Summer Puddini

It will come as no surprise to any of you that I adore Nigella Lawson. From the mad cap running about after small kids in Nigella Bites right up to, well, anything, quite frankly.I first knew of her when I asked why my friend kept her nail varnishes in the fridge.  "Oh, Nigella said to …

Continue reading Summer Puddini

Caponata Fritters

I saw Sabrina Ghayour's Halloumi and Carrot balls in Bazaar, but had no carrots. Or dill. I did have halloumi, but I needed that for something else. Then I remembered an aubergine that needed using, so I switched from the island of Cyprus to the island of Sicily.Caponata is a vegetable stew, sweet and sour …

Continue reading Caponata Fritters

Spiced Chicken, Bacon and Chutney Paté

I love a good paté. From the small glass jars of chicken or beef paste available in every supermarket to the first course servings of velvety parfait in restaurants. Seeing as I love it so, I was pondering why I'd never made it. A Sainsbury substitution fixed that.Suddenly I had 400g of chicken livers to …

Continue reading Spiced Chicken, Bacon and Chutney Paté

Meat Free Moshari Kokkinisto / Pastitsada

I'd made something called Moshari Kokkinisto - reddened beef - with the remains of the seitan left over from the doner experiment. I had a pretty large chunk of it left so I twisted it, pulled it and broke it into pieces. It takes some doing, as it's pretty elastic! Bear in mind that these …

Continue reading Meat Free Moshari Kokkinisto / Pastitsada

Hail Seitan, Destroyer of, er, bread.

I admit, I am late to this homemade seitan thing because a) I'm not a vegetarian and b) lots of restaurants out there have been doing it better, for longer but as my tooth works are ongoing, I needed a protein with no surprises.I'm not a fan of doner meat, not because of the ears/noses/toes …

Continue reading Hail Seitan, Destroyer of, er, bread.

Cypriot Inspired Bread Pudding

Last time I made bread pudding, amongst the wave of Good Old British nostalgia that overtakes me every time I make it, there was a small voice whispering to me as I stirred the milk into the chunks of bread. "Maybe this would work with other flavours. Maybe this would work with tahini. Thought about …

Continue reading Cypriot Inspired Bread Pudding

Old Fashioned Bread Pudding

Last weekend I baked some bread, ate two slices, and then promptly forgot about it. It was wrapped, and out of sight, which is probably the best way for me to lose track of things. Thankfully I found it again before it went furry, but it was a lot more dense than it had been, …

Continue reading Old Fashioned Bread Pudding

Hallloumi & Mint snacks

Greek (Orthodox) Easter came and went this year, and more or less passed me by. When you're the only Cypriot around for miles (that I know of, anyway) there doesn't seem to be a lot of point in doing much about it. If we had an Orthodox church near, I'd probably go, but we don't, …

Continue reading Hallloumi & Mint snacks

Breakfast Bran Muffins

I admit, I do love a good bran muffin. But not the dry, cardboardy ones that used be sold as healthy. No, I want them to be flavourful, and tender, as well as full of good things.The original recipe for these is from Kellogg, but I wanted to make it vegan, and also to add …

Continue reading Breakfast Bran Muffins

Tahini and Chocolate Condensed Milk Cake

This is based on an Indonesian Kek Lapis recipe, layer upon layer of pillowy condensed milk cake batter, with each layer grilled before the next is added. I loved the sound of the batter, but I didn't have the time, or the back muscles, to do that, so the idea of turning it into a …

Continue reading Tahini and Chocolate Condensed Milk Cake