My Big Healthy Breakfast - Bubble 'n Squeak

Bubble and Squeak is a traditional British working-class dish - usually made from yesterday's left-overs: mashed potatoes and green vegetables. Food didn't get wasted - it would be re-imagined into the next meal. 
As Cooking Club happens one day a week, we have no left-overs....so our B&S has to be made fresh.
First, we washed, chopped and boiled potatoes. We left their skins on for extra vitamins and minerals.

Put into a large pan, cover with cold water, add a little salt and a few herbs and allow to boil until soft.

Meanwhile, finely chop onions (and a little garlic if you like).

Add to some olive oil to "sweat" in a large frying pan. "Sweating" means heating the onions on a low heat for a long time until they become shiney, see-through, soft and sweetly flavoured,(approx 10 mins)

At this point, still on a low heat, add the greens. We used spinach, but kale, cabbage,cavallo nero, chard are all options.

When the potatoes are soft, remove from the hob and strain away the water. 
Put them in a bowl and drizzle on olive oil (or butter), black pepper and salt to taste. We like to add some grated nutmeg as it goes well with the other flavours.
Mash well.

Add the mash into the frying pan with the onions and greens. Mix them up well together.

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Turn up the heat. keep turning and checking it isn't burning. The idea is to get the bubble and squeak brown and crunchy on each side. You will need to turn it regularly.

 

Thank you to Jeff Crownson for the photos.

PITTA BREAD PIZZA PARTY!!!!

Today we made quick and easy pizzas using pitta bread as a base. This is a very accessible way to begin making your own homemade versions. 
You can choose whatever toppings you fancy......Each member of cooking club designed their own bespoke topping selections.
(If you decide to use green leaves like spinach, basil  or rocket - just be sure to add them at the bottom layers otherwise they dry up in the oven.)

Photos by Jeff Crownson.

MY BIG HEALTHY BREAKFAST - IRISH SODA BREAD

Soda bread has become a staple of Cooking Club meals. It is very popular with our participants as it's scrumptious, cheap and incredibly quick and easy to make....... So much so that the group can turn out batches now without any help from the tutor.

It takes only 10 minutes to mix the dough and approx 30 minutes to bake in the oven. It has no preservatives or added sugars and can  last for a few days in a cool place.
Here's how.........

Ingredients: (1 loaf)

500g plain or self-raising flour
400ml milk/soya/almond/coconut/hemp milks
1 teaspoon  salt
1 teaspoon baking soda/bicarbonate of soda

Method:

*Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees C
*Grease a loaf or cake tin and line inside with greaseproof paper

*Measure out all the ingredients and sift the flour through a sieve.

*In a bowl, mix together the flour, salt and baking soda

*Slowly start adding the milk and stir together and then use clean hands to  the mixture into a ball of dough

*Place the ball of dough lightly in the grease-proofed cake tin and mark a cross on the top with a knife (this is the traditional Irish way of presenting the loaf)

*Bake in the oven for approx. 30 mins.
*You can test if it is ready by pushing a  knife into the centre of the loaf. If it comes out clean, the loaf is cooked through. If it has sticky residue then place the loaf back in the oven for more baking. (Test regularly.)

*Allow to cool for 10 minutes then cut the loaf into segments and serve warm with butter...

.......you can add extras to  the to flour give your loaf a variety of flavours: dried herbs, cinnamon and raisins, cheese, walnuts, sundried tomatoes,.........lovely with soups as well......

Thank you to Jeff Crownson for the photographs.

My Big Healthy Breakfast - Homemade Baked Beans

HOMEMADE BAKED BEANS.............

.............They're easy! tasty! healthy!

 PREP TIME:     5 mins

COOK TIME     35 mins

TOTAL TIME    40 mins

INGREDIENTS:

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic (crushed)

Half an onion (finely sliced)

¼ - ½ tsp(depending on taste) mild smoked paprika

300g passata

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 x 300g (195g ) tinned haricot beans (drained)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Heat oil in a sauce pan over a medium heat.

Add the garlic and onion. Allow to sizzle but be careful not to burn.

Reduce heat to low, add the smoked paprika and stir.

Add the passata and puree and then simmer for around 20 mins (until the sharp taste of tomato has gone and the sauce has thickened.)

Add the beans and simmer for a further 10 mins.

Cooking Club: My Big Healthy Breakfast - Braised Portobello Mushrooms

If you  want to make a healthy big breakfast and substitute the usual bacon and sausages with something vegetarian, try those huge Portobello mushrooms instead. 
They are now readily available in street markets and supermarkets. They are delicious, nutritious and have a "meaty" texture.
We braised ours in the oven in a baking tray and served one per person but for a really big breakfast you could have two! (They are not very calorific) :

Sprinkle mushrooms with seasoning.

Drizzle with olive oil and a little water to keep them moist in the oven.

You can add other ingredients such as chopped garlic, cheese, pesto.

bake in a pre-heated oven on 175 /gas mark 4 for 25 minutes or until the mushrooms are juicy and brown. You can save the liquid to make into a stock or sauce.

Thank you to Jeff Crownson for taking photos.

COOKING CLUB'S BIG BREAKFAST

After many  chats (usually whilst chopping the veg) about the importance of a healthy, hearty breakfast to all aspects of our well-being - the group decide to make a vegetarian version of the traditional "British/Irish" big breakfast. 
We substitute bacon/sausages with the large Portobello Mushrooms - braised whole in the oven for succulent, "savoury fleshiness".
Instead of chips or fried brownies, we will make a Bubble 'n Squeak to introduce greens such as spinach, kale or cabbage.
We will make our own baked beans so we can exclude sugar and excessive salt from the sauce and therefore include people with diabetes and high blood pressure.
The group were given the choice of having  scrambled or poached eggs instead of fried and they opted for scrambled......we usually serve meals to a lot of CoolTan users so scrambled eggs will go further.
Our regular favourite, soda bread was voted for. It's so quick and easy to make fresh and very delicious.
To add some vitamin C.....and keep calories down, we decide to make our own fresh orange and mint juice.  
We will be posting up recipe methods in pictorial form so they will be very clear to follow.

Coriander and Chickpea Burgers by Shelina Permalloo

 One of our participants is of Mauritian heritage. he is a big fan of Shelina Permalloo, winner of  "Master Chef" 2012. 
Her creations are often a combination of warm, smouldering spices and zingy, sweet fruit. 
We looked for one of her vegetarian recipes we could try in Cooking Club. Her chickpea and coriander burgers served with mango and chilli chutney is one  of the most delicious dishes  we have ever made. We made green leaf parcels similar to  the picture below.

You can easily access this, and more of Shelina's recipes at: shelinacooks.com

NEXT WEEK at Cooltan Arts Cooking Club.......

We will be celebrating St. Patricks Day with some traditional Irish fayre! Here is one  recipe we will be trying.......

TULSI TEA BARMBRACK LOAF

Ingredients

Makes: 1 large Irish tea loaf

350g dried fruit

220g Xylitol diabetic sugar

240ml cold Tulsi (Holy Basil) tea

1 egg, beaten

225g self-raising flour

Method

Prep:10min  ›  Cook:2hr  ›  Extra time:3hr  ›  Ready in:5hr10min

Put the fruit, sugar and tea into a bowl for 2 to 3 hours, until the fruit absorbs the tea and swells.

Preheat the oven to 170 C / Gas 3. Grease and line a 900g loaf tin.

To the fruit, add the egg and flour and mix well. Transfer to the prepared loaf tin and smooth the top.

Bake for 2 hours in the preheated oven or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool fully before slicing and serving.

Tip

This can be made into two smaller loaves, and one can then be frozen for later. Instead of one large tin, use two small tins, and bake for 1 hour instead of 2.

QUEEN OF HEART TARTS......Diabetic-friendly version.

Another recipe Cooking Club has adapted from  CoolTan Arts' "FOOD FOR MOOD"  cookbook. 
http://www.cooltanarts.org.uk/shop/product/food-for-mood-cookbook
This time for people with diabetes. We have used sugar-free, naturally sweetened fruit spread  obtainable from local health store G.Baldwin & Co.  
www.baldwins.co.uk

and fresh strawberries from East St. Market.

We used ready-made short-crust pastry from the supermarket but we will be learning to make our own later on in the term.

They had a much fresher taste than with traditional jam and enough natural sweetness that they appealed to all tastes and we were able to offer them round to all CoolTan users and staff .

ROSEMARY SHRAGER'S HOT FENNEL AND TOMATO  SOUP, SERVED WITH IRISH SODA BREAD.

We wanted to make a dish from CoolTan Arts own cookbook: "FOOD FOR MOOD". 
http://www.cooltanarts.org.uk/shop/product/food-for-mood-cookbook
One of our volunteers chose a recipe donated to the book by T.V chef Rosemary Shrager: Hot Fennel and Tomato  Soup. The recipe in "Food For Mood", is designed to feed 4 people but we were able to adapt all the amounts so we could make a large amount. We didn't use chicken stock as Cooking Club is strictly vegetarian but substituted with seasalt, black pepper and a tiny sprinkle of dried basil in the initial stages.
There are bowls of fresh tomatoes for a £1 in East St. Market (situated off Walworth Rd.- nice and close to CoolTan Arts) We wanted to "feed the village" so we bought 2 bowls.
Just down the road is the big Turkish supermarket which usually stocks fresh fennel bulbs all year round. We bought 2 large bulbs.
Some of our participants had never tasted fennel before and didn't know how it helps with digestion, has vitamin C to boost the immune system, fibre to keep bowels healthy and contains anethole - which has anti-inflammatory properties.
It has a very distinctive taste, rather like aniseed and is refreshing and cooling.
It blends well with the tomato in this recipe and is a good way to introduce a new flavour to rather conservative palates.
Even our most unadventurous member enjoyed the flavours - especially when combined with another batch of soda bread. (Back by popular demand after last weeks batch)

Rosemary Shragers' Hot Fennel and Tomato Soup:

(Serves 4)

2 tbsp olive oil

2 bulbs fennel

450g fresh ripe tomatoes

2 cloves garlic

275g V8 juice or tomato juice

grated rind of half a lemon

salt and pepper

half a tsp sugar

275g chicken stock

400g tin butterbeans, drained and rinsed

*Wash and chop the fennel, reserve the green feathery fronds.

*Heat the olive oil in a thick pan, add the fennel and cook over a gentle heat for 10 mins until soft but not browned.

*Meanwhile, peel the tomatoes, plunge them first for 1 minute in boiling water (to help the skins loosen) Roughly chop them.

*Crush the garlic into the fennel, stir round and cook for 1 minute, then add the chopped tomatoes, V8 juice, lemon rind, salt, pepper, sugar and stock. bring to the boil and simmer for 5 mins. Take off the heat and liquidise the soup.

*Return the soup to a clean pan and stir in the butterbeans. Chop finely the fennel fronds and sprinkle in.

*Bring to the boil, adjusting the seasoning to taste.

*Serve into bowls or a thermos flask and take it on a CoolTan Arts walk!

NEXT WEEK AT COOKING CLASS..........

We will be trying out another dish from CoolTan Art's own recipe book: "Food For Mood".
One of the group has suggested making Rosemary Shrager's Tomato and Fennel Soup.
Only two of our group have ever tasted fennel as a vegetable so it will be a new experience for many.
We will accompany it with some more baking (tbc) .......and perhaps a fresh green salad.

BAKING:
Today at CoolTan Arts Cooking Club we made truly delicious Irish Soda Bread.
Two  batches: one with wheat flour and the other with a gluten-free blend.
When using gluten-free flour, it's important to add some Xanthan Gum to help bind it together and prevent it being too crumbly.

Eggs can also be used to similar effect with gluten-free flour, whether making bread, pastry,cakes or puddings.
We made this Lime and Ginger Drizzle Cake last week to great success.

We are using a lot of lime, ginger and garlic in our recipes at the moment to help  keep away  this seasons' colds and flu's.

Soda Bread Recipe:

*500g plain flour
*4ooml milk
*1 tsp salt
*1 tsp baking soda

*Preheat oven to 200c
*Add flour, baking soda and salt into a bowl and mix together. (Also  2 tsp Xanthan gum if the flour is gluten-free)
*Add milk  slowly stirring together with clean hands.
* Mix into a ball of dough 
*Place on a sheet of greaseproof/parchment  paper on a flat tray. Mark a cross on the top with a knife.
*Place in the oven for 30 mins. 
*Serve warm with butter.



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