Irish Brown Soda Bread Scones

March 14, 2022September 7, 2022 Belinda

Recipe from SMITTEN KITCHEN

“Here is my replacement formula the Irish flour: 1 cup coarse wholemeal flour = 3/4 cup wheat germ + 1/4 cup wheat bran + 1/2 cup regular whole wheat flour. Yes, this appears to add up to more than 1 cup but germ weighs much less than flour. This will weigh 145 grams total.”

Serves 4
1 cup (145 grams) Irish coarse wholemeal flour (see Note above for swap; see Note at end for description)
1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt or 1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (225 grams) buttermilk, plus another splash if needed
1 tablespoon (15 grams) unsalted butter, cold

Heat oven to 375°F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine wholemeal flour (see Note up top for swap; see Note at end for description), all-purpose flour, salt and baking soda in a large bowl, whisking to combine.
Pour buttermilk over dry ingredients, then coarsely grate butter over the buttermilk.
Stir to combine into a thick, somewhat gloppy mass, slightly damper than your average scone dough. If it doesn’t come together, add more buttermilk, 1 tablespoon at time, until. (I need at least 2 extra tablespoons when using a thick brand of buttermilk.)
Dollop dough in four big mounds on prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, until just lightly golden brown at edges and dry to the touch. Eat right away, split in half and spread with butter, jam, or chocolate.

** Let’s talk about coarse wholemeal (whole wheat) flour: The magic ingredient in most wholegrain or brown soda breads is Irish wholemeal flour. Irish wholemeal flour is coarse and gritty, high in fiber, and has a wonderful nutty flavor. It is not the same as our whole wheat flours here, which are milled fine and smooth, and I do not like the result when I use them as a full swap. Although I think I’ve come up with a solid copycat, it requires extra ingredients, which likely takes this out of the running for an easy breakfast baked good for others.
Here’s my advice: If you find you like these scones and want to make them more often, you could mix up a jar of my Irish flour swap and have it at the ready for your weekend mornings. Or, you could splurge on a bag of the imported flour. Prices range significantly (blame a supply chain crisis) but even when it’s overpriced, it is amortized over 56 scones, i.e. my favorite way to justify things.
Here are some places you can find the Odlums brand I use online: Amazon, Food Ireland, Mercato. It comes in Coarse and Extra-Coarse; both work.
Note: I know that King Arthur Flour also makes an Irish-style flour but it was out of stock when I was working on this recipe so I wasn’t able to test it. If it’s coarsely milled, you’ll be set.

Pasta

San Francisco-Style Vietnamese American Garlic Noodles

March 7, 2022March 7, 2022 Belinda

Recipe by J. Kenji López-Alt for the New York Times

These noodles, based on the noodle dish originally created and served by Helene An at San Francisco’s Thanh Long restaurant, are extraordinarily simple and delicious on their own, but that doesn’t mean you can’t fancy them up a bit. They go very well with seafood, and some raw, shell-on shrimp stir-fried along with the garlic right from the start would be an excellent addition. Sushi-style flying fish roe (tobiko) or salmon roe (ikura) would also be a great addition, as would chunks of crab or lobster meat, or even Western-style caviar (if you’re feeling flush).

Serves 4

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
20 medium garlic cloves, minced or smashed in a mortar and pestle
4 teaspoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons light soy sauce or shoyu
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1 pound dry spaghetti
1 ounce grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano (heaping 1/4 cup)
A small handful of thinly sliced scallions (optional)

Melt the butter in a wok or saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant but not browned, about 2 minutes. Add the oyster sauce, soy sauce and fish sauce, and stir to combine. Remove from the heat.

Meanwhile, bring 1 1/2 inches of water to a boil in a 12-inch skillet or sauté pan over high heat. (Alternatively, heat up just enough water to cover the spaghetti in a large Dutch oven or saucepan.) Add the pasta, stir a few times to make sure it’s not clumping, and cook, stirring occasionally, until just shy of al dente (about 2 minutes short of the recommended cook time on the package).

Using tongs, transfer the cooked pasta to the garlic sauce, along with whatever water clings to it. (Reserve the pasta water in the skillet.) Increase the heat to high, add the cheese to the wok, and stir with a wooden spatula or spoon and toss vigorously until the sauce is creamy and emulsified, about 30 seconds. If the sauce looks too watery, let it keep reducing. If it looks greasy, splash some more cooking water into it and let it re-emulsify. Stir in the scallions (if using), and serve immediately.

Baking · Do-ahead

The ultimate coconut cake

March 7, 2022September 7, 2022 Belinda

This recipe is made from scratch, is full of bold coconut flavor and topped off with a coconut cream cheese frosting. This is the kind of cake that will wow everyone in the room.
Recipe by Food blogger, “The Stay at Home Chef”

1/2 cup salted butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1½ cups sugar
2 teaspoons coconut extract
6 large egg whites room temperature
1 1/2 cups full fat coconut milk
1/4 cup sour cream
3½ cups cake flour
4 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Frosting:
16 ounces cream cheese softened
1 cup salted butter softened
1 teaspoon coconut extract
3 cups powdered sugar
3 cups coconut flakes

Grease three 9-inch pans. Line the bottom with parchment paper.
Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to cream the butter, oil, and sugar together until smooth. Beat in coconut extract and egg whites 2 minutes until fluffy. Beat in coconut milk and sour cream until just combined.
Mix in cake flour, baking powder, and salt until just combined.
Divide the batter among the three prepared pans. Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes. Let sit in pans for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before layering and frosting.
Make the frosting by using a hand mixer to beat cream cheese and butter together for 1 minute until light and fluffy. Add in coconut extract and mix until combined, about 10 seconds.
Slowly add in powdered sugar, one half cup at a time until smooth, mixing between additions.
Frost and layer cake with frosting and use coconut flakes to coat.

Poultry

Prosciutto-Wrapped Boursin-stuffed Chicken

February 26, 2022 Belinda

This ridiculously delicious chicken dinner is surprisingly easy to prepare.

Serves 4

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
8 good slices thinly sliced prosciutto
2 packages Boursin Cheese Spread with Garlic and Fine Herbs (You will have some leftover)
Grated rind of 2 good-sized lemons
kosher salt
fresh cracked pepper
olive oil to drizzle
¼ cup milk or cream
Garnish: chopped flat-leaf parsley or chopped fresh basil

Heat oven to 400°F.
Put the chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound the chicken to an even thickness (¼ to ½ inch)
Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Divide the Boursin among the chicken pieces, placing 1 tablespoon dollop on each then sprinkle each with a little grated lemon rind.

Roll the chicken around the cheese and place seam side down in a nonstick, heavy, ovenproof skillet
Wrap each chicken roll in a slice of prosciutto. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle fresh cracked pepper.
Bake at 400°F for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear.

Once done, transfer the chicken from the skillet to a dish or serving plate to rest.
Add the milk/cream to the skillet over medium-high heat, whisking until smooth.
Simmer up to 1 minute to thicken if necessary.
Serve the sauce spooned over the chicken rolls, and sprinkle over some parsley or basil.

Baking · Chocolate · Dessert · Holiday Food

Sticky toffee self-saucing pudding

February 20, 2022February 20, 2022 Belinda

A glorious mash-up of two favorite puddings, this rich recipe is the perfect weekend winter warmer
Recipe by Janine Ratcliffe for Olive Magazine

Serves 8

200g Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
250 ml weak black tea
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
85g unsalted butter, softened
175g dark muscovado sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
175g self-raising flour
1 tsp mixed spice
vanilla ice cream to serve

TOFFEE SAUCE
250 g dark muscovado sugar
250 ml double/heavy cream

Heat the oven to 350F/180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Put the dates and tea in a pan, and bring to the boil. Gently cook for 3-4 minutes to soften the dates. Stir in the bicarbonate of soda.

To make the toffee sauce, put the sugar and cream in a pan with 150ml water. Stir, then put over a low heat and simmer until the sugar has dissolved. Cool a little.

Beat together the butter and sugar with electric beaters until creamy, then beat in the eggs, flour and mixed spice. Stir in the date mixture and pour into a buttered 20cm x 30cm ovenproof dish. Pour the toffee sauce over the top. Don’t worry if it looks messy. The sauce will sink to the bottom and a sponge will form on top. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top is just firm to the touch.

Scoop onto plates and serve with ice cream.

Do-ahead · Icecream

Strawberry and basil ice cream

February 14, 2022September 7, 2022 Belinda

Recipe from Diana Henry
Basil, which is sweet and has cinnamon notes, is very good with strawberries. You need  to use sweet,  ripe berries  for this

550g ripe, sweet strawberries, hulled and sliced
130g caster sugar
300ml double cream
200ml milk
2 broad strips of  lemon zest
20g basil leaves
3 large egg yolks
3 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
2-3 tbsp lemon juice  (add to taste)

Put the strawberries and 20g of the caster sugar into a bowl, cover and leave to macerate overnight in the fridge.
You can make the custard to chill overnight too, or on the day you make the ice cream. Place the cream and milk in a saucepan then add the lemon zest and basil leaves. Heat to just under boiling, then remove from the heat and leave the basil and lemon to infuse for about 90 minutes. Strain the mixture, pressing the basil to make sure you extract its flavor.
Put water into a basin, or into your kitchen sink, and set a large bowl in it. If you have ice, throw some into the water.
Beat the yolks and the remaining sugar until thick and pale, either in a food mixer or using an electric hand mixer. Add the infused cream and milk, whisking all the time, to the beaten yolks, then transfer this to a clean saucepan.

Set over a very low heat and heat gently, stirring all the time. You have to cook the custard but you must not let it boil or the eggs will scramble. You can use a sugar thermometer to help you. When it reaches 82C, pull the saucepan off the heat and immediately pour the custard into the bowl sitting in the iced water.

If you don’t have a thermometer you should be able to see that the custard has thickened. When you drag your index finger through the custard on  the back of your wooden spoon it should leave a  clear channel. Leave the custard to  cool, stirring from time  to time, then cover and chill in the fridge.

The next day, blend the strawberries with the balsamic vinegar until the mixture is really smooth. Add it to the custard then taste to see how much lemon juice you need to add. Lemon juice makes  the ice cream ‘sing’ but  if you add too much  you can overwhelm the basil flavor.

Churn in an ice-cream machine. If you don’t have a machine transfer the ice cream to a container that will fit in your freezer and cover it. Churn it, either by beating it with an electric whisk or by throwing it into a food processor and whizzing the mixture, about three times during the freezing process. Do this first after about 90 minutes, when the ice cream is setting around the edges.

This ice cream can set quite hard, so take it out of the freezer about 10 minutes before you want  to serve it.

Appetizer Vegetarian · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Holiday Food · Salad · Vegetable sides · Vegetable-related

Butternut squash and eggplant caponata with burrata

February 14, 2022September 7, 2022 Belinda

Diana Henry’s autumnal dish of chunky butternut squash and fried eggplant with capers and green olives, served with creamy burrata.

Serves 4 as a light lunch or 6 as a starter

1 large eggplant
400g butternut squash, peeled and deseeded
100ml olive oil
2 sticks celery, chopped
1 medium onion, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
Pinch of dried chili flakes
400g tin cherry tomatoes in thick juice
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
30g capers
50g green olives, pitted and halved
3 tsp caster sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
4 tbsp chopped parsley
250g burrata or mozzarella
Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

Cut the eggplant and squash into 2.5cm(1″) cubes. Heat half the oil in a large heavy-based sauté pan. Fry the vegetables in batches until golden-brown, about four minutes. Transfer them to a bowl. Add more oil and sauté the celery and onion to pale gold then add the garlic and chili and cook for two minutes.

Add the tomatoes and vinegar, stir and bring to a simmer. Cook gently for 10 minutes.

Add the fried vegetables, capers, olives and sugar to the pan and season. Add 50ml of water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until the squash is soft and the mixture thick. Remove from the heat and bring to room temperature. Add the lemon juice and parsley and season.

Serve topped with a chunk of mozzarella or burrata. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

Appetizer Vegetarian · Asian flavors · Dairy-free · Gluten Free · Salad

Cucumber salad with peanuts, coconut and lime

February 10, 2022February 10, 2022 Belinda

A refreshing chopped cucumber salad loaded with peanuts, spices, toasted coconut, and chiles.
You can prep all the components ahead of time, but don’t toss the salad until just before serving. If you do the peanuts will lose their crunch because the cucumbers give off a good amount of water. If you use two chiles and leave the seeds/veins in – this is quite a spicy salad, so feel free to adapt for your tastes. You can just use one chile, and if you’re still worried, remove the seeds and veins. It can be made vegan by substituting sunflower oil for the ghee.

3 medium cucumbers, partially peeled, like a zebra
1-2 green chiles, stemmed and minced
1/2 cup / 2.5 oz freshly roasted peanuts
1/3 cup / 1.5 ounces / 45 g dried large-flake coconut, toasted
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp natural cane sugar
1 tbsp, ghee or vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
a handful cilantro, chopped

Halve the cucumbers lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, and chop into pieces roughly the size of pencil erasers. Just before you’re ready to serve, transfer to a mixing bowl and toss gently with chiles, peanuts, coconut, lemon juice, and sugar.

Over medium heat melt the ghee in a small skillet. When hot stir in the mustard seeds. They are going to sputter and spit a bit, and when this starts to happen, add the cumin for 15-30 seconds, just long enough to toast the spices. Cover with a lid if needed. Remove from heat, stir in the salt, and immediately stir this into the salad. Turn out onto a platter topped with the cilantro.