My 7 Pepper Chili , 5 yr old cheddar & a couple of jacket potatoes :)

 My 7 Pepper Chili , 5 yr old cheddar & a couple of jacket potatoes :)

 

Jalapeno, Garlic & Onion Quick Pickle

My whole life I avoided pickles... but slowly over the past year , i have been warming up to 

them , never store bought , and to date just mushrooms and hot peppers were all I was 

able to manage .. so I decided to try making my own .. turns out it was mostly the dill I 

couldn't handle , and something in the commercial spiced ones :)  

This is my second attempt at pickles ... 

Ingredients 

8 to 10 Jalapenos 

1 Large White Onion  

4 Cloves of Garlic 

1 TBS Sea Salt 

2 TBS Honey ( I used local, unpasteurized )

1 cup water 

1/2 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup cider vinegar 

2 Sterilized Mason Jars 500ml 

Step 1:  Get all your ingredients out ,  slice the jalapeno ( I left seeds in ) , onion and garlic 

Step Two : Bring Water/ Vinegar/ Salt & Honey to boil in stainless pot , add the chopped goodies .. bring back to a boil, remove from heat

Step Three : Hot Pack into sterilized jars , seal and place in the fridge for at least a couple days, a couple weeks is better :)

Step Four :  Enjoy!!!  

So simple, so GOOD!!   Over the summer I will continue my experiments ..  different combinations & textures .. and also a shelf safe version .  Stay tuned !!

Peace, Love and Happy Pickles !!  

Rich 

Cleaning out the crisper, 8 egg Beef n Veggie Frittata :)

I love Frittatas :) They can range from simple two or three ingredients .. to a massive clean out the fridge version , like this one I'm about to show you .  

Ingredients :) 

8 Eggs , preferable free range ( Feeds about 6 ) 
1 red pepper 
1 jalapeno 
1 large onion 
1 handful cremini mushrooms 
2 green thai chili peppers 
3 cloves of garlic 
1 handful grated mozzarella 
1 handful grated 5 yr old cheddar ( or use your favourite )  
1 crown of broccoli 
1 tomato
1 handful of asparagus 
1 knob of butter 
1 left over home burger or 8 oz of ground beef ( or leave it out for a veggie version )  

 Red & Jalapeno & Thai Peppers, cremini mushrooms , butter onion & garlic , for now :) 

After a couple minutes , add the hamburger to the pan 

When the veggies are halfway cooked , add in the rest of them asparagus , broccoli , tomato ( make sure they are all chopped to bite size :)  and a sprinkle of the cheeses on top for good measure .  

I used a large measuring cups to lightly whisk the 8 eggs together with a good pinch of the cheeses ..   pour over the entire pan , trying to keep it relatively even .  

About half way up the veggies is what I aim for :) 

Add the rest of the cheeses , and a few cracks of black pepper , give it a minute of the pan , then into a preheated 350F oven 

 After Twenty minutes or so ... it should be set .... 

  and slide right out of the pan :)   

Slice, serve and enjoy !   We had this with a nice Caesar salad :)  

That's it , Simple Good Food !   Took just over 30 minutes from start to finish , and can be served as a meal on it own ... or enjoyed with salads, chips , toast ... just about anything really !  Enjoy

Peace , Love and Happy Eating 

Homemade Oven Baked Naan Bread

Lately Ive been trying to expand my bread making skills, this week I tried two new ones for me ... Hamburger Buns ... and one of my all time favourites , Naan Bread .

Ingredient List :

2 Cups Unbleached AP flour 

1 Cup Bran AP Flour 

1 TSB Sea Salt 

1 TSB Garlic Chips ( or fresh , whichever you have on hand )  

1/2 TSB Baking Soda

In a Sauce Pan :

1/4 cup melted butter 

1/4 cup warm milk ( not boiling ! ) 

1/4 cup yogurt ( I used 3% organic ) 

In a bowl :

2 1/4 TSB Dry Active Yeast ( or One pouch )
2 TBS Warm Water 

1 TSB Sugar

Extras : 

2 TBS Butter , melted - For brushing Naan after
1 TSB Sea Salt - For brushing Naan after

1/3 Cup Water -  

1/4 Cup flour - 

2 TBS Oil - I used EVOO 

Step One : 

Put warm water in a small bowl, add sugar and yeast and stir until dissolved. Leave for about 10 minutes , should be frothy 

Step Two : 

In a Sauce pan gently warm yogurt , milk and butter ...  Once warm , add to bowl with flour , baking soda, salt and garlic chips ...  use your mixer , or hands ... and knead for 6 - 10 minutes :) Mix until the dough leaves the sides of the bowl then knead for 6 - 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.  You may need to add a little water or flour , I ended up adding a 1/2 cup of warm water , and 1/4 cup of flour ...   I think 1/3 cup would have been perfect.  

Step Three :

Place dough into a lightly oiled bowl , turn to coat the dough ball . cover with a clean , damp cloth , and leave to rise for about 4 hours or until doubled in volume . 

Step Four : 

Preheat oven to 520 degrees F   or your oven's highest setting and set a rack in the lower third of the oven, place a pizza stone on the rack to preheat also. 

Step Five :

Knock the dough down and knead briefly. Then Divide into six pieces, roll them into balls. returm them to the oiled bowl and cover with lightly plastic wrap. Rest them for 10 to 15 minutes. Next, roll out and stretch each ball until it is about 10 inches long and 4 inches wide.

Step Six : 

Gotta be fast for this step ...   I left the pizza stone in the oven and just slid the rack out a little,  I managed to fit two loaves onto the stone ,   4 minutes on the first side, and then 2 to 3 more on the other, and that is it !   Remove from the oven , I used my bbq flipper ... worked perfect !  Repeat until all your dough has been cooked .  Took me less than 30 minutes to make the six loaves.

Step Seven :

On a clean tea towel , lay out the hot naan bread, and brush with melted butter and salt , wrap in the towel,  and served immediately , or cool and refrigerate.  They should last for up to a week...  but its highly unlikely they will be around that long .   

Step 2

My Scribbles ! 

Step 3

Step 5

Step 6

Step 7

Mmmm Naan Bread ! 

If your dough hangs off the stone , it will get crispy :) 

All done :)  Time to eat ! 

I enjoyed this one while still warm from baking !  

Mmmm it made for an amazing pizza ! 

I promised myself I would make this well over a year ago , Im so happy to say , that it was quick, easy and VERY tasty and it will become one of my regulars :)

I hope you enjoy

Peace, Love and Good Food
Rich  

Homemade Crusty Bread

Okay ....   Enough already , Ill write the recipe !!  hahahaha I must have had 20 requests for this bread recipe :)   So here it is :)  

I must add this has become my favourite bread of all time ...   nothing Ive made or had can beat the crunchy crust with the chewy soft interior , and as a bonus its a very flexible recipe , can be made with or without a blender with equal success.

This post outlines , my first attempt at making this , almost a year ago now ...  since then I have made well over 50 loaves , using a wide variety of flours and flavours :)

Ingredients for a double batch :)

12 Cups of Flour , can be a variety of combinations for this one it was 10 cups AP, 2 cups 12 Whole Grains  , if using Whole Wheat I use 8 AP , 4 WW
2 Teaspoons Dry Yeast
7 Teaspoons Sea Salt
6 Cups Warm Water

The rest is optional ...  for this batch I used

4 Cloves of garlic, Minced
1 Large pinch of dried basil
2 dutch onions , minced

Mix all the dry ingredients first 

Stir in water

I did this batch by hand , using two wooden spatulas , took about 5 minutes ...   A stand mixer will do the same, in about the same time ...  should be a sticky mess

Cover with plastic wrap , and leave on counter for 18 - 24 hours 

Should at least double in size over night  - At this point you will want to put your dutch ovens into a oven , preheat t 450F ( about 20 minutes or so )  

On a well floured surface , divide into whatever sized loaves you like ..  this will require a bit of effort ...  you do not want them sticky ..  

Drop the dough into the HOT dutch ovens ...  no oil required, just a hot pot!  

Cover and into the 450F oven for 30 minutes...   Just for fun I tried one in a silicone bread pan , with tin foil as a lid , remove the lids after 30 minutes , and continue cooking for another 15 minutes 

After 45 minutes ... you will have something like this !!!  Mmmmmm

This is my 6.5 Q dutch oven, makes a really nice big oval bread !  

The silicone pan worked out just fine 

Thats it ... let them cool on a rack , as long as you can , and then grab some butter and dig in ! 

Nice bonus, if done right ...  no clean up!!  Just a quick wipe of the pot!  

I hope you try this out, and come to love it as much as I do ...

Peace, Love and Good Food!