Garlic and Basil Ciabatta Recipe.

 

This recipe is really delicious and dare I say it, pretty simple. It does involve leaving the ciabatta mix over night to rise which, adds a certain element of faffiness to the overall product but, when you think about it all you have to do is add some water, flour and yeast each time and mix which, is pretty easy and doesn't take too much effort. My ciabatta didn't really rise very much at all though, as you can see from the pictures but, that didn't really matter as the garlic bread still tasted lovely. I'm not sure why it didn't really rise but, then I did halve the recipe I used as I only wanted to make one loaf so, perhaps because I only had a very small amount of mixture it didn't rise very well. I adore garlic bread so, I really wanted to have my own recipe and I really enjoyed this one. The garlic butter topping is very rich and creamy which, is nice too. I originally planned to slice the ciabatta and then spread some garlic butter onto each slice and grill but, as the ciabatta didn't rise I just spread it on top which, worked just the same.

 

Here is the tasty recipe which, I served with some homemade Caramelised Red Onion Quiche, Roast Red Pepper and Veggie Bacon Quiche and some Puy Lentil, Cherry Tomato and Haloumi salad to which, you can find the recipe here.

Recipe

 

    Ovenight preparation-

     125g Italian type '00' bread flour

    100ml water

    7g yeast

        To finish the bread-

125g Italian type '00' bread flour
7g yeast
100ml water
6g salt
 
Garlic Butter Topping-
 
1tbsp. Mayonnaise
2 tbsps. Butter, softened
1 bunch basil
2 tbsp. grated cheddar
2 garlic cloves, crushed
 
Method
 
1. For the overnight preparation, mix the flour with the water in a large bowl and add the yeast. Whisk for three minutes and leave to rise overnight (or at least eight hours).
2. To finish the bread, add the remaining flour and yeast to the bread mixture and mix well.
3. Gradually add the rest of the water to the bread mixture. When nearly all of the water has been added, add the salt to the remaining water and mix together for a further five minutes, until a sticky dough is formed.
4. Transfer the dough into a large oiled bowl and leave to rise for one hour.
5. Transfer the dough to a heavily floured work surface and leave to rest for a further 30 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 240C/465F/Gas 8.
7. Place onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper and leave for ten minutes.
8. Transfer the dough to the oven to bake for 25 minutes, or until risen and golden-brown.
9. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
 

 

10. Heat the grill to high. Beat together the mayonnaise, butter and garlic cloves until smooth. Chop the basil, stir through and season with salt and pepper. Put the halves of the ciabatta, sliced lengthways, on a baking tray and spread with the butter. Sprinkle with grated cheddar, then grill for 2-3 mins and serve.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Thankyou for reading!

Love Courts x

Roast Dinner- Toad In The Hole, Roast Vegetables, Golden Syrup Carrots and Dauphinoise Potatoes.

 

Yesterday, I thought as it was Sunday why not try and make a nice yummy Sunday Dinner. Whenever I cook I always try and make something a bit unique and different and end up needing to buy a million different ingredients so, I thought it would be nice to do something a bit more traditional for once and just jazz it up a bit. Obviously I had to buy a few extra ingredients to make the meal as it wasn't the roast dinner we usually have but, it was mostly just vegetables so nothing too expensive.

 

I really really loved this roast dinner actually as I always love a good gravy meal anyway and all of the components of this one made it a bit more exciting. The toad in the hole was lovely as Yorkshire pudding always is, it rose nicely and tasted delicious with a lovely crisp edge and my favourite soft, squidgy, gravy soaked middle. Thanks Mary Berry. The Dauphinoise potatoes; oh god one of the best things I have ever tasted. I had never made them before and had always wanted to try them so I thought why not give them a go. I made up the recipe myself and they tasted so rich and creamy with a lovely light cheesy, garlicy flavour and the potatoes were lovely and soft. They weren't the most healthy thing on the plate with a whole 600ml double cream pot added but, it's nice to have a treat every now and then isn't it ;)? The golden syrup carrots had a lovely sweetness and light orangey flavour and the roast veg was gorgeous and vibrant as it always is. Do you ever do anything a bit different with your roast dinner? If you give this lovely dinner a go I really hope you enjoy it and definitely give the dauphinoise potatoes a go if nothing else!

 

Recipe

 

Toad In The Hole- Serves 6

 

16 sausages (or veggie sausages)

125g (4 oz) plain flour

3 beaten eggs

200ml (7 fl oz) milk

A pinch of salt

 

Dauphinoise Potatoes - Serves 6

 

1kg Potatoes (Maris Piper or King Edward)

600ml Double Cream

100ml Evaporated milk (optional)

2 Garlic Cloves, crushed

120g grated cheddar cheese

3 spring onions, chopped finely

Salt and pepper

 

Roast Vegetables - Serves 6

 

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 Red Pepper, cut into medium chunks

1 Yellow Pepper, cut into medium chunks

3 Large Red onions, each cut into 8 wedges

2 Parsnips, chopped into medium chunks

1 Medium Sweet Potato, chopped into medium chunks

 

Golden Syrup Carrots - Serves 6

 

2kg Carrots, peeled, trimmed and chopped into quarters lengthways

30g butter

2 clementines, zest and juice

1 tbsp. golden syrup

 

Method

 

To make the Toad In The Hole -

 

1. Place the sausages in a large roasting tray and pre-heat the oven to 200C. Lightly brown the sausages in a little bit of olive oil for 15-20 minutes (only 10 minutes for veggie sausages).
2. While the sausages are cooking prepare the Yorkshire pudding batter. Sift 125g plain flour and a pinch of salt into a bowl. Make a well and add 3 beaten eggs and a little milk taken from 200ml. Whisk the milk and egg together in the well with a little of the flour from the sides, then whisk in the remaining milk, gradually drawing in all of the flour to make a smooth batter.
3. Remove the sausages from the oven and pour the Yorkshire pudding batter around the sausages into the hot oil.
4. Bake in the oven for around 15-20 minutes until the Yorkshire pudding is well risen, golden and crisp. Cut into 6 and serve immediately.

 

 

 

To make the Dauphinoise Potatoes -

 

Pre-heat the oven to 160C.

1. Peel the potatoes and cut them into slices about 3-4mm thick.
2. Place half of the potato slices into a baking dish and pour over half of the cream and milk. Scatter with 60g of grated cheese, 1 clove of crushed garlic and 1 chopped spring onion.
3. Place the rest of the potato slices on top and pour over the remaining cream and milk. Scatter with the other clove of crushed garlic and 2 chopped spring onions. Season with salt and pepper and cover with the remaining grated cheese. 
4. Bake in the oven for 1hr 30 min until the potatoes are soft and the cheese is browned.

 

 

For the Roast Vegetables -

 

1. Remove the seed from the peppers and chop into medium chunks. Peel the sweet potato and parsnips and chop into chunks. Peel the red onions and chop each into 8 wedges. Place all of the vegetables into a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil.
2. Bake in an oven at 200C for around 45 minutes or until the vegetables are softened and lightly bronzed/ golden.

 

 

For the Golden Syrup Carrots -

 

1. Cut the carrots into quarters lengthways and place in a small pan over a low heat.

2. Add the butter, clementine juice and zest and golden syrup. Season, then cover the carrots with water, put the lid on and simmer for 20 minutes until the liquid has reduced to form a syrupy glaze.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Thankyou for reading!

Love Courts x

 

 

Pesto and Pepper Gnocchi.

This Gnocchi is super tasty and super easy to make. It is probably one of the quickest, simplest and tastiest little meals I've ever made actually which, is why I love it so much. It literally takes like 15 minutes to whip up and has lots of flavour to it. I love pesto too but, not in massive doses which, is why this dish is lovely as it just has a light pesto-eey and cheesy flavour and the peppers add a lovely sweetness and bright vibrancy to the dish as well. I definitely recommend giving this dish a go and I'm sure I'll be making it all the time at Uni myself as it is really cheap to make with hardly any ingredients needed. It is also perfect served alongside some garlic bread so, if you do give it a go I hope you enjoy it and are as amazed as me that something so delicious and simple can be whipped up in barely any time at all!
 

Recipe

 

1 Pack of Gnocchi, 500g (65p Tesco)

1 Red Pepper (80p Tesco, currently two for £1)

1 Yellow Pepper (80p Tesco)

1 tbsp. Butter

3 tsp. reduced fat pesto (£1 Tesco)

50g Grated cheddar

 

Method

 

Chop the peppers into quite chunky pieces and place in a saucepan with the butter and cook over a medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes until softened slightly.

 

After about 10 minutes of cooking the peppers, place the Gnocchi in a pan of boiling water and cook for about 3 minutes until the gnocchi is softened and floats to the surface.

 

Drain the gnocchi. Tip the melted butter and pepper pieces into the gnocchi and stir.

 

Add 3 tsps. of pesto to the gnocchi and stir.

 

Then add the grated cheddar to the gnocchi and stir again as the cheese begins to melt. (I never actually weighed the cheese, I just put about 2 handfuls in so, feel free to add in as much as you want to make it as un-cheesy or cheesy as you like.)

 

Serve in a bowl topped with some more grated cheddar and serve alongside some garlic bread! Finally, enjoy!

 

Byee.

Thankyou for reading!

Love Courts x
 

Puy Lentil, Spiced Roast Carrot & Feta Salad.

 

The other day I came across another rather yummy sounding salad recipe and as I had a packet of Puy lentils left over from my last recipe I thought I'd give it a try. I was a bit worried plating it up that it would be a bit boring as it didn't seem to have much to it but, it actually tasted lovely and refreshing and I really enjoyed it. The carrots tasted lovely and sweet after being roasted in the honey, the lemon juice caramelised the red onion and tasted delicious and finally the mint came through amazingly and tased perfect with the feta.

 

I originally planned to serve my salad with some garlic bread but, as I am planning to make Gnocchi this weekend I thought I would whip up some scones to serve with it instead and I love this scone recipe.

 

 

Recipe

 

2 tbsp olive oil                                                                   

1 tbsp. cumin seeds  (I made the mistake of only adding 1 tsp. the actual recipe called for 1 tbsp. so feel free to add 1 tbsp if you like it spicy.) 

500g carrots , peeled, halved and cut into batons

1 tbsp clear honey
250g pouch cooked Puy lentils (or canned, drained and rinsed)
1 red onion , finely sliced
½ lemon , juiced
large handful mint leaves, roughly chopped
100g lamb's lettuces
85g feta cheese , crumbled

For the scones -
60g Butter
250g self-raising flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 egg
about 150ml milk
125g grated mature cheddar
1/2 tsp. mustard powder
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1 onion, diced
3 rashers of bacon (or veggie bacon)


Method

1. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. In a shallow roasting tin, toss together half the oil, the cumin, carrots and some seasoning. Roast for 25 mins, turning halfway through cooking. Drizzle over the honey, stir and roast for 5 mins more.
2. Meanwhile, gently heat the lentils with the onion, lemon juice, remaining oil and some salt and pepper. Allow to cool slightly while the carrots finish cooking.
3. Toss the dressed lentils with mint and lamb's lettuce. Lay warm spiced carrots on top and scatter with feta. Serve alongside a warm scone spread with butter.

(To make the scones - Lightly grease a large baking tray. Cook the bacon and fry the onion in 1 tbsp. olive oil until soft. Chop the bacon into small pieces. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Rub in the butter with the fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the grated cheese, mustard powder and dried basil. Stir in the onion and bacon. Break the egg into a measuring jug and make up to 150ml with milk. Beat lightly to mix. Add to the bowl and mix to a soft dough. Lightly knead the dough until smooth. Roll out until 1cm thick, cut into rounds with a pastry cutter, and put on the baking tray. Brush with milk. Bake in pre-heated oven at 220C for about 10 minutes until risen and golden. Serve warm with butter.) 

Enjoy!

 

 

Thankyou for reading!

Love Courts x