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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