My Wicked Good GF Cooking 'blog

Mac fundraiser

2011-03-19T18:28:00.005Z

Took these to work and sold them for a pound each, and sent the 75 quid to the Red Cross, for Japan Tsunami relief.

These are plain almond shells with a chocolate/coconut cream filling. Taste like an Almond Joy bar!

Mango-lime macarons tonight . . .

2011-03-04T19:41:00.004Z

The shells have lime zest folded in, and the filling is a buttercream with a mango-lime coulis added to it.

Lemon macarons today . . .

2011-02-27T14:56:00.005Z

And I can finally say that after MUCH trial and error (oh, so much error!) I have got it. I've mastered the macaron.

My first batch ever was fairly good, just through sheer luck. But then each batch was just the throw of the dice -- some good, some bad, some horrible. I was about to give it all up, but there's something addictive about making these thigns. Some of the problems were egg whites beaten too long (far too long in some cases!), or too little, oven too hot, cracks in surface, wrinkled surfaces, and all gooey in the middle even though the tops and sides were perfectly done (that was caused by using three pans underneath, not two -- I thought, 'If two's good, surely three's better!' Not really).

But finally, yesterday and today, I've got the hang of it. I know just how long to beat the whites, I combine the whites and TPT for just the right amount of time (called macaronage -- too little and you don't get 'feet'), I've finally found the perfect oven temperature, and I can even time them perfectly. Oh, and I got the perfect size tip to pipe them out with, and started a collection of gorgeous 'dust' colours (powdered food colours).

Now the fun really begins -- celebrating everything in life with macarons! Oh, the flavours and colours!

More Macaron Madness

2011-02-26T16:50:00.003Z

Today's macarons: Standard almond shells with a coffee/vanilla-bean buttercream filling. These ones are fairly large -- probably nearing 2.25" across? Mmmm, all the more to enjoy . . .

I've become a macaron-i-vore!

2011-02-25T19:20:00.003Z

I'm obsessed, truthfully. They're not only naturally gluten-free, but divine! Can't stop making them or eating them! These were today's -- the blue has a vanilla bean buttercream (okay, non-dairy buttercream), the green has a pink rose-water buttercream, the yellow has an orange flavoured buttercream, and the red has a strawberry buttercream.

I've made the Final 5!

2011-02-25T19:16:00.003Z

Very exciting -- I got the call telling me that my Italian Deli Sandwich has been made, photographed by professional food photographers, and will be voted on in the next month, with the voting closing on the last day of March (winner announced April 1st!). The prize is a trip to London, tea at the Claridge Hotel, and an overnight there, for two . . . So, as soon as it's up on the website, I'll be sending the link to everyone, and hoping they'll vote for me!

Warm Italian Deli Sandwich

2010-11-09T18:06:00.004Z

Here's my other idea for the competition -- tell me what you think?

I started with a whole loaf of Genius bread (not sliced) so I could slice off large hearty slabs, brush them with olive oil, and grill them. I then filled the sandwich with greens, warmed Italian meats (two kinds of salami, and a slice of prosciutto), grilled marinated peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, and some toasted pine-nuts). A quick drizzle of olive oil over the top, a grind or two of pepper, and that was it -- 10 minutes to a warm, filling supper-sandwich. (Realised later a bit of shaved parm might have been the perfect topping for this sandwich? Yes? No? Good as is?)

Genius Sandwich Contest (Camembert with Cranberry Sauce)

2010-11-07T16:06:00.007Z

I'm entering the Genius GF Bread sandwich-recipe-contest (the prize is an overnight for two in London, including tea at the Claridge Hotel). But the rules say you can only enter one sandwich, and I can't decide which one. So, I'm going to make a couple, post them here over the next few days, and ask friends to help me choose which would be my best bet for an entry. So, give me a comment, or email me, and tell me what you think of each one, and then maybe you can suggest which one you think I should enter?

For those of you in the UK, have you seen the new Genius adverts on the telly in the evenings? Einstein trying to work, but is distracted by a sandwich on Genius bread. It's the first time I've ever seen ads for anything GF, but with one in every hundred people having coeliac, I'm surprised they haven't advertised other products before. (If you aren't in the UK, or just haven't seen them all, here's the link -- you can watch them on Youtube: Genius Bread TV Adverts . There are something like half a dozen now, I think).

Anyway, here's one sandwich idea -- breaded and deep-fried Camembert with cranberry sauce. (The spoon is one that Genius sent to me, as a promotional item, so I thought I'd fit it into my photos.)

Comments?

RECIPE: Dip quarter-rounds of Camembert in cornflour (cornstarch in the USA), then into beaten egg, then bread crumbs, then repeat back through all three again, pressing coating firmly into cheese to hold breading in place. Deep-fry as you would anything, turning at about 2 minutes, and removing from fat as soon as any cheese starts to ooze out (definitely by 4 minutes). Drain for a minute or two on paper towels, then slice it across (side-to-side), shifting the top layer a bit to the side, exposing the cheese. Add cranberry sauce, and put cheese into a roll or between two slices of bread. Serve warm.

Apple pie

2010-09-25T20:00:00.004+01:00

Made a simple pie today -- just a bottom crust (butter, flour, and ice water -- same crust as I used in the pasties, if you need a recipe),. Tossed the apple slices with sugar and cinnamon, poured them into the crust, dotted it with butter, and baked it (gas mark 5, about 40 minutes, or until golden brown). It's very good.

I'm getting a wee bit jam-crazy (I think)

2010-09-04T14:45:00.009+01:00

I can't stop. I'm like a woman possessed. I'm out buying fruit and glassware and pectin-sugar and paraffin and just can't quit making jams and jellies. And the steady diet of jam-foam-on-bread is starting to nauseate me (but I can't stop that, either!). The house smells sweet and fruity, but the wasps also like the smell and keep coming into the kitchen.

Wednesday night (first day of school) I went blackberry picking after school and brought home a couple kilos of berries, and made jam.

Thursday, got home about 6, so I took a night off from jam (but did ponder my quince shrubs and read up on recipes and ideas).

Friday night, home at 6 again, and picked quince and started the quince jelly, which was finished this morning (2 varieties of that).

And here we are, Saturday . . . Went to market early and bought figs and peaches, and more glassware and paraffin and also finally found a jam funnel (oh, it makes life SO much easier. Keeps the rims perfectly clean, so you get a good seal with the paraffin).

Quince Jelly notes:
I halved my quince last night, covered them with water, simmered them an hour, and set them to strain overnight. Was worried this morning -- the juice didn't seem 'right.' It was milky looking, coated the bowl when I tilted it . . . But I went ahead anyway, and as it boiled with the sugar, it cleared to a gorgeous rose colour, just as it was supposed to. I did 2 kinds -- some plain, then a smaller batch to which I added a few sprigs of fresh mint as I simmered it with the sugar (removed the sprigs before putting into jars). I think it will be nice with meats/lamb/pork. Still have a tree-full of quince with nothing to do with them (quince jelly has its limits, like everything). Might post on FreeCycle.

Black-&-Blue Berry Jam notes:
This was just my own concoction/creation using leftover of both, mixed in equal parts (300 g each of the two berries) and same amount (600 g) of pectin-sugar. Also added the juice of a lemon.

Fig Jam notes:
It's just finished as I type this. Very easy. You de-stem the figs, chop/mash them up (skins and all), add the juice of a lemon to the figs and sugar, then cook on low heat for about an hour. Very Mediterranean. (1 kg of figs to 500 kg pectin sugar.) I'm going to use the remaining bit that didn't fit into a jar, for a dessert tonight, stirring it into some Greek yoghurt.

Peach Jam notes:
I'm in the middle of this as I type this, and it will be the last for a while. The ratio for fruit to sugar varies immensely, depending on the recipes you read -- anything from equal weights of peaches to sugar, to half the weight in sugar. I finally decided to use 1.5 kg peaches and 750 g of pectin-sugar, and the juice of a lemon. To peel the peaches, dip them into boiling water for a minute at most, remove skins and pits, then put the peaches, sugar, and lemon juice into your pot, cooking 45 minutes to an hour (much like the fig jam -- until it passes the cold-plate test).

I'm really really tired. Four batches of jam (actually, 5, with the 2 kinds of quince, which is of course done in 2 separate batches) in one day is a lot. I'm going to get the peach into the jars, get the pics off the camera and attach a few to this post, and go flop for the evening with a DVD I just got (Julie & Julia -- what else but a cooking DVD?). And no more bread-and-foam -- will take a packet of the boeuf bourguignon out of the freeze and have that with a potato. (I don't even want to think about sewing and laundry tomorrow, but alas, both are necessary.)

Blackberry Jam

2010-09-01T21:08:00.006+01:00

A kilo of blackberries, a kilo of jam-sugar, the juice of half a lemon, a couple of tbsps of water, and that's it.

Simmer the berries in the water -- when they begin to break down, add the jam-sugar (or sugar and a packet of pectin, if that's the way yours comes).

From the time that the berries start to produce the pinkish foam, time 4 minutes and test (cold plate method). If not ready, test every minute or two, but don't go too long-- the jam can get too hard.

Fill jars and seal as usual. I'm still adding a couple of tbsps of melted paraffin to the top of the waxed paper disc, because I just can't call it good with just a little scrap of waxed paper. Picture (above) taken as jars are cooling, after paraffin is in place. I'll seal them with the cellophane discs when the jars are cold. Oh, and yes, I got a new brand of jam-pot-covers, and it explained things better than the first packet I got. You have to let the jam cool entirely before adding cellophane covers.)

I got 8 lovely 250 ml glasses of jam out of this (bought Tesco 'mixer' glasses, as I am out of jars).

17. Yellow Plum Jam

2010-08-30T10:02:00.004+01:00

Note: Follow just the bold text if you want the short version, without all 'The Rest' -- LOL!

Picked a big pile of yellow plums this weekend, and since the elderberry jam was such a disgusting, revolting disaster (taste-wise), I want to make some successful jam before summer summer break ended. Here we go . . .

After removing darkish spots (for appearance sake) and pits, simmer 1 kg of cut-up plums in 250 ml of water until skins have softened (10-ish minutes).

Add 1 kg of sugar, and bring back to a simmer, stirring as you dissolving the sugar. Continue to cook a further 10-15 minutes.

I had a pretty good idea that since my plums were on the less-ripe side, I wouldn't need pectin, but I added a packet anyway, to be safe. But then, while absent-mindedly stirring and waiting, I was looking over the packages of sugar and pectin and noticed that the 'Jam Sugar' I bought is called that not because it dissolves nicely in jam (that was my guess), but because . . . it has pectin in it already! Okay, so this will really set up well, I guess?

You can tell I don't generally cook with such things, can't you? I grew up in the days of single-item ingredients (none of this self-rising flour, because what do you do when you need 'normal' flour for something, like browning the beef in boeuf bourguignon? I guess you keep two kinds of flour in the house? Because surely, it's too complicated to have only normal flour and then add baking powder to it, right?

I don't even think we have sugar with the pectin already in it, in the U.S. Anyone seen or heard of it?? Like the rest of Europe (and I have witnesses!), mixes and convenience foods are common. In Holland, they take mixes to the next level -- you don't even add eggs and such! It's all in a packet, complete, so you just open it up, pour it into a pan, and bake the cake. Yup. I kid you not. Even America hasn't gone that far (have they?).

Okay, live and learn (regarding the sugar with pectin already in it), and then vow to pay better attention the next time. And don't use any leftover 'jam' sugar in a cake or muffins, or a cup of tea.

So, back to the jam . . . it passed the 'cold-plate-test', and so was put into it's steriilsed jars (after I removed the foam), sealed with paraffin, and lids put on.

There's another huge difference, too, that I just can't trust -- the method here of sealing the jams. They sell these packets of waxed-paper discs, and larger cellophane discs, and rubber bands. When you've got the jam in the jars, you're supposed to put the piece of waxed paper on top of the jam, then wet one of the cellophane discs, put it over the top, add a rubber band, and that's it. The package says that the cellophane will shrink, tighten, and seal. I'll start off with the fact that the circles don't just magically fit every jam jar -- they only come in two sizes, and they large one didn't fit the jars I bought (far too small). So you have this big gap around the edge of the wax paper. And I tried using one on a smaller jar, but it won't lie flat, so you have edges bunched up, not making contact with the jam. Neither method seems like you'd get an effective seal. So I spooned melted paraffin over the top, 1/8" thick, as I learned years back from my Ball Blue Book (canning and preserving), and then sealed my jars, some with lids, and those without, with the cellophane. I think I don't quite dare to leave the cellophane ones on the shelf, though, as I'd hate to lose all that good jam, so I'm going to store them in the back of the fridge.

So, long story not much longer, anyone have any other suggestions for me? Freezer jam, maybe, in little plastic containers? I don't remember how to do that -- do you just sterilise the containers and lids, not use paraffin, then close them up and freeze them?

Oh, this has become a book, hasn't it? Sorry.

Oh, one last thing, which is about jam-making memories of my mother. She was amazing in the house and kitchen, and that included making preserves every summer. I of course have a vivid image in my mind of all those clean, neat beautiful jars lined up across the back of the counter, cooking, and the sweet fruity smell filling the house, but beyond that, the memory of the 'foam.' When the jam finishes cooking, before you put it in jars, you of course have to remove the foam. She always skimmed that off onto a large plate, and let us kids sit at the table with a piece of white bread each, and spoon it onto our bread, and eat it. After all, it's just fruit and sugar, just like the jam. (I hate that recipes I've seen online call it the 'scum!' Scum?!? It's foamy jam. Scum is in your bathtub drain, not in a pot of gorgeous plums and sugar. Please, let's not use that word in our jam-making, okay? There's no 'scum in my kitchen, that much I'll promise you!)

Oh, I guess that wasn't the very last thing . . .

At our house, there were always a few odd little jars, when there wasn't enough jam left to make another full jar. Mom always saved those odd jars, knowing she could use them for putting up the last spoonfuls of whatever she was preserving. I did the same today, as you'll see below, using everything from egg cups to tiny glass chocolate-souffle dishes. I'll pass those along to a few friends -- they're just enough for your morning toast.

Okay, that's enough jam talk . . . I have to get the laundry in, do the ironing, get to Waitrose, and try to re-do some gyros pics (they have disappeared from my camera).

Gyros & Tsatziki

2010-08-30T09:47:00.006+01:00

I love Greek food, and haven't had it in so long I can't remember. Since BC (Before Coeliac), really. But now I've found GF pita breads (spelled and pronounced 'pitta' here), and a recipe, and with GF ingredients (spices, etc), I've made some fantastic ones.! Loving having gyros again.

So here are the recipes -- Gyros and tsatziki . . .

For the gyros, I used half lamb, and half beef, and really like how that came out. I made patties (elongated) and put them all in the fridge, then cook them up as I want them.

I did the tsatziki exactly to the recipe, using the 10% Greek yoghurt, and did make it the night before as they suggest. I've been told, though, that you can make it the same day and it's just as good, so if you don't get to it sooner, no worries.

Enjoy . . .

Baked Pork & Vegetable Spring Rolls

2010-08-26T16:17:00.007+01:00

Not much to say here . . . Made to the recipe, and they're very good. Much prefer baking to deep-frying -- just brush with oil. The wrappers are easy enough to find in most ethnic grocery stores -- they're made from rice and tapioca.

Oh, here's the recipe (iFood.TV Baked Pork Spring Rolls Recipe).

(My usual used to be 500 g pork mince, 2 cups shredded cabbage, 2 carrots, 3 cloves garlic, 1 Tbsp fish sauce, 1 tsp chili puree, and oil for brushing the 22 wrappers it fills. This is quite close.)

Carrot Cake (well, cupcakes) with Cream Cheese Frosting

2010-08-25T19:01:00.011+01:00

I followed the recipe (on Joy of Baking) exactly for this (chose pecans over the walnut-option), with the exception of course being Doves Farm flour blend in place of the ordinary flour. For those of you who have never had carrot cake, don't turn up your noses 'til you've tried it -- it's divine. The carrots are finely grated, and it also includes a touch of cinnamon. (Some recipes use raisins as well, but I didn't add any this time -- just wanted to try the recipe once as it was printed. Raisins next time.)

The results, of course, are as good as anything I bake with Doves Farm flour -- stupendous. Light, moist, and fluffy -- none of that grainy, heavy, gummy, gritty, dry texture normally associated with GF baked goods. (No, sadly, they don't pay me to say that. I know that some food bloggers get sponsors, and make lots of money from that aspect, but I don't have much of a following, so I doubt anyone would pay me to say 'Doves Farm flour is the best!' But it is).

Anyway, the cake came out fantastically well, but I was warned that the frosting comes out very runny and soft, and it does, as cream cheese is quite different on this side of the Atlantic (even though I can get Philadelphia brand). The secret here it to make it more of a buttercream / cream cheese frosting, so use equal parts butter and cream cheese, (I used 6 ounces of each) then beat in enough icing sugar to get the right consistency. (Yes, I did use the lemon zest and vanilla the recipe called for.)

Okay, the other soution to our more-watery cream cheese, without aking it a butter-cream fring, is to hang the cream-cheese in a cheese-cloth bag, over a bowl, overnight, in the fridge, to let the watery whey dripout.

Roasted Garlic & Potato Soup

2010-08-25T12:26:00.005+01:00

This is a favourite, not just because it's really good on these cold, damp days/evenings, or because it's so nutritious (and fat-free), but as always, how quick and easy it is.

Heat the oven to gas mark 4 (180 C, 350 F). Bake 6 large potatoes for about an hour and a quarter (until done). At the same time, roast 3-6 bulbs of garlic, tightly wrapped in foil, alongside the potatoes.

When both are done, squeeze the garlic out of the skins, and slip the peels off the potatoes. Combine both in the food processor with chicken broth/stock, sea salt, and lots of freshly ground pepper. Use more or less broth depending on how thick or think you like a soup, and serve hot. As mentioned above, it's perfect with a few shavings (or more!) of parmigiano reggiano cheese (or any hard cheese, such as Asiago).

11. My first-ever Indian curry

2010-08-24T19:11:00.007+01:00

Nope, never had one. People are always surprised when I say this. Well, Indian food does of course exist in the U.S., here and there, but certainly not on the scale as here in the U.K. And having coeliac means going out for one has never been a possibility, and truthfully, when you've never had something, you don't miss it, do you?

But I do hear people talking about having a great curry, and wondered what all the fuss was about, so I decided tonight to go to Waitrose, get a jar of the Seeds of Change organic sauce (I chose jalfrezi for my first one), add some chicken, steam up a bit of rice, and see if I like it or not.

A jar, you say? Yes, a jar. I'm really not going to spend hours on something I may not even like, and the challenge hasn't been so much about cooking from scratch, but just getting out of my food-rut. And a new food, albeit from a jar, still accomplishes that goal.

Well, upon opening the jar, I thought I'd made a mistake. But I went ahead -- chunked-up the chicken breast, cooked it in a skillet in a touch of oil, added the sauce, simmered 10 minutes, and spooned some over rice.

I like it. This kind tastes very much like enchiladas, oddly enough (but really, many of the spices are the same, as well as having chicken in it, and the rice under the sauce makes me think of Spanish rice). So now I have 2 more dinners all prepared, so, what will I cook tomorrow, becomes the real question. Hmmm.

In the weeks to come, I plan to try all 5 kinds of Seeds of Change Indian curry sauces, then move on to Thai curries as well (they have red, yellow, and green in Waitrose).

(That's an Irish coffee there in the picture -- just in the mood for one tonight. Odd with curry, I'm sure, but I wanted it.)

Roasted fennel, tomatoes, peppers, and onions

2010-08-22T11:35:00.008+01:00

Uber-easy. Halve some small tomatoes, quarter the fennel lengthwise (after trimming), slice or chunk-up the peppers and onions, douse it all in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, add sea salt and a few grinds of pepper, and finally, a few sprigs of fresh thyme.

Roast for about an hour at gas mark 5.

Prawn-Mango-Cashew-Cucumber Salad

2010-08-21T14:06:00.005+01:00

Today is the halfway point of my self-inflicted 'You really could cook for 18 days before you start using work as an excuse' Challenge. Enjoying it for the most part, but coming up with new things is a bit of effort some days, especially as I still want to keep enjoying summer (I've been weaving baskets this week). I do have tomorrow planned -- fennel, tomatoes, peppers and onions roasted in olive oil and balsamic vinegar . . . Nine more days to go. (Thanks to readers who are sending me ideas!)

Meantime, today's salad is light and fresh tasting. I hope you enjoy it.

Salad: Per serving, put the following into individual bowls: 3-6 oz cooked peeled prawns, diced mango, a handful of snow peas/mange tout (put them into a colander, pour boiling water over them, rinse to cool, then pat dry), chunked-up cucumber, a handful of cashews, sliced scallions/garden onions, and a small handful of fresh of cilantro/coriander.

Dressing: Per serving, shake the following in a jar and pour over the salad(s): 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil; 1/2 Tbsp each rice vinegar, lime juice and soy sauce; 1/2 tsp each chili paste and freshly grated ginger.

Potato, Beef, & Onion Pasties (serves 2-4, depending on appetite and accompaniments)

2010-08-20T08:54:00.008+01:00

This is my first-ever pasty -- eating or making -- as it's a British food and I've had coeliac long before ever moving to this country. So while I don't know for sure how they should taste, I can say that mine smells like the ones at the Cornish Pasty shops, and it tastes wonderful. Use the best ingredients you can (I used organic beef, potatoes, and butter).

Quite simple -- a crust which starts with a layer of boiled sliced potatoes on the bottom, then a beef-onion mixture on top of that, closed with a top crust, and baked 30-40 minutes.

1. Crust: I used 8 oz of flour (of course my Doves Farm blend), 4 oz of butter, and after mixing those into a crumbly mixture with the fingers, add just enough ice-water to make a soft ball of dough (3-5 Tbsp?). You can do individual pasties, one large one, or as I did here, make one large circle, cut it in half, and then fold those in half after filling. I roll my crust between two sheets of grease-proof paper, as it's the easiest way to handle GF dough.

2. Filling: Before you start the beef, pop a large baking potato into the microwave, and cook for about 8 minutes (4 on each side, so it cooks evenly). When it's done and cooled a bit, the skin slips off easily and you can slice it up -- no need for another pot to wash.

Once that's going, in a large skillet, on med-high heat, cook up 8 oz ground beef and one chopped onion (not too finely chopped, but definitely not coarse). When the beef is nearly done, add 1/4 cp. of red wine, a tbsp of tomato ketchup, a grind of pepper, a pinch of salt, a tsp or two of fresh thyme, and half cup of beef stock. Continue cooking, reducing until the liquid is gone, but the beef is still moist.

3. Putting it together: Place potato slices on the bottom of the crust, spoon the beef mixture over that, cover it with the top crust, seal, and brush the top with a beaten egg. Cut slits to allow steam to escape, and bake at gas mark 6 for 30-40 minutes (until well browned).

Maine Clamcakes (and still 11 days/recipes to go)

2010-08-19T09:28:00.007+01:00

Having spent a few days at the coast last week, walking the beach, smelling fried foods and seafood, my brain put all those together and turned it into . . . clamcakes. Like the kind you get at Ken's, or the Clambake, at Pine Point (Maine)? Or a bit further down the coast, in Kennebunk or Kennebunkport . . . there are some great seafood places there that I remember only too well.

So, I decided it was time to see if I could create a reasonable facsimile of Maine clamcakes. I went online and found half a dozen recipes, tried to figure out what the 'average' of those would be, and went to work in the kitchen. I was really happy with the result (but not the mess I had to clean up -- always hate cleaning up after deep-frying).

About the only changes I made were using only egg-whites instead of whole eggs, GF flour blend obviously, and instead of half clam-juice and half milk for the liquid, I used just clam-juice.

Amounts are approximate, as I was testing as I went along and didn't keep track exactly, so if batter is too thick, add more clam juice, and if too thin, obviously add a touch more flour. But here's the pretty-close recipe, which makes six or seven 4" clamcakes:

While vegetable oil for deep-frying is heating (an inch is plenty -- you turn these halfway through cooking), in a large bowl mix 2 egg-whites, 3/4 cp. drained minced clams (or whole baby clams, also tinned), 1/4 cp. of the clam juice from the tin, 1 cp. GF flour blend, 2 tsp. baking powder, and a dash of salt. This needs to be thick enough to barely handle (in other words, not as solid as a hamburger-patty, but so it doesn't fall through your fingers).

Before frying, they need to be coated in cornmeal (yellow or white). I found that the easiest way to do this was to spread a layer of cornmeal on a plate, spoon the clamcake mixture onto the cornmeal, then sprinkle more cornmeal over the cakes, then carefully pick them up and slide them into the hot oil using a slotted metal spatula. You don't want them more than 1/2" thick.

Fry about 3-4 minutes per side, depending on thickness (turn when brown on the bottom). Drain on paper towels, and enjoy with ketchup or tartar sauce.

Salmon, Red Grape, Radish, & Rocket Salad

2010-08-18T09:33:00.007+01:00

Couldn't be easier.

For each serving, place 3-4 ounces cooked salmon* (warm or cold) into a small bowl, and add about a tbsp of soy sauce to it. Gently toss to coat, and let stand while you prepare the rest of the salad.

On a bed of greens (you can do just the rocket/arugula or add other greens as well -- I like watercress with the rocket), drizzle about 1 tbsp of olive oil, then season with salt and pepper to taste.

Slice the radishes, and halve the red grapes; place these on the greens. Add the salmon (and any soy sauce remaining in the bowl, drizzle with 1/2 a tbsp of lemon juice, toss lightly, and serve.

* There are several options with the salmon, including the lightly smoked, those encrusted with peppercorns (shown below), or just plain steamed salmon -- any are delicious, depending on preference and what you have on hand.

Amato's salad

2010-08-17T12:16:00.007+01:00

The classic is, of course, the sandwich, straight from India Street in Portland, on their very own freshly made bread. Living a million miles away, and having coeliac, means that's not going to happen.

But I do miss them (Real Italian Sandwiches, as they're called), so I like to get all 6 ingredients (ham, provolone, tomatoes, peppers, kalamata olives, and dill pickles) and make either a salad of just that, a sandwich on a GF baguette, or a salad using pasta (today's was using Bob the Builder organic, gluten-free pasta, and I actually added some basil leaves). You toss those ingredients, add olive oil, salt, and pepper (and chopped onions if you prefer -- the Real Italian can be purchased either way) and there you go.

I can almost hear the seagulls on the Western Prom screaming for a bit of bread.

Blueberry muffins

2010-08-16T10:09:00.009+01:00

This is a mini-recipe (makes 2 large muffins, or 4 small ones), but can be doubled, or even quadrupled, to serve a crowd (or just a couple of really hungry people). I prefer the large muffins -- one is just right for breakfast. My large 'muffin' cup (it's probably a popover cup, to be honest) measures 9 cm across the top, and 4 cm deep.

All muffins are fast and easy -- if you have everything on hand, you can have them in the oven in 15 minutes.

1. Heat the oven to gas mark 6 (conversion table to the left if you're C or F). For muffins, it does need to be fully hot when the muffins go in (unlike a roast, for example, where if it's not-quite-hot, it will still cook just fine). They need the high heat to rise up quickly and not just sit there in a dense lump, which will cook eventually but yields a very undesirable muffin (trust me on this one -- I've made that mistake). So be sure to heat it well ahead of time.

2. Next, grease your muffin cups (or if you use paper liners, get those ready). I just use a vegetable spray.

3. The dry ingredients go into a large bowl, the wet get mixed in a separate smaller bowl, then they're combined by adding the wet to the dry and stirring for literally just a few seconds (that's the secret to good muffins -- the batter should be slightly lumpy).

Dry: 3/4 c flour blend (I use Doves Farm), 2 tsp baking powder, and 1/4 c sugar.

Wet: 1 egg, 1/3 cp. milk, 2 tsp cider vinegar, and 2 Tbsp vegetable oil.

Now at this point, I'm sure you're wondering if I've forgotten the blueberries. Nope. I'm just . . . rather particular . . . about the berries. I'm the person who always seems to get the short straw with muffins. I get the muffin with three berries in it. I look across the table and see people with so many that there seems to be no muffin to hold their berries together. Ah, the injustice of it all . . . I also think this goes back to my childhood days, and the advert on telly about the Betty Crocker muffin mixes, with 'enough blueberries for 16 delicious berries in every muffin!' Yes, those were the exact words. They are etched into my brain, because I remember thinking, 'Yeah, but someone is going to get 20 and someone else 12! Or 30 and 2! No one will get exactly 16! And me, I'll get the muffin with two berries!' (Note: I'm a middle child, in case you can't tell. We always feel the injustice! :-D)

4. So, after I grease the muffin cups, I put blueberries in the bottom of each cup, add the batter to each cup, then fold the berries into the batter, and bake. No more one-berry-muffins for anyone at my table.

Baking time? Until they're nice and brown on top -- depends on muffin size. For the large ones, 15 minutes, roughly, but I have no idea how accurate my oven is, so just keep an eye on them. When you think they're done, insert a tester, broom straw, or very thin knife into the centre, and if it comes out clean, they're ready to enjoy.

And while this isn't the Betty Crocker Blueberry Muffin commercial, it's still of the same era: Betty Crocker Cake Commercial (youtube).

Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon (and my garlic mashed potatoes)

2010-08-15T15:38:00.013+01:00

This was my first time making this, and wow, it takes hours, but it's soooo worth the effort and time. The aroma when it's cooking is unbelievable. And really, it's not hard work, or complicated -- just a long process (especially the first time through). I made enough to freeze the extras for the chilly autumn evenings that will be with us far too soon for my liking. Here's a copy of the recipe. I used my favourite GF flour (Doves Farm) for browning/coating the beef, but otherwise, this dish is naturally GF (of course, check that ingredients like your purchased stock are GF).

I made garlic mashed potatoes to go alongside the 'beef stew', which are very simple. Whilst your spuds are boiling (peeled, cut into chunks), saute 2-3 cloves of garlic (for every large potato) in a tbsp of butter and 1/2 tbsp of olive oil. When the potatoes are done, drain quickly, return to the pot and add either a small amount of cream, milk, or even beef or chicken stock, and the garlic mixture. Toss in a pinch of salt and and a few grinds of pepper, and when hot, whip with electric mixer until smooth.

Short version:

Saute a 6 oz. packet of bacon on low heat. Remove bacon, save fat. Brown 2-3 pounds stew beef in fat, remove beef. Cook 2 sliced raw carrots in fat, along with a large chopped onion. Remove from fat. Add beef, bacon, and vegetables to pot, with 1/2 tsp pepper, 2.5 cups red wine, 2 cps beef stock, fresh thyme (1 tbsp), 2 cloves crushed garlic, and a couple of bay leaves. Simmer on stove for 3-4 hours.

While that simmers, get out a small pot and saute 15-20 peeled shallots and 1 lb mushrooms in butter (or olive oil-sunflower spread), for about 30 minutes. Set aside while beef continues to cook.

When beef is done, sieve the beef and sauce, holding beef in colander and returning liquid to pot, reducing it to about 2 cups. When reduced, add the beef mixture, and the mushrooms and shallots. Simmer 15 minutes, then serve with potatoes.

Shortbread Cream Tart with Berries

2010-08-14T16:59:00.009+01:00

This is an old one, originally made a couple of years back, but just the thing on a grey day like today. Original post/recipe here.

Faster-Than-A-Speeding-Bullet Thai Crayfish Salad

2010-08-14T13:02:00.007+01:00

I think it could be re-named that.

Or '5-C's' salad (cabbage, carrot, crayfish, cucumbers, and cashews).

Whatever you call it, don't forget the word 'delicious,' because that it certainly is. And the tangy-sweet crunching goes on for seemingly hours and you chomp your way through this salad.

In any quantities, toss together the 5 above ingredients into a bowl. Then stir up the uber-fast dressing (1 tbsp each toasted sesame oil, sugar, and rice vinegar; a clove of crushed garlic; then 1/2 tsp each chili puree and fish sauce), pour it over, toss quickly, and enjoy.

Just thinking that if this were to be an appetiser, you could put smaller portions into little cabbage-leaf 'bowls.'

And now Day 1 is over, and I've only got 17 to go!

Beef, potato, and onion pasties

2010-08-13T21:10:00.005+01:00

Yes, that's was where I wanted to begin. After walking by umpteen pasty shops in the last few days, and trying to still my senses at the divine smells that waft from those places, this is definitely the one to start with.

But then this morning the grocery order arrived, and as I unloaded all the bags and started thinking of what expires when, which things needed to be used up earlier for freshness, etc, I realised the the pasties must wait. I actually had to print out my list, and roughly sequence it (well, first few days, middle, and last). The pasties have nothing that will expire (the beef is in the freezer).

So give me an hour, and I'll post the lovely lunch I'm in the middle of making, and we'll both look forward to the pasties as a sort of celebration at the end of my 18 Days of Cooking.

Tomorrow it begins

2010-08-13T20:47:00.004+01:00

I'm in a slump. And as Dr. Seuss noted in 'Oh! The Places You'll Go!', unslumping yourself isn't easily done.

I haven't even been cooking lately, really. I've put together lots of simple things to eat, but haven't made what I really crave -- good meals, and things from home that I miss.

I've got exactly 18 days left of summer break, and have decided to do some cooking, every day. I've made a list of 18 things I would really enjoy (and things that might even yield some leftovers for the freezer, for nights when I'm too tired to cook). I'll also have some friends in to help me eat things that don't freeze.

So, beginning tomorrow, for the next 18 days, I will make one thing every single day that requires effort, and focus, and will be enjoyed very much, before school starts up and I'm back to the fast, easy meals. Some are old recipes you've seen before, but many will be new. Watch this space, as they say. I've gone online and done my grocery order, which will be delivered tomorrow morning, and with the exception of a few items Sainsbury's doesn't have (which I'll make a quick trip into London for), I should have everything on hand and ready to go.

This makes me think of a sort of Julie & Julia challenge for myself, just on a much smaller scale. So as Julia would say, 'Bon Appetit!'

Apricot (or strawberry) macaroons

2010-07-31T20:23:00.005+01:00

No coconut or anything. Very fast to make.

Heat oven to gas mark 3 (170 C). In a small bowl, stir together 125 g. ground almonds, 100 g caster sugar, and 15 g GF flour blend.

In a large bowl, beat 2 egg whites, 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla, and 50 g preserves (apricot or strawberry). Beat until just frothy -- a minute (two at most).

Add ground almonds mixture, beat for about 15 seconds, until just mixed (above right photo, adding the almonds-sugar mixture to the egg whites and strawberry preserves).

Drop by small spoonfuls onto parchment/greaseproof paper. Make a small dimple in the centre of each mound, and add 1/2 tsp of preserves (same flavour as the egg-white mixture). Decorate the cookie with flaked almonds, then bake about 15 minutes (until golden brown). Slide paper off onto cool counter-top or table. When cool, remove cookies from paper.

Blueberry-Peach Crisp/Cobbler

2010-07-31T08:56:00.005+01:00

This is just an adaptation of my Apple Crisp recipe -- substitute the 5 cups of apples with any combination of fresh blueberries and sliced peaches, toss with the flaked almonds (above), add the rest of the crumbly topping as shown in the original post, and bake.

Superb Cheesecake!

2010-07-27T12:03:00.006+01:00

Okay, very easy, and well worth the little bit of effort (it's not like we can just go buy a cheesecake anyway, can we?). I use Betty Crocker's old standby, the 'Company Cheesecake' recipe, with a few tweaks:

Obviously I can't use graham crackers, but my mum suggested using other kinds of GF cookies (she bakes GF for some family members occasionally, and that's what she does). But I don't have the same products as her.

Hmmm.

Here in the UK we have a divine buttery little gluten-free biscuit made by the Byron Bay Cookie Company (they're actually made in Australia), called White Chocolate Chunk & Macadamia Nut. So, I crushed up a packet of those until I got a cup and a quarter of crumbs, used the same butter and sugar as the Betty recipe calls for, and made a divine crust.

I then made the standard cheesecake, except before I poured the batter over the baked crust, I stirred in about 1/2 cp. white chocolate chips (and omitted the lemon juice).

Finally, when the cake came out of the oven, I sprinkled 150 g. of grated white chocolate (a brand called Menier), which melted slightly but left an interesting bumpy finish on the top. You could serve as is (as I did) or with a fruity topping.

Fish pie

2010-05-26T09:54:00.004+01:00

Oh, I made the most divine one last night. I love fish pie, and wonder why I don't think to make it more often.

If you're not familiar with this dish, it's quite quick and simple to make, and a great way to use up leftover fish from the night before. (If you don't have any leftover fish, just 'nuke' or steam some fresh fish.) It's not really a pie per se, but a potato and fish mixture in a thickened white sauce, with a buttery-breadcrumb topping, broiled to brown it up.

To make it, per serving:

Dice up a small potato into 1/2 to 3/4" pieces, peeled or unpeeled. (If you are like my daughter and don't like peels in food, by all means, peel them. I never peel for mashed potatoes, either, and years back, this would infuriate Darling Daughter so much that she would actually peel them for me. Great way to get some work out of a teenager, by the way -- pretend that you think peels in the mash are the best thing since sliced bread, and they will peel them for you every time, possibly even thinking they're annoying you by forcing you to live without peelings in your spuds, but really helping out without the tiniest nag from you).

Anyway . . . place the potatoes in a covered saucepan in just enough milk (I use soya) to cover them, and bring to a boil, letting the milk reduce (add a little more milk if necessary, though, so nothing scorches). When potatoes are tender, give them a quick coarse mashing by hand, leaving lots of chunks but crushing some as well.

Next, add your bite-sized cooked fish chunks to the pot -- I use about a cup of chunks per serving. I prefer haddock, salmon and prawns, for variety in colour, texture, and taste, but you can use any kinds. Add a bit of butter (or any vegan spread -- I use sunflower) and simmer it until hot.

At this point, add cornstarch and water to thicken it up (2 tsps of cornstarch dissolved in a couple tbsps of water will thicken 1/2 cup of milk, so figure out what you have and do the math). Stir until thick and hot (just a minute or two), then spoon mixture into either one large tureen, or individual ramekins.

Top with very coarse GF breadcrumbs which have been tossed in a bit of melted butter (or spread), sprinkle the top with salt and pepper, and place under broiler until breadcrumbs are browned. Serve piping hot.

Nice any old time of year.

5-Minute Microwave Fudge

2010-03-28T17:20:00.007+01:00

Make this exactly as the recipe says, with NO substitutions, or it won't set. For example, if you use spread/margarine in place of real butter, the recipe will fail. So trust me and follow instructions to the letter! Enjoy!

In a large microwavable bowl, stir together (with a whisk) one 500 g. box of icing sugar and 60 g. of unsweetened cocoa powder. Pour 1/4 cup (60 ml) whole milk over that (don't stir it), then chunk up 125 g. of butter over the top. Don't stir any of it.

Microwave it 3-4 minutes, until the butter is just melted. Remove immediately from microwave. Add 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract and a large handful of chopped nuts (optional), then stir with the whisk until just smooth (a minute or so -- it may look a little bumpy, but that's normal). Immediately pour/spread this into a buttered baking tin (about 8" x 8"), and refrigerate for an hour or two, until it's set.

(Prepared the 3 underlined things ahead of time, because if you wait and do those AFTER you microwave the fudge, the fudge will set up in the meantime.)

(itch, itch, itch) Spicy Prawns (itch, itch, itch)

2010-03-14T15:09:00.004Z

Ack. Took my allergy pill, and I'm waiting. Hoping this doesn't worsen to where I can't have prawns any longer.

Anyway, easy recipe. For each serving:

Stir fry (on medium-high heat) half an onion (cut into wedges) and a couple of cloves of crushed garlic in a teaspoon or two of toasted sesame oil until onion is golden but not starting to wilt. Toss in 6-8 oz. of peeled prawns, add 1/2 tsp chili paste, and add a couple of tablespoons of creamed coconut (that solid stuff in the box), and continue to stir on medium-high heat until the prawns are done and the sauce is slightly reduced and thickened, coating the prawns slightly.

There's probably no end of things that could be added to it (veggies? Water chestnuts? Cashews? Rice?).

Serve with benedryl as needed.

Blackberry pie

2009-08-01T16:00:00.005+01:00

We picked about a gallon of blackberries yesterday, along the canal, so today I bought a bag of GF flour and made a pie. It was so quick and easy.

Using 2 forks, cut 1/2 cup shortening into 1 3/4 cps GF flour blend (with 1/2 tsp salt). When in tiny particles, add 6 Tbsp ice water, and mix quickly into a ball. Divide the ball into 2 equal parts, and roll each between two sheets of plastic wrap.

For the filling, pour 4-5 cps of blackberries into the bottom crust, then sprinkle 3/4 cup sugar and 4 Tbsp GF flour blend over the berries. Put the top crust on, seal the edges, cut slits, and place on a baking pan (in case it bubbles over).

Bake at gas mark 5 for about 50 minutes, or until crust is brown and filling is starting to bubble.

Katherine Hepburn's Brownie Recipe

2009-07-19T15:52:00.008+01:00

Topped with raspberries and chocolate sauce

1/4 cup GF flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup broken or chopped walnuts or pecans
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1. Melt together the butter and half of the chocolate, and take the saucepan off the heat.
2. Add sugar, eggs and vanilla, and beat the mixture well.
3. Stir in cooa powder, flour, salt, nuts, and the remainder of the chopped chocolate.
4. Bake the brownies in a buttered and floured 8-inch-square pan at 325°F (gas mark 3, or 165 C) for about 40 minutes.

Ribs

2009-07-04T10:06:00.018+01:00

Wash and pat dry one slab of pork loin ribs, then rub both sides with mixture of 3 Tbsp brown sugar; 1/2 tsp each onion powder, garlic powder, cumin & nutmeg; 1 tsp each chili powder, salt, & black pepper.

Tightly cover roaster (or cover with foil and crimpr tightly), then roast ribs in 1/2 c. apple juice at gas mark 4 (180 C, 350 F) for 2 hours.

Meantime, prepare sauce . . . Combine the following in a pan and simmer: 1/3 c. ketchup; 2-3 Tbsp each honey (or brown sugar) & molasses (treacle), 1 Tbsp cider or white vinegar; 1/4 tsp each onion powder, chili powder & garlic powder; pinch each of allspice, pepper, & cinnamon; a few drops Tabasco (optional).

When ribs have finished in oven, remove from pan (discard liquid), slice apart, brush with sauce. Then either broil or grill for 15 minutes, turning halfway through, or bake at gas mark 7 (220 C, 425 F) for approximately 15 minutes.

Serve with extra sauce for dipping.

My new cookbook . . .

2009-05-31T09:17:00.003+01:00

Now you no longer have to print these out and keep scraps of paper tucked into your recipe file, or dash to the Internet every time you need one of my recipes.

I've put them into a cookbook, and added more that aren't on this site.

It's a hardcover, with dustjacket, printed on premium paper, chock-full of gorgeous colour photographs. I hope you enjoy it as much as I've enjoyed putting it together.

As always, happy cooking.

It's not summer without iced coffee

2009-05-23T17:19:00.005+01:00

I make it quick-but-yummy style with instant organic freeze-dried coffee (decaf). Take a tall glass, add a couple of teaspoons of instant coffee, add 2-3 tsp sugar (or substitute), then pour in a few tbsps of boiling water. Stir a minute or so, until the sugar and coffee are dissolved. Fill about 2/3 of the way up with icy cold water, add a couple of tbsps of cream (or soya cream substitute), stir to mix, then fill to the top with ice.

If you aren't a fan of instant coffee, just make yourself a shot of espresso and replace the instant-and-water bit with that, when it cools a bit. Yes, you do have to wait, but of course it's worth the wait.

And after a day in the garden, it's just the thing to relax with.

(I planted about 100 onions, then staked out and netted the strawberry patch. Birds, zero; me, one. This year they won't be able to eat all my berries. They can still have the wild ones that grow everywhere, but the big ones in the main patch are all mine. There are hundreds on the plants right now, just starting to grow. Can't wait.)

Strawberry-Rhubarb pie(s)

2009-05-23T09:20:00.004+01:00

Mini, individual pies . . . or a big pie. I like mini pies.

Either way, for one 9" pie, or a bunch of little ones, you'll need 2 cps cut-up strawberries, 2 cups rhubarb (cut into 1" pieces), a cup of sugar, and 2 Tbsp lemon juice. Stir them, let stand for an hour or so, then turn into the pastry of your choice (I like to make an oil-based pastry and roll it out between sheets of waxed paper).

Bake at about 350, until crust is slightly brown and filling is bubbling.

Oven chips, kicked up a notch

2009-05-07T23:00:00.003+01:00

Before I put the oven chips into the oven (I get the organic, low-fat version, but any will do just fine), I give them a good sprinkling of Tabasco sauce, bake as usual, then add salt when they come out of the oven.

Mmmmmm! (And I dip them in Thai sweet chili sauce . . . )

Meatball Sandwich

2009-03-24T12:26:00.006Z

Very simple really -- everything store-bought, right down to the organic GF meatballs (found them at Waitrose). Then, a jar of Seeds of Change tomato-basil sauce, a few sprigs of basil from the windowsill, a GF baguette warmed up in the oven, and voila! Lunch in 5 minutes.

(I do often make my own meatballs, which are in truth far superior to Waitrose ones -- the recipe is also on this site.)

Chocolate cupcakes

2009-03-01T17:41:00.005Z

Oh, these are good. Very good. I-don't-want-share good. (Okay, I did put 6 into the freezer for when my granddaughter visits over Easter break -- I'll share with people under three feet tall.)

I followed the recipe on Joy of Baking, except used GF flour mix (the usual -- Doves Farm). This recipe has you add boiling water to the cocoa powder to bring out the full flavour of the cocoa. It works. They're so chocolate-y. (Oh, I substituted sunflower oil for the butter in the cakes, and used 1/3 cup, instead of half a cup of butter.

For the frosting, I made a 'standard' (is there such a thing?) chocolate frosting (1.5 cups icing sugar, 3 Tbsp butter or good shortening, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1/2 tsp vanilla, 3-4 Tbsp warm water, beat until fluffy).

And finally, I added sprinkles (finally found some E-free ones -- they're coloured with beet juice, carotene, etc.

Makes 12 really decadent cupcakes.

WW: 5.5 points each

Eggs

2009-02-21T12:10:00.004Z

I love soft boiled eggs, with or without GF toast strips to dunk in them (called 'soldiers' here). I've got an egg-timer that never fails, so I have perfect eggs every time. (I'll see if I can find it on Amazon and post a link -- it's brilliant!)

As a side note about eggs here, I normally buy all organic meats, poultry, eggs, etc -- the others smell (when cooking, especially!) and taste rather wild and gamey. It can turn me off to where I can't eat the stuff after cooking it. But, with the price of eggs here (the equivalent to about $5-$6 a dozen in the US, I'm always on the lookout for something cheaper. The other day I saw local free-range eggs, only a quid for 6 (so $3-4 a dozen, with the pound turning into the new peso). I brought home a box. My daughter was visiting and got first crack at them (just realised the pun -- not intended), and after one bite declared they 'taste like chickens, but not in a good way.' I tried a bit of yolk -- it's true. Not an egg taste, but a gamey hunk of poultry.

Back to organics.

Anyway, aren't the 'new' cups lovely?? Hand made. Got them in a charity shop for next to nothing.

Favourite breakfast

2009-02-14T11:20:00.003Z

I vary the nuts from time to time (right now I'm into toasted pine nuts, but I also love pecans), but it's fast, easy, nutritious, and will supposedly keep the doctor away ('an apple a day').

I chop an organic apple* and put it into a bowl, add a heaping tablespoonful of raisins over that, then a level tbsp of cinnamon sugar**, the put a saucer over it (you could use paper towels -- I'm just not going to kill trees when I don't have to), and microwave it for about 4-5 minutes.

Whilst it's cooking, toss a tbsp of pine nuts (or pecans, or whatever you like) into a non-stick pan and toast nut over medium heat, shaking the pan halfway through so they turn. They only take a minute or two.

Take the apple out of the microwave, add the nuts on top, and there you have it. Enjoy.

* They say if you eat nothing else organic, get organic apples -- they're the most highly sprayed food you can buy.

** I just keep a jar in the pantry with organic sugar and cinnamon -- for 1/2 cup sugar, I add about 1 tsp cinnamon, and shake it. Then just spoon it out when you need some.

Lunch

2009-02-06T13:39:00.005Z

Another snow day, and I wanted something warm.

Had some organic polenta in the fridge, so I sliced some up and pan-fried it in a teaspoon of olive oil until it was really crispy and crunchy and golden, but still so lovely and chewy inside. I topped a couple of slices with red sauce, some with kalamata tapenade, and I always like a couple of slices just plain.

Toss on a few tomatoes, a couple of olives, some fresh basil leaves, and enjoy with a glass of white wine, knowing that the "work" week is long over (and those speech marks are very accurately used as it wasn't really a work week at all!).

EDIT: Should have spread a little pesto on the other slices . . . Will remember next time.

Date-walnut-coconut bars

2009-01-29T19:33:00.004Z

In a medium saucepan, simmer (stirring all the while) 8 oz cut up dates, 1 cup sugar, 1 egg, and 4 Tbsp melted butter.

When it's thick and smooth, stir in 1/2 cp walnut pieces, 2 cups puffed rice cereal, and 1 tsp vanilla.

Sprinkle shredded coconut evenly over the bottom of a 13" x 9" baking pan, then spoon mixture over coconut, flattening with a buttered spatula. Sprinkle more coconut over the top, and press into the bar slightly. When cool, overturn pan onto a cutting board and cut-up into squares.

Alternatively, rather than making this into bars, you can butter your hands and roll the mixture into balls the size of a walnut, then roll them in a bowl of shredded coconut. Place on a non-stick pan to cool.

Like everything, I use all organic ingredients, but use whatever you like.

Coq au vin

2009-01-29T19:12:00.008Z

I love, love, love coq au vin. For some reason, I always think it's more bothersome and time-consuming than it really is, so I rarely make it. But it's so hearty, especially on a drizzly winter evening. Wide noodles are the traditional accompaniment, but many people (moi included) like boiled potatoes along side it.

Anyway, it's quick. Tonight, I walked to Tesco at about 6 for some organic chicken legs (also bay leaves and mushrooms), and it's only 7:15 as I type this and it's halfway cooked. In a few minutes I'll add the mushrooms, let it cook another 15 or so, remove the chicken, add the butter-flour blend, and reduce the red wine sauce.

And in half an hour I'll be eating.

No recipe to post -- it's on Delia Online.

Here are a few pics as I worked: first the chicken and bacon (after browning in butter in the skillet), a few herbs, the onions, then adding the red wine. And hopefully, in half an hour, I'll post a pic of the finished dish.

Cold weather eating . . .

2009-01-25T14:48:00.005Z

Made fish 'n' chips the other evening, but did the batter thinner, and liked it that way better. Not a fan or overly-breaded foods, as the food gets lost in the breading.

Lemonade

2009-01-25T14:00:00.005Z

This will only interest a few . . . namely, expats living in the UK or Europe.

Those born and raised on this side of the pond, who don't know proper lemonade, will continue drinking that fizzy yellow lemon-flavoured soft-drink that they call lemonade. Those on the other side are fortunate enough to have real lemonade. It's the expats, the ones who miss lemonade, who will want to file this away for those summer days when nothing but lemonade will quench the thirst.

Easy.

For every liter of cold water, add 1/4 cup lemon juice (either fresh squeezed or bottled) and 1/2 cup sugar (or equivalent in sugar substitute). Stir until sugar is dissolved, add some ice, perhaps float a few lemon slices on top to make it gorgeous in that big glass pitcher that's gathered dust all winter on the top shelf . . . and sit back in the garden and enjoy.

Lemon-raspberry buttercream cake

2009-01-19T22:03:00.007Z

I cue very easily when I see people eating things . . . I was watching a movie the other night, and it was a woman's birthday, and she was eating a slice of very posh cake. Then, too lazy to change the DVD, I watched the movie the next two nights, too. More cake.

Tonight, I knew I had to make a cake. Something nice. I don't like to bother with cooking if it's not really good. Same with anything, really. I like the best. Hence, this cake.

It's my own creation. And yes, it contains dairy, even though I shouldn't. But once in a while, a girl just has to. This is worth it, shall we say? I'm going to slice it up and freeze the rest, so I have something fancy to serve when guests arrive. I still can't get over how well that Doves Farm flour blend works. Amazing. Light, fluffy baked goods every time.

The cake is two round layers, but I made them quite thin (half the usual amount of batter -- I prefer less cake and more filling). To make the batter, first beat well 85 g. butter, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup plain yoghurt, 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tsp lemon zest, and 1 tsp vanilla. When that's well-creamed, beat in 1.5 cps flour, and 2 tsp baking powder. Pour into buttered round cake pans and bake about 25 minutes at 325 (gas mark 4).

After they bake, set them to cool and make up the buttercream. Buttercream is simple -- beat butter and powdered sugar, in a ratio of twice the sugar to butter. As with the cake, I added a tsp of finely grated lemon zest.

When the cakes have cooled, level if necessary, then spread half the buttercream over bottom layer. Top that with about 1/2 to 3/4 cup raspberry preserves, stirred first to smooth it. Place the other cake on top of the preserves, then top that with the other half of the buttercream. Wrap well, and refrigerate.

Polenta

2009-01-11T13:07:00.010Z

It's so easy . . . why do we buy the stuff pre-made, when it tastes so good homemade, with organic maize?

I get my ground maize at Whole Foods, and as I said, I buy the organic . . . Bring 4 cups water to a boil (with a tsp of salt), then slowly stir in a cup of cornmeal, sifting it through your fingers as you stir it in. After about 20 minutes, I pour mine into a non-stick loaf pan, and let it congeal and cool a bit.

Turn it out onto a board, and slice, then do what you want with it (some recipes bake it, other times you fry some in olive oil, smother it in red sauce . . . whatever).

Very satisfying, too -- warm, crunchy-crispy, chewy, a bit of saltiness to it. I use 1/4 of the loaf for a meal (125 calories), shown at left, then make 4 slices out of that chunk. I fry it in 1/2 Tbsp olive oil, for a total of 3 WW points.

Sobering statistics

2009-01-09T16:59:00.005Z

If you have coeliac, but continue to eat gluten (obviously, regardless of whether you're diagnosed or not), you are 40 to 100 times more likely to develop stomach cancer than the general population.

Even if you're diagnosed and following a GF diet, you're still likely to have high percentages of other conditions:

Anemia (3-6% of coeliacs have it)
Migraine Headaches (affects 4% of coeliacs)
Osteoporosis (5%)
Dermatitis (5%)
Pancreatic & Thyroid Disorders (5-14%)
Diabetes-Type 1 (12%)
Arthritis (20%)
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (20%)
Cows Milk Intolerance (24%)
Obesity (30-40%)
Cancer—Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma (39%)
Ataxia (40%)
Liver Disease (42%)
Nerve Disease and/or Peripheral Neuropathy (51%)
Osteomalacia/Low Bone Density (70%)

Blueberry muffins

2009-01-05T16:20:00.004Z

Heat the oven to 190 C (gas mark 5), and grease some muffin cups*. Stir (no electric mixers here!) the following together until just combined, but still a bit lumpy (the secret to good muffins):

1.5 cups GF flour blend (I use Doves Farm)

1 egg (like all my ingredients, I use organic)

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup sunflower oil

1/3 cup coconut milk (I use full-fat organic)

1/3 cup water

1 tbsp cider vinegar

2 tsp baking powder

I'm quite particular about how I do the blueberries -- I don't just stir them in, hit or miss. Oh no. I put half the batter into the bottom of each cup, then add a pile of blueberries, then top with batter, then use a small spoon and give each muffin a quick fold, to mix the berries but not crush them. Finally, I add two or three berries to the top of each muffin, and bake.

This makes about 6 regular size, or using the jumbo cups pictured, 4 muffins. It can easily be doubled for a bigger batch, and they freeze well.

Doughnuts!

2008-12-31T21:29:00.003Z

It's in the air lately -- the word 'doughnuts.' Everywhere. Must be the season. My daughter (in Holland) got some Dunkin' Donuts on a recent trip to Germany. My friend bought Krispy Kremes at TESCO a couple of weeks when we went through there. A fellow GF blogger posted about making doughnuts. So, the D-word has made its way into my subconscious. And therefore, it became time to do something about it. Time to try to make some.

Like all my cooking, it's not about precision, or making something that could pass as a doughnut-shop variety, all perfect and precise. Rather, just something good to eat, and I enjoyed making it. If cooking becomes some crazy act of less enjoyment and actual work, it's not what food is all about (pleasure). So, without further ado, here's what I stirred together and fried up in the name of a doughnut:

In a large bowl, stir 1 egg; 1/2 cup any kind of 'milk' (whatever you use) with 1 Tbsp cider vinegar mixed in (creates the buttermilk effect); 1 Tbsp vegetable oil; 1/2 tsp vanilla; and mix thoroughly (by hand). Add the dry ingredients, stirring again until mixed: 2 cps GF flour mix; 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder; dash salt; 3 tsp baking powder; and 1/4 tsp cinnamon.

Heat oil in for deep-frying and put doughnut batter into oil (you'll have to look up a temperature -- I don't own a thermometer).

Then, this is where get's very hit or miss. I made mostly 'holes' at first (blobs). I got the size right, as I went along, although at first a few were too big, so that when the outside was done, the middle was still gooey (yuck). I finally found the right size. Then I experimented with shapes, taking a big gob of dough, rolling it between my hands (it looked like a hotdog), then making the ends meet and therefore, a crude doughnut shape. Whatever works for you. Have fun with it. It's very sticky dough, by the way.

After they're cooked, drain for about 30 seconds, then put into a bag of sugar and gently shake. (Next time I'd make a glaze, I think -- I used to like chocolate doughnuts with a glaze.)

They really do taste like what I remember doughnuts to be like, although my daughter tells my that my gluten-memories are a bit skewed (I'll tell her something is 'just like the real thing' and she is quite quick to point out that I apparently no longer remember what gluten-foods taste like). Well, I do think these are very good, even if they aren't what she eats.

Meatballs

2008-12-30T14:24:00.013Z

I've never made good meatballs, simply because I've never tried hard enough. The texture was always rubbish, too. But it's amazing how if you want something bad enough, you can succeed. Making meatballs has now turned into one such thing. These are the tenderest, most delicious meatballs on Earth (or at least this side of Italy)

Put all 5 ingredients into the food processor, and process on low until it's completely smooth (that's really a lot of the secret to getting the texture right, in addition to moistness):

1 lb (400 g). extra lean ground beef (I use organic, lean)
1 egg
1/2 cup GF bread crumbs (I grated a GF sub roll)
2 tsp garlic paste (the kind that comes in a tube), or 3 cloves, crushed
3 Tbsp olive oil

After processing until completely smooth, form into 12 balls and cook as you normally would (I vary, baking them when I'm doing a lot of them, other times in the crockpot, and today, just in a skillet on the stove).

Makes 12 meatballs. Every three (1/3 of recipe) equals 4.5 WW points.

BBQ Pulled-pork Sandwich

2008-12-30T14:10:00.012Z

Oh, I know it's not quite the Southeast's smoky flavour, but close enough for me. Now if I just had a mountain each of potato salad and coleslaw on the side, and a pecan pie, I'd be in hog heaven. Or barbecue heaven.

Anyway, I had leftover pulled pork the other day, from the tamales, so I froze it with the idea of a pulled-pork BBQ sandwich in the near future. Today was the day.

To make the pork, just simmer any kind of cheap pork roast (with half an onion, for flavour) until it's literally falling apart (I did mine in the crockpot), then just use two forks and shred it. Easy.
For the sauce, put the following into a blender, puree it, then simmer for 10-15 minutes or so in a covered pot, low heat. (Note to self and others: Do not forget pot-cover, and then leave the room to play backgammon online. There will be orange spots all over your stove, counter, floor, etc, when you return. Even a few far-flung ones on clean dishes in dish rack.)

Sauce:

1 medium onion (chopped)

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

1 and 1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup GF soy sauce

2 tsp chili paste

1/4 cup water

The sauce will darken and thicken as you cook it.

Once both are done, determine the ratios of each that you like, mix them together, and heat through on low. I simmered this sauce recipe down to about . . . just over a cup(?), and used it with about 3-4 cups shredded pork. Extra of either will store just fine in the fridge (or freezer).

Tamales

2008-12-19T21:57:00.008Z

This makes 12 good-sized tamales . . .

The pork: I got a 1-kg pork roast, and put it into the crockpot with about a pint of water and half an onion, and set it on high for the day. You need to cook it until it shreds easily. When it's done, put the meat onto a big platter, and pour the liquid into a jar or pint measuring container; refrigerate it so that you can get the fat off the top later. Meantime, remove all fat from the cooked pork, and using two forks, pull/shred it well. Add 2 tsp chili paste (the kind in a tube), a tsp of onion powder, 4 cloves garlic (crushed), 1 tsp salt, 1 Tbsp cumin, and 1 tsp pepper. Mix into the meat by hand thoroughly, then set aside.

The corn-meal mixture: I did this in my Cuisinart. Put everything in, then mix well: about 1 and 1/4 cups cornmeal (I could only find yellow, but I'd like to use white if I can find it next time), 1/4 cup of your favourite GF flour, 1 tsp salt, 4 Tbsp oil (I use sunflower, and don't skimp on it or they'll be dry), 2 tsp cumin, 1-2 tsp chili paste from a tube (again), 2 cloves crushed garlic, and enough broth (fat skimmed off the top) to make it thick. Oh, when you take the top off that Cuisinart and breathe in that corn aroma (I used organic cornmeal), it's just too good to believe. (At this point you adjust it, either adding more cornmeal or more broth to thicken it or thin it --as the method above says, it should be like thick peanut butter.)

Putting it all together: Take the 12 husks you've soaked for 3-4 hours, and drain them, shaking off any excess water. Spread them across the counter, putting cornmeal on each (dividing it evenly). Spread it as in the photos in the above website, then add the pork mixture as they do, then roll up the tamales and place into a steamer. I think the steaming time varies depending on the number of tamales you put into a steamer. I did my dozen loosely into a colander, at an angle (not straight up), and so I had bits of space between them, and they steamed up fast. The website said 2 hours, but that was for a crammed steamer-full; mine only took about half an hour.

Next time . . . I'd spread my corn thinner, maybe spice them more heavily, and try to find white cornmeal. And I'd maybe try some chicken ones, or beef . . . I'd also love to know how to make the green chili ones I used to buy in NM.

Berries

2008-12-09T17:52:00.004Z

To me, toasted pine nuts taste exactly like pie crust. Except, just a little bit better. (And better for me, I'm sure, than flours and oil.)

So when I want 'pie,' winter or summer, I just put fresh berries into a bowl, sprinkle on a bit of icing sugar, and top with still-warm toasted pine nuts, straight from the skillet.

Pie-in-a-bowl. You must try it.

Risotto

2008-12-08T19:54:00.007Z

Is there any such thing as bad risotto? I don't think so. Just like flan, it's always good. My standard recipe (which I don't think I'll ever do any differently) is very easy.

For each serving, saute a tbsp or two of onion (finely minced), 1/3 cup arborio rice, and 1-2 cloves of crushed garlic, in 1 tbsp olive oil. While that cooks, re-hyrdate some porcini mushrooms in a cup of warm water. When the rice and onion-garlic mixture just begins to go past golden (but not brown), add the mushrooms and water they soaked in, half a stock cube (organic chicken is my favourite, or, when Ive roasted a chicken recently, fresh stock), 1/4 cp white wine, and simmer (while stirring gently) until rice is soft. Add water as needed during this process, but not much at a time -- just whatever is required to keep the rice cooking.

When done, remove from heat and stir in a handful of grated parm, a chunk of butter (15 ml?), some single cream (30 ml?), and a few grinds of black pepper.

Lastly, I toast a tbsp of pine nuts and sprinkle them on top (you just put them in a non-stick skillet, and cook on medium heat while tossing occasionally), and I'm in heaven.

'Pumpkin' 'pie'

2008-12-05T20:32:00.003Z

Love my almost-pumpkin-pie.

'Almost' in that it's sweet potatoes, not pumpkins, and there's no crust (never did like it much anyway, so don't miss it).

And I use coconut milk instead of soy or regular. Don't knock it 'til you've tried it.

Put everything into a Cuisinart, mix on low for 15-30 seconds, then pour into a microwave-able bowl and cook on high for about 10 minutes, depending on the power of your microwave. Could not be easier. Ingredients:

Two eggs, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1 cup regular fat (not low-fat) coconut milk, and 3 small to medium sweet potatoes, microwaved for 10 minutes or so first, then peeled (should be about 2 cups of sweet potatoes).

That's all.

I love it for breakfast in winter.

Macaroons

2008-12-01T22:40:00.003Z

Almost ready for bed, and then . . . the sweet urge hit. I have no flour in the house (trying to cut back on baking all the fattening goodies I devour too often), but dug around the pantry anyway, hoping for something besides a rice cake and jam. Found sugar, half a bag of shredded coconut, vanilla, cream of tartar . . . and had eggs in the fridge.

Five minutes later, they were in the oven, baking on a sheet of parchment.

Easy.

With an electric mixer, whip 2 egg whites with 1 tsp cream of tartar until stiff. Add (and continuing beating) 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, a pinch of salt, and a cup and a quarter of shredded coconut.

Spoon onto a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake at gas mark 3 (about 325 F) until golden.

Variation on white-bean salad

2008-11-29T16:38:00.003Z

I had marinated peppers and eggplant leftover from last night's sandwich, so I tossed them with drained and rinsed white beans (I use organic haricots), a few kalamata olives, and a clove of crushed garlic. I even warmed it briefly in the microwave, just to take the chill off it on this cold, cold day.

Other additions, depending on your mood and what's on hand:

- torn fresh basil leaves

- prosciutto or Italian salami, or those fat little slices of real Italian pepperoni

- freshly grated parm

- a few sun-dried tomatoes

Oh, the possibilities!

German non-Potato Salad

2008-11-25T12:55:00.007Z

I'm not sensitive to nightshakes, but I know some who are. This recipe came about only because I started making German-potato salad the other day and found out, after the bacon was started . . . that I was out of potatoes. So, I improvised.

Just follow my regular recipe, but in place of each cooked potato, I used 1/2 cup cooked black beans.

Absolutely scrumptious!

WW: 4.5

Soup, part 2 (finished)

2008-11-23T15:20:00.005Z

So, I made the soup, then taste-tested it three ways: with no 'cream' added (just chicken broth), with soya creamer added, and with full-fat coconut milk.

And the winner is?

Real dairy cream. Yes, it was good that way. I remember it only too well. But . . . the coconut is a very good runner up, and so, coconut milk it is, for me. Feel free to add whatever works for you, and if you can have dairy, by all means, stir in a cup or so of light cream (or half-and-half) and enjoy it.

Oh, how about a quantity for coconut milk? I added one 400-ml tin, stirred in after the soup was put together and simmered to perfection.

Supper will be good tonight, and with the snow spitting off and on all day, just the thing.

Hearty turkey, black-bean, and broccoli soup

2008-11-22T20:44:00.013Z

This is, as they used to say on Seinfeld, "Soup-Nazi Soup.' It's world-class soup. If I could only have one soup for the rest of my life, this would be the one. Absolutely amazing stuff. Hearty, rich, creamy, divine. I used to make it every year, usually the day after Thanksgiving, and you had to fight me for it if you didn't help make it. This year, I live alone, so I can have the entire pot to myself. I'm turning the chicken carcass into a nice broth tonight, so tomorrow, I'll be eating this soup. Like all my recipes, it's more process than science.

Turkey is the way it's usually done, but chicken will suffice since that's what I cooked today.

1. Make a broth (3-4 cups), and save a cup of chicken bits.

2. In a large soup pot, saute a minced onion and about half a cup of finely diced broccoli stems in 2-3 Tbsp olive oil , retaining the florets for later. Don't use the entire stalk -- only use the tender part of the stalk, nearest to the florets. (Occasionally I spy the odd carrot lurking in the veggie drawer, so I shred it and add it.) Cook until tender, then add 1/2 cup of white wine and simmer a bit longer (10 minutes).

3. Add 3 to 4 cups broth, about a cup of black beans (cooked/rinsed/drained), the florets (broken into small bits), and the sauteed onion mixture. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5-10 minutes or so.

4. Season with salt and pepper, and just before serving, add 1/2 cup light cream (I'll be using soya creamer). Heat through and serve immediately, but don't heat the cream too long, or the cream will separate.

(If you're making soup for more than one meal, divide it into two (or more) pots and put one away; only add cream to the pot you'll be using right away. For the remaining pot(s), heat through when ready to use, and like before, add the cream just before serving.)

Good with a nice crusty baguette to dip into the soup. I'll post a picture tomorrow, and any last minute instructions, when it's done. EDIT: See final post, the next day, here.

Hearty sandwich, Italian style

2008-11-02T17:33:00.018Z

This is just putting together store-bought ingredients, but we all need something quick to prepare once in a while. I mean, coeliacs never get a meal off from cooking/preparing, do we? Not often, that's for sure. So, I like to simplify when I get the chance . . .

I use half of a FreeFrom ciabatta loaf (Tesco) and warm it in the microwave. If you're ambitious, brush the inside with olive oil and toast it briefly under the broiler. Layer on warmed pepperoni slices, then various antipasti (tonight I used slabs of marinated eggplant and peppers from Waitrose). Those who do dairy could add cheese and broil it open-face for an extra-special treat.

Couldn't be easier or quicker. You could also toss these same ingredients with pasta, for a warm winter dish or a cool summer salad. I sometimes add grilled marinated artichokes as well.

Basic bar cookie

2008-10-17T17:07:00.005+01:00

This is my favourite cookie recipe. The base is almost like a chocolate chip cookie but sort of toffee-ish, with all brown sugar and no white, and then you add a couple of cups of whatever strikes your fancy (just one, or a mixture of items: pecans, shredded coconut, chocolate chips, raisins, finely shredded carrots, etc). Half the fun of these is thinking of new things to put into them.

With electric mixer, beat 2 eggs, 1 cup sunflower margarine/spread, 1.5 cups brown sugar, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 1 tsp vanilla. Mix about 2 minutes on medium, then stir in 2 cups of your favourite GF flour mix (Doves Farms for me, as always). Lastly, stir in a total of 2 cups of one or more additions (above).

Spread into an oblong pan and bake at about 325 (gas mark 3) until a knife comes out clean. Be careful not to over-bake. Cut into squares and try not to eat too many. (Difficult!)

EDIT: Variation on this cookie

Divine chocolate brownies . . .

2008-10-12T17:40:00.008+01:00

I apologise to UK readers for my use of American measurements. I still have my beat-up aluminum measuring cup and spoons that I brought with me when I crossed the mighty ocean (and I refuse to spell it aluminium, or say it 'al-you-MIN-ee-um *). If I know the equivalent, I'll write it, but otherwise, well . . . I don't know what to tell you. Except that these brownies are so good you'll be more than happy to figure out the recipe in grams.

Into a mixing bowl, place:

1 cp / 125 g. GF flour mix (I use Doves Farm)
1 cp / 200 g. sugar
1/3 cp / 25 g. unsweetened cocoa powder
4 medium eggs
3/4 cp sunflower oil
1 tsp vanilla
1.5 tsp baking powder

Beat well, then stir in about 5-6 oz / 150 g. chunked-up chocolate (I use the TESCO Continental brand, which is dairy-free, soya-free, etc, and 72% cocoa) and a 4 oz. (100 g.) bag of pine nuts which have been toasted lightly in a skillet.

Pour into baking pan (8" x 8" -ish), bake at gas mark 4 (link for equivalents at right) for about 25-35 minutes, depending on the pan you use and the brownie thickness. Remove while knife inserted between centre and edge is still a bit gooey.

* Regarding 'aluminum,' we can thank Humphry Davy for the differences between British and America spellings (and pronunciations). Yes, it was his to name, but I mean, come on -- how long does one need to finally settle on a name? And then he had finally decided on aluminum when some scholar told him that since so many other elements ended in '-ium' that his aluminum should as well, for consistency. And so after 40-odd years he switched one last time, and settled on that spelling.

Americans, meanwhile, had things to invent, electricity to discover, medicine to advance, and a moon to land on. We had better things to do than sit waiting for nearly half a century, so we kept his spelling and moved on.

Sorry, Mr. Davy. Oops, I mean 'Sir Davy.'

Bruschetta

2008-10-05T15:38:00.008+01:00

Everyone has a different way of topping it, but variety is the spice of life, right? Regarding the bread, I've got two GF methods I like.

One, I bake up one of those par-baked baguettes, slice it, drizzle on olive oil, and grill it (under the broiler today). When they come out, I of course rub on lots of freshly peeled and cut garlic cloves, and I don't miss an inch! (I love my garlic!)

For toppings, I'm partial to either dipping the slices into a good red sauce, or topping them with a mixture of crushed garlic, finely-chopped fresh basil, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

But when I can't get my hands on a baguette, a GF pizza shell is just as good, and stands up to my garlic-rubbing better than bread, which means . . . I get more garlicky flavour on my bruschetta(!). Just brush the pizza shell with olive oil, grill both sides, and then slice into wedges (or tear it up, if like the rustic look).

I once served the pizza-base style bruschetta as the starter at a grill party in the U.S. (do they have the par-baked baguettes there? Never seen them) and even though my guests were all non-coeliacs, they couldn't get enough of it! The raves went on all evening. After dessert, they went back inside, scrounging my kitchen cupboards for more bases to grill. And since guests love getting involved, in this case it wasn't much more than oiling, tending the grill, and continuous re-cutting of the cloves for a fresh edge, but everyone loved the hands-on atmosphere.

Roast chicken and veggies

2008-10-01T19:00:00.006+01:00

No recipe -- just toss a chicken leg, potato chunks (I prefer Lady Balfour), carrots, and a quartered onion with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, add a couple of sprigs of rosemary, and roast until done. (Or overdone, if you like that charred flavour as I do.)

Normally you'd add the veggies after the chicken was partly done, but everything was cooked (leftover from a crock-pot supper a couple of nights ago), so rather than just microwave the leftovers for tea tonight, I decided to warm it up by roasting everything.

Season with salt and pepper if desired, and serve.

Perfect 10-minute snack for a damp chilly evening

2008-09-29T19:18:00.014+01:00

Any guesses? Okay, I'll make it quick: A microwave baked apple (I won't run an oven for an hour for one apple), and an espresso cup of my chocolate 'stuff' (still haven't figured out what to call that yet). You know, the one that's so thick you can stand a spoon up in it? Well, almost.

Anyway, chop up an apple, shake up 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 2 Tbsp brown sugar in a little container with some about 10 walnut halves, and sprinkle it over the apples. Wrap it with a paper towel and a rubber band, and microwave it for about 5 minutes.

Meantime, simmer the chocolate stuff on the stove top, and enjoy.

WW points for both: 7.5

Scallops (and my Zyliss garlic crusher)

2008-09-28T13:15:00.008+01:00

The scallops are nothing, really -- I just saute them in some oil (sometimes olive oil, other times or toasted sesame oil) with crushed garlic. Might have some jasmine rice on the side . . .

But the real point of this post is to rave about my garlic crusher. It's by Zyliss, and I love it. You don't have to peel the garlic first! You just put the whole clove into it, squeeze, and then pop out the peelings when you're done.

Couldn't be easier, especially if you use as much garlic in your cooking as I do.

Breton Gateau

2008-09-21T17:31:00.003+01:00

Like I always say at the start of each recipe (all together now) . . . 'This one's very easy.'

I guess I just can't be bothered with too much cooking because, let's face it, fellow-coeliacs, we have to prepare our own food 99% of the time, and it's time-consuming. Three meals a day, year in and year out, never a day off. So to have to prepare long, painstaking recipes to boot, with dozens of steps, after a 50-60 hour work week, is just too much (for me at least). Quick and easy.

So, I was sitting in the sun today (roasting hot -- hard to believe this is England in September!), shuffling through odd recipe clippings I'd stuck into my little hand-made recipe book (I've glued my favourite recipes to blank pages, found some lovely paper for a cover, and tied it up with a ribbon), and saw this recipe I'd cut out from a Waitrose Food Illustrated magazine a couple of months ago. I just substituted my Doves Farm flour for regular, had to add baking powder since the recipe called for self-rising flour, used a bit less flour, and it came out fine.

So, here's the adapted recipe.

Put the following into a food processor and pulse until well-mixed: 200 g flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 110 g icing sugar, 110 g white sugar, 250 g. butter (or substitute), 5 egg yolks, and 1 tsp vanilla extract.

Divide it into two equal balls. Press one into a spring-form pan, put clingfilm on top, smooth it out, and pull off the clingfilm. Add 125 g strawberry preserves, and spread to within 1 cm of the edge. Roll the other ball between two sheets of clingfilm, remove one sheet, place it over the jam, and remove the last piece of clingfilm. Brush the top with an egg yolk beaten with a tsp water, and bake for about 45 minutes at gas mark 5 (190 C). (There were steps like 'chill the dough for two hours,' etc, but I handled it just fine without chilling.

Dividing it into 12 slices, 8 WW points per slice. Obviously not a daily treat!

Apple Crisp

2008-09-21T17:08:00.005+01:00

Very easy!

In a non-stick baking pan, place 5 cups of coarsely chopped-up apples (I used Bramleys today), and add 1/2 cp. dried cranberries (or, in season, 1 cp fresh cranberries), and a cup of sliced almonds.

In a food processor, pulse until crumbly: 1 & 1/2 cups light brown sugar, 1/3 cup of flour (I use Doves Farm blend -- always works in everything I make), 1/4 cup margarine or butter, 2 tsp cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp each cloves and nutmeg.

Sprinkle this mixture over the apples mixture, and bake at 175 C, gas mark 4 until done (about an hour?).

All set to bake, but . . .

2008-09-21T15:25:00.004+01:00

. . . first time cooking in the new house. Realised as I have two things about to go into the oven that I don't know gas-mark equivalents for my oven.

I had finally gotten used to Celsius (had an electric oven), but now I have gas (which I'm thrilled with), and have to find the conversions for those.

P.S. Any guesses what I'm making??

EDIT: Found it -- here it is for others. And if I post a recipe in gas-mark, you'll know how to do F or C.

Phat Thai (a.k.a., Pad Thai)

2008-07-02T18:33:00.006+01:00

It was surprisingly simple! This recipe, like most, is for one serving -- double or whatever depending on the number of servings you want to make.

Set 2 oz (50 g) rice noodles to soak in lukewarm water, for about 10 minutes. You can prepare the other ingredients in the meantime. Don't forget them and let them get too soft - they need to be firm when you add them to the wok/skillet.

In a wok (or large non-stick skillet, which is what I use), heat 1 Tbsp sesame oil over high heat. Add and stir until brown 1 clove crushed garlic, 2 oz chicken (cut up), and one shallot.

When the chicken is brown, lift the noodles out of the water and put them into the skillet. Stir and cook them with the chicken mixture., adding a few tbsps of water to finish cooking them. When they're done (measure the following four ingredients in a little bowl ahead), add 1 tsp tamarind paste, 1 Tbsp sugar, 1 tsp fish sauce (nam pla), and 1/4 tsp chili paste. Use tongs to coat the noodles with the sauce, and cook/toss about 3-4 minutes this way. At the end, quickly stir in a handful of bean sprouts and a chopped scallion (spring onion). Toss/cook until prouts are warmed through.

Serve with a wedge of lime.

(Some people like it with peanuts, so if you do, Google a recipe for it. I like it as is.)

WW:7

Lemon-berry slush

2008-07-01T18:20:00.016+01:00

Sizzling hot English summer day, and all this ex-pat can think of is a Sonic lemon-berry slush. Call me crazy.

This is Nirvana. Better than Sonic, I promise.

1) Dissolve 4 Tbsp (1/4 cup) sugar (or Splenda granulated substitute) in 1 to 2 Tbsp boiling water, in the bottom of a 3-cup tumbler. Let stand 5-10 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.

2) Coarsely chop 3 oz. of strawberries, and a lemon which you've peeled (do this on a plate, so you don't lose any juice).

3) Add the fruit and juices to the sugar-water, along with 1/2 cup cold sparkling water.

4) Blend until mixed.

5) Crush up roughly a tray of ice cubes (I use a plastic bag an a mallet).

6) Add the ice to the tumbler, put on the lid, and give it a shake, or stir, or whatever you like.

White-bean Salad (and variations)

2008-06-29T16:13:00.008+01:00

I take this for lunch at school quite often, and when the kids come back after eating (I always eat and work in my room), they always know what I've had. Smells wonderful.

You can use any white beans for this -- I buy tinned organic Haricots. Allow a tin for every two servings. Rinse and drain the beans well, then toss with one clove crushed garlic, 2 Tbsp olive oil, a few fresh basil leaves, a tsp. of lemon juice, some sea salt and freshly ground pepper, and about 10 kalamata olives, torn in half. (In summer, I add local tomatoes.)

That's it -- could not be easier. Good as a side dish, or as lunch. You can also tear up a few strips of prosciutto and add it to the salad. And perhaps a shaving or two of parm or asiago?

Variations . . .

Tuscan Roasted Chicken

2008-06-29T15:25:00.009+01:00

This is the simplest recipe, and fast to prepare, but best of all, always a hit. And the aroma in the house is so good you want to bottle it, or roast this chicken every day (or two or three times a day!).

Loosen the skin (breast and legs) on a whole chicken, and stuff in a few sprigs of rosemary which have been dipped in a small bowl of olive oil (maybe 3-4 Tbsp). Stuff a few cloves of unpeeled garlic under the skin, too, and throw a few more inside the cavity. Cut a lime in half, and squeeze the juice into the olive oil bowl (with the oil. Put the lime halves inside the cavity of the chicken. Then pour/rub the olive oil and lime juice over the chicken (get some under the skin, if you can). Salt and pepper the outside of the chicken liberally, and roast as usual (about 350, time depending on size of chicken, but be sure it reaches 165 on a thermometer).

Heaven. Good with white bean salad (recipe to follow), or maybe a platter of sliced tomatoes layered with fresh mozzarella (if you're lucky enough to have dairy) and basil, topped with some kalamata olives, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper?

Rosemary Sweet-potato Wedges

2008-06-27T17:53:00.011+01:00

So easy, and so delicious.

Peel sweet potatoes, and cut into wedges. For every two small (or one large) potatoes (roughly 8 oz), toss with 1 Tbsp olive oil. Add a few sprigs of fresh rosemary, a liberal sprinkling of sea salt and a good grind or two of pepper, and toss again.

Roast in the oven (375 F, or about 180 C) until golden with a few dark bits around the edges (45 minutes to an hour).

WW: 5

Individual chocolate souffles

2008-06-06T22:51:00.011+01:00

I should warn you that there are people who probably do these 'better.' Professionally. I don't do the whole beat-the-whites-and-yolks-separately thing -- I beat the whole eggs (4 of them), along with 50 g. sugar and 175 g.melted chocolate until it's a really really fluffy mixture, and then I pour the batter into buttered-and-sugared ramekins (butter them, sprinkle in a teaspoon of sugar, and shake it around until it sticks on bottom and sides).

That's it.

And it works out just fine that way.

Bake at 200 C (220 fan, gas mark 7, 400 F) until they're what you want (either slightly molten in the center, or baked through). You can also make a chocolate sauce and pour it (still warm) over the souffles, and even toss on a few raspberries.

(Sauce: One part unsweetened cocoa powder, two parts sugar, two parts water, and a few drops of vanilla extract. Whisk it over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil. Set aside and serve warm or at room temperature.)

Portobello mushrooms with garlic and basil

2008-05-31T13:11:00.010+01:00

This is really an appetiser, but I've been known to just make a platter of them for a summer lunch. Too good for words, and equally simple.

Scrape the gills off the underside of 4 large portobello mushrooms. Brush each side lightly with olive oil, then grill for about 4-5 minutes each side.

While they grill, crush a clove of garlic, tear up a 1/4 cup basil leaves, and combine in a small bowl with 1-2 Tbsp olive oil, a dash of salt, and some freshly ground pepper.

When the caps come off the grill, place them on a plate (upside down) and spread them with the basil and garlic mixture. Serve immediately (warm).

Garlic mashed potatoes

2008-05-25T11:33:00.003+01:00

I make a large pot of these and store the extra in an air-tight container in the fridge -- very good (and handy) heated up on a work night, and they'll keep for a week. If it's too much for you to use at once, either reduce the recipe, or freeze some.

Set five pounds of potatoes (any type you like) boiling in a large covered pot/kettle. I don't peel them, but if you don't like the peels, feel free to remove them.

While the potatoes cook in a large pot . . . crush or finely mince 10 to 20 cloves garlic (depends on size of cloves, and how garlicky you like things -- I do 20 fat cloves). Saute garlic in 1/2 cup olive oil in a medium sized saucepan. When the garlic is golden brown, add 1/2 tsp salt and as much freshly ground pepper as you like (1-2 tsp?), and 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth. Heat through, then set aside. (I like the Kallo organic stock cubes when I'm in a rush, but prefer homemade stock when I've made is from a left-over chicken carcass.)

Drain the potatoes very well when tender, return them to the big pot, pour the garlic and broth mixture over them, and over medium heat stir and mash coarsely for a few minutes. When the broth has mixed in well, use an electric mixer and whip them. (Don't go straight to the electric mixer -- the hot broth will splash up and burn you, so it's important to mash the spuds up first to reduce the pools of broth before whipping.)

Serve piping hot, with a nice chunk of 'spread' (sunflower or olive oil), or butter if you can.

P.S. You don't even have to peel the garlic when you put it into the the Zyliss press (pictured)!

Garlic, kalamata, and egg-white omelette

2008-05-24T10:01:00.001+01:00

In the U.S., I used to be able to have this one several times a week, but here, with the price of organic free-range eggs (the equivalent of ten dollars a dozen), I can't. So American readers might be able to indulge in this more often than I can.

It's simple. You need 4 egg whites per serving (either freeze the yolks for future use in a recipe, or discard), 3 cloves of garlic, half a dozen pitted and torn kalamata olives, and a teaspoon or two of olive oil.

Peel and slice the garlic and cook it in the oil, in a skillet, until it's golden (don't cook too long or it will turn bitter). Add the olives, give it a quick stir, then pour in the slightly-beaten egg whites. Cook as you would any other omelette, flipping when the under-side is done. Add lots of freshly grated black pepper before serving.

Sometimes, for supper, I add things in while I'm cooking the garlic: a bit of coarsely-grated zucchini, some well-drained diced tomato, even some shredded prosciutto. I've topped it with a couple of spoonfuls of warmed tomato-basil sauce, too. Those who eat dairy could add cheeses to the top.

Mango/Prawn/Snow-Pea/Cashew Salad

2008-05-19T16:13:00.006+01:00

Salad:
Put the following into individual bowls for each person: up to 1/2 pound boiled peeled prawns, half a mango (diced), a cup of snow peas (sort of no-cook -- just put them into a colander and pour boiling water over them, then rinse to cool, and pat dry), a handful of cashews (or peanuts), and a few leaves of cilantro if you have it (or scallions).

Dressing:
Shake the following in a jar and pour over the salad(s). For each serving, use 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil; 1/2 Tbsp each rice vinegar, lime juice and soy sauce; 1/2 tsp each chili paste and freshly grated ginger.

Kiki's Latkes

2008-05-18T14:12:00.000+01:00

We each cook them differently, but this is my daughter's recipe, and it's superb. She likes her latkes dense, and I like mine very lacey and crispy, but I think we both smother them in applesauce.

For each generous serving:

Grate 7-8 ounces of raw potatoes, and place on paper towelling for 5 minutes to absorb liquid.

Place potatoes in a mixing bowl and add one egg, 2 Tbsp minced onion, about 2 T. GF flour mix (or cornstarch), 1/2 tsp baking powder (5 ml), salt, and pepper.

When oil is the right temperature (375 F), fry up your latkes. How you put the mixture into the skillet determines how they come out. I use 2 forks and as I'm placing it into the hot oil, I pull it out from the centre a bit, making it 'lacier' and therefore crispier. To make them dense, use a spoon to put the mixture in, and pat it down slightly.

When brown on bottom, carefully turn over (I use a couple of forks, to prevent them splashing and burning me).When done, drain briefly on paper towels, then serve piping hot with applesauce.

German Potato Salad

2008-05-18T13:45:00.001+01:00

I love this -- it's warm, filling, comforting, really fast and simple to make, and above all, it's made from potatoes (one of my favourite foods).

Per serving:

In a skillet, start 3 strips of bacon cooking. Meantime, put 6-8 ounces of potatoes into the microwave (or steam them, or use leftover cooked potatoes).

Flip the bacon and chop up a small onion.

When the bacon comes out of the skillet, put the chopped onion into the bacon drippings and cook, stirring occasionally. When tender, add the chunked-up potatoes, the crumbled bacon, a Tbsp each (15 ml) of vinegar* and sugar, freshly ground pepper, and salt. Stir gently, coating the potatoes with the onions and bacon (while the vinegar evaporates and the sugar dissolves), about 2-3 minutes), and serve hot, warm, or room temperature.

Variation: Use 1/4 head of white cabbage, coarsely shredded, in place of the potatoes. Don't cook it ahead -- just add it at the same time as the onions, and cook until done.

* I've used any kind of vinegar I have on hand, and though they'll all give a different flavour, they all 'work.' Usually, though, I use cider or rice vinegar. (Obviously, if you have coeliac, you're not going to use malt vinegar.)

The Real Italian (sandwich)

2008-05-11T11:36:00.002+01:00

If you're not from Maine, the name alone will throw you into a tizzy. An Italian Sandwich (aka, a Real Italian) is a specific kind of sandwich, made by Amato's . . .

The history itself is interesting: In 1902, Giovanni Amato began selling fresh baked rolls filled with meats and vegetables, drizzled with olive oil, etc, to dock workers in Portland Maine (my birthplace). Click on this link for the full story.

One of my earliest Portland memories is having 'the house the Italian sandwiches built' pointed out -- at first, by parents, uncles, or grandparents, but later, we kids always spotted it ourselves and called it out, as famous a landmark to us as the Statue of Liberty might be to New York kids. As a very young child, I had odd images in my head of rolls and tomatoes out there wielding hammers, building a house. Later I understood that the poor Italian immigrants who started selling Italian sandwiches for pennies turned their business into an empire, which built this house. The house was, and still is, gorgeous. (I've looked and looked, but can't find a picture of it online. I'm going to ask my mother to snap one and send it, next time she's in the area.)

I grew up on Italians, and still crave them. They were always our Sunday evening supper. I was the one who got to go into Amato's on India Street and stand with Dad in the line, listening as he called out the inevitable "six Italians, one with onions 5 without, all with salt-peppah-and-oil." I loved watching the men behind the counter slice the veggies so fast that their hands were a blur, then roll the sandwiches up into the waxed paper and snap a rubber band around each one (today it's a piece of tape), slide them into a bag, and hand it over to me while Dad paid the $1.50 for the 6 sandwiches. Sometimes he'd add in a big bag of Humpty Dumpty potato chips. We'd drive home, waiting patiently for the sandwiches, the aroma filling the car (and we actually passed Humpty Dumpty on the way home). Usually a little bit of olive oil leaked out of the waxed paper and made dark spots on the brown paper bag I held on my lap, but that just made my mouth water all the more. Although it was less than a ten-minute ride home, it seemed to take forever.

Anyway, it was a Sunday night tradition. Mom got a night out of the kitchen, and it had all the food groups, so even a 1960's mother could feed them to her brood guilt-free. We always watched The Wonderful World of Disney while eating them, which was the only time we ever ate in front of a television set.

Many years later, my daughter and I lived just around the corner from the 'house the Italian sandwiches built,' and I told her the story. I also made sure she ate lots of Real Italians.

Today, the bread is the only thing I have to change (although you really can't get true Amato's bread outside of Maine anyway), and of course I don't eat cheese. So I buy a GF par-baked roll, finish baking it, slice it lengthwise, fill it with all the best things, either do it cheese-free or buy a soya-cheese, and make the closest thing to a Real Italian.

It's simple: ham, provolone (for most people -- I have to substitute), tomatoes, green peppers, a pickle, some kalamata olives, make yours with or without onions, then drizzle with olive oil, add a bit of salt and pepper, and you've got yourself a Real Italian.

The pictures on Amato's website are better than mine, so do have a gander, and read the rest of the history while your there.

Other alternatives include using cooked and cooled pasta in place of the bread, thus making a salad. Do use olive oil, though, to keep it exactly the same otherwise.

Dried bananas

2008-05-11T11:19:00.000+01:00

Ever since I found out that the banana chips you buy in the 'health-food' stores are deep-fried (how did I think they made them so crunchy?), and most have added sugar as well, I've been making my own.

Spent £2 to buy 30 bananas at the market this morning, and drying will let them keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks (store them in an airtight container).

To make, peel them, then stick your finger into the end and they'll naturally split into three long pieces. Put these on a non-stick making sheet, and bake them slowly (100 C, or maybe 175 F?) for a couple of hours, turning half-way through. Make sure they're really dry and chewy before you take them out.

So sweet and chewy. Completely different flavour from regular bananas.

Peach tart

2008-05-11T11:13:00.000+01:00

Had tons of peaches from the market . . .

So, I combined 8 oz. flour, 4 oz. sunflower spread (or butter), an egg yolk, a 3 T. sugar and 3 T. ice water, made a shortbread-type crust.

Smushed it into a spring-form pan (even crimped a little edge!), then added a Tbsp of sugar to the peeled/sliced peaches, spread them on top of the crust, and baked it for about 40 minutes at 175.

Whoopie pies

2008-05-11T10:58:00.000+01:00

I wanted a childhood favourite called "Whoopie Pies" (a New England treat -- the rest of the U.S. hasn't heard of them). Basically it's chocolate cake, baked in little mounds, filled with butter-cream. I think they're named that because kids always yell, "Whoopie!" when they know mum is making them.

Here's the most authentic recipe I found online -- just substitute your GF flour (and in my case, milk as well) for the regular flour. (Steer clear of those recipes using marshmallow fluff in them! Not authentic!)

Caponata

2008-05-11T10:56:00.000+01:00

Beautiful day today. Just one of those magical days you wish would never end. Sitting her now at 6 p.m., Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli on the stereo, having a glass of merlot, beautiful breeze coming through the open windows, getting ready to call my daughter and granddaughter.

Puttered about the flat for a while, then decided what I wanted to eat for the week and set about making my list and heading off to the shops.

Started off with putting a whole chicken in the oven (I tuck rosemary sprigs under the skin, also a few cloves of garlic, drizzle it with olive oil, add some sea salt and a grind of pepper, and roast it. There's no better smell in the house.

From there, I moved on to another pot of caponata. Have it as a relish, or on bruschetta; warm, cold, or room temp.

Peel/chunk 3 medium size eggplants (aubergines); sprinkle with 2 t. salt, then let drain for an hour.

Meantime, chop 3 sweet onions, 4 stalks of celery, 1 lb. of fresh tomatoes (and set to drain), 1 c. cured green olives; mince 3 cloves garlic; measure out 3 T. capers; combine 2 T. sugar with 1/4 c. red wine vinegar and let stand; grind up a t. of black pepper. You'll also need a couple of sprigs of fresh basil and up to 1/2 c. olive oil.

After eggplant is drained, saute it in a heavy kettle (use as much oil as necessary -- it sticks easily) until soft and browned on all sides (10-15 minutes).

Remove eggplant from pan, and using same oil, saute onions, garlic and celery until all are soft.
Return eggplant to pot with onion mixture, and add all remaining ingredients (except basil), and simmer about 30 minutes.

Remove from heat, add a dozen torn basil leaves, stir. Add salt to taste. Refrigerate.

Chocolate to drink (both small and big varieties)

2008-05-11T10:46:00.000+01:00

Oh, the above picture is what I made for dessert with friends the other evening . . . little espresso cups of liquid chocolate. (For each serving, put 15 ml unsweetened cocoa powder, 30 ml sugar, and 45 ml water into a saucepan. Simmer, pour into cup, spoon up and very slowly enjoy.)

Better yet, my recipe for hot cocoa (serves two): 1 pint whole milk, 1/2 pint single cream, and a large 70% Lindt bar. Bring to a simmer while melting the chocolate in the cream/milk, then pour into two large mugs. Thicker and creamier than you could ever imagine.

(If you're dairy-free like me, substitute the milk and cream with soya milk and soya cream-substitute.)

Flourless French chocolate cake, butter-cream, and raspberry preserves

2008-05-11T10:37:00.002+01:00

A treat I made at Christmas last year. (Since I just opened this blog, I'm going back through my 'other' blog and pulling out all the recipes and putting them here.)

Yes, it has dairy.

I baked it in a spring-form (about 350 F, or 175 C), leveled it off, filled it with raspberry preserves and a layer of butter-cream icing, then topped it off with more butter-cream . . . all sliced, ready to freeze.

The 'scraps' that I leveled off the top were put into cups with fruit compote and leftover butter-cream . . . or was it whipped cream?

The cake is easy to make: 1 pound of butter, 1 dozen eggs, 1 pound of 70% chocolate, 2 cups of sugar, and a cup of ground almonds. Mix well, and bake.

Butter-cream icing is always twice the sugar as butter (250 gms of butter, 500 gms of icing sugar).

The preserves? I usually use the kind without added sugar, simply because it's like fruit, not all sugary.

Makes a lovely Christmas dessert.

Shortbread tart with custard-cream and berries

2008-05-11T10:21:00.000+01:00

Now, nearing 7 p.m., the sun is still high and the windows are open, and I'm making a tart. Something about summer fruits always make me want tarts.

Rough amounts (tweak as needed):

For the crust, 2 oz sugar, 4 oz butter (or sunflower spread), 6 oz GF flour blend (I use Dove Farms), one yolk, and 2-3 T ice water. I mix all that with a fork, then smush it into the bottom of a spring-form pan.

Bake it at 350 (F (about 175 C) until it's just golden and not still soft in the middle (15 minutes or so? Done, in other words).

After it comes out of the oven, let it cool whilst you cook up a quick custard for the top. Whisk together two egg yolks, 3-4 T sugar, 1/4 cup soya cream substitute (or single cream if you can), and a dash of nutmeg). Cook it slowly over medium-low heat, til thick, then spread over shortbread crust.

Top with fresh sliced strawberries or any fruit of your choice.

Minestrone and ciabatta

2008-05-11T10:00:00.003+01:00

The whole flat smells wonderful, there's lovely Italian music on the stereo, I have a glass of Pinot Grigio, a bowl of my best minestrone, and a hunk of GF ciabatta. Just home from a two-hour hike round the lakes, and it's the perfect antidote to the cold and grey out there. (The calendar still insists it's April, but it's deluded.)

Very easy, very quick recipe (makes two nice bowls, 325 calories per bowl):

Start music. Anything Italian will do (I have a preference for Andrea Bocelli).

In large heavy kettle, in 2 Tbsp olive oil, saute 3 cloves minced/crushed garlic, 1 thinly sliced leek, 1 stalk thinly sliced celery, 1 shredded carrot, 1 cup assorted fresh mushrooms, 1 diced zucchini, and 2 oz. pancetta.

When vegetables are tender, add 4 oz white wine and simmer 10-15 minutes. Then add 2 cups chicken (or vegetable) stock. Simmer for another 15-30 minutes. Time doesn't matter.

If you prefer a few white beans (I usually do, but didn't today), a can is just fine (they've really just boiled them for you). Drain and rinse them, and add them in the last 10 minutes or so.

I got very lucky to find GF-WF-DF ciabatta bread in Tesco today, on the return from my walk! Oh, happy day! They come out with more and more gluten-free/dairy-free goodies for people like me (fact: half of all coeliacs can't 'do' dairy).

Oh, one of my students is in a group which is studying coeliac disease, I was informed by the cooking teacher Friday. I'm going to visit their class and answer questions. Awareness is key -- coeliac is the most common inherited disease (1 in 100 has it).

Okay, off to enjoy my lovely soup.

Squash-carrot-orange-maple puree

2008-05-11T09:37:00.001+01:00

This is to die for. You'll want to eat the whole pot for supper with nothing else. Very easy to make, too.

Cook up a whole butternut squash by any method (bake in oven, put in crock-pot, or steam on stove-top). After it's done, set it to cool. Meantime, begin preparing the rest of the recipe:
Saute 1 large chopped onion in 2 T. olive oil. After 10 minutes, add 3 large peeled, sliced carrots, and continue cooking a further 10 minutes. Add the squash (peeled, seeded, chunked up roughly) and a cup of orange juice. Simmer until the carrots are tender.

Transfer the whole thing to a food processor, and add 1/4 cup pure maple syrup, 2 T. butter (or if you're like me, sunflower or olive oil spread), and salt and pepper to taste.

Process until it's a smooth puree, although you could leave some small bits if you like more texture to it. Absolutely divine.