Author Archive for Lucina

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An experiment with sourdough (part 4)

Published by Lucina, on 24 aprile 2013 in bread and English Recipes. 1 Comment

the sourdough experiment rocks on!

Dear readers, I bet you are all waiting with bated breath for the latest sourdough instalment. After all it’s exactly ten days (EEEKK!) since I embarked on this crazy experiment. SOOOOO…..Is it still alive? I hear you ask. Am I still nurturing it? Or have I thrown it in desperation down the toilet? Well….I am glad to report that all is well with Tomik. It (he?) is definitely a happy, contented little sourdough now that I have given him some rye flour to eat and started storing it in the much warmer airing cupboard (my kitchen was too cold). This morning I had proof that it is very much alive and behaving like a good, little sourdough should as, once I fed it, it doubled in size. OH YEAH! And in less than an hour! Continue reading ‘An experiment with sourdough (part 4)’

Pea and fennel soup

Published by Lucina, on 22 aprile 2013 in English Recipes and Soup. 3 Comments

pea and fennel soup

This recipe is for all the soup fans out there. As you know I like a good soup and I often experiment with them. It couldn’t be simpler and quicker. Let’s face it, you don’t need any sophisticated culinary skills to achieve a decent one. However, although easy to produce not all soups are equal. Some are a cut above the rest and the combination of vegetables used works particularly well, like in the case of this pea and fennel soup I invented last night, for example. Ok, I’ll come clean : I  had a fennel in the fridge which was beginning to look a bit sad and had to be used pronto and I had just bought a bag of frozen peas in the supermarket. Continue reading ‘Pea and fennel soup’

An experiment with sourdough (part 3)

Published by Lucina, on 19 aprile 2013 in bread and English Recipes. 2 Comments

Welcome back! I honestly thought I would have to announce the demise of my sourdough today and blog it as a misdemeanour (misfatto) but no! The sourdough is still alive and kicking (see photo)! By the way: I read that ,apparently, there is a tradition amongst sourdough hardcore makers to name their sourdough. That’s right! Just like what you would do with a pet. Bizarre,eh? So in line with this tradition I have decided to call mine after the little cat I brought back from Hungary. So Tomik it is! Anyway, let’s rewind a bit and I’ll tell you exactly why I thought Tomik had met his maker (Ha ha…ok, the metaphor doesn’t quite work in this case, but you know what I mean). The reason was that after the first feeding took place (part 2 of the experiment) I noticed that shortly afterwards all bubbles had disappeared and the mixture had gone flat and separated into a top layer of acetone smelling liquid and a bottom layer of oily, gungy looking dough! What on earth was THAT??? Continue reading ‘An experiment with sourdough (part 3)’

An experiment with sourdough (part 2)

Published by Lucina, on 17 aprile 2013 in Chiacchiere/Chatting. 3 Comments

 

sourdough (part 2)

 

Well readers…. it’s Wednesday and here I am as promised to update you on the sourdough experiment. As you can see from the vile brownish colour and bubbles on the surface of the dough it would seem the mixture is active allright! In fact perhaps too active! And by the way the dark top layer is what should happen. As for the smell: I can’t convey it in writing but I can tell you it ain’t all that pleasant! Again this is perfectly within the norm, hence the name “sour”. So far the experiment would seem to have worked. Anyway, for the records: after the initial three days you are supposed to give it its first feed. This process is called “refreshing”. To do this discard half of the mixture and add another 100 gr. of strong white flour and 100 ml. of water . I actually added a little bit less water as the dough was very watery  (I hope this is normal and it doesn’t mean it has gone bad already!). Now I have to wait another 24 hours and then, IN THEORY, I could make my first bread loaf….I’ll keep you paged…well, blogged.

An experiment with sourdough (part 1)

Published by Lucina, on 14 aprile 2013 in bread and English Recipes. 12 Comments

sourdough ingredients

Hello everyone,  making sourdough is something I’ve never tried before and I want to share with you my step by step experiment at attempting to produce my very first batch. Forget the English saying that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. In my book you are most definitely never too old to try new things (see this blog)!!! Of course, like all experiments, there is no guarantee this is going to succeed. In fact it may very well turn into a disaster, but what the hell! Nothing ventured, nothing gained.  As you know I’m into bread making at the moment. Sourdough bread is something I often buy at my local artesan bakery. It has a taste and texture which sets it apart from “normal”, or should I say traditional, bread. When I recently went to my bread making course I asked about it and discovered some very interesting things. Continue reading ‘An experiment with sourdough (part 1)’

Dutch apple cake

Published by Lucina, on 5 aprile 2013 in cakes and English Recipes. 7 Comments

dutch apple cake

Stefi, this is for you! I have been promising to put this recipe on line for ages but kept on blogging other things instead. Sorry! Anyway, here it is at long last! I don’t know why I haven’t thought of blogging this before as I’ve made it many times in the past and always with excellent results. Definitely one to be shared, then!  One of the things I LOVED about Amsterdam when I went there was……no! Not the Van Gogh’s paintings but indeed the apple cakes I had the pleasure of eating in its various cafes. Amongst the best I have ever had! Apple cakes are one of my favourites, particularly if they have a high content of fruit in them, like in this case. What I also like about this recipe is its streuseul and nutty topping. Crunchy and delicious! When I got back from Holland I tried to recreate the best one I had eaten over there by getting inspiration from different recipes found on line. There are so many versions out there! By the way this cake is great eaten warm accompanied by some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Or both. Throroughly indulgent! Continue reading ‘Dutch apple cake’

Hot cross buns

Published by Lucina, on 31 marzo 2013 in bread, cakes and English Recipes. 4 Comments

hot cross buns

I went on my second bread making course yesterday (the first one was back in November. See here) courtesy of my husband, who gave it to me as a Christmas present. (The clever man that he is! Although I suspect a bit of self interest here :-)) This time the level was advanced -I’ll have you know- and one of the things we made was hot cross buns. These are spiced sweet buns, made with dried fruit , which are traditionally eaten at Easter time here in England (hence the cross over the top, referring to the death of Jesus). They are finished off with a nice sweet, sticky glaze. You find them in all supermarkets at this time of the year but of course the home made ones are by far superior. And contain none of the rubbish (such as colourings, preservatives, etc.) of the bought variety. Continue reading ‘Hot cross buns’

Beetroot, sweet potato and carrot soup

Published by Lucina, on 10 marzo 2013 in English Recipes and Soup. 6 Comments Tags: , .

beetroot, sweet potato and carrot soup

Oh yes! No cakes today for you, my friends! I have a lovely, healthy recipe instead: beetroot soup!!  As mentioned before I LOVE soups and often make them, particularly in winter. (And let’s be honest: we are still there aren’t we? Today there must have been one degree! Complete with a flurry of snow. :-() They are sooooooooooooooo easy! People who buy them ready made should be shot. You basically throw any vegetables you have in a pot together with a potato and an onion (which are key ingredients) , boil them up in some vegetable stock and when they are soft you liquidize the lot. Hey presto! You have soup! What could be easier?  I know Candi is not a big fan of soups…or at least the people in her life. But what a quick and easy way to eat your five a day vegetables, don’t you think? This one has a fantastic colour, as you can see from the picture: a real dark velvety red. I made it using red/orange vegetables (beetroot, carrots and sweet potato- which is orange here!). Quick and delicious. P.S. Today is Mother’s day here in the UK. So happy Mother’s day to all the mums who read this blog! Let’s face it: it’s one of the hardest jobs!!!! Continue reading ‘Beetroot, sweet potato and carrot soup’

Walnut and honey soda bread

Published by Lucina, on 24 febbraio 2013 in bread and English Recipes. 6 Comments

walnut and honey soda bread

This is  a variation on the classic Irish soda bread I have already  blogged.  It’s really quick and easy to make. Great if you are in a hurry. The good thing about it, as mentioned before, is that it doesn’t require any proving time : you mix all the ingredients, bang it in the oven and voilà! Half an hour later you have bread! This particular variation on the theme is rather unusual because it’s sweet and savoury at the same time. It’s ideal to have for breakfast with jam or with some strong cheese (gorgonzola, stilton, roquefort, etc.). We indeed had it as an accompaniment to  ploughman lunch (which is basically cheese served with bread, chutney, salad and sometimes apple and celery).  This recipe is from Hugh Fearnley- Whittingstall. Continue reading ‘Walnut and honey soda bread’

The legendary Italian “chiacchiere”

Published by Lucina, on 15 febbraio 2013 in cakes and English Recipes. 5 Comments

chiacchiere

I have been wanting to make these chiacchiere for a long LOOOOONG time. In fact ever since I moved to England all those years ago. Well,  I finally succeeded! These fried sweets are traditionally eaten in Italy during the Carnevale season (that’s to say the period just before Lent). My mother always made them without fail when I was a child so for me it has been a  trip to memory lane. Ok, technically I shouldn’t have made them as Lent started two days ago, so I’m way out of time. Still, I reckon making these chiacchiere two days too late is not going to speed my descent into hell by too much. And anyway there is always confession, I guess..:-) Continue reading ‘The legendary Italian “chiacchiere”’