Fennel Ratatouille

I have this aversion to normal ratatouille-i might infact go so far as to say I really dislike it!  I made it this past weekend for sunday lunch, and I still dont like it!  I think it comes from when I first turned vegetarian/vegan about 15 years ago people didnt know what to feed me so invariably the ratatouille would come out-urgh!
Anyway I have found a version that I do like, from Sarah Raven, and seeing as my fennel is never ending in the garden it is a good way to use it...

Fennel Ratatouille:
4 tbsp olive oil
sprig of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
2 tsp fennel seeds
3 large onions cut into quarters
2 peppers, deseeded and roughly chopped-I dont like peppers, so I use Jalapeno instead!
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
4 fennel bulbs, outer leaves discarded and roughly chopped
2 X 400g tins good quality chopped tomatoes-or 900 grms fresh tomatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
grated zest of one lemon
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp runny honey
salt and black pepper
small bunch of dill-roughly chopped
handful of black olives-or kalamata olives.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy based casserole, with the thyme, bay leaf and fennel seeds. Add the onions, peppers, garlic and saute for 5 mins. Add the fennel, tomatoes, chilli, lemon zest, tomato puree, honey and a little salt and pepper.
Cover the dish and simmer gently over a very low heat, stirring every so often, for an hour or more.   Take the lid off, add the dill and olives.  Increase the heat slightly to reduce until the sauce becomes thick and treacly. Taste and season as necessary.
Can be served hot or cold and if you have left overs makes a good soup, pureed and thinned with vegetable stock. 

Pound cake

This is just to balance out my last post!  A friend of mine has just started keeping chickens and last week gave me 12 of her eggs.  I dont eat eggs and JP doesnt like eggs...so I had to find a recipe where the eggs are hidden-in comes the pound cake!
It's a gently sweet, dense textured cake-lovely and simple.  Serve with earl grey tea!

450 g unsalted butter, soft.  Plus a little extra melted butter to grease.
450 g plain flour, sifted, plus extra to dust
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarb of soda
450g golden caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract-I use a vanilla paste
6 organic, large, free range eggs
125 ml whole milk
finely grated zest of one lemon or two limes

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees.  Line a loose bottomed 23 cm round cake tim with foil, and then baking parchment.  Brush the parchment and sides of the tim with melted butter, then dust with a little flour.
Sift the flour, salt, bicarb and baking powder together into a bowl and set aside.
Using an electric mier, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla extract together on a low speed for 2 minutes.  Then increase the speed and to high and beat until pale and fluffy.  Turn the speed to low again and beat in the eggs, one at a time, alternately with the milk.
Using a large metal spoon, fold the flour into the mixture in three batches, followed by the lemon zest until evenly combined.
Spoon the cake mixture into the prepared cake tin, and gently level the surface with the back of the spoon.  Stand the cake tin on a baking sheet, in the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 1.5 hours, or until the cake has begun to shrink away from the sides of the tin and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Leave in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.  Best eaten when still slightly warm

Gluten free & vegan Bread

A few months ago I invested in a bread machine-about the same time that it was mentioned in 'The Week' as being the least used bit of household equipment!  Well I love mine, and finally I have found a great way to make vegan and gluten free bread!  I thought I would share it with you all, just incase any one is like me!
Basic white bread(750g loaf)-gluten free:

290ml water
1.5 tbsp olive oil
450 g multipurpose gluten free flour
4 tsp channa (chick pea) flour
1.5 tsp salt1 tbsp sugar
1.5 tsp easy blend dried yeast
3 tbsp golden flax seeds

Now this is the easy part, place all ingredients into the bread machine in the order they are listed and set it to a gluten free setting!

Eat with marmite and avocado! :)

My favourite cook books

I have a little obsession with cook books-my brother in law calls them my porn!  I read them every day!  I have a few vegan and vegetarian cook books but I tend to favour more garden type cook books.  So here  are a list of some of my current favourites:
Nigel Slater 'Tender" both volumes 1 and 2.  They are amazing, little stories, beutiful photographs and simple delicous food.
http://www.amazon.com/Tender-Cook-His-Vegetable-Patch/dp/0007248490/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1300434642&sr=1-2

I also love Sarah Raven's "Garden cook book"-
http://www.amazon.com/Sarah-Ravens-Garden-Cookbook-Raven/dp/0747588708/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1300434795&sr=1-3

My other current favourite is Skye  Gyngell, who is the head chef at the Petersham Nurseries Cafe in Richmond, Surrey.  I have two of her books which I frequently dip into-"A year in my kitchen" and "How I cook"
http://www.amazon.com/Year-My-Kitchen-Skye-Gyngell/dp/1580080529/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1300435049&sr=1-1

Focus on Ingredients: Buckwheat

I love the strong, earthy flavor of buckwheat which was first introduced to me by a friend at St. Andrews. It is treated as a grain, though actually it is a fruit seed, related to rhubarb and sorrel. Hulled buckwheat seeds are called groats, or if roasted, kasha, which is also the name for cooked buckwheat groats.

They are a staple in Eastern European countries.  To prevent them from disintegrating into mush- toast the groats first, then cook them in an oven in heavy earthenware or cast-iron pot.

Use one part whole groats, two parts boiling water or stock, and salt to taste. First, stir the buckwheat groats in a lightly oiled pot over medium-high heat until they are dark and toasty, then add the simmering water or stock and salt. Cover and bake in a 350-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed.

Buckwheat is also a very good source of manganese and a good source of magnesium, as well as flavonoids like quercetin and rutin. The protein in buckwheat is a complete protein, containing all eight essential amino acids.

You can also get buckwheat noodles called Soba which are easy to cook and contain no gluten! 

Smoky Lentil Soup

 Chipotle chillies in adobo sauce are AMAZING!  I used to get my supply from a friend with the Mexican Embassy in Nairobi, who has since moved on, but my supply is closely guarded!  Chipotles add a wonderful smoky-spicy element to this lentil soup. Lentils combine well with smoky flavors — that’s why they’re so often cooked with sausage or bacon.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 large garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons cumin seeds, lightly toasted and ground

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 1/3 cups brown lentils, rinsed and picked over

6 cups vegetable stock or water

Salt to taste

1 to 2 canned chipotle chillies in adobo, to taste, rinsed, seeded and sliced, plus a teaspoon of the adobo sauce

Croutons or toasted tortilla chips for garnish (optional)

1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot. Add the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about five minutes. Add the garlic, cumin and tomato paste. Cook, stirring, until the mixture is fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Stir in the lentils and stock/water, add salt to taste (1 to 2 teaspoons) and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the lentils are very tender, about 50 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.

2. Using a hand blender, coarsely purée the soup, or purée half the soup in batches in a blender.  Stir the blended soup back into the pot, and combine well. Add the chipotles, and heat through. Taste and adjust seasonings. Garnish each serving with croutons or toasted tortilla chips if desired.

Chilli Jam

I love chilli Jam-need I say more?!

500 grm very ripe tomatoes
4 garlic cloves-peeled
4 large red chillies-seeds left in if you want your jam very hot
6cm piece root ginger-sliced
300 grms golden caster sugar
2 tablespoons braggs liquid aminos or tamari (or fish sauce if you use it)
100 ml red wine vinegar-a little splash or raspberry vinegar is yummy added in as well

Blitz half of the tomatoes with all the garlic, chillies and ginger in a food processor.  Poir into a heavy based saucepan.  add the sugar, tamari, and vinegar and slowly bring to the boil, stirring slowly.  Reduce to a simmer.
Dice the remaining tomoatoes finely and add them to the pan.
Simmer for 40 mins, stirring from time to time.  The mixture wil turn slightly dark and sticky.
Store in warm dry sterilised jars and seal while the mixture is still warm.  The longer you keep this jam the hotter it gets.  It keeps for bout 3 months in the fridge.