Sweet Potato Tortilla with Spinach and Peppers

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So, I'm finally back from all my trips this summer and am getting back on top of cooking, blogging and food optimising Slimming World style.

Portree Harbour, Isle of Sky

Rotmoosalm, Leutasch, Austria

Reepham, Norfolk

I've been to Whitby, Norfolk, Germany, Austria and Scotland and certainly had some days where I forgot about being 'on plan' and enjoyed fish and chips, scones, apple struddle and Kaiserschmarrn, but I still managed to loose weight over my six week holidays by food optimising where and when I could and probbaly thanks to scaling the odd mountain and cycling Norfolk's country lanes with a fully loaded bike.


This recipe for a take on a traditional Spanish Tortilla is great as it keeps for a couple of days in the fridge and is delicious eaten hot or cold, so I tend to have it for dinner one day and then have some for lunch the following day. If you are a SW member and want it to be totally syn free, use Fry Light instead of olive oil! I'm not the greatest fan of pan-frying with Fry Light (it's great for roasting veg and chips in the oven though), so tend to use a drizzle of oil in the pan and just count a syn per portion. The original recipe can be found here.

Sweet Potato Tortilla with Spinach and Peppers (serves 4)

1 medium red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 small sweet potatoes, peeled, cut in hal and sliced into thin half-moons
1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced (I used green as that's what I had. I does look prettier with red though)
1tsp dried thyme
1 clove of garlic, peeled and chopped finely
5 large eggs, beaten
60g baby spinach
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
olive oil or fry light
2 rounded tbsp quark


Preheat oven to 200C/Gas 6.

Mix the onion, sweet potato and pper and place on a lined oven tray. Spray with fry light (if you're not counting Slimming World syns, you might want to drizzle them with a little olive oil instead. Season with salt and pepper and roast for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and add the garlic and thyme. Return to the oven for 5 more minutes. Check that the sweet potato is done. If it is still a little hard return to the oven for five more minutes. Once you have taken the vegetables out, reduce the oven temperature to 180C/Gas 5.

In a large pan mix the beaten eggs, the roasted vegetables and the baby spinach. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Heat a non-stick, oven-proof frying pan. Spray with fry light or brush with a little olive oil.

Add the egg and vegetable mixture to the pan. Add small dollops of quark to the top.

Allow to set on the hob for a couple of minutes and then place the pan in the oven and allow to bake for 20 minutes, until the egg is set.

This is great warm or cold, so makes perfect leftovers for lunches and picnics.

Enjoy!

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/180°C Fan/Gas 6.

Mix the red onion, sweet potato and red pepper together and place on a roasting tin lined with baking parchment. Roast the vegetables for 20-25 minutes, until they’re tender. Five minutes before the end of cooking time, add the rosemary and garlic and mix well. Remove the vegetables from the oven and reduce the temperature to 180°C/160°C Fan/Gas 4.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and then add the roasted vegetables and the spinach and mix together well. Season to taste

Preheat an 18-20cm diameter non-stick ovenproof frying pan on the hob. Once hot, spray the pan with low calorie cooking spray.

Pour in the eggs and roasted vegetables and then dollop the quark in small spoonfuls over the top. Let the tortilla set slightly on the hob for 1 minute, transfer to the oven and cook for 20 minutes, until set.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

- See more at: http://www.slimmingworld.com/recipes/red-pepper-spinach-and-sweet-potato-tortilla.aspx#sthash.O3dPxWBO.dpuf

1 medium red onion, peeled and thinly sliced

2 small sweet potatoes, peeled, halved and sliced into thin half moons

1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

4 large eggs

60g baby spinach

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Low calorie cooking spray

2 rounded tbsp quark

- See more at: http://www.slimmingworld.com/recipes/red-pepper-spinach-and-sweet-potato-tortilla.aspx#sthash.gfkwB1sg.dpuf

1 medium red onion, peeled and thinly sliced

2 small sweet potatoes, peeled, halved and sliced into thin half moons

1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

4 large eggs

60g baby spinach

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Low calorie cooking spray

2 rounded tbsp quark

- See more at: http://www.slimmingworld.com/recipes/red-pepper-spinach-and-sweet-potato-tortilla.aspx#sthash.gfkwB1sg.dpuf

Caribbean Pepperpot Stew

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If like me you live in the North of England, then you'll also know that despite it being Summer Solstice today it really hasn't been feeling like summer.

It's not weather for BBQs and al fresco dining. Instead I'm still happy to have stews and soups and I even made a hot water bottle the other night as I felt really chilly after a late evening bike ride. 

If you're on the SW Extra Easy plan, this is free if you use fry light instead of oil and  1/4 tsp sweetener instead of the sugar. I prefer not to and just syn the oil and sugar which is not much per portion anyways. 

Caribbean Pepperpot Stew (serves 2-3)

1tsp oil 

400g stewing beef, diced

2 red peppers, cut into chunky bite-size pieces

1 onion, diced

1 sweet potato, peeled & diced

200g green beans, trimmed & halved

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

2tbsp jerk seasoning

1tbsp red wine vinegar

2tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1tsp sugar

200g passata

200ml beef stock

Salt, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

Preheat your oven to 160ºC/Gas 3. 
Heat the oil in a flame-proof casserole dish and brown the beef over a high heat for 4-5 minutes.
Reduce the heat and add all vegetables, garlic and jerk seasoning. Stir well to coat  evenly. 
Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well. 
Pop the lid on and cook in the oven for about an hour and a half, or until the beef is tender. 
Serve with boiled rice.
Enjoy. 

Spanish Green Beans and Tomatoes

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Admittedly I'm not usually the biggest fan of green beans, but every now and then I buy them and this time I had a bunch that were given to me by my neighbours A and G as they headed off for a week in sunny Bilbao. 

In homage to their Catalonian holiday I made them into Spanish Green Beans and served them alongside griddled chicken and some oven potato wedges for a simple dinner and I actually really enjoyed them. I even went back for seconds. 

Spanish Green Beans and Tomatoes (serves 3-4 as a side)

A dash of olive oil 

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

400g green beans, topped and tailed and cut into 3cm lengths

1 tin of chopped tomatoes (400g)

20g pine nuts

Juice of half a lemon

1tsp of sugar (optional, but it cuts through some of the acidity of the tomatoes) 

1 bay leaf

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Heat a little oil in a heavy based pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and stir for a minute or so. Add the beans and continue to stir for about 4 minutes. 

2. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a simmer. Continue to cook for around 25-30 minutes, until the tomatoes have reduced and thickened and the beans are tender, stirring regularly. 

3. Remove the bay leaf before serving. Enjoy!

Flash in the pan?

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So, this might just be a flash in the pan and a one off post after two years of inactivity, but maybe, just maybe I'll start writing on here again. 

I've had an offer to sell my blog a few months ago, but something stopped me eventhough it has been lingering in a state of sad neglect for forever. Maybe it's time to return to my food blogging days. 

I recently joined Slimming World, as I'd slowly put on some weight over the last couple of years that I was getting fed up with and just couldn't quite shift. I always got so far and got stuck. 

Now I'm not interested in loads of cheat recipes where I just replace sugar with sweetener, but essentially still eat a lot of poor and processed foods that don't give my body much goodness. I'm interested in cooking satisfying meals that don't feel like I'm missing out, because I'm not. I just eat more balanced and with a large focus on vegetables, fruit and lean protein. There is no fasting and no going hungry. This is hopefully about a lifestyle change not a diet. 

This of course means that I'm cooking and experimenting more again. And I'm hoping to share some of that by resurrecting A Pot of Tea and a Biscuit. So watch this space. (Maybe).  

Beetroot and Walnut Hummus by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

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I'm currently working on an artists' book about a dinner party, so of course I had to have said dinner party to get it started. There isn't really any work to look at yet, but you can see some of my older work if you have a look through some of the posts on my website or the Battenburg Press Tumblr.

I invited five friends round and made quite a few dishes, but failed to photograph most of them, so those recipes will have to wait a little longer before being shared on here. I did manage to photograph my new favourite dip though. It's not only delicious and easy to make, I also absolutely love the colour of it. You just can't beat beets for colour, can you?!

Try it with fresh flatbread or on a sandwich with some goat's cheese. Perfection!



Beetroot and Walnut Dip by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (serves 4-6)

50g walnuts
1 tbsp cumin seeds
25g stale bread, crusts removed
200g cooked beetroot (not pickled), cut into cubes
1 tbsp tahini
1 large garlic clove, crushed
1 lemon, juice off
sea salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
a little olive (optional)

Preaheat your oven to 180C/Gas 4.

Place the walnuts in one layer on a baking tray and roast in the oven for 5-7 minutes, until fragrant.

Remove from oven and leave to cool.

Heat a small frying pan over a medium heat.

Add the cumin seeds and dry-fry them. You need to keep moving the pan around or stirr the seeds constantly. What you want is for them to release their aroma, but not burn! It should only take a minute or so.

Transfer the seeds to a pestle and mortar or a spice grinder and crush them well.

Break the bread into chunks and add them to a bowl together with the walnuts. Using a stick blender, process them until you have fine crumbs. You can do this in a food processor also.

Add the beetroot, tahini, the garlic, a good pinch of the cumin, half the lemon juice, a little salt and a good bit of pepper, then process until you have a thick paste.

Taste the mixture and adjust it by adding a little more cumin, garlic, lemon, salt and/or pepper until you like the taste.

You can add a splash of oil if you think the dip is to thick.




Serve at room temperature.


Enjoy!

Lemon Berry Cake

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It's nearly the end of June, which in my annual calendar means saying farewell to my final year students and wishing them good luck for life after University. We had a little get together with drinks on Wednesday and I baked a cake.

Congratulations to the Class of 2013, BA (Hons) Photography, Manchester School of Art!

Some of them are having an exhibition in London in July, following on from their degree show. Have a look at their website and pop in if you're in the area.

Oh and the cake was good and well worth making! The recipe can be easily halved and made in a loaf tin or 20cm ring pan. That's what the original recipe was, but I doubled it to use my Gugelhupf pan.

Lemon Berry Cake (makes 1 cake)

250g butter
1 1/2 cups caster sugar (I used light brown as I was out)
4 eggs
rind of 2 lemons
3 cups self-raising flour 
1 cup milk
1/2 cup lemon juice
150gr blueberries/raspberries
icing sugar for dusting

Preheat your oven to 180°C/Gas 4/350 F. Grease a gugelhupf pan really well and dust with flour.

In a large bowl beat the butter and sugar with an electric beater until pale and creamy.

Beat in the eggs and  grated lemon rind. 

using a wooden spoon fold in the self-raising flour,  milk and lemon juice until well combined.

Spoon half the mixture into the pan. 

Scatter over the berries. 

Spoon over the remaining cake batter.

Bake for 50 minutes, check after 40 minutes and cover with baking parchment or tin foil if the top of the cake is getting too dark.

Insert a wooden skewer to check if the cake is cooked through. The skewer will come out clean if it is ready. If there is still batter clinging to the skewer, return the cake to the oven for 5 more minutes and test again.

Set aside for 5-10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool. 

Serve dusted with icing sugar.

Enjoy!

Yotam Ottolenghi's Stuffed Aubergine with Lamb & Pine Nuts

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I know, I know.....it has been ages! So many things have happened in the last six months. Some good, some less so, some very happy times and also some sad stuff. All of it together meant that I didn't really feel like blogging about what was cooking in my kitchen.

But here's to hopefully finding my (blogging) mojo again. Thanks for still reading!

This is a recipe that I made a while agao. Easter Sunday to be more precise. I was spending Easter on my own this year and I didn't want to miss out on having lamb for Easter, but it seemed silly to do a whole roast for myself, so instead I just scaled down this wonderful Yotam Ottolenghi recipe from the Jerusalem cookbook.

It was delicious and the only issue I had was there wasn't quite enough sauce for basting when adjusted for one serving rather than four. My conclusion is that I'll just make it for four people next time, because than there won't be any sauce issues and it's so good that it should be shared anyways!

 

(Sorry about the crappy picture, I couldn't wait to dig in!)

Yotam Ottolenghi's Stuffed Aubergine with Lamb & Pine Nuts (serves 4)


4 medium aubergines (about 1.2kg), halved lengthways
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
One and a half tablespoons sweet paprika
One and a half tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 medium onions (340g in total), finely chopped
500g minced lamb
50g pine nuts
20g flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 teaspoons tomato purée
3 teaspoons caster sugar
150ml water
One and a half tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon tamarind paste
4 cinnamon sticks
Salt and black pepper

Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas mark 7. Place the aubergine halves, skin-side down, in a roasting tin large enough to accommodate them snugly. Brush the flesh with 4 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with 1 teaspoon of salt and plenty of black pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.

While the aubergines are cooking, you can start making the stuffing by heating the remaining olive oil in a large frying pan. Mix the cumin, paprika and ground cinnamon and add half of this spice mix to the pan, along with the onion. Cook on a medium-high heat for about 8 minutes, stirring often, before adding the lamb, pine nuts, parsley, tomato purée, 1 teaspoon of the sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt and some black pepper. Continue to cook and stir for another 8 minutes, until the meat is cooked. Place the remaining spice mix in a bowl and add the water, lemon juice, tamarind, remaining sugar, cinnamon sticks and half a teaspoon of salt; mix well.

Reduce the oven temperature to 195C/175C fan/gas mark 5 and a half. Pour the spice mix into the bottom of the aubergine roasting tin. Spoon the lamb mixture on top of each aubergine. Cover the tin tightly with foil, return to the oven and roast for 1 hour 30 minutes, by which point the aubergines should be completely soft and the sauce thick; twice through the cooking, remove the foil and baste the aubergines with the sauce, adding some water if the sauce dries out. Serve warm, not hot, or at room temperature.

Enjoy! (recipe taken from The Independent Online)

Absence

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Sorry, I've been gone......

I have been here ocassionaly...

Boozy Banana Bread

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If you are anything like me, you will occasionally find some rather yucky sad looking bananas in your kitchen or your fruit bowl or wherever you keep your bananas. I mean the ones that aren't even really freckled any longer, but are turning a monochrome brown. I used to just throw bananas in the freezer before they got to that state, perfect for smoothies straight from frozen, no need for ice cubes. But since my current freezer compartment is teeny-tiny and space is at a total premium I now suffer a case of brown bananas more regularly. That's when I know it's time to make banana bread. 



If you have ever googled banana bread recipes you will know that there is a nearly infinite number of recipes out there. So you might ask if the world really need another blog post about Banana Bread? Well, I think so and this one is my absolute favourite. I like the rum and cinnamon, as well as the walnuts, but feel free to experiment with the spices, types of booze or add chocolate chips instead of the nuts.



Boozy Banana Bread (1 loaf)

3 to 4 ripe bananas, mashed well with a fork
1/3 cup melted butter
3/4 cup muscovado sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons spiced rum, or rum, or bourbon or whatever else takes your fancy
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 cup of flour
1/2 cup of walnuts

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

Grease a loaf tin.

Mix the butter and mashed banana in large mixing bowl. You won't need a mixer for any of this. A wooden spoon will do.

Add the sugar, egg, vanilla and booze and mix in well.

Add the spices and stir again.

Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mix and combine.

Finally add the flour and stir and once combined pour into your prepared loaf tin.

Place in the centre of the oven. Check after 50 minutes if done by inserting a wooden skewer in the middle. If it comes out clean, the cake is done if there is still some batter clinging to the skewer return to oven for another 10 minutes. Check again etc.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the tin, then carefully remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

Spanish Fish Stew

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I won a competition a few weeks ago on Lavender & Lovage. The prize? £65 worth of fish from Delish Fish, a great family run business up in Scotland that delivers fresh fish directly to your door. I thought to myself at the time, that it was a little daft of me to enter, as I don't have a freezer and I live on my own. I figured I never win anything anyways though.

You can imagine my reaction when Karen got in touch to tell me I was the competition winner. I mean I was excited. It's always nice to be the winner of something, but I also started panicking slightly as to what to do with all that fish that was going to arrive on my doorstep shortly. Luckily, my friend Jacqueline who lives around the corner from me was kind enough to make some room in her freezer for all that fish, that I am now slowly and very happily cooking my way through. There'll be more recipes to follow, but let's start with Spanish Fish Stew, which I made with some of the lovely hake fillets I received.



My friends Lucy and Yuri had been driving back up to Manchester after a weekend in Brighton and I thought it'd be nice for them not to have to sort their own dinner out when they finally made it back after driving for six hours. Since they live in the same building as I, it was easy for them to drop their bags and just come upstairs to a hearty, smoky and warming fish stew (plus a very small beer).

I found the original recipe here and have adapted it to suit my taste and the contents of my larder.

Spanish Fish Stew (serves 4)

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 lemon, zest and juice of
a generous handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
olive oil
1 onion, finely sliced
250g new potatoes, peeled and cut into 2cm chunks
1 heaped teaspoon paprika
a pinch of chilli powder or cayenne pepper
400g can chopped tomatoes
1 veg stock cube
1/2 - 1tbsp sugar
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
200g raw king prawns
1 x 410g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
500g skinless hake fish fillets

Mix the chopped coriander, lemon zest and half the garlic and set aside for later.

Heat then a large heavy bottomed pan, heat the oil and add the onions and potatoes. Cover and saute for about 5 minutes or so on medium heat, until the onions begin to soften. Stir from time to time.

Add the remaining garlic, paprika and chilli powder (or cayenne), stir to coat and cook for another couple of minutes, until fragrant.

Add the lemon juice, followed by the tomatoes and half a can of water. Crumble in the stock cube and add the sugar, it'll help cut some of the acidity of the tomatoes.

Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes until the potatoes are almost cooked.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the chickpeas and prawns and stir through.

Place the hake fillets on top of the stew, cover with a lid and simmer for another 10 minutes.

Remove from heat, scatter with the coriander/garlic/lemon zest mix and serve with some crusty bread to mop up the sauce.

Enjoy!

Top Five from five years of A Pot of Tea

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With the blog just having turned five, I thought it might be nice to look back and to write a post in which I share my favourite recipes of the last five years again.

It wasn't easy to narrow it down to just five, because there are plenty of others that I think are worth shouting about and that I make and eat all the time. I did my best however and here is Sylvie's Top Five in no particular order.....

Rockamole

The Rockamole is always a hit at a party. It is finger licking good and makes a great change from the usual Guacomole.

Aubergine and Green Bean Curry

This is a recipe from my favourite cookbook. River Cottage Veg Every Day by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. It's fragrant and well spiced without being too much for those who like to go easy on the heat. I'd happily eat it every week.

Slow-cooked Venison Ragout

I don't eat much meat these days, but when I do I make sure it is good quality and hasn't been intensely farmed. Venison can be pricy, but when cooked properly it is worth every penny. This ragout was so good I wanted to lick my fingers and the plate.

Spicy Roast Aubergine with Chickpea Stew

This has become somewhat of a favourite for when I have friends round. I once heard one of them mutter the words 'better than sex' to describe the dish.

Easy Peasy Lemon Drizzle Cake

When I need cake and I need it quick, this is the one I make. I have been asked for the recipe so many times and you can make it into a much more elaborate cake for a special occasion by topping it with lemon cream and fresh berries (as the one in the picture above).

Interestingly enough when it comes to most popular posts in terms of viewing numbers, only the Easy Peasy Lemon Drizzle Cake is in the top five. In fact it is number four, number one with over 23000 views is Tana Ramsey's Lemon Drizzle Cake, which I don't think is anywhere near as good. Number two is Turkish Red Lentil Soup, number three Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil Appertizers and number five is Caramelised Onion and Feta Tart.

Roast Roots with Lentils and Cumin Yoghurt

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I've signed up to a weekly Organic Veg Box scheme recently. Of course with this being the end of October there are a lot of root vegetables about. I like roots, but I have to admit that I don't usually buy them all that often. I mean I try and eat seasonal food as much as possible, but in autumn I get excited by brassicas, such as savoy cabbage and Brussels sprout or by squashes, butternut being my favourite. Therefore having carrots delivered on a weekly basis, in addition to the occasional parsnip has meant trying out completely new recipes and it has been a bit of a challenge to not just let them sit in the fridge until limp.

I'm glad for the challenge though because it means that I discover brilliant new recipes, such as Any Veg Lentils with Cumin Yoghurt, or as I have called it Roast Roots with Lentils and Cumin Yoghurt, because I used up both the lingering carrots and parsnips. It would work equally well with red peppers, onions and roast beets I'm sure, or with roast cauliflower. Experiment and see what your favourite is. I was a little skeptical about the addition of lime zest and juice to the lentils, but it is really, really good!



The recipe is based on one that came from one of the Abel & Cole newsletters delivered with the box (this is not a sponsored post, they just deserve a mention). I served it with some grilled haloumi cheese and it made me and three friends happy eaters, so happy indeed that there wasn't a lentil left.

Roast Roots with Lentils and Cumin Yoghurt (serves 3-4)

olive oil
1 large onion, red or white, chopped finely
200g brown lentils, rinsed
400ml vegetable stock
6 carrots, peeled and halved lengthways
2 parsnips, peeled and quartered lengthways
salt and black pepper, to taste
1 small pot of natural yoghurt (150g)
1 heaped tsp of cumin seeds, toasted
a good pinch of chilli powder
1 lime, juice and zest of
a large handful of fresh coriander, chopped

Heat the oil in a large heavy bottomed pan (one that you have a lid for).

Add the onions, lower the heat and sautee for about five minutes or so, until beginning to soften, but not brown. Stir regularly.

Turn the heat up and add the lentils, cook for a minute or so.

Add the veg stock, bring to a boil and then reduce the heat.

Cover and simmer for about 30-40 minutes until the lentils have absorbed the stock. You should check regularly towards the end of the cooking time to avoid the lentils sticking and burning. Or like me you can add a little extra stock and drain it off once the lentils are tender.

As soon as the lentils go on you should toss your root veg in some oil, season with salt and pepper, spread out in one layer on a large baking tray and pop it in a preheated oven 220C/Gas 8.

Turn once after about 15-20 minutes and continue to roast for another 15-20 minutes until golden.

Whilst your lentils are simmering and your veg is roasting, mix the yoghurt in a small bowl with a splash of olive oil, cumin seeds and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Add the lime juice, zest and a pinch of chilli powder to the cooked lentils.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Toss in the roast roots and freshly chopped coriander.

Serve with the yoghurt dip.

Enjoy!

Norwegian Apple Cake to celebrate 5 years of A Pot of Tea and a Biscuit

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Well, the real reason for making an apple cake was that my lovely friend Liz came round on Sunday with a bag full of windfall apples from her garden that needed using. However,  I also realised that A Pot of Tea and a Biscuit is five years old this week and figured I should bake a birthday cake to celebrate.



How time flies and how things change...

When I started blogging in 2007 there weren't all that many food blogs around. Sometimes it seems to me that you can't move around the internet for food blogs these days. On the one hand that's great, because it is wonderful to see how many people out there all over the world share my love for food and it also means that there is hardly a recipe or tip that I can't find online when needed. On the other hand at times it has made me question why I still bother, especially as so many of the blogs out there are absolutely amazing with magazine quality photographs and a regularity of posts that makes me wonder how the writers do it!?

There have been times over the last five years when I didn't feel like cooking or writing and the blog became like a neglected friend. You know the one? The one you know you should call, but for no apparent reason you keep putting off picking up the phone. And the longer you leave it the more guilty you feel. Well, in this case it's all you wonderful followers out there, those of you who leave nice comments or send me a friendly e-mail, asking questions about a recipe, wondering if I have a tip for a specific cooking related problem and also all you silent followers that register as a number in the blog stats, it's all of you that make me 'pick up the phone' in the end and get back to writing and cooking! So here is a BIG THANK YOU to all of you who keep reading even when I'm being neglectful.




I'd send you all a slice of this lovely apple cake, but I'm afraid technology has not yet advanced to that level, so you'll just have to try the recipe yourself. If you like apple cake, you'll love this one!

Norwegian Apple Cake (serves 8-12)

200g unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 ¼ cup flour
3 apples, peeled and sliced thinly
4 tsp sugar
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
a handful of slivered almonds

Preheat your oven to 180C/350F/Gas

Grease and line a 24/26cm springform pan.

If you want to peel, core and slice your apples before starting on the batter, put the slices into a bowl of water mixed with a bit of lemon juice until ready to use them. Just make sure you dry them off well with a bit of kitchen towel. Alternatively, you can peel and slice as you go along.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy with an electric mixer.

Once the butter/sugar mix has become quite light in colour, start adding the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Combine the baking powder and flour and sift it over the batter.

Use a wooden spoon to fold the flour into the batter. Don't over mix it, just combine and fold rather than stir. you want to keep the air you have beaten into the eggs/butter/sugar mixture, otherwise the sponge will become quite dense.

Pour half the batter into lined pan, spread out evenly.

Arrange 2/3 of the apple slices (or peel and slice 2 apples at this stage) over the batter.

Sprinkle with the 2tsp of sugar and cinnamon.

Pour the remaining batter over the apples and spread out evenly.

Arrange the remaining slices (or peel and slice the last apple) over the top in a decorative pattern.

Sprinkle top of apples with another 2tsp of sugar.

Bake on the lowest oven shelf for about 25 minutes. Scatter the flaked almonds over the top and return to the oven to bake for another 25 minutes or so. The cake is done when a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Serve still warm with ice cream or cold with whipped cream.

Enjoy!

Carrot Cake

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I've signed up for  weekly Organic Veg Box delivery and as can be expected at this time of year there is an abundance of root vegetables, including carrots, big, small, orange, purple. Now, I don't mind carrots, but neither am I their biggest fan, so when I opened my fridge and found that I had accumulated 13 of them, I decided it was time for an action plan. First route of attack was to bake a carrot cake for the weekend and I'll also be making some kind of carrot slaw/salad this week, but more about that after I've made it.

The cake was so popular that I didn't have any left to take a decent picture once again, but I took that as a sign that it was definitely worth blogging about. The recipe is based on the one from The Great British Book of Baking, which accompanied last year's Great British Bake Off. If you live in the UK I'm sure you will have heard off the TV show, it was kind of hard not to. I'll be making it again soon, no doubt and will do my best to take a proper picture.



This is a delicious moist cake, with just the right amount nuts, good balance of spices and the addition of orange zest and juice makes it really nice and fresh as well. The original recipe is for a cake baked in two cake tins with has a layer of frosting in the middle as well as on top, but I baked mine in my 26cm spring form pan and just frosted the top of the cake. So here is the recipe as I made it.....




Carrot Cake (serves 8-12)

For the sponge:

225g self-raising flour
1tsp baking powder
1 1/2tsp ground cinnamon
1/4tsp grated nutmeg
1/2tsp ground mixed spice
1/2tsp ground ginger
22gg soft light muscovado sugar
grated zest of 1/2 unwaxed orange
100g walnut pieces
3 medium free-range eggs, beaten
150ml sunflower oil
250g grated carrots (about 3 medium  ones)

For the frosting:
100g full-fat cream cheese
25g unsalte butter, softened
75g icing sugar, sifted
grated zest of 1/4 an unwaxed orange
1tsp orange juce

Preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

Grease and line the bottom of a 26cm spring form pan.

In a large mixing bowl sift together the flour, baking powder and all the spices.

With a wooden spoon, mix in the sugar, the orange zest and the walnuts.

Now add in the beaten egg, sunflower oil and the grated carrot and keep stirring until all the ingredients are really well mixed.

Pour the batter into your prepared springform pan and spread out evenly with the back of a metal spoon.

Bake in the middle of your pr-heated oven for about 40 minutes. You might want to loosely cover the top with tin foil or baking parchment after about 30 minutes if it looks like it is getting to dark. You can check if the cake is done by inserting a wooden skewer into the middle. If it comes out clean the cake is done, if there is still batter clinging to the skewer put it in for another five minutes or so and then test again.

Set aside to cool for five minutes before running a knife carefully round the edge of the cake and carefully release the ring of your springform. Now set aside to cool completely.

Whilst the cake is cooling you can make the frosting, by beating all the frosting ingredients together in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon. Beat quite rigorously until smooth and creamy. The frosting thickens up with beating, but if it's really warm weather or you have a warm kitchen, pop it in the fridge before spreading it on the cake.

Once the cake is completely cooled, spoon the frosting onto the top and evenly spread out to cover the whole top of the cake with the back of a wooden spoon or a palette knife.

If you like you can decorate the cake with more grated orange zest or some walnuts.

Enjoy!

P.S. If you prefer, you can bake the cake in 2 x 20.5cm round cake tins and 'sandwich' it with frosting as well as putting a second layer of frosting on top. In that case, just double the amount of frosting stated above and also reduce the baking time of the cakes to about 25 minutes.

Garden Pea and Mint Soup

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I love peas. They are sweet, a bag of frozen ones is really affordable, they are versatile, healthy and they are beautifully green. Two of my favourite thing to make with peas are Kedgeree and Macaroni Peas. Also my mum's Split Pea Soup is one of my all time favourite things to eat and would make it onto the shortlist of dishes for my death row dinner.

The soup calls for the use of dried peas though and therefore takes quite a while to make, so when I want a quicker soup I make Garden Pea and Mint Soup. Peas and mint are just meant for one another and if you haven't tried the combination, don't wait any longer.



P.S. Lucy says: "Write how much I loved it!"

Garden Pea and Mint Soup (serves 4)

vegetable oil
a small knob of butter
a medium white onion or half a large leek, chopped finely
1 clove of garlic, minced
5 cups of frozen peas (you can use fresh of course)
a large handful of fresh mint, chopped finely
1 litre of good quality vegetable stock (or chicken if you're not vegetarian)
salt and pepper, to taste
a little grated parmesan (optional)
a little creme fraiche or sour cream (optional)

In a large heavy bottomed sauce pan, heat a little oil and a knob of butter over medium heat.

Add the onions or leek and saute till soft, stirring regularly to stop them from colouring. It should take about 5 minutes or so.

Add the garlic and saute for another couple of minutes.

Now add the peas, the chopped mint (keep a little back for garnish if you like) and the stock and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and carefully puree the soup using a stick blender. Watch out for hot soup splashes.

Season with salt and pepper to taste and return to the hob and heat through.

Serve hot with crusty bread for the perfect lunch.

If you like you can put a little grated parmesan in the bottom of the individual soup bowls before adding the hot soup, or alternatively try finishing each bowl off with a dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream.

Enjoy!

Dhal, darling?

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When I want comfort and a bit of spice I often make dhal. It's simple, it's tasty and best of all all the ingredients are part of my kitchen staples, so I usually don't have to worry about shopping for ingredients. There are plenty of different recipes if you google dhal and I have various different versions in my cook books as well.

This is quite a basic and quick recipe as uses red lentils, which cook quickly, so that I can have it on the table in just half an hour after coming in from work. This dhal is a bit soupy, so if you like your dhal thicker and a little drier just increase the amount of lentils or reduce the water (just watch that it doesn't stick and burn).

Serve it with our without rice and some chapatis for a comforting and warming meal, perfect for these cold, dark and (at least in Manchester) wet autumn nights.


Sorry about the poor picture. It's about time I dug my proper camera out again, especially now that it's getting to that time of year where I'm mainly having to rely on artificial light again.


Dhal (serves 3-4)


1 cup (250ml) red lentils, rinsed well
3cm fresh ginger, chopped finely
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
2 tbs butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garam marsala
1/2 red chilli, chopped finely (I left the seeds in, but that's up to you)
3 tomatoes, skinned and chopped
2 tbs lemon juice
1/2-1 tsp salt
a handfull of chopped fresh coriander

Put the rinsed lentils, chopped ginger, bay leaves and cinnamon stick in a large sauce pan and add 3 cups (750ml) of cold water.

Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer.  Cook for 12-15 minutes until soft, stirring regularly to stop them from sticking.

Take out the cinnamon stick and bay leaves and set the cooked lentils aside.

Melt the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat. 

Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes, stirring regularly. You want it to soften but not colour. 

Add the garlic, turmeric, cumin, garam marsala and chilli and fry for a further minute or two, until fragrant.

Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for another couple of minutes.

Add the spiced onions and lemon juice to the lentils and stir well.

Bring back to a simmer and cook for another 5 minutes or so. The lentils should become quite creamy, but still hold some of their shape. It will need to be stirred regularly to stop them from sticking.

Stir in coriander and serve with rice and/or chapati.

Enjoy!

Yottam Ottolenghi's Cod Cakes in Tomato Sauce

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I know I have been singing Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's praises a lot lately, but Yottam Ottolenghi is another chef who rarely disappoints and whose recipes often get me very excited, wanting to run to the shops for (the admittedly often long list of) ingredients right away. I still owe Yuri a pork belly dinner for giving me his duplicate copy of Ottolenghi - The Cookbook and now I want to buy Jerusalem by Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi, too.

This recipe was published in last weekend's Guardian Weekend and as soon as I saw it I knew I had to try it. I love fish cakes anyways, but what really excited me about the Cod Cakes in Tomato Sauce was the lack of the usual mashed potatoes to bind and fill. These cod cakes are mainly just that, cod. Or in my case Haddock.



It takes a bit of time to prepare, but comes together easily and to be honest, most of what looks like a fairly substantial list of ingredients are staples and spices that I always have in my kitchen anyways. The fishacakes are delicate, moist and well seasoned. The tomato sauce is sweet with a very subtle hint of heat from the chili.

I served them with rice and the only thing I might criticize a little is that it would have been nice to have a bit more sauce. I guess I could have added a little extra water in the last step though. Here is my adapted version (no parsley in my kitchen, sorry). The original recipe can be found here.



Yottam Ottolenghi's Cod Cakes in Tomato Sauce (serves 4)

For the fishcakes:
3 slices good white bread, crusts removed
600g sustainably sourced cod (fillet, or halibut, hake or pollock), skinless and boneless
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
60g coriander, finely chopped
1 tbsp ground cumin
1½ tsp salt
2 large free-range eggs, beaten
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped

For the sauce:
2½ tbsp olive oil
1½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp ground coriander
1 medium onion, chopped
125ml white wine
400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tsp caster sugar
Salt and black pepper

Start with the tomato sauce:

Chose your largest frying pan with a lid and heat some olive oil.

Add the onion and spices and fry, stirring regularly for around 10 minutes, until soft.

Pour in the wine and continue to simmer for three minutes or so.

Stir in the tomatoes, chilli, garlic, sugar, half a teaspoon of salt and some black pepper to the pan.

Continue to simmer over medium heat for around 15 minutes. The sauce should be quite thick at that point.

Check the seasoning, adjust if necessary and set the sauce aside.

Whilst the sauce is simmering away you can start on the fishcakes.

Blitz the bread in a food processor till you have breadcrumbs.

Chop the fish very finely and place it in the bowl, together with the breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, corriander, cumin, salt and beaten eggs.

Use your hands to mix well and then shape it into 8 fishcakes. They should be about 2cm thick and 8cm wide.

They will be quite wet and loose. Refridgerating them for half an hour will help firm them up if needed. Or if like me you are prepping ahead of time you can stick them covered in the fridge for a few hours.

Heat the olive oil in non-sticking frying pan and fry the cakes for three minutes on each side in two batches, adding oil as necessary. This is just to give them some colour and seal the outside a little, not to fully cook them.

Put the sauce in the large pan, place the fishcakes on top and add about 200ml of water to the pan, just enough to partially cover the fishcakes.

Cover with a lid and simmer on a very low temperature for 15-20 minutes. After that time turn of the heat, remove the lid and let the fishcakes sit for another 10 minutes or so.

Sprinkle with the chopped mint (I didn't read this bit of the recipe properly and added the mint to the fishcakes which worked really well too) and serve with rice, coucous, bulghur or just some fresh crusty bread.

Enjoy!

Macaroni Peas by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (aka Cheesy Peas or Cheesy Peasy Pasta)

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If you follow this blog than you will know that my absolute favourite cookbook this year (or maybe even ever) is River Cottage Veg Everyday by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and here is another from it. In the book it's called Macaroni Peas, but my friend H. quickly renamed it cheesy peas and it is her favourite comfort food at the moment.

It's delicious, it's so easy and quick to make and best of all, it's one of those recipes for which I always have all the ingredients in the house. As a result it has become part of my regular meal rotation and the go to recipe when I want something quick. I have made it so many times I don't measure the ingredients any more and to be honest there is no need to be all that exact anyways.

I have tried it with both Parmesan and goat's cheese and have to say that I prefer it made with Parmesan. I think the saltiness of it works better with the sweetness of the peas. But why don't you see for yourself?If you want to see the recipe as it is printed in the book, you'll find it here.

The reason I haven't blogged it about it before is that in all the times I have made it, I have never taken a proper picture of it. Ever. Just this mobile phone picture, but it'll just have to do.........



Macaroni Peas or Cheesy Peasy Pasta (serves 4)

500g peas or petit pois (fresh or frozen)
300g small macaroni or other small pasta shapes
50g butter
1 garlic clove, chopped
25g Parmesan or hard goat's cheese, coarsely grated, plus extra to serve
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
shredded basil, to serve (optional

Bring a large pan of salt water to the boil for your pasta.

Simmer the peas for a few minutes until tender. If you are using older fresh peas this will take a little longer.

Whilst the peas are on, cook your pasta in the large pan of salt water until al dente.

Whilst the peas and pasta are cooking away, melt the butter in a pan over low heat and add the chopped garlic just for a minute or two. You don't want it to brown as that would make it bitter.
Take off the heat.

When the peas are cooked, drain them, but keep the cooking water.

Put about half the peas, the melted garlic butter and the grated cheese in a blender together with about 6tbsp of the pea cooking water and blitz until you have a smooth and loose puree. You can add more water if needed.

Add the remaining whole peas and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Drain the pasta and mix with the hot pea sauce straight away.

Serve topped with extra grated cheese and shredded basil if desired.

Enjoy!

Rounding up the summer

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I just realised to my horror that it has been over two months since I last posted, but I really did need a break from everything to recharge and ensure my continued sanity!

It's been a lovely summer, despite the more than miserable weather here in the UK. I was lucky enough to go the Olympics to witness Usain Bolt do his thing (Thanks again, R.!), I spend ten surprisingly sunny days traveling up the west coast of beautiful Scotland with my lovely sister (who would have thought that that's where summer had been hiding all along) and I followed that with more sun and fun in Catalonia with H.

Now, however, it's time to get back to normal life. Work starts back tomorrow, even though we have another two weeks before our old students return and the new ones arrive. I will also endeavor to get cooking and trying out new recipes in my little kitchen to share on here. I hope you're still with me and haven't completely given up on A Pot of Tea and a Biscuit yet!

For now here are some pictures from the last couple of months.....See you soon!

Asparagus Pizza with Ham and Goat's Cheese by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

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Unfortunately I have to say, that so far this summer has disappointed. Instead of BBQs and ice cream it's been all about waterproofs, woolly jumpers and even hot water bottles here in the UK. I hope you're faring better elsewhere in the world and the last couple of days have looked a little more promising here also, dare I say?!

At least some of my favourite seasonal late spring/early summer produce has been as good as always. One of the things I always look forward to, apart from riding my bike in the sunshine, having picnics in the garden or the park and getting all my dresses out of their winter storage place under the bed, is the arrival of asparagus season in May.

I know, I know I'm a little late as it's nearly July and the season is pretty much over, but I didn't want to wait a whole year to share this amazing recipe for Asparagus Pizza with Ham and Goat's Cheese by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. It was published in the Guardian a few weeks ago and as I had friends round that day I tried it straight away.



I adjusted the recipe, especially the amounts of ingredients in the topping as I ran out after topping 1 1/2 of the pizzas, which wasn't a problem as I just topped the rest with tomato, ham, peppers and mature cheddar, but if you want to go for all the same this should work:

Asparagus Pizza with Ham and Goat's Cheese by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

For the dough
250g plain white flour
250g strong white flour
1½ level tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp instant yeast
1 tbsp olive oil, plus a little extra

For the topping
4 tbsp olive oil, plus a little extra for trickling 
4 large onions, peeled and sliced finely
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 bunches slender green asparagus spears (about 800g)
200g air dried ham like parma or serrano
plenty of hard mature goat's cheese or parmesan (or a mix of both, or some soft goat's cheese)


To make the pizza dough, in a large bowl mix the the flours with the salt and yeast.

Add the oil and 325ml warm water, using your hands mix everything until you have a rough dough.

Tip out the dough on to a clean and floured work surface.

Flour your hands and knead rhythmically for five to 10 minutes, until smooth.

Coat a large bowl with a fine layer of olive oil.

Put the dough into the bowl and cover loosely with a clean tea towel.

Place in in a warm place to rise until doubled in size – at least one hour.

Pre-heat the oven to 240C/465F/gas mark 9, if it goes that high, or at least 220C/425F/gas mark 7, and put in a baking sheet or even better a pizza stone to warm up.

While the oven is getting hot, prepare the topping.

Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat.

Add the sliced onions and a pinch of salt.

Reduce the heat to low and cook them gently.

Stir regularly to stop them from colouring. I also often cover them loosely with a bit of parchment paper which means they sweat as well as fry, which turns them nice and soft.

Fry for 20-30 minutes until really soft.

Returning to your dough,  tip it out of the bowl on to a lightly floured surface and deflate with your fingers.

Leave it to rest for a few minutes, then divide it into three equal portions.

Roll out one piece as thinly as you can.

Remove the hot baking sheet or pizza stone from from the oven, scatter over a little fine cornmeal or flour and lay the pizza base on it.

Spread a third of the onions over the dough and arrange a third of the asparagus on top. If your asparagus spears are thick, cut them in half lengthways.

Tear the ham into shreds and lay a third of it over the asparagus.

Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and finish with a generous trickle of good quality olive oil.

Bake the pizza for 10-12 minutes, until the base is crisp, the edges browned and the asparagus tender.

Repeat with the remaining dough and topping.

Top with finely grated goat's cheese and/or parmesan as soon as it comes out of the oven and drizzle with a little more good quality olive oil. If you're using soft goat's cheese instead of the hard variety, put it on before the pizza goes in the oven.

Enjoy!