4 eggs
  • 25g flaked almonds
  • 5 – 6tbsp fruit jam

Method

  1. Grease a traybake tin – the one I used is 20cm square – and line with baking paper.
  2. Sieve the plain flours and salt into a food processor with blade fitted. Chop the butter/spread into cubes and add in. Pulse a few times until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add in a few drops of water and blitz. Repeat until the ingredients are fully combined and you have a ball of pastry dough whirling around inside the processor bowl.
  3. Roll out the pastry dough on a floured surface until it is roughly the size of the tin, including the sides. Carefully transfer to the tin and gently press down against the bottom and sides. Trim the edges as necessary with a knife to make a neat edge. Place the tin and pastry in the fridge and turn on a fan oven to 180C.
  4. While the pastry is chilling, and the oven warming up, make the sponge filling. Sieve the self-raising flour into a baking bowl. Add in the oil, baking powder, sugar, ground almonds, eggs and almond extract. Whisk with an electric mixer till combined into a smooth batter.
  5. When the oven is up to temp, remove the pastry and tin from the fridge. Line with a large, crumpled piece of baking paper and fill with ceramic baking beans. Place in the oven for 10 mins.
  6. After 10 mins, remove the tin and pastry from the oven, and turn the heat down to 160C. Remove the baking paper and beans, and spoon in the jam, spreading it evenly over the pastry base and into all 4 corners.
  7. Pour the sponge batter on top of the jam and smooth out to make even. Sprinkle the flaked almonds evenly all over the top, and place in the oven for 35 – 40 mins.
  8. Remove from the oven and check it is fully baked – a skewer inserted in the centre should come out with no wet batter showing. Leave aside to cool in the tin.
  9. Carefully transfer to a board and chop into slices. These will keep for 2 – 3 days, though they will all be snaffled up without delay, I assure you.

Customise It!

In addition to using your favourite fruit jam, you can feel free to use ready made or ready rolled pastry if you wish.

For Valentine’s Day I have chosen a track for the ADK Playlist written by that old punk romantic, Pete Shelley. This blog has a special relationship with his band, of course, taking its name from the title of their first album, the seminal Another Music in a Different Kitchen. This track is actually from their third album, but I’ve been playing it recently while making these bakewells, and realising how good it sounds. So here they are: Buzzcocks with You Say You Don’t Love Me.

Categories
Mains Recipes

Vietnamese Rice Soldiers

I first came across Vietnamese Rice Soldiers on my travels to Australia, where there is a varied range of Asian cuisine and the quality is high.

Initially I thought they were uncooked sausages when I saw them in a deli takeaway. I soon learned that in fact they contain a mix of finely chopped protein, veg, herbs or spices, with rice or noodles, all wrapped up in a piece of transparent, edible rice paper. They are eaten cold as finger food, with a sauce for dipping, and usually accompanied by a stir fry side or noodles.

I sampled them in a restaurant in Little Vietnam, the name given locally to Victoria Street in Melbourne, and immediately became a fan! I brought home a pack of rice papers and am now able to make my own at home. Here is a photo of my latest batch:

A pack of rice papers is essential if you want to give these a try. I bought mine (below) in Aussie supermarket chain, Coles. Availability will depend on where you are in the world, but in the UK I have seen some smaller packs in M&S. The best bet may be a specialist Asian food store or online.

They are made from simply flour, salt and water, requiring just some fresh, lukewarm water to rehydrate and make them soft and flexible.

Servings

This made 8 soldiers. At 2 per serving, that makes 4 adult portions.

Timings

30 mins to chop and prepare the filling. Rolling up takes seconds. The soldiers can be made up in advance and kept in the fridge for a day or two.

You Will Need:

  • 8 circular rice papers
  • a shallow dish filled half with just boiled water, and half with water cold from the tap (so that overall the water is lukewarm, around 50C)

    For the filling:
  • 120g boiled rice, cooled
  • 1 marinaded chicken breast, cooled
  • 1 carrot
  • around 10cm length of cucumber
  • 2 – 3 scallions/spring onions
  • half a red pepper
  • small bunch of coriander/cilantro

    For the dipping sauce
  • 2 tbsp chilli paste
  • 1 tbsp each of soya sauce, rice vinegar, honey and orange juice
  • a good squidge of tomato passata.

Method

  1. Chop the carrot and cucumber into tiny little batons. Chop the other filling ingredients into small pieces and lay everything out on a board.
  2. Take one of the rice papers and submerge it in the lukewarm water. It will begin to soften and take on a slightly, sticky, stretchy feel. Lay it down on a chopping board and put a line of rice across the middle.
  3. Lay a line of chicken pieces on top of the rice, then follow with the carrot, cucumber, scallions, coriander and pepper. Use a little judgment here – you want the soldier to be well-filled but not overstacked.
  4. Lift the flap of the rice paper nearest you and fold over the filling. Tuck in both sides, then roll the whole soldier forward until you have a sealed parcel. Check out my photos below, showing the rolling up in action! Set aside on a tray.
  5. Carry on until all the soldiers are made up.
  6. Put all the dipping sauce ingredients in a clean, screw top jar with lid on. Give it a good shake to combine, then pour into a serving bowl. The soldiers can be dipped into the sauce, or alternatively, once you’ve bitten off the top, spoon it on and let it drizzle down to mingle with the filling. Yum!

Customise It!

Vary the protein to include small pieces of fish, or use chopped cashews if you want to go vegan. A sprinkle of sesame seeds would be an excellent idea. Swap in fine, vermicelli noodles or bean shoots for the rice. Finely chopped root ginger, corn, celery are also options. As always on A Different Kitchen, use your imagination and go with the ingredients you like.

I served these with a side of stir fried bean shoots, pak choi, root ginger, garlic, red onion, carrot and mushroom topped with a sprinkling of sesame seeds (as shown in my main photo at the top of the post). For the stir fry sauce I simply made up more of the dipping sauce and poured that in. Hey – keep things simple!

It’s Superbowl weekend once more, and I am looking forward to staying up late this Sunday to watch the game. I can’t see any other outcome than the Kansas City Chiefs winning again, as they seem to be invincible when it comes to play-off season. Apologies to any Philly Eagles fans, but who knows, maybe you will surprise me?

Here’s a piece of classic Americana – Tom Petty with Running Down a Dream. Enjoy the Superbowl, everybody.

Categories
Mains Recipes

Gochujang Lentil Roast

This week, my continuing search for comforting winter dinners has brought me to the Korean aisle in my local supermarket, to pick up a jar of Gochujang paste. I have used it before in a few recipes here on A Different Kitchen (Korean Pulled Pork Sandwich, Cauli Roast, Salmon Noodles) and am a real fan of its sweet and smoky taste.

Gochujang is a spicy condiment made from red chilli peppers and fermented soya beans, and is definitely worth a try if you haven’t come across it before. Find it in the Asian section of a reasonable-sized supermarket or in a specialist deli.

In this dish its magical spicy warmth is the base for a hearty lentil dahl-like stew with char-roasted winter veg.

Servings

4 adult portions.

Timings

30 mins to make.

You Will Need

  • a large roasting tray’s worth of chopped root veg – I used carrot, parsnip and sweet potato
  • 1 red pepper
  • oil
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 medium red chilli
  • 1 tbsp cumin seeds
  • 2 tbsp gochujang paste
  • 1 red onion
  • 3 celery sticks
  • 500g carton tomato passata
  • 100g red lentils

Method

  1. Switch on a fan oven to 180C.
  2. Chop the root veg and red pepper into chunks and spread out in the roasting pan. Drizzle with oil and place in the oven when it’s up to temp. Leave for 30 mins.
  3. Crush the garlic and place in a wok with a drizzle of oil, over a medium heat. Finely chop the chilli and add to the wok with the cumin seeds. Give it all a gentle stir and leave to sizzle for a few moments.
  4. Add the onion and celery, chopped, and stir again, and add in the gochujang paste. Stir once more so the veg is coated in the lovely smokey red paste.
  5. Tip in the passata. Fill the empty carton with tap water and add this also, then sprinkle in the lentils. Bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer and leave to reduce and thicken.
  6. When the roasting veg have had their 30 mins, remove the tray from the oven and scrape them into the wok. The veg should be softened and a little charred at the edges. Stir so all the veg is coated, then serve. I served mine with steamed fresh kale, as shown in my photo at the top of the post.

Customise It!

Feel free to swap in whatever roasting veg you have to hand – swede, potato, celeriac can all be contenders, so can mushroom or aubergine.

Dance classic season continues here on A Different Kitchen. Next up is the legendary Teddy Pendergrass, in the form of Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, with Don’t Leave Me This Way.

Categories
Mains Recipes

Courgette & Feta Fritters with Mint Raita

Here’s a dish that really does make the best of all the seasonal summer produce around at the moment. It’s a great way to use up some of the Jenga-like pile of organic courgettes that builds up on the ADK Kitchen table around this time of year – 3 medium-sized ones went into this batch of fritters, and the taste works really well with the chunks of creamy feta.

The scallions are also fresh from the garden, as are the cucumber and mint leaves in the cooling raita served alongside.

An excellent choice for a summer evening meal on the patio – maybe to celebrate the second birthday of A Different Kitchen! More of that in a moment…

Servings

This will make 4 fritters.

Timings

15 mins to make and about 10 mins to fry.

You Will Need

  • 350g courgettes (around 3 medium-sized ones)
  • 100g feta cheese
  • 3 – 4 scallions (spring onions)
  • 50g plain flour
  • 1 egg
  • oil for frying

For the raita:

  • 4 – 5 dessert spoonfuls of natural yoghurt
  • 3 – 4 slices of cucumber, finely chopped
  • 4 – 5 leaves of fresh garden mint, finely chopped

Method

  1. Wash the courgettes and trim off the ends. Grate coarsely, either by hand or (as I did) using the speed grating tool on the food processor. Tip into a large mixing bowl.
  2. Chop the feta into cubes and add to the grated courgette. Chop the scallions into little rounds and add also.
  3. Sieve in the plain flour and crack in the egg. Now the fun begins – having washed and dried your hands, plunge them into the bowl and squish all the ingredients together between your fingers to make a well-mixed courgette batter.
  4. Next, make the raita by combining the yoghurt, cucumber and mint in a small bowl. Stir and place in the fridge until it is time to serve (for the avoidance of doubt, no plunging of fingers is required for this bit 🙂 )
  5. Warm a drizzle of oil in a frying pan. When sizzling, lift in a handful of the courgette batter. Put in another alongside and let them cook.
  6. After a minute or so, give them a gentle push around the pan with a spatula, to make sure they are not sticking. After 3 – 4 minutes, lift each fritter carefully with the spatula and flip them over, to cook on the other side.
  7. After another 3 – 4 mins, remove each fritter to a plate and keep warm. Repeat the process with the rest of the batter, to make another 2 fritters.
  8. Plate up the fritters and serve with the bowl of raita as a side.

Customise it!

Some recipes for courgette fritters advise to squeeze the water from the veg at the outset. I didn’t do this and it didn’t cause any problems, however – just sayin’.

If you wish, you could add some lemon zest, crushed garlic and ground black pepper to the batter, before cooking. Additional salt shouldn’t be necessary as there is some already in the feta.

The height of summer brings a second birthday for A Different Kitchen: that’s 2 years, 222 posts, and 3.5k followers from all around the world, now over 3 online platforms. Sadly, WordPress stats can’t tell me how much self-raising flour, caster sugar, extra virgin olive oil, garlic cloves etc have been consumed in that time, but I reckon it’s enough to fill a small branch of Tesco Express.

Maybe that’s something the WordPress engineers could get on to before next year’s anniversary? Cool – always happy to give feedback 🙂 .

Here’s Depeche Mode with World in My Eyes.

Categories
Mains Recipes

Kale and Potato Cakes

As summer slips away into autumn, the space in our garden occupied by sunshine-infused tomatoes and cucumbers is gradually giving way to curly kale.

Kale is highly regarded as a source of numerous vitamins and nutrients that keep our bodies healthy. It is also one of my favourite vegetables to cook with – watch out for some more kale dishes posted before this autumn is through!

This dish started out as a Mary Berry bubble and squeak-type recipe (thanks for the inspiration, Mary!), which I modified to take advantage of the copious amounts of fresh kale that have been appearing each day over our garden wall. I also added scallions/spring onions, which go down a treat.

I served the cakes with a rasher of good back bacon on top, along with a soft poached egg and a twist of chilli flakes. The cakes can be prepared in advance and shallow fried as required. They make a tasty and healthy midweek meal or weekend brunch.

Servings

This will make 8 cakes.

Timings

The first stage of preparing and boiling/steaming the veg (which can be done up to 24 hrs in advance) takes about 20 mins. Once slightly cooled, combining and shaping the cakes (which can also be done in advance) will take about another 10 – 15 mins. Allow 10 mins to shallow fry the cakes before serving.

You Will Need

  • 1kg potatoes – I used Maris Piper
  • 40g butter
  • 100g fresh curly kale
  • 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
  • 50g cheddar cheese, grated
  • 3- 4 scallions/spring onions, finely chopped
  • 40 g plain flour
  • a few pinches of sea salt
  • oil for frying

Method

  1. Peel, chunk and boil the potatoes for 15 – 20 mins in water with a pinch of sea salt added. Drain well and leave in the warm saucepan to cool slightly – this will ensure that any excess moisture evaporates, leaving the potatoes dry.
  2. While the potatoes are cooking, place the kale in a steamer over the saucepan for about 10 mins. Remove the steamer and spread the kale out on some kitchen paper on a tray. With another piece of kitchen paper, pat the tops of the kale leaves to make them as dry as possible, then shred with a sharp knife.
  3. Add the butter to the warm potatoes and mash until smooth. Add in the shredded kale, scallions, cheese and mustard and combine well. Check the seasoning and give it another twist of sea salt if necessary.
  4. By this stage, the combined mixture should have cooled sufficiently to enable you to grab a handful and shape it into a pattie, or cake, the size of a burger.
  5. Sprinkle the flour on a plate and coat each cake on both sides.
  6. Shallow fry the cakes in the oil until brown and crispy on the outside, while soft in the middle.

Customise it!

I put some rashers of bacon in the pan to cook alongside the cakes, and poached some eggs at the same time. You can serve each cake with a rasher on top, and then a soft poached egg, topped with a twist of chilli flakes – see my photo.

For a veggie option, try chopped tomatoes on top, with or without the egg. Another good combo would be smashed avocado with egg and bacon. Be creative!

Choice of musical track is influenced by the gig tickets I managed to secure while working on this dish. I’m excited to say that next year I shall be seeing the Arctic Monkeys on their UK tour. Consequently, their music has been featuring quite heavily recently in the sounds playing in the ADK kitchen.

I am very interested to hear the new album which is due out in a few weeks’ time. I have always liked the band and saw them live on the AM tour at Earls Court, London in 2013. My favourite album of theirs is still Humbug. I liked the 2018 sci-fi influenced Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino album, though it was quite different from what they had done before. All in all, I’ll award it Four Stars Out of Five…