All posts filed under: Sides

Hot Cross Easter Buns

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Hot Cross Easter Buns We have now moved into our new country dwelling, close to a little place called Windygates. Initially I just thought that was an amusing name, but after our first night here it became apparent that all places are usually named for a reason. Huddling up in bed, my boyfriend and I buried our heads under the covers as the wind tore though this old house like a runaway freight train. It sounded like we had been invaded by an army of Kazoo players, towering over our bed, playing every hit song from the 1940’s! And usually after a stormy night, you wake up to blue skies and singing birds, but the wind and the snow (!) has continued now for almost a week. My promise of spring seems to have been postponed…Will it ever arrive? Well, spring might not be here after all, but Easter is. And for that occasion, I have baked a batch of homemade Hot Cross Buns. These are not like the ones you get in the supermarkets, …

Iced Café Frappé

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We have been busy packing up boxes this week, ready for our move out of our old house into a new one. I have managed to do most of the kitchen, but have left out some vital tools, like my blender, that I know I cant substitute with a fork! And as the sun was shining from a beautiful blue spring sky, I felt the need for a cool refreshing beverage, all be it a caffeinated one. So I whipped up a delicious Café Frappé and was instantly given the promise that summer must arrive soon! ‘ I use frozen coffee cubes instead of regular plain ice, as I hate when you get half way through your drink, and it gets all diluted with stale water! Instead of getting weaker, my recipe gets stronger! Cheers! ____________________________________________________________________________________ Makes two drinks For the ice cubes: make roughly 300ml fair-trade coffee of your choice, and pour into ice trays, or one ice cube bag. (there is enough coffee cubes for 4 frappés, just freeze the rest for later, …

Baked Brie with Yellow Plum Compote

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; Is there a better combination, than cheese and fruit? Well, maybe baked cheese and fruit! I was in my local shop the other day and fell upon  a punnet of beautiful yellow plums. I had to think for a few days about what to turn them into, until I remembered there was a big wedge of brie in the fridge, just waiting of a sweet companion. This is so easy to make, but looks and tastes impressive. Perfect if you are having fiends over for lunch. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ‘ Serves 4 5-6 yellow plums 4 tbsp sugar 1/2 a lemon, juice and zest of   ;And a 250g wedge of brie _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Wash the plums, half them and remove the stones. Place in a small saucepan along with the lemon zest. Bring to a simmer and boil for 5-7 min, until the plums are soft. Add the sugar and stir in, then add the lemon juice. Simmer gently for 5 min. Set aside to cool. In a preheated oven set to 200 °c / 400 …

Chunky Peanut and Almond Butter by Miss May

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Since starting this blog, I have wanted to feature Guest Bloggers that could contribute with their own recipes and photography. So I am super excited to be able to share this latest post with you, written by my talented and good friend Victoria May. Miss May is a fellow blogger from chimneystack.wordpress.com and a world traveler, whizzing from continent to continent with her ‘old school’ film camera- all along the way cooking, baking and eating her way through her journey. “ This is her recipe! _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ; I love peanut butter. It’s both a comfort food (smothered on hot toast) and an energy bomb (whizzed up with banana, muesli and yogurt in a breakfast smoothie), and never fails to remind me of my time in the States. Americans really know how to harness the full bad-ass potential of P.B. ‘ This is my throw-it-together recipe. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Makes 1 large Jar or 2 small ones ‘ 3 cups peanuts (unsalted) 1 cup almonds 50ml organic rapeseed (olive is too over-powering a flavour) salt to taste ____________________________________________________________________________________ In a …

Blood Orange, Red Chard and Stilton Salad

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During the summer months, I eat a lot of creative salads, but in the winter I usually go for more substantial dishes. However, when you can combine blood orange, red chard and stilton, Im all for eating salads during the winter! Juicy blood oranges can be found at the moment in the shops. I got mine in my local farm shop along side the delicious red chard, which really brightens up salads with its colourful deep red stems. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Serves 2 2 extra large handfuls of red chard, washed 1 blood orange 150g good stilton (add more of less to suit your taste) 2 tbsp mixed seeds, such as pumpkin and pine nuts 1 tbsp olive oil ____________________________________________________________________________________ Segment the blood orange, (here’s how) and try to capture most of the stray juices. Cut the stilton into randomly sized chunks and toss with the washed leaves, seeds and blood orange segments. Finally drizzle the renaming blood orange juice and olive oil over the finished salad. Serve with a few slices of good bread, for example …

Spelt Bread

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Spelt Bread This year for my birthday I received a beautiful artisan rising basket, and a kilo of small batch milled spelt. The basket is made out of one long piece of wicker that is coiled together to make a round bowl shape. After preparing the dough, it is put into the basket for a slow rise of 6 hours. And just like magic, when you turn out the dough and stick it in the oven, it keeps the lovely pattern from the rising basket. Not only does it look fantastically impressive, it tastes amazing too! If you dont have a rising basket (get one!) you can just prove the bread as normal in a regular bowl.   _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 550-600g organic spelt flour 150ml cold water 250ml organic yoghurt 1 sachet easy bake yeast (or 7g) pinch of salt _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________   Tip your flour, yeast and salt into a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Pour the water and yoghurt into the hole. Combine the ingredients by gathering more and more flour …

Homemade Peshwari Nan with Coconut and Pistachio

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Homemade Peshwari Nan with Coconut and Pistachio Making your own homemade nan is extremely satisfying! Ill not be going back to shop bought nan after having attempted these. The flavours are gorgeous and the texture is soft and fluffy. Sprinkling the baked nan with chopped pistachio give’s the bread a splash of fantastic colour. I used this recipe, but changed the filling to what I associate with Peshwari Nan. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Dough 250g plain flour plus extra for dusting 1 tsp sugar ½ tsp salt ½ tsp baking powder 130ml milk Filling  2 tbsp olive oil 30g chopped pistachios 50g desiccated coconut 1 tsp pilau rice spice mix 2 tbsp juicy sultanas 1 tbsp ground almonds 2 tsp agave syrup or sugar 1 drop red food colouring (optional) 1 tbsp salted butter melted, for serving ____________________________________________________________________________________ Sift together the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in a bowl. Mix the milk and oil together in a separate bowl. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid ingredients. Combine the …

Winter Pesto with Kale, Rocket, Walnuts and Cashews

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Winter Pesto with Kale, Rocket, Walnuts and Cashews Homemade pesto is so fun and easy to make. It can practically be made with any leafy green, this time I have gone for a seasonal winter green, Kale. Walnuts and cashews make this pesto luxurious and the rich parmesan really cuts through more than in the shop bought variety. This recipe makes two jars worth and is packed full of super zinging vitamins needed at winter time. ____________________________________________________________________________________ 130g kale 70g rocket 75g parmesan or grana padano cheese 30g walnuts 30g cashews 3 cloves of garlic 100ml extra virgin olive oil 1 lemon, juice of salt & pepper to taste ____________________________________________________________________________________ Start my bringing a large pan of water to the boil and blanch the kale for 3-4 min until tender. Drain the kale and set aside. Wash the rocket and dry with a clean dish cloth. Using a food processor, wiz the cheese, nuts and garlic for a few seconds. Then add the kale and rocket. The rocket might not fit at first, but once …

Seaweed and Wholewheat Rolls

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Seaweed and Wholewheat Rolls The first time I tasted fresh Seaweed, was on Iceland. I was up there doing an exhibition with my Icelandic friend Eva. Jon, the owner of the gallery we were exhibiting in took us on a long walk along the coast from the town of Bildadur, stopping along the way to sample bits of fresh seaweed. The vast beauty and magic of Iceland is hard to explain briefly. But a good word is however, empty. It’s empty in an amazing way. The landscapes are mostly untouched my man, which allows your imagination to wander as you realize that the first Norse settlers who came to the island, would have seen the landscape in exactly the same way. Iceland is relatively small as countries go, but standing on the shore with towering, near vertical mountains rising up above is at once overwhelming and immensely inspiring. I didn’t initially swear to forever more eat seaweed on a regular basis, after being presented with a few strands to eat on the beach that day. …

Homemade Pita

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Homemade Pita Bread On my way home from the beach with my dog yesterday I stopped off at the local shop to get some pita bread for my favourite Girl-Slaw recipe. Get that recipe here. And as I stood in line, I thought to my self; Why have I never made my own pita? I know it must be simple. And boy is it simple! And tasty. I found this recipe, and adapted it using half wholemeal flour instead of just white. I loved the simple process of making the pita, seeing them puff up in the pan is very satisfying indeed. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Makes 8 200-250ml luke warm water 2 tsp dry yeast 175g wholemeal flour, organic 175g plain flour, organic 1 tsp salt 2 tsp olive oil ____________________________________________________________________________________ Mix the 200 ml of the water and yeast together in a bowl, and let sit for about five minutes until the yeast is dissolved. Add the flour, salt and olive oil. Mix the dough together, and if needed add the remaining 50ml of water until …