Amazing Cakes - Updated

Courtesy of a friend, (thanks Marc), I have this link to share with you.

It sends you to another set of amazing cakes, this time with a theme.  They are steampunk inspired.

Oh, and this blog aptly called Cake Wrecks also provides a bit of a culinary laugh at the expense of cake decorators.
If you've ever had or seen a professional cake blooper, then this is the blog for you.
There are some amazingly bad cakes that someone, somewhere has thought they could charge for.

Crêpes

Recipe By : James Martin
Serving Size : 12 - 16

Ingredients:

125g plain flour
2 good pinches of salt (optional)
1 large egg
1 tablespoon melted butter, plus extra for frying
300 mls milk

Method:

1. Place the flour and salt in a bowl and add the egg, melted butter and half the milk.  Whisk until smooth and creamy, then mix in the remaining milk.


2. Leave the batter to rest for 10 minutes if you wish, although this is no longer deemed to be necessary as flours are now so thoroughly refined.


3. Heat a pancake pan (approximately 20 cm) over a high heat and grease with a knob of butter.  Ladle the batter in, swirling to coat the base of the pan and cook the crêpes for 1 - 2 minutes on each side, until golden.


4. You should get about 12 - 16 if you make thin ones.  Add your choice of filling and cream, ice cream or sauce and serve.


5. If you are making them in advance, layer them with squares of greaseproof and place in the freezer.  To serve, defrost and reheat either by placing in a pan with a touch of butter, microwaving for a couple of seconds or heating in the oven for 1 minute at 200°C / 400°F / Gas Mark 6.

James' Notes:

I've worked with some chefs who say you should rest the batter after mixing, while others say the opposite.  For me, the real secret of a good pancake or crêpe is, firstly, not to make the batter too eggy.  Secondly, make it quite liquid and not too thick as this will enable the mixture to spread more quickly and thinly into the pan.  Always fry in butter too (never in olive oil or other oils) as it adds to the flavour, and because of the quick cooking the butter will also add colour to the crêpe.

Source: James Martin Desserts

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My notes : This is the best crêpe recipe I have come across yet. It is much better than the Rose Elliot one I posted earlier simply because, as James states in his notes - don't make the batter too eggy.  This one doesn't.  It also comes together really quickly and easily in the KitchenAid with the whisk attachment.  The only proviso I would give is to be fluid with the fluid.  I have sometimes found that different brands of flour have been much thirstier than others, so aim for a consistent consistency not the volume prescribed by the recipe if you are in the habit of buying whatever flour happens to be at hand on the supermarket shelf.

And yes, if you turn the page in this book you will find sauces to go with them if you plan to use the crêpes for a special dessert - chocolate, cinnamon or raspberry sauce are the offerings.

Wild Blackberry Cobbler

Recipe By : Bon Appetit, May 1984
Source: Gathered years ago from rec.recipes
Serving Size : 6

Ingredients:

4 cups blackberries. (up to 5 cups wild blackberries)
14 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons butter, cut into 10 pieces
1/3 cup milk

Method:

1. Bring berries, 12 tablespoons sugar and cornstarch to the boil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly.


2. Reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat.


3. Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter 8 inch square baking pan.


4. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Cut in 8 tablespoons of butter with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually add milk and blend until mixture just comes together.


5. Turn dough out onto generously floured surface and knead several times. Roll dough out to a rectangle ¼ inch thick.


6. Drape dough in prepared pan, allowing excess to hang over 2 edges. Pour in berry mixture. Bring edges of dough up to enclose mixture. Make several slashes in top of dough. Dot with remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Bake until pastry is lightly browned, about 40 minutes. Serve cobbler immediately.

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NOTES :

We had no blackberries in the house, so I used one cup of raspberries, two cups of blueberries and just over a cup of apples.
We don't have an 8 inch baking pan, so made do with what we do have. That meant that the dough did not come to a close over the top of the cobbler. It made no difference to the taste, and even made it look more rustic. The very full berry mixture didn't even so much as attempt to climb over the edges of the turned-over dough edges.

The third of a cup of milk was not quite enough - possibly closer to a quarter cup (or a third and a good splash).
The cooking time was pretty much 30 minutes in a 200°C oven, so don't let this go too long without checking in your own oven. Any longer and it wouldn't have been a lovely golden brown, but a step into the chocolate burned range. :)

Don't forget to use your own judgement about the amount of sugar too. If you know the fruit you are using are more/less tart, then adjust accordingly.

Oh, and Mr OhWaily enjoyed this with cream, while I was a glutton and teamed it with vanilla ice cream. Most satisfying, all round.

Tunisian Pepper and Potato Couscous

Recipe By : Deborah Madison
Serving Size : 6

Ingredients:

⅓ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced in ½ inch squares
1 ½ teaspoons dried mint
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 pound boiling potatoes, peeled and sliced lengthways
2 tablespoons tomato paste
6 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas, rinsed if canned
salt
5 bell peppers, sliced 1-inch thick
4 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 ½ cups couscous
⅓ cup harissa
3 tablespoons chopped parsley

Method:

1. In a wide skillet with 2 inch sides, heat ⅓ cup oil over medium heat.


2. Add the onion, mint, pepper flakes, potatoes, tomato paste, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, then add the chickpeas, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, and the peppers.


3. Raise the heat and saute for 2 minutes.


4. Add the tomatoes and 3 cups water, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, partially covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. When done, remove 2 cups of the liquid for the couscous and set the vegetables aside.


5. Heat the reserved broth and stir in a teaspoon of the harissa.


6. Warm the 2 tablespoons oil in a wide pot over a medium-high heat. Add the couscous and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minutes.


7. Turn off the heat and pour in the broth - it will instantly bubble up. When it subsides, shake the pan to even the contents, then cover and set aside for 7 minutes.


8. Fluff the grains with a fork, spoon half cup water over them, and cover again for 5 minutes.


9. Garnish with parsley and serve remaining harissa on the side.

Cuisine: "Vegetarian"
Copyright: "1997"
Ratings Out of 10: Jesse 8, John 8, Lynn 7
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NOTES :I had to use general purpose vegetable oil the first time and it was fine. Also used Zarbo Harissa marinade (which is runny rather than a paste) and it worked perfectly too.

Lentil Shepherd's Pie

Recipe By : Rose Elliot
Serving Size : 4

Ingredients:

225g / 8oz green or brown lentils
50g / 2oz butter or vegan margarine
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs
1 x 425g / 15oz can tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2-3 tablespoons chopped parsley
salt & freshly ground black pepper
700g / 1 ½ lbs potatoes, cooked and mashed
a little extra butter or vegan margarine

Method:

1. Put the lentils into a large saucepan, cover with water and boil gently until tender - about 45 minutes. Drain.


2. Preheat the oven to 200C / 400F / Gas 6. Use half the butter/margarine to grease a shallow ovenproof dish.


3. Fry the onions in the remaining butter/margarine in a large saucepan for 10 minutes.


4. Add the garlic, mixed herbs, tomatoes, soy sauce, lentils, parsley and salt and pepper to taste.


5. Spoon the mixture into the dish. Spread the mashed potatoes evenly over the top, draw the prongs of the fork over the surface to make ridges and dot with a little butter or vegan margarine.


6. Bake the pie for 45 minutes, until the potato is golden brown.

Source: "Rose Elliot's Vegetarian Cookery" , 1988

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NOTES :This book is a great starting point for vegetarian cooking. Just be flexible about the cooking times, it may not take as long as the recipe states. Also, I can definitely state that dyed-in-the-wool meat eaters will enjoy this.
(I fed a bodybuilder this and he loved it.)

I also have to confess to adding cheese to the potato topping before the baking process - but we buy Vegetarian Edam for the purpose - and you really don't need another 45 minutes for this stage. Use your discretion, the lentils are usually cooked by the time you bake this.

Lemon and Ginger Cheesecake

Recipe By : Debbie Grierson

Ingredients:

Base
200g Gingernut biscuits
100g Butter

Topping
250g firm cream cheese (Philadelphia cream cheese works really well)
3 to 4 pieces stem ginger, finely chopped
Juice of 4 lemons
Rind of 2 lemons
400g can of sweetened condensed milk

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180C / 350F / Gas 4.


2. Make the base: Crush the biscuits finely. Melt the butter, add the crushed biscuits and mix. This can be done in a food processor. Press into flan dish. Cook in oven for 5 minutes. Leave to cool for 30 minutes.


3. Make the topping: Combine the cheese, chopped ginger, lemon juice and rind, and the condensed milk. Whisk until the mixture is slightly thickened (this can be done in a food processor). Place the mixture on top of the cooled biscuit base and freeze for 30 minutes before serving.

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NOTES : This quantity fills a 9 inch flan dish and feeds 8.

Chickpea Burgers

Recipe By: "July/August 1993 issue of Eating Well magazine"
Serving Size : 4

Ingredients:

4 teaspoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 scallions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup rice, cooked
⅔ cup wheat germ
3 tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
tomatoes, to taste
4 pita bread rounds
yogurt, for garnish
spinach, for garnish

Method:

1. Cook the sesame seeds in a dry pan until golden. Add coriander and cumin and cook until fragrant (30 sec.). Set aside to cool, then grind or bash in a mortar and pestle.


2. Add oil to pan and saute the garlic and scallions until tender.


3. Mash the chickpeas well, then stir in the rice and ⅓ cup wheat germ, lemon juice, salt, pepper, sesame seeds, and garlic/scallions.


4. Shape into 4 ¾" thick patties. Dredge in remaining ⅓ cup wheat germ, pressing firmly onto the patties.


5. Grill or broil patties and tomato on a lightly oiled rack until browned and heated through.


6. Tuck the patties into pitas; garnish with yogurt and spinach.

Note: If you aren't averse to garlic, use garlic pita bread. Also, I can highly recommend Paul Newman's Ranch Dressing as well as salad to put into the pitas.

Buckwheat Noodle Salad with Grilled Tofu and Roasted Peppers

Recipe By: Deborah Madison
Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

The Tofu and Marinade

1 package firm tofu
⅓ cup hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
⅓ cup rice wine vinegar -- (mirin)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 ½ tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 ½ tablespoons tomato paste
3 cloves garlic -- minced or pressed
1 Tablespoon minced ginger
2 pinches red pepper flakes

The Noodles

2 red bell peppers
12 ounce package soba noodles
1 bunch scallions -- thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Method:

1. Cut the tofu into slabs about ⅜ inch thick and drain briefly on paper towels.


2. Whisk the remaining marinade ingredients together in a pie plate. Add the tofu and turn the pieces so that all are covered with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.


3. Prepare the grill or heat the broiler. Remove the tofu from the marinade, reserving the marinade. Grill or broil until browned on both sides, then slice into strips.


4. Grill or broil the peppers until the skin blisters, then peel and slice into narrow strips.


5. Boil the noodles in a large pot of salted water until done, according to the package instructions.


6. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking and shake off excess water.


7. Toss the noodles with the reserved marinade, scallions, cilantro, peppers and tofu. Sprinkle the sesame seeds over the noodles. Toss again and serve.

Ratings Out of 10: Jesse 7, John 7, Lynn 7

NOTES : I made this with bottled peppers in place of the pepper flakes. Also cut the tofu into smaller strips and marinaded them before grilling. Could do with a small salad as an accompaniment.

Apple Crepes

Recipe By : Rose Elliot
Serving Size : 4

Ingredients:

Orange Crepe Batter. (see Basic Crepe Recipe, with orange variation)
450g / 1 lb sweet, mellow eating apples such as Cox's
15g / ½ oz butter
2 - 3 teaspoons granulated sugar
50g / 2oz sultanas or raisins (optional)
a little caster sugar

Method:

1. Make the crepes as described on page 38. (see here)


2. Peel and core the apples and slice them thinly. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the apples and sugar, and the sultanas or raisins if you are using them, and stir to mix together. Cook, uncovered, over a low heat, stirring gently from time to time, for about 3-4 minutes or until the apple slices have softened.


3. Spoon this mixture on to the crepes and roll them up. Sprinkle with a little caster sugar and serve immediately, perhaps with some creme fraiche.

Source: Rose Elliot's Vegetarian Meals in Minutes

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NOTES :

Rose's Comments in the margin of the book are:

These crepes are particularly delicious if you add to the apple mixture a good pinch of cinnamon and/or ground cloves or a splash of Calvados.

(My notes: We used NZ Rose apples for this, and because John doesn't like dried fruit, we omitted the sultana/raisin option. But we did add a good dash of cinnamon to the apples. The result was yummy, but did take a fair amount longer than 3 to 4 minutes. This was probably because we made this in a small saucepan. )

Basic Crepe Recipe

Recipe By : Rose Elliot
Serving Size : 4

Ingredients:

125g / 4oz plain flour - white or half white/half wholewheat
2 eggs
2 tablespoons oil or melted butter, plus extra for frying
300 mls /½ pint skimmed milk or milk and water

Method:

1. If you've got a liquidizer or food processor, put in the flour, eggs, oil or melted butter and milk and whizz to a batter. If not, put the flour into a bowl and beat in the eggs, oil or butter and about a third of the milk. Mix until smooth, then gradually beat in the rest of the milk. The batter should be the consistency of single cream.


2. Put a 15cm / 6 inch frying pan over a low heat and brush it with a little oil or melted butter: a good way to do this is with a pad of kitchen paper.


3. When the pan is hot enough to sizzle if a drop of water is flicked into it, pour in 2 tablespoons of batter and tilt the pan until the base is thinly coated.


4. Fry for 1-2 minutes until the top is set, then, using a palette knife and your fingers, flip the crepe over and cook the other side for a few seconds.
   Cook the remaining crepes in the same way, brushing the pan with oil or butter between every couple of crepes. As the crepes are done, stack them up on a plate, cover them with another plate and keep them warm over a pan of steaming water.

Variation:

Orange or Lemon Crepes

Add the grated rind of 1 orange or lemon and 1 tablespoon of caster sugar to the batter.

Source: Rose Elliot's Vegetarian Meals in Minutes

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NOTES : This is a great and simple crepe recipe. The orange version is yummy and I can't recommend it highly enough.

Rose's Comments in the margin of the book are:

Any leftover crepes freeze well:
interleave them with non-stick paper and wrap in foil so that you can take them out singly. A stack of crepes in the freezer makes any of these recipes practical for one person.

(My note: I doubt they will make it to the freezer!!)

Re-posting recipes

Just thought I would warn you that over the next few days I will be re-posting a bunch of recipes.

In my infinite wisdom I originally put them online as pages - subpages to be exact - and not all of the lovely templates here at Wordpress display pages and their subs in an attractive manner.  So, to prevent any ugliness if and when I choose to change the look of the blog again (and to reduce the unnecessary clutter in the pages section of my Dashboard) I will be re-posting the recipe and then deleting the page.  Hopefully this won't be a cause for concern for anyone, but I thought I would pre-warn you before the recipe onslaught begins.

For reference, here is the list of what will be re-appearing shortly:

• Apple crepes & a basic crepe recipe


• Buckwheat noodle salad with grilled tofu and roasted peppers


• Chickpea burgers


• Lemon and ginger cheesecake


• Lentil shepherd's pie


• Tunisian pepper and potato couscous


• Wild Blackberry cobbler

American Brownie

Source:  Robyn Martin Bakes

American Brownie

Ingredients:

250g butter
½ cup cocoa
1 ½ cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Method:

1. Melt butter in a saucepan large enough to mix all the ingredients.  Mix in cocoa.  Remove from heat and stir in sugar.


2. Add eggs and beat well using a wooden spoon.  Sift flour and baking powder into the mixture.  Add vanilla essence and mix to combine.


3. Pour into a 20 x 30cm sponge roll tin with a baking paper-lined base.


4. Bake at 180C for 25-30 minutes or until brownie springs back when lightly touched.  Cut into bars while still warm.  Ice with chocolate icing if wished.

Robyn’s Tip:
There are many versions of the popular chocolate brownie recipe.  Some use chocolate to flavour as well as making a contribution to the fat in the recipe.  I don't always have chocolate in my pantry (that's because the chocolate lovers in the family eat it) so prefer to use my cocoa-based chocolate brownie as my faithful standby.  You can add chocolate pieces, nuts, essences or dried fruit to the mixture for a different flavour and texture.

Ms OWW’s Notes:
I completely agree with Robyn's note above about it being a faithful standby.  We usually have cocoa, but not chocolate in the house.  The all-in-one-pan mixing means an extraordinarily quick and simple recipe to make.  It has already become a perfect standby for giving as a thank you gift or a homemade goodie to share over tea with visiting family and friends.  I can't recommend this enough.  I hope you try it and enjoy it.

Robyn Martin Bakes

I must recommend this book to you.  Sadly I could find no one selling it on line.  The closest was The Book Depository, but they have it as out of stock at the moment.

I checked it out of the library about a month or so ago and found that I was able to make more than half a dozen recipes with what meagre stocks were in our cupboards.  That's a rarity in my baking experience.
Since then I have had a birthday, and as a lovely gift this arrived.

So far we have tried and liked the following recipes:

• American brownies


• Ginger crisps (freeze the batter and you can roll it out to make gingerbread men too)


• Louise cake


• Belgium slice


• Gateau Basque


• Cheese scones

The only let down has been the cheese scones recipe.

But, to prove to you how yummy the other recipes are, I will share the American Brownie recipe in the next post.  It's for those who like their brownies just moist, not doughy or gooey in the centre.

If you find an online retailer with this in stock, let me know and I'll update this post to include a link to them.

Crepes

A while ago I posted a recipe for Apple Crepes.  It was a two parter, involving the basic crepes recipe and the apple sauce.

Well, I have an improvement on that offering.  I know.  I didn't think I'd find a better recipe, but I have.
This little gem came from one of my lovely birthday presents and provided for a yummy weekend breakfast.

Source: James Martin Desserts

Crêpes

Ingredients:

125g plain flour
2 good pinches of salt (optional)
1 large egg
1 tablespoon melted butter, plus extra for frying
300 mls milk

Method:

1. Place the flour and salt in a bowl and add the egg, melted butter and half the milk.  Whisk until smooth and creamy, then mix in the remaining milk.


2. Leave the batter to rest for 10 minutes if you wish, although this is no longer deemed to be necessary as flours are now so thoroughly refined.


3. Heat a pancake pan (approximately 20cm) over a high heat and grease with a knob of butter.  Ladle the batter in, swirling to coat the base of the pan and cook the crêpes fro 1-2 minutes on each side, until golden.


4. You should get about 12-16 if you make thin ones.  Add you choice of filling and cream, ice cream or sauce and serve.


5. If you are making these in advance, layer them with squares of greaseproof and place in the freezer.  To serve, defrost and reheat either by placing in a pan with a touch of butter, microwaving for a couple of seconds or heating in the oven for 1 minute at 200C/400F/Gas mark 6.

James' Notes:
I've worked with some chefs who say you should rest the batter after mixing, while others say the opposite.  For me, the real secret of a good pancake or crêpe is, firstly, not to make the batter too eggy.  Secondly, make it quite liquid and not too thick as this will enable the mixture to spread more quickly and thinly into the pan.  Always fry in butter too (never olive oil or other oils) as it adds to the flavour, and because the quick cooking the butter will also add colour to the crêpe.

Ms OWW's Notes:
Our batch made about 7 or 8 using the stated quantities.  Our pan was probably larger than 20cm, but I think our flour may have been thirstier too.  And I whole-heartedly agree about the batter not being eggy.  It made a huge difference to the taste of these crêpes.  For the record, I made a bit of a mixed berry sauce to go with them and it was very loosely based on one of James's  recipes.

Gastronomy: Aubergine pancakes with red pepper purée

Here is another recipe from Rose Elliot's "Vegetarian Supercook".

We tried it out tonight and it's a keeper. It would make a great canapé idea for your next barbecue or dinner party (if you are such an entertainer). They may translate into larger pancakes, but I think they are best served as a starter or finger food. The sauce is ridiculously quick if you are prepared to use bottled roasted red peppers.

Mr O is not a fan of aubergine usually, but much to my surprise he enjoyed this. I'm not sure it wasn't the excess garlic that I tend to throw at my food that masked any possible aubergine tastes, of course. ;)

Puffy Aubergine Pancakes with Red Pepper Purée.

Vegetarian. Preparation time: 40 minutes. Cooking time: 1 hour. Serves 6.

Ingredients:

1 large aubergine
1 large red pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 egg
2 tablespoons fine wholemeal flour
2 teaspoons chopped oregano
olive oil for shallow frying
salt and pepper
oregano leaves or small sprigs and coarsely ground black pepper, to garnish

Method:

1. Remove the stem from the aubergine. Put the aubergine and pepper on a baking sheet and roast in a preheated oven, 200C (400F), Gas Mark 6, for about 30 minutes, or until both are very tender when pierced with a sharp knife. Allow to cool. This can be done in advance when the oven is on for something else if convenient. You won't need the oven any more unless you want to make the pancakes straight away and keep them warm for a short time before serving.


2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a saucepan, add the onion, cover and cook gently for 10 minutes, or until the onion is tender. Add the garlic, cook for 1-2 minutes longer, then remove from the heat.


3. Make the red pepper purée. Pull the papery outer skin from the cooled pepper, scoop out the seeds and core from the inside and discard the stem if still attached. Put the pepper into a food processor or blender with half the onion and garlic mixture and whiz to a thick purée. Season with salt and pepper and put to one side.


4. Rinse out the food processor and put in the roasted aubergine, the remaining onion and garlic mixture, the egg, flour, oregano and some salt and pepper to taste. Whiz to a thick batter.


5. Just before you want to serve the pancakes, heat 2.5mm depth of olive oil in a frying pan. When it's hot enough for a tiny speck of the batter to sizzle as soon as it hits the oil, put in heaped teaspoons of the batter mixture. Fry on one side for about 2 minutes, then flip them over and fry the other side. Take them out and put on to a plate lined with kitchen paper. Repeat until you have 18 little pancakes and all the mixture has been used up.


6. Just before serving, gently reheat the red pepper purée. Put three pancakes on each serving plate and top each pancake with a spoonful of the red pepper purée. Garnish with oregano leaves or a sprig and some coarsely ground black pepper. Serve at once.

Notes:

This was a very tasty recipe. The times listed for preparation and cooking seem quite a bit excessive to me. I would suggest that it takes half that time in total, at most. Mind you, I only needed to bake the aubergine as I used the cheat of bottled red peppers. We didn't wait for the aubergine to be totally cool either.
These would make a good alternative to blinis or regular pancake based finger food. They would probably take a range of toppings and sauces as well.

Bon apetit.

Gastronomy: Creamy Cashew Korma

This is Ms O's creative cooking week.
Nope. Don't get your hopes up. What it actually means is - stop cooking the same old stuff and try something new, darn it all to heck.

Personally I like to borrow cookbooks from the library before committing my cash to them. It saves a lot of heartache when you find that you don't actually enjoy the same tastes as the author. So this week, on my library trip I picked up a couple of books by well known authors Rose Elliot and Nigella Lawson. First up will be recipes by Ms Elliot. This one comes from Vegetarian Supercook.

Creamy cashew korma

Vegan. Preparation time: 20 minutes. Cooking time: 40 minutes. Serves 4.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon rapeseed oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
50g (2oz) cashew nuts
400ml (14fl oz) coconut milk
400ml (14fl oz) water
small handful of curry leaves (optional)
175g (6oz) okra, topped and tailed
250g (8oz) cauliflower florets
250g (8oz) broccoli florets
salt and pepper
chopped coriander leaves, to garnish

Method:

1. Heat the rapeseed oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, cover and fry for about 10 minutes, or until tender. Stir in the garlic, turmeric, cumin and ground coriander, and cook for a minute or two longer.


2. Grind the cashew nuts to a powder in a coffee grinder, food processor or using the fine grater in a hand mill. Add them to the pan, along with the coconut milk.


3. For a really smooth sauce, you can now purée the whole lot in a food processor or blender (or use a stick blender in the saucepan) or, if you prefer some texture, leave it as it is.


4. Return the mixture to the pan, if you've puréed it, and add the water and curry leaves, if using. Leave to simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring from time to time, until thickened.


5. Just before the sauce is ready, put the okra, cauliflower and broccoli into a pan containing a depth of 5cm (2 inches) boiling water. Cover and cook for about 6 minutes, or until tender. Drain, and add the vegetables to the korma, stirring gently. Season with salt and pepper.


6. You can serve this at once, but if there's time, let it rest for a while - even overnight - for the flavours to intensify. Then gently reheat. Scatter with coriander before serving and serve with hot white basmati rice.

Notes:

This is a pretty simple and basic recipe. It isn't strongly flavoured at all. In fact, if you like curry, you will probably want to zap it up a lot.
However, it makes a good base with which to play around with the flavours. We used green beans instead of okra, and added sliced chicken breast after step 2 and allowed it to cook along with the sauce.
It's a definite keeper for our household, but it will be tweaked to suit our taste.

Bon apetit.

Food, Glorious Food

Recently I have been enjoying a website called TasteSpotting, and I thought it was about time that I shared it's existence with you.

It is a site to which people sign up and then submit the next image. The next image is normally associated with a blog entry and recipe. I have found it to be a great way to find new food related blogs.
I know, I know, I'm such a glutton.

You can vote for each post by giving it a star and you can sort the recipes/entries by date or ratings. If you just want to browse you can use the site's randomizer.

The only complaint that I have about the site is the sheer quantity of daily entries. You should carefully consider how you are going to enjoy the glorious array of food and recipes that come through it's portals. I kid you not, I have received somewhere in the region of 1600 entries through my RSS reader since the beginning of April.

So why would I recommend it then?

Because we all eat with our eyes and there is certainly no lack of talent in the food photography department. For those who may have difficulty "seeing" the end result of recipes, this is a good visual helpmate.
And where else will you come across such diverse entries in one place:

• Sushi Art - Entry #13682


• Vitelotte Noir - Entry #8408


• Easter Cheese - Entry #11095


• Fanesca - Entry #10716

Go on, take a look. Honest, you can't get fat just by looking.

Bon appétit

Family Update and Blog recommendation

I'm sorry for being so quiet lately. It was my intention to be here at least a few times a week, but Real Life seems to be jealous and has been stamping her foot while demanding my attention in a very loud voice.

As you know I have Mr Oh at home, along with Miss Oh, and that has made the workload a little bit on the heavy side. Please don't run your fingers along the tops of any surfaces before you leave, okay? I promise the dusting will be done some time. Maybe before my daughter enrolls in primary school. Maybe not.

Anyway, Mr Oh is progressing well. We are still very cautious about what he can and cannot do. One of the hardest cannots is picking up and carrying Miss Oh. :(
Which means I get to do all of the fetching, carrying, settling, moving and general womanhandling that a baby requires. This leaves me a little bit tired at the end of most days. And in the middle of most days too, if truth were to be told.

While Real Life's back is turned I manage to read a couple of blog entries every so often, so if I haven't visited lately and left comments, it's just that I am a slave to RL and her minions, Housework and Childcare.

One of the little gems that I have discovered in my sneaky visits to the internet is a wonderful blog that I added to my "try them out" RSS feeds a month or so ago. I must recommend it to anyone who loves food. I have been drooling over the pictures and recipes for some time now, and have several earmarked for trial here in the Oh Waily kitchen. If you have a moment, take a stroll over to Food Blogga's blog and enjoy a wander through some stunning food.

Here's a sample of what I mean:

• Ricotta Hotcakes or Tom Brady


• Biscotti and My Mother-in-Law


• Strawberries and Rhubarb; So Good, They're a National Holiday

Don't drool on the keyboard, just add the RSS feed to your reader and enjoy.

Gastronomy: Bulgur and Bean Pilaf

This is a new recipe that we have recently tested out. It went well and has joined our list of "make agains".

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
½ cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
¾ cup chopped green bell pepper
¾ cup bulgur (uncooked)
1 cup water
2 medium fresh tomatoes, chopped
15 ½ ounce can of kidney beans, rinsed
½ teaspoon salt
1 dash ground red pepper
4 ounces monterey jack cheese, shredded

Method

1. Melt butter in a frying pan until sizzling; add onion, garlic and green pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are crisply tender (2 to 3 minutes). Add bulgur; continue cooking, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Add water, tomatoes, beans, salt and red pepper.


2. Reduce heat to low. Cover; cook stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until bulgur is soft and chewy. Immediately sprinkle with cheese. Cover; remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Variations:

Substitute 14 ½ ounce canned diced tomatoes, undrained for water and tomatoes.

Ingredient Tips:

* Most pilafs are made with rice. Bulgur is usually used like rice and makes an excellent pilaf or salad ingredient. If you've ever eaten tabbouleh or kibbeh, then you've had bulgur.

*Bulgur is a partially steamed, cracked wheat which cooks quickly. It is made by steaming, drying and crushing whole wheat kernels and is a Middle Eastern staple. The end result is a nutty flavoured, tender and chewy grain.

Serves: 6
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Source: Land O Lakes Magazine, July 2003.

Our variations to this original recipe were:

Cheddar cheese replacing the monterey jack.
Canned tomatoes replacing the fresh tomatoes and water.

Gastronomy: Stuffed Mushrooms

This is a staple recipe in our household, either as a meat-replacing centrepiece of a main meal or as an optional extra at barbeques.
It is also often our "bring along" for events outside of our home, since it is easy to construct in advance and cook on arrival.
Once again there are no real quantities to be given. Just go with what looks good.

Ingredients

Portobello Mushrooms (or similar large, open mushies of you choice)
A packet of Feta cheese (your preference for goat, sheep or cow milk)
Pine nuts
Coat and Cook (or breadcrumbs)

Method

1. Crumble the feta and mix in the pine nuts then "stuff" the mix on top of the mushrooms.


2. Sprinkle the top with "Coat and Cook" (Mr O calls this stuff breadcrumbs on speed) or simple breadcrumbs.


3. Bake or BBQ until cooked.

Honestly it is that simple.

Variations:

Try this with a bit of basil pesto smeared on the mushrooms first.