Braided Challah Bread

This is only the second savoury bread recipe I have posted here on the blog and this is definitely the better looking one.  Challah bread looks so pretty with its braiding and seeded topping.   You want to eat it just because it looks so nice.     My other recipe is my everyday  bread that I just throw in the breadmaker so this was actually the first time I had made a proper loaf of bread by hand.  Yes, you heard that, when I made this a couple of weeks ago it was the first time I’d ever kneaded dough, left it to rise and knocked it back.  I love that phrase – to knock it back.   It sounds like the dough is getting overconfident and needs putting in its place, and that’s what it felt like too.

Challah Bread is a traditional Jewish bread that is eaten on the Sabbath and is supposed to represent the manna that fell from heaven when the Israelites were wandering in the desert.

I have to be honest, I would probably never have got around to making this if it hadn’t been for Fresh from the Oven.  Fresh from the Oven is an online baking community where members all make the same recipe each month.   I joined as I felt it would expand my baking skills and I’m really looking forward to future challenges.  This month the challenge was hosted by Dom at Belleau Kitchen.

Ingredients

1 sachet easy blend dried yeast

1tsp clear honey

250ml lukewarm milk

50g butter

450g plain flour

1 tsp salt

2 eggs lightly beaten – in separate bowls – one for the mix and one for glazing

Poppy seeds

How to make Braided Challah Bread

1. In a jug add the milk and butter.  Heat briefly in the microwave so the butter disolves and the milk is warm, but not hot.   Add the yeast and honey.   Stir and leave to dissolve for about 15 minutes.

2. Put the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl.   Make a well in the centre and add one beaten egg and the milk mixture.

3. Stir till it becomes like dough.  If it is too sticky add extra flour and then knead.   Keep adding a little extra flour to the work surface and your hands to stop it sticking.

4. After about 15 minutes put it into a clean bowl, cover and leave for about 1.5 hours.

5. Punch the dough to knock it back.   Divide into three pieces and roll each one into a long strip.

6. Make a star shape with the strips i.e. Put one strip on a baking tray (lined with baking parchment) and lay the other two over the top so it makes a star with 6 points.  Fold the ends around each other as if you are plaiting them. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise for half an hour.

7. Brush with egg and sprinkle with poppy seeds.   Bake in the oven for about 35-40 minutes.

 

Inspired by Masterchef: Pear Tarte Tatin and Mackrel Wrapped in Bread

I have to say, I was disappointed with the new Masterchef format.   I loved the old invention test with 6 people competing against each other to create something from a certain set of ingredients.   It dragged me in right from the start and as I was watching I loved talking about what they were creating and predicting which ones were through.   This new format was a real let down.   People cooking their own dishes, one at a time.    I actually began to feel bored.   This is not how my favourite show should be making me feel on the very first episode.

Anyway, forcing myself to think more positively, at least I had something else to think about as I was watching it.  Which of these was going to inspire me?   I would have loved to have made hare, but I know my squeamish husband would refuse to eat it, pigeon would be nice, but the same issue.   I kept thinking back to one of the contestants, Paul, near the start who made mackerel, wrapped in flattened white bread and fried, served with a rhubarb sauce and an apple and frisee lettuce salad.   The idea of taking a slice of white bread, using a rolling pin to flatten it, then wrapping it around a piece of mackerel then frying it, intrigued me – I decided I had found my dish.   Unfortunately, when I went shopping I could not find rhubarb anywhere or any other tart fruit to replace it with, such as gooseberries.   I decided that I’d better make another dish, but as it was such a simple dish I decided I might as well make the mackerel wrapped in bread just as a snack.    I sliced the crusts off a slice of white bread, rolled it with a rolling pin to make it very flat, wrapped it around a piece of seasoned fresh mackerel and fried it in a little olive oil.  The verdict:   Surprisingly tasty.  Just fried bread and mackerel, but it looked nice, you could even say pretty, definitely something to remember if I ever want to make canapes in the future.

But moving on from mackerel, I decided my standby dish was to be pear tarte tatin, made by Nick.  This was only decided as I was fruitlessly shopping for rhubarb.   No rhubarb, lots of pears.   I also remembered the rectangle of puff pastry I had left over in my fridge and my decision for the replacement was made.  It may not be quite as inventive as the mackerel, but it was just as worthy a dish to be made.

If you’d also like to make an Inspired by Masterchef dish then please look here for the details.

Tarte Tatin Ingredients - serves 4

Ready rolled puff pastry – as big as the dish or pan you are using.

1  1/2 pears or apples

80g caster sugar

40g butter or margarine

How to make Pear Tarte Tatin

1. Put the butter and sugar in a saucepan and heat gently until the sugar dissolves.   Shake the pan every now and then but don’t stir it.   When the sugar has melted turn the heat up a little and let it bubble until it turns a caramel colour.

2. Cut the pears into quarters.   Cut out the core and then slice each quarter into two or three pieces, depending on how chunky you want it to be.

3. Pour the caramel into the bottom of an ovenproof dish.   Arrange the pear slices on top. Top with puff pastry – the same size as the dish you are using. I used a rectangular dish approx 25cm by 20cm.

4. Bake for 35 minutes in a 200c oven.

5. Let it cool for about 10 minutes after removing from the oven.    Then put an upside down plate on top and flip the dish and plate over to remove it.

6. Serve with ice cream or cream.

 

Cinnamon Swirls

One of my favourite sweet treats is cinnamon rolls.   I love cinnamon and sugar.  To me it is far better than chocolate.   Absolute heaven.   So when I was paired with No Reason Needed for this month’s Taste and Create, I was immediately grabbed by this recipe.  Of course I looked through the site at other recipes, thinking I should really make something savoury, but I kept going back to this recipe.   In the end I decided that I should follow my cravings and I’m glad I did.   These rolls are very sweet but absolutely delicious, especially when still warm with a little vanilla ice-cream.  The only thing I would change slightly if I made them again is reduce the amount of filling as there seemed to be a little too much and a lot of it ran out onto the baking tray as they were baking.   But it’s so good, you will be tempted to eat it with the spoon before even spreading onto the dough and if a lot of it does end up on the baking tray later you can always peel it off and eat it like caramel.   If you think this’ll be the case then don’t change a thing.

Ingredients

340g, plus 150 g plain flour

7g  sachet of yeast

1/2 tsp salt

55g caster sugar

180ml milk

55g margarine

1 egg

Filling

175g soft brown sugar

110g margarine

1 tbsp cinnamon

How to make Cinnamon Swirls

1. In a bowl put 340g flour, the yeast, salt and caster sugar.

2. Put the margarine and milk in a bowl and heat gently in the microwave.  When the margarine has melted, but without letting it get too hot, add to the bowl with the flour. Mix

3. Add the rest of the flour (140g) and the egg and mix again.  The dough should form a ball.

4. Flour the work surface and knead for about 10 minutes.  Keep adding extra flour to stop it sticking.

5. Put the dough in a bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave for about 1/2 hour.

6. Make the filling by mixing all the filling ingredients with a wooden spoon.

7. Line a baking tray with baking parchment.   Press the dough down so it makes a rectangle and covers the baking tray.   Spread it with the cinnamon mixture.

8. Roll the dough up like a swiss roll then slice into about 10 pieces.   Place back on the baking parchment with the cut side facing upwards.    Leave to rise for about 20 minutes then put in the oven for another 20 minutes at about 190c.

 

Stuffed Chilli Peppers

Only try these if you can handle lots of chilli.   A few weeks ago I made jalapeno poppers and afterwards my hands were stinging for about 24 hours from putting my fingers inside and trying to get all the seeds out while keeping the pepper looking like a pepper.   Next time, I told myself, I’ll wear gloves if I have to deseed quite so many.   Well, for this recipe, I didn’t have quite so many, and I have a short memory and so of course I didn’t bother with any gloves.   My insides can cope with lots of chilli, surely my hands should be tougher and be able to cope too!   They are tingling as I type.   But the tingling is definitely worth it.

You could serve these as a snack, a starter or even as a main meal if you are very very tough.   My husband and I had three each and it was the first time my food made him cry.  He can’t deny it – there was definitely a tear escaping at one point as he discovered I’d left a few too many chilli seeds in  one of his peppers!    But despite that he loves them and I know he’s going to be requesting them again before too long.

Ingredients

Chilli peppers – you decide how many you want to make

Philadelphia, 1-2 tsp per pepper or use another cream cheese

Bacon, 1 rasher for every 2 peppers

How to make Stuffed Chilli Peppers

1. Remove the seeds.  Wear gloves if possible. Make a slit down the side of each pepper.    Bend the pepper so the slit gapes.   Put your fingers inside and put out the membrane and seeds.   Shake the pepper and tap it on the work surface to get rid of loose seeds.

2. Stuff each pepper with the cream cheese.   Use a knife to push it inside.

3. Cut each rasher of bacon in half lengthways.  Wrap each one around a chilli pepper.

4. Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes at about 200c

 

Fragrant Chicken

I’m still going through my coriander phase and in this recipe, the coriander really makes the dish.   Lots and lots of coriander.   I know it’s a herb but I find I’m using it almost like spinach these days!

With the word, ‘fragrant’ in the title, it sounds like this dish must be full of complex subtleties.   But no, sometimes the simplest of dishes are the best.   If I’m organised I marinate the chicken first but often, especially if I’ve just got back from work, I just throw things in the wok, pour hot chicken stock over some couscous, and it’s ready to eat in much less than half an hour.   Honestly.   This is not Jamie Oliver talking, this is me at normal pace.   I would describe it as a stir fry with North African flavours and it’s incredibly quick, tasty and easy to make.

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts, sliced into strips

1 small red onion, sliced

Handful of pine nuts

Handful of fresh coriander (cilantro), including leaf and stalks, roughly chopped

1 red pepper, sliced

1 garlic clove, crushed or finely diced

1 chilli, finely sliced

Small knob of root ginger, finely diced

1tsp ground coriander

1 tsp cumin

How to make Fragrant Chicken

1. If you have time in advance, combine the dry spices, ginger, chilli and garlic with a little olive oil and marinate the chicken for an hour.   If you don’t have time for this then just go straight to step 2.

2. Heat a little oil in a wok and then add the chicken and spices from step 1.

3. While the chicken is cooking, toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan until they are slightly browned.

4. When the chicken is cooked on all sides, add the red pepper and onion to the wok. Continue to cook for about 4 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

5. Add the pine nuts and coriander leaf and stir through.

6. Serve with couscous.

 

Steak with Mushroom and Whisky Sauce

This was what I made for Valentine’s Day.   I know I should have been a super organised food blogger and made this in advance so you could have enjoyed it too, but I’m afraid that’s not who I am just yet.    I may have made it for Valentine’s Day but it would go so well on any other day too.   I could quite happily enjoy this again tonight – if I wasn’t planning to make sausage rolls.    But less about them, that’s another story, one that may or may not be told.

I am a big lover of spicy food from around the world, but I had the realisation earlier today that over the last few years,  I have opted to cook something more European in style for each Valentine’s Day.   I wondered why that is as  it’s certainly not that spicy food is not romantic.    Indeed, chillies and garlic are sometimes considered aphrodisiacs.   No, the conclusion I came to was that as I cook so much spicy food, it feels quite everyday to me, and as I rarely use cream and alcohol in cooking, using them on Valentines Day makes it feel just a bit more special – and different.    I have to say, I would never drink whisky, but just a dash, added to this sauce gives it an extra depth without giving a strong taste.   I wouldn’t go out and buy a bottle of whisky to make this, but if you have some, why not add a drop?

As you can see, not the best picture, but we were in a hurry to eat and it tasted great.

Ingredients

2 steaks

6 medium-sized mushrooms, sliced

1 onion, finely diced

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1 tsp mustard

Dash of whisky

Salt

Black pepper

3 tbsp creme fraiche or cream

Knob of butter

200ml beef stock

How to make Steak with Mushroom and Whisky Sauce

1. Put the butter and a little olive oil in a frying pan.   When hot, add the steak, seasoned first with salt and pepper on both sides.   Cook for about 4-6 minutes on each side, depending on thickness and how well-done you like the steak.   As it cooks, spoon some the melted butter over the steak.

2. When ready remove the steak from the pan and let it rest.   Add the onion, crushed garlic and mushrooms to the pan.   Cook for a couple of minutes then add the whisky.   Continue to cook for a couple more minutes then add the mustard, stock and creme fraiche. Season to taste.

3. Heat through then serve the sauce over the steaks.   I couldn’t resist making mini roast potatoes and asparagus to go with it.

 

Vegetable Tempura

The February 2011 Daring Cooks’ challenge was hosted by Lisa of Blueberry Girl. She challenged Daring Cooks to make Hiyashi Soba and Tempura. She has various sources for her challenge including japanesefood.about.com, pinkbites.com, and itsybitsyfoodies.com.

I had never made tempura before and I am slightly ashamed to say that I am most familiar with it from Wagamama where you can have it with rice and a katsu curry sauce.    I  know I’ve said this before but Japanese food is not really a favourite of mine.  However,  I do really like tempura.   How can anyone not like tempura – crisp light batter with vegetables inside – you can even con yourself it’s healthy.    In homage to my memories of meals at Wagamamas (as I have only ever been to one more authentic Japanese restaurant), I decided to serve this with the reheated leftover katsu curry sauce.   It took quite a while to prepare the tempura as the vegetables had to be cooked in batches, and I got a lot of splashes of oil and batter over the rest of the hob but it was worth it in the end.   I especially loved the sweetness of the onions, but used a variety of vegetables and almost any could be used.

The challenge was also to make Hiyashi Soba which is a cold soba noodle salad with a dipping sauce.   I did not have quite so much luck with this.   I couldn’t find soba noodles or mirin in my local supermarket.  Also, my husband doesn’t like cold noodle salads so I was forced to make it just for myself.   It seemed a lot of effort to go to just for myself.   I resorted to using egg noodles, knowing they were not right, and decided to make the spicy dipping sauce, as it didn’t need mirin.   It did need rice vinegar though,which I also didn’t have.   I substituted a little white wine vinegar instead.   In fact,   I can hardly say I made the right dish.   I made it after doing a long run with lots of hills so it was fine for refuelling, but if you want more details about how to make it properly, I’d suggest you check out one of the other daring cooks.   But if you want to make tempura, well, you could just stick around here.

Ingredients for Tempura

Slices of vegetables e.g. sweet potatoes, aubergine, pepper, onions, sugar snap peas, carrots, asparagus

1 egg yolk

240ml ice-cold water

120 ml plain flour

120ml cornflour

1/2 tsp baking powder

Oil for deep frying

Ice cubes

How to make Tempura

1. Prepare all the vegetables. If using sweet potatoes, they will need to be parboiled first.

2. Heat the oil to about 160C in a saucepan.

3. Prepare the batter.  Stand the mixing bowl inside a larger bowl.  Put the ice and some cold water in the outside bowl.   This will keep the batter cold.   Put the 240ml of  iced water into the mixing bowl.    Beat the egg yolk slightly with chopsticks (if possible, but I’m sure you can  improvise) then pour it slowly into the mixing bowl, stirring with the chopsticks so it is mixed into the water.   Then add the flour and baking powder and stir a couple of times with the chopsticks so it is loosely combined, there should still be lots of lumps.   Don’t overstir.

4. Check the oil is hot enough by dropping a little batter in.   It should sizzle and rise to the top.   Put some more flour in a bowl.  Dip the vegetables in the flour, then the batter and then into the oil.    Cook just a few at a time so that they don’t lower the temperature of the oil.

5. They should cook quickly in a minute or two, remove and drain on kitchen paper.

 

New Food Blogging Event: Inspired by Masterchef

I am the biggest Masterchef fan.   I love it.   I’ve tried to enter, I’ve got the cookbook and I’ve been to the pop-up restaurant.   So I was of course very excited when I found out that Masterchef UK begins again this Wednesday and runs for 15 weeks.   I’ve decided that each week I’m going to try to recreate a dish at home inspired by the show that week and then blog about it.    But why just do this on my own?   Why not turn it into an event?   If you follow this blog you’ll know that I love entering competitions. Two of my favourites are Daring Cooks and Taste and Create as they both push me to try something different.   I’m hoping that Inspired by Masterchef will have the same effect.

If you’d like to join me in this, then here’s what to do:

• Create and blog about a recipe inspired by Masterchef.  It can be any series of Masterchef.
• Include a link back to Searching for Spice and this post.
• Send an email to searchingforspice (at) hotmail (dot) co (dot) uk with Inspired by Masterchef as the subject.  Include your name, your blog’s name, your post and a link to it as well as a photo.

At the end of each week  I will publish my post plus a link to anyone else who has joined in.   I can’t wait to see what we come up with.

 

Chicken Katsu Curry

I make a lot of curries, it’s true.   But have I ever made a Japanese curry before – a katsu curry?   No.  So, clearly that state of affairs needed to be rectified.   In a katsu curry, the chicken is coated in breadcrumbs and then fried and served with the curry sauce.   Because of this, it’s quite different to other curry recipes.   The sauce is also quite sweet because of the honey and the carrots.   In taste it reminded me of the curry sauce I used to make at university which was from a student cook book.  I hadn’t thought about that sauce for years until I tasted this!   As I come from a very rural area I had never eaten curry in a restaurant and knew very little about Asian cuisines at the time.  The only curry sauce I had had was served with chips from the local fish and chip shop.   Since that time my tastes have expanded enormously, I’ve eaten hundreds of curries, both at home and in countless restaurants, but  usually Indian, Malaysian or Thai.   I’m not the biggest fan of Japanese food.   But if all Japanese food was as tasty as this katsu curry, I would definitely change my mind.

The recipe I followed was by Gizzi Erskine and can be found here.   The curry sauce makes enough for four people so half can be frozen.

Ingredients – serves 2

2 chicken breasts, cut into strips

1 egg

Flour, seasoned with salt and pepper

Breadcrumbs – panko, if you can get them

Oil

Curry Sauce Ingredients

1 onion, finely diced

5 cloves garlic

2 carrots, finely diced

2 tbsp plain flour

1 tbsp hot or medium curry powder

600ml chicken stock

2 tsp honey

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 bay leaf

1 tsp garam masala

How to make Chicken Katsu Curry

1. Heat a little oil in a saucepan, add the onion, carrot and crushed garlic.   Stir then leave to sweat for about 10 minutes.   Stir every so often to prevent it sticking and burning.

2. Add the flour and curry powder.    Stir and cook for a minute then add the chicken stock, slowly and stirring to avoid getting lumps in it.

3. Add the honey, soy sauce and bay leaf.   Bring it to the boil then leave to simmer for about 20 minutes.   When it has thickened slightly add the garam masala.  Pour the sauce through a sieve, push with a spoon to get as much through as possible.    Keep warm until ready to serve.

4.Heat some oil in a frying pan to cook the chicken.    Put the egg, flour and breadcrumbs in three bowls.  Dip the chicken in the flour, then the egg, then the breadcrumbs and finally put in the frying pan.  It should take about 5 minutes on each side.

5. Serve with rice and the katsu curry sauce.

 

Coriander Pesto

I’ve recently discovered that the Tesco in Elephant and Castle near where I work sells huge bunches of coriander – about 5 times the size of normal supermarket packets -  for just a pound.    This does mean I have to  eat coriander for about 4 days in a row, but to me that is no problem at all.   Rather, it’s an excuse to go coriander crazy.   Yes,  luckily I love coriander and I’m hoping  that you  like it too.  Some of my favourite dishes like curries, chillies and tagines all go well with a generous sprinkling of fresh coriander.    So why not treat it to the Italian touch too  – what about  making it into pesto?

Yes, that quick, easy last-minute fall-back staple of pesto.   But as it’s coriander, why not  add a little ginger, chilli and lemon juice too?    The result is then a zingy flavourful pesto that to me at least is a cut above the traditional  basil variety.   It may not be very traditional but it’s definitely one I’ll be making again.

I am sending this to Presto Pasta Nights, begun by Ruth of Once upon a Feast, this week hosted by Pia of Cook with Pia

Ingredients – Serves about 2-4

Handful of cashew nuts

Large bunch of coriander (cilantro)

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Approx 3 tbsp grated  parmesan

1 clove garlic

1 chilli

Extra virgin olive oil

How to make Coriander Pesto

1. Begin cooking the pasta.    At the same time put the cashew nuts in a dry frying pan and gently toast.   Keep tossing to prevent them from burning.

2. Put the cashew nuts, garlic, chilli and coriander in a food processor, top with a dash of oil and the lemon juice.   Blitz until smooth.   Taste and adjust as necessary.

3. When the  pasta is ready, drain and return to the saucepan.    Add the pesto mixture and the parmesan cheese.   Stir, until the pesto coats all the pasta and is heated through.