Tonights dinner wasn’t something I’d normally make when trying to eat more healthily, but I am participating in a forum monthly challenge and this months recipe certainly made Anthony smile. In fact, anything with sausages makes Anthony happy. The recipe is taken from Jamie’s Dinners – I halved everything to make dinner for two but even they were extremely generous portions.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• Olive Oil
• 2 knobs butter
• 4 chicken breasts, cut into chunks (Mr Oliver uses 1kg/2lb 3oz boned and skinned chicken legs, cut into pieces)
• 2 medium leeks, trimmed, washed and sliced into 1cm pieces
• 2 carrots peeled and roughly chopped
• 3 sticks of celery finely sliced
• A small handful of thyme, leaves picked
• 2 tablespoons of flour
• 1 wineglass of white wine
• ½ pint milk
• s&p
• 225g good pork sausages
• 1 x 500g pack of all butter puff pastry
• 1 egg

Method

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees/ Gas mark 7

1. Take a large casserole pot and add a lug of olive oil and your butter.
2. Add the chicken, leeks carrots, celery and thyme and cook slowly on the hob for 15 minutes
3. Turn the heat up & add the flour – keep stirring for a couple of minutes before adding the wine, a wineglass of water and the milk
4. Season with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper, then cover with a lid and simmer very slowly on the hob for 30-40 minutes until the chicken is tender. Stir it every so often so it doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan. The sauce should be loose but quite thick. If it’s a little too liquid, just continue to simmer it with the lid off until it thickens slightly. (At this point you can let it cool and keep it in the fridge for a couple of days if you want to – it can also be eaten as a stew.)
5. Pour the chicken mixture into an appropriately sized pie dish.
6. Squeeze the meat out of the sausage skins, roll it into little balls, brown them in a little oil and sprinkle them over the stew.
7. Roll out your pastry to about 0.5 cm thick. Egg wash the rim of the dish and drape over the pastry, using a knife to trim the edge of the dish. Egg wash the top of the pastry to make it go golden whilst cooking, then pinch it to crimp around the edges.
8. I use the back of a knife to lightly criss cross the top – this allows the pastry to go crisp and flaky.
9. Cook the pie in the centre of the oven for about 30 to 40 minutes until golden on top

Mr Oliver likes to serve with sweetcorn and mashed potato.  But I had forgotten that we had already used the potatoes in the fish pie so ended up having the pie with chips! It was enjoyable but I think I do prefer the creamy chicken & tarragon pie…

Cod & Salmon Fish Pie
Salmon Loin, skinned
Cod Loin, skinned
1 pint milk
Dill
5 peppercorns,
1 carrot, peeled and cut into quarters
1 onion, peeled & halved
15g butter
15g plain flour
2 maris piper potatoes
butter (for mashing potatoes)

1. Poach fish in milk with carrot, onion and peppercorns
2. Put potatoes on to boil
3. When fish is cooked, take the fish out & put to one side
4. Remove carrot, onion & peppercorns and throw away (keep the milk!)
5. Melt butter in pan & add flour, cook through for a minute
6. Slowly add milk to the roux and stir until sauce thickens
7. Drain & mash potatoes
8. Flake fish into dish, top with dill and sauce then put mashed potato on top
9. Cook for 20 minutes at 200°c

Baileys Chocolate Mousse Recipe (based on recipe from Waitrose)

175g Green & Black’s Organic Dark Chocolate, broken into small pieces
Knob of butter
5 large eggs, separated (3 yolks, 5 whites)
2 tbsp Baileys

Method
1. Place the chocolate and butter in a large heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. Leave to melt for 2-3 minutes – do not allow the bowl to touch the water. When it has all melted, remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
2. Using a wooden spoon, beat the egg yolks into the chocolate with the liqueur.
3. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they form stiff peaks. Using a large metal spoon, gently fold the whites into the chocolate mixture until completely incorporated.
4. Divide the chocolate mousse between 4 glasses and place in the fridge to set for at least 2 hours.

The recipe chosen for the challenge was a yeasted version based on a recipe by Simon Rimmer.

Stollen
based on a Simon Rimmer recipe

100ml/3½fl oz warm milk
6g (1 sachet) fast action yeast or 2 tsp dried yeast or 20g fresh yeast
pinch salt
1 tsp caster sugar
225g/8oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tsp ground mixed spice
200g/7oz mixed dried fruit (including glacé cherries)
25g/1oz flaked almonds
50g/2oz unsalted butter
1 free-range egg, beaten
250g/9oz marzipan

To finish
rum
25g/1oz butter, melted
50g/2oz icing sugar

Method
1. Place the milk and yeast into a bowl and mix well. Leave to sit for 5-6 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, sift the salt, sugar, flour and mixed spice into a large bowl. Add the dried fruit, almonds and butter and mix well then stir in the yeasty milk and mix well.
3. Add the egg and stir to form a dough. Knead the dough for 5-6 minutes, then cover and leave to prove for 20 minutes. Uncover the dough and turn out onto a clean, floured work surface. Knock the dough back to reduce the volume, then knead the dough for 3-4 minutes.
4. Push the dough out by hand into a flat oval shape about 23cm x 18cm/9in x 7in. Roll the marzipan into a sausage shape about 6cm/2in shorter than the dough. Place the marzipan into the centre of the dough, then fold over the sides of the dough to seal in the marzipan. Then fold in the ends of the dough to contain the marzipan and help give the dough shape. Place the stollen seal-side down onto a greased baking tray. Cover and place somewhere warm to prove for one hour.
5. Preheat the oven to 180C/365F/Gas 4. Place the stollen on the baking tray into the oven to bake for 40 minutes, or until golden-brown and cooked through (I think ours was cooked after 30 minutes).
6. To finish, remove the stollen from the oven, brush with the rum then melted butter and dust liberally with icing sugar immediately. Allow the stollen to cool, then serve in slices.

The bread the loaf has produced is certainly not my best, but does have potential – I was multi-tasking when making it and I may have used not-very-fine-sea-salt as the fine sea salt had been thrown away last week when we had a soy sauce disaster in the cupboard!

But that aside, the bread tastes delicous, makes crispy toast and a lovely cheese and onion sandwich.

The kneading technique for this loaf was devised by Dan Lepard, who, after working full time in commercial kitchens came to realise there wasn’t time for full 10 minute knead of all the different bread batches. He switched to short kneads spaced out and found it works just as well. I have to say I was very surprised when the loaf actually worked as I seemed to nearly pour the dough into the tin… that may also explain its slightly odd shape!

Anyway, it is a delicious loaf and one I’d make again.

Recipe & Instructions courtesey of with knife and fork

Note:
You must use oil not flour on the kneading surface and your hands. Something like vegetable oil is good.
The dough must be quite sticky and soft to start with. It will firm up when kneaded and as time progresses.

Steps:
* Once you have soft sticky dough leave it covered in the bowl for 10 minutes.
* Now oil your kneading surface and hands and tip the dough out.
* Knead for about 12 seconds by folding in the edges to the centre, a bit like shaping a round loaf, rotate the dough as you go.
* Flip the dough over, leave it on the surface and cover with a cloth. Wash out the bowl and then oil it lightly. Put the dough back in the bowl and cover.
* Leave for 10-15 minutes and then do another 12 second knead. You will notice the dough is already less sticky and firmer.
* Leave for 20 -30 mins and repeat the fast knead. You are aiming to have kneaded the dough 3 times in the first hour.
* Leave covered to rise until at least 50% larger but not more than double in size (kneading once per hour if it takes more than hour to increase in size).
* Tip out onto the oil surface and press the air out of the dough using the tips of your fingers so its square-ish in shape. Repeat the fast knead process (or fold in to thirds then rotate through 90, flatten again and fold into 3rds again).
* Shape the dough as required for the particular loaf you are making. Put it in a tin, or supported in a floured cloth in a bowl.
* Leave to rise until at least 50% larger and preferably almost double in size.
* Slash top and bake as per your recipe.

White Tin Loaf (based on Dan Lepard’s Quick White Loaf, p63 of the Handmade Loaf)
2lb loaf tin greased and floured or lined with baking parchment (no need to line the short ends just oil them).

Oven to be pre-heated to its maximum setting (R10/250C) and with a tray of water in the bottom to create steam.

Ingredients:
200g semi skimmed milk at room temp (Dan uses whole milk but semi skimmed seems to work fine)
150g water at room temp (remember 1g = 1ml but its easier to be accurate weighing fluids)
1 tsp fast action yeast (or 2 tsp fresh yeast crumbled)
200g plain white flour
300g strong white bread flour
1 ½ tsp fine sea salt

Method:
Mix the flours and salt together in a bowl.
Mix the water and milk together in a separate bowl and whisk in the yeast.
Add the liquid to the flour and mix with the fingers of one hand to a soft sticky rough dough. You may need to add a little more liquid do this a teaspoon at a time until you have a soft sticky dough.

Follow the kneading instructions above.

The first rise will probably take about an hour from the last knead.

To shape for a tin loaf, flatten the dough to a square about the same width as your tin. Roll the dough into a cylinder and press the seam firmly, fold under the two short ends and place in the tin seam side down.

Allow to rise (covered) to 1 ½ to 2 times volume i.e. to the top of the tin.

Slash the top of the loaf along it length and put it straight into the oven for 10 minutes at maximum temperature. After 10 minutes check how it’s browning and drop the temperature as follows (these baking guidelines are from the River Cottage Bread Book):

R6/200C if the crust is pale
R4/180C if crust is noticeably browning
R3/170C if crust is browning quickly

And cook for a further 40-50 minutes.

I usually check again part way through this time and either adjust temperature again or cover the top with foil if it’s brown enough. Also note that with a traditional gas oven (i.e. one without a fan) the top may brown far too quickly on the side near the heat at the initial temperature so you might want to start at a lower setting of R8/9 for the first 10 minutes. Adapt the setting for what you know about your oven and how things usually bake.

When it’s cooked turn it out of the tin and allow to cool.

Then when it’s cooled cut a big huge doorstop of a slice, toast it and slather with lashing of butter. Yum.

The recipe also works well with a mix of 50:50 wholemeal and white bread flours. You’ll probably need 2-3 tbps extra water.

I also have my eye on this summer spelt recipe from Mostly Eating – keep up the good work Sophie!

The courgette is basted in a dressing of olive oil, sugar and chilli flakes and is then griddled.  The courgettes are then added to a mozzarella, tomato and basil panzanella.

Now, I’ not sure if I’ve missed something but the lentils started to dry out quickly in the pan so I tweaked the recipe slightly, added a little cream and we ended up with this…

Ingredients

• 1 Tin of green lentils
• Coriander
• 1 Clove of garlic
• 1 Small onion
• 1 Teaspoon Ground cumin seeds
• 1 medium chilli finely chopped and de-seeded
• 1 Tablespoon double cream
• 6 Tbsp water
• 2 Tuna Steaks
• 4 Tomatoes

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 180°c
2. Halve the tomatoes and roast for 30 minutes – start the rest of the cooking after 15 minutes
3. Finely chop the onion, garlic and chilli
4. Put lentils in a a pan with the copped onion, garlic and chilli and the cumin seeds
5. Add 6 tablespoons of water to the pan and simmer for 10 minutes
6. Meanwhile start to griddle the Tuna – ours were well cooked
7. When lentils are cooked, take off heat and stir through the double cream then add the coriander leaves
8. Serve Tuna on top of lentils with roasted tomatoes around the side

Ingredients

• 2 Tuna Steaks
• 1 lime
• 1 red chilli
• Olive oil
• Tin of mixed beans (Soya beans, Chick Peas, Pinto Beans, Black Eye Beans, Red Kidney Beans & Aduki Beans)
• Mixed salad leaves – we used rocket, spinach and watercress
• 3 tomatoes

Method

• Rinse Tuna & put in a dish so that they can lie down next to each other
• Squeeze juice of lime & a good glug of olive oil over tuna
• Chop chilli finely & add to tuna – cover dish & pop in fridge for 20 minutes
• Put griddle pan on to heat up
• Drain tin of bean & rinse well
• Put tuna in griddle pan, pour over excess liquid, season with salt and pepper – cook as you like it
• Place a good handful of leaves on a plate, sprinkle over a good handful of beans & place tomatoes around the side
• Place tuna steak on top of salad & serve

Delicous and healthy, even if I do say so myself.

Tonight we were supposed be enjoying sausages from Hollies Farm Shop in Northwich (a new discovery when we bought a new car from the area a week or so ago).

However, Anthony had to have a tooth out this afternoon so wasn’t up for anything but soup and with sausages on the intended menu, that certainly means he really couldn’t eat anything.

Back to the mushrooms though. Every time I make something like this it is just thrown together at the drop of a hat, no recipe in sight. Tonight’s was quite delicious & I thought it about time I share (& post!).

Mushroom & Thyme Pasta for One

• 6 Chestnut mushrooms
• 1/2 small white onion, chopped
• Sprig of fresh thyme
• 2 Tablespoons low fat creme fraiche
• Pasta

Method

• Put pasta on to cook (10-12 minutes)
• Fry onion in a little olive oil & a small pinch of salt until soft
• Add thyme sprig (a few leaves can be removed from sprig as this will be taken out before serving)
• Add mushrooms until soft
• Season further with pepper
• Stir in creme fraiche, take off heat
• Drain pasta & mix