sun dried tomato soda bread

Soda bread is a fab bread to start off baking with if you're not confident in bread but want to make a start and build on your skills. It's also great as its so simple to put together, a variety of fillings would compliment it. This bread doesn't require any kneading whatsoever, and you don't have to let it prove at all, it literally takes less than an hour in total.



for my sun dried tomato soda bread you will need:

500g bread flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda bicarbonate
400ml buttermilk*
3-4 tsp dried italian herbs
4-5 tbsp parmesan/ italian hard cheese
6-8 sundried tomatoes chopped  

• Preheat your oven to 180c, (fan)If you're making your own buttermilk, start by making that first and leave to aside.
• Add all the other ingredients to a bowl, stir together just so that the tomatoes distribute evenly
• Slowly add in the buttermilk using a wooden spoon till everything is just combined
• turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and shape the dough into a round. Place onto a grease proof lined baking tray. Cut a deep cross in the middle of the round
• Bake for 40 minutes until doubled in size and golden. It should sound hollow when tapped from the bottom.
• Eat/serve as desired.

*I made my own by adding 3 tsp of lemon juice straight into the milk - leave the milk to sit for 10 minutes once you've added the juice for the milk to become buttermilk

My go to cheese sauce

Quite simply this is my go to cheese sauce .. perfect for using in lasagne, my alternate linguine carbonara or any dish that requires a cheese sauce

You will need:

3 level tbsp plain flour
4 tbsp butter
50 grated cheddar cheese 

100g red Leicester cheese 
2 dairylea cheese slices
1 tsp ground black pepper
1tsp onion salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 litre whole milk

• In a medium sized pan, melt the butter on a low heat. Add in the flour & stir till combined and you have a smooth, slightly thick  paste.

• Cook the flour for 2-3 minutes then pour in the milk, and turn up the heat to medium.

• Whisk the milk until the flour has combined and there are no lumps. Leave the heat on meduim and add all the rest of the ingredients.Continue to whisk until all the ingredients have combined.

• Leave to simmer for a few minutes till you end up with a semi thick sauce, check the seasoning of onion salt & pepper & adjust if need be. Leave to cool and it will thicken up slightly more & if need be add a little more milk and whisk once again to thin as you need just before using

Alternate carbonara

Carbonara is always one of those dishes that I've wanted to try but quite obviously being Muslim the ham is a no no, so I decided to make up a dish as similar as possible that I could to it.

I decided to replace the bacon for halal Turkey bacon, and used my go to cheese sauce.

For my carbonara to serve 4-6 people you will need

450g linguine/spaghetti
8-10 rashers turkey bacon sliced
2 tsp garlic granules / 1 clove crushed garlic
A double batch of my go to cheese sauce

• To start, boil the linguine as per packet instructions. Drain, but save a little of the pasta water as this will help the pasta stay silky and al dente, rather than dry and rubbery when all the water has been drained. Set aside

• In a frying pan, fry off the rashers & garlic in a tbsp of oil. When using bacon no oil is needed as the fat helps crisp and cook the rashers, whereas with the smoked rashers they are cooked but need a little help to crisp up, stir into the linguine.

• Pour the cheese sauce over the linguine ensuring all the strands are coated well. Serve with garlic  bread, and garnish with vegetarian parmesan if desired

My ' kinda but not really ' chicken parmgianno with cous cous

Have you ever wanted to cook a certain dish but you don't have every single component of the dish but you still go ahead with it anyway ?

That's exactly what happened with this recipe, I was really craving chicken parmgianno but didn't have all the ingredients so made do with what I had and the recipe below was the end result.

I hope you'll not only give it a go but enjoy 'my not really chicken parmgianno' 

To serve 4 people you will need

2 large mugs full of cous cous
3 chicken breasts
1 red bullet chilli
200g breadcrumbs
40g peri peri seasoning
2-3 tbsp vegetarian parmesan
1 large whisked egg
Cherry tomatoes
2 medium onions
1 tbsp Garlic paste/granules/3 crushed clovez
700g pasta sauce
2 handfuls spinach leaves
50g mozzarella

• Start with the cous cous  measure  out 1 large mug full of plain cous cous into a bowl. The good pinch of salt and pepper and 1 red bullet chilli deseeded and finely chopped. Add in 2 ( of the same mug ) mug full of fresh boiled hot water and then cover with cling film and leave to soak.

• For the chicken .. 3 chicken breasts butterfly cut then cut in half so you ended up with 6 pieces.
In a large flat plate mix the breadcrumbs with the powdered peri peri seasoning, and  vegetarian parmesan

• Dip the chicken in whisked egg then coat in the breadcrumb mix. Shallow fry the chicken peices till golden brown & cooked completely. Leave aside to cool.

• In a heavy based pan saute 2 medium (chopped ) onions  along with a tbsp of garlic paste/granules/3-4 crushed cloves, and half a tsp salt till golden brown.

• Add a good handful of cherry tomatoes and cook till tomatoes are just soft. Pour in about 700g of your choice of pasta sauce - I used dolmio basil & tomato.

• Simmer till slightly thickened then add in a few good handful of spinach leaves. Let the leaves wilt then add in the chicken. Scatter over some mozzarella all over the top, place under the grill till cheese begins to melt.

• Serve on top of the cous cous & sprinkle extra parmesan shavings on top if desired