Category: Cooking

Spaghetti lemon homemade spaghetti and home grown lemons I hope! One for the future.

New pizza stone to try out. Having read Felicity Cloakes ‘Completely Perfect’ I am happy with what I do. OO, water, yeast and salt with a dash of olive oil and some thyme.

Topping – something different – a rage bought sauce for a change with cheeses, mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes and possibly roasted peppers and some garlic then sprinkled with parsley, greek basil and ground pepper, olives. I know that is probably too much taste, but why not. It was ok, but I think I will cook the baser a couple of minutes before adding the top (as my tops are always tomato heavy.

OKit is cold outside and we might even get snow on Monday – although I doubt it. But I am making some spicy chick peas – no recipe followed as such, although I looked at lots.

Sort of followed the recipe – 150 g smoked salmon, 200g cream cheese, tbsp creme fresh, 1/2 lemon, pepper. I added an avocado, and smoked paprika and a little mustard and some parsley. Nice.

I almost followed the recipe, and was accused of having bought the tart by Aaron – praise in deed.

OK so my latest culinary experiment was mixed. Fruit tart. Tasted great. Appearance 5/10, but a soggy bottom. I just got careless (again), I did not prick the pastry before blind baking, and then did not remove the beans and return for another 5 minutes. But filling of some apples and pears and plums which had been stewed with a stick of cinnamon, and a squeeze of lemon was nice. Topping was oats, whizzed, plus plain flour, knob of butter and some caster sugar, oh and some whizzed mixed nuts. No amounts as I did not measure anything!

Pesto and lemon drizzle cake both passed the taste test. Cake especially. Pesto is different but I was requested to make a jar. I think fresh parmesan and less of it next time – it can be added later if required.

I have decided I don’t actually like the garlic pesto! I will try adding some tomatoes but will not make more. The garlic might be good on the garden to deter the slugs?

Recipe here. I am going foraging tomorrow, and washing them in Milton Liquid – just in case! It is not illegal to pick the leaves, but it is to dig up the bulbs!

and hot cross buns to try out next week, or maybe a Cornish Saffron Cake?

Cashew nuts, almonds, oats, spelt flour, lemon, cinnamon, butter, sugar, bicarbonate of soda, salt, dates. Melt butter, sugar and dates with lemon juice. Mix oats and butter and nuts and cinnamon and bi-carb to make base and topping. 15 minutes at 170c.

Ingredients used in

• Limes – 5 numbers.

• Green chilli – 4 numbers.

• Ginger (small pieces) – 2 numbers.

• Salt – to taste.

• Sugar – 1 tea spoon.

• Mustard powder – 1 tea spoon.

• Turmeric – 1 tea spoon.

• Hing /asafoetida – 1 tea spoon.

• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tea spoon.

• Oil – as required.

• Fenugreek seeds – 1/2 tea spoon.

Method:

• Cut the limes into small pieces seedless and with the skin on.
• In a bowl add lime pieces, green chilli pieces, ginger pieces, salt to taste, sugar, mustard powder mix it well.
• For tempering: Heat oil in a pan add mustard seeds, when mustard seeds splutter switch off the flame. in this add fenugreek seeds, pinch of turmeric, hing.
• Pour this tempering on the top of the chutney mix it well