FoodieChat

These boiled circles of bread have been on my “to do” list for a number of years – I have a VERY long to do list by the way, which is why it’s taken me this long to do it.  But having seen Alice do it on Masterchef, I thought hey maybe today’s the day.  I have to admit… i didn’t start off well – the bread mix I had was 7 months past its use by date, and the yeast was 3 YEARS past (LOL – shows how often I make bread ).  But you might know that once you’re committed, you’re committed, and I thought too bad it’ll have to do.  I tested the yeast to see if it activated (frothed) in the warm sugar water mix – it did – so I took that as the go ahead.

I used this recipe:  http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1088/bagels-for-brunch

As I didn’t obey the instructions fully where it said to not use ALL the flour, I did – and as a result, the dough was quite dry.  I thought – great… this ain’t going to work, and I was pessimisstic the whole time.  Nevertheless, I kept kneading for the full ten minutes – great upper body workout – and the dough gradually became softer and more malleable – but still not soft like bread dough should be.  I attributed this to the fact that I’ve never made bagels before, and also to the fact that I didn’t follow the instructions and used old yeast.  Well, put it in a warm spot to rise – it didn’t rise much, and at the punch down stage, it was still very solid

Still wasn’t looking good, but hey , this far down, might as well continue.  I had fun making the hole  - spinning it around a wooden spoon – and let it rise a bit more – which it sort of did.  The moment of truth came when it came time to boil the bagels. I always wondered how on earth that worked – they kinda just floated to the top and still felt hard.

Drained, sprinkled with sesame and poppy seed, they went into the oven.

Not really caring, I went back to check – WOW!!!  They WORKED!! I was ssooooo amazed that they grew!!!!  I tapped the bottom – hollow – awesome!!!!

The moment of truth – I cut it in half and the texture was also akin to the ones I’ve had in the shops. SO happy

And yes, they tasted amazing too. Will definitely become part of my repertoire!!  Give it a go guys!  I cut them in half and froze them and I can confirm they’re still good toasted

So it seems really easy and also mess free. I decided to give it a go. So easy – create a “bag” by taking a huge piece of foil, and a sheet of the same sized baking paper. Put the baking paper on the top and fold it in half. Fold the edges on two sides in very very tightly and you’ve got your bag! Then I took a piece of salmon, seasoned it and layered some slices of lemon on top. Place it carefully in the bag; along with a few sprigs of parsley and a few springs of dill. Now – very carefully pour in some white wine and a drizzle of olive oil, and now even more carefully, close up the bag with more folds. Place in the oven on a tray – at 220 degrees and bake for 20 minutes, depending on how cooked you like it. It’ll puff up in the oven.

When it’s ready, put the whole parcel on the plate and very carefully, using scissors, snip open the bag and take in the aromas, and the most AMAZING melt in your mouth fish ever.

You can serve it at the table for dramatic effect, or lift it out of the bag carefully and preserve every last drop of that precious yummy sauce! Chuck on some more freshly chopped parsley to serve.

I seriously can’t emphasise just how easy it was to make this dish. And the best bit is that if you’re careful, the only thing you’ll need to wash is your plate!  It’s certainly something you can incorporate into your weeknight dinner repertoire – or dare I say – a weeknight dinner PARTY repertoire?

The other day I had a temporary lapse of good judgement and poured tap water into a glass pyrex dish that had a roast in it cooking at 230 degrees. Wham! Explosion of glass shards covered in pig fat . Well apart from wasting a 2kg roast and having to clean up the mess, at least no glass went in legs. Hence I still craved pork. But 20minutes before guests arrive and no meat, quick dash to the nearest woollies and bought some pork scotch fillet. Here’s a great way to marinate them before grilling : press 2 – 3 cloves garlic in a garlic press to mince; add a generous tablespoon of harrissa, a few finely chopped thyme leaves, and fresh oregano, olive oil, sea salt and pepper. The aroma of the fresh herbs is amazing as it permeates the sweet pork. This quantity was for 4 large chops.  Here I served it Rockpool Bar and Grill style: with nothing else on the plate hahaha.

This recipe is from my friend Jo. It’s also something that can be prepared the night before for lunch. Take 1 cup of cooked spiralli pasta (I use wholemeal as it’s lower GI), a few halved cherry tomatoes, some sliced capsicum, and a few rocket leaves, and make a dressing of 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and 1.5 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil.  Season to taste, and add a can of drained tuna in olive oil.  If you’re taking it to work, dress everything except the rocket, and place the rocket on the top of your lunchbox, and keep the tuna separate.  Low GI, high protein lunch – easy!