Saturday 20 August 2011

Sunflower Seeded Cobs

Sorry one more bread recipe, but it is so easy and tasty that it would be wrong for me not to share.




Ingredients for the Recipe:


  • 600grs of bread flour (white)
  • 1/2 soup spoon of medium grit seasalt 
  • 1 tea spoon of instant yeast (or 30gr fresh east)
  • 1 pkt of skinless sunflower seeds
  • 1 soup spoon of extra virgin olive oil
  • 400ml of hot water (not boiling)



In  sift the flour into a bowl, make a well in the middle in that hole place the olive oil and baking powder and on the flour edge the salt so that it does not mix with the yeast killing it. Pour the water into the hole (can be all at once or gradually) as you prefer. And mix the water with the flour slowly, the baking powder and oil will dilute with the flour, gradually continue to mix until you reach the salt and then all gets mixed into the dough, once done pour the contents of the bowl into a floured surface and knead well about 5 to 10 minutes.


Cut dough into pieces of about 45grs + or- to obtain what is called here "bakers dozen" 13 cobs shaping these into rectangles brush them with water on the top, and dip the top in the seeds which will attach themselves to their surface, place them in a floured tray, and put the tray into a preheated oven to about 50 degrees (wich is now off), and let them stand about 1 hour to rise.


Remove the tray from the ovwen and preheat it to 190 degrees reinsert the tray back in the oven for about 30-35 minutes until they are golden brown. 


Their smell and taste is unsurpassed even better because the seeds on top will roast provide these breads with an exceptional nutty flavor. 
Remove breads from oven and place them to cool on a wire rack.


Bon appetit!

Saturday 25 June 2011

Spelt Bread Easy Recipe



To make the above two loafs of spelt bread i used:

Ingredients:

1Kg spelt flour
2 sachets (7or 5grms each ) of dried quick yeast
1 tablespoon full of fine marine salt
3 tablespoons of sunflower oils
1 tablespoon of sugar
650 mls of warm water

The process of making the bread i found quite easy. I placed the flour in a bowl and the dried yeast mixing this well, then I made a well and on on one wall side of the well I placed the salt, on the opposite wall the sugar, I then proceeded to add half of the water and the oil and mixing it with my had, and as it got dryer i kept adding more water until all was gone.

You should end up with a soft and very sticky dough, which then on a table top I squeezed and stretched repeatedly for around 20 minutes bringing it together every time i carried that motion, this is to get the gluten working well, finally I dusted another bowl with a little flour and placed the dough inside, covering this recipient with cling film, then a cloth finally inside a plastic carrier bag and placed it in the warmest place in my house for about 4 hours.

I returned to it later, removed coverings kneaded it again for about 3-4 minutes placed it in the baking tins pre-dusted with flour placing each tin inside a tied up plastic bag and than placed it in a warm oven (to get oven warm i switched it on for about 2 minutes and switched it off) and let them to rise again for around 40 minutes.

Than I removed the loafs preheated the oven for at 200 Celsius (also placed a little ramekin with a little water in the oven, helps making a crispier crust) and baked the bread for 40 minutes until golden brown and when knocked make a hollow sound, removed them from the oven placed them on a cooling rack until cold covered with a cloth.


 I love the smell of fresh baked bread is fantastic, this bread was the best one so far... consistency slightly elastic it bounces back when pushed, nice formation of bubbles, dense yet light, nice fresh or toasted...and a wonderful crispy crust (for those who like, for less crispy do not put ramekin with water in the oven)

Happy baking!!!

Monday 16 May 2011

Crumbed Pork Scallops with Crumbed Oven Fries and Honey Glazed Parsnips

Another easy and cheap recipe which feeds four for under a "£" fiver.




 Ingredients for this recipe: (feeds 4 )

1 pkt of pork scallops (I paid £3.00 and had five scallops)
5 large red potatoes (pealed and chuck chipped)
4 medium parsnips (pealed and cut into quarters, lengthways)
1/4 glass of white wine
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
2 bay-leaves
1 egg
6 tbs full of plain flour
8 tbs full of wholemeal "or normal" bread crumbs
1 teaspoon of honey
Condiments, cayene pepper, rock salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic salt
also some sunflower oil, olive oil


Preparation:

Before anything marinate the scallops in 1/4 glass of white wine, the mince garlic, a couple of bay-leaves and some rock salt for at least an hour.

After that place the chunky chips in a bowl and add to them 2tbs of olive oil, a tea spoon of cayenne, a tea spoon of paprika, 2tea spoons of rock salt and 1/2 tea spoon of garlic salt. Toss the bowl contents until the chips are well covered in the spices and oil, at this stage sprinkle 2 tbs of wholemeal breadcrumbs, and toss it a few more times to get this also all over the chips, carefully place them on a baking tray, which goes in the oven at 190 Celsius for about 25-30 minutes, giving them a toss after 15 minutes of cooking.

As soon as you place the chips in the oven, place also the parsnips there, with a drizzle of both olive oil and honey, as well as a pinch of salt and black pepper, cooking for the same time.

Around 10 minutes from the veg in the oven being cooked, place a frying pan on the stove gas medium, and pour a little oil into the pan enough to cover fully the bottom about 1cm deep, and let this heat up well.
While waiting to heat up have three recipients ready, and place flour on one, egg beaten on another and finally bread crumbs on the last one. Now proceed to dip scallop by scallop, first flour covering well shaking the excess, then egg until well covered and finally the crumbs, fry these in the oil for about 3 minutes on each side until golden brown, and once cooked drain excess oil by placing it on a kitchen paper towel.

All should be ready at the same time, so just serve all and enjoy yourself a very traditional Portuguese, "panados" crumbed scallops, with an English twist of parsnips and an healthy crispy chips portion.

Sunday 15 May 2011

Decorated Chocolate Cupcakes (traditional)




Ingredients for the Recipe: (enough for 24 small cups or 12 large like muffins)

Cake:
200grs  decent margarine for baking (or 50% -50% margarine / butter)
200grs caster sugar
200grs self raising flour
4 eggs
1 tea spoon of vanilla essence
2tbsp of lemon syrup (I made this, with lemon zest, water and sugar boiling for awhile)
2 e 1/2 tbsp of good cocoa




Topping:
75grs butter
125grs icing sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
1 teaspoon of almond essence
2 tbsp fresh single cream
decorative sprinkles etc to your own taste




Preparation: (Cakes)
Place in a bowl the margarine (soft) with the sugar, and with a electric whisk blend them together for a few minutes until it goes creamy and whitish, at this stage add the vanilla and the lemon syrup (alternatively you can add two tbsp of lemon juice and the zest of one lemon) keep whisking adding one egg at time and letting each one incorporate until adding the next, repeat process until all eggs are in.

Now the flour (premixed with the cocoa), add this one in four parts folding it into the mixture gently with a spatula, once is all mixed in should look like a nice chocolate mousse.

Use a tbsp full of mixture for each paper cup (small) or two tbsp (for large), once all paper cups are filled place them in metallic cupcake shapes, and place it in the oven at 180celcius for 15 minutes (small) 20 minutes (large). once cooked remove them from the oven and place them on a cooling rack letting them cool completely before decorating.



Topping: (butter-cream)

Place the butter in a small bowl and add half of the icing sugar, whisk it with the electric wisk for a couple of minutes then add the rest of the sugar, continuing to whisk until is just lumpy. Then add the essences and the 2 tbsp of fresh cream continuing with the whisking until is a nice and thick frosting.

(optionally add food colouring and sprinkles of your liking to the frosting "in my case I used red colouring for some frosting and none on remaining, also used chocolate and multicoloured sprinkles" being optionla is not listed in the ingredients) . then just decorate and eat.



PS 
any questions please ask. 
These were my first ever cupcakes, a trial as I intend to star selling this soon at markets.

Tuesday 1 March 2011

Oven Baked Fresh Cod with Potatoes and Charlottes






Ingredients: (for 4 people)
  • 2 fresh cod fillets (about 700grs) skinless and boneless (cut into small pieces)
  • 4 Large pealed potatoes cut into very thin slices (about 5mm thick)
  • 8 Charlotte's (thinly sliced)
  • 8 Spring onions (sliced)
  • 2 Broccoli heads (cut into pieces)
  • 4 Garlic cloves (finely diced)
  • 250mls fresh cream (you can use creme fraiche)
  • 1 fish stock cube (knorr or any other brand)
  • 1 bunch of parsley (finely chopped)
  • 1/2 Glass of white wine (sweet)
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • A little olive oil, salt, black pepper and butter.


An uncomplicated recipe, simply cook the potatoes in water until they become translucent, but not completely cooked (cooking for around 7-10 minutes depending on the potatoes quality), at the same time place on a frying pan a little olive oil and as soon as is very hot add the Charlotte's and the garlic with a pinch of both salt and pepper, stir regularly until these become golden, which then you should add the wine and the spring onions, leaving these to cook until soft (about 3-4 minutes.



In a Pyrex tray, cover the bottom with a film of olive oil, then lay out the sliced potatoes until the bottom is covered, on top of these place half of the onions mixture and also crumble half of the stock cube over it, repeat the process potatoes and onion mixture and stock cube, on on top of this final layer place the filleted fish pieces on top, and cover the fish with sliced red (or white onions) and finally to top it all add the fresh cream over it all, cover the tray with foil and place in a 180 degrees Celsius preheated oven for 20 minutes.


Once the 20 minutes are over, remove the aluminium foil from the tray, with care not to burn yourself or for food to be stuck to it, and let it remain in the oven at the same temperature for a further 20 minutes.

During the last 20 minutes place a deep pan on the stove with two fingers deep of water in it adding to it the broccoli put the lid on and once reaches the boil reduce to minimum leaving it to cook for those 20 minutes.


During the last five minutes before the broccoli are ready, place a little bowl in bain-marie and place in it a little butter around two soup spoons, until its melted adding to it at this stage the chopped parsley    and the lemon juice.





Now that all is ready at the same time is just to assemble the dish on the plate and eat it. Bon apettit!!

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Rico - Tried and Tested Recipes

Hi my name is Rico (short for Ricardo) will regularly add more food content to this blog, all my recipes are tried and tested, as I make them and eat them as well as my family, so I wouldn't give you something that is not good.

Recipes published here, will try to conform to the following criteria:

-Easy to create or bake.
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