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Chickpea pizza base (gf) and branching out
A few days ago I received an email from a soft furnishings company saying that they would ‘love to write a guest post’ for my blog. This was followed by an email from an online gaming company suggesting the same thing. Call me parochial, but I’m still struggling to understand the relevance; gluten-free sofas, buckwheat light shades and deep-fried poker? Is this perhaps just the next step in the lateral thinking that claims courgettes are the new spaghetti and cauliflower the new rice? Still, I’m baffled, even in my capacity as the queen of non sequiturs (I’m always launching into totally unrelated conversational hemispheres – one minute you’re telling me about your holiday and the next I’m grilling you on how to teach a horse to pirouette).
So here’s a deliciously light chickpea pizza base that might or might not make for stunning cushion covers or perhaps put you in mind of a roulette wheel…
Ingredients (makes two 15cm pizzas)
150g chickpea flour
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
a pinch of salt
Fresh rosemary leaves
200ml water
I clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon ghee (or you could use butter)
Combine the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and rosemary in a medium-sized bowl. Gradually add the water, whisking continuously to form a paste. Add the garlic, and olive oil and leave the batter to stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Melt half of the ghee in a 15cm frying pan and add half of the batter. Fry on both sides until golden brown. Repeat with the remaining ghee and batter. Add your toppings of choice and cook in a hot oven for 15 minutes. -
Mango and ginger kulfi and fire-proof mouths
When I lived near Paris, an English friend and I used to frequent a wonderful little Indian restaurant where we invariably ordered kulfi and halwa for dessert. I’m sure they used to cringe and don their heat-proof clothing and goggles as they saw us approach because we always ordered everything extra extra hot, which is unusual in France where Indian restaurants tend to be more subtle than in the UK. I’m all for subtle; subtle is usually a good thing, but not when it comes to Indian food when my tastebuds demand strident, lurid and brash. Eating Indian food is an extreme sport for me: bungee jumping for the palate.
This ice cream is divine and absolutely perfect after a brazen vindaloo – it puts out the fire like applying aloe vera to sunburn. It is usually made with condensed milk instead of coconut cream.
Not only is ginger deliciously tangy and refreshing, it is also a potent antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory, as well as being an excellent antioxidant source. It aids digestion and helps prevent nausea and motion sickness as well as headaches, respiratory infections and arthritic pain.
Ingredients (makes about 12 mini moulds)
400ml coconut cream, any excess water removed
400ml Greek yoghurt
1 large mango, peeled and pureed
25g almonds, finely chopped
25g pistachios, finely chopped
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1 teaspoon cardamom seeds, ground
Place all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and combine well. Pour the mixture into silicon muffin moulds (I used a mixture of muffin moulds and canelé moulds). Freeze for at least two hours. Take out individual portions and leave to defrost slightly at room temperature about 45 minutes before serving. Delicious served with halwa. -
Halwa and ice skating for dogs
Until today, I neither shared nor understood Java’s enthusiasm for the cold white stuff that suddenly appeared the other morning. Mind you, she’s so foolish that I don’t understand much about her at all. I refused to go out all day on Monday in the hope that it would disappear. It didn’t, and there was even more of it this morning so, after much coaxing, I agreed to accompany Bossy and Java on a walk. I soon found out that if I ran very fast and then suddenly stopped, Java (who copies everything I do) was taken by surprise, skidded, lost her balance and fell over (what’s not to like?). How anyone with four legs can actually fall over is beyond me – it just goes to show how silly she is. Bossy lost her balance a few times too *canine snigger*, but in her case it’s more understandable as she only has two legs and I suppose she’s busy trying to control her mouth, always going at full throttle. These little bonuses mean that I’ve decided that the white stuff is not so bad after all. I may even look into skiing lessons…
Halwa is a deliciously fragrant Indian dessert cake. It contains ghee, or clarified butter. Having had all dairy residue simmered off, ghee is suitable for people with dairy allergies. It is a rich source of omegas 3 and 9 as well as butyric acid which has been shown to decrease inflammation, particularly in the intestines. It is also an excellent source of vitamins A, D, E and K.
Ingredients (serves 12)
350g carrots, grated
50g raisins
50g almonds, chopped
50g pistachios, chopped
5 tablespoons ghee, melted (you could replace this with butter or coconut oil)
2 tablespoons honey
3 eggs, whisked
200g almond flour
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon cardamom seeds, crushed
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Combine the carrots, raisins, almonds, pistachios, ghee and honey in a mixing bowl. Gradually add the almond flour, bicarbonate of soda and cardamom seeds to the whisked eggs and blend until homogenous. Add the flour/egg mixture to the carrot/nut mixture and combine well. Transfer to a prepared medium-sized baking tin and bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
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There are always flowers for those who want to see them (Henri Matisse)
Over the past 50 years, wheat has been cross-bred to make it more resistant, shorter and faster growing. Today’s wheat is extremely inflammatory and contains substances that are difficult to digest. It is believed that the gluten found in this modern-day wheat is responsible for the rising occurrence of celiac disease, as well as benign gluten and wheat intolerance.
In addition to this, wheat’s glycemic index is very high as it contains amylopectin A, which is more easily converted to blood sugar than any other carbohydrate, including table sugar. The protein in wheat is transformed into exorphins which bind themselves to the opioid receptors in the brain, creating cravings and serious addiction. And to add insult to injury, recent research suggests that the consumption of modern wheat might trigger autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis.
So if you make only one change towards improving your diet this year, how about replacing wheat flour with some of the many alternatives? Not only will you be adding flavour and goodness to your plate, you’ll be improving your overall health as well.- Spelt flour. This is a big favourite of mine. Although it contains gluten it is in a form far more easily digested than the gluten in wheat. It contains more protein (in the form of amino acids) than wheat and is a rich source of B vitamins, fibre and minerals. Makes a wonderful, slightly nutty-tasting substitute for wheat flour in baking.
- Rye flour. Rye flour also contains gluten, but again in a more digestible format. It is an excellent source of fibre, so much so that it is actually said to aid weight loss. It also contains plenty of vitamin E, calcium, iron and other trace minerals. Also well-adapted to baking, although I usually combine it with another flour as it can be a bit dry.
- Buckwheat flour (gf). Despite its name, it’s not a type of wheat at all, but a plant closely related to rhubarb. Buckwheat is rich in protein, B vitamins and minerals (including iron). It makes wonderful pancakes and crepes and may be combined with spelt or rye flour for baking.
- Chestnut flour (gf). Chestnut flour provides protein in the form of amino acids, fibre as well as vitamin E, B complex vitamins, potassium, phosphorus and magnesium.
- Chickpea flour (gf). Grain-free, chickpea flour is high in protein (again in the form of amino acids), folate and B vitamins, iron, magnesium and phosphorus. Makes superb fritters, savoury pancakes and flatbreads.
- Millet flour (gf). Purportedly one of the least allergenic of all flours, millet flour is gluten free and very easily digestible due to its high alkalinity. An excellent source of iron, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, manganese, zinc and B vitamins.
- Quinoa flour (gf). Quinoa flour contains about 17% protein, which makes it a richer source than any other grain flour. It also contains iron, calcium, zinc, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and copper.
- Kamut flour. A highly nutritious flour, containing a form of gluten easier to digest than wheat. Again high in protein, it also contains potassium, B vitamins, zinc, magnesium and iron.
- Teff flour (gf). Teff has by far the highest proportion of calcium compared with other flours. It also contains amino acids, B vitamins, vitamin K and minerals. In its native Ethiopia, it is primarily used to make traditional flatbread.
- Coconut flour (gf). Like chickpea flour, coconut flour is grain-free. It has the highest percentage of fibre (58%) of any flour. It also contains vitamin C, iron and calcium. It is delicious used in baking and may also be used for pancakes or bread.
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Celeriac gratin and Hugo the sage
I’m thinking about leaving home. Bossy would obviously try to stop me because I’m quite a catch as dogs go. It’s not that I don’t like it here; the food’s not bad most of the time, the scenery is pretty enough, I’m more or less allowed to do whatever I like (except kill hens, which is very frustrating for me – to the point that I may even be psychologically damaged). I’m just getting a bit fed up of all the baby animals that keep popping up. There have been rabbits, kittens, hedgehogs, birds, foals and now a damned puppy of all things! I suppose I must have been a puppy once, but I’m sure that I would have been an extremely well-behaved one. It stands to reason. Secretly I have to admit that Java’s really rather sweet, but her shenanigans are beyond me. For example, why would you plunge into a ditch that you know you have absolutely no hope of getting out of on your own? It’s just silly of her to try to copy me because I have a magnificently muscular male physique and she is, frankly, just a silly slip of a girl. Maybe I’m going to have to stay after all because someone’s going to have to show her the ropes and I can just imagine the chaos if I leave it to Bossy. One thing is certain: Java’s not going to be helping me to write my column anytime soon because she doesn’t even know how to read and write yet!
Thank you Hugo! I very much hope you decide to stay.
Just as I make use of a large variety of grains, I also try to vary the root vegetables we eat as much as possible. We eat potatoes, for example, quite rarely as there are so many other things to chose from – sweet potatoes, swedes, turnips, parsnips and one of my favourites: celeriac.
Celeriac is very rich in antioxidants and a good source of vitamin K. It also provides essential minerals such as phosphorus, iron, calcium, copper and manganese, as well as B-complex vitamins.
This recipe is adapted from Jamie Oliver.
Ingredients (serves 4)
1 large celeriac, peeled and cut into 1cm slices
2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1cm slices
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 chilli pepper, finely sliced
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
400ml cream
200ml vegetable stock
4 anchovy filets
75g hard cheese (I used Comté), grated
Preheat the oven to 190°C. Place the celeriac, potatoes, garlic and chilli pepper in a large ovenproof dish and season. Add the cream, stock, anchovies and most of the cheese. Mix everything well and then sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes until golden brown and bubbling on top. -
Easy crab pâté and independence for bairns
Somewhat symbolically, on the day of the Scottish independence referendum, without so much as a by your leave, little turtle dove reclaimed her freedom. With an elegant and meticulously coordinated flap of her tiny, delicate wings, her bid for independence was successfully completed in under 20 seconds. Poor Alex Salmond’s rowdy, slightly blundering flapping has failed to achieve as much in years! She seemed to know exactly where she was going too: She headed straight for a mid-section branch of the tree where the local turtle dove community hangs out in the evening. I have a suspicion that she’d be planning this mission for a while as she’d been paying close attention to the comings and goings in the tree for the past few evenings. I like to think she was greeted with open wings – there was certainly a crescendo of chirping upon her arrival. In any case, she didn’t come back for the couscous that I had left out in a bowl on the terrace last night just in case. Turtle Dove: 1, Alex Salmond: 0.
Ingredients (serves 6)
400g white crabmeat (I used tinned, in which case make sure it is well drained)
2 tablespoons of Greek Yoghurt
20g butter, melted
1 clove garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons of horseradish
Juice of 1 lemon
1 fresh chilli pepper
1 teaspoons of paprika
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Combine all the ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Chill for at least two hours and serve with either bread or raw vegetables (carrots, celery, fennel…) and a slice of lemon. -
Salmon with red onion, figs and honey and persecution by toothbrush
I have become victim to relentless persecution by small electronic devices. I was awoken at 4am yesterday morning by the fire alarm helpfully informing me: ‘ba-tt-er-y lowwww, ba-tt-er-y lowwww, please replace the ba-tt-er-y’ (and repeat). After three years’ blissfully silent cooperation, could the battery not have waited another couple of hours? Try finding batteries while you’re half asleep and can’t turn on the lights for fear of waking everyone up and also being attacked by unusually pugnacious mosquitos. This morning, Léo’s electric toothbrush sprung into vigorous and totally unsolicited action at 5am. It vibrated itself off the edge of the sink only to jaunt across the tiled floor towards the bedroom; pure evil (at such an antisocial hour) and hyperactive to boot. I lay in bed fuming, planning ever-spriralling retribution (leaving it to rot in a large glass of substandard cola, tearing out its bristles one-by-one, throwing it against the wall…) while it gained ground. I ended up having to go outside to dispose of it in a dustbin in the grange because it just wouldn’t pipe down. How mad is that? Resorting to moonlit dustbin visits because a toothbrush has got the better of you. And as if alarm and toothbrush angst aren’t enough, my ipad spent the day randomly blurting music from the ’70s. I think I’m going to have to apply myself to that problem though because I’m not throwing my ipad in the bin.
Ingredients (serves 4)
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 salmon filets (about 180g each)
1 small red onion, finely sliced
I chilli pepper, sliced (optional)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 fresh figs, sliced
1 tablespoon honey
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Drizzle the olive oil into a shallow baking dish, coating the salmon on both sides and place the filets skin side down in the dish. Add the sliced red onion, chilli pepper and Worcestershire sauce and season to taste. Finally place the sliced figs over the filets and spoon the honey over the top. Cook for 12 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked in the middle. Delicious served with perhaps green beans or a salad, but definitely with all small electronic devices in the ‘off’ position. -
Courgette, cheese and chickpea cake (gf)
As a follow-on to my previous recipe, I thought I would try a savoury version of the chickpea cake. The result was a protein-rich cross between a paschtida and a savoury flan or cake. In any case, it was very tasty and would make an ideal accompaniment (we ate it with spicy sausages), or could be served on its own with a green salad. This recipe is particularly for Jenna, who is currently in need of quick and easy-to-make gluten-free sustenance.Ingredients (serves 6)
300g chickpeas (garbanzo beans), pre-cooked and rinsed (you can use tinned)
4 eggs, beaten
1 courgette, peeled and finely chopped
½ red pepper, washed and sliced
1 shallot or small onion, peeled and sliced
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
2 teaspoons paprika
150g hard cheese (I used Comté), grated
Preheat the oven to 160°C. Grease and prepare a medium-sized cake tin, round or square. Pulse the chickpeas in a food processor until they reach a paste-like consistency and then mix in the other ingredients, except the cheese, one at a time, continuing to pulse. Add the cheese last and mix in by hand. Pour the mixture into the cake tin and bake for an hour (a fork inserted into the centre should come out clean). May be served hot or cold.
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Apple chickpea cake (gf) and competitive shoppers
Yesterday was one of the warmest days of the year so far and, in the afternoon, I went on an ice-cream dash to our local supermarket. I’ve never thought of myself as being the least bit competitive, but I’m now wondering if I shouldn’t reconsider following a rather random conversation with another shopper at the checkout:
Random Monsieur: ‘I’ve got two tubs of ice-cream’
Me: ‘I’ve got three’
RM: ‘I’m on a motorbike’
Me: ‘I’m in a car’
RM: ‘I haven’t got a freezer bag’
Just when I was about to boast that I, Miss Organised, did have one, I realised that he was actually angling to jump the queue in front of me. I was rather disappointed because I was beginning to quite enjoy the harmless one-upmanship; It certainly beat thinking horribly uncharitable thoughts about the basket contents of my fellow shoppers, which seems to be my mind’s default activity while waiting in line.
I’m quite addicted to this cake. It couldn’t be simpler and it’s spicy and satisfying, as well as being incredibly healthy. Chickpeas are a rich, tasty and versatile source of amino acids, fibre, manganese, iron, zinc and folates.
Ingredients (serves 8-10)
300g chickpeas (garbanzo beans), pre-cooked and rinsed (you can use tinned)
3 eggs, beaten
4 tablespoons honey (preferably raw)
2 apples, peeled and finely chopped
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 teaspoons garam masala spice (or other mixed spice to taste)
100g raisins (pre-cooked in a tablespoon of rum for about 10 minutes)
Preheat the oven to 150°C. Grease and prepare a medium-sized cake tin, round or square. Pulse the chickpeas in a food processor until they reach a paste-like consistency and then mix in the other ingredients, except the raisins, one at a time, continuing to pulse. Add the raisins last and mix by hand. Pour the mixture into the cake tin and bake for between 50 minutes and an hour (a fork inserted into the centre should come out clean). Best served cold.
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Italian-style green beans and lace-chewing mini goats
Castaño, our most misbehaved horse, still attends the School for Exceedingly Naughty Horses a couple of times a week and Léo has taken to accompanying us. I’m not sure whether he comes because he’s looking for general naughtiness tips, or whether he’s fallen for the stable’s miniature goat. I suspect it’s the latter; my family and I have an immoderate fascination for mischievous animals and this little she-goat fits the bill very nicely. They spend an hour climbing trees, inspecting muddy ditches, making the horses spook and charging each other with imaginary horns. She invariably takes pleasure in undoing Léo’s shoe laces with her teeth and chewing them to bits. Is ‘chewing the lace’ a goat variation on ‘chewing the cud’ I wasn’t aware of? Anyway, as I appear to lack the foresight to buy several replacement pairs at once, I’ve spent much of the past month on a quest for flourescent green laces. Never let it be said that I don’t live life on the edge.
This dish makes a wonderful accompaniment to fish or meat, or it may be served as a light lunch or supper with a poached egg on top.
Ingredients (serves 6)
1kg green beans
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 red pepper, sliced
1 tomato, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
handful of pine nuts
12 black olives
6 anchovies
Sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika, piment d’Espelette or chilli powder
10g Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)
Precook the beans until ‘al dente’, strain and set aside. Gently heat the olive oil in a large frying pan adding the onions and cooking for a few minutes. Add the sliced red pepper, tomato and garlic and continue to cook until the red pepper and tomato soften. Add the green beans, pine nuts, olives, anchovies and seasoning, gently combining and cook for a few more minutes.
