English tea loaf

I was in Queens Park this week, I visited Gail's Artisan Bakery for my morning coffee and was inspired by all the beautiful breads they had laid about the place (extortionately priced by the way, but beautiful none the less!).

So I thought I would make something befitting their shop - not sure I managed to achieve the same aesthetics on this my first try, but it was tasty none the less.

 

Recipe taken from Lorrane Pascale's fantastic book - Baking Made Easy.

Mix 180g plain flour, 180g bread flour, 7g fast acting yeast, teaspoon ground ginger, teaspoon cinnamon and zest of 1 lemon

 

Make a well in the mix and add 150ml warm water, 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of treacle.

Mix and knead by hand for 5 mins (I took mine out of the bowl and stretched it like bread dough).

Then mix in 2 oz chopped dates and 3 oz of raisins.

 

Cover with clingfilm and put somewhere warm until the dough has doubled in size, then pull out of the bowl and place on a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Bake for 30 - 40 mins.

 

Serve warm! and yes we do have breakfast like this every morning ;)

Marinated chicken and mushroom pizza

Very quickly as we've been here before and it didn't get good reviews but what can I do - it's what the family want?

Same recipe as last time, added a few herbs into the dough when knocking it back. Rolled it out into a slightly strange shape - but got it much thinner this time.

Marinated some chicken strips and onion with paprika, chilli, pepper and garlic. Used this as topping with mozarella and mushrooms.

Ate half of it to soak up the cocktail!

Cocktail hour: Side Car

 

Friday night at the Patton house is Pizza night, and because I am going to bore you with another pizza I thought I would first start with a little cocktail!

The Side Car is two parts brandy to one part Cointreau and half a lemon (or more depending how you like to measure a 'part').

Mmmmm - I needed this after a day with a teething infant!

Spicy tuna and noodle broth

How does the title sound for this? I just made it up. I also made the recipe up, and it tasted very good!

I had to make one up because try as I did to find something inspiring and healthy that I haven't cooked before, was nigh on impossible, and if we ate one more baked good this week then I think we will need our cholesterol levels checking!

Saying that I am thinking of doing bread tomorrow.

Anyway, to make this I began with the marinade an hour and a half before by finely chopping coriander, ginger, garlic and red chillies and crushed it all together in a pestle and mortar with some olive oil. I spread the marinade onto both tuna steaks and let them chill in the fridge.

An hour and a half later I cooked clear spring soba noodles in half a medium pan of water and added a sachet of clear spring miso soup.

I then briefly stir fried bok choy, baby corn, courgette and carrot strips, sugar snap peas and french beans in a little Thai 7 spice, until the veg was coloured but still crunchy.
I added the veg to the noodle miso broth and fried the marinated tuna steaks - in much the same way you would fry a beef steak - oil the fish not the pan, make the pan as hot as h*ll, do it quickly.

Brandy Snaps

I've come over all vintage - or should that be retro? They feel so 70's 'Margo and Jerry after dinner delights' (although apparently they have been around since the 1800's - of course).

These mysterious folded delicacies are actually so easy - and so blooming quick to make that I had to shove them back in the oven to soften again!

To make melt equal quantities of sugar, honey and butter until the sugar has melted.
Then mix in the same equal measure of flour and a tea spoon of ginger.

Then put heaped teaspoons of the mixture on a baking tray 10 cm apart. Bake at 180 degrees for 7-10 min, take out and let them cool but stay soft.

Wrap them round a wooden spoon. Let cool. Fill with whipped cream!

Invite Tom and Barbara over! Cheers!

Chicken with green olives & preserved lemons

So after the slam dunk which was last nights lamb, I returned to the Leon book for inspiration for a sucessful chicken recipe.

I have also found a handy way to cheat a little with the recipe by using olives stuffed with lemons instead of preserved lemons - taking slicing out of the equation.

Start by sauteing 1 onion with 2 table spoons of olive oil until soft
Add 2 smashed cloves of garlic
Add 1/2 teasoop of ground ginger and 1 of cumin simmer for a few mins
Add 6 chicken thighs I used boneless, a tin of chick peas and some saffron and cook for 10 min

Then add sliced olives (2 of the above tins), 1 table spoon of cream, 2 table spoons of yogurt and cook until the sauce thickens

Serve with cous cous and a little mint

Lamb by Leon

So I was told this weekend that the pizza entry just didn't cut the mustard. Apparently everyone made pizza at school and if I expect people to take note then I should up my game.

Well Heather Conacher (aka super woman - and I sincerely mean that), this is for you! xx

I started by poking garlic and mint into some lamb shanks

then I sauted onions with olive oil and added tomatoes

3 and a half hours of lamb cooking and basting later, plus the addition of some macaroni and mint - and hey presto!

Recipe was taken out of my neglected Leon book but it is also available online: http://www.mydaily.co.uk/2010/08/28/rigass-lamb/