ottolenghi's cauliflower cake

ottolenghi's cauliflower cake

1 Jul 2019

As I was leaving work last week a colleague mentioned she'd made Ottolenghi's cauliflower cake for a friend who was going through a bad patch. 



The recipe for this savoury cake is in Plenty More and although I'd bookmarked the recipe in my copy some time ago, I'd never made it. Cauliflowers are in season at the moment so I bought one on Saturday and made my version of the cake.



I make Helen Goh's broccoli cake quite often and the technique is quite similar. There are a few steps involved in making the cake so I prepared the vegetables and onion and rosemary infused oil on Saturday and baked the cake on Sunday. 



A few people had mentioned in their reviews that the cake was a bit bland so I made sure I seasoned the mix well and added some garlic to the onion because most savoury things taste even better with a bit of garlic. I also halved the recipe to make a 17cm cake.



Here's the recipe for you. For all my recipes I use a 250 ml cup and a 20 ml tablespoon, 60 gm eggs and unsalted butter unless specified. My oven is a conventional gas oven, not fan forced, so you may have to lower your oven temperature by 20°C.



Caulifower Cake, adapted from Ottolenghi's Plenty More. Makes a 17cm cake.
Ingredients
Melted unsalted butter, for brushing
1½ tsp white sesame seeds
½ tsp black sesame seeds 
½ small cauliflower, outer leaves removed, broken into 2 cm florets - 250g 
1 small red onion, peeled - 85g 
1 clove garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
40 mls olive oil
¼ teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
3 large eggs
75g coarsely grated Parmesan or another aged cheese 
7g basil leaves, chopped
60g plain flour, sifted
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
Salt and black pepper

Method
Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Line the base and sides of a 17cm springform cake pan with baking paper and brush the sides with melted butter. Mix together the white and black sesame seeds and sprinkle them around the inside of the pan so that they stick to the sides.

Cook the cauliflower florets in a large pot of boiling salted water. Simmer for 15 minutes until the cauliflower is soft and cooked through. Drain in a colander and set side to cool.. 

Cut 4 round slices 5-mm thick off one end of the red onion and set aside. Chop the rest of the onion and place in a small pan with the garlic, the oil and rosemary. Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring from time to time, until soft. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Place the cooled onions in a medium sized bowl. Add the eggs, parmesan cheese and the basil and mix well. Then add the flour, baking powder, turmeric, ½ tsp salt, pepper to taste and mix until you have a smooth batter. Gently fold in the cooked and cooled cauliflower florets and mix lightly to thoroughly coat. Be careful not to break up the florets too much.

Spoon the cauliflower mixture into the pan, spreading it evenly and arrange the reserved onion rings on top. Place in the centre of the oven and bake for 50 - 55 minutes, until golden brown and set; a knife inserted into the centre of the cake should come out clean. Remove from the oven and leave for at least 20 minutes before serving. It needs to be served just warm, rather than hot, or at room temperature.



I served mine as a lunch dish with a simple salad and like all Ottolenghi recipes, it was delicious. I can definitely see I'll be making this again quite soon.



See you all again next week with some more baking from my kitchen.

Bye for now,

Jillian

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spinach, ricotta and mint pie

spinach, ricotta and mint pie

25 Mar 2019

A good friend of mine gave me a copy of Skye McAlpine's book, A Table in Venice for Christmas. It's no secret that I love Italian food and I follow Skye on instagram, so I browsed the pages with interest.



This is the first recipe I've made from the book and it was a bit of a given that I should choose this spinach, ricotta and mint pie. Spinach and ricotta is one of my favourite flavour combinations so I buy ricotta from my local fruit shop every few weeks; there is always frozen spinach in my freezer and I have a pot of mint growing on the window ledge. 



I made the pastry early on Sunday morning and did a few book-folds with the top crust to make sure it was extra flaky.



In Skye's recipe she pre-bakes the whole pastry case whilst I just pre-baked the base. I've done this many times before and it does seem to be enough to prevent the dreaded 'soggy bottom' from occurring.




As well as changing the technique a little I've adjusted the filling recipe a little to fit my 17cm tin and my indecent love for ricotta. If you double everything it will make a 23 cm pie. Skye's recipe suggested a 30 minute baking time but my pie was looking fairly pale and uninteresting at 30 minutes, so I baked it for an hour.



I had a slice of pie for my Sunday lunch. The pastry was satisfyingly short and the filling was delicious. Next time I'll add a little cooked chorizo to the mix to mirror a favourite Marcella Hazan pasta sauce.



Here's the recipe for you. For all my recipes I use a 250 ml cup, a 20 ml tablespoon, unsalted butter and 60g eggs. My oven is a conventional gas oven so if your oven is fan forced you may need to reduce the oven temperature by 20°C.

Spinach ricotta and mint pie – from A Table in Venice by Skye McAlpine

Makes a 17cm pie, which serves 4

Ingredients
Pastry
250g plain flour
125g cold butter, diced
A generous pinch salt
⅓ cup cold water

Filling
250 frozen spinach, defrosted
2 tsp olive oil
175g ricotta cheese, well draned
20g parmesan, grated
2 eggs
½ bunch mint, leaves finely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pastry
Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub it into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the salt then add enough cold water to make dough, bringing it together with your hands until smooth or you could do this step in the food processor. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes or overnight.

Meanwhile preheat the oven to 200ºC. Grease a 17cm springform tin. Cut off ⅓ of the dough and roll out thinly on a lightly floured surface to fit the base of the springform tin. Using a rolling pin drape the pastry over the base cutting it to fit. Cover the pastry with a piece of baking paper, before attaching the ring. This should hold the baking paper in place avoiding the need for baking beads. Chill for 15-20 minutes then bake the base for 20 minutes until the pastry is lightly golden. Remove the tin from the oven, unclip the ring and remove the baking paper and set aside to cool while you make the filling.  

Defrost the frozen spinach in the microwave, squeezing out the excess water from the spinach before transferring to a bowl and drizzling with the olive oil. Add the ricotta, the parmesan, 1 whole egg and half a beaten egg, season and mix well. Don’t discard the egg as the remainder will be used to glaze the top of the pie. Stir in the mint then return the mixture to the fridge while you finish lining the tin.

Divide the remaining pastry in half and roll out one half thinly on a lightly floured surface. Use this half to line the sides of the tin leaving a little overhang. Once you’ve lined the sides of the tin return the case to the fridge to firm a little before spooning in the filling. Roll out the remaining pastry so it’s large enough to cover the tin. My springform tin is quite high so I folded the edges of the pastry over the filling and glazed the edge of the pastry before laying the remaining pasty over the top of the pie to form a lid. Trim off any excess pastry and use your fingers to seal the edges together. Use a sharp knife to slash 4 slits at the centre of the pie to allow the steam to escape. Brush the leftover beaten egg all over the top of the pie.

Bake the pie  for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the pastry is golden and the filling heated through (slide a knife into one of the slashes down to the base of the pie; it should come out feeling warm to the touch). Remove from the oven and cool for 5-10 minutes. Turn out of the tin and serve warm or at room temperature.


See you all again next week with some more baking from my kitchen.

Bye for now,

Jillian

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ricotta gnocchi with peas and mint

ricotta gnocchi with peas and mint

18 Sept 2017

You know I do cook other things don't you, not just cakes and desserts? In fact I spend all weekend cooking meals for the week ahead. As well as things I can heat up like curries and casseroles, I also like to cook things that take about 20 minutes to get onto the plate.



A few years ago my friend Vanessa asked if I'd ever made ricotta gnocchi. I hadn't but when I eventually did, I wondered why I'd ever made them any other way. You can have gnocchi in the pot in about 10 minutes flat and whilst I love potatoes, I probably love ricotta just as much. 



Apart from salt, pepper and nutmeg all you need are 4 key ingredients - eggs, parmesan cheese, flour and ricotta.



Like all gnocchi, you need to use a light hand with these and only use enough flour to stop the dough from sticking.



I don't usually bother but I decided to roll the gnocchi over a fork to make those characteristic ridges.



I made these gnocchi for my lunch on Saturday but I was faced with a dilemma. What sauce should I make to pair with the gnocchi? I make tomato based sauces all the time and I was a bit worried a tomato sauce would swamp these delicate gnocchi so I looked to Gordon Ramsay for some inspiration. I found this recipe and adapted the sauce a little by swapping mint for the thyme. I thought peas and mint sounded like the perfect combination of spring flavours.



The gnocchi only took a minute or two to cook and the sauce took about 5 minutes to put together so the gnocchi were on my plate in next to no time. If you'd like to try these for yourself, here's the recipe for you. For all my recipes I use a 250 ml cup and a 20 ml tablespoon and all eggs are 60 grams. 

Ricotta gnocchi with peas and mint - serves 4
Ingredients
500g fresh ricotta
2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus a little extra to serve
2 large egg yolks, beaten
1 tsp salt
pinch of nutmeg
1 cup plain flour, plus extra if required

Sauce
Olive oil, for frying
Freshly ground black pepper
150g peas, defrosted if frozen
Knob of butter
a few sprigs of mint,  leaves only
Zest of 1 lemon

Method
Place ricotta in a fine sieve over a bowl for 30 minutes to drain off any excess liquid. Place drained ricotta in a bowl with grated cheese, egg yolks, salt and nutmeg. Add flour and mix to form a dough. Add a little extra flour if the dough is too sticky and wet. Be careful not to overwork.

Divide dough into quarters and gently roll into two-centimetre-diameter logs on a lightly floured surface. Cut into two-centimetre pieces and gently place on a lightly floured tray. Press down with back of a fork to make indents in each gnocchi. Continue with remaining dough.

To cook gnocchi, drop into a saucepan of simmering, lightly salted water and remove as soon as they float to the top, after one or two minutes. Drain thoroughly.

Sauce
Heat a frying pan over a medium-high heat and add a little olive oil. Add the gnocchi to the pan with a pinch of salt and black pepper and sauté for 1-2 minutes on each side until coloured. Add the peas and butter and season to taste. Toss, then add the lemon zest. Serve topped with the mint leaves and some grated parmesan.



So how were the gnocchi? Brilliant! The parmesan cheese in the gnocchi turned a bit crusty when fried and the peas, mint and lemon made for a lovely fresh and light sauce. I've stored some of these gnocchi in the freezer and I'll be having them again for my dinner later this week.

I hope you all had lovely weekends.

See you all again soon.

Bye for now,

Jillian

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pasta shells with tuna and artichoke - pronto

pasta shells with tuna and artichoke - pronto

8 Dec 2014

I'm always looking for quick and easy recipes to make when I come home from work. When it's winter I cook all Sunday so I have a casserole or two to reheat during the week. When it's summer I usually make something quick and easy like a pasta sauce or stir fry.





A few months back I was hunting for a tuna and artichoke sauce recipe I used to make all the time but had misplaced. During my search I found this one instead and was intrigued. I had all the ingredients in my cupboards apart from the artichokes so off to the shops I went. I didn't have any pasta shells so I used penne instead.




Eventually I found the recipe I was looking for but this one is so much better I might have to misplace it again. This recipe a revelation, really fresh tasting and zingy and way too good to keep to myself. I think I've already made it 4 times though usually with penne or spirals.



Here's the recipe for you -

Pasta shells with tuna and artichokes
340g (12 ounces) medium pasta shells
2 168 g (6oz) cans tuna in olive oil
1 168g (6oz) jar artichoke hearts, drained, bigger pieces sliced in half lengthwise
¼ cup capers, drained
grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 large garlic clove, crushed
½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to boil to cook pasta. When water comes to boil, salt it generously, then cook pasta according to package directions, until al dente. 

While the water is coming to the boil, mix the remaining ingredients in a large bowl, big enough to hold the pasta once it's cooked. Break up larger chunks of tuna into bite-sized pieces but do not drain the tuna, as the olive oil becomes part of the sauce.

Drain the pasta, add to the tuna sauce and toss. Serves 2 - 4.

Recipe from here but probably adapted from this Epicurious recipe.

To all those people visiting the blog because of this Nigella Lawson recipe for spelt spaghetti with olives and anchovies (38,000 to date and still counting) personally I think this recipe is even better. If you do give it a try, I'd love to know what you think.

See you all again next week for 5 days of cherry and chocolate flavoured Christmas goodies.

Until then,

Jillian

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spicy chicken burgers on a light brioche bun

spicy chicken burgers on a light brioche bun

11 Aug 2014

I don't usually buy take away but when I'm on holidays I've been known to order the occasional burger. I'm quite partial to a chicken burger and this month's Gourmet Traveller featured a tasty looking chicken burger recipe from Pinbone. It contained fried chicken, which I can't eat, so when I spied a Curtis Stone recipe for oven fried chicken  I thought I'd give that a go instead.



The list of ingredients I needed was quite long so I went in search of hot sauce, panko breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, onion and garlic powder. 

I was going to buy the bread rolls but when reading one of my favourite food blogs I discovered this New York Times recipe for light brioche burger buns. I simplified the technique considerably, put the dough into the fridge to rise overnight and made these at lunch time.



I already had cheese in the fridge but I needed some lettuce leaves and tomatoes. I bought some mini ox heart tomatoes because they're so sweet and juicy! I thought the perfect accompaniment to the burgers would be some of my faux fries.



Here are the simplified instructions for the brioche burger buns using a stand mixer. I also cut the sugar content considerably.

Light Brioche Bun 
Adapted from Hidefumi Kubota, Comme Ça, Los Angeles 
Time: 1 hour, plus 2 to 4 hours’ rising
Ingredients 

3 cups bakers flour 

1/3 cup plain flour 

1 1/2 teaspoons salt 

2 teaspoons dry yeast 

2 teaspoons sugar 

35 g softened butter 

1 egg, beaten 

1 cup warm water 

3 tablespoons warm milk 

Topping 

1 egg 

1 tablespoon water 

Sesame seeds 

In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix the flours with the salt, dried yeast and sugar. Add butter and rub into the flour.  

Using the dough hook, mix in the beaten egg and the warm water and milk to form a soft dough. Mix for 8 - 10 minutes before shaping the dough into a ball. Lightly grease the bowl and return the dough to the bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours or you can place the bowl in the fridge overnight. The next day bring the dough to room temperature before proceeding to the next step. 

Line a baking tray with baking paper. Divide the dough into 8 - 12 equal parts. Gently roll each into a ball and arrange 2 to 3 inches apart on the tray. Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel and let buns rise in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours. 

Preheat oven to 220°C/425°F with rack in centre. Set a large shallow pan of water on the oven floor. Beat remaining egg with 1 tablespoon water and lightly brush the top of the buns. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake, turning the tray halfway through baking, until tops are golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Transfer to a rack to cool completely. 

Yield: 8 - 12 buns.

I have to say these burgers were absolutely delicious. I followed Curtis Stone's instructions to the letter using chicken thigh fillets which I'd brined overnight. The buns came out really well and they were soft and tasty. I used the toppings suggested in the Pinbone recipe - cheese, tomato, lettuce, mayonnaise and hot sauce. These little burgers are so good, I think the Colonel may be in trouble!

P.S Here's my final Delicious Bites column for decor8, a recipe for Petal Cupcakes. As the column won't be running anymore what would you think if I renamed my blog Delicious Bites? It would just be a redirection so my current readers wouldn't have to change a thing. It would give me an opportunity to get a new logo and a new look for the blog. 

I'm looking forward to hearing what you think of my idea.

See you all next week,

Jillian

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