Griddle cakes (gluten-free; dairy-free; vegan)

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Griddle_or_Welsh_cakes_served_with_butter_and_raspberry_jam
Fresh out of the pan, a teatime treat. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

Every now and then I have a hankering for scones, but I have yet to bake a gluten-free version that makes the grade. However, this week’s recipe is very similar in terms of ingredients to scones, but instead of the traditional oven baking, these “cakes” are cooked in a frying pan. So good are they that they have now become my gluten-free scone-alternative of choice and can be whipped up and cooked in next to no time.

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Griddle cakes, a great alternative to gluten-free scones. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

For a few years, my family used to holiday in Wales, where I can remember enjoying  traditional Welsh cakes known as Cage Bach for the first time. Studded with currants, flavoured with the merest hint of spice, and served warm with butter, these were a very welcome and delicious teatime treat. Welsh cakes are traditionally cooked on a griddlestone, a heavy flat pan which sits directly on top of an open flame or stove top. They cook to a dense, but crumbly texture and are extremely moreish.

My recipe this week for griddle cakes  is an homage to my Welsh ancestry and yet another happy childhood foodie memory.

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My homage to the Welsh cake. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

Makes: 7-8

Ingredients

  • 175g gluten-free plain flour blend + extra for dusting (If you are not gluten-free, use traditional wheat plain flour for a more authentic texture)
  • 10g gluten-free baking powder
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 70g white vegetable fat or coconut oil + extra for greasing
  • 70g caster sugar
  • 70g currants
  • 60-70g plain unsweetened dairy-free yogurt
  1. Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt into a bowl. Rub in the fat until well blended. Stir in the sugar and currants.
  2. Add sufficient yogurt to make a softish dough. Turn on to a lightly floured surface and knead gently until smooth and well blended.
  3. Either press or roll the dough to a thickness of 1cm. Using a 7cm round cookie cutter, cut out 7 rounds, re-pressing or rolling the dough trimmings as necessary. I like to cook the rounds at 1cm thickness so that the cakes have a dense texture in the middle. If you roll out the dough to ½-¾ cm depth, you should make 8 cakes, and the resulting cakes will be crisper all the way through.
  4. Very lightly grease a flat griddle pan or large frying pan with a little fat and heat until melted. Place the cakes in the pan, reduce the heat to low and cook the cakes for 8-10 minutes on each side, taking care not to burn the outside – lift up the edge of 1 or 2 to check, and lower the heat further as necessary.
  5. Transfer to a wire rack to cool a little. Best served warm, spread with dairy-free butter and your favourite jam. Yummy 🙂
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    Preparing and cooking griddle cakes. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

    The cakes are best eaten on the day of cooking but they freeze well and defrost in next to no time. You can reheat them successfully by popping them in a low oven for a few minutes to heat through.

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    Griddle cake with butter and jam. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

 

 

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Spring vegetable pancake (Gluten-free; dairy-free; vegan)

~ My virtually free-from kitchen ~ 2 Comments
Spring_vegetable_pancakes_with_grilled_fresh_asparagus
Spring vegetable pancake with new season asparagus. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

If you’ve read my previous posts at this time of the year, you’ll know that spring is my favourite season. Not just because I love the flowers and the feeling that everything is coming to life, but my favourite vegetable is available right now for a very short period of time, British asparagus.

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Fresh British asparagus. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

I rarely do very much with asparagus. I like to savour the tender green stems just as they are. Either a quick flash in a hot frying pan or a blast in a hot oven, to give them a subtle smokiness, and that’s all the extra flavour I need.

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Fresh asparagus in a hot pan. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

This week’s recipe is based on a Japanese dish called Okonomiyaki which caught my eye recently. Originally made with wheat flour and eggs, my version of the pancake is gluten-free and egg-free. There’s a bit of vegetable preparation, but once that’s out of the way, everything else is very straightforward. The pancake makes a lovely lunch or light supper, and is the perfect base for a topping of freshly cooked asparagus.

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Spring-vegetables for pancake making. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

If you don’t want the hassle of a cooked topping, try sliced avocado and baby spinach or a pile of fresh pea shoots and wild rocket for a salad topping instead. If you have the inclination and the extra ingredients, I recommend making the barbecue dressing that accompanies the pancake. Utterly delicious, simple to make, and far tastier than any barbecue sauce I’ve ever been able to buy. A great finishing touch to any grilled or barbecued food.

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Home-made barbecue dressing. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

Serves: 2

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp. flax seeds
  • 45g white rice flour
  • 50g dry white free-from breadcrumbs
  • 75ml white miso or vegetable stock
  • 75g soft-leaved cabbage, such as Sweet-heart or Hispi, shredded
  • 3 spring onions, trimmed and chopped
  • 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
  • 150g thin fresh asparagus stems, trimmed
  • Vegan mayonnaise to serve

For the barbecue dressing:

  • 1 tsp maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp. tomato ketchup
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp gluten-free light soy sauce
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  1. Put the flax seeds in a coffee grinder or small food processor and blend until finely ground. Transfer to a bowl and stir in 6 tbsp. cold water. Leave to soak for 5 minutes by which time the mixture will thicken.
  2. Sift the rice flour on top and mix together with the stock to make a smooth batter.

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    Making the pancake batter. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
  3. Add the cabbage, spring onion and breadcrumbs and mix everything together to make a thick, stiff batter – add a little water if the mixture is very dry, but this is not a pourable batter, it is more like a firm cake mixture.
  4. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a frying pan with a lid and add half the batter. Press the mixture to form a thick round approx. 16cm diameter. Fry over a medium heat with the lid on for 5 minutes. Carefully flip over, and cook on the other side, covered with the lid, for another 5 minutes. Drain and keep warm, whilst you cook the remaining mixture in the same way.

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    Cooking spring vegetable pancake. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
  5. Once the pancakes are cooked, heat the remaining oil in the frying pan until hot and quickly cook the asparagus, turning, for 3-4 minutes until just wilted. Drain and keep warm.
  6. To serve, mix all the dressing ingredients together. Slip the pancakes on to warm serving plates and drizzle with mayonnaise and the barbecue dressing. Top with asparagus and serve immediately.
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    Asparagus-topped spring vegetable pancake. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

    Until next week, I’ll leave you with another image of my favourite vegetable. Have a good week and I look forward to seeing you next time 🙂

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    Early May British asparagus. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

Happy May!

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Early May bluebells. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

Welcome to the best month of the year everyone! After a wonderfully sunny and warm Easter, the garden has burst into bloom. Every bed is full of colour and the air is heavy with aromatic perfumes, and best of all, there are Bluebells in every corner.

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Happy May! Image: Kathryn Hawkins

These beautiful Narcissi are multi-headed, each having 4 bloom heads per stalk. I took the photo about a week ago, and sadly now they are just beginning to go over. They have been flowering for a month and have been great value. The perfume is delightful.

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Late spring Narcissi. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

The Azalias are about 2 weeks ahead of themselves this year, and as usual the smaller-petal varieties are fully laden with flowers. In the sunshine, their bright pink blooms are intense and dazzling. The golden yellow variety is less blousy but brightens up the partially-shaded flower-bed it lives in, and is a lovely contrast amongst the bluebells .

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Golden yellow and vibrant pink Azalias. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

Some of the fruit tree blossom has set since my last post – it looks like there will be lots of cherries this year 🙂 The miniature apple tree is laden with blossom, and today saw the first opening of petals on the big old apple tree. Such pretty and delicate flowers.

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Early May apple blossom. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

Another flowering plant that is ahead of itself this year, is the Solomon’s Seal. The bell-shaped white flowers are just opening. Each year the plants seed themselves so year on year there are more in the flower-beds. It is a truly elegant plant, and stays in bloom for several weeks.

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Solomon’s Seal. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

Apart from the mass of blue from the all the bluebells, just across from my kitchen window, now that the Tête-à-tête have finished, the raised bed has become overrun with Forget-me-nots. Not planted, they just appeared, courtesy of the birds (or perhaps the fairies?). No matter, they are so cute and dainty, and a delightful shade of baby-blue.

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Forget-me-nots. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

It’s been pleasing to see so many bees, butterflies and other beasties in the garden these past couple of weeks, busy in the sunshine and enjoying the warmth. I discovered this wee chap whilst I was weeding the flower-bed underneath. He’s either sunbathing or perhaps he is completely intoxicated by the aromas drifting up from the geranium leaf he’s sitting on and from the bluebell above! Until next week, enjoy the sunshine if you have some!

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Sunbathing ladybird. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

 

 

Tray-baked pasta sauce (gluten-free; dairy-free; vegan)

~ My virtually free-from kitchen ~ 3 Comments
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Tray-baked vegetable sauce spooned over spaghetti. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

Hello again everyone. I hope you’ve had a good few days. It felt like summer here at the weekend, very warm and sunny over the Easter holiday. The temperature has gone back to something more seasonal now..

I have a very versatile vegetable sauce recipe for you this week. The sauce is as tasty on it’s own over pasta as it is when used as a soup or casserole base, or spread over pizza dough or tart pastry. It is also a great recipe if you like batch-cooking for the freezer.  It’s so easy to make, with everything cooked together on a large baking tray in the oven.

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Freshly cooked pasta sauce. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

The sauce base consists of a selection of colourful vegetables which are baked with fresh herbs. I find the woody herbs work best in this recipe as they stand up well in the oven. I use bay, rosemary, sage and thyme, but if you prefer a less robust flavour, stir in freshly chopped finer, more delicate herbs for a final flourish once the sauce is cooked.

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Rainbow vegetables. Image: Kathryn Hawkins
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Fresh bay, rosemary, thyme and sage. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

The rest of the sauce is made up of tinned tomatoes, stock and red wine. The first time I made the sauce I had a glut of fresh tomatoes, so if you prefer to use fresh, then they works fine too but you might want to add some tomato purée to the sauce to thicken it up and concentrate the flavour.

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Served with toasted seeds and fresh basil. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

Here’s what to do….

Serves: 4

Ingredients

  • 1 large yellow pepper, deseeded and chopped
  • 250g carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 1 large red onion, peeled and sliced
  • 1 large leek, trimmed and shredded
  • 2 sticks celery, trimmed and chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 tbsp. caster sugar
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 5 fresh bay leaves
  • A few sprigs each of fresh rosemary, sage and thyme
  • 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
  • 250ml fruity red wine
  • 250ml vegetable stock

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C, 180°C fan oven, gas 6. Put all the vegetables in a large bowl and mix in the oil and sugar, then spread them out on a large, deep baking tray and season well. Pop the herbs on top and bake for about 40 minutes, turning occasionally until tender and lightly browned.

2. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C, 160°C fan oven, gas 4. Mix the remaining ingredients together and pour over the vegetables. Put the tray in the oven and continue to cook for 45-50 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thick and reduced. Cover and stand for 10 minutes. Discard the herbs before serving.

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The 4 stages of sauce. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

Serve the sauce over pasta and sprinkle with fresh basil and fried and salted seeds (recipe for the seed mix is on my post Moorish red orange and carrot salad (gluten-free; dairy-free; vegan) For extra richness, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Perfect. See you next week 🙂

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Up close on pasta sauce. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

Tutti frutti semifreddo (gluten-free; dairy-free; vegan)

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Tutti_frutti_semi_freddo_dairy-free_iced_dessert
Easter dessert. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

I’ve been back in the kitchen this week, making something deliciously sweet and impressive for the Easter holidays. I’ve come up with a  dessert that is very easy to make, inspired by the flavours of Italy, and is everything you want to round off a celebratory Easter meal (but with no chocolate in sight – gasp, shock, horror!).

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Iced tutti frutti loaf. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

You can add your own choice of chopped dried or candied fruit and nuts – it’s a great recipe to use up the bits and pieces you have leftover (and you could even add chunks of chocolate if you really want to!). Flavoured with marzipan, mincemeat and Marsala wine, it’s a dessert that would also be right at home on the Christmas table as well.

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Easter semifreddo ingredients. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
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A spoonful of semifreddo. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

Here’s what to do:

Serves: 8

Ingredients

  • 115g golden marzipan (use plain if you prefer but the golden variety adds a little colour to the semifreddo), chopped
  • 600ml dairy-free single “cream” (I use oat cream, but soya cream or canned coconut milk would also work)
  • 150g vegan mincemeat
  • 100g glacé cherries, chopped
  • 25g pistachio nuts, chopped
  • 3 tbsp. Marsala wine (or use sweet sherry or cherry brandy)
  • Extra cherries and pistachios to decorate
  1. Line a 1kg loaf tin with a double layer of cling film. Put the marzipan in a saucepan and pour over the dairy-free “cream”. Heat gently, stirring, until melted together.

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    Cling film lined load tin. Image: Kathryn Hawkins
  2. Remove from the heat, mix well then stir in the remaining ingredients and leave to cool completely.
  3. Transfer to a freezer container at least 1.1l capacity, cover and freeze for 2 to 2½ hours until starting to turn slushy. Mix well then freeze for a further hour or so until icy and stiffened. Mix well to distribute all the pieces and pack into the loaf tin. Freeze for at least 2 hours to firm up enough to slice. For prolonged freezing, fold over the cling film and wrap in foil. Keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

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    Freezing semifreddo. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
  4. To serve, gently ease the semifreddo from the tin using the cling film. Place on a serving plate and discard the cling film. Scatter with more cherries and pistachios. Slice, serve and enjoy! Happy Easter everyone 🙂

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    Sliced and ready for eating. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

Spring in full swing

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Raised bed of spring flowers. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

It’s been a glorious week here in central Scotland and I just couldn’t resist posting another series of images of spring flowers. It is my favourite time of the year and this year the garden seems more abundant than ever, bursting with colour in every corner.

Whilst  the sky has been blue and the temperature relatively warm during the day, the nights have been chilly, and only this morning the lawn was covered with frost.

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Muscari and Snakeshead fritillary. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

There is plenty of blossom forming on the fruit trees, and the sprigs nearest the walls are already in bloom and sweet-smelling. The bees will be smiling.

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Victoria Plum, Morello Cherry and Doyenne de Comice Pear blossoms. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

I have been in and out of the garden all week keeping my eye on the progress of the bluebells because they are exceptionally early this year. In the sunny spots, the stems are getting longer and the buds bluer, and today I discovered one wee bell-shaped flower fully open in amongst a thicket of twigs, and here it is, my first bluebell of 2019 🙂

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My first bluebells of 2019. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

One of the most prolific plants in the garden is Euphorbia. This time of the year the flowers are lime-green and yellowy and look stunning in the sunlight. They really brighten up the dullest parts of the garden and make an eye-catching display with the fading pink and white hellebores in the background.

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Euphorbia with hellebores. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

My last images of my post this week are of a beautiful pink Persian Buttercup (Ranunculus) with its many layers of delicate petals. I don’t seem to be able to grow them in big clusters, just the odd one comes up here and there. The other is a very “early bird” in the garden this year, a single Mountain Cornflower (Centaurea montana). Usually these thistle-like flowers grow in abundance from early summer and onwards throughout the autumn, but this fellow has popped up several weeks ahead of the others.

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Persian buttercup and a Mountain cornflower. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

That’s all for this week. Have a good few days – enjoy the sunshine if you have it. I’ll be back in the kitchen with an Eastery recipe for next week’s post.

A springtime woodland walk

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Wild_English_Bluebells_in_a_Sussex_woodland
End of March, Bluebells. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

For this week’s post, I have made a slight departure from my usual offerings. I have just returned from a few days down in the south of England celebrating Mothering Sunday with my family.

The county of Sussex is where I grew up and I remember the bluebell woods especially well. Carpets of fragrant blue flowers lined these particular woods in Slindon, most usually from mid to late April onwards. With the early onset of spring this year, I had a feeling that there might be some out in flower and I wasn’t disappointed. There were quite a few of the delicate, sweet-selling blue blooms alongside many other wild flowers.

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Wood anemones. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
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Wild primroses. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

It was a glorious day in these woods. The sun was warm and the sky was blue. The flowers seemed to almost glow in the bright light, and with the combination of good weather and the untimely blooming of these wild flowers, it was hard to remember exactly  what month it actually was.

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Lady’s Smock (Cuckoo flower), Celandine and Herb Robert. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

Not only were there flowers to enjoy in the woods, but the hedgerows and trees around and about were full of life too. Several species of butterfly were darting around from flower to flower (too quick for me to capture), and the bees buzzing and busy collecting pollen. It’s going to be a bumper year for hedgerow fruits if these blossom-laden Blackthorn trees are anything to go by.

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Blackthorn against a blue sky. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

My final image this week is of a Sussex pastoral scene and a tree that encompasses this time of year so well, the Salix Discolor, or Pussy Willow, with its fuzzy pollen-laden stamens so tempting to the bees and flying insects.

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Pussy Willow. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

I hope you have enjoyed the visit to Sussex this week.  I will be back with you next week with something equally seasonal. Until then, have a good week and enjoy Spring 🙂

 

Rhubarb and orange streusel cake (gluten-free; dairy-free; vegan)

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Drizzle_iced_spring-time_rhubarb_and_orange_streusel_cake
Rhubarb and orange streusel cake. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

It’s time for a rhubarb recipe this week on my blog. Spring is well under way now and rhubarb is plentiful. In the garden at the moment, my own early rhubarb plant is coming along nicely and looks very healthy. Not quite ready for picking just yet, but I don’t think it will be long.

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Early variety home-grown rhubarb. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

This week’s post is a dense-textured, delicious rhubarb cake that can also be served warm as a pudding. You do need a fair bit of rhubarb to make the cake – 600g. Cut the rhubarb stalks to the same thickness for even cooking during the first part of the recipe, and take care not to over-cook  in order to retain some texture in the finished bake.

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Spring rhubarb stalks. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

The orange adds a subtle flavour to the cake, but leave it out if you prefer. Bake the rhubarb with a little water instead of the juice. For a spicy twist, replace the orange rind in the cake mix with ground ginger and/or mixed spice.

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Rhubarb streusel cake with a hint of orange. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

  • 600g fresh rhubarb stalks
  • 1 medium orange
  • 3 tbsp. caster sugar

For the streusel mix:

  • 85g gluten-free self raising flour
  • 75g jumbo oats
  • 50g cornflour
  • 50g dairy-free margarine, softened

For the cake:

  • 200g dairy-free margarine, softened
  • 200g caster sugar
  • Finely grated rind 1 orange
  • 200g plain dairy-free yogurt (I used plain soya yogurt)
  • 100g ground almonds
  • 100g gluten-free self raising flour

To decorate (optional):

  • 100g icing sugar
  • Fresh orange zest
  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C, 180°C fan oven, gas 6.  Trim the rhubarb and cut into even  thickness pieces, 3-4cm long. Place in a roasting tray. Pare the rind from the orange using a vegetable peeler, and extract the juice. Stir both into the rhubarb and sprinkle over the sugar. Bake for about 15 minutes until just tender, then leave to cool in the tin.

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    Roasting rhubarb. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
  2. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C, 160°C fan oven, gas 4. Grease and line a 23cm cake tin. For the streusel, mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and rub in the margarine. Set aside.
  3. For the cake mix, put all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk everything together until well blended.
  4. Drain the rhubarb well, reserving the cooking juices, and pat dry with kitchen paper. Put half the cake mix in the tin, spread smoothly, sprinkle over half the streusel mix and top with half the rhubarb.
  5. Spoon over the remaining cake mix and spread smoothly. Sprinkle over half the remaining streusel mix and arrange the remaining rhubarb on top.
  6. Finally, sprinkle the rhubarb with the remaining streusel, stand the cake tin on a baking tray and bake for about 1 ¾ hours, covering with foil after an hour or so to prevent over-browning. The cake is cooked when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin to serve cold as a cake, or stand for about 30 minutes to firm up before removing from the tin to serve warm as a pudding with dairy-free custard  and the reserved juices spooned over if liked. Assembling_rhubarb_and_orange_streusel_cake

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    Assembling the streusel cake ready for baking. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
  7. To decorate and serve as a cake, carefully remove from the tin and place on a wire rack. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and mix in about 4 tsp of the reserved cooking juices to make a soft, dripping icing. Drizzle over the top of the cake using a teaspoon and scatter with orange zest. Leave for about 30 minutes to firm up before slicing to serve.
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    Decorating the streusel cake. Images: Kathryn Hawkins.
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    Streusel cake, ready to serve. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

    I keep the cake in the fridge and bring to room temperature for a few minutes before serving. You can also heat up a slice in the microwave for a few seconds to take the chill off. The cake freezes well without the icing. Have a good week 🙂

     

 

Spring green risotto with wild garlic (gluten-free; dairy-free; vegan)

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Sprng_green_risotto_with_wild_garlic_and_chestnut_mushrooms
Spring green risotto. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

Every year at this time my local river bank becomes swathed in lush greenery and develops a distinctive oniony aroma. A walk on a sunny afternoon can make you feel very hungry indeed.

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River-side wild garlic. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

On a bright afternoon at the end of last week, I went on a foraging expedition and picked a small bag of the fresh, lush wild garlic leaves, also known as Ramsons (Allium ursinum). As with any wild food, only ever pick if in abundance. Take leaves from several plants rather than stripping leaves from just one or two. Pick the vibrant green, broad leaves (shaped rather like those of the tulip) when young and before the delicate white star-shaped flowers bloom to enjoy them at their sweetest.

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Fresh Ramsons leaves. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

For safetys sake, take extra care to make that sure you are only picking the leaves of wild garlic. Wash very well before using. I usually put the leaves in a colander and dunk several times in a bowl of cold water before shaking dry.

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Washing wild garlic. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

As with most soft herbs, wild garlic is best used within 24 hours of picking, but once rinsed and shaken dry, I find it well for a few days sealed in a plastic bag in the fridge.

My recipe this week combines the wild garlic leaves with baby kale leaves (or kalettes) and leek in a stir fry. It is delicious served as a vegetable dish in its own right, but is also makes a delicious stirred to a mushroom risotto.

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Spring greens. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

For the stir fry:

  • 1 medium leek
  • 30g wild garlic, washed
  • 175g baby kale (or kalettes)
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the risotto:

  • 1l vegetable stock
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 250g chestnut mushrooms, wiped and chopped
  • 400g Arborio rice
  • 200ml dry white wine
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 25g wild garlic, washed and finely shredded
  1. Trim the leek. Split lengthways and rinse well to remove any trapped earth. Shake well to remove excess water, then shred finely.
  2. Shred the wild garlic leaves. Strip the leaves of baby kale from the central stalks. Mix all the vegetables together.

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    Preparing spring greens. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
  3. Heat the oil in a  large frying pan or wok, add the greens and stir fry for 2 minutes. Season well, reduce the heat to low, and cover and cook gently for 4-5 minutes until tender. Serve immediately as a vegetable accompaniment, or put to one side whilst preparing the risotto.
  4. For the risotto, pour the stock into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce to a very gentle simmer. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan and gently fry the mushrooms for 2-3 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes until everything is well mixed.
  5. Pour in half the wine and cook gently, stirring, until absorbed. Add the remaining wine along with a ladleful of stock. Cook gently until absorbed.
  6. Continue adding the stock in this way, until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is thick, creamy and tender. This will take about 25 minutes and should not be hurried. Keep the heat moderate throughout the cooking.

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    Making risotto. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
  7. Season the risotto to taste, stir in all but a few shreds of wild garlic, and cook for a further minute until the garlic has wilted. To serve, reheat the spring greens and gently mix into the risotto, then serve sprinkled with the remaining wild garlic.

    Variegated_wild_garlic_growing_in_a_Perthshire_woodland
    Variegated wild garlic leaves. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

 

 

 

Potato pilau cake (gluten-free; dairy-free; vegan)

~ My virtually free-from kitchen ~ 3 Comments
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Potato pilau cake. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

When I was planning what to put on my blog this week, it was snowing, and inevitably my thoughts turned to comfort food. This week’s recipe has a double dose of carbs, guaranteed to satisfy even the most hearty of appetites. It is a fragrant, fruity pilau rice cooked in a pan with thinly sliced potatoes. I ask you, what’s not to like?

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A double dose of carb-comfort. Image: Kathryn Hawkins

The basmati rice is flavoured with the warming spices straight from the souks of Persia: cumin, coriander and cardamom. I always lightly toast cumin and coriander seeds before grinding them in a pestle and mortar; this helps release their inmost aromatic essences. Split the cardamom pods and either leave whole in the rice or pick out the tiny black seed from the green casing and crush into the mixture for a more intense flavour. If you are leaving them whole, remember to warn your fellow diners in case they come across one of the pods when the dish is served. Forewarned is forearmed!

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Preparing the spices. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

Staying with the Persian theme, I added some dried barberries to the rice. These reddish-orange small dry berries are tart and tanniny – they remind me of rose-hip – and are a classic ingredient in Persian cooking. If you can’t find them, chop some dried cranberries or dried sour cherries to use instead. When combined with sweet, juicy sultanas, you get the perfect balance of sweet and sour to flavour your pilau.

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Sour and sweet, barberries and sultanas. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

There is a bit of preparation to do before you start cooking, but the dish reheats very well if you want to make it up in advance, and will also freeze too. The pilau cake makes a substantial main meal served with fresh veg or a crisp salad, or serve in smaller wedges as an accompaniment.

Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients

  • 200g basmati rice
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ¾ tsp each coriander seeds and cumin seeds, lightly toasted and crushed
  • 6 green cardamom pods, split (or seeds removed and finely crushed)
  • ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 10g dried barberries
  • 40g sultanas
  • 350g firm-fleshed salad potatoes such as Charlotte, scrubbed
  • 3 tbsp. cold-pressed rapeseed oil (or olive or sunflower oil)
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
  • Fresh coriander to serve
  1. Put the rice in a bowl and cover with cold water. Leave to soak for 2 hours, then drain and rinse well. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, add the salt and spices and then add the rice. Bring back to the boil and cook uncovered for 2 minutes until the rice is very slightly tender and opaque.
  2. Drain and rinse the rice in cold running water to remove the excess starch. Shake off the excess water and return to the saucepan. Stir in the dried fruit.
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    Preparing the spiced basmati rice. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

    Thinly_slicing_Charlotte_potatoes_for_pilau_cake
    Preparing Charlotte potatoes. Image: Kathryn Hawkins
  3. Meanwhile, very thinly and evenly slice the potatoes. Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a 22cm diameter frying pan and gently fry the potatoes for 2 – 3 minutes, stirring, to coat them in the oil. Remove from the heat and arrange the potatoes in a neat layer over the bottom of the frying pan. Sprinkle with the garlic.
  4. Pack the rice mixture on top. Make indents in the rice using the end of a wooden spoon and drizzle over the remaining oil.

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    Pan-cooking the potatoes and rice. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
  5. Cover with a layer of foil and then place a lid on top of the pan. Cook over a very low heat, undisturbed, for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and foil, check that the rice and potatoes are tender, then raise the heat and cook uncovered for 4-5 minutes to brown the potatoes. Turn off the heat, cover loosely, and stand for 10 minutes.

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    Serving Potato pilau cake. Images: Kathryn Hawkins
  6. To serve, place a large serving plate over the frying pan and carefully flip the pan over to turn the contents on to the plate. Leave the pan in place for a couple of minutes before removing to allow the potato and rice to settle. Serve immediately, potato-side up, sprinkled with fresh coriander.
    Potato_pilau_cake_sliced_into_wedges
    Sliced and ready to enjoy. Images: Kathryn Hawkins

    To freeze, turn the cooked rice cake on to a freezer-proof plate or board, allow to cool, wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge.

    To reheat, transfer to a baking tray lined with baking parchment, cover with foil and reheat in a preheated oven at 180°C, 160°C fan oven, gas 4, for about 30 minutes until piping hot. Serve as above.