Going crackers!

A few weeks ago a friend of mine gave me a simple recipe for crackers made with nuts and seeds. The minute I baked them, the crackers vanished, so it seemed only natural to bake them again :)  This time, I added some chopped fresh garlic and sprinkled it over the crackers before baking.  Feel free to top with chilli flakes, chopped fresh rosemary or even dried dill.

Here is what you need to make around 10 large crackers (slightly smaller than a Ryvita)

Before Baking

50g almonds (raw with skin on)

50g sunflower seeds

50g linseeds

50g pumpkin or courgette seeds

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 egg

1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil

Chop the almonds as finely as you prefer.  I leave mine quite large (around a quarter of an nut). Next chop the pumpkin seeds. Add all the nuts, seeds to a bowl and stir in the egg.  I do not chop the sunflower seeds or the linseeds!

Add the oil a tablespoon at a time, making sure that the mixture is not too liquidy.  The amount of oil you need will depend on the size of the egg you use.

Once your mixture is stirred well, spread it on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.

Using a spatula or the back of a spoon shape it into crackers.  I suggest that the size is not too big as they will easily crumble otherwise.  Also make sure to have a thin layer of mixture as if the cracker is too thick, your cracker you will not have a crunchy bite to them.

Bake at 180C for about 10 to 15 minutes but this really depends on your oven.  A good indication is that the almonds have taken a golden hue.  It is normal to have some "foam" ooze out of the crackers whilst baking. Also note that the crackers will harden on cooling, so don't worry if they are still soft when you take them out of the oven.  

After Baking

Baking in Belgium on Instagram

Just a pot of cream

I know it's the trimming, slimming, detoxing season but when your local supermarket gives you cream for free, one just has to give in  :)

So Saturday morning, after cashing out, a little fridge standing at the exit of the supermarket with a sign saying "a donner" (to give away), music to my ears

I took a couple of jars and quickly set about using my new Christmas gift - a butter churner.
I poured 300ml of the cream into the jar, cranked away for about 10 mins then voila, the butter was made.

#homemade #butter churned with @kilner_uk butter churn

A photo posted by Baking In Belgium (@bakinginbelgium) on Jan 3, 2016 at 7:53am PST

But after you make the butter, you're left with a lot of buttermilk ! and there are two uses for that in our household -
1. Buttermilk Pancakes
2. Irish Soda bread

So soda-bread it was!

Back to Base

Seems like it's been ages ago, but the time is ripe.
I'm just back from Malta and still very keen on eating Maltese foods and using Maltese ingredients. I must admit they are VERY hard to come by in Belgium, but with the help of my family, I do keep a constant supply of a number of items including kunserva, pastizzi and of course twistees !

This summer I tried to see what was new on the market and new Maltese products seemed to be sprouting. New cheese spreads, new brands packing bigilla and of course gbejniet.


My girls gave me a butter churner last Christmas which was put to good use a few days later when the local supermarket was trying to get rid of a large amount of soon-to-expire cream. We made butter, which we ate, froze and even made bread with the buttermilk.

They also gave me a book about cheeses and butter which I must admit I have not really used except for the part where it explains how to make butter.

Having come back from Malta though, I was keen to try my hand at making Gbejniet.  These are little cheeselets made from goat's or sheep's milk and do not taste anything like the goats cheese we find here, chèvre.



I have found a recipe from Marlene Zammit who lives in Australia and runs Maltese Mouthful. Her recipe for gbejniet seems very authentic however, the ratio of milk to rennet varies completely to the once published by Pippa Mattei.  I just need to source the fresh goat's or sheep's milk and try the recipes out! 

Look out for more updates on my Instagram or Twitter accounts !

Falafel from scratch

Oh no, don't turn away! It's not as complicated as it sounds.

Falafel always fascinated me and whenever I found the opportunity I always ordered them. Sometimes I was very happy with my choice whilst others I was confronted with a soppy, oil soaked, flavourless patty.  But not this time.

I was reading an article on Food 52 which explained how easy it was to make Falafel at home from scratch, so with all the list ingredients ready at hand, I tried it out this weekend.

I am at the stage where lots of weekend cooking and preparation saves me precious time during the week, so this recipe was prepared and cooked on Sunday in preparation for the week ahead. Surprisingly though, when we all had a taste of the first patty to make it out of the pan, my carnivorous family where all willing to ditch the roast in favour of these delicious "burgers".

No need to worry, the animal did not die in vain; the roast was devoured minutes later!

So here what you need to buy to make falafel

2 cup of dried chickpeas (which is just under 500g)

1 small onion

A handful of fresh mint

A bunch of fresh flat-leaved parsley

2 cloves of garlic

A generous pinch of salt

½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

2 teaspoons ras el hanut (this is a North-African spice mixture)

2 lemons, juiced

And here is what you need to do:

The night before you plan on preparing these little flavoursome parcels, soak the chickpeas in a large bowl.  Make sure there is enough water in the bowl as they will absorb quite a lot.

The next day, whenever that suits you, place all the above ingredients, except the chickpeas into a blender and blitz for a few seconds.

Now drain the chickpeas and add them to the blender. Blend until all turns into one nice big spicy smooth paste. Make sure that it is really smooth as there is nothing else to bind the patties together except the consistency of the paste itself.

Using your hands, turn the paste into patties. The size depends on how you want to serve them. If you are making burgers then portion them into burger-sized patties but if you will be serving them in pitta pockets then I suggest you make them smaller. This way you'll be able to fit a few in and get the lovely flavours with every bite.  

As an indication, these quantities make around 18 burger-size patties. If you think that's too much I suggest that you still go with these amounts and just freeze any leftover falafel; they will be a true life saver when you're too hungry or tired to cook!

Nanna Connie's Truffles

Spring is in the air and Easter is around the corner. These are the sort of days when you want to be out and about and definitely not tied up in the kitchen.

This week, even though the weather was warmer outside, my slow cooker made an appearance on the kitchen cupboard.

But this article is not about food, it's about something sweet to help you clear up the cupboards before the Easter eggs and and chocolate bunnies take over.  This recipe is ideal to de-clutter your shelves.

Even though the blog is "Baking in Belgium" these Truffles are the truffles in the old sense of the word and not the Belgian chocolate versions!

Quite easy to make, these truffles could be a weekend project with your little ones.

Start off by melting some butter in a sauce pan. I would use around 30g to 50g depending on the amount of cake / biscuits you have but do not exceed the 50g.

Once the butter has melted, stir in the any pastries you may have,  It is important that these are crumbled very well, alternatively you can use a blender to chop them finely.

When I say pastries, I mean yesterday's pain chocolate or pieces of Panettone, biscuits, chocolates or chocolate bars.

Make sure that they are all crushed or mashed up very well so that there are no large chunks that can be identified.

Once you have stirred them in, add enough milk or tinned milk to make sure they are well soaked.  Don't worry about adding too much milk, that will only mean you will need to cook the mixture for longer. 

Now, time to season! I like adding a few oats to my mixture to make them 'healthier'  You can add a dash or two of Rum if you have an adult audience. 

If you will be serving these to children I suggest some vanilla essence and perhaps some grated orange zest.

Sprinkle in 2 tablespoons of cocoa and stir continuously.

Taste the mixture. 

At this point you could also add some candied fruit or some nuts.

Keep on stirring over a low heat until the mixture starts to come away from the sides of your pot. Your stirring will become harder as the mixture 'dries' further.

When you decide that you have cooked it long enough, remove from the heat and let it cool for about 10 mins.

Then, using a teaspoon , roll the mixture into small balls and place them in a prepared plate filled with coconut. Roll the ball in the dessicated coconut until the truffle is well coated.

Keep on repeating this until all the mixture is rolled.

Place the coconut balls in the fridge for about 30 minutes then take them out and give them a final roll in your hands to fix their shape.

Once complete, store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, even though mine never last that long!
If you want to make them look a little fancy, place each truffle in a small paper case.

How to make your own sausage rolls in Belgium

If you, like me, think that sausage rolls are a very mundane food that is readily available from every corner shop, then you, like me (and especially my children) will be very shocked when you come to Belgium.

Sausage rolls are essentially British and apart from England and other places, such as Malta which have been influenced by its cuisine they are quite hard to come by!

Finding a Pain Saucisse in a shop is like finding a pot of gold.

The exhilaration goes on for hours and the purchased items are guarded and finished right up to the very last crumb, even if this means ripping the bag and shaking the contents out on the plate or sometimes even the table.

This technique, according to my wee ones, is the best for getting the crumbs tucked away in the little crevices that every paper bag has.

So, if they are so hard to come by, there is no other solution but to do them at home!

There are 2 simple ingredients to making sausage rolls :

1) The puff pastry
2) The sausage meat

In this article I shall be giving the recipe to making your own puff pastry, which woulds hard but in truth is not. It just requires more resting time than your normal short crust.

You can of course, head down to any supermarket and get a packet of pâte feuilletée, that would be puff pastry for you and me!

For the sausage meat, I used the haché préparé which is a mixture of pork and veal minced meat.  


For the puff pastry, I followed the one in my Great British Bake Off Book (the first version)

For the sausage meat, I opted for the Belgian minced meat labelled as Porc et Veau which would be the closest to what we are used to.

To 500g of mince I have added 1 small and finely chopped onion and 4 fresh sage leaves, also finely chopped.

Now the best way to get all these ingredients thoroughly mixed in is by using your hands and sort of 'mash' the mixture together.

If you are a little squeamish and not too keen on mixing mince meat with you hands, then opt for a fork.

To assemble the sausage roll, roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface. Make sure that your pastry is not too thick. It should be about the thickness of two 50c coins placed on top of each other.

Next place the minced meat along the bottom most part of the width of your rolled out pastry.

Roll the pastry around it making sure to leave just a slight overlap which will seal your roll.

Cut off the excess pastry and stack it neatly one piece on top of the other so that you may use it again. 

If you roll up the un-used pastry in a ball then you will loose they layers the next time you bake it! Pity really.

So, once you are ready to seal the pastry, brush the end with a little egg-wash. Egg wash is simply 1 egg which has been beaten with a fork!

Place the sausage roll on a baking tray lined with baking paper. It is best to using the baking paper even in the case of a non-stick baking tray as the meat is quite fatty and some of that fat wi most certainly ooze out.

Can an obviously decide make smaller rolls for parties or as a packed lunch so feel free to cut your roll before place it on the baking sheet so as not to damage your equipment.

Once your sausage rolls are ready to bake, your make make little incisions on the top to make them pretty and to allow your pastry to puff up nicely.

Last step is to brush the top of the pastry with the egg-wash. 

Now bake your rolls in a preheated oven at 160C for a convection oven.

Before placing your tray in the oven however, make sure that the oven has actually reached the required temperature. 

You may use an oven thermometer which would sit in the oven and mark the exact temperature or you may use the gauge in your oven. 

If you have an electric oven, you should have a little red light that will go off once the desired temperature is reached.  Even though every oven is different, is should take around 15 - 20 minutes for your oven to reach this temperature.

Your sausage rolls are ready to take out of the oven once they are nice and golden!

These roll cans be frozen and re-heated in the oven from frozen.

If you intend to make a batch and freeze it, I suggest that you bake them till they are a pale gold colour.

Once you re-heat and hence re-bake them you will have a little bit more leeway on the baking time.

Savory Broccoli Cake

Broccoli might not be everyone's favourite veggie but here is an easy way you can add them to your diet. 
This recipe was passed on by a friend of mine and I must admit that it is truely yummy and super quick! Took me less than 1 hour from start to finish (as in baked!)

 

So here is what you will need:

250 gr self raising flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

8-10 small broccoli florets or about half a large head
1 small spring onion
4 eggs

75 ml olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste
Grated cheese such as Gruyere

 

 

Before you start the preparation, pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celcius.

Place the flour, baking powder, spring onion and the raw broccoli florets in the blender and whizz for about 30 seconds until the broccoli is chopped into small pieces.

Now, measure the oil and crack the 4 eggs into the same container.
Add the liquid to the flour and whizz again.
Finally season with salt, pepper or some herbs such as thyme.

The mixture should resemble that of a stodgy cake mixture and should not be as flowing as cake batter would usually be. 
Place the batter into your prepared cake tin or loaf tin.
I used a 1.5L loaf tin.

Sprinkle the top with some grated Gruyere and bake for about 20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

.....and there you have it!

You might also want to add about 100g of lardon or bacon bits to the mixture before baking.
If you do this, then I suggest you stir them in by hand as the blender would chop them too finely.

 

2014... here we come!

The new year always pushes me towards my blog and in a way I feel sad that I am not updating it as often as I used to.

In culinary terms, 2013 was a very good one for me. I have discovered or rediscovered old classics as well as new tastes.

One to be noted is the reintroduction of Brussels Sprouts into my kitchen! I was never keen on these sorry excuse for a Christmas day side dish.

BUT, due to the enthusiasm of my wee ones, I could not let this pass.

After all I am the one to tell them to try our new things, so I cannot shut them down what they wanted to give a shot at the dreaded Brussels Sprouts.

Albeit an old veggie, I gave it a new spin, NO overcooking and definitely NO boiling!

So I just quartered them and sautéed them, yes raw, with a little bit of walnut oil. Lastly, I sprinkled some chopped roasted hazelnuts before serving. Et voila !

Mr. E and I have also done our fair share of travelling last year, of course always trying to source and try and best local ingredients.

Whilst in Spain, we tried the real Jamon and I must admit I loved it! Not to mention the seasoned olives which were totally different to the way we are used to eat them.

We are quite accustomed to plain olives in olive oil, which of course are delicious too.

With less time on my hands to write, edit and take photos for my blog, I have started a little kitchen journal.

This is mainly so that I do not forget what ingredients went into my spare of the moment, or rather back of the cupboard "inventions".

The weather this year, 2014 has been extremely good and apart from a new windy nights, we have been enjoyed the warmth of a splendid winter sun of many days.

So as a final note, think about your gardens and what you can plant now that it's winter to reap over spring and summer.

Think about what new challenges you want to achieve this year. And by this I don't mean the bungee-jumping / sky-diving sort but more the 'I'd like to bake an St. Honore' or 'I'd much prefer having my own mincemeat in my mince pies next Christmas'.

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter if you like my updates!

Peanut Butter

I've been thinking about making home made peanut butter for weeks if not months!

Little did I know that it really took minutes to make!

Here is what you need - roasted peanuts!

Here is how to do it - blend!

Add caption

All you need to do is to place your roasted peanuts in a blender or a liquidizer and blend until it looks like what peanut butter should look like.  

What you need to keep in mind it that it WILL happen! Don't give up, eventually the peanuts will just cream into peanut butter.

And the added value is that there is no added transfat or any other unwanted ingredient found in most commercial versions. 

Is it old or new ?!

Have a look at this link from Food 52.

It's been a while since I've seen it published or publicised for that matter. It's an old family dessert made with jelly and whipped cream. It was also very boldly referred to as mousse back in the 60s.

We also used to make it with whipped chilled tinned milk and it works very well.

Make sure not to serve this to any vegetarians however!

Here is the link to the recipe made from scratch as suggested by Amanda from Food 52 - Blackberry Fluff

GIANT Cupcake it is

My little princess is turning 10 and had her school birthday party this weekend.


Here's the final version......

and this is how is was made!

After making my madeira cake, I divided the batter into 4 bowls.  I added more mixture to each new bowl, so it had more than the previous one.  Dividing the mixture equally would not have given the desired effect as below.

I just wanted to make the topping of the cupcake a rainbow cake so the tip (the cherry on the cake) needed less batter than the next layer and that layer needed less than the layer after it and so forth till the cake was complete.








and once the cake was cut, the surprise was revealed!

 

If you need a recipe for a simple madeira, find me on twitter! 

It's chocolate week chez-nous!

So my chocoholic daughter is off on a school trip and as part of her luggage will contain a few snacks, she has specially requested a chocolate selection of midnight snacks!

Anything would do really; chocolate cake, chocolate biscuits as long as it is of course CHOCOLATE! But then we settled on chocolate chip cookies and some truffles.

If you need some chocolate inspirations, here are some of mine:

Chocolate orange fudge cake - http://concitademicoli.blogspot.be/2009/04/chocolate-orange-fudge-cake.html 

Banana choc-chip ice-cream - http://concitademicoli.blogspot.be/2008/04/banana-chocolate-chip-ice-cream.html 

Pasteis de nata

Having spent a good amount of time chatting to a foodie who happens to be Portugese, I became intrigued with the Portugese custard tarts or as they are referred to locally " Pasteis de nata"

The original recipe for these delicious little tarts is guarded by few and in most cases taken to their grave. So I cannot really claim to have the original recipe!

Having said that I think I came quite close to the original version. My first attempt was based on a Portuguese recipe. Luckily I know enough Italian to be able to comprehend! Must confess that the custard needed to be cooled further before pouring over the pastry. Having said that, the judges (or guinea pigs, depending on how you look at it) were very pleased with the result.

And another confession is

1- I made a giant Pasteis (9 inches) instead of tiny ones
2- I used ready made puff but worked it a little extra.

I shall try and post the recipe shortly.

Is making bread the new black?

I love the expression "the new black". Admittedly is it mostly (and should be) used for colours, nevertheless I like to sprinkle it into different contexts and seeing people's reaction!

So is making bread the latest in thing?

I must admit that I am a big fan of home made bread. The scent of freshly baked bread around the house really turns the house into a home. But what if you have no time to make it? What if you work 9 to 5 and cannot be bothered with this sort of "waste of time".

Well my answer to that, my dear sir (or madam) is to plan it as a weekend project.

If this is your first or your umpteenth attempt at making bread, you need to know or you already know that this is not to be rushed!

This week I finally got down to making my own starter, i.e. my own natural yeast which takes a number of days before it can be used. And here is my little baby. I called her Do-do or dough-dough!

Easy peasy guacamole !

If you've never tried making it yourself, you might think that making guacamole requires fine Michelin chef skills ! On the contrary, all you need is a knife, fork and a bowl!

There are many versions of this simple dish online, but here is mine. It is a twist on Paul Hollywood's recipe.

You will need:
1 avocado
Juice of half a lemon
I clove of garlic finely chopped
2 to 3 tablespoons sour cream (I used vitalinea fromage for a lighter version)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste.

Mash it all up with a fork and serve!

Sorry about the pic but I realised that it's pretty hard snapping a decent guacamole photo.

Easter week

So finally seems like we're having some sunshine in Belgium and I am certainly NOT complaining! Easter is synonymous with everything yellow, orange and green and that means green grass and a nice bright sun shining over it!

Here are some inspirations to help you though this gluttonous week.

Ruth from the Pink Whisk shows us how to make beautiful little chocolate eggs. Her step-by-step instructions with matching pictures are just perfect!

Paul Hollywood was on the BBC yesterday and made some Portuguese inspired chocolate custard tarts.

and here is the recipe for the Maltese Figolli. Almond filled pastries that are a must in Malta!

I wish you all a peacful Easter, Pâques, Pascqua, Ghid!

The 'd' word

February has started so hopefully magazines and blogs will stop inundating us with the avalanche of health tips and diet plans! Not that I would refuse any healthy advice, but enough is enough!
2013 had a few diet plans proposed; the Ducan diet, 5 + 2 or the Paleo.
Fancy fasting for 2 days out of 7 or eating like humans did in Paleo times? Well that is exactly what these diets are. I have still to come up with my own opinion on these diets, mainly by sticking to them for a few days then seeing the results (or lack of them).

In the meantime, here are a few links you might want to refer to:

5:2 book review - www.london-unattached.com
5:2 fasting days recipe ideas - http://www.tinnedtomatoes.com/
www.lavenderandlovage.com
The Fast diet - http://thefastdiet.co.uk/



Paleo - http://thepaleodiet.com/

Barley Soup

Cold weather makes me want to snuggle up on the sofa with some of my books, biscuits and mug of tea or hot chocolate! Alas, over the past weeks this was not possible! The hot chocolate and biscuit part I mean. 

Winter makes us pile on the pounds so easily that you barely notice! Cold weather is conducive to eating as this makes us feel warmer!

Warming up however does not necessarily mean fatty food, so here is a low carb, low GI recipe.   Barley soup can be prepared ahead of time and heated in portions which is very handy for mid-week meals.

Barley is mostly produced for the agricultural industry but is also used for malting and is a key ingredient in beer and whiskey production. Barley has a fibrous inedible outer hull which needs to be removed before it can be eaten. Once this is removed, the grain still has its bran and germs, and hence is still considered a whole grain. Pearl barley or pearled barley is hulled barley which has been processed further to remove the bran.

Barley also has a low Glycemic Index (GI) which means that it has a low effect on the blood sugar levels after consumption. 

This is what you need to make enough soup for 4 portions.

2 medium onions,
2 medium carrots,
2 slices of bacon,
2 marrows,
1 chicken cube,
60g barley,
Hot water.

Cut the vegetables into cubes, preferably of the same size. Place the onion in a pot and cook it over low heat adding a tablespoon of water so that the onion does not stick to the pot. Once the onions start to cook, add bacon which also needs to be cut into cubes. Add another tablespoon or more of water if required.

Next add the carrots and marrows. Now add enough water to cover the vegetables. Add the stock cube and bring to the boil. Now add barley and mix until it the soup starts to return back to boiling. This will avoid your barley from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes and then turn the heat off.

Allow the soup to set for a further 30 minutes at least so that the barley may absorb the liquid.
Make sure that the barley you are using is not a quick-cook barley. If this is the case, keep an eye on the soup once the barley is added as it will be ready in 10-15 mins.

Breakfast Muffins

With the cold weather fast approaching I am trying to give my girls a warm breakfast before they head out for the day.  Last week it was nut filled rolls, the week before it was oregano flatbreads and this week it will be savoury muffins.

I must admit that the rolls and the flat bread were easy to warm up as I would toast them literally whilst they were putting on their shoes.

Still haven't decided whether I should toast the muffins, microwave them or leave them simply at room temperature.

Having 2 girls, I try and bake in even number so there are no arguments on who will be gobbling up the last one and I managed quite well with this batch as I made 16. Here is what you will need:


For the basic Muffin recipe 
250g Wholemeal flour
150g Plain flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 pinch of salt
100 ml sunflower seed oil
2 eggs
250 ml buttermilk*

Veggies

1 small tin of sweetcorn (rinsed and drained)

1 handful of shredded carrots

3 frozen squares of spinach leaves (defrosted)

1 teaspoon dried thyme

100g sunflower seeds or sesame seeds or poppy seeds

You can really choose any veggies that you fancy but these are usually readily available and hence my choice. No need for mixers!

Place your basic recipe ingredients together in a bowl. Stick to the above order and mix well, using a wooden spoon or a knife after every addition. Next add the vegetables. You can substitute any vegetables you wish. you may want to add chickpeas or beans instead of the sweetcorn. It is really up to you and what you fancy!

Once all the ingredients have been properly mixed through, you should have a soft, smooth mixture that just falls back down when scooped up. If this is what you have then carry on, if not you will need to check your ingredients.

Scoop the mixture into a 12 deep hole muffin tin, sprinkle your seeds on top and bake at 170C for about 15minutes.

*Buttermilk is a sour milk-like dairy product. If you cannot find it then dilute natural yoghurt with enough milk to turn it into a drink. It should have the consistency of runny cream.

Chistmas Cakes

Ok, so for some Summer is still up and running, for others it's been tucked away and neatly folded for another couple of months!

September is always the right time to start thinking about Christmas; Christmas meals, holidays, presents and of course the baking.  For those of you who have been following The Great British Bake Off, i'm sure you are already geared up with what to bake and how to present it, for the others who need a nudge or a little inspiration, here are some ideas from Ruth, #GBBO contestant from the 1st series ThePinkWhisk

And of course, here is the link to my Christmas section on this blog.

Enjoy your cinnamon scents and smells.....
Concita!