Cheese Pinwheel Scones

From Commonsense Vegetarian, Murdoch Books, 2011.

There were a few ends of cheeses in the refrigerator so this recipe looked like a good way to use some of them up.

Firstly the scone dough was made. In a bowl I placed 250g flour, a tablespoon baking soda, a good pinch of cayenne pepper. I didn’t sift, though I should have; I just did a tossing type of stir. I then rubbed in 30g cubed butter to make fine breadcrumbs. Milk (180ml) was poured in and mixed until a dough was formed.

As soon as the dough was formed it was rolled out to make a rectangle of about 20 x 25cm. Onto this went a mixture of cheeses: 40g each of crumbled feta, grated parmesan and grated cheddar. Beginning from the longer side this was rolled up into a sausage shape and pressed together tightly. It was now cut into slices about 2cm wide.

An oven tray was prepared with baking paper and the slices placed on it about 2cm apart. This went into a 220ºC oven for about 12 minutes when the scones were golden. They were taken out and, while they were still warm, served.

These were wonderfully savoury and the scone dough had become a little crisp on the outside but remained light on the inside. The next day the remaining scones required a quick burst in the microwave to bring them back a little to their first-baked stage.

Taste: ✔✔✔

Ease of cooking: ✔✔✔

Tunisian Carrot Salad

From Gourmet Vegetarian, Jane Price, Murdoch Books, 2007.

I always enjoy meals with the flavours of the Middle East.

I peeled and sliced three carrots and put them in a pot of salted water to bring them to the boil and cook them until they were just done. They were drained.

Meanwhile a dressing was made of a garlic clove crushed in a mortar and pestle with a little salt, a little ground cumin and a few grindings of black pepper. This paste was mixed with a ¼ teaspoon harissa, a touch of red wine vinegar and some olive oil. After tasting to see that it worked well it was poured over the carrots.

About a tablespoon of chopped parsley was added together with 6 black kalamata olives. At serving time a boiled egg was sliced into quarters and added to the dish.

A pleasing salad.

Taste: ✔✔✔

Ease of cooking: ✔✔✔✔ 

Spiced Potatoes

I'm always keen to try new potato recipes. This appealed because it used a spice I was not familiar with:  fenugreek.

Potatoes were cut into bit-sized pieces and steamed until just tender. They were then left to cook and dry off somewhat.

A tablespoon of ghee was melted in a small saucepan and to this was added a teaspoon ground fenugreek, a pinch of saffron, 1/2 crushed garlic clove, 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger, 1 tablespoon black mustard seeds and a little salt. These were stirred for about a minute until fragrant. The spice mixture was poured over the potatoes and they were gently tossed until well coated. They went into a baking dish and into a 180ºC oven for about an hour when they came out nicely golden.

At soon as they come out of the oven a good handful of baby spinach leaves was tossed in the potatoes.

For me, potatoes are always wonderful to eat. These were nicely spiced and had an oddly meaty flavour.

Taste: ✔✔✔
East of cooking: ✔✔✔

Chervil Pancakes with Aubergine Caviar and Pomegranate

From Vegetarian, Alice Hart, Murdoch Books, 2011.

The chervil in the backyard garden was growing well so it was time to use some up.

Firstly I needed to make the aubergine caviar. A garlic clove was mashed in a mortar and pestle with some salt. A teaspoon of cumin seeds was added and this was crushed in to make a paste. An eggplant (aubergine) was sliced in half lengthwise. The garlic mash was spread on both of the cut sides and they were then pressed together. The eggplant was wrapped in foil and placed in a 200ºC oven for an hour, after which it was taken out and left to cool.

When the eggplant had cooled the flesh was scraped out with a spoon and placed in a saucepan with a little olive oil. It was simmered for about 5 minutes then left to cool. Now a teaspoon of pomegranate molasses, a tablespoon of yoghurt and salt and pepper were stirred in. This was the caviar ready.

The pancakes were made by beating together 225g self-raising flour and a teaspoon of baking powder with 2 beaten eggs, 250ml buttermilk and a tablespoon of chopped chervil. When the mixture was smooth it was cooked on a griddle about a heaped teaspoon at a time. The pancakes were flipped over as soon as bubbles appeared to cook the other side.

To serve a teaspoon of the caviar was placed on each pancake with another teaspoon of pomegranate seed mixed with a little yoghurt. Some more pomegranate seeds were added on top with a sprig of chervil.

These made an appealing appetiser and proved to be suitably tasty.

Taste: ✔✔✔

Ease of cooking: ✔✔✔ 

Sandwich Soufflé

From Mrs Harvey’s Sister-in-Law and Other Tasty Dishes, Margaret Dunn, Murdoch Books, 2007.

Just the name of this was enough to make me curious enough to make it.

I decided to make it in individual casseroles. For each casserole (I was making two) I cut three slices of bread into rounds to fit. I now buttered one round of bread and placed it in the casserole with some slices of cheddar cheese on top. I did the same with two more rounds of bread ending with the cheese on top.

I scalded about 400ml of milk and when it had cooled beat in one egg, ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard and a little salt. This was carefully poured into the casseroles until they were full. They were now left for an hour for the liquid to be fully absorbed by the bread.

They were cooked in a 180ºC oven for half an hour at which time they had risen wonderfully and turned brown and crisp on top. I thought that they would not sink like normal soufflés so did not hurry to serve them. I was wrong they did sink a little but it made no difference. 

They were a cheap and very tasty dish. I’d make them again.

Taste: ✔✔✔

Ease of cooking: ✔✔✔