Sunday, November 26, 2017

Shuk - Friday

Good day at the shuk - Friday 15:30 ish
2 nis per kg courgettes, beets
3 nis per kg carrots, potatoes.
4 nis per kg apples, bananas, kiwis, pears
boxes 2 for 15 nis - persimmons, cherry tomatoes (all colours)
Kale 4 bunches for 20 nis
Celery 3 bunches for 10 nis
All to feed a beast of a juicer






Friday, November 24, 2017

Gluten free Bread

Noreen's Recipe (Recipe No. 1)


Noreen's Recipe (recommend)

Flour mix:

3 cups if Sorghum flour (I've used  oat flour (blended oats) instead of Sorghum - worked fine)
3 cups White Rice flour
3 cups Topica flour
3 cups glutinous rice flour (original recipe with sweet rice)
3 Tbps of Xanthan gum

I always have a big bag prepared all ready to go.


Bread Recipe
1  1/4 cup warm milk/ soy milk
1/4  cup ( 4 Tbps)  cup sugar
25 gr (1 cube)  2 1/4 yeast - (best use very fresh vacuum or fresh yeast - test still active)
50 gr (1/4) melted butter
2  Eggs
1 tsp Vinegar
2  1/2 cup of GF flour
1  1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum
1/2 cup Flax
1 tsp Salt
Walnuts optional

Pre-heat oven 250c

Dry Flour Mix:
Add freshly ground Flax, Xanthan gum , GF flour, Salt

Yeast Mix:
Microwave milk, butter until melted.  Stir.
Add Sugar. Dissolve.
Add Yeast.  Stir well. Leave to ferment. (see note below)

Add  liquid to Flour mix.
Mix slightly.
Add Eggs, mix.
Add Vinegar,
Add walnuts or whatever additions: ie. dried Tomatoes, Olives etc.,  at this stage.
Incorporate into the dough.

Knead with bread hooks for a good 8 mins.  (unlike gluten regular bread, GF is sticky too knead)

The oven should be preheated to 250c.
Place bread on the middle shelf.
Continue baking at same temperature.   Check after 10 mins if the top has brown enough.
Cover with aluminium foil to protect and continue baking till done.  (Done = tap on bread all sides for hollow sound)

Optional: Place tray with water underneath ( they say for a crisper hard crust).

*Note use a big enough bowl to allow yeast to grow and not overspill.
Watch carefully for it to ferment.  It could foam very fast.
(Trick: Bain Maire it in boiling water from the kettle to accelerate the fermenting)
Once proof the yeast is working quickly

Tip:
To speed up the rising I rest the bread tin in a tray of boiling water.
This really hastens the rising time.

Noreen's 1st time


Dust with flour once bread is cooled
Best to cut when chilled as much as you can resist.

Bread No.1 ( Noreen's Recipe)
It rose really nicely



Baked too.
But as it cooled it flattened a bit.



Crumb is spongy and nice. A tad wet for me, hubby loved it.
Finally bread!!
The flax was pretty and gave a nice look and taste.







Recipe No. 2 (good)

Bread Flour Mix
Millet flour  – 2 cups
Sorghum flour –  1 cup
Cornstarch – 1 cup
Potato starch (not potato flour) – 1 cup
Tapioca starch (als0 called tapioca flour) –  1 cup
Total = 6 cup

1 cup plus 3 tablespoons skim or 1 or 2% milk (or milk substitute) (110ΒΊ F)
1/4 cup Canola oil
large eggs (room temperature
2 2/3 cups Bread Flour Mix
1/2 cup Flax seeds
3 tablespoons sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
3/4 teaspoon salt
Cube of FRESH yeast 25gr or 50gr?
3/4 cup chopped walnuts - (optional) I recommend love walnuts lots of Omega 3


Basically, add all dry ingredients
Warm milk with sugar in microwave
Add FRESH yeast and ferment.
Whisk eggs
Add wet ingredients to dry and mix, knead for full 10 mins.
Add walnuts at the end.


TIP: To speed up the rising I rest the bread tin in a tray of boiling water.
This really hastens the rising time.

The crumb is actually very nice and "bready"  Slightly moist on the bottom as in the pic.  but I didn't notice it when eating and certainly didn't affect the taste.


Made Noreen's (No.1)  2nd time around with walnuts



























TIP: To speed up the rising I rest the bread tin in a tray of boiling water.
This really hastens the rising time.


Between recipe 1 and 2 little difference. Both very good bread
Left no.1 (Noreen's)     Right no. 2
The left is much browner because I'd added one cup of grounded flax seeds.

Bread no.3
This recipe used psyllium no xanthum gum

Failure:
The dough felt good and firm, much like a regular gluten bread which made me think maybe this is not correct?


Didn't rise at all.
But baked anyways, one last try before trashing it.



Ugh.  Happens.
This recipe used psyllium.



Noreen's (Recipe No.1)

My Gluten mix (Recipe No.2)

Discovery
The dough should be wetter and softer than regular dough bread.  So don't be afraid adding all that liquid.
You cannot knead GF bread in the traditional sense.  It's too sticky.  I use an electric hand mixer with bread hooks for about 8 mins.

Most times I put a tray of water on the bottom shelf of the oven, supposed to give a crunchier crust.

GF bread I'm told should only be cut into when cold. Never when still hot.

Didn't find much difference between 1 and 2.  They are both very tasty and bread-like


Update
Recipe No. 4

The weirdest recipe I admit but it worked!
Note the price just 6 nis! for gluten-free bread?
I was challenged as I was disgusted by the 28 nis price tag for sorghum.




Recipe on the back of the bag:

1kg GF Flour
50g Fresh Yeast
4 Eggs
60gr Butter (melted)
3 tbsp Date Syrup  (weirdish in a nice way..)
3 tbsps Tahina - (weird but OK)
600 ml lukewarm water
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbp of sugar (my addition to the yeast

Warm sugar, water, date syrup, butter, in the microwave.
Add fresh yeast.
Leave to ferment.
Add tahini

Flour mix:
Combine GF flour, salt.
Add proofed yeast mix. Knead with hooks for 8 mins.

In the last minute add walnuts or seeds etc.,

Place in lined tin and leave to prove.  This bread did not prove very high, but when it went in the oven it skyrocketed! Sorry for the blurry photo, clearly my hand was shaky from the monster coming  out of the oven.



Looks and feel like very "real normal" bread.
Couldn't wait to cut and taste it, but had to wait till cool'ish"  Gluten-free bread are notorious in collapsing when cut still hot.


Nice crumb, but tasted like supermarket bread.  That is no taste.
I wanted to stay true to the recipe the first time making it. Honestly, I didn't think this recipe and flour at 6 nis a pack would deliver!  But wow what a height it grew.

Flavour needs working on.  Next time will add flax seeds and walnuts etc to pack some bite.

Great tip: Always keep frozen GF breadcrumbs in the freezer.

Easy dessert just became a no-brainer.
Grab whatever fruit that's going soft in the fridge.
Cut, toss in cornflour.
Whip out frozen breadcrumbs, add cornflakes, desiccated coconut, walnuts, treacle, butter, (optional sugar)
Gluten-free topping done!

Recipe for GF fruit crumble - Click Here










Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Birthday Dinner Party 2017



 Burghal, or Quinoa
Chives (for spokes/shards)
Black sesame, White sesame
Tomatoes
Salt and Lots of Limes!
Red Onions
Red Peppers (op)
Parsley, Coriander, Dill - Chopped finely LOTS
Image was served with crispy fish skin



Lentil and ginger soup



Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Burgers - Almost meat-free



Carrots
Onions
Greens: Parsley - Corriander
250g ground meal
Burghal
garlic -optionalsalt and pepper



Recipe 2
carrots
greens
burghal
garlic -optional
salt and pepper



potatoes

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Bento Momo


This is one of those bolts of revelation in my life where the design is so awesome, so RIGHT, so sensible and it works!  How did I not have this before now??!!  Just glad I have it now and to let anyone out there know   It's worth getting!!



Love, love. love this, stacks up slim and small fits into any nursery bag.  Best thing, the food doesn't get messed up, unlike the large, flat, compartmental containers which has to be placed vertically into the bag and all the food pours to one side.
Here food is stacked and stays in place, perfect!!!
Plus the little forkies keeps small grubby fingers from contaminating the food.

Love, love, love.  So does kiddo.


Just to show the width comparison -  next to my mobile phone.
Super slim can fit vertically in any child's bag!
Food stays in place and any spillage avoided. Perfect!




Bought here
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Bento-Box-Lunch-Box-3-Layers-Portable-Gift-For-Kids-Sushi-Box-900ml-Microwave-Food-Storage/32796751527.html
 Or
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3-Layer-Japanese-Bento-Lunch-Box-Food-Container-Lunchbox-Sushi-Set-with-Spoon-Carry-Lunch-Tote/32734976831.html?spm=2114.10010108.1000014.9.bZUqdt&traffic_analysisId=recommend_3035_null_null_null&scm=1007.13338.81646.000000000000000&pvid=2b18fff4-9e2a-4ad8-bce2-f2f5bd52c1bc&tpp=1

2020
Bento lives on!
From the left malloach, basically carbs, bread like yemenite breakfast. Veggie sticks and salt. Kiddo complained cukes are tasteless with sprinkle of salt....Far left, dried banana chips, almond nuts and dried coconut chips. Napkin, 'maybe' he will use it...

Nice to know what kiddo likes and what is left.



Left over rice and salmon. Kiddo asked for sushi for school.  Topped with veggie sticks and some dried banana chips and sweet pecans


Extra for me. Yum! - 2 days of sushi bento to school



Break from sushi, quick omelette, veggie sticks,

Football after school. Long day today. So added an orange for vital vitamin C













Saturday, June 3, 2017

Capers pickling



This bush is the most vicious ever, I've encountered.  The thorns are hook-like and vengeful claws dig deep and too easily!  Approach with deepest caution..or desperation for heavenly caper harvesting

In abundance!  Little wonder the thorns here is one of Natures on-Prozac nastiest deterrent...almost 


Soaking in water for a about a week,  Then to transfer to brine..so the recipes says..
Original recipe - Click here


 Changed water every day for about a week.  There was a odor each time the lid was opened, but this was fine and as should be.  So don't worry.  Capers gradually changed  colour from vibrant green to a khaki colour and the water is slightly scarlet.


 Ready for tasting.



Delicious, stalks and all.  Even the ones that opened slightly to a flower, My favourites were the tiny ones,   Worth all the pain against those vicious hooks on the caper bush.









Sabich - Home grown oops... made

Oh yea!
Tasted as good as it looks!


Felafel and Sabich

Crispy light and delicious
I cut the aubergines/eggplant to thick 1.5 cm thick for a good "steak'
My son likes them super thin as served on the streets in Tel Aviv.
BTW, I don't always bother or have time or mood to salt the aubergines.
If you can, sprinkle lightly salt, no need to wash off.
Dip in flour
Then dip in thick batter (water, flour, salt - whizz in blender to thick cream consistency)
Fry in very hot pre-heated oil

Don't think twice.  Cooked the whole batch.
Below the secret is revealed on how to re-heat to crispy fresh perfection!

Squish in freshly made salad, chili flakes and we're done!

Home made humus, fried onions and mushrooms to top,
Paprika and coriander for garnish

Crazy good


When in the mood for Sabich, felafel is a good companion


Secret is out!:
best way of re-heating sabich is in the toaster!! along with the pitta.
The sabich comes out hot and toasty crisp. Perfect!


 
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