A bit of baking
Focaccia, bakewell tart and pizzette
If you’re feeling…
…in the mood for a picnic, I really think you can’t go wrong with homemade foccacia and Jordan Bourke’s recipe (link below) is fantastic. You just need to plan ahead a little and give it the right time to prove (three times) then I promise it will come out beautifully. I always bake with spelt, which probably lends a slightly more nutty flavour, although I’m sure regular flour would work well. This week I used a mixture of wholewheat and plain.
I once baked a focaccia in time for the arrival of my Mum and Aunty Carolyn, up from Cornwall on the train, and we ate it at lunchtime with an assortment of bits and pieces - parma ham, a little salad, olives, cheese, olive oil, artichokes - that sort of thing.
I’ve also shared below a recipe for Bakewell Tart. When I’m feeling geeky I read Lateral Cooking by Niki Segnit, which provides what she terms leeways for playing with recipes. So for example in the Bakewell Tart, I add a little flour to the frangipane mixture, making it less like marzipan and a little more spongey.
Summer #9
Friday: Baked Spanish-style rice with white fish and prawns (below)
Saturday: Pizzette with homemade pesto, speck and mozzarella
Sunday: Roast beef, Jersey Royals, peas and broccoli
Monday: Focaccia for a picnic, Bakewell Tart, then “the quick and easy one" speedy tuna pasta with leftover pesto for tea
Tuesday: Asparagus risotto with mild goat’s cheese
Wednesday: Less meat lentil, mince and aubergine bolognese with spaghetti
Thursday: Leftover risotto
Find tips for each one below with links to recipes where possible (click the name):
Baked Spanish-style rice with white fish and prawns - this is a Waitrose Weekend recipe suggesting you use cod. You could use any white flaky fish, but it goes without saying, the fresher the better and the Waitrose Icelandic cod is really good. I used 220g rice, which was a little more than it called for because I used a tin of cherry tomatoes rather than fresh so there was more liquid. I also added a splash of wine after adding the rice and five garlic cloves rather than two. I heated up chicken stock (which I had in the freezer) and added a few clumps of frozen spinach into the mixture before bringing it to the boil and placing in the oven.
Pizzette with homemade pesto - inspired by another Waitrose Weekend idea, but using homemade pizza dough (Jamie Oliver’s recipe), which I divided into smaller-than-normal pizzas, hence pizzette! I made fresh pesto instead of buying artichoke pesto, see below and spread that on top before adding mozzarella and cooking then topping with speck and rocket.
Focaccia - I use Jordan Bourke’s fantastic recipe for spelt focaccia (I did a mix of Baker’s Blend and white flour) and topped mine with artichokes rather than cherry tomatoes. Perfect for a picnic (with pesto, cheeses, ham, carrot sticks, hummus etc).
Bakewell Tart - My own adaptation of Niki Segnit’s recipe for frangipane and Martha Collison’s pastry: You’ll need a 23cm fluted flan tin (metal conducts the heat best). I mix 225g plain spelt flour with 25g sifted icing sugar in a large bowl and rub in 125g of cold butter diced into cubes (you could pulse it in a food processor). Once the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs, I add one egg yolk mixed with 1 tbsp of cold water and cut it into the mixture with a knife until it begins to clump together. I bring it together briefly with my hands (pastry benefits from minimal handling) and wrap and chill for about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven with a flat baking tray in it to 180 degrees (160 fan). The filling is 150g unsalted butter (I love the flavour of L’Escure for baking), 150g caster sugar creamed together. Then add three eggs one at a time. Stir in 150g ground almonds and 1 generous tsp almond extract and a pinch of salt as well as 1.5 tbsps plain flour. I roll the chilled pastry out between two layers of clingfilm then line the pastry case, pricking the base with a fork. Top with 340g of raspberry jam (I love Dalfour) and the frangipane. Slivered almonds look nice on top and I prefer them to a layer of icing. Bake for 35 minutes and check its done - a skewer should come out clean (ish if you like it a bit gooey!).
Quick & Easy tuna pesto pasta: I fried chopped onion in olive oil then added more of that frozen spinach until it melted and wilted in. I cooked pasta (spelt gigli rigati from a zero waste pack) then added it to the frying pan along with some starchy pasta water, leftover homemade pesto and a jar of albacore tuna.
Asparagus risotto: Made using a base of blitzed up leeks, onion and carrot. I had some leftover paella rice so used that along with a bit of risotto rice (I always do enough for another meal), about a litre of hot chicken stock, lots of stirring then chopped fresh asparagus for the last 8 or so minutes of cooking time. I switch off the heat, grate over parmesan and add a knob of butter then allow to sit with the lid on for two minutes. It has a final stir. Onto each plate of risotto I added a little lemony goats cheese and a drizzle of herb oil made with chopped mint, parsley, zest of lemon and a tiny amount of grated garlic mixed into plenty of olive oil with a little seasoning. B enjoyed the herb oil topping. C was less interested.
Less meat lentil and beef aubergine bolognese. Another Waitrose Weekend recipe, but such a staple. It freezes well too. My tip is to fry the aubergine so it colours and goes all caramel coloured. It then kind of melts into the sauce (good for fussy aubergine eaters).
The delicious hack - fresh pesto
Simply toast a whole 100g pack of pine nuts. Add to a pot containing a whole bunch of washed basil, say 100g, (stalks snipped off), half a clove of garlic and plenty of olive oil. Use a hand blender to blitz until you’re happy with the consistency. Add lots of finely grated parmesan and beat in more olive oil with a spoon until happy. It will keep in the fridge in a pot with a little more olive oil over the top for a few days or more. I used it with the focaccia, in the tuna pasta and on the pizzette!