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Tomato and goat cheese tart (gf) and upside down tortoises
Our last skiing weekend of the season was an unmitigated success after a slightly shaky start. I tend to be a bit bossy (as I think Hugo has mentioned), meaning that I pay a lot of attention to telling other people what to do, and less attention to what I should be doing. A case in point: on Saturday we took the first chairlift of the day with two other people and my backpack, which could quite legitimately have had a seat of its own, filled as it was with clothes, water, food, camera and video material. One would have been forgiven for assuming we were about to climb Everest, not spend a leisurely day in the Spring snow. In the interests of pedagogy, I explained to Léo on the ride up that, especially when there are four people on the lift, it’s important to go straight forward when you disembark. Five minutes later, I had ended up on my back with my skis in the air like a tortoise on its shell, unable to stand up due to the sheer size and weight of my backpack. The chairlift operator was very kind and stopped the lift (presumably to avoid a tortoise roadkill scenario) and hauled me up with a large smile (or snigger?) and a gracious ‘bienvenue Madame!’
These savoury tarts are quick and easy to make (particularly if you’ve made the pastry cases in advance) and will be even more delicious when tomatoes come into season properly.
Ingredients for pastry (makes about six mini tarts):
110g buckwheat flour
30g butter
20ml olive oil
Pinch of sea salt
Roughly 6 tablespoons of cold water
Ingredients for filling:
2 shallots, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
3 tomatoes, cut into thin slices
6 slices of goats cheese
Sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, paprika
To make the pastry, begin by cutting the butter into small cubes. Add to the flour and a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl. Blend by hand until the mixture becomes crumbly. Add the olive oil, blending well and then the cold water, mixing rapidly with a spoon. Remove the mixture from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until you obtain a ball of pastry (if the mixture isn’t ‘sticky’ enough to form a ball, you may need a drop more water). Wrap in a clean cotton tea towel or some cling film and leave to ‘rest’ in the fridge for about two hours. This relaxes the dough and makes it easier to use.
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Roll out the pastry on a clean, lightly floured surface and fill the tart tins. Bear in mind that buckwheat pastry is extremely crumbly as it contains no gluten to ‘stick’ it together. You’ll probably need to patch and press the pastry into the tins as opposed to just cutting and placing it in as you would with normal pastry. Precook the pastry for 10 minutes.
Fill the tarts with the shallots, garlic and tomato slices, finishing up with a slice of goats cheese on top. Season and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the tomatoes are ‘mushy’ and the cheese has melted. -
Coconut chocolate mousse cake (gf)
Asparagus season is here again and with it, the Great Asparagus Stand-off; my husband likes them best lightly boiled, I am partial to roasted. Léo likes them not at all, so I’m doing a recipe for chocolate cake. 😆
This cake, adapted from the recent cookbook ‘Honestly Healthy‘, is positively ambrosial. I’m sure it would be delicious without my alterations, but I have an almost pathological need to customise recipes. This cake also freezes well; I always freeze cakes in ready-cut slices because they would disappear far too quickly otherwise. Even a card-carrying chocoholic like me refuses to stoop so low as to actually break her teeth on frozen food in order to get a ‘fix’.
Ingredients (serves 10)
100g coconut flour
50g organic cocoa powder, sifted
500ml almond milk
60g coconut oil (melted)
60g salted butter (melted)
130g agave syrup
2 tablespoons yacon syrup*
4 eggs, beaten
Preheat the oven to 150°C and lightly grease a cake tin (I used a 24cm diameter tin). Combine the coconut flour and cocoa in a bowl. In another bowl combine the ‘wet’ ingredients (milk, oil, syrups, butter and eggs) and then fold the two lots of ingredients together. Transfer the mixture to the cake tin and bake for about 40 minutes (or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean). Leave the cake to cool before transferring to a plate and dust with cocoa powder before serving.
* Yacon syrup is extracted from the roots of the yacon plant, indigenous to the Andes mountains. It has low glycemic index (it’s suitable for diabetics) containing up to 50% FOS (fructooligosacharides). -
‘Barigoule’ baby artichokes and rubber bands for life
Last week a courier service mistakenly delivered an envelope containing 1,580 rubber bands to our house. They were in fact destined for the UK, so they hadn’t even got the right country, which is really no recommendation when you’re an international courier service. Bearing in mind that we live well off the beaten track, about six kilometres from the nearest village, I had the following conversation with the misguided driver this morning:
Driver : ‘Hello we were wondering whether you still had the envelope containing 1,580 rubber bands delivered to you last week by mistake?’
Me : ‘Yes. I kept the envelope – I was going to add them to my collection.’
Driver : ‘I have to come and pick the package up this afternoon and wondered whether you could bring it to the nearest village?’
Me : ‘Sure, I’ll make a 12km round trip to save you the trouble. Shall we fix a time now or later for you to come to me and muck out the horses and vacuum the house?’
In the end, he did reluctantly concede that it was probably part of his job description to drive out to us to pick up the envelope and anyway, he would definitely rather do that than muck out my horses. I don’t think he ‘got’ the irony though and probably just thinks that I’m a batty, lazy, rubberband-hoarding hermit! Not that it really matters what he thinks because this conversation was six hours ago and he still hasn’t managed to find us :lol:.
Artichokes are an excellent source of fibre and also contain plenty of folic acid and vitamins C, K and B complex. They are also a rich source of antioxidants and minerals such as copper, calcium, potassium, iron, manganese and phosphorus.
This makes a delicious starter or even on its own as a light meal.
Ingredients (serves 4)
4 tablespoons of olive oil
2 medium sized onions, sliced
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
8 baby artichokes, stems and outer leaves removed and chopped lengthways
4 rashers of smoked bacon, sliced
1 bay leaf
150ml white wine
water to cover vegetables
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon piment d’Espelette (or paprika)
Brown the onions and garlic in a casserole dish (Dutch oven) in the olive oil. Add the artichokes, being sure to turn and coat them well with olive oil, and the bacon and continue frying for a few minutes. Add the wine and seasoning , cover and continue to simmer for about 45 minutes. There should be just enough liquid to cover the artichokes so you will probably need to add some water. Towards the end of cooking, remove the lid and reduce the liquid by about half. -
Orange and coriander chicken tagine
Please bear with me because this is complicated (for you) and exhausting (for me):
The young red hens must be separated from the black hen to be fed; she bullies them relentlessly, preventing them from eating. It is imperative, however, that they eat with the white hen who calms and protects them. The barking dog must be kept at a distance as he is inclined to fluster eating hens, potentially causing indigestion or choking. The oldest horse (who roams the grounds because everyone is bothersome in his book), must also be kept away from the hens, even the belligerent black one, as he would not hesitate to stomp and blow air through his nostrils with intent to gain access to more grain. He is temporarily condemned to the tool shed (yes, really :-)), while the hens eat in the tack room. For all of this to be achieved, the black hen must be repeatedly chased, the dog restrained from shredding his lead and Texas, the extremely wilful old horse, prevented from either breaking the tool shed door down or harming himself on the chainsaw. Thankfully the cat, having no doubt pulled an all-nighter, is asleep somewhere and therefore not a problem.
I find the fragrant aroma of tagine cooking very calming , which is why I make it on a regular basis 😉 Is 9am too early for brandy?
Ingredients (serves 4):
3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
8 chicken thighs
2 orange, peeled and roughly chopped (2cm)
6 medium-sized carrots, peeled and cut into 2cm pieces
150g chickpeas, precooked
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon coriander
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Bay leaf
500ml chicken stock
Fresh coriander to serve
There is a mixed Moroccan spice you can buy called Raz el Hamout, which combines all of the above spices and sometimes more. If you have some, you may use it in place of the separate spices.Preheat the oven to 180°C. Gently brown the onions, garlic and chicken in the olive oil in a medium-sized casserole dish. Once golden brown (this should take about eight minutes), add the orange segments, seasoning and spices and continue to brown for a further five minutes. Add the chickpeas and chicken stock and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook in the oven for about an hour and a half or until the sauce is beginning to caramelise. -
Awards (my Oscar moment)
I’m sorry that I’ve taken so long to respond to all your kind nominations. A big (belated) thank you to:
Live Blissful for the Liebster Award
Eatbreatheyogini for the Beautiful Blogger Award
Live Blissful for the Shine On Award and Blog of the Year Awards
Miss Marzipan for Very Inspiring Blogger Award
The Art of Nutrition for the Liebster Award
Apuginthekitchen for the Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award
Live Blissful for the Super Sweet Blogging Award
I would also like to thank my wonderful husband and son, my parents, the hens, horses and dogs, without whom these awards would not have been forthcoming. Also a big thank you to the cat that keeps our mouse population manageable and to the deer for their memorable, but alas, all-too-short visits. 🙂 -
Home remedy for tickly coughs
The aim of this ‘recipe’ is not to titillate your tastebuds, but to afford you a nights sleep (or a less irritating day :-)) if you’re suffering from a dry, tickly cough. I discovered this mixture after having tried what seemed like every over-the-counter remedy on sale, as well as numerous prescription medicines. The taste is a bit unusual, so you might have to use a bit of coercion with children. In my experience though, it’s well worth it as it really works better than anything else.
As a rule, coughs should not be suppressed as it’s the body’s way of expelling germs, dust and other irritants. However, if you have one of those irritating dry coughs that just go on and on, then this is definitely worth a try.
Ingredients (one dose)
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (organic if possible)
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger (optional)
1/4 glass of boiling water
Drop of cold water to cool mixture if necessary
Melt the honey by adding to boiling water, then add the other ingredients one by one. Mix well and drink.
Honey should not be given to children under the age of one. If your cough lasts over ten days, you have trouble breathing or blood in the sputum you should consult a doctor. This post is provided for informational purposes only and is not meant to replace a trained healthcare provider.
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Some good advice from Skye at Skinny Fat
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Chickpea flour pancakes (gf) and hens with attitude
Hello it’s Salt writing today. Just so you know, I’m the prettiest of the hens.
It also seems that I’m the only one to be doing any work at the moment. Pepper has been nesting for the past ten days (to no avail – when will she learn? 🙄 ) and we have two new recruits: ginger adolescents with huge feet and no brains. The first day they arrived, the big black dog called Hugo came to say hello and put his paw on one of their wings, not in an unfriendly way I thought. She was so traumatised that she completely disappeared for a whole day. How silly – what a chicken! Any fool knows that Hugo wouldn’t harm a flea. In fact, he’s such a wuss that he’s probably even scared of us *evil cackle*. Anyway, I just wanted to say that I’m in favour of anything the yellow-haired one cooks, especially when there’s lots left over. The only things I’m not keen on are her chicken dishes for some reason. Anyway, I must dash – there are eggs to lay, dogs to unnerve and teenage hens to boss around.
These deliciously fragrant savoury pancakes are gluten free and may be served with Indian food or as a standalone. Chickpea flour is rich in vitamins A, K, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid and folate. It is also an excellent source of minerals: iron, manganese, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc, copper and selenium. What’s not to like?Ingredients (serves four)
140g chickpea flour
250ml water
half tsp salt
half tsp cayenne pepper
1 small red onion, very finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, very finely chopped
2 fresh green chillies, very finely chopped
olive oil and coconut oil
nigella seeds to garnish
Put the chickpea flour into a large mixing bowl, slowly adding the water to obtain a smooth batter. Add the salt, cayenne pepper, onion, garlic and chillies, stir and set aside for at least 15 minutes.
Melt 1 tsp of olive oil and 1 tsp of coconut oil in a non-stick frying pan. Once the oils are hot, pour enough batter to cover the pan once tilted in all directions. While the batter is still raw sprinkle with tsp of nigella seeds. Cook as you would cook a crêpe until reddish golden brown on both sides. Remember to stir the batter before each new pancake. -
Custard tarts (gf) and potential lawsuits
The past two weeks have been taken up with various trips and visitors, namely a skiing trip to the Pyrenees, five turbulent ten-year-olds, a labrador puppy and a couple of adolescent hens. Our skiing trip was wonderful, if slightly hair-raising at times. Once on skis, Léo doesn’t believe in doing anything that might slow himself down. I imagine that it’s a bit like skiing with a talking torpedo. According to him, speed control is for sissies and mothers and, as such (I fall into both categories), I was on the receiving end of several barbed ‘what kept you?’ rebukes. Despite this, the snow was abundant, the sun shone everyday and, all things considered, we managed to escape remarkably unscathed. The group of people knocked flying by my human bobsleigh son fell like dominos but won’t be pressing charges as it is thought his actions were not premeditated :-?, so that’s a relief.
These tarts make excellent chairlift food: delectable, nourishing and not too fragile. They are also a good source of milk and eggs for growingtorpedoeschildren. Cooked milk is easier to digest than pasturised milk as the cooking process breaks down the complex proteins, making them more accessible.
Ingredients for pastry (makes about six mini tarts):
110g buckwheat flour
25g butter
25g virgin coconut oil
Roughly 6 tablespoons of cold water
Ingredients for custard:
250ml whole milk
250ml cream
4 tablespoons honey
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
To make the pastry, begin by cutting the butter and coconut oil into small cubes. Add to the flour in a mixing bowl and add a pinch of sea salt. Blend by hand until the mixture becomes crumbly. Add the cold water, mixing rapidly with a spoon. Remove the mixture from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until you obtain a ball of pastry (if the mixture isn’t ‘sticky’ enough to form a ball, you may need a drop more water). Wrap in a clean cotton tea towel or some cling film and leave to ‘rest’ in the fridge for about two hours. This relaxes the dough and makes it easier to use.
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Roll out the pastry on a clean, lightly floured surface and fill the tart tins. Bear in mind that buckwheat pastry is extremely crumbly as it contains no gluten to ‘stick’ it together. You’ll probably need to patch and press the pastry into the tins as opposed to just cutting and placing it in as you would with normal pastry. Precook the pastry for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the custard filling by cooking the milk and cream over a low heat. Beat the honey and egg yolks together and slowly add the heated milk and cream mixture, beating constantly. Add the vanilla, blending well and fill the pastry cases with the mixture. Bake at 180°C for about 20 minutes or until the surface begins to brown. Serve chilled. -
Chinese pork salad and dogs with bones of contention
Hello! It’s Hugo again. Today I have a bone to pick with the cook (I use that expression at every opportunity – it’s a personal favourite ;-)). I did say I wouldn’t be unkind about the bossy one as she takes me for walks, but I’ve changed my mind. Apparently only fools never change their minds and I may be a bit mad, but I’m not a nincompoop. My problem is this: all it takes is for the sun and a few yellow flowers to appear and she gets all enthusiastic about salad. Salad is for rabbits and perhaps other herby fours, but it certainly isn’t for dogs. We used to have a rabbit called Madeleine until one of the horses let her out of her hutch and she did a runner. I know that the noisy yellow-haired one that shoots me with plastic bullets agrees with me, because we’re on the same page when it comes to food. I feel a bit sorry for him sometimes; she really gives him an earful about ‘not eating enough vegetables’. We both wish that she’d knock this healthy eating fixation of hers on the head. Anyway, please don’t compliment these unappetising green creations, because she’s a bit of a sucker and it’ll only encourage her. Perhaps you could suggest she get all gung ho about red meat?
Ingredients:
Crisp lettuce, washed and shreded
White cabbage, washed and cut finely
1 carrot, peeled and cut into ‘sticks’
1 orange, peeled and cut into small pieces
Thin slices of pre-cooked pork (or duck)
1 shallot, peeled and chopped
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2 tablespoons cashew nuts
Dressing:
Rice vinegar
Sesame seed oil
Maple syrup
Soya sauce
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
Assemble the salad ingredients in a bowl, add the dressing and serve. To be consumed away from petulant dogs 🙂
