Blog – Page 41 – The Food Wife

Ellieâ€™s Wild Garlic Pesto

29th April 201919th May 2019
by thefoodwife

Over the Easter weekend, my friend, Ellie, sent me a couple of photographs of wild garlic. She had been foraging and urged me to do the same. She also gave me her recipe for pesto. The next day, I did just that; with the Food Husband and Baby in tow, we set off to forage in some woodland just a few miles from our home.

When foraging for wild garlic ensure you always leave a good amount still growing, and you do not need to pull it up from the bulb. Simply pick the leaves and flowers. The flowers can add a punchy garlic hit to salads, but Ellie also uses them in her pesto. The more garlicky the merrier, right? Aim to pick away from the edges of paths (we all know what dogs do when they are out for walks) and always wash your foraged treasure thoroughly before eating. If you are not using the wild garlic the same day, then storing it with the stems in a glass of water in the fridge will keep them fresh for a couple of days.

I made all of my green treasure into pesto as soon as we got home, making a jar for the fridge to eat over the next few weeks and the rest frozen in small pots in the freezer. I topped each with a layer of rapeseed oil, which when in the fridge will help preserve the pesto (just keep it topped up after each use to ensure the surface has a thin covering of oil).

Now, in a quest to find out if diet can help the symptoms of a chronic illness, the Food Husband is eliminating various things from his diet. Having cut out gluten for a couple of months, heâ€™s now moved on to dairy. This has led me to adapt Ellieâ€™s pesto recipe to one that is dairy free, and at the same time vegan and gluten-free. I made two versions which I will share with you, along with Ellieâ€™s suggestion with the addition of dairy too.

Whichever recipe you choose, just ensure you taste it and adjust as necessary. You are then free to use it as you wish; stirred through pasta, as a dressing on new potatoes, slathered on chicken or fish (pre or post cooking as you wish), or as a topping to crostinis (perhaps with a little goats cheese). Enjoy!

Ingredients:
Wild garlic (thoroughly washed)
Lemon juice
Cold pressed rapeseed oil
Salt and pepper
Pine nuts (optional)
Hard cheese (optional)

There are no hard and fast rules for quantities here; you are doing it to taste. As a guide I found that three or four handfuls of wild garlic leaves (and flowers) was enough for the juice of half a lemon, a large pinch of salt and several grinds of black pepper. To this I added four or five glugs of oil and blended. The result will be a vegan pesto, utterly delicious, lower in calories as it does not include any pine nuts or cheese (although still calorific from the oil, donâ€™t forget!).

I also made a batch which moved closer to a regular pesto with addition of pine nuts. I added about 40-50g to the above suggested quantities. This obviously gave the resulting pesto a nuttier taste, but still remains dairy-free and vegan.

Ellieâ€™s recipe doesnâ€™t contain any pine nuts but does include the addition of cheese. You will want to use a hard cheese, traditionally Parmesan, but Ellie recommends using an extra-mature cheddar for preference; I would say 50g should be about right.

Remember to store in the fridge or freezer. When in the fridge, cover the top with a little extra oil, to help it keep for a few weeks.

Dairy-Free, Vegan, No-Knead Sourdough Hot Cross Buns

18th April 201919th May 2019
by thefoodwife

Makes 12

I made my first sourdough starter back in December. Named Cuthbert, he has gone on to make regular loaves and pizza dough without any need for yeast.

This Easter I decided to use him as the base of my hot cross buns. Iâ€™ve opted for a no-knead method. Essentially a 24 hour process with very little human input and no need for any machinery to produce the dough.

This year Iâ€™ve gone for a dairy-free bun, due to dietary requirements, but these can be made with butter if no such requirements are needed.

They can also be made in advance and frozen; simply defrost for a few hours before re-heating or splitting and toasting.

Ingredients:
330g recently fed sourdough starter (fed 2-3 hours before using)
80ml/g vegetable oil (or melted butter if youâ€™re not making these vegan/dairy-free)
300ml luke-warm water
10g salt
50g caster sugar
250g strong white bread flour
250g strong wholemeal bread flour
30g mixed spice
200g dried fruit (I used 150g sultanas and 50g of candied peel)

For the crosses:
50g plain flour
Water

For the glaze:
25g caster sugar
25ml water

Step 1: Begin by placing the bubbling starter in a large bowl, add the oil, water, salt, sugar, mixed spice and flours and use a wooden spoon to mix into a combined dough. This will not take long and will be a rather wet mix. Cover the bowl with cling film or a damp tea towel and leave for an hour.

Step 2: Uncover the dough and start folding the sides into the middle. Add the dried fruit as you go. Keep rotating the bowl, moving the outside in until you have done about 20 folds. Re-cover and leave, revisiting three more times over the next few hours to turn and fold a few times each visit. Each time the dough should have risen slightly and become smoother.

Step 3: Cover and leave in a cool place to prove over night.

Step 4: The next morning you should have a smooth, well risen dough. Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 pieces (I cut in half, divided each half in two and then each quarter into three).

Step 5: Line a baking sheet with parchment and roughly shape each piece into a ball and place on the baking sheet.

Step 6: Mix the paste for the crosses by combining the flour with a little water until a smooth paste is formed. Place in a piping bag and pipe crosses across each bun (each row can be piped as a continuous line).

Step 7: Bake in a preheated oven (200c/190c fan) for 25 minutes, or until browned, risen and have a hollow sound when tapped underneath. Make the glaze whilst they are baking by heating the water and sugar to a bubbling syrup in a saucepan.

Step 8: Brush each bun with the glaze and allow to cool.

These are best eaten warm. Either eat fresh from the oven, re-heat in the oven or split and toast. They can be frozen too; just make sure to remove and defrost a few hours before needed.

Whatâ€™s For Dinner?

15th April 201919th May 2019
by thefoodwife

The week ahead is sure to contain a fair amount of chocolate but I thought Iâ€™d share some of the recipes weâ€™ll be having over the next week to give you some inspiration too.

Since I posted my recipe for Chinese Lemon Chicken a couple of weeks ago, Iâ€™d been thinking about when I can have it again. I probably mentioned it a couple of times a day to The Food Husband, So I decided it was back on the menu this week and it made an excellent accompaniment to the new series of Game of Thrones!

Weâ€™ve also been using up previous batch cooking stores from the freezer and have had an easy meal of bolognese, simply defrosted and reheated and stirred through freshly cooked pasta.

As the freezer supplies need replacing Iâ€™m planning to make a new batch of my Moroccan-inspired chickpea and preserved lemon tagine later this week. I love the zingyness and potent flavour from the preserved lemons and it makes a cheap yet hearty meatless meal.

And of course Easter Sunday: we will be having lamb. Last year we had the glorious Mechoui leg of lamb. This year we are having a roasted shoulder with the classic garlic and rosemary. But on Monday we will be turning the leftovers into lamb rissoles to have with salad.

And for the Food Baby? Iâ€™ve just restocked his cheesy vegetable fritters in the freezer; this time a combination of carrot, broccoli, sweet potato, potato and sweetcorn with cheddar and smoked paprika instead of curry spices. And Iâ€™m replenishing the successful cheese and vegetable scones, switching the courgette for grated broccoli. A couple of veg-filled winners!

Hopefully thatâ€™s given you some inspiration for your meals ahead. If you are still in need of inspiration then head over to www.thefoodwife.co.uk and if you havenâ€™t already, why not sign up to the newsletter, sending you recipe inspiration each week. Wishing you all a happy Easter, The Food Wife.

Saag Paneer

12th April 201912th April 2019
by thefoodwife

Serves 8

Iâ€™ve previously posted a recipe for homemade paneer, which if you havenâ€™t already given a go, I urge you to, as it is so easy and very satisfying knowing youâ€™ve made your own cheese.

Here is a simple recipe to use it in a meal, suitable as an accompaniment to a curry, although it also makes an excellent wrap/flatbread filling with any of the leftovers.

Itâ€™s best to make this at the last minute to ensure the spinach keeps its vibrant green, although you can prepare steps 1 and 2 in advance. Before continuing to step 3, ensure your paneer and purÃ©ed spinach are ready to use.

Ingredients:
250g (homemade) paneer, cut into cubes
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 onion, cut into small dice
1 inch of root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1-2 green chillis, left whole but pierced three times with the point of a knife
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp garam masala
Salt
Juice of half a lemon
50-100ml cream

Step 1: Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and add the cumin. After a few seconds add the onion and cook for a few minutes until softened.

Step 2: Add the ginger, garlic and chillis and cook for a further couple of minutes. Add the coriander and a pinch of salt.

Step 3: Add the purÃ©ed spinach and stir, cooking for just a minute or two until warmed through. Fold through the paneer and cream.

Step 4: Season with the lemon and garam masala and check if more salt is needed. Serve immediately.

Banana and Chocolate Loaf

9th April 20199th April 2019
by thefoodwife

Serves up to 12

Many fruit bowls will gather a collection of over-ripe bananas from time to time and making a loaf cake with them is a great way of using them up, especially if, like me, you will only eat a banana when itâ€™s slightly green; a hint of brown and I can no longer palate them raw.

Using the bananas makes for a wet batter, but allows you to use less fat and sugar than a standard cake. I have chosen to pair the sweet banana with chunks of bitter dark chocolate. Not only a great combination but it also gives you delicious pools of chocolate throughout the cake.

Today is the Food Husband’s birthday, and so this was one of the cakes he took into work, along with a Lemon and Blueberry Polenta Cake.

Ingredients:
110g softened butter
60g caster sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
2 large/3 medium/4 small very ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp vanilla extract
170g self raising flour
100g dark chocolate, chips or broken into pieces

Step 1: Cream together the butter and sugar.

Step 2: Add the eggs, one at a time, beating the mix after each addition. Add the vanilla extract.

Step 3: Fold in half of the mashed banana, followed by half of the flour. Repeat with the remaining banana and flour.

Step 4: Fold through the chocolate pieces.

Step 5: Pour into a lined 2lb loaf tin and bake in a preheated oven at 180c (fan) for 50 mins, or until golden, risen and springs back to the touch.

Step 6: Remove from the oven and allow to cool for half an hour before transferring (out of the tin) to a wire rack.

Store in an airtight container and it should last a few days. Excellent served with a cup of tea or coffee.