Chloe's Birthday & Cardamom//Orange//Almond Cake

As the summer was arriving in Copenhagen, my friend Chloe had a birthday! She chose five ingredients and invited her guests, our friends. I cooked a meal including those five and we celebrated.

There was:

Rum - because she doesn’t like vodka

Yoghurt

Almonds - “No, actually all kinds of nuts please!”

Aubergine 

Cardamom

And so we had:

A Ginger Rum Punch. Lemony, gingery, summery goodness. Spectacular!

Labneh with olives, pistachios and oregano – Ottolenghi

A very simple salad – tomatoes, olive oil and sea salt

Fresh bread from Meyer’s bakery, Copenhagen – thank you Bertie

Artichoke tapenade

Buffalo mozzarella with chilli, olive oil and sea salt

Aubergine with herbs - Ottolenghi

Mejadra - Ottolenghi

Orange, Almond and Cardamom Cake served with greek yoghurt and love.

As you can see, much inspiration came from my new cookbook Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi, which celebrates the world of vegetables like nothing else! Many of these recipes (and more) can be found online in his column The New Vegetarian in The Guardian.

This dinner was for Chloe who is fantastic and for our friends who are excellent and especially good at celebrating.  And really, if I could cook for these girls every week I would … T O O   M U C H   F U N ! 

And here is the recipe for that cake ...

Cardamom//Orange//Almond Cake

Adapted from Ottolenghi's recipe for Clementine and Almond Syrup Cake. 

Serves 8 - 10

200 g butter

380 g caster sugar

grated zest and juice of 4 oranges

grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

280 g ground almonds

5 medium free-range eggs, beaten


100 g plain flour sifted


2 teaspoons of ground cardamom (or more if you like!)

Chocolate Icing (optional):

90 g butter, diced


150 g milk chocolate, broken up
- use dark chocolate if you prefer

¾ tablespoons honey


long trips of orange zest to garnish


Preheat the oven to 160ºC. Lightly grease a 24cm spring form tin and line the sides and base with baking paper.

Place the butter, 300g of sugar (leave 80g for the syrup!), citrus zest and ground cardamom in a mixing bowl and beat to combine everything well. Do not work the mix too much or incorporate much air. Add half the amount of ground almonds and fold through. Add the eggs gradually, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl a couple of time as you go. Add the remaining ground almonds, flour and salt and work them until the mix is completely smooth.

Spread the cake batter inside the cake tin and level it out. Place the cake in the oven and bake it for 50-60 minutes. Check that it’s ready by inserting a skewer inside. It should come out a little bit moist.

When the cake is almost cooked through boil together in a small saucepan the remaining sugar and the citrus juices (the juices should add up to approximately 120ml). When the syrup comes to the boil remove from the heat. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven brush it with the syrup, making sure all the syrup is soaked through.

Leave the cake to cool down completely. You can then serve it as it is, garnished with orange strips, or store for up to three days in an air-tight container.

For the Chocolate Icing:

Put the butter, chocolate and honey in a heat proof bowl and place over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until all is melted, remove at once from the heat and cool a little. Pour the icing over the cool cake, allowing it to dribble down the sides without covering the cake completely. Let the icing set and then garnish with strips of orange zest.

Spicy Red Lentil Soup

Spicy Red Lentil Soup

This soup is significant. I found it on a page torn out of a magazine on Dad’s kitchen bench when I was sixteen. I was young and since then the recipe has undergone a fortune of change. What once started out as a red lentil broth flavoured with fried chorizo has transformed into a soup filled with spinach, chilli and fresh herbs.

That old magazine cut out is long gone but I know this recipe by heart now. And, like all good ‘by heart’ recipes do, it a varies a little every time I make it. Use whatever you have, add different spices or vegetables – I think if you have good stock and a base of onions, garlic and olive oil you can’t really go wrong.

This soup is quick, hearty and you probably have everything you need to make it in your cupboard right now.

Serves around 4.

            2 onions, roughly chopped

            2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

            1 teaspoon of chilli flakes (or more if you like it hot)

1 cup red lentils, rinsed and picked over

            2 cans of chopped tomatoes

            2 cups of good quality stock  (you may need more so be prepared!)

            as many handfuls of baby spinach as you like

            salt and pepper to season

toppings:

            #1

fresh chilli, sliced

            basil, chopped

            parmesan, shaved

           

#2

fresh coriander and mint, chopped

spoonful of yoghurt

#3

if you do want chorizo, fry it separately and add it on top

and always …

lots of freshly ground black pepper and sea salt

olive oil

Start by gently frying the onions until translucent. Add the garlic, chilli flakes and a good pinch of salt and fry for another few minutes. When that all smells lovely add the lentils, tomatoes and stock in no particular order. Bring to the boil and simmer on a low heat for around 15 minutes until the lentils are soft but haven’t completely lost their shape. While this works well as a thick soup remember you always have the option of adding more stock if it needs loosening up. Taste for seasoning – does it need salt, pepper, sugar, more chilli?

When you are ready to eat, add (lots of) spinach to the soup and heat until just wilted. Serve into bowls; add your preferred topping and enjoy! 

Little Baby Lemon Polenta Cakes

A couple of years ago, while on a film date with some girlfriends, my friend Lydia whipped these little cakes out of her bag and handed them around. I was astonished. They had an interesting texture, tasted fantastic and were gluten free.

She had found the recipe in a copy of delicious. that I had left at her place. The article featured recipes from Rachel Grisewood’s cookbook Manna From Heaven: Cooking for the People You Love. I had skipped over this recipe – I didn’t have the right tray and gluten free stuff always seemed a bit fussy to me. However, it is not – these are easy, delicious and, in my opinion, the perfect size.

Thanks Lyds, here’s to wholesome little treats!

Little Baby Lemon Polenta Cakes

Makes around 24, depending on the size of your mini muffin tray.

225 g butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing

225 g caster sugar

3 eggs, lightly beaten

110 g ground almonds

110 g shredded coconut

110 g fine polenta

finely grated zest of 2 lemons

2 ½ tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (optional)

Icing:

225 g icing (confectioners’) sugar, sieved

2 – 3 teaspoons lemon juice

finely grated zest of 1 lemon (optional)

Set the oven to 150°C.  Grease and line 24 cups in a mini muffin tray. I line mine with baking paper rather than use mini muffin cups but either will do.

Cream the butter and sugar for 2 minutes, or until lump free – it doesn’t need to be light and fluffy. Slowly beat in the eggs, then fold in the ground almonds, coconut, polenta, lemon zest, lemon juice, baking powder and vanilla.

Spoon the mixture into the cups. Bake for 20 – 30  minutes, or until the cakes are golden and just pulling away from the sides of their cups. Cool in the tin.

For the Icing, mix the sugar, lemon juice and zest in a bowl until smooth. Spoon over the little cakes – the icing will dribble down the sides a little. Leave the icing to set before eating.

Variation: Large Lemon Polenta Cake

This same recipe also works if you want to make just one cake. Simply grease and line a 24 cm round cake tin and bake for 30-50 minutes, or until golden. As Grisewood notes, it is pretty firm so is perfect to use as a base for decorations – a great birthday cake.

Adapted from Manna From Heaven: Cooking for the People You Love.

Banana Bread, Cookbooks & Kaylie

On December 31^st 2009, my friend Kaylie and I decided we would begin our New Years Eve celebrations in a relaxed way. It was the afternoon and still over 30 °C outside so we found ourselves walking into the local (and air conditioned) bookshop. Both food lovers, we scrawled our way through cookbook after cookbook. I made two wonderful purchases – Jamie Oliver’s Jamie's America and Sophie Dahl’s Miss Dahl’s Voluptuous Delights.

Kaylie is a good cook; she loves food and has exceptional taste. And she values the experience of dining, so it is always a pleasure eating with her.

With a glass of wine in hand, I remember settling into the kitchen, next to another skilled cook and feeling completely at ease. From Jamie’s book we made spicy cornbread and a roasted avocado corn chip salad. And, when we were done having a lovely time at home, we went off to have a lovely time with our other friends. It was an excellent warm up to 2010.

That summer I cooked almost every day, and it was the other book, Miss Dahl’s Voluptuous Delights that starred. Sophie Dahl, a former model and the granddaughter of Roald Dahl, says, "I am not an authority on anything much, but I do feel qualified to talk about eating. I’ve done a lot of it."  Separated by seasons, the recipes in this book are simple and delicious.

My recipe for banana bread is an adaptation of Miss Dahl's version. I halved the sugar, added more bananas and threw in some garam masala. These days I do try avoiding all-purpose white flour when baking, this works perfectly with rye or whole spelt flour as she suggests.

While I call this ‘bread,’ my Danish housemate Maria calls it ‘cake.’ I try to forget this every time I eat it for breakfast and dinner. Maybe we should call it a loaf? Banana Loaf … doesn’t really have the same ring to it does it Maria!?

Banana Bread

75 g butter, softened

1 egg

½ cup brown sugar

5 very ripe bananas (I mash 3 and roughly chop the other 2)

1 tablespoon garam masala OR ½ tablespoon ginger and ½ tablespoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon vanilla extract (optional)

1 ½ cups spelt or rye flour (you can use unbleached all-purpose instead)

1 pinch salt

1 teaspoon bi-carb soda, sifted

Preheat the oven to 180 C. Line a loaf tin with baking paper.

Mix the butter and sugar well. If you can’t be bothered working with soft butter, it is fine to use it melted. Beat in the egg, your preferred spices and the vanilla extract if using. Add the mashed bananas and mix well. Throw in the rest of the bananas, flour, salt, bi-carb soda and gently stir until combined.

Put into the tin and bake for 1 hour. Check that it is cooked with a knife; it may need 10 more minutes. You don’t want to overcook this. If the batter is a little underdone around the whole bananas it will firm up when cool.

Remove from the oven, let it cool in the tin for 5 minutes and then turn it onto a rack.  

I like my banana bread toasted with a lick of butter.

Carrot and Feta Muffins

I am an almost vegetarian. I love cooking with vegetables and, here in Copenhagen, buying meat is expensive so generally I just don’t. Sometime, earlier this year, I went on a search for different ways to use eggs, tofu, nuts and so on. This recipe is one of my best finds. And gives me another excuse to bake. These are really more like baby quiches than proper savoury muffins and as my housemate Maria says, “are made up of all good things.” We make a batch and they disappear!

This recipe is an adaption of an adaption. I found the recipe on Heidi Swanson’s blog 101 Cookbooks. Her recipe is adapted from Rose Elliot’s version, found in her cookbook Vegetarian Supercook.

The original recipe doesn’t call for any vegetables but I like using carrots. Zucchini (salted and drained), beetroot or finely chopped cooked cauliflower could also work. Heidi lists some great options in her recipe called Cottage Cheese Muffins.

You can easily grind your own almonds in a food processor – you want the consistency of flour so make sure to stop before it turns into almond butter. I always use a wholemeal spelt or rye flour however unbleached all-purpose flour would also work.

I like these best heated in the morning, when I am running out the door with no time for something proper. 

Carrot and Feta Muffins

Makes 12

1 cup plain cottage cheese

¼ cup flour

1 cup almonds, very finely ground

1 teaspoon baking powder

¾ cup grated carrot

¼ cup mint/basil/parsley, chopped

½ cup spring onions, chopped – save some for the topping

¼ cup water

4 eggs, lightly beaten

¾ cup feta, chopped or crumbled into chunks

pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper

topping: (optional)

½ cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated

3 tablespoons of extra spring onions

½ teaspoon of chilli flakes

splash of olive oil

Preheat oven to 200C degrees. Line a 12 cup muffin tray with baking paper that has been greased with a little olive oil. I always just add them one by one as I fill each cup with mixture, otherwise they don’t hold. I have tried these with muffin cup liners but they seem to stick.

Put the cottage cheese into a bowl with the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, grated carrot, mint, spring onions, water and eggs. Season and mix all together. Add the feta and mix again gently.

Spoon the mixture into the muffin cups until around ¾ full, scatter with the topping and bake for 30 - 40 minutes, or until, set, risen, and golden brown.

Serve hot or at room temperature.

Spinach//Tofu//Bærsymfoni Smoothie

I make this smoothie all the time. It is earthy, filling and fresh all at once. And, yeah, it is healthy but more importantly, it tastes wonderful. You don’t need a recipe to make a smoothie but I like the idea behind this one so I thought I would share.

It’s pretty simple really … spinach, tofu and berries all blended up. The original idea came via my Aunt Bronwen from New Zealand. Years ago, upon her instruction, Mum and I started adding tofu to our standard berry and banana breakfast smoothie. Back then, I was a proper vegetarian and it became a good way to ensure I was getting everything I needed.

The tofu acts a bit like yoghurt; it loosens things and ties it all together. You don’t notice it is there. A few months ago, I had added a handful of baby spinach. In a similar way to the tofu, it just disappeared into everything else. It is there, but someone else might not know it if you didn't tell them. If you are concerned about the spinach, add it a little at a time after everything else is blended. The longer this drink sits around the greener it gets. If you serve it straight away, it is a lovely dark purple colour. Personally, the thought of putting that much spinach into my body at the start of the day makes me a very happy girl!

There are many variations – for a creamier version add a banana, a little orange juice makes it tart and a dash of honey, agave or maple syrup will sweeten it. Just try as you go and add what you like.

Spinach//Tofu//Bærsymfoni Smoothie

Serves 2

2 cups frozen berries (any kind you like, a mixture is always good)

2 - 3 cups baby spinach packed tightly (use more or less depending on how green you like it)

150 g silken tofu (always use silken and you can really add as much as you want)

1 - 2 cups of natural yoghurt

Throw this all together and blend.

Spiced Nuts and Seeds

I make these, put them on the bench in my kitchen and watch them disappear! Try them on their own, with a glass of wine or sprinkled over a green salad.

How many nuts and seeds you use here is contingent on how big your frying pan is. You want to be able to throw the nuts around and you want them to toast evenly. I like this spice combination best but it is worth experimenting if you prefer other flavours. Garam masala, ground coriander, any good curry power and chili flakes would all work well. Different combinations of nuts and seeds should also be tried!

As a note, the sunflower seeds are much saltier than the almonds so make sure to grab a handful of it all when you taste for seasoning.

Spiced Nuts and Seeds

Makes 2 cups

1 cup almonds

1 cup sunflower seeds

1 big teaspoon paprika

1 big teaspoon cumin

1 - 2 teaspoons sea salt

1 big teaspoon garlic powder (I use the coarse version – it looks more like salt than flour)

1 – 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil

Dry fry the almonds in a pan on medium to high heat until they are just starting to colour, around 3 minutes. Add the sunflower seeds and watch carefully, it won’t take long for them to toast. When they start turning golden add the paprika, cumin and sea salt. Toss, add the olive oil followed by the garlic powder and toss again making sure to cover everything in the spices.

Take off the heat immediately and put into a bowl. When the nuts and seeds have cooled, check the seasoning – you may need more salt and a little freshly ground black pepper.