No Knead Bread

In 2006, Mark Bittman wrote an article in the New York Times about Jim Lahey of Sullivan Street Bakery's No Knead Bread recipe. This article sparked a bread making revolution in America. My mother's eagle eye spotted the article and cut it out for me. She sent it off to me in London saying, "You must try this recipe, it is magic!" Try it I did, and yes, it is magic. So, now I say to you, dear reader: "You must try this recipe, it is magic!" Imagine, anyone of any level of bread making experience can make the most beautiful loaf of bread in your home kitchen! And you don't need to be nervous about your kneading skills.

We have photographed the whole process for you to help illustrate how easy this recipe is. The most important thing is to realise it will take 18 - 24 hours to ferment, so plan to make your loaf a day in advance.

Mark Bittman reveals the No Knead Bread

Jim Lahey's No Knead Bread

I like to make my bread with some wholemeal flour to give it a bit more fiber. My recipe has slightly different weights and measurements to Jim Lahey's original recipe. In the UK, bread is best made with strong flour which has a higher gluten content. In America, I favour King Arthur Flour, which is a great all-purpose flour. You could also combine the flour measurements and use their White Whole Wheat product.

180 g / 1 Cup (strong) whole-wheat or wholemeal flour
310 g / 2 Cups (strong) white flour or All-Purpose flour like King Arthur's
1/2 tsp yeast
1 3/4 tsp table salt
345 ml / 12 oz water

Place all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Whisk them together so they are thoroughly mixed.

 Add the room temperature tap water to the dry ingredients.

The dough will come together into a rough and slightly sticky batter with a quick stir. Cover with cling film and allow to ferment for 12 - 18 hours (even up to 24 hours).

 The dough will become quite loose and wet after 18 hours.

Turn your oven onto 225C/450F and place a covered casserole dish into the oven to heat for 30 minutes. (Others have used covered Pyrex dishes, ceramic dishes with lids or Aluminium casseroles. The most important element is that it has a cover.)

Turn your dough out onto a liberally floured tea towel.

 Very gently shape the dough into a round loaf and allow to rest while the pot heats in the oven. Do not knead it! You've made a lovely structure and kneading will ruin it.

Gently place the dough into the VERY HOT lidded casserole dish. Some people put a bit of cornmeal or bran on the bottom of the pot to prevent sticking, but I haven't found this is necessary. Put the lid on and place it back in the oven.

 Bake for 30 minutes at 225C/450F with the lid on. After 30 minutes, it will look like this.

 Remove the lid and bake for a further 15 minutes at the same temperature. It will look like this.

Allow the loaf to cool for an hour before cutting into it. This will be the biggest challenge of the entire recipe. 

Once you've made this recipe you can start to make lots of variations. Try onion, cheese and rosemary or cranberry and pecan. Simply add those ingredients at the beginning of the process. What variations would you make?

Roast Buffalo Cauliflower Salad

My friend Stephanie says I can't follow a recipe, EVER. There is some truth in that. Despite having over 100 (150?) cookbooks, I rarely open them to follow a recipe. This may be a perfect example of how I'll take an idea and run with it. 

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Buffalo Chicken Wings, they were first served at The Anchor Bar in Buffalo, NY in 1964. The wings were fried, tossed in a buttery hot pepper sauce and served with a blue cheese dressing and celery sticks. Buffalo wings are now a favourite bar snack and a popular dish to serve when watching America Football. This makes a great vegetarian alternative to Buffalo Chicken Wings.

Roasted Buffalo Cauliflower Salad
1 head cauliflower
2 T olive oil
1 - 2 T hot sauce
salt

Handful of each of the following:
rocket/arugula
crumbled blue cheese (Maytag in the USA or Roquefort in Europe)
2 stalks of celery, sliced diagonally
toast pecans
olive oil
red wine vinegar

Pour the olive oil and hot sauce into the bottom of a large bowl. Separate the cauliflower into small florets and drop into the bowl. Toss it around to distribute the olive oil and hot sauce. Drop it onto a shallow roasting tray and sprinkle with salt. Roast for 20 minutes at 200C/400F until the edges get toasty brown. This may take a bit shorter or longer depending on how hot your oven runs. Take it out of the oven and let it cool.

Build you salad in a wide bowl or platter with a layer of rocket/arugula on the bottom, followed by the roast cauliflower. Tuck slices of celery around the platter and crumble some blue cheese on top. Drop a few pecans over the salad. To dress it, I recommend drizzling some nice olive oil across the top and give it a splash of red wine vinegar. Don't toss it, just serve it as you have constructed it. 

Let me know what you think of my new vegetarian twist on a Buffalo classic.

Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

In the height of this flu and cold season, nothing makes me feel better than a bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup. In fact, I can crave it acutely. And when London turns snowy and wintery, I positively must have it. If you are like me, may I suggest you put some of the extra stock in the freezer for one of those days you are feeling low and just need that quick fix of "feel better soup".

This recipe is based on the one my Grandmother taught me when I was a child. You can read about it in my post entitled, "Grammy Wyckoff's Chicken Noodle Soup". If you don't have the time to make homemade egg noodles, find some nice sturdy noodles with a bit of bite. Even the pickiest of my children slurp this soup right up. Serve it with a bit of my No Knead Bread.

Chicken Stock
If you are using a left over roast chicken, pick the meat off and reserve. Otherwise, place a whole Organic or Free Range Chicken in a large stock pot.

1 large onions, quartered
2 cloves garlic, slightly crushed
2 carrots, quartered
2 celery stalks, cut in thirds
1 leek, cut in large chunks
1 lemon cut in half and given a bit of a squeeze
1 heaped tablespoon of Marigold buillon powder or Knorr stockpot tub
1 bayleaf
Any fresh herbs you might have: parsley, sage, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf
(Potato water if you made mash with your roast)

From a Roast Chicken: Pick the all visible meat off of the chicken carcass and put in the refrigerator for later. In the largest stock pot you have, put in the vegetables listed above, the ones from the bottom of the roasting pan, any fat and bones, burnt bits, etc. (Trust me, this makes the richest stock and will be strained later.) Cover the whole thing with water and cook covered at a low simmer for about an hour. (This could also be done in a large Crockpot.) 

From a Fresh Chicken: Add all of the ingredients and bring to a light simmer for 1 1/2 hours. If the temperature gets too high the chicken will get tough. After 1 1/2 hours pull at the drum stick. If it comes away easily,  remove the the whole chicken from the pot and set aside to cool. The chicken should be firm and the leg start to fall off. Reduce the stock further to intensify the flavor. You'll be able to make lots of additional dishes with the poached chicken.

Let the pot cool. Place a large bowl in the sink and line it with a large colander. Scoop all of the bones and vegetables into the colander and let it drain. Discard these items, they have done their job! Now pour the remaining items into the colander strain out the remaining bits and pieces. Finally, refrigerate this stock with some cling film over the top. Once it has really cooled down a layer of fat with float to the surface. Lay a paper towel on top and the fat will adhere to the towel. Throw it away. The stock can be frozen in portions for later use or saved for noodle soup. Tip: Pour some stock into those ice bags before putting it in the freezer. You can add them to sauces for quick flavour.

(For a more Asian flavour, add a knob of ginger, lemongrass and lime leaves.)


Noodle Soup
1 medium onion, diced
2 carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 leek, sliced
1 T olive oil
2 liters/1 quart of chicken stock
1 1/2 cup diced cooked chicken
1 1/2 cups uncooked thick egg noodles (recipe follows)

In a medium sized pan, saute the vegetables in the olive oil. Add a portion of the chicken stock. Simmer the vegetables until they become soft. Turn up the heat to a light boil. Add the chicken and egg noodles. Cook until the noodles are tender, but not too soft. (If you don't have the time or inclination to make noodles, try cut up pasta, rice, wild rice or barley.) Adjust salt and pepper to taste. 


Egg Noodles
I use a classic pasta recipe for these. You can double the recipe if you want to make extra noodles for another day. When my grandmother made them, she would drape the noodles over a broom handle as they dried. I've cut mine a bit shorter to appeal to my children. 

100 grams (scant cup) 00 Pasta flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 medium egg
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp water

Combine the ingredients into a food processor. 

1) In a food processor, add all of the ingredients and blend until the dough resembles a rough wet sand. If you pinch it, it should come together. (This can also be done by hand by making a well in the centre of the flour and incorporating all of the ingredients, but it won't have the look of sand.)

2) Bring the dough together into a ball and let rest with cling film for 5 minutes. 

3) Roll the dough out on a lightly floured board. I like my noodles a bit thicker, but the will swell when they are cooked. 

4) Cut the noodles vertically and then horizontally. 

5) Toss the noodles with a bit more flour to prevent them from sticking together as they dry.

Let me know how you like it. With the rest of the chicken, I made a Chicken, Leek and Mushroom pie, as well as some risotto. That has kept us for almost a week of meals. What would you make with the leftover broth and chicken?

Slow Roast Lamb followed by Lentil Stew

Lamb and Lentil Stew

From days gone by, home cooks have made roast dinners which would materialise into a variety of dishes throughout the following week. My grandparents made a brilliant lentil soup that was usually on offer for the grandchildren around noon, as we could rarely make it to the usual 2:00 pm Sunday dinner hour. Dadou's recipe was very close to a Claudia Roden recipe found in her cookbook, A Book of Middle Eastern Food, and he used the left over bone from the previous lamb roast. That soup was a real favourite of my childhood. Now, as an adult with more sophisticated tastes, I have made a slightly more elaborate version. A vegetarian version could easily be adapted by eliminating the left over lamb and beef broth.

Fork Tender Slow Roast Lamb

15 minutes to prep, 3 1/2 - 4 hours to cook
Serves 4, plus leftovers for the stew 
(Doubles easily)

1/2 C white wine + 1/2 cup water
1 heaped Tbsp tomato puree (paste)

1 onion, sliced in wedges

2 lb/1 k boneless lamb shoulder (but any size is fine)

3 cloves garlic, left in their skins

3 sprigs of thyme
drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar over the lamb

Salt and Pepper 

To serve:

parsley

pomegranate seeds

1 to 1 1/2 cup course bulgar wheat and 1 tsp salt

Combine the white wine, water and tomato puree in the bottom of casserole dish. Add the onion wedges, thyme sprigs and unrolled the boneless leg of lamb into the dish. Nestle the garlic cloves around the lamb and liberally season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the top with aged balsamic vinegar. Cover the dish and put in a 150 C/300 F oven for 1 1/2 hours. Check the lamb at this point and add more water and wine if needed. It should be starting to get tender, but still firmly together. Reduce the oven to 100 C/200 F for an additional 2 - 2 1/2 hours. At this point you can keep it warm until you are ready to serve it. It will be ready when in gently falls apart when you prod it with a fork. 

About 30 minutes before serving make the bulgar wheat. Place 1 to 1 1/2 cups of coarse bulgar wheat into a large glass bowl. Using the same cup or mug, add twice the amount of boiling water to wheat in the bowl with 1 teaspoon of salt. Cover with a plate and set aside. After about 10 minutes, pull a fork through the bulgar to fluff it up. At this point you can check to see if it is ready. If it is still a bit crunchy add a bit more boiling water. If it is fully saturated, but there is too much water, drain the excess out. Check the seasoning.

To serve: Put the roast on a cutting board and remove all of the fat. Gently pull apart the lamb and put in a serving dish. Top the lamb with pomegranate seeds and chopped parsley and serve with bulgar wheat. Reserve all of the juice, onions and garlic in a large measuring cup for tomorrow's lentil soup. Cover with cling film and place in the refrigerator. A layer of fat will solidify on the top overnight. Also keep back a 1/2 cup of bulgar for the soup. (In a pinch you can add dried bulgar to the soup.)

Lentil and Lamb Stew

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 large onion, diced

2 carrots, diced

2 celery stocks, diced

1 cup green or brown lentils

shredded leftover lamb

Beef or Vegetable Knorr Stock Pot

2 - 3 cups water

Left over from the roast:

juices from the pan

whole garlic, squeezed out of their skin

Additions to serve:

handful of baby spinach

1/2 cup leftover bulgar wheat 

plain yogurt

harissa paste

fresh lemon juice

In a soup pot saute the onion, carrot and celery in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Meanwhile, skim the fat off the leftover pan drippings from the roast and squeeze the garlic cloves from their skin. Once the vegetables start to soften, add the pan juices, Stock pot/cube, lentils and leftover shredded lamb. (If your lamb is very soft, you could wait until the end of cooking to add the meat.) Cook on a slow heat for about an hour, or until the lentils are soft. Before serving, add the cooked bulgar wheat, baby spinach and a squeeze of lemon to taste. Garnish each bowl with a spoon full of plain yogurt and a few dollops of harissa paste. (If you have access to fresh harissa paste, it makes all the difference.)

For my veggie and vegan friends, leave out the lamb (obviously) and use vegetable stock. To make the stew more complex, add finely chopped porcini mushrooms and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

Claudia Roden wrote our family cookbook

Mediteranniean and Middle Eastern cooking is more popular now than ever. I was lucky enough to grow up in a family that knew about if first hand. We were eating yogurt, hummus and babaganoush back in the 1960s. My grandfather, Michael Abdou, came to America in 1925 from Palestine. Because men didn't learn to cook in that culture, my grandfather had to teach himself how to recreate the food of his youth. This food wasn't something he could easily pick up at his local market in Boston, Massachusetts when he first arrived (can you image life without the vast array of hummus now found in every supermarket?). 

Dadou and Mimi (Abdou)

Dadou, as we affectionately called him, discovered Claudia Roden's, A Book of Middle Eastern Food early on. First published in 1972, it became our family cookbook. I received my first copy in 1980, carefully covered with a milar cover, when I went off to university. Along with The Joy of Cooking, that book has been my trusty companion throughout my many homes and would be on my Desert Island cookbook shelf. 

One of the special things about living in London is that every now and then I catch an interview or television series with Claudia Roden. I always feel like I am visiting with family when I see her. Despite growing up Jewish in Egypt, her cooking is culturally the closest to the Palestinian cooking of my grandfather's youth (or is it that was his favourite cookbook!). For an more modern version of this delicious dinner, read my blog post Slow Roast Lamb followed by Lentil Stew. It is really yummy.

If you would like to learn more about Claudia Roden, you might enjoy this article from the Observer Food Magazine: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/mar/18/claudia-roden-spanish-food-interview#

Or see my Desert Island Book List: Desert Island Book List

What would be on your Desert Island Book List?

Turkish Towels

I bought and received a number of wonderful presents this Christmas. I purchase most of my gifts from www.Etsy.com this year. It was a wonderful way to find unique presents and not have to trawl the High Street looking in the same 10 stores found everywhere. Even better was the fact that the sellers on Etsy posted the items directly to their recipients. 

My favorite gift I purchased this year was a set of Turkish Towels from Orientina. I liked them so much I purchased them for my mother, in-laws and husband. I've included a link to Orientina's shop with their huge selection and a photo of my favourite towel.

Orientina shop on www.Etsy.com

The package was beautifully presented and came in good time. These towels wash beautifully and are wonderfully absorbant (line dry only, don't put it in the dryer). I think they will be great to take on holiday as a towel or beach sarong. If you order one, let them know you saw it on my blog.

Worthy Bran Muffins

Saturday morning: no bread, the bananas are brown and the milk is off. Don't panic, help is on the way. This is my go-to recipe.

My mother makes an art of reading the New York Times. With a pair of scissors in hand, she cuts out articles and recipes to try at a later date. She has discovered some real gems over the years. One such recipe was originally entitled Fruited Bran Muffins. I have made them for so long my recipe has evolved into something completely different over the years. Remarkably, my somewhat picky children even love them.

Worthy Bran Muffins

1 cup All-Bran Original cereal (buds not flakes)
1 cup milk
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 large eggs

2 mashed overripe bananas

1/2 cup raisins or chopped apricots

1 grated carrot

1 1/2 cups wholewheat flour (white all-purpose if you are feeling less worthy)
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup sunflower/pumpkin seeds

Preheat oven to 400 F / 200 C (Fan 180C)

Stir milk with All-Bran cereal in a large bowl and let sit while you assemble the other ingredients. Add in oil, eggs, mashed bananas, grated carrots and raisins/apricots, giving everything a little toss with a fork. Add in the remaining ingredients and mix lightly with a fork until just combined.

Divide between 12 muffin cases (I like using silicone cases because the muffins slide right out). Top with more sunflower/pumpkin seeds.

Bake for 25-30 minutes. Let cool slightly before cracking them open and adding butter. Also great once cooled with a bit of cream cheese. These freeze well and are perfect for children's lunch boxes.

Variations: grate 1 zucchini/courgette, but squeeze out any extra liquid before adding it to the batter. Sour milk or 3/4 cup of plain yogurt can also be used as a substitute for milk.

Le Chateau de Monfreville, Normandy

One of our favourite holidays every year is when we go to Le Chateau de Monfreville in Isigny-sur-Mer, Normandy. We discovered this lovely gem when the children were quite young. In fact, the first year we went, we loved it so much we went back again that same summer. 

When we started going to Monfreville it was owned by June Lewis, an avid gardener and welcoming hostess. As years went on, she has passed the ownership and running of the property to her daughter and son-in-law, Zoe and Paul, along with their children Molly and Jake. They have continued to share their warm hospitality with us and made lots of improvements along the way. The Chateau now has camping in the back field and cozy roulottes for those who love Enid Blyton. (Note: some of these photos were taken over the years, so there maybe slight changes to the property and Paul and Zoe work their magic!)

For more information about availability and rates, click on the link below which will bring you to their website. Tell them Michele sent you!


Chateau Monfreville, Normandy France

Chateau Monfreville

At night

A view from the tower looking towards Pond Cottage

The front of the Chateau

One of the roulottes

Cozy and inviting

Fresh eggs in the shop

Some of the free range animals