Soup and Bread
Yesterday, I baked a loaf of bread. If you hit someone over the head with it, you’ll knock them out. Hmmm – I should have used a little less rye in the mix…
Baking bread for just 2 people is a bit of a waste of time, but there was no decent fresh bread to be had in the shops and it’s good practice for Ard where I do not expect to find fresh bread within a ten mile radius. Hence the rye – it makes the bread denser and moister and therefore it should keep for a good few days. Back home, where white bread was for pussies, a few loaves of rye would last from one weekly shop until the next. In that respect, it has much in common with Terry Pratchett’s dwarf bread. Saying that, a bit of sourdough and a pinch of carraway (which I remembered about after I had put the thing in the oven) would have made the stuff vaguely edible.
In the tried-and-trusted recipe for dinner rolls that follows, I omit the rye and increase the amount of salt. Also, if you have the energy, double the time and effort of kneading the dough – no matter how strong (gluten-rich) the flour, the texture seems never chewy enough and always too dense.
Yeast rolls:
750g strong (bread-) flour, 1 TB salt, 1 sachet (7g, 1.5 tsp) dry yeast (Hovis is by far the best), 2 TB oil, 500ml hand-warm water.
Mix the yeast (Hovis needs no activating), flour and salt and work in the liquid with the oil until a smooth dough is achieved. At this stage you could add various seeds, olives, cheese (omit the oil) or other flavourings. Knead well for at least 10 minutes or better still invest in a proper electric dough-hook and mix for 5 minutes. If not using Hovis yeast, cover the dough with greased clingfilm or a wet towel and let rise 1h, then knock back, knead briefly and shape before leaving for another 20 minutes or until doubled in size. If using Hovis, shape straight away and rest covered in a warm place until doubled in size.
This quantity should make about 12 rolls. Shape these by pressing a piece of the cut dough onto a lightly floured surface with the palm of your hand and rolling it, gradually easing the pressure and cupping the hand until a ball-shape is achieved.
Bake 220 deg. C (450F) for ca. 15 min. Cool on a wire rack, covered with a slightly damp towel (keeps the crust slightly soft. If you’d rather had it very crisp, don’t cover and brush with very salty water before baking).
The above recipe is based on “Kenny’s Cajun/Creole Cookbook” (K. Miller, 1996 – now out of print) which has to be one of my favourite cookbooks. Not because of its practicality but because it is full of priceless little stories. Even though the book is long since back at Lewisham Library, I remember many an anecdote. It has provided me with a good introduction to the basics of Louisianna-style cooking. I follow these instinctively even when just pottering around as with the soup below. Lets see … equal quantities of green pepper, celery and onion, that is the “trinity” of Cajun cooking. A pinch of smoked paprika (in lieu of chorizo sausage) … yeah, also in keeping with the style. So even though this recipe is my own, it is inspired by Kenny.
Being on a budget, pulses feature quite prominently in our kitchen. I am also adapting several vegetarian recipes as I expect that at least some of the other volunteers in Ard will be veggie.
Black Bean Soup:
* 250g black beans soaked overnight, 2 bay leaves, pinch cumin, 3 cloves, zest 1/2 orange
– cover with water and simmer until beans are soft (if beans are boiled in the presence of salt they get tough).
* 1 large onion, 1 green pepper (reserve a bit for garnish), 2 sticks celery – all finely chopped, 3-4 cloves garlic (crushed)
– fry until veg are soft and garlic is aromatic. If you have fresh green chillies, chop 2 of them and add. (optional: add chopped bacon and chorizo sausage).
* 1 tin tomatos, juice 1/2 orange, good dash tabasco, pinch smoked paprika (in lieu of chorizo), beans, seasoning
-simmer 90 min – 1 h until beans are getting mushy
* Finely chopped green pepper, red onion, tomato (de-seeded), fresh coriander
-sprinkle onto the soup (on top of a dollop of sour cream or natural wholemilk yoghurt if desired)
Serve with lime wedges and fresh rolls or mini-pizza-crisps (roll out some dough 3-5 mm thick and brush with olive oil, sprinkle on crushed garlic, cheese etc… – go wild! Bake a few minutes until cheese is melted/edges start to brown.)
Denni