Inspired by NaNoWrMo - or something like that (write a 50,000 novel in November) I thought I'd jump to the BritMums challenge and write a blog post every day for the month of November. I shall apologise in advance for any short posts, late night posts or slightly waffly posts - but thought I'd start off the month with a cheeky wee recipe (I am after all, supposed to be all about the saving money and all that).
I was hoping to start with a pumpkin related recipe but - for anyone who read my Scary Pumpkin post yesterday, you'll know why I have failed to do that. So, by stark contrast we have (drum roll, anticipation, excitement - OK, I've oversold this)...
Thai Style Turkey Patties! (courtesy of last month's Good Food magazine)
We love Thai food in our house and these were mild enough that the kids liked them too. Oh, and they're healthy at a stunningly low 173 calories per portion (if you're trying to be healthy in the run up to Christmas).
Ingredients:
400g turkey breast or fillet roughly chopped
1 lemongrass stalk
2 garlic cloves
zest & juice of 1 lime
3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
small bunch coriander, chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
2 nests medium wheat noodles (I used soba noodles)
300g stir fry veg (whatever you like/your kids will eat!)
sweet chilli sauce, to serve (optional)
1. Heat the grill to medium. Put the turkey in a food processor and pulse until minced. Add the lemongrass, garlic and lime zest, and half the soy sauce, coriander and chilli, then pulse again until combined. Tip the mix into a bowl and add some black pepper.
2. Shape into 8 patties, then transfer to a non-stick baking tray and grill for 3 - 4 minutes each side, until cooked through.
3. Meanwhile, soak the noodles following pack instructions, then drain and add the vegetables (I stir fried them first but I think the recipe intended for them to be served raw), the remaining soy sauce and the lime juice. Toss well, divide between plates and sprinkle with the remaining coriander and chilli. Serve with the turkey patties and some sweet chilli sauce for dipping, if you like.
This serves 4 people and made a great quick and easy Friday night tea - like takeaway but without the MSG!
After the balmy weather a few weeks ago it's definitely now autumn. Grey, cold, grey, wet, grey... you get the picture. So, feeling a tad depressed the other day as the sun refused to shine and it didn't seem to get light all day - welcome to Scotland - I decided to bake some scones to cheer myself up and found this recipe which is decidedly autumnal (I think).
Hope you enjoy these as much as we all did!
Makes 8 scones
Ingredients:
225g self raising flour, plus extra for dusting
50g butter
4 tbsp golden caster sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 apple, peeled, cored and diced
125ml milk, plus extra for brushing
clotted cream and raspberry compote (sort of - will explain below)
1. Heat oven to 220C/200 fan/gas 7. Tip flour into a bowl with butter then rub with fingers until the mix looks like fine breadcrumbs. Stir in sugar and cinnamon then add apple and give everything a mix.
2. Pour in milk and stir quickly, then fold dough over 2 - 3 times until smoother. Tip onto a lightly floured surface; pat into a round about 3cm deep - I'd be tempted to make these slightly deeper if you want bigger scones, although it means you might get less than 8.
3. Using a 5cm cutter, cut out the scones until all the dough is used up. Brush tops with milk then place onto a lightly floured baking sheet and bake for 18 - 20 minutes until risen and golden. Allow to cool on the tray.
I served these warm with butter (yum) and a cheats raspberry compote that I made with some squished raspberries sprinkled with 2 tablespoons of caster sugar (icing would work too) to sweeten them up. Or, if you've been foraging for autumn blackberries (or been to the supermarket) you could make some of my super easy microwave jam. Delicious!
I got this recipe from Good Food and I'd be tempted to use a cooking apple rather than a dessert apple next time to give them more of an apple-y taste. I'd also bump up the cinnamon to 1/2 teaspoon too but really depends on your taste.
As the photo in my last blog post hopefully illustrated, I got rather a lot of runner beans off my plants this year. The vast majority were picked and eaten in the summer but I still ended up with lots and lots last weekend of the, frankly, much tougher variety! Far too tough to eat! So, after scouring cookbooks, the internet - and my cupboards - I made some relish. I have no idea how good it is as you're supposed to leave it for a month before tasting but here goes...
Spiced Pickled Runner Beans- makes around 6 half litre jars
Ingredients:
900g runner beans, trimmed and sliced
700g onions, chopped
40g cornflour
850ml malt vinegar
1 heaped tablespoon of mustard powder (English)
1 rounded tablespoon of turmeric
225g soft brown sugar
450g demerara sugar
1. Put chopped onions into a large saucepan with 275ml of the vinegar. Bring to a simmer and then continue to simmer gently for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the sliced runner beans for 5 minutes in boiling salted water, strain, then add to onions.
2. In a small bowl, mix cornflour, mustard and turmeric with a little of the remaining vinegar - enough to make a smooth paste - then add the mixture to the onions and runner beans. Pour in the rest of the vinegar and simmer the whole lot for 10 minutes.
3. Then, stir in the sugars until they're dissolved and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes. Pot into warm, sterilised jars (I sterilised mine in the dishwasher but you can sterilise by washing in warm soapy water and then drying out in a low/medium over for 5 minutes). Seal and label when cold and keep for at least 1 month before serving.
As I said, I've no idea what this will taste like but it did smell a little like picallili while I was making it so I'm hopeful (as I'm quite partial to a spot of picallili).
OK, that's completely overselling my talents but I decided today would be the day to make soup and bake bread - both of which I've done before but which I managed to do at a leisurely pace while my OH took the kids to rugby (one to play, one to watch).
Anyway, there is something remarkably therapeutic about baking your own bread by hand (I don't have a bread maker). It's nothing like as much hassle or as complicated as I thought it would be and, if you have a spare half hour, it's a great way to relieve some stress, switch your brain off and think of other things. Obviously, it takes more than half an hour to actually make the bread (what with proving the dough and all that) but it only really takes about 15 minutes to half an hour's work. And then you can sit back and enjoy warm bread with soup or slathered in butter and homemade jam or honey (no, I don't have my own bees - yet!)
All you need is:
500g strong bread flour (I used white this time but have used wholemeal and followed the same recipe before)
1.5 sachets of dried yeast
14g salt (might be easier to weigh out half an ounce though - it's the same)
310ml tepid water
15fl oz honey (or 1 tablespoon) - or maple syrup is just as good
Mix the honey with half the water and all the yeast - make sure the honey (or syrup) has completely dissolved. You can also use the equivalent amount of sugar - it's just sugar to get the yeast to react.
Measure out the flour and mix in the salt. Make a well in the centre then pour in all of the yeast mixture. I then use my fingers (a la Jamie Oliver) like a spoon to mix it all together, starting from the outside of the bowl. Once that's mixed in, pour in the rest of the liquid, mix in through and work it into a dough. Tip out onto a well floured surface then knead for about 5 - 10 minutes until it's really pliable. You may need to add more water or more flour - it depends on the kind of flour you're using - but I've found that these measurements tend to work well for most types of flour I've used (which ranges from Tesco's own to Hovis).
Shape into a round, score a deep cut in the top then leave in a warm place to prove for 40 minutes. You can cover with clingfilm - I use a clean tea towel. By the end of this time, it should have doubled in size (more or less). Knock it back and knead for another minute then shape into the loaf you are making - or put into a loaf tin - then leave for as long as you can. (You don't want to rush this bit).
When ready, heat the oven to 240C (Gas Mark 9), then put the loaf in for 30 to 35 minutes making sure it doesn't burn on the top. (I usually turn half way through cooking). Check whether it's cooked by turning the loaf out and knocking on the bottom. If it sounds hollow, it's ready.
If you want a crusty loaf, leave out to cool. If you'd prefer a soft crust, wrap in a clean tea towel while it cools. Then...
Enjoy!
Do you have any good bread making tips you'd like to share? Or perhaps a killer recipe that no one can resist? Or do you prefer breadmakers to hand made bread? Let me know in the comments and please share any of your favourite bread recipes.
