Slow cooked Broccoli & Broad Bean Bruschetta

Something on toast is so often welcome, so when I find myself struggling to keep up with the broccoli growing in my vegetable garden, I came up with this idea for a bruschetta topping. The slow cooking of the broccoli, adds depth and enhances the savoury note, the addition of broad beans which are also in season and Gorgonzola which is a constant store ingredient in this house, all make for a very delicious lunch dish for 4 or a starter for 6.

For this recipe you will need;
200g of shelled broad beans
300g of purple sprouting broccoli, roughly chopped
30g of unsalted butter
1 tablespoon of olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
 mint leaves
4 large slices of good sourdough bread, toasted
Marigold bouillon powder
50ml of Noilly Prat
Coarsely ground black pepper

Begin by frying the chopped garlic gently in the oil and 10g of the butter until it begins to take on colour. Add the Noilly Prat, 1 teaspoon of bouillon powder, if using, otherwise 1/2 a teaspoon of sea salt, 1/2 a teaspoon of pepper and the broccoli and cook on a low heat adding 50ml of water at the point where the pan begins to become dry. You will need in all at least 300ml of water. Cooking the broccoli this way retains all the flavour and produces a savoury, tender result. When the pan becomes completely dry and you begin to hear the sound of gentle frying again, turn off the heat and allow to cool.

Simmer the broad beans in salted water for roughly 5 minutes until they are just tender. Run under cold water tap to cool, before placing in a food processor with the mint and remaining butter and processing until you have a smooth, whipped puree. Season with bouillon powder or salt, pepper and process a further minute.

To assemble, spread each piece of toast with the broad bean mix, adding a portion of the cooked broccoli and topping off with nuggets of Gorgonzola, delicious.

Notes:
You can always hold back a few of the broad beans and once cooked take their skins off in order to dress the final bruschetta, this produces a fancier look, but really, there are better things to do with 4 minutes.
I planted the broccoli the second week in May and I've been eating the stuff for what feels like weeks! The broccoli I'm planting this week I should be able to harvest much more slowly when the winter rolls in, hooray.

Check out if your country has already visited

As regular readers of my blog will know, I have taken to publishing an updated list of all the countries and sovereign states that visit Click here for the list   Do please check it out, contact friends or family living in countries not listed and encourage them to have a look, thank you, Tôbi.

Golden Sultana & Pecan Cake

There are times when I have to remind myself of two things, firstly, I hate waste of any kind, secondly, I do believe discovery requires a sense of adventure and courage.
I had in truth, left enough time to simmer the sultanas in the sherry and still get to watch the end, in my opinion the only interesting part, of Bargain Hunt. I hadn't of course factored in a phone call from the Chaplain. As I walked to the kitchen I was greeted by the unmistakable smell of caramelization. A moment or two later and I would have been greeted by smoke. I quickly tipped out the sultanas, now boiled down to a treacly syrup that was set to harden, out into a sieve and I took the dogs out for a walk while I reconsidered my plans for the cake I was making.
The sultanas undoubtedly tasted a little of treacle but the notes of the sherry remained so I forged ahead. I am pleased with the result and although I would urge caution when making this cake, I would also urge you to repeat as closely as you can the method I used.

Suriname brings the number up to 140! Welcome, welcome!

Welcome! The Solomon Islands brings the number up to 141.

Botswana, welcome now we have 142!

St Martin, you are very welcome, number 143!

For this recipe you will need;

250g of Self Raising Flour
250g of Light Muscovado Sugar
3 large eggs, I used duck eggs but large hen eggs are fine, weighing around 250 to 255g
250g of Unsalted Butter
200g of Golden Sultanas
110g of Pecan Halves
100ml of Pedro Ximenez or other sweet Sherry
200ml of water
1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Begin by simmering the sultanas in the sherry and water for roughly 30 to 40 minutes over a very low heat. As you see from the opening paragraph, you will need to watch these carefully until the liquid has almost entirely disappeared and a sweet dark syrup begins to bubble around the sides, strain the fruit and leave to cool. Toast the pecan halves in the oven set to 180C for 10 minutes.

Cream together the butter and sugar and salt, beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the flour and mix slowly to fully incorporate. Gently stir through the nuts and fruit and turn the mixture into a lined baking tin. I used a square silicon container, measuring 22cm x 22cm x 6cm. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes at 180C until a wooden skewer comes out cleanly when pushed into the center.

Notes:
Leaving the pecans whole, halves as it were rather than pieces, means you get lovely big chunks of nuts in this cake.

Maple Pecan Brioche

I was trying to think of a variation on my brioche recipe to serve for breakfast on my birthday this year and I came up with this idea. For me there is just the right level of sweetness and although of course these brioche buns would look nice glazed, it would be in my opinion, a step too far. I also considered adding the customary cinnamon often found with pecan nuts, which I am now pleased I chose not to.

For this recipe you will need (makes 18);
1 portion of brioches dough click here for the recipe
30g of softened butter
40g of light muscovado sugar
100g of chopped pecans
1 tablespoon of maple syrup

Make the brioche dough; at the point where you take the dough out of the fridge and it is firm enough to handle, roll the dough out into a rectangle measuring roughly 45cm by 30cm.
Mix together the sugar, softened butter and pecan nuts to form a rough crumble. Brush the dough with the maple syrup and scatter the crumbled pecan mixture over the surface. Beginning at the long edge of the dough, roll it up into a tight roll. Slice it into 18 pieces and pop each piece into muffin tins lined with baking parchment liners.
Leave over night in a cool place before baking in a hot oven 200C for 15 to 20 minutes. If after 10 minutes the brioche appear to be browning a little too quickly, turn the temperature down to 180C.
Don't allow to cool too much before enjoying with large cups of Illy coffee.

Notes:
If you do not have a cool spot to leave these for their final proving, prove until only doubled in size and bake immediately.

Balliol Date & Walnut Cake

This cake is very much the sort of thing the Chaplain enjoys with a pot of tea. Studded with toasted walnuts and chopped Medjool dates, it's ideal with a cup of Russian Caravan.

For this cake you will need;
200g of plain flour
80g of Self Raising flour
250g of softened unsalted butter
230g of caster sugar
180g of Medjool dates
100g of walnuts
80g of ground almonds
4 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Turn the oven on to 160C.
Begin by preparing a round cake tin 15cm X 10cm, line with baking parchment.
Toast the walnuts on a baking tray in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Break up into small pieces.
Chop the dates and sprinkle with a tablespoon of the flour in order to separate the pieces and keep the dates from sinking to the bottom during the baking.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, beat in the eggs one at a time. Beat in the ground almonds, salt and vanilla before folding in the flour, the dates and walnuts. Transfer to the prepared tin and bake in the centre of the oven for an hour and fifteen minutes to an hour and a half until a wooden skewer comes out clean when pushed into the centre.

Notes:
Toasting the walnuts makes a big difference so don't omit this step if you can help it.