Category: cooking

I haven’t done this for a long time so it was due. I used to use his book quite often. Recipe:

Ingredients:

100g nuts (I used sunflower and pumpkin nuts)
5 large eggs
300g feta cheese – crumbled
50g grated cheese
oregano
1 lemon zest
olive oil
1 knob of butter
500g fresh spinach
1 x 270g pack of filo pastry
cayenne pepper
nutmeg for grating

Process:

• Preheat the oven to 200°C
• Toast the nuts in a large ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat until golden.
• Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl add feta, grated cheese, oregano and pepper
• Add the toasted nuts and mix.
• In the same frying pan, add a bit of olive oil and add half the spinach. Stir until wilted.
• Add the lemon zest, grated nutmeg and piece of butter to the spinach.
• Add the rest of spinach. Stir until all is wilted.
• Then add the spinach to the egg mix. And clean the frying pan.
• Take a piece of ovenproof paper roughly 1.5 bigger than your pan. Pass it through water so it is wet.
• Lay it out on a clean work surface, rub lightly with oil and flatten out again.
• Keep adding sheets of file on top of the ovenproof paper. Add a bit of oil and other spices in each layer. The idea is to cover the frying pan later. I used 6 layers in total.
• Move the ovenproof paper and filo to the frying pan. Pour the egg/spinach mix. Add a bit more grated cheese.
• Close the pie folding the edges (as it should be 1.5 bigger than the pan).
• Fry at medium heat the pie so the bottom is crunchy. 1-2 minutes. Dont burn it!
• Add some spices and olive oil on top.
• Then move the pan to the oven for 20 minutes aprox or golden and crisp.

Quite happy with the result:

I have already a banana bread recipe that I like quite a lot but decided to try a new one. video. recipe. I adapted it to my kitchen because sometimes I think some vegan recipes use ingredients that too difficult and expensive to find… I didnt do it vegan, just used normal low-fat cow milk.

Ingredients:

3 ripe bananas, mashed
125ml coconut oil, melted (pretty sure you can use any non-flavour oil)
125ml milk
6 tbs dried coconut
6 tbs dried cranberries
6 tbs almond flakes
Half handful of pumpkin and sunflower seeds
240g white flour
1 tsp baking powder
125g coconut sugar (or any brown sugar)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 pinch of fresh grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cardamon
40g dark chocolate: chopped as chips

Topping
1 Banana, sliced length-ways
4 tbs maple syrup

Process:

• Pre heat your at 180C and line a loaf tin with greaseproof paper.
• Mix your mashed banana with milk, cranberries, seeds, coconut and melted coconut oil.
• In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, coconut sugar, spices and chocolate chips.
• Mix the wet and dry ingredients together until well incorporated. Do not over mix.
• Pour the batter into the tin. Then lay the sliced banana on top and drizzle over a little maple.
• Bake for 45 minutes aprox.
• Check it after 35 minutes, if you can see it getting too caramelised on top, cover it over with foil and leave to cook for the remaining time.
• Once golden on top leave it to cool down.

Not bad result! I am not sure the coconut oil or the coconut sugar gives any flavour although it smelled a bit of coconut while baking. Go soft with the cardamon, it can overpower the rest of flavours!

I forgot that I didnt have a recipe for my croissant here.

These are my best croissants eve! Important to use strong white flour (14% protein)

Ingredients:

• 500g strong white flour (14% protein)
• 12g fine salt
• 55g sugar
• 40g soft butter
• 15g instant dried yeast
• 140ml cold water
• 140ml milk
• 280g unsalted cold butter block
• 1 egg for glazing

Part-1

• Place flour, salt and sugar in a bowl and combine.
• Add the yeast to the flour and mix
• Add the butter and crumb through with your fingers.
• In another bowl, add water and milk.
• Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the liquid.
• Mix together until all of the dry ingredients are incorporated. Dont overwork it
• Push down the dough so it is spread out in the bottom of the bowl.
• Cover and place in the fridge for 8-12h
• Using baker paper, make a 20x15cm aprox “envelope”. The block of butter should be inside. With the rolling ping, flat the butter out as it fills the envelope.

Part-2

• Take the dough out of the bridge and place it onto a lightly floured surface.
• Roll it out to form a square that fits your butter envelope.
• Then roll each side out so you have 4 thin sides and slightly raised square center.
• Place the butter in the center, then start by pulling the top side of the dough across to totally encase the butter. Next pull the bottom flap up until the top edge. Then bring the two sides flaps across.
• Tap the dough gently with the rolling pin to seal the dough laps.
• With the seam running top to bottom, roll the dough out into a rectangle, roughly 1/2 pin wide and 1 +1/4 pin long.
• Brush off any flour and fold the dough in thirds. This is a half fold.
• With a sharp knife, cut the seams so you have only layer of dough.
• Wrap the dough in film and put in the fridge for 1h to rest.
• Make two more half folds. So take the dough out of the bridge, with seam running top to bottom, roll the dough in a rectangle and fold in thirds.
• After the last fold, put back in the bridge for 12h.

Part-3

• Take the dough out of the bridge and place onto a lightly floured surface, seam running top to bottom. Roll into a rectangle roughly 1/2 pin wide and 1 +1/4 pin long. The dough should be 4mm thick aprox.
• With a sharp knife, trim the sides to be sure you have a perfect rectangle.
• With a sharp knife, make triangles. The base of each triangle should be roughly 4 fingers wide. Cut a small slit about 1/4″ long at the base of each triangle.

• Gently stretch your triangle out, then roll up your croissant making sure the tails on the bottom of the rolled up croissant.
• Place onto a tray lined with baking paper leaving enough space to prove.
• Put the tray into the oven, just lights on. They should double in size.
• Once they are ready, whisk up the egg and brush over each croissant
• Preheat the oven at 210C.
• Place the tray in the oven and lightly spritz the oven chamber with a water spray. That makes them super crunchy and give a nice color.
• Bake until golden dark. You may need to turn the tray. It should be around 20 minutes at least.

This is the result.

More from Berlin:

Taktil: Very good bread!

The small piece is my own bread. You can see the difference with the air pockets and texture!

Gorilla: The same, very good bread! I bough a piece of “Hausebrot”

The small one is my my own.

I tried this recipe this weekend.

Ingredients:
150g extra firm tofu (more is ok)
5-6 pieces garlic
small piece ginger
3 sticks green onion
olive oil for frying
3 tsp dark soy sauce
150g noodles (of your choice)
1 tbsp paprika (didnt have gochugaru)
1 tbsp plant-based oyster sauce (didnt use)

Process:

1. Mash the tofu into a crumble with a fork
2. Finely chop the garlic, ginger, and green onions
3. Heat up a nonstick pan to medium heat with olive oil. Add the crumbled tofu. Sauté for 3-4min
4. Add 2 tsp dark soy sauce and sauté for another couple of minutes. Set the tofu aside
5. Bring a pot of water to boil for the noodles
6. Place the nonstick pan back on medium low heat. Add 2 tbsp olive oil and the garlic and ginger. Cook for about 2-3min
7. When the water comes to a boil, cook the noodles for 1 min less to package instructions. Stir occasionally to keep them from sticking
8. Add the paprika to the garlic and ginger. Cook for about 1min. Then, add the oyster sauce.
9. Strain out the noodles and add to the pan. Add 1 tsp dark soy sauce and the crumbled tofu. Turn the heat up to medium and sauté for 2-3min. Add the green onions and sauté for another minute

This is my result:

As usual, doesn’t look like the video, but it is tasty!

This was my standard bread for several years in London. I learnt it in BreadAhead.

Day 0: Feed starter

75g water room temperature
75g rye flour
Mix all well, and let it at room temperature covered with a lid but not airtight. 24h in winter, 12h in summer

Day 1: add flour

Starter should be active. Kind of double in size. Best test, it is take a tea spoon of starter and check if it floats in a glass of water
500g strong white flour
320g water room temperature
10g salt
150g starter

• Mix starter and water well.
• Add liquid to the flour, mix roughly with the hand or a fork. Not over do it!
• Wait 1h and then add salt. Push it with wet fingers
• cover and let it rest in the fridge for 24h

Day 2: Folds

• Take the dough out of the bridge. Wet your hand and give it a full fold (4 corners)
• Let it rest 30 minutes
• Another fold
• rest 30 minutes
• Last fold.
• Tap the dough into a work surface and shape it. Try to get a tight dough.
• Transfer the dough to a basket that has been cover with semolina to avoid the dough to stick to the basket.
• Put it in the bridge for 24h

Day 3: Bake

• Preheat oven at 250C with a tray inside.
• Take dough out of the oven 5-10m before the oven is ready
• Once the oven is ready, take the tray out of the oven. Use a bit of semolina.
• Flip the dough from the basket on the tray. Score it!
• Put the tray back in the oven.
• Water spray the oven. Very important for creating the crust!
• Bake at 250C for 35m aprox.

It was a good bread. I liked it and people who tried it always said good things. But never had the open spring I saw in other breads in bakeries, books and videos.

I wanted to cook risotto and i noticed that i didnt remember how to do it /o\ although I had the ingredients…

Found this video, looked nice, so went for it.

This is my result:

Some years ago, I tried an amazing roasted cauliflower in a roof top, and wanted to try one day. I watched this video and then I had to do it.

INGREDIENTS
Whole cauliflower head

Cooking liquid
2 cups cheat white wine
2 cups veggoe stock
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar
5 cloves garlic, slightly crushed
2 bay leaves
1 onion, in quarters
salt and pepper

Flavor Paste

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 any dried herb blend
• 2 tbsp fresh grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp tomate pure

Garnish

• 2-3 tsp fresh grated parmesan cheese
• fresh chopped parsley

DIRECTIONS
– Mix Cooking Liquid ingredients in a large stockpot and bring to a boil
– Once boiling, reduce heat to medium low and place cauliflower head in the pot and baste with a ladle once or twice as it cooks covered for 10-15 min.
– Preheat oven to 180C. Convection setting on if you have that option.
– While cauliflower is steaming in the stockpot, mix Flavor Paste ingredients in a small bowl.
– After cauliflower has cooked in the stockpot for 10-15 min, remove and transfer to a baking sheet with a raised grate.
– Spoon and spread Flavor Paste all over cauliflower head. Spray lightly with olive oil.
– Place cauliflower in preheated oven for about 30 min.
– Remove from oven and grate parmesan cheese all over and spray again lightly with olive oil
– Place in oven for another 15-20 min or until deep golden brown.
– Transfer to serving platter and garnish with fresh chopped parsley and enjoy!

And this is my result:

My coating wasnt great and I had it for lunch next day so it wasn’t the same, but still it was good. And as usual, room for improvement!

Still It is not the same roasted cauliflower I had that time…. need to do proper research.

I have done it before but I watched this video and wanted to do it like him, with homemade lasagna sheets.

FOR THE EGG LASAGNA SHEETS
Durum wheat semolina flour 350g (just used fine semolina)
Cake flour 150g (I just used normal wheat white flour)
Spinach (raw) 250g
Eggs 2
Egg yolks 3

FOR THE RAGÙ (MEAT SAUCE)
Minced beef 300g
Pork pancetta 150g (I used a bit of chorizo as didnt have it)
Carrots 50g
Celery 50g
Onions 50g
Red wine 1/2 cup (100g)
Tomato puree 300g
Vegetable broth to taste
Salt, pepper and olive oil

FOR THE BÉCHAMEL SAUCE
Butter 70g
White flour 70g
Whole milk 1 liter (likely I used much less)
Salt, pepper and nutmeg

TO SEASON
Butter to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese: 270g (I didnt have that much and used a mozarella)

Making lasagna sheets with a rolling pin is not the same 🙂

It doesnt look like the video, but it was nice:

Definitely my pasta wasn’t great, too thick?

Need to repeat again!