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Written by Tony Carson

Category: Recipes

Created: 28 May 2023

• Sides
• Lactose Free
• Gluten Free

Sue often makes Marie Rose sauce when we make hand pressed Burgers. But we’re overrun with fresh Dill which really likes our little balcony greenhouse. So here’s a way to give your Burgers a bit of an East European style.

Ingredient:-

Fresh Dill, chopped
The Juice of ½ a Lemon
Freshly ground Black Pepper
Mayonnaise

Method:-

(1) Mix all the ingredients.
(2) Spread on the buns.
(3) assemble your Burger.

This was actually a Breakfast Burger with everything you might want in a good Breakfast stuffed in a bun!

Details

Written by Tony Carson

Category: Recipes

Created: 24 May 2023

• Takes a bit of time
• Lactose Free
• Gluten Free
• Portuguese
• Milk Free

We always work better if we have a theme to play with. So we thought we’d have a pop at a few Portuguese recipes. So far - So good!

Ingredients:-

Pastry:-

475ml of Almond Milk
4 Tbsp of Olive Oil Based Margarine
1 Tsp of Salt
275g of Gluten Free Plain Flour

Filling:-

2 Tbsp of Olive Oil Based Margarine
1 Onion, diced
240ml of Almond Milk
1 Tbsp of chopped Coriander
2 Tsp of Chilli Sauce
Salt & White Pepper to season
¼ Tsp of Nutmeg
2 Tbsp of Cornflour with 2 Tbsp of Water
300g of Cooked Prawns, chopped

Coating:-

2 Eggs, beaten
Gluten free Bread Crumbs

Method:-

(1) On a medium heat add the Milk, Margarine and Salt.
(2) Bring to a gentle simmer and add the Flour.
(3) Reduce the heat it a simmer and stir until you form a dough.
(4) Remove and turn out onto a Floured surface.
(5) Gently kneed and then divide into two balls.
(6) Cover with a bowl and allow to rest at room temperature for a hour.
(7) Over a medium heat the Margarine cook the Onions until softened.
(8) Add the Milk and allow to simmer.
(9) Remove from the heat and add the Coriander, Chilli Sauce, Salt & Pepper and Nutmeg.
(10) In a bowl mix the Cornflour and Water.
(11) Add to the sauce and over a low heat stir until the sauce thickens.
(12) Add the cooked Prawns and cook for a further minute.
(13) Remove from the heat and set aside.
(14) Roll out the pastry and use a bowl to cut circles.
(15) Fill each with the filling and seal with Egg Wash.
(16) Dip in Egg Wash and dredge in Breadcrumbs.
(17) Fry at 170c until golden brown and drain over kitchen paper before serving.

Using Gluten free Flour these were a bit of a pain to fry to be honest. Next time we’ll add Xanthan Gum perhaps? But the flavour of the filling was outstanding. 

Details

Written by Tony Carson

Category: Recipes

Created: 20 May 2023

• Takes a bit of time
• Lacto Fermented

We’re running out of Preserved Lemons. Oh no!

There’s an easy fix. Make some more. There is some interesting Biochemistry  here but I’m guessing not many folk are interest in that. In simple terms Lactobacillus Bacteria are the only thing on the earth which can tolerate this level of Salt. They work by digesting Sugars / Carbohydrates and converting them into Lactic Acid and Carbon Dioxide.

Ingredients:-

Lemons
Salt and more Salt!
A Kilner type Jar

Method:-

(1) Top and tail your Lemons. Please ensure that they are un-waxed. Waxed Lemons will work, but as we don’t know what wax was used it might not be very good for you.
(2) Chop the Lemons into 8ths. Don’t worry about the pips.
(3) You want about 1/3 weight of Salt compared to the Lemons. Add this to the jar.
(4) Give it all a good shake and clip the lid down.
(5) Pop in a cupboard for 4 months and once do it will outlive you and still be good!

The end produce looks dreadful but if you’ve eating in a Mediterranean restaurant you’ve almost certainty eat Preserved Lemons. The Acidity and Saltiness add a real punch to all sorts of dishes.

Interesting the smell at the coast is caused by Lactobacillus Bacteria digesting stranded Seaweed and releasing Dimethyl Sulphide as a bi-product.

Details

Written by Tony Carson

Category: Recipes

Created: 05 May 2023

• Takes a bit of time
• Lamb Mince
• Gluten Free

Traditionally this should have been Mutton Mince, but that’s really not something I come across often in the local supermarkets....

Pastry Ingredients:-

100g of Lard
300ml of Boiling Water
1 Tsp of Salt
25g of Potato Flour
50g of Cornflour
375g of Gluten free Plain Flour
1 Egg, beaten to glaze

Filling Ingredients:-

300g of Lamb Mince
1 Onion, diced
1 Tsp of Mixed Herbs
½ Tsp of Mace
Salt & Pepper to season
Lamb Stock
Oil to fry

Method:-

(1) Add the Lard and Salt to the Boiling Water and stir until it has dissolved.
(2) In a large bowl mix the Flours.
(3) Make a well in the middle and add the liquid.
(4) Mix to produce a smooth dough.
(5) Allow to cool so it can be handled, but not cold.
(6) Divide into ball and keep enough aside to form the lids.
(7) Press into Pie tins and pull up the sides.
(8) Form the lids and then put both casings and lids in the fridge.
(9) In a frying pan add a little Oil and fry the Onion until softened.
(10) Add the Mixed Herbs and Mace.
(11) Add the Lamb Mince and fry until browned.
(12) Add Stock making sure that the mixture isn’t too wet.
(13) Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
(14) Remove the casing and lids from the fridge.
(15) Fill the casings making sure not to over fill.
(16) Add the lids and use a little water to seal the joins.
(17) Make a hole in the middle of each lid and brush with Egg Wash.
(18) Place in a preheated oven at 180c and back for 30 to 40 minutes.

When I was at the butchers I made hundreds of pies a week. We did have a hand operated Pie Former though! Hot water pastry can be a bit interesting the first time you have a go at it. But it’s all good fun…...