CIABATTA
I think I have nearly sussed out the recipe. Make the poolish 200gm each water and strong flour plus yeasdt and 7g yeast, mixc and cover overnight, then I add 200g flour and 140g water and tsp salt and I add some yeast. Mix for 1 min on minimum, then up a notch for another min and then up again for 4 mins. I then transfer to a mixing bowl and leave for an hour and a half. It should then be rather like pliable chewing gum, withwet hands fold over itself a few times and repeat this two more times at 45min intervals. Then shape the dough into 1 or2 loaves. Plenty of flough but do not squash or touch the top. Leave for 30 mins. Thn pop into oven with 210C fan assisted with a squirt of water (I pour some into a tray at base of oven. 20/25 minutes. I am getting there!
Next up I will try with dried basil?
IDEAL MEAL
I love cook books! And have over 100! After a super birthday meal with the family I was thinking about another one. Everyone gets on well. There is a super park over the road for the girls. What about I give them all £50 to bring up ingredients (thinking fish from Looe! Speciality stuff Bristol. Then everyone mucks in and makes things like Meze and Tapas – BBQ stuff too. maybe put up £??? for accomodation? Everryone has to contribute something?
BREAKFAST RECIPE
Make the day before – can be frozen?
Make a cookie – 100g each of butter, honey, wholemeal flour, oats and mixed nuts and maybe a couple of sheets of gelatin and some cinnamon (depending on time of year?). Mix and cook for 15-20 min at 180C. cool and cut into bars. Dunk into strawberry yoghurt and leave for 12-36 hours until dry. Voila!
I am also making bean sprouts and maybe some elderflower cordial if the sun comes out this afternoon.
Flame lily now by front door – I hope it likes it there? The herbs and mints mostly look good! Recipe experiments to follow! Should I dry some mint? And if so mixed or by type? I will ask Holly! Purple loosestrife to plant out today – more tomato plants to pot up.
I will make some cheese thins latter.
70th BIRTHDAY
Lovely to have children and grandchildren together at the ROTH in Bruton. A lovely setting with nice garden, superb shop and lovely restaurant, although to be honest I was not that impressed with the food. The company however was excellent. Erin and Adam are developing into witty nice adults, I mean nice in rthe nicest way – they interact fantastically with Corinne and Ottilie. These two are just a bundle of fun with smiles never far from their faces. So well behaved despite a long wait for lunch and also in the car on the hour long journey. Felix step son of sorts was also cahtty although I knew nothing about his immense knowledge of gaming and computers and cartoons/films.
The parents, my offspring were lovely as were their partners. It was lovely to see them all interacting so well together. No bitching or point scoring – just genuine friendship. Where to go next year? Or later this summer?
GARDEN 20MAY 2023
First day of real warmth at 9am. Tomatoes in greenhouse begining to flower, chillies looking good and red peppers are coming on. Basils are doing ok. Most mints have survived and some of the thyme I thought was dead is showing signs of life. Apricot and lemon and lime trees are all looking good. Wisteria and honeysuckle are again amazing – scent should be bottled! Last year on this date I picked elderflowers to make a cordial – it will be. few days yet this year.
Making ciabatta and some chocolate ginger cookies later.
FOOD
Food inflation of 19% does not affect the rich. It is the poor who find that reserves of carefully maintained savings are eaten away, luxuries abstained, even small pleasures like a 6 monthly visit to a cinema or restaurant forsaken. And what does the government do – as usual absolutely nothing. It is obvious to all (apart from JR-M and co) that Brexit has broken the system. Other world events such as Ukraine and climate change have also had an impact. However the policy of blame does not solve the problem. A friend who supplies shops with crisps says that demand has soared recently, at the same time a local food bank refused to take potatoes as they would “go off”!
Mire expensive food drives the demand for quality down, and thus the cost to the NHS up. This is a full blown crisis that should reslut in a COBRA meeting to bring all relevant parties to sit around a table and thrash out a sustainable future.
My invite list would include NFU,organic farming reps, food manufacturers, Jamie Oliver, Marcus Rashford, McDonalds (or similar), NHS nutritionists and clinicians. I am sure there are others worthy of inclusion. Perhaps on the supply chain issues?
GREEN SEASONING
Just seen this in Food Weekly, Observer from The Pepperpot Diaries.
2 sprigs thyme,10g fresh bay leaves, small bunch parsley,small bunch coriander,4 spring onions, 10 cloves peeled garlic, green chilli to add heat, 6 mini sweet peppers, 1/2. white onion, 400ml cold pressed rape seed oil, s and p. Whizz and enjoy!
SWEDISH SAFFRON CAKE
Ingredients
- ▢ 1 & 3/4 sticks butter (200 grams/7 ounces), unsalted; plus more for greasing the pan
- ▢ 1/2 cup + 4 tbsp milk (150 ml)
- ▢ 1/4 tsp saffron
- ▢ 1 & 2/3 cups flour (240 grams), plus more for dusting the pan
- ▢ 2 tsp baking powder
- ▢ 2 medium eggs
- ▢ 1 cup sugar (235 grams)
- ▢ powdered sugar, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Start by preheating your oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Grease your cake pan with butter and dust it lightly with flour.
- Combine milk and butter in a small saucepan and let the butter melt over low heat.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat, then add saffron and mix — set aside.
- Sift and combine flour and baking powder in a medium-sized bowl.
- In a separate (larger) bowl, combine eggs and sugar.
- Use a hand mixer and mix until you it gets pale in color.
- Add the flour and baking powder.
- Pour the cooled butter, milk, and saffron.
- Mix the batter — just enough to combine everything.
- Pour the saffron cake batter into the prepared cake pan.
- Tap the pan on the countertop to get rid of bubbles.
- Place the cake pan in the lower part of the oven for about 35 to 40 minutes, or when a toothpick comes out clean when inserted.
- Set aside to cool, then dust with powdered sugar.
- Slice your Swedish saffron cake and serve. Dust with more powdered sugar, if desired.
LAMB MARINADE
Ingredients
- 2 lemons
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 whole bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
Drizzle olive oil on to lemon juice and mix – then add the rest and the lamb and leave for 12 hours