Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Who would have thought that fries could taste so good! These sweet potato fries taste wonderful, are easy to prepare and best of all are a healthy alternative to real fries.

 

Ingredients

One large sweet potato

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Good quality olive oil

 

Preheat the oven to 200C

Peel and cut the sweet potato into strips or chunks

Place the strips on a baking tray and pour on the olive oil

Sprinkle with the salt and pepper

 

Depending on the size of the strips or chunks you have cut they will be baked in 25-45 minutes

 

 

Sweet Potato

The sweet potato,  is a particularly popular food in the southern United States. Nutritionally, sweet potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin A and a good source of potassium and vitamin C, B6, riboflavin, copper, pantothetic acid and folic acid.

Celeriac

Celeriac may not look the most appealing of vegetables, in fact some would say it’s downright ugly, but don’t be put off by appearances. Underneath the exterior lies a velvety flesh, which, when mashed, has the creaminess of potato.  It has a celery and parsley flavour and a great ability to absorb flavours, which makes it especially good when used in making soup. It also tastes great roasted and  raw in a salad. Celeriac is high in vitamin C, calcium and potassium,

Celeriac is in season now.

How to prepare 

First of all, you need to know that only three-quarters of what you buy can be used. Cut away all the skin, revealing the creamy white marbled flesh. Dispose of any brown parts or interwoven roots at the base. Finally remembet to peel it and slice it just before using, or it turns brown quickly.

Celeriac Soup

This is a lovely creamy soup and if you omit the creme fraiche at the end, low fat and healthy.

Ingredients
1 medium onion
25g butter
1 celeriac, approx 700g
1 medium-small potato, roughly diced
1 chicken stock cube or 1 pint freshly made chicken or vegetable stock

Optional
3 tbsp crème fraîche or cream
Chives

Method
Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add the celeriac, cover with a sheet of damp greaseproof paper and a lid and cook gently for 10 minutes.

Remove the lid and paper and  add the potato and stock.

Cover the pan again, bringing it to the boil. Then simmer until tender partially covered with the lid.

When the soup has cooled, you can blitz it in a blender until nice and smooth.

When it comes time to serve the soup, stir in the cream or creme fraiche and garnish with some snipped chives.

Foolproof Pancakes

Image from BBCGOODFOOD

There are so many variations out there but this is my recipe for the easiest american style blueberry pancakes.  They are light and delicious. I use self raising flour for these light and fluffy american style pancakes (plain flour will make flatter more crepe like pancakes). This recipe would work really well with raspberries also. It doesn’t get much simpler than this as there is no weighing of ingredients. The only thing to remember is to make sure you use the same cup measurement of the flour and the milk.

• 1 cup of flour
• 1 cup of milk 
• 1 egg
• Handful of blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and add the milk and egg. Whisk all the ingredients together  until you achieve a nice smooth batter consistency.  Then I add in a handful of blueberries to the mix.

To make the pancakes, heat a small heavy-based frying until very hot and then turn the heat down to medium.  Lightly grease with oil or a little butter and then ladle in enough batter – depending on the size you want the pancake to be, tilting the pan so the mixture spreads evenly.  Cook over a moderate heat for 1-2 minutes or until the batter looks dry on the top and begins to brown at the edges.  Flip the pancake over with a palette knife or fish slice and cook the second side.  The blueberries will break up slightly and ooze into the mixture which makes it all the more delicious.

When the pancake is ready, turn it onto a heated plate, and  add some maple syrup. Enjoy!

Variation – Caramelized Apples

Peel and core 2 bramley apples and slice thinly. Heat 10z of butter in a frying pan and add 1/2 tsp of cinnamon. Let it bubble for a minute before adding the apples. Sprinkle over 1 tbsp soft brown sugar and carefully turn over the apples so that they are coated in the buttery syrup. Turn down the heat and allow to cook gently, while you make the pancakes. Keep an eye on them and turn them over from time to time. When the pancakes are ready, divide the apple mixture between the pancakes and roll up. Drizzle a little maple syrup over each one to really spoil yourself… Delicious!

Oatmeal Cookies

180 gr/ 6 oz softened unsalted butter
180 gr/ 6 oz dark brown sugar
Pinch of salt
2 eggs
130 gr / 4.5 oz plain flour
150 gr/ 5 oz Flahavan’s Progress Oatlets
100 gr/ 3.5 oz raisins or other dried fruit
1 tsp baking powder

1. Place the softened butter and salt in the mixing bowl and using the paddle attachment, mix for one minute, then add sugar, flour, oatmeal and baking powder. Add the eggs and lastly add the raisins or other fruit
2. Roll into logs and let sit in fridge for 1 hour
3. Slice into ½ inch thick slices and place on a baking tray
4. Cook at 150°C/ 300°F/Gas Mark 2 until almost golden brown all over
5. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool

This recipe comes from Irish chef, Garrett Byrne  and appears on the Flahavans website

Overthrow the tyranny of the recipe

Interesting piece by Matthew Fort in his Guardian food blog:

A reader wrote in the other day asking whether or not she could leave celery out of recipes as she couldn’t abide the stuff…..

Grilled steak, red wine lentils and salsa verde

Fabulous recipe in today’s Guardian:

Grilled steak, red wine lentils and salsa verde

February 17: Festival of Fornax, Roman Goddess of Bread-Making

Today, I discover is the Festival of Fornax,  Roman Goddess of Bread-Making. Nothing else is known about her, except that her festival was held on February 17.  I decided to honour this festival by making a simple Irish soda bread.  It is a bread that can be made in minutes and because it contains no yeast requires no ‘proving’ time  it can be prepared and baked quickly. It is such a simple traditional recipe and tastes delicious warm from the oven with a slather of real butter. I like it plain but you could also add some raisins or sultanas.  Or you could make soda scones with the mixture instead or even turn it into focaccia with the addition of sundried tomatoes, rosemary and olives. This recipe is from Rachel Allen’s Bake series.

• Olive Oil
• 450 g Plain Flour
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 400 ml Buttermilk

• Preheat an oven to 230c.
• Brush a swiss roll tin or baking tray generously with olive oil.
• Sieve the plain flour and the bread soda into a big bowl.
• Add the salt and mix with your hands.
• Make a well in the centre, pour in most of the buttermilk, and with one hand stiff and your fingers spread out like a claw, start mixing in a full circle once the buttermilk has gone in.
• Keep mixing like this until you have a soft dough
• Do not knead it but work it very gently to bring it together.
• Transfer to a floured surface and roll it out to about 35x20cms (14x8inches), and transfer it to the oiled tray.
• Put it in the oven and cook for 18-25 mins, depending on how thick it is.
• Turn the oven down to 200c after 10 mins.
• When cooked, it should feel firm in the centre and be gorgeous and golden brown.
• Transfer it to a wire rack and cool for a couple of mins, then cut it into squares and serve!!

Tana Ramsay’s Lemon Drizzle Cake

Image from bbcgoodfood

This is such a simple yet wonderfully moist and delicious lemon  cake.  It would also be equally good substituting orange for the lemon and instead of the lemon drizzle topping, try some traditional icing instead. I used unwaxed organic lemons, but if you don’t have any, just scrub the skin of the lemon well before use.  When zesting the lemon, leave the white membrane/pith on as this has a bitter taste.

Ingredients

225g unsalted butter , softened

225g caster sugar

4 eggs

finely grated zest 1 lemon

225g self-raising flour

Drizzle Topping

juice 1  lemon

85 gm caster sugar

Method

Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Beat together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy, then add the eggs, one at a time, slowly mixing through. Sift in the flour, then add the lemon zest and mix until well combined. Line a loaf tin (8 x 21cm) with greaseproof paper, then spoon in the mixture and level the top with a spoon.

Bake for 45-50 mins until a thin skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. While the cake is cooling in its tin, mix together the lemon juice and sugar to make the drizzle. Prick the warm cake all over with a skewer or fork, then pour over the drizzle – the juice will sink in and the sugar will form a lovely, crisp topping. Leave in the tin until completely cool, then remove and serve. Will keep in an airtight container for 3-4 days, or freeze for up to 1 month