Editors December Picks #12 - Crostini Spreads

Editor's note: And now for something completely different in the middle of the darker months! Pesto is not just for the summertime, it's a wonderful flavour that should be enjoyed all year round. Good pesto doesn't cost the earth but why wouldn't you want to give such a straight-forward recipe a whirl? Absolutely essential to serve with the drinks!

Crostini spreads – to buy ready-made or not to …

...that is the question!

Do whatever suits you – there are some great quality tapenade and pesto products out there. If you're going to use ready-made buy as good a quality as you can afford.

Here are recipes for both :

Tapenade

100g black olives, pitted

4/5 cloves of garlic (or equivalent tsps of paste)

1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

black pepper

lemon juice – try a dessert spoon – you can always add more

4 finely chopped anchovies, drained

75g chopped capers

Blitz the olives, then add the garlic, capers and anchovies and blitz again, briefly – you want a rustic paste, not mush. Tip into a bowl and add the oil, lemon juice and black pepper to taste – remember to taste as you go you can't take it back!

Pesto is vibrantly green! It's made from crushed basil leaves, toasted pine nuts, garlic, Parmesan and olive oil.

The following recipe serves 4, is easy and takes 10 minutes to make.

1 small garlic clove or equivalent roasted

pinch of sea salt

25g pine nuts, lightly toasted

50g fresh basil leaves

juice of half a lemon

125ml extra virgin olive oil

Parmesan to taste

Use a small food processor. Put the garlic and salt in the bowl and pulse, then add the pine nuts and repeat until roughly chopped – don't overwork. Add the basil and pulse gently until well mixed but still retains texture. Turn into a serving bowl and add the Parmesan and lemon juice. Pour in the olive oil and mix to a paste. Season to taste.

You could make the pesto ahead and transfer to a jar with a tight lid (sterilised of course) – drizzle a layer of olive oil over the top of the pesto. It will keep in the fridge for up to a week.

If I had to choose one to make from scratch it would be tapenade every time – it really is scrumptious.

Tomato paste is a bit strong for my taste - if it's not cooked it has a bitter taste but preparing some of each will cater for everyone. A tip – a thin scrape of paste is all that's required!

One might say the Crostini is fiddly, but, almost all of it can be done in advance and you can take short cuts for example, you can buy sliced pitted olives, ready to blitz after draining.

Coming up – the risotto “spin-off” dishes

Editor's December Picks #11 - Dorset Apple cake revisited

Editor's note: I absolutely love apples in desserts, and those made by MiamMiam are second to none. I recently picked up a ready made apple pie from one of the big supermarkets and disappointment wasn't the word. I wasn't expecting to be wowed but this was a crime against desserts. I know that the recipe for Dorset Apple Cake was mentioned recently but without the photo guide - check it out!

Dorset Apple Cake photos …

… or, as I have now re-named it, Comfort Cake!

Photos for you :

the cake in the tin

and out of the tin

a portion with the clotted cream

Comfort Cake sounds so much better. This will be my Christmas Cake this year – the bonus – you get a cake or a pudding, hot or cold!

Editor's December Picks #10 - Guinness and Treacle Soda Bread Photo Guide

Editor's note: A picture is worth a thousand words, and some of them are definitely going to be 'yum'. Again my personal tastes are a big influence here but I can't be alone in learning that you can make bread using beer and not want to give it a go! The last photo is surely enough to persuade even the hardiest soda-bread purists out there.

The Guinness and Treacle Soda Bread photo guide

Here goes :

the dry ingredients

the jugs – Guinness and yogurt

the bowl of black treacle

slowly add the Guinness to the treacle

to loosen

add the yogurt to the Guinness and treacle

and whisk together

the dry combined with the wet

ingredients

the bread on the baking tray – see the

dusting of flour underneath

the loaf, marked into quarters -

the long handle of a wooden spoon works

beautifully!

Ta dah – fresh from the oven

sliced in half – looks good enough to eat

a quarter, ready with a pot of butter

it would be rude not to!

Editor's December Picks #9 - Guinness and Treacle Soda Bread

 Editor's note: This week from the archives is a fab recipe for soda bread that's most certainly a bit of something different! Baking bread became a big trend during the lock-downs and I would like to point out that this posting originally came the month before we were all confined to barracks - ahead of the curve some may say! This introduction covers what you need, and how to assemble but stay tuned for a pictorial walk-through.

I promised a treat or two … one savoury, one sweet – here's the savoury

Every now and again a recipe catches my eye. It has been a while but recently I came across “Guinness and Treacle Soda Bread” in the January edition of Waitrose Food January 2020 -The Feel Good Issue.

I have always had a weakness for good bread. There's nothing like home-made bread – the only problem is that it's a bit of a faff and it takes too long … unless you're making soda bread – no yeast or kneading needed – what's not to love.

Not surprising then that this caught my attention. The recipe looks easy – the photo is fab so lets give it a go. This is genuine research – so many recipes are a let down, inaccurate – you're drawn in by the clever photography and the Food Stylist.

What follows is the exact recipe from the magazine, followed by some hints and tips and finally a photo guide.

“Wholesome, rustic soda bread looks and tastes like something that hours of love and care have gone into. In reality, it's wonderfully simple and with no yeast or kneading required, a warm loaf can be out of the oven in about an hour”.

Guinness and Treacle Soda Bread

400g strong white bread flour

extra for dusting

100g strong wholemeal flour

50g jumbo oats

10g fine salt

1 tsp of bicarbonate of soda

40g unsalted butter, cubed

150g Guinness

175g natural yogurt

60g black treacle

You can see why I fancied this loaf!

The method and hints and tips.

Pre-heat your oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6. Grease a large baking tray or line with baking parchment. Put the flours, oats, salt and bicarbonate of soda in a mixing bowl and toss together. Add the butter and, using your fingertips, rub it into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. In a jug or second mixing bowl, stir together the Guinness, yogurt and treacle, until the treacle more or less dissolves – this will take a little while, but stir patiently and it will come together.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and, with a spatula, wooden spoon or firm hand, bring everything together into a rough dough. Knead for a moment on a worktop, just until the dough has come together, then shape into a rough ball and put on the prepared baking tray. Dust the ball of dough liberally with flour, then use the handle of a wooden spoon to press a deep cross into the dough, ensuring you don't go all the way through the dough, so all 4 quarters are still connected. Bake for 50 minutes until golden, crispy and steaming.

This is the recipe taken directly from the magazine. I've a few suggestions that will make life easier.

It mentions “grease a large baking tray or line with baking parchment”. In all my bread making I've never greased or lined a baking tray. I sprinkle a non-stick baking tray with flour and “swirl” so it covers the tray. The bread doesn't stick – ever.

If you take your butter straight from the fridge as you begin, weigh and cut it into small cubes and place on a piece of cling film by the time you've weighed the remainder of your ingredients your butter will be soft enough to rub into the dry ingredients.

With regard to the “wet” ingredients you'll find life much easier if you begin by weighing the black treacle directly into a small mixing bowl. Weigh your Guinness and yogurt in separate jugs. Make sure your mixing bowl is set on a non slip mat – if you don't have one then use a dampened j cloth.

Gradually drizzle the Guinness into the treacle, stirring all the time and it will loosen, continue until combined. Use a small whisk when adding the yogurt to prevent it splitting. The process takes no time at all.

There's more …

Editor’s December Pick #8: Smoked Mack Stack

Editor's note: As always, MiamMiam doesn’t disappoint with a handy photo-guide to give you some hints and tips - bonus points for the fantastic title. 

the Smoked Mack Stack

If you'd like an idea for a supper/dinner party starter, that's light, fresh and tasty, reduce the size of your ring – 6cms/2½” in diameter.

Have a look :

the Smoked Mack Starter Stack

Here's the alternative beetroot idea :

If you have a spare 30 minutes over the weekend make a batch of the Bazzin' Beetroot Relish and make a two tier stack instead of three. The recipe for the relish is given in Radio Recipes 23^rd September 2019.

the Bazzin' Beetroot Relish, glossy and gorgeous

• like I say it's excellent hot or cold

Editor’s December Pick #7: You don’t eat meat but do eat fish…

Whilst perusing the fish category I thought I’d continue the theme, and this one is a doozy.  I'm a huge fan of mackerel - it's an oily fish and the beetroot balances it perfectly. This one is going to go down well with pescatarians or omnis of any kind. Mackerel is a fish that lends itself to lots of recipes but isn’t the first choice for a lot of us. It's quick and easy to prepare - a win-win! 

You don't eat meat but do eat fish ...

… I said that we were going to try and cater for everyone – now for a recipe to suit the pescatarians.

If you love your fish I think you'll enjoy this dish :

Smoked Mack Stack

Serves 2 - generous portions

230g of smoked mackerel, flaked

2 tbsp of mayonnaise

2 tsps of creamed horseradish

black pepper, mix together gently

250g of roasted beetroot, cut into small cubes

(or an organic vac pack)

1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar and

black pepper - mix together

1 sharp eating apple – a Cox would be

perfect – a medium sized apple weighs approximately 140g -

quartered, peeled and cut into small cubes

add a glug of lemon juice and mix

You'll need a ring measuring 9cms in diameter – 3½” in

old money

Now it's just a matter of assembly :

an important note to self – make sure the ring is

placed in or on the serving dish or plate before you begin!

Place the ring in the centre and begin with two tablespoons of beetroot, pressed gently into the base. Add two tablespoons of the smoked mackerel mixture, pressed gently on top of the beetroot so that it sticks together. Finally add a generous tablespoon of the cubed apple.

Gently ease the ring away from the stack, slowly is the key!

Some hints and tips coming next … then a photo or three.

Editor’s December Pick#6: Time for cake!

Now this is a personal showstopper. I remember a time before I acquired the taste for fruitcake of any kind – peeling icing and marzipan off Christmas cake anyone?! – but now I have embraced it wholeheartedly. Some amazing tips included here - check out the photos - do yourself a favour and try this instead of a Christmas Pudding this year.  I feel like it was written for me - I love it when recipes are specific and to the point.

Time for cake …

… there's a recipe on the blog called Grandad Jack's Tea Loaf – tea loaves are great – they contain eggs but no other fat. The moisture comes in the steeping of the fruit in hot black tea overnight.

You have to be careful that you get the balance of ingredients right – if a tea loaf has a downside it's that it can be dry but you won't know that until you've cut it – it's too late.

I'm always on the look out for something different – here's the Orange Fruit Tea Loaf.

Here's the recipe :

Orange Fruit Tea Loaf

for a 900g loaf

300g mixed dried fruit of your choice -

cranberries work well

150g dark brown sugar

grated zest of two oranges

300ml of hot tea – without milk – just in

case you were wondering

1 egg, lightly beaten

300g self raising flour

a pinch of salt

Mix the dried fruit, sugar, orange zest and hot tea together, cover and leave overnight.

Pre-heat your oven 130fan/150c/Gas

Grease your loaf tin.

Stir the egg into the fruit mixture then add the flour and salt. Transfer the mixture into your loaf tin and bake for about 1½ hours until risen and firm. Use a bamboo skewer inserted into the middle of the cake and comes out clean. Turn out and cool on a rack.

Now for a grumble rather than a rant. The recipe is exactly as I found it. When I read it I realised that it mentions “1 egg, lightly beaten”. So often recipes are badly written – not deliberately – the author perhaps presumes the reader will know – NO! Baking is a science and accuracy is important.

I mentioned moisture in your loaf, texture is equally important. I follow my own rule – if it isn't clear always use large eggs.

Hints and Tips

All is not lost if you produce a dry loaf – you'll just have to toast a slice and add butter – breakfast treat?!

I added ½ tsp of orange extract to the mixture. You can definitely smell the orange zest, I just wanted a little extra boost of flavour.

The secret to the success of this loaf is adding the sugar to the mixed fruit, zest and tea and steeping overnight. Other tea loaf recipes I've come across are based on, for example, “2 cups of flour, 1 cup of sugar” - treating the sugar as a dry ingredient – including it as part of the wet ingredients gives a much better consistency, you can gauge as you're adding the flour gradually to the mixture. “Gradually” is the key, ensuring that the flour is folded in before adding more. I'd already decided to add fresh orange juice if it looked too dry – not necessary!

Old habits die hard – I set my timer for 45 minutes and then turned the loaf tin around. I tested the cake at 1 hour 20 minutes with the skewer which came out clean – out it came. Ovens will vary – a timer will help and remind you to check.

Have a look :

As always, taste tested … “the best slice of fruit cake I've had in a long while”.

A great result!