WELSH CAKES

Welsh Cakes

We had Welsh Cakes in a hotel near Stoke-on-rent last year and, ever since, Juno has been mentioning them. She was craving them at the weekend so we decided to make them. I adapted the recipe to gluten free from a BBC Good Food one.

They turned out great and are so quick and easy. They are like mildly spiced, pan-fried, fruit scones. Serve warm with butter and jam, or just butter.

WELSH CAKES

Ingredients

225g plain flour

85g caster sugar

½ tsp mixed spice

½ tsp baking powder

100g butter, cut into small pieces, plus extra for frying

50g currants/raisins

1 egg, beaten

splash milk

Method

• Mix the flour, sugar, mixed spice, baking powder and a pinch of salt in a bowl.
• Then, with your fingers, rub in the butter until crumbly.
• Mix in the currants/raisins.
• Work the egg into the mixture until you have soft dough, adding a splash of milk if it seems dry – it should be the same consistency as shortcrust pastry.
• Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface to the thickness of your little finger.
• Cut out rounds using a 6cm cutter, re-rolling any trimmings.
• Grease a pan and put over a medium heat.
• Cook the Welsh Cakes in batches, for about 3 mins each side, until golden brown, crisp and cooked through.

OATY BREAKFAST BUNS - GF, LOW FODMAP

Oaty breakfast bun with pecan

I follow a low fodmap diet because I have fibromyalgia so eating out is tricky, but eating at home is manageable. I did The Happy Pear's Happy Gut online cookery course last year and got some great new low fodmap recipes from it. This is one of my favourites.

I normally make these with blueberries but substituted grated carrot today for a change. I eat one for breakfast with an Alpro Coconut 'yogurt' and a sprinkle of mixed seeds.

INGREDIENTS

1 TBLSP GROUND FLAX SEED

3 TBLSP WATER

90G PORRIDGE OATS

70G GROUND ALMONDS

½ TSP BAKING POWDER

½ TSP BREAD SODA

75 ML VEG OIL

75 ML MAPLE SYRUP

1 TSP VANILLA ESSENCE

100G RASPS OR BLUEBERRIES or 1 GRATED CARROT

PECANS FOR DECORATION (OPTIONAL)

METHOD

·         Pre heat oven to 180c

·         Line a bun tray (makes 9 small or 6 large)

·         Make up the flax egg with the water

·         Grate the carrot finely (if using)

·         Mix the dry ingredients together

·         Mix in the wet ingredients

·         Mix in the berries or carrots

·         Plop mixture into bun cases

·         Decorate with pecans (or flaked almonds)

·         Bake for 20 to 25 minutes

SPICED CHICKPEA STEW

SPICED CHICKPEA STEW AKA #THESTEW

As a chickpea fanatic, I had to make the famous NYT stew (trending as #thestew) minus some of the faffy bits, and I thought I'd share the simplified recipe. I served it with naan bread and it was filling and delicious.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

¼ cup olive oil, plus more for serving

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1 (2-inch) piece ginger, finely chopped

Salt and black pepper

1½ teaspoons ground turmeric, plus more for serving

1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more for serving - I used chilli flakes

2 tins chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 tins full-fat coconut milk

2 cups vegetable or chicken stock

1 bunch kale, stems removed, torn into bite-size pieces - I used scallions and a chopped yellow pepper, as that's what I had

 Yogurt, for serving (optional)

 Toasted pita or naan for serving (optional)

PREPARATION

·         Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic, onion and ginger. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally until onion is translucent, 3 to 5 minutes.

·         Add turmeric, red-pepper or chilli flakes, and the chickpeas, and season with salt and pepper

·         Stir frequently, so the chickpeas sizzle until they break down and get a little browned and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes

·         Using a wooden spoon, crush the remaining chickpeas slightly to release their starchy insides.

·         Add coconut milk and stock, and season with salt and pepper.

·         Simmer for 30 to 35 minutes.

·         Add greens and stir. Soften, 3 to 7 minutes. Serve!

Gluten Free and Vegan Fruity Soda Bread

Saint Patrick's Day is looming, and we're all more or less on house arrest due to Covid-19, so naturally my thoughts turn to bread, specifically Irish bread, and my mother's baking. So I end up having to make what we called Curranty Bread, in my Dublin home.

I poked around various books and sites, but made up this recipe in the end, and it turned out lovely - great crust and a lovely texture to the bread itself. Slather with butter, vegan or otherwise, for proper yumminess.

Ingredients

400g plain gluten free flour

1 tsp bread soda

half tsp xanthan gum

A pinch of salt

3 tsp caster sugar

Buttermilk made by mixing 325ml almond milk + 2tsps lemon juice

150g sultanas

Method

1. Preheat oven to 190˚C.
2. Lightly grease & lightly flour a 2lb loaf tin.
3. In a large bowl, sieve the plain flour, bread soda, xanthan gum and salt. Stir.
4. Add in the sugar and mix through.
5. Pour in the buttermilk and combine until dough is sticky.
6. Plop and scrape the dough into the loaf tin, smooth the top and cut a deep cross into it.
7. Bake for about 1 hour or until the bread sounds hollow when you tap the bottom.
8. Remove from the oven and cool down on a rack.

SMALL VEGAN CHRISTMAS CAKE

Small vegan Xmas cake

Fruit and sugar soaking in rum

Only himself and myself eat Christmas Cake, so I no longer make the lovely large one I used to make. This one does instead; it's a souped-up version of my Rum Brack. A non-vegan version can be made of course - substitutes in receipe.

Oven-ready

RECIPE

150ml tea
50ml dark rum or brandy
225g mixed luxury dried fruit
75g glacé cherries, halved
75g pitted dates, halved
75g brown sugar
1 tsp of NoEgg made up as per pack OR 1 beaten egg
60g melted vegan marg
125g wholegrain spelt flour
125g self raising rice flour
1tsp bread soda
1 tsp mixed spice

METHOD

- Soak the fruit, sugar, rum/whiskey and tea in a bowl - leave until cold
- Preheat the oven to 180C
- Grease and line the bottom of an 8" round tin (I used a 2lb loaf tin, this time)
- Add the melted marg to the fruit mix. Stir through.
- Add the beaten egg. Stir through.
- Sieve flour, then fold in the flour, bread soda and spice
- Scrape/pour mixture into the lined tin
- Bake for 55 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean
- Cool in the tin for 10 mins then turn onto a wire rack.
- Peel off paper when cool
- Wrap cake in greaseproof and store in a tin
- Prick cake with a cocktail stick and feed with a more rum/brandy once a week (if the cake lasts that long!)
- We're not marzipan or icing fans but vegan versions of both are available :)

Nollaig shona! Hapy Christmas!

RUM HALLOWE'EN BRACK

High days and holy days, it seems, are the only times I drop by here. Despite the fact I bake EVERY Tuesday for The Great British Bake Off. Too much to do, too little time, my friends. Anyway, the new twist on my brack is rum. And it's yum! It came about because the heroine of my next novel, Becoming Belle (out Aug. 2018) eats rum cake with her father and I wanted to make it for Christmas. Hallowe'en seemed as good a time as any to try it.

I'm reducing wheat at the mo due to that stomach thing I picked up in China last year, so I've used a mixture of rice and spelt flour, but you can use any flour.

A bench, by night, on the grounds of Belle's Galway home,
Garbally Park, Ballinasloe

IRISH HALLOWE'EN BARMBRACK

RECIPE

150ml tea
50ml dark rum
225g mixed dried fruit
75g brown sugar
1 beaten egg
60g melted marg
125g wholegrain spelt flour
125g self raising rice flour
1tsp bread soda
1 tsp mixed spice

METHOD

- Soak the fruit, sugar, rum and tea in a bowl - leave until cold
- Preheat the oven to 180C
- Grease and line the bottom of an 8" round tin (I used a 2lb loaf tin, this time)
- Add the melted marg to the fruit mix. Stir through.
- Add the beaten egg. Stir through.
- Sieve then fold in the flour, bread soda and spice
- Pour into the lined tin (insert wrapped coin or ring at this point, if using)
- Bake for 55 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean
- Cool in the tin for 10 mins then turn onto a wire rack.

Eat plain or buttered with a cup of tea. Delish!

PEANUT BUTTER AND CHOC CHIP BUNS

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!!

I only had one egg left when I went to make buns today, so I had to find a recipe that needed just one egg. I flicked through my books and found a Snickers and Peanut Butter Mufffins recipe in Nigella's Domestic Goddess. I don't keep Snickers bars about my person, but I always have dark choc chips to hand for baking, hence the change. I also halved Nigella's recipe, to make buns rather than muffins, but it only yielded nine buns. Anyway! Here we go:

I used my Orla Kiely bowl for the day that's in it

Peanut butter & choc chip buns

INGREDIENTS

125g plain flour

3 tablespoons caster sugar

3/4 tablespoon baking powder

pinch of salt

3 tablespoons peanut butter

30g butter, melted

1 egg, beaten

90ml milk

50g dark choc chips

METHOD

·         Preheat oven to 200˚C

·         Line a 12-space bun tin (my mix made 9 buns)

·         Throw all the dry ingredients into a bowl, mix

·         Add the peanut butter and mix until you have a breadcrumby texture

·         Add the melted butter and egg to the milk and stir gently into the bowl

·         Mix in the chocolate chips

·         Plop the mixture into the bun cases using two spoons

·         Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, until golden on top and firm to the (light) touch

·         Cool on a wire rack