Coconut oatmeal cookies

It’s been nearly two months since I started a diet (no yeast, no sugar, no white flower, no alcohol, no citric acid and finally… no vinegar). I have to tell you, it is not easy. While I can still eat lovely organic meats from small UK farms, Icelandic lamb and a good supply super-fruits, I constantly have a need for sweet things… So first I had to find a true non-chemical replacement for sugar – it’s called xylosweet. This doesn’t come cheap actually, but all my research suggests it’s the most natural plant-derived alternative which looks and tastes just like castor sugar.

And this is the easiest and healthiest treat I ever made…

Preparation: 15mins, cooking time: 15mins

Ingredients: 

100g wholemeal flour

60g oatmeal

50g desiccated coconut

70g sugar or sugar replacement like xylosweet

1 coffee-spoon bicarbonate of soda

100g butter (unsalted of course)

1 egg

Preparation: 

1) Preheat the oven to 180 degrees, line the pan with baking paper.

2) Melt the butter and mix it with the sugar and add in the egg.

3) In another bowl mix the flour, oats, coconut, bicarbonate of soda and add this mixture to the butter/sugar/egg base.

4) With a wet hand, roll little balls from the mix and put them onto the baking paper. Squash them down to about 1cm high

5) Bake for about 15mins or until it begins to turn golden around the edges.

6) When it’s ready, put them onto a tray and when it’s cold dip half of the biscuits into a chocolate glaze. If it’s for you rather than             for guests, you can just pour it over and get messy.

For the chocolate glaze, I mix 40g butter with 45g of xilit/sugar, 8g of the best cocoa powder you can find, 1tbs milk and warm it up on the hob. I have played with different combinations of ingredients but find this gives the best result for the least ‘sweetness’.

Very quick, simple, and using good quality oatmeal, there’s nothing particularly bad for you. I’m absolutely addicted…

Bon appétit!

New favourite…

Christmas brought me a special book. I tried a couple of things and so far all the recipes worked out very well… First I would like to share with you dear food-lovers with a leaning against salt, the following Italian classic. This came out great, crunchy, yet soft enough to chew (unlike those mass-produced versions of this treat which blunt your teeth).

Cantuccini Classici

Double-baked biscuits (biscotti) with almond and pistachio nuts by Gino D’Acampo (Italian Home Baking)

Ingredients:

90g whole almonds, skinned

90g shelled pistachio nuts

250g strong white flour

150g caster sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 large eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 large eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

zest of 1 unwaxed orange

icing sugar for dusting

Method:

• Line 1 or 2 baking trays with greaseproof paper and preheat the oven to 180 °C/gas mark 4.
• Tip the almonds into a small frying pan over a medium heat and toast them. Toss the almonds occasionally to ensure they turn an even golden brown. Set aside.
• Put the pistachios in a medium bowl and pour over boiling water from the kettle. Leave the pistachios to soak for 2 minutes then drain and peel off the skin. Set aside.
• Sift the flour, sugar and baking powder into a large bowl. Stir in the nuts with the eggs, vanilla extract and orange zest and combine to form a biscuit dough.
• Dust your work surface with icing sugar, divide the dough into 3 pieces and shape each piece into a sausage by rolling it with your hands in the icing sugar.
• Place the rolls on the prepared baking tray and flatten slightly.
• Bake for 20 minutes in the middle of the oven.
• Remove from the oven and place the rolls on a chopping board. Use a sharp knife to cut each roll diagonally into 1 cm strips.
• Spread the strips in a single layer on the baking tray and return to the oven for 3 minutes. (You may need an extra tray for the second baking).
• Leave the cantuccini to cool on a wire rack before serving. It’s perfect with coffee or as Gino suggested with ice cream.

Buon Appetito!

Spicy butternut squash soup

I have the joys of Flu right now, so I thought the best way to beat this nastiness would be a super-spicy and warming soup. As we all know, spices have can boost our defences. Cayenne pepper contains beta-carotene and vitamin A, which are antioxidants to help prevent cell damage. This spice also helps to clear up congestion and clear up mucus from the lungs and nose which, frankly, I would appreciate! Turmeric has been shown to have antiviral and antibacterial properties. It contains curcumin, which is an antioxidant. Turmeric may also help reduce cholesterol and improve certain eye conditions, as well as heal skin infections.

So it’s all good… and this is what I came up with. It’s only moderately ‘hot’.

Ingredients:

460 g butternut squash

1 apple

2 carrots

1 onion

a piece of ginger (25g)2 vegetable stock cubes (18g)

1 tsp mustard powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp curcuma

1/2 tsp ras el hanout

pepper and cayenne pepper

a handful of fresh coriander

Cut the vegetables and the apple into smaller cubes and put all of them into a large saucepan. Add the spices and 1 litter of water. Stir it and cook it until the pieces are tender – approximately 30 min. When it is ready, blend until smooth and serve it with fresh coriander on top.

Of course, if you’re in my condition you should make it really spicy hot… Afterall, you’re not going to taste a thing!!!

My perfect English Scones recipe

After a tea with scones at Brenda’s house in Bath, I was determined to make my own scones back in Brussels. I made three attempts using different recipes… and now I can publish my last and truly good one.
Ingredients

340g self-raising flour, plus more for dusting

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

95g butter, cut into cubes

3 tbsp caster sugar

6 tbsp milk

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 beaten egg

40g raisins

jam to serve

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200C. Prepare a baking tray with baking paper. Sieve the flour into a large bowl with the salt and baking powder, then mix. Add the butter, then rub it in with your fingers until the mix looks like fine crumbs. Stir in the sugar and the raisins.
2. Break an egg into a bowl and lightly beat it. Save a bit of egg for the glaze. Put the milk into a jug, mix it with the lemon juice and set aside for a moment. The slightly acidic mix gives a boost to the raising agents in the flour and baking powder. Mix the milk-lemon juice mixture with the egg and add vanilla to it.
3. Make a well in the dry mix, then add the liquid and combine it quickly with your hands – it will seem pretty wet at first. Scatter some flour onto the work surface and tip the dough out. Dredge the dough and your hands with a little more flour, then fold the dough over 2-3 times until it’s a little smoother. Pat into a round about 1.5 or 2 cm deep.
4. Take a 5cm cutter (smooth-edged cutters tend to cut more cleanly, giving a better rise) and dip it into some flour. Plunge it into the dough, then repeat until you have four scones. By this point you’ll probably need to press what’s left of the dough back into a round to cut out another four. Brush the tops with saved beaten egg, then carefully place onto the baking tray.
5. Bake for 10 mins until risen and golden on the top. Eat just warm or cold on the day of baking, topped with jam. If freezing, freeze once cool. Defrost, then put in a low oven (about 160C) for a few mins to refresh.

Bon appétit and here’s some background!

My breakfast this morning…

After a successful dinner last night with friends chez nous, a lazy Sunday morning started with Gordon Ramsay’s way to make scrambled eggs…

I didn’t have mushrooms, but it was just as good without. Delicious!

Stew with ricotta dumplings

I once had a lovely Guinness-based stew over in the UK. So I thought I will try to search for some new boozy-stew ideas. And based on Marco Pierre‘s recipe, I came up with my own. I decided to serve the stew with ricotta dumplings – simple little things cooked by the wonderful  Two Greedy Italians: Gennaro Contaldo and Antonio Carluccio.

Stew ingredients:

•  3tbsps sunflower or vegetable oil
•  2 onions, chopped
•  3 garlic cloves, chopped
•  1kg beef brisket or stewing steak, chopped into large chunks
•  400ml Guinness (if from a can, then only the with-widget variety will do!)
•  400ml prune juice (best to taste since prune juice comes in different concentrations. Tends to be half half.)
•  1 Knorr Rich Beef Stock Pot

Cooking method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 150°C, Gas Mark 2, 302°F.

2. Heat 1tbsp of sunflower oil in a large casserole dish until hot. Add the onion and garlic and sweat over a high heat for 10–15 minutes, stirring constantly until softened but without browning.

3. Meanwhile, heat a large, heavy frying pan. Add the remaining sunflower oil, heat through, then add the beef in 2 batches to the pan, frying until browned and sealed on all sides; around 5–10 minutes.

4. Add the browned beef to the fried onion mixture. Pour in the Guinness and the prune juice (the prune takes off the sharp beery edge to the sauce). Add the Knorr Rich Beef Stock Pot, stirring until dissolved. Bring the dish to the boil, cover and transfer to the pre-heated oven to cook for 3 to 4 hours. Yes, this needs some planning, but remember it tastes even better the next day on your second serving.

7. Remove the casserole dish from the oven. Transfer the beef into a serving dish, pouring over the ricotta dumplings.

Ricotta dumplings ingredients:

• 200g/7oz flour, plus extra for dusting
• 225g/8oz ricotta
• 3 free-range egg yolks
• 30g/1oz parmesan,  freshly grated, however  I used Old Amsterdam cheese which is just as good
• pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cooking method:

• Mix the flour, ricotta, egg yolks, cheese, nutmeg and seasoning together in a large bowl to form a soft, moist dough.
• Tip the mixture out onto a floured work surface and knead for 3-5 minutes. Roll the dough into a long, thin sausage shape, cut them into dumplings about 2cm/1in long.
• Cook the dumplings for 3-4 minutes in a large saucepan of boiling water.
• Remove the dumplings from the pan with a slotted spoon and add them to the stew.

 I have now made this dish 4 times, always  a success. Definitely plan for a larger quantity than one sitting – the stew only gets better with time in the fridge.

Bon appétit !

Beetroot from the garden

Pick two beetroots from a garden in Stocksfield, Northumberland – one of the best vegetable gardens around -thanks Piers  Get the recipe from your mother-in-law – thanks Carol  And voilà, a lovely fish and beetroot salad dinner.

Ingredients:

2 boiled Beetroots

1 Apple with pips removed

1/2 Red Onion or 2 spring onions

2.5 dl (1 cup) Yogurt

2 tbs Mayonnaise

1/2 tsp Horseradish or Wasabi Paste

1/2 tbs Lemon Juice

1/2 tbs Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

1. Firstly, peel and dice the apple and beetroots. Finely chop the red onion.

2. Mix all the ingredients and let them cool for at least 3 hours.

Serve it with breaded fish and rice.

400 soups

I bought a very useful book the other day. It has 400 soup recipes – so I wont have a problem finding inspiration. The Complete Book of 400 Soups.

So this is the 2nd recipe I tried out: Corn & Sweet Potato

INGREDIENTS

15 ml/1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 small red chilli, seeded and finely chopped (I used cayenne pepper instead of the chilli)

1.75 litres/3 pints/7,5 cups vegetable stock (I used 2x bouillon cubes – so I didn’t need to add more salt to the soup)

10ml/2 tsp ground cumin

1 medium sweet potato or yam, diced

half red (bell) pepper, finely chopped

450g/1lb corn kernels

ground black pepper

lime wedges – but to serve I used coriander instead of the lime

1. Heat the oil and fry the onion for 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and chilli/cayenne pepper and fry for a further 2 minutes.
2. In the same pan, add 300ml/half pint cups of the vegetable stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Mix the cumin with a little stock to form a paste and then stir into the soup. Add the diced sweet potato/yam, stir and simmer for 10 minutes. Season and stir again.
4. Add the pepper, corn and remaining stock and simmer for 10 minutes. Process half of the soup until smooth and then stir into the chunky soup. Season and serve with lime wedges for squeezing over. Or use the coriander as I suggested.

Bon appétit !

Mango, honey and cream fool

Hello World!

I made this a whole month ago, but as I was a bit busy I’ve not been able to share it. But don’t let this detract from the recipe – it’s a hit! If you’re looking for a really quick and easy desert, this is ideal. As it contains mangos (and of course no salt), you know it’s not too naughty.

Ingredients:

2 cardamom pods, crushed, seeds removed

2 ripe mangoes, peeled and stoned

150 ml double cream

250g pot plain yogurt

finely grated zest and juice of 1/2 lemon

1-2 tbsp clear honey

Method:

Crush the cardamom seeds lightly, using a pestle and mortar, or [a trick] grind them between two table spoons using the pressure of your thumbs.

Puree the mango flesh in a food processor until smooth.

Whisk the cream to soft peaks. Stir in the yogurt and whisk a little more until thickened. Fold in the lemon zest, juice, crushed seeds and honey.

Spoon alternate layers of the creamy mixture and the mango puree into the glasses and decorate with more lime zest. Serve chilled. (Not suitable for freezing.)

Bon Appétit!

The easiest roast chicken ever

I have already made this chicken a couple of times, but today was the 1st time when the sun shined beautifully in this rather dull Brussels – so I was able to take photos of my efforts…

This recipe is based on Nigel Slater’s instructions.

Ingredients

• a small roasting chicken
• 75ml/3fl oz olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic, squashed
• 1 large lemon
• 6 springs thyme
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 5 green olives (de-stoned)

Preparation method

Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 8.

Place the chicken onto a chopping board and cut in half down the backbone using a large and very sharp cooks’ knife. I go further and cut it into quarters. Flatten the chicken as much as you can buy pressing down with the palm of your hand. This smaller division is the key I think to the cooking quality.

Pour the olive oil into a mixing bowl large enough to take the chicken, add the squashed garlic cloves, the juice from the lemon and then the squeezed lemon shells (ie, full lemon with skin, zest and all). Put in the sprigs of thyme, a good seasoning of salt (yes salt) and black pepper, add olives then turn the chicken over in the flavoured oil. (If you have the time, you can leave the chicken like this for an hour or so.)

Place the chicken in a roasting tin, skin-side up. Roast for about 40 minutes or until the skin is golden and the bird cooked right through.

Served with a big lovely green salad. [Before / After!]