Additive Free

Cherry Almond slices

2012-01-07T18:00:00.004Z

Ingredients

Pastry:

8oz s/r flour
2oz lard
2oz margarine

Topping:

2oz margarine
2oz sugar
2oz ground almonds
1 egg
2oz flour
glace cherries

Also:

Raspberry Jam
Chopped almonds

Method

Make pastry in the usual way (rub fat into flour, add a little water and knead into a dough)
Roll out and line a tray with it
Spread thinly with jam
cream together the margerine and sugar
add the egg, ground almonds, flour, chopped up cherries and mix together
Spread the mixture onto the pastry base
Bake at moderate heat 190/375 for 20-25 mins

Trans fats

2010-07-01T11:17:00.003Z

Just heard on Radio 4's 'You and Yours' that trans fats are often found in manufactured foods such as cakes and biscuits and also, surprisingly, take-aways. No talk of banning this harmful additive, but calls for better labeling. The ingredients list is your friend...

Taking the best meat from a pheasant - the quick no-pluck, no-smell method

2008-03-22T18:20:00.000Z

Required:

One pheasant
Very sharp knife

Doing this on newspaper is a great idea because when you've finished you can simply wrap up the remains and pop it in the wheelie bin.

part the feathers at the breast bone and expose the skin as best you can. Gently cut the skin for an inch or two down the breast bone. Pull it apart with your fingers, tearing it all the way down and away from the meat.

slide your knife down one side of the breast bone. Cut the meat from the bone using the breast bone and wishbone as a guide. There is a very thin membrane separating you from the body cavity (you can see it in the picture below), and if you are very careful not to pierce this, there will be no smell at all. If you do break through into the body cavity it will make your kitchen smell a bit unpleasant for a while. Do this both sides to get the breast fillets off.

Now the legs. I think this is the tastiest meat. pull the skin away, just like taking off its PJ bottoms. Gently cut the meat away from the body and break the joint where the leg joins the body. Also break the knee joint to get the foot off (or is it the ankle? You know what I mean). There are some seriously hard tendons there that will need cutting.

That's it. It is possible to delve into the bird to get out the heart, kidneys and liver, but for today we'll just wrap up the remains and cook the meat.

Wrap the breast fillets in bacon and grill everything for a couple of minutes to seal it.

Put the meat in a casserole dish, pour on white wine and sprinkle with rosemary. Cover and cook in the oven.

When the meat is tender, pour off the juice, reduce / add some cornflour to thicken. Pour back over the meat and serve with roasties and lots of veg. That's just the way the bird would have wanted it. [edit - I can't believe I couldn't manage to pick matching plates after all that effort.]

Lime Cheesecake

2007-10-21T20:40:00.001Z

I've finally managed to perfect my cheesecake recipe. I like to make the English-style cheesecake, which is unbaked. I've never been very successful folding in whipped egg-white, and so I leave that out. Some recipes simply use whipped cream and soft cheese, but I find that it doesn't really set, and so serving it gets messy. Some recipes use gelatine, but I've found that too much makes the cheesecake set like a jelly. I've settled on using a very small amount of gelatine, which makes the top of the cake firm but still creamy.

Ingredients

Digestive biscuits - 175g
Butter - 75g
lime - 1 (cut a slice or two and reserve for decoration)
full-fat soft cheese - 350g (one and a half 8oz tubs if using 'Philadelphia' type cheese)
Whipping cream (whipped until stiff) - 150ml
Gelatine - I use the granulated type. 1/4 of a sachet dissolved in a very small amount of hot water and allowed to cool

Method

Put the biscuits into a small plastic bag and get brutal with a rolling pin until they're crumbs
Melt the butter gently until all liquid, then stir the butter and biscuit crumbs together. Press this into the bottom of an 8" flan dish.
Mix the whipped cream, cheese and the lime juice and gelatin together in a food blender.
pour / spread this over the biscuit base. Arrange a slice or two of lime on top
Leave in the fridge overnight to set
Enjoy!!

Yurt Cake

2007-09-24T19:46:00.000Z

Thanks to Helen for passing on this recipe for a cake which her friend Alex used to make. "still does, I suppose, in his yurt, so I'll call it Yurt Cake", she says.

Similar to Han's Freestyle Breakfast Biscuits, in that you can improvise as much as you want.

My first attempt wasn't entirely successful - I don't think it cooked long enough, and it only made a half-hearted attempt at rising. Next time I'll try making it drier and rolling it out into a flat tin like flapjacks.

It's still very tasty. A little bit bland, as it has no sugar (I'll try adding some honey next time), but strangely addictive.

Apologies to anyone English - this one's in volume rather than weight - but Americans will feel at home with cups.

Ingredients

1 cup of s/r flour
1 oats
1/2 of oil
1/2 raisins
1/2 seeds / nuts / dried fruit / ad lib
Add fruit juice to moisten

Onion Bhajis

2007-09-10T18:55:00.000Z

I'm accident-prone, and so deep-frying is quite a scary experience, but worth it for these.

Ingredients (makes 4 big ones or 6 small ones)

gram flour (chick-pea flour) - 6oz
onion - 1 chopped
chillie - chopped, powder or paste
cumin - a little
corriander - a little
yoghurt - 1 or 2 tbs

Method

mix together the above ingredients. Most are optional - I've made some delicious ones using just onion, chillie and gram flour
add just enough water so that the mixture binds together
drop into hot oil and fry until cooked through (deep golden brown)
Enjoy with a dollop of natural yoghurt!!

Pears poached in red wine

2007-08-25T17:31:00.000Z

OK, presentation has never been a strong point of mine, but what these pears lack in presentation, they more than make up for in flavour.

There's no need for an ingredients list here, it's so simple. Other recipes add cinamon and other spices, then require you to strain and reduce the sauce. I prefer the lazy way!

Peel and halve the pears, scoop and cut out the core and stem, then place in an open cooking dish. sprinke with sugar to taste (I don't use too much), pour red wine into the scooped-out-core and allow to overflow into the dish. Add a little water, maybe half the quantity of wine.

Place in the oven on medium heat and leave until the pears are soft, and the wine / sugar / pear juice has started to thicken a little, but not dried out.

I like to serve them this way up, with the sauce poured into the middles.

I've been making these recently using last year's home-made elderberry wine; the result is heavenly.

Banana custard

2007-08-09T19:57:00.000Z

I heard once that custard was a favourite dessert of ex-pm Margaret Thatcher. I don't know how true that is, but if so, she would have known it as creme anglais, and I'm sure she wouldn't have accepted the stuff if made from tinned custard powder. Check out the ingredients on a tin and you'll see that it's cornflour plus flavourings and colourings.

Try making it with egg yolk and real vanilla, and you won't buy another tin! The recipe below adds banana to make a delicious standalone dessert, but you can leave out the banana and pour it over any pie or crumble.

'Real' creme anglais recipes use a large number of egg yolks, which I find a little uneconomical. I've also never managed to get the stuff to thicken properly without using some flour. My recipe below is essentially a standard white sauce, with egg yolk, sugar and vanilla.

Ingredients

flour (wheat flour) - 2 tsps per serving
sugar to taste
knob of butter per serving (approx equal volume to flour)
egg yolks - one or two per serving
milk - approx 1/4 pt per serving
vanilla extract (the real stuff, not vanilla flavouring or vanillin)
banana - 1 per serving

Method

put the sugar, butter and flour in a pan over a gentle heat, and blend together, allowing to cook for a minute or two
gradually add milk, just the right amount to get a thick, creamy consistency, with lots of stirring to avoid lumps forming
remove from heat and stir in vanilla and egg yolk
slice banana and add to the sauce.
put back on a very gentle heat. The aim is to cook the banana until soft, without allowing the sauce to get hot enough to start bubbling - this will cause the egg to cook and change the texture.
Enjoy!!

Bread and Butter Pud

2007-03-14T21:03:00.000Z

Another for Dive. Easy to make and uses up the last half of a loaf of bread which is past its best.

Ingredients

Bread - 4-6 slices - nice and thick
Butter - some
Milk - 1/4 pt
Single Cream - 1/4 pt
Eggs - 2 of
Vanilla extract (the real stuff!) - 1 tsp
Nutmeg - a pinch
Brown Sugar - a little
Sultanas - some

Method

Cut the crusts off the bread, or leave on if they're fairly soft
Butter the bread heavily on both sides and make 'sandwiches'.
Cut the sandwiches up and arrange in the baking dish (as pictured)
Add the fruit between the layers
Warm the milk, cream, vanilla and sugar in a pan - go up to but not above the temperature that will start to cook the egg
Remove from the heat and beat in the eggs
Sprinkle in a little nutmeg.
Pour the milk mixture over the bread and let it soak for a little while.
I like to squeeze the bread a bit to help it absorb the warm milk.
Bake in a preheated hot oven for about half an hour. There should be no liquid left, it should be golden brown on top, but still nice and soft.
Enjoy!

2006-12-31T12:43:00.000Z

The gift of fermentation is truly a miracle. One which I prefer to attribute to Mother Nature rather than a bearded creator, but you take your pick.

In the spirit of these postings, this wonderful Elderflower wine was made using very few and pretty wholesome ingredients. The elderflower really just adds scent and flavour. It was given some body by adding mashed sultanas, and a couple of bananas, I think. Other than that it was sugar and yeast and patience!!

The result is really inspiring. Crystal clear and delicious.

Pearls of Wisdom

I've found these pearls of wisdom in B C A Turner's book 'Home Wine Making and Brewing" from around 1970, aparently the height of home wine making:

"For the blossoming adolescent a little knowledge of wine is the beginning of education for a civilised way of living". Are you listening Cameron and Blair / Brown? There's an alternative to ASBOs here, I think. Mr (or Ms) Turner goes on... "For the middle aged, flagging in the rat race, wine reduces tension, aids digestion restores ego and makes life worthwhile". What more reason do you need? Me, I've got 3 demi's plopping away with the Summer's produce and 2 sugar beet ready to populate the Demijohn which is about to be vacated by the rest of this elderflower.

He also gives this wonderful sage advice, which I'll be sure to remember: "Wine always tastes better when served with company, but the company can influence the wine. To wine lovers you can serve your best wine and know that it will be appreciatedand that the occasion will be enhanced. On other people, good wine can be wasted and you will may be better advised to serve tea, coffee spirits or beer."

Shiela's Quiche Lorraine

2006-11-23T20:26:00.000Z

This one's for Dive. It's one of the more labour-intensive things I'm prepared to make, but it can be prepared, including making the pastry, in about half an hour.
Ingredients for Pastry

Flour - 6 oz
Butter - 2 oz
Fat (Lard or marge) - 1oz
Ground Nutmeg - 1/2 tsp

Ingredients for Quiche

Milk - 1/4 pt
Cream - 1/4 pt
Eggs - 3
Ground Nutmeg - 1/2 tsp
Bacon or bacon bits - ad lib
Mushrooms, sliced thinly - ad lib
Tomato - 1, sliced thinly
Grated Cheese - small amount

Method - Pastry

Rub the butter and fat into the flour until well incorporated (I hate doing this!)
add a tiny amount of water - just enough so that the pastry stays in a ball when squeezed without any stickiness.
Give it a good knead - you're aiming for a pliable dough.
I find it 's better if you set this aside, in a cool place, for a while, say half an hour.
Sprinkle flour on your surface and pin, and roll out the pastry, turning it this way and that, and turning it over, until you have a circle larger than your flan dish.
Line your flan dish with the pastry, trimming the excess
Make some jam tarts with the excess!

Method - Quiche

Grill the bacon or bacon bits to just cook it through.
cut up the bacon into smaller pieces and throw into your flan dish (which is already lined with the pastry), throw in some mushrooms, then place the sliced tomato on top. This all shouldn't end up higher than the top of the flan dish!
Warm the oven to 150 degrees C.
Beat the eggs, adding the nutmeg, and add to the milk and cream.
Warm the milk / egg / cream mixture in a pan, getting it to the temperature just before the egg starts to solidify
Pour this warmed egg mixture over the bacon / mushroom / tomato in the flan dish
Put into the warm oven until the pastry is cooked and the liquid has set.
put a little grated cheese on top and return to the oven for a minute or two
take out and leave to cool
Enjoy!

Scotch Pancakes (or Griddle Scones or Drop Scones)

2006-11-16T22:00:00.000Z

This website is about cutting unnecessary additives out of your life, not fat or sugar!! Here's an 'anytime' treat. The recipe below makes enough for two people, or one greedy one (eg me).

Ingredients

Self Raising Flour - 4 oz
Butter - a good oz + more for frying
Currants or other fruit - 4 oz
Ground Nutmeg - 1/2 tsp
Egg - 1
Milk - 3 floz / 90 ml

method

Rub the butter into the flour until well incorporated (I hate doing this, but it's worth it!)
Push the flour up the sides of the bowl to make a well, pour the milk and crack the egg into this well.
Beat the milk and egg together with a fork, then carry on beating, gradually working in the flour. Youre aiming for a smooth, creamy, thick batter.
Stir in the nutmeg and fruit.
Heat a frying pan or griddle, melting some butter.
Drop a good tablespoonful of the mixture into the pan, you can do 3 or 4 at a time in a 12" pan
Cook until they're set and golden brown on the bottom. Turn them over, and cook the other side to match.
Serve with a little lemon juice and sugar, or syrup, honey, or whatever you fancy.
Enjoy!

Satay Chicken with Cashews

2006-11-11T16:32:00.001Z

Ingredients

1 lb / 500g diced chicken (substitute pork or other meat if you like, or mixed veg for a vegetarian alternative)
1 coarsely chopped onion
half small packet cashews (plain, unsalted, unroasted)

Sauce

1tsp corriander
1tsp sof brown sugar
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
3 tsp peanut butter
2 tbsp vegetable oil
a little milk
1 chilli, de-seeded if desired. Use dried, powdered or paste if desired

method

Brown the meat and onion in a pan. If using chopped vegetables as an alternative, steam harder vegetables such as carrots.
put all of the sauce ingredients into a blender and buzz until blended.
put the meat/veg into a casserole dish, add the cashews and pour the sauce over. Cook in a medium oven until the meat is cooked or veg softened to taste.
Enjoy!

Banana Cake

2006-11-02T13:52:00.000Z

Ingredients

Self-raising flour - 225g
Butter - 100g
Dark soft brown sugar - 175g
Ripe bananas - 2
Egg - 1
Vanilla essence (buy the real stuff, not artifical flavouring)
Milk - a little to achieve the right consistency

Optional

Raisins - ad lib
Dates, chopped - ad lib

method

Rub the flour and softened butter together until it all looks like breadcrumbs
Stir in the other dry ingredients
Mash in the bananas and add the wet ingredients. Mix well
Tip into a greased loaf tin and bake at 160 deg C or gas mark 3 for approx 1.5 hours or until the cake is golden brown and springy.
Cool in the tin for 10 mins before turning out onto a wire rack to cool properly.
Enjoy!

Choc-Topped Fruit Flapjacks

2006-10-25T20:50:00.000Z

Ingredients

Porridge oats - 250 g
Margarine - 150 g
Golden syrup - 75 g
Sugar - 75 g
Chocolate - 100g
Chopped nuts ad lib
Dried fruit, eg apricot, raisins, sultanas, shopped if necessary - ad lib

method

Melt the margarine, sugar and syrup in saucepan and heat gently until it is all liquid
Mix the oats into the liquid
Put the mixture into the baking tin & press flat
Bake at 175 deg C (Gas Mark 4) for 20 minutes
melt the chocolate in a container over hot water, stir in a little marge and quickly spread over the top of the flapjacks
Leave to cool overnight
Slice and enjoy