Spring is here and as usual has caught me unawares; for a few days every spring I find I am wearing totally the wrong clothes and feeling hot and bothered and end up carrying jackets, fleeces and scarves around so I do not roast. I also start to think about my diet in the spring [...] [...]
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Caponata! As well as its deliciousness I also love the rhythm to the word Cap-on-ah-ta! I also wonder if this Italian aubergine based stew could also be the name of an Italian dance like the Tarantella – or maybe the dancers just eat a large plate of caponata after dancing? Or maybe I have an [...] [...] Thanks to the awesome Sheri at Green and Crunchy I have a new favourite breakfast, it is quick to throw together and utterly delicious. [...] I wanted the title of this post to be just Perfect Porridge, but porridge is one of those dishes that elicits a huge variety of opinions as to what is right; porridge afficinados will debate the type of oats, cooking pot, cooking liquid and stirring implement. Every year the Golden Spurtle runs a porridge cookoff [...] [...] We have a tradition of having muffins for breakfast on weekend mornings. Based on my basic muffin recipe these are easy to whip up first thing in the morning. Using a mixture of spelt and wheat flour makes the muffins more cake like (if you do not have spelt flour use all plain flour), the [...] [...] We have a tradition of having muffins for breakfast at weekends which has been neglected for some months and I was missing my muffins; so I resolved to make some this morning. It is now November and a murky, wet, grey morning so a warming, spiced muffin was required and there was a lonely sweet [...] [...] I have been feeling very uninspired and unexcited about food recently but I was delighted to be given some homegrown tomatos, which were perfectly ripe and bursting with flavour. I quickly made this three tomato salad with a tomato dressing for my lunch, which I thoroughly enjoyed and which I think may have reawakened my interest [...] [...] New potatoes are lovely and best enjoyed plain with butter, pepper and salt – simple is best and I think that doing anything else with them is a waste. However once they are past their first flush of youth there are many ways of cooking them. Here I boiled and then roasted the potatoes with [...] [...] The Daring Bakers have expanded to encompass Daring Cooking too! For the inaugural challenge the founders of the Daring Bakers; Lis and Yvonne, chose Ricotta Gnocci from Judy Rogers’s the Zuni Cafe Cookbook. Usually gnocchi is made from potato so a ricotta based gnocchi provided the classic Daring twist and challenge. I choose to [...] [...] An egg and diary free store cupboard cake. Simple and easy to make, just mix and bake. [...] Last autumn I discovered that it was possible to make an “instant” steamed pudding in the microwave which cooked in a matter of minutes. It is a perfect short cut; especially if your kitchen does not have an extractor fan to get rid of the clouds of steam, and 3 or 4 minutes of [...] [...] I spent all day at the Decanter New World Fine Wine Fair and I was desperate for something simple and speedy to soak up the alcohol when I got home, I had half a butternut squash in the fridge and beans, peas, corn and tortillas in the freezer. From start to plate these took about [...] [...] I love gyoza and whenever I go to Chinatown I buy a few packets of wrappers to keep in the freezer until I next have a gyoza craving, I could make my own wrappers, but frankly life is far too short and the ready made ones are delicious, cheap and fuss free. Gyozas (or potstickers) [...] [...] I am currently playing Daring Bakers catch up; the September challenge hosted by Natalie from Gluten A Go Go, and Shel, of Musings From the Fishbowl made history by being the first “alternative” Daring Bakers challenge being vegan with a gluten free option. There are many alternative Daring Bakers, who all have to use every [...] [...]  Recipe: Easy Ginger Cake – the easiest ginger cake you will ever make. Egg free, dairy free and vegan. [...] After my trip to the market and excess of peppers the other day I made up this chutney recipe, the mix of red ingredients makes a vibrant coloured chutney, packed with flavour, roasting the peppers brings their flavour out and adds even more depth of colour. See Chutney Basics Ingredients (makes 4 medium jars) 2lb [...] [...] Another recipe for National Vegetarian Week and also a “Good Mood Food” dish, the golden yellow of the squash, together with the vibrant green and red of the spinach and roasted tomatoes make a bright appetising healthy dish packed full of vitamins and antioxidants. Frying the vegetables in rapeseed oil adds extra Omega3 oils. Soya [...] [...] National Vegetarian Week has just past and combined with the long bank holiday weekend and bumper haul in the market on Saturday I have been busy all weekend trying to up my intake of vegetables and generally to eat more healthily. I used to cook this on a very regular basis when I first moved [...] [...] I love citrus fruit, I love lemon in food and somewhat paradoxically I never seen to have a lemon that has not gone off in the fruit bowl or fridge when I want to cook with one. (I do however always have a box of lemon and lime slices in the freezer for Gin and [...] [...] An Indian variation of the lemon chick peas. Chole (Serves 12 as a side dish, 6 as a main course) 2lb Soaked and Cooked Chickpeas, 2 onions finely chopped. 1 tin chopped tomatoes. (400g) 2 tsp salt. 2 tsp turmeric. 2 tsp crushed garlic. 2 tsp crushed ginger (Fuss Free tip – use Very Lazy [...] [...] |
helen at fuss free flavours dot com
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