No-Knead Crusty Artisan Bread

Ingredients:

• 400g plain white flour (strong flour worked fine)
• 0.5 tsp salt
• 0.5 tsp teaspoon dry yeast (active dry or highly active dry work best)
• 350ml water

Method:

1. Sift flour into a large bowl and stir in salt and yeast. 
2. Stir in water using a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a shaggy but cohesive dough. Do not over-work the dough. 
3. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Let dough sit at room temperature for 8-24 hours until dough is bubbly.
4. [skipped pre-heating of the pan]
5. Oil white casserole dish with gold handles. Pour in dough. Rest for 30 mins.
6. Preheat oven to 230c.
7. Bake for 30 mins covered with a metal bowl. Remove bowl and bake for 15 mins more.
8. Cool.

Source: https://www.thecomfortofcooking.com/2013/04/no-knead-crusty-artisan-bread.html

Bali banana pancakes

These worked quite well. Not spectacular, but nice as an occasional thing to do for guests.

Makes 4 pancakes.

Ingredients:

• 150g plain flour
• 1 egg
• 300 ml milk (substituted with soya without issue)
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (could try a little more)
• 1 tbsp butter plus extra for cooking
• 4 tsp light muscovado sugar (used caster sugar, which was alright but prob not as good)
• 1 large bananas, not too ripe as they don't slice well, 
• 4 tbsp desiccated coconut (not essential, couldn't really taste)

I like served for yoghurt, sprinkle of desiccated coconut and perhaps honey/syrup depending on how sweet bananas are. Jude likes plain.

Method:

• Slice bananas thinly on the diagonal (about 3mm)
• Melt 1 tbsp butter
• Sift flour into large well. Make well in centre and crack in the egg. Pour in a little milk, then whisk the egg and milk, incorporating a little more of the flour with each whisk, adding milk gradually until you have a batter. Whisk in the salt, cinnamon and melted butter.
• I used centre of non-stick wok. Heat to medium-high heat. Add a knob of butter and swirl it around the pan. Sprinkle 1 tspn of the sugar over the base of the pan, then arrange a quarter of the banana slices over the base of the pan. Cook for 2-3 mins until the bananas start to caramelise (check this by lifting up one of the slices with the tip of a knife), then scatter over a quarter of the coconut and cook for another minute.
• Pour over a quarter of the pancake batter and tip the pan gently to cover the banana pieces and coconut evenly. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the batter is almost set, then flip over the pancake carefully using a palette knife or spatula, and cook for another 1-2 minutes, until golden. (I found it's better to over-cook then under-cook).
• Keep the pancakes warm in a low oven while you cook the rest.

Taken from: The Botanical Kitchen by Elly McCausland, extracted in The Week.

Sauteed Mushrooms

The advice in this article was really helpful. In short, cook mushrooms in small batches on high heat to remove excess moisture.

https://www.finecooking.com/article/how-to-saute-mushrooms-so-theyre-browned-and-flavorful

Easy Lemon Butter Fish

Works with any tender, flaky, mild flavored white fish

Ingredients:

• 4 good-sized firm white fish fillets, about 6 inches long, 1-inch thickness (cod, halibut, or mahi would work well.)

• 3 TB melted butter (I use salted, but unsalted is fine)

• Juice and zest from 1 medium lemon

• 1 tsp coarse salt, plus extra to taste

• 1 tsp paprika

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

• 3 TB olive oil

• freshly chopped basil or parsley leaves, for garnish and flavor

• extra lemon slices for serving

Method:

1. Use paper towels to thoroughly pat-dry excess moisture from fish fillets – this step is crucial for fish to brown nicely in pan. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, combine melted butter, lemon juice and zest, and 1/2 tsp kosher salt. Stir to combine well. Taste and add a bit more kosher salt, if desired.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 tsp kosher salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper. Evenly press spice mixture onto all sides of fish fillets.
4. In a large, heavy pan over medium high heat, heat up the olive oil until hot. Once your oil is sizzling,  cook 2 fish fillets at a time to avoid overcrowding (allows for even browning.) Cook each side just until fish becomes opaque, feels somewhat firm in the center, and is browned – usually 3-4 mins each side. Lightly drizzle some of the lemon butter sauce as you cook, reserving the rest for serving. Take care not to over-cook, as that will result in a tougher texture.
5. Serve fish with with remaining lemon butter sauce, basil or parsley, and lemon wedges.

Source: http://www.chewoutloud.com/2017/06/06/easy-lemon-butter-fish-15-minutes/

Slow Cooker Beef Pot Roast

Did this at Jenny and David's with the vac pack beef they sell at Waitrose. Worked well. The finishing in the oven was definitely necessary. Only problem is that I now can't remember which of their slow cookers we used, and they vary in temperature significantly.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1½ kg rolled beef brisket
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 3 sticks of celery, chopped
• 2 parsnips, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 80g button mushrooms
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tsp English mustard
• 500ml red wine
• 250ml beef stock

Method

1. Heat 2 tbsp sunflower oil in a large pan. Dust 1½ kg rolled beef brisket with 2 tbsp plain flour and season well with salt and pepper
2. Put 3 chopped carrots, 3 chopped celery sticks, 2 chopped parsnips, 1 chopped onion and 80g button mushrooms in the bottom of your slow cooker and turn it to Lo
3. Sear the beef all over in the hot pan then place it on top of the vegetables in the slow cooker.
4. Add the 2 bay leaves, 2 crushed garlic cloves and 2 tsp English mustard then pour over 500ml red wine and 250ml beef stock. Cover with the lid and cook for 7 hours.
5. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Carefully take the beef out of the slow cooker and place it on a baking tray then roast it in the oven for 20 mins.
6. While the beef is in the oven, carefully ladle the cooking liquid out of the slow cooker into a shallow pan. Boil rapidly on a high heat to reduce to a rich gravy.
7. Serve the beef sliced with roast potatoes, the softened vegetables, gravy and wilted greens, if you like.

Source: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/slow-cooker-pot-roast

Aubergine Dip

Ingredients

• 1 aubergine
• 1 clove of garlic
• ½ - 1 fresh green chilli
• ½ a bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• ½ lemon
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas 4. Pierce the aubergine a couple of times with a knife, then roast for 45 minutes until blackened, softened and collapsing. Leave to cool.
2. Peel and crush the garlic, deseed and finely chop the chilli and pick and finely chop the parsley.
3. Scoop the cooled insides from the aubergine into a food processor. Blitz with the garlic, chilli, oil, a good squeeze of lemon juice, the parsley and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
4. Taste and adjust the seasoning, oil and lemon as needed. Place in a dish and sprinkle with paprika. Serve with flatbreads.

Source: https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetable-recipes/aubergine-dip/

Peanut stew with rice

2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 head garlic, minced
fresh ginger, minced (about 2 tablespoons, maybe)
2 medium sweet potatoes, diced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
70g cup peanuts, crushed with mortar & pestle
1 litre stock
1 can diced tomatoes
250g peanut butter (preferably natural, just peanuts)
1 bunch spring onions to garnish
1 lime

• Cook the onions and red pepper flakes in half the butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
• After ~5 minutes add the garlic, ginger, potatoes, red bell pepper, and peanuts. 
• Continue to cook for awhile longer, maybe 10 minutes, just until the potatoes start to soften a bit. Add more butter if things begin to stick to the bottom of the pot.  
• Add the stock, remove from heat, and blend briefly with a stick blender thicken the broth, keeping the soup pretty chunky. 
• Put back on the burner, add the tomatoes (with juice) and the peanut butter. I ended up adding another couple cups of water and a boullion cube, and some ground cayenne pepper and black pepper, and then I just let it simmer for 1/2 an hour or so. 
• Towards the end I added the juice from one lime, and chopped up the spring onions to serve over the top.

I served this over jasmine rice:

Bring 1 cup water, 1/2 cup white wine to a boil, along with 1 tablespoon of butter and a pinch of salt. Stir in one cup rice, lower heat, and let simmer, covered, for 15 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let rest for another 10 minutes.

Adapted from Jesse M.R's friend Emily's blog: http://emmanyc.blogspot.co.uk/2007/12/peanut-stew-with-rice.html