Cheese and tomato stromboli

I have had a baking day today, making breads etc for the family. Whilst looking for inspiration, on what else I could make with bread. I stumbled on a recipe for this delicious beauty. I used to buy stromboli  from a certain supermarket, which got me thinking. I LOVE this bread and I haven't had it in ages, so off I went on a mission to create my own adaption on it. The smell whilst it was cooking was beautiful. I love Italian food as it is, so really it was a no brainer for me to make it. Its going to be delicious served with salad, or as a snack or sandwich for the summer, eating outdoors al fresco, that is, the summer ever comes..I am giving up hope. Hail in May? I rest my case. Anyway, this is how I made it. Give it a try, it's amazing.

Start by making your bread I followed this recipe of mine http://homecookingwithles.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/wholemeal-white-bread.html
Do everything as the link suggests, apart from the final bake. I will get to that in a moment.

Filling
1 tin of tomatoes
1 clove of garlic minced
Handful of freshly chopped basil
1 tsp of oregano
salt and pepper

1 ball of grated mozzarella cheese
A good handful of grated mature cheese and extra for the top
1 beaten egg

In a small sauce pan add the tomatoes, garlic, basil and oregano and on a low heat simmer for 10 mins, so the sauce is reduced to 1/2, season to taste and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 200 C and line a large baking tray with baking parchment.

Take your prepared bread and roll out on a floured surface to approximately 45 cm by 25 cm, so it's a rectangle shape.

Spread the tomatoes evenly over the dough, leaving and inch gap all around, then add the cheeses, leaving some cheddar for the top.

Start by folding over each end (shorter end of the dough) fold over once, this is to seal the sides.

Then start with the longest end of the dough and roll downwards ( a bit like a rolly polly effect ) rolling towards yourself, brush the edge with beaten egg and seal.
Place the stromboli ( the sealed edge side ) down on the baking tray, brush the top with the egg and scatter over the remaining cheese
Bake in the oven for 30 mins.

Fantastic

Wholemeal / white bread

As its British sandwich week. I decided to make this loaf for my children today, they absolutely love this bread, it's my adaption on my mother in laws recipe. I make it 1/2 and 1/2 of each flour, so it's really tasty and  healthy for them. It's so easy to make and its well worth it for the finished  product. I used my kitchen mixer with dough hook to make it, but alternatively if you don't have a mixer, you can do it by hand its just as good and easy, if not more therapeutic knocking it about.


250 gms of wholemeal strong flour
250 gms of strong white flour
1 tsp of salt
1 sachet of fast action yeast
1tsp of sugar
300 mls of warm water

Place all the ingredients into your mixer or bowl and knead for 15 mins to resemble a soft and silky dough.
When the dough is kneaded, place the in a clean bowl, cover with a tea towel and place in a warm place for an hour, so it doubles in size.
After the rising time, place the dough back into the mixer ( or a floured work surface, if you don't have a mixer ) and knead again for a further 15 mins.
Place the dough in a greased bread tin, cover with the tea towel and then again place in a warm place for a further 30 mins.
Preheat your oven to 200C
Place the finished dough into the preheated oven and bake for 25 mins. you will know if the bread is ready after the cooking time, by gently tapping the bottom of the tin, if it sounds  ' hollow'  the bread is ready.

Remove the bread from the tin and place on a cooling rack until cool.
Serve as you like either with butter or with your favourite sandwich filling.

Kay's cod in parsley sauce

I love my fish, there is something about cod in parsley sauce that reminds me of my mother and my childhood. I suppose it's because I ate a lot of it as a child, and YES it was from the frozen packet variety, which in those days was all very well and convenient for my mum, as being a single parent and working two jobs, time was of the essence in the kitchen, hence I learnt to cook at a very early age, I had to, to help out. Anyway, back to the fish. I do love this dish, but I hasten to say, Gone are the frozen variety in my family and IN with making it myself, it's so easy to make and as you can see by the picture...Well it tastes as good as it looks.I was lucky enough to be given lots of fresh parsley off my dad yesterday, so I used that, hence I named the dish after my parents ' Kay's cod in parsley' .

2 fresh cod fillets
50 gms of butter
50 gms of flour
300 ml of milk
2 large handfuls of fresh parsley ( chopped )
1 tsp of mustard
Salt and pepper

In a medium sized saucepan add the milk and cod, on a low heat, bring to a gentle simmer for 10 mins, when cooked, strain the fish out of the milk and set aside, keeping the remaining milk remaining.

In another saucepan add the butter and gently melt, then add the flour stirring constantly to form a paste ( roux ) cook for a few mins, then slowly add the milk used from the cod to form a nice silky sauce. When you have added all the milk, add the parsley, mustard and season to taste. Simmer for 5 mins to let the parsley infuse the sauce, then in a food processor pour in the sauce and blitz up to so the parsley is a speckled effect.

Serve, the cod on top of a creamy mustard mash and drizzle over the parsley sauce. Delicious.

Welsh leek and cheese quiche

I am always thinking of new recipes for quiches and today as I had lots of leeks in and some really scrummy welsh special reserve cheddar cheese ( my favourite at the moment ) I decided to make this quiche. I made a wholemeal shortcrust pastry this time, as I thought it would compliment it really well, and much to my delight, it really does. I can't wait to eat it later on tonight and the fact it's nearly all welsh makes me proud of the amazing produce we have here in wales. Even though I am using some welsh ingredients for this dish, it can be made equally as good with other produce elsewhere.


Flan tin size 11inch by 1 1/2 inch deep ( feeds a family )

For the pastry
5oz plain flour, plus extra for rolling
5oz wholemeal flour
7oz of welsh butter

1 egg, beaten

Filling
2 leeks chopped
200gms of Old Shire special reserve cheddar cheese grated
1 300gms tub of creme fraiche
100ml of semi skimmed milk
4 local welsh eggs ( my dads ) whisked

4 oz of butter for frying
Salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 180C

How to make the pastry
Put the flour and butter in a food processor and blend until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg and pulse until the mixture just comes together as a dough. Bring the dough together and flatten into a round. Place the pastry into the flan tin, trim off the edges, put a sheet of parchment paper on top of the pastry with some baking beans and blind bake for 20 mins. remove from the oven and take off the parchment and baking beans whilst you make the filling.

In a large frying pan on a low heat add the butter and melt, add your leeks and simmer until soft for approximately 10 mins.

Put the creme fraiche, milk, eggs and seasoning into a separate bowl and whisk until combined.

Place the leeks and cheese into the quiche tin and pour over  the eggy mixture.

Bake in the oven for 25 mins until golden and set.

Tomato, apple and sultana chutney

This is my dads recipe, but I have adapted it slightly. Dad is always making chutneys and I wanted to try one out yesterday. So I conjured up this wonderful tasty chutney, it's a basic  ' chuck it all in the pan ' job, which much to my delight has turned out really well. Just hope dad likes it, when he tries it later on today. It's going to be fantastic served with a cheese board or as a side dish with salads.

Makes 5 1lbs jars.

1lbs of fresh tomatoes
1lbs of peeled and cored apples
2 good handfuls of sultanas
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
2 medium onions
1 oz of peeled ginger
2 cloves of peeled garlic
1 lbs of dark muscovado sugar
1 1/2 pints of malt vinegar
1 tsp of allspice
1 tsp of tumeric
A good dash of worcestershire sauce
3 tbsp of plain flour
Salt and pepper to taste

In a food processor, add the apples, ginger, tomatoes, onions and garlic and pulse, so it's finely chopped.
Add the blended mix to a large saucepan, and add 1 pint of the vinegar, sugar, spices, tinned tomatoes, bring to a boil for 40 mins, stirring constantly.
In a separate jug add the remaining vinegar and stir in the flour until thoroughly mixed.
After the 40 mins is up, add the sultanas, worcestershire sauce the remaining flour and vinegar to the saucepan, reduce the heat and simmer for a further 10 mins, season to taste.

Pour the chutney into sterilised jars and store in a dark cupboard.

Sunshine shorties

I have been longing to try out these biscuits from Lisa Faulkners  new cookbook, but as haven't had any oats in to make them today I picked up some up, and gave them a whirl. I have to say they are totally delicious and I will never EVER buy a Hobnob again, they are SO easy to make ( no rocket science involved )  they are melt in the mouth, crunchy and totally fab. My children are going to go crazy for them when they get in from school today, and probably eat them all , that is unless I beat them to it ;-) which in hindsight isn't a problem as the ingredients is minimum and I can make another batch this evening. I had to blog them as I am So impressed. 
You can buy Lisa's book from the link below, if not only to bake the biscuits, but to cook her delicious family friendly recipes :-)


 http://www.thebookpeople.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/qs_product_tbp?storeId=10001&catalogId=10051&langId=100&productId=273182

Dhal

I love this dish, it's so tasty, a added bonus is, its very low in fat, healthy, full of good vitamins and it tastes delicious. Dhal can look scruffy on the plate but don't let this put you off, as once you have made this dish, it will be a firm favorite of the family, it is in my house, my daughter absolutely loves it and it's a great way to introduce different flavours ( spices ) to your child's palate I think, as it's not to spicy, its just fragrant and tasty. There are many different ways of making Dhal, but this is my take on it. Give it a go, I promise you will love it.



400gms of split red lentils
1 pint of water
1 onion chopped finely
3 cloves of garlic
1 chicken stock cube
1 tbsp of garam masala
1 tbsp of fenugreek
1 tsp of cumin powder
1 tsp of ground coriander
1 tsp of mild curry powder
Salt and pepper to season.
1 tbsp of oil to fry

Start by boiling the kettle.
In a large saucepan add the oil, onions, garlic and all the spices, gently fry for 3 mins or so to soften and to let the spices ' cook out '. When its ready, add the lentils, water and crumbled stock cube. On a low heat simmer gently for 20 mins, stiring occasionly, so the Dhal doesn't stick to the pan, be careful as as the Dhal cooks and thickens, it will spit.

When ready, serve with anyone of your favorite curries or alternatively eat it on its own.