Recipe of the week: Bagels

Why Bagels?

When I woke up this morning and saw the sun shining, felt the warmth in the air, and the smell of wattle blooming I realised that spring is just a breath away.

Slow cooked comfort food is over for another year and it is time for us to create outdoor eating food. Outdoor eating for me is long picnics with great food and good friends. What better way to impress with home made bagels?

These are the proper Jewish bagels that are boiled before baking. This makes them slightly chewy and sweet when you eat them. Better yet, my mum has always said that she does not like bagels…. She ate 3!

Ingredients
6-7 cups bread flour, plus some for kneading
1 tablespoon salt
1 sachet rapid rise yeast, or 1 tablespoon fresh yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon vegetables oil
2 1/4 cups warm water
2 tablespoons sugar, for poaching the bagels

Method
Combine flour, salt and yeast together in a large bowl. Add the sugar oil to the warm water. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the liquid, mixing to a dough with a spatula, wooden spoon or machine.

Knead the dough by hand or with a dough hook, adding a little more flour as you go. The more flour the better; this dough should feel quite dry and not sticky and wet.

The dough will be stiff to work with, but continue to knead until very smooth and elastic. This can take up to 15 minutes by hand.

Form the dough into a ball, and place in an oiled bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and allow to rise for an hour. After an hour punch the dough out. Knead it slightly and divide into 3 pieces. Using your hands roll each piece into long ropes. Cut each rope into 5 pieces. Roll each smaller rope into a longer rope around 20 cm long. Allow to rest as your roll the others. Curl each rope to form a ring, overlap the ends and pinch to seal.


Lay bagels on greased trays and cover with a damp cloth to rise once again. This will take around 10-15 minutes. In the meantime fill a large pot with water and bring to the boil. Also turn the oven to 220 degrees Celsius.

When the water comes to the boil add the sugar. Drop a couple of bagels in at a time, after a minute turn over, and continue to poach for another minute, continue with all bagels. Transfer to the baking tray and bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 15 bagels.
Serve toasted or fresh with any desired filling.

Bon Appetite

Recipe of the week: Oven Roasted Mushrooms with garlic and lemon thyme.

Why mushrooms?

Many friends often ask me how we cook out mushrooms at my work because they taste so good, and want to be able to cook them the same at home.

The truth is however, the reason mushrooms taste so great at my work and other restaurants is because they cook them in lots and lots AND LOTS of butter.

At my friends’ request, and at my own bodies request I have come up with a recipe for fantastic mushrooms that do not contain too much butter and are great served with anything from toast and goats cheese, a salad or to accompanying any main meal.

Ingredients

100g button mushrooms
250g of mixed mushrooms such as shitake, field, Swiss brown and oyster
1 bunch lemon thyme
2 whole bulbs garlic, broken into groups of 2 or 3 cloves
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
10ml truffle oil (optional but well worth it!)
20 ml balsamic vinegar
A good pinch of salt
Freshly cracked pepper

Method

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. In an ovenproof tray place the whole button mushrooms, and other mushrooms. For the larger and grouped mushrooms such as field and oyster simply pull them apart with your fingers until similar in size to the button mushrooms. To the same tray add the thyme stalks, garlic, butter, olive oil, salt and pepper.


Gently toss and place into the hot oven. Allow to roast for 10-15 minutes before turning the oven down to 170 degrees Celsius. The high heat allows the mushrooms to start to caramelise with the butter and olive oil with out getting soggy.

Continue to cook for another 10 minutes and add the truffle oil and balsamic vinegar. Place back in oven for a further 5 minutes.

To serve, pop the roasted garlic cloves out of the skins, and mix back with the mushrooms. Serve with any of your desired accompaniment.

Serve 2 on toast, or up to 4 as a side dish.

Bon Appetite

Recipe of Week: Shortbread

Why Shortbread?

Recently I have been reminiscing about the year I lived in London; especially Fortnum and Mason.

While I lived in London, every fortnight I would visit Fortnum and Mason wandering the ground floor marvelling at all the elegant gourmet produce they have. More importantly I would go to Fortnum and Mason to buy two things that I could afford; elderflower green tea and the best shortbread…. Ever.

This week’s recipe is dedicated to all of you who have a place that they love and miss.

Ingredients for Orange and Pine nut Shortbread

100g unsalted butter, soft
50g icing sugar, sifted
100g plain flour, sifted
50g corn flour
1 pinch salt
5ml orange oil 0r zest form one orange
20g of pine nuts

Method

Cream butter and sugar in a kitchen aid, or a food processor, until combined. Add the flours and a pinch of salt, orange oil or zest and pine nuts and mix until it just starts to come together. Finish kneading by hand until the dough just comes together.

Form into a cylinder shape around 4 cms round, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 20 minutes. In the meantime, preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius. After 20 minutes, and the dough feels firm cut into 1/2 cm slices and lay on a tray with baking paper. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the tops feel dry (they will become crisper as they cool). Allow to cool and serve.

Serve with a cold glass of milk.
Makes 12-15

Bon Appetite.

The Perfect Winter Salad

With only a month officially left of winter, I feel it time to confess why I love this season so much. Winter is the one season of the year that I truly indulge in all of food cravings and desires. Slow roasted pork, creamy thick soups, buttery risottos and lots of warm winter puddings with custard are my perfect winter foods. I also have to confess that winter is the only month of the year that I don’t worry about weight and leave the added inches of my waistline to worry about when springtime comes.

Having said this however, I do tend to find myself thinking a lot about salads. Although I agree that nothing is better than a beautiful crisp salad of simple leaves, a few vegetables and a delicate vinaigrette, I know that when I come home at night and get cosy from the wet cold weather outside, that nothing will bring me to make ‘that’ salad and enjoy it like I do in summer.

With a few simple changes however I have found myself creating the perfect salad to fit my need for fresh vegetables as well as including my winter indulges.

One thing to note to all readers, is that although this is a salad, it is however not a low fat winter substitute. As I confessed earlier I indulge in the winter bulge the few months that I can.

This salad is the perfect match of all tastes. The salty smokiness of the crisp pancetta, tossed amongst sweet roasted pumpkin and sweet potato, matched perfectly with an tart yet hearty vinaigrette, not to forget the crunch of lettuce leaves and walnuts.

Ingredients
250g hearty lettuce leaves, such as radicchio, treviso and frisse
250g pancetta or speck, in a block not sliced
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 2-3 cm pieces
1/4 butternut pumpkin, cut into 2-3 cm pieces
1 Spanish onion, quartered
150g button mushrooms
1 punnet vine ripened cherry tomatoes
2 zucchini, sliced 1-2 cm thick
1 bunch of thyme
1 whole clove of garlic
100g walnuts

Vinaigrette
50ml red wine vinegar
130ml extra virgin olive oil
20 ml truffle oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper

Method
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Cut skin off the pancetta, and cut into 1 cm cubes. Place sweet potato, pumpkin, onion, garlic, thyme, pancetta and drizzle with olive oil until vegetables are all glossy.

Roast in oven for 20 minutes and add the mushrooms whole, zucchini, tomatoes and walnuts. Season with salt and pepper and continue to roast for another 10 –15 minutes are until the vegetables are cooked through and the pancetta is crispy.

Allow the vegetables to cool slightly, drain the oil and reserve for the dressing.

In a large bowl whisk together vinegar, mustard salt and pepper. Slowly, while continuing to whisk drizzle in the oils. Check for final seasoning.

To serve toss the warm vegetables, and walnuts together with the lettuce leaves. Drizzle with the dressing and serve with crusty baguette.

Serves 3-4 generously.
Bon Appetite