Aubergine Guvec

This recipe was a bit of a 'throw together and hope it tastes alright' kind of dish, since i had some aubergines chopped and frozen and didn't want to do a traditional Asian vegetable curry.

So i thought of some Turkish dishes that I've tried in a couple of restaurants and came up with aubergine guvec which is basically roasted aubergines and bell peppers in a harrisa based sauce, with chickpeas for texture and to make it go that little bit further.

This is perfect to eat on its own as a light snack or light lunch or for dinner as we did with rice or cous cous.

For my aubergine guvec to serve 4-5 people you will need

3 large aubergines cut into chunks
2 bell peppers cut into chunks
2 mediuim onions diced
2 tsp garlic paste
2 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
3-4 tbsp harissa paste
1 x tin of chopped tomato
1 x tin chick peas drained
2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp smoked paprika
Squeeze lemon juice
Fresh coriander to garnish

• Start by preheating your oven to 180c (fan) and place the aubergine and bell papers on a baking tray and bake until they are cooked and beginning to go crispy and golden. Remove from the oven once cooked and set aside
• Lightly fry off the onions in a little olive oil till soft and they start to go l golden brown. Add in the salt, garlic and ginger paste, stir through till the garlic and ginger paste begin to take on a golden colour and the onions are slightly darker in colour.
• Add in the curry powder, with a splash of water and stir the curry powder through and cook for about 2 - 3 minutes, then add the tomatoes and the harissa paste, smoked paprika and the cayenne pepper. Pour in about 100ml of water and then add the chickpeas straight in.
•Leave the chickpeas to simmer on a low heat for about 10-12 minutes or until they have softened slightly but take care not to let them start to disintegrate.
• Once the chickpeas have softened, add in the aubergines and bell peppers and carefully stir through- I used a metal fish slice as this helped to stop the aubergines and peppers keep their shape and to not turn into a mashed consistency.
• At this point the dish should be quite dry and most of the water should have completely reduced, and is ready to serve. You can leave it dry as it is or add a splash of water to loosen the consistency a little.
• Just before serving, garnish with a squeeze of lemon juice and fresh chopped coriander. Serve with rice, cous cous or pitta bread.

Mocha Cake

It's no secret that i love a good cup coffee and love cake, so unsurprisingly coffee cake is one of my all time favourite cakes. My mocha cake came about over the weekend as I had spare chocolate buttercream and latte flavoured icing sugar so I thought of mixing the 2 flavours to make what would essentially be a mocha if I were making it up as a drink


No surprises i was pretty pleased with the overall result, so here is my take on a mocha cake

To make a 7 inch round cake you will need:

Equipment
1x 7 inch round loose bottomed cake tin
greaseproof paper
spatula

For the cake
4oz self raising flour
2oz dark cocoa powder
6oz golden caster sugar
6oz softened margarine
3 medium eggs
3 tbsp olive oil

For the chocolate buttercream
3oz softened salted butter
4oz icing sugar
2oz dark cocoa powder

For the coffee buttercream
3oz softened salted butter
6oz vanilla latte flavour icing sugar*
OR 6oz icing sugar with 1 tbsp of coffee powder
OR 1 tbsp coffee powder dissolved in 1 tbsp of cooled boiled water


For dusting
cocoa powder
crumbled Cadburys Flake

• Preheat your oven to 160c (fan assisted), grease and line your cake tin with greaseproof paper on the bottom and a collar round the inside going all the way around.
• Place all the ingredients for the cake into a bowl and mix either using a freestanding mixer or hand held electric whisk until you have a smooth fluffy batter.
• Pour the batter into the cake tin and level the top of the batter with either a spatula or a breakfast knife
• Bake the cake for 40-45 minutes until the cake has risen and springs back when lightly pressed in the middle. Alternatively, insert a skewer into th centre of the cake, and if it comes out clean the cake is ready, if not then leave for a few minutes. Once cooked, set aside and leave to cool completely
• Whilst the cake cools, make both the buttercreams. To make the chocolate buttercream place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix together with a hand held electric whisk (make sure you start off on the slowest speed to stop the icing sugar from flying everywhere) unitl the ingredients have all incorporated smoothly and you have a spreadable consistency. If the mixture is too stiff, add a tablespoon of milk to loosen the mixture.
• In a separate bowl, do the exact same for the coffee buttercream
• Once the cake is completely cool, split the cake into 2 halves using a large knife or a cake leveller
• On the bottom half, using a spatula, spread the chocolate buttercream so that it almost meets the edges of the cake all the way round (i leave a slight gap from the edges as when the top half is placed ontop, as you lightly press it to secure it in place, the buttercream will spread to the edges and not spill out)
• Place the top half on to the bottom half carefully ensuring the edges meet, and lightly press the top to ensure it's secured in place.
• Spread the coffee buttercream again using a spatula** all over the top of the cake, and if you've any left over, all over the sides of the cake. Dust the top of the cake with cocoa powder, sprinkle the crumbled flake all over and serve 

*For the vanilla latte flavoured icing i use flavoured icing made by sugar and crumbs icing, which is readily available from most cake supply stores and online
** If you dont have a spatula, you can always use a breakfast knife

Simple bloomer loaf

You know when you love to bake pretty much anything, but there's always the one thing that you just cant seem to crack ? Well for me it's been bread, to the point of being in tears of frustration at something always going wrong and in the end just keeping well away from it ...


And then came my application for The Great British Bake Off. Having applied for the 3rd time this year, and thinking like i did the previous year,  that i wouldn't hear anything, I didn't even give practicing it as a thought just in case.

But low and behold I got the call to go to the first round of auditions and just as much as i were dreading it, the applicants were required to bake a loaf of bread. To cut a long story short I  have never baked as much bread in those 2 months of the application process than i have in my whole life and thankfully nearly 6 months on i can say that bread and i are friends, and no longer sworn enemies.


So if the thought of baking a loaf fills you with sheer dread (like it did me) give this simple bloomer a go.. It's a small loaf so the dough is easy to work with, and cooks in less than an hour so you're not waiting for what feels like forever for it to cook


To make a simple bloomer loaf you will need:

500g bread flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp dried yeast
3 tbsp olive oil
315-320 ml cold water

• Start by adding the flour to a bowl, add the yeast to one side, and the salt opposite to the yeast - this stops them from interacting and activating the yeast before the dough is formed.
• Pour the oil into the middle of the flour. Slowly add in the water and mix all the ingredients together using your hands. 
• Keep adding the water until you get a soft and slightly sticky - but not wet dough.
• Lightly oil your work surface - i used 2 tablespoons. Turn out the dough and use both hands to knead the dough till it's smooth and shiny.
• Place the dough back into a clean bowl, and cover with lightly oiled cling film, (this helps the dough to stop sticking to the cling film if it touches)
  and leave it to rise till doubled in size - mine took just over an hour and a half  
• Once the dough has doubled in size, knock the dough back by gently punching the dough to knock the air out.
• Lightly flour your work surface and knead the dough again for a couple of minutes, and roll into a chunky baton/ cylinder shape or if you find it easier just into a round, and tuck in the edges neatly.
• Place the shaped dough onto a greaseproof lined baking tray. Cover again with either cling film or a large clean carrier bag and leave again to rise till doubled in size - The second prove took 2 hours for me*
• Once your bloomer has doubled in size, sprinkle the top with water, then a little flour and gently rub all over the top being careful to not knock out the air. Then cut 3-4 diagonal slashes across the top about 1-2 cm deep.
• Preheat your oven to 200c, and place a tray of water at the bottom of your oven, this helps the bread to get a nice crusty top, put the loaf in and bake for 25 mins, then lower the temperature to 180c and bake for a final 15 minutes. Once cooked it sound hollow when you tap the base.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  * With the proving of your dough, it may take longer or quicker depending on how cold or warm your environment is. My kitchen is very cool first thing in the morning which is when i normally start my dough for any bread 

sweet potato jackets with feta & rocket salad

My sweet potato jackets are basically my sweet potato wedges with feta turned into jacket potatoes - jazzed up a with crispy sea salted skin, rocket leaf salad &  either tabouleh or cous cous



For my sweet potato jackets to serve 4 people you will need

1 sweet potato per person
70g rocket leaf salad
200g feta cheese

To season
sea salt
cracked black pepper
olive oil
lemon juice

• Start by steaming or par boiling the potatoes till they are cooked through, but not over soft and mushy.
• Drain any excess water, pat the potatoes dry, brush each potato with olive oil and season with the sea salt and the cracked pepper - rubbing in the salt and pepper into the skin.
• Place the potatoes on a baking tray or dish, and bake at 220c (fan assisted) for 10-15 minutes or till the skins are crispy and golden.
• While the potatoes are baking, take the rocket leaf salad, sprinkle a little sea salt over the leaves and a little lemon juice. Mix together well and set aside. Break up the feta and place in a small bowl or plate.
• Once the potatoes are ready, cut each potato open, add in a little of the feta, then the rocket leaves and finish with a little more feta and serve. 

I often serve extra rocket salad and feta separately in a bowl as my kids absolutely love to much on it if it's on the table going spare, and i'll serve a little tabouleh or cous cous on the side to keep it light but filling at the same time

Chicken Tikka wraps

This is a dish that's always a hit no matter how many times a week i make it, as well as being super easy and you can always switch up the wraps for a mixed salad instead if you're wanting something lighter but just as tasty


For my chicken tikka wraps to serve 3-4 people you will need

700-750g boneless chicken - cut into medium chunks
5 tbsp yogurt
1/4 tsp salt
4 -5 tbsp tandoori masala powder/paste
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp lemon juice
2-3 tbsp olive/vegetable oil

To dress :
green leaf/ mixed leaf salad
cucumber
tomatoes
sauces of your choice

• Simply mix all the ingredients into a bowl (apart from the dressing)
• Leave to marinate for a minimum of 1/2 an hour or if you can overnight to let the tikka masala absorb into the chicken
• Bake the  chicken in the oven for 35-40 mins at 200c fan / 180c conventional oven till completely cooked through and the chicken starts to char slightly 
• Serve in your choice of naan, pitta bread or tortilla wraps, garnish with the salad and your choice of sauces. Alternatively serve with just a load of salad for a lighter meal.  
• My kids love the chicken once it's completely cool in bread as a sandwich for their school packed lunch or shredded in cous cous

My 'Kinda Red Thai' prawn curry

So this is one of those recipes that i threw together, and didn't follow any kind of set recipe or instructions and hoped for the best - hence the 'kinda thai' title as i used ingredients and flavours typically found in Thai curries. The husband thoroughly approved so I'm happy with that  


 For my Kinda Thai curry to serve 2 -3 people you will need 

200-250g cooked prawns
2 medium onions
1 tsp salt
2 tsp garlic paste
2 tsp ginger paste
100g red thai paste
2-3 lime kafir leaves
1 lemon grass stalk
2 tbsp tomato puree
1-1 1/2 tsp red chilli flakes 
1 tin coconut milk
300g pre cooked egg noodles

To garnish:
spring onions
bean sprouts
1-2 red chillies
ginger 
fresh coriander

• Start off by finely chopping the onions and saute in a little olive till lightly brown, then add in the salt, garlic paste & ginger paste.

• Add in the lemon grass stalk (i peeled off the first outer leaves, snapped the stalk in half then added)  and the kafir lime leaves, stir for a couple of minutes to let the flavours absorb, then add in the chilli flakes, red thai curry paste and the tomato puree. 
• Finally add in the cooked prawns, the coconut milk & enough water to just cover the prawns. 
• Leave to simmer for a few minutes on low heat then add in the egg noodles
•  Just before serving finely slice all the garnishes except for the beansprouts - i just snapped them in half, chop the coriander then sprinkle all the garnish over the curry and tuck in