Weezl and friends Phase 3 - sitting pretty with Kitty

nopot2pin

I enjoyed the skype meet...thanks

The bean curry was lovely
I altered 3 things...
I had a tin of mixed beans in tomato sauce (BBE July2009:eek:) instead of baked beans
I had kidney beans from the freezer which I used (I got a few 500g frozen bags for 10p from Tesco aaaaaaaaages ago;))
I initially put in half teaspoon of chilli powder, but it wasn't hot enough for me, so I added another half teaspoon. I probably could have added another, but I didn't, just incase, I fancied a less heat curry one night... I can always add more when it comes out of the freezer if need be :cool:
I had a naan bread, instead of rice, cos I just did
I am glad I did the full batch... so 3 portions will be going into the freezer, for Ron :rotfl:

For me tomorrow, calzone... that way I can bake some bread too

:wave:

System

Well, where to start? Bread first, I think...

My goodness, 2 kg is a vast quantity of flour to work with all at once! I had initially planned to use my stand mixer to mix the dough, but the ingredients came right to the top of the bowl, then the flour and water all splashed out when I switched it on. So, after I had cleaned up the kitchen, I mixed it the old-fashioned way, with a wooden spoon and my hands. Next time, I will use the big china bowl that I only get out for the Christmas cake, because my usual "large" bowls were frankly inadequate. Actually, next time, I will make a half-quantity and use the mixer to do the heavy work. The bread may be "no knead", but it still requires more effort than bunging the ingredients into a bowl and flicking a switch.

A question, out of idle curiosity... Is the self-raising flour included for expedience? Or is it functional (to use it up, cut the price, add nutrients or whatever)?

The yeast was interesting. I normally use fast action yeast (the one you just chuck in with the flour), so it is the first time in fifteen years that I have used the granular sort. It foamed alarmingly quickly, and alarmingly vigourously, when I was activating it in a warm corner next to a large vat of simmering chutney, which was rather fun. But it smelt good, reminding me of childhood breadmaking sessions. I will definitely use this type of yeast more often.

Another question... When the recipe says "7 tsp Marmite", does it mean 35 ml? Or a rather more vague sort of spoonful? It might be helpful to add a weight equivalent, because Marmite is very hard to get off the spoon for repeated measures, and it would have been much easier to dollop out x grammes, or to use a larger spoon measure in the first place.

Once the dough was finally degunked from my hands, then rather stickily spread into the oiled loaf tins and left to rise under a damp cloth, I surveyed the destruction of my kitchen. Flour almost everywhere. Sticky bits of dough everywhere else. I was shocked at the mess, which surpassed anything I have ever managed to achieve in a kitchen, even though I seem to spend half my life cooking and prepare very nearly everything from scratch. We make 99% of our bread at home (by hand, by mixer or by bread machine), and even when the children have made it, I have never seen chaos like this. I put it down entirely to the vast quantity of flour involved, and to my misguided attempt to use the mixer to help out. Possibly, making courgette chutney at the same time was a mistake (although unavoidable, given the glut of marrows which greeted our return from holiday).

Anyway, on with the narrative... The bread took 30 minutes to bake. The five loaves looked lovely, all lined up together (and all slightly different sizes -- my 2 lb loaf tins come in three different shapes). It slices really well, and even when very fresh it is possible to slice very thinly (which is nice). It has a slightly Marmitey/yeasty/savoury side-taste, which may be a result of over-enthusiasm in my measuring, but which is in any case delicious. The bread is moist and slightly dense, with a tasty crust, and is gorgeous spread with butter and freshly made courgette chutney. It is very more-ish, and hard to resist another slice (demonstrated by my husband's repeated trips to the kitchen).

So, my verdict is that the bread is very tasty, and a good recipe, but that (for me) it is not worth the hassle of doing such a vast quantity in one batch. In smaller quantities, it is intrinsically an easy recipe and I would certainly make it again in a half-quantity, possibly on a regular basis. We make and eat lots of different types of bread, so no one type is ever going to be our sole staple.

And now I shall go and cut myself another slice, before moving on to the Pasta Funghi. :-)

System

So, Pasta Funghi, then...

I used the first (original) method, but an ever-decreasing number of dinner attendees meant that I had to halve the quantities because it turned out that there were only two of us eating. I served the Pasta Funghi with frozen petits pois, following the serving suggestion, and I think it definitely needed the peas to freshen it up. Salad would be good, too, were the plan's finances to allow it.

We found the quantity to be vast! What a lot of pasta! We reckon that our half-quantity would serve three, and my husband is taking the leftovers for lunch tomorrow. It must be the peas that make it seem so substantial in size, because we have managed to eat that quantity of pasta per head before now (although only when served very plainly, such as with pesto or with olio, aglio e peperoncino).

In the event, I bought that Gia garlic puree from the first planner and used that instead of the (unobtainable) garlic powder, because I think the flavours of the puree and powder are closer to each other than they are to fresh garlic.

I added the chilli powder, salt and pepper, and I thought that the use of the olive brine was inspired. However, I'm afraid that we're not at all convinced about sauces made with flour and water (we felt the same way about the calzone filling for the first planner), and we definitely prefer fresh garlic to the alternatives.

Of course, it is silly to apply such preferences to options in a menu plan with such a restricted budget! And apart from those reservations, the Pasta Funghi was absolutely fine. It is very, very similar to something I cook anyway (although I use butter and milk, or sometimes cream, for the sauce, with some extra flavouring ingredients -- and olive brine had never crossed my mind). This recipe hasn't persuaded me to abandon my own version -- but it has given me an option to call on when there is no milk in the fridge.

Certainly if I were in financial straits, I would be more than happy to cook and eat this recipe for Pasta Funghi on a regular basis. And my family would be happy to eat it.

Sian_the_Green

It is interesting what each of us has as our scale. For me I am more like Susan, I would only make again something which scored a 5 or above, maybe even a 6. The reason for this is that normally when I am cooking for people other than me it i normally because I have invited them around for dinner and I am looking for at least an 8 out of 10 for that. If I had a family I would be looking for at least a 6 for regular meals. Seasonings can make all the difference though I think and the panzanella is greater with the fresh basil and balsamic, the pasta funghi needs a bit more seasoning for me, that is just something I should have modified though.

How was the skype meet? What was decided/recommended?

weezl74

Avocet wrote: »

Another question... When the recipe says "7 tsp Marmite", does it mean 35 ml? Or a rather more vague sort of spoonful? It might be helpful to add a weight equivalent, because Marmite is very hard to get off the spoon for repeated measures, and it would have been much easier to dollop out x grammes, or to use a larger spoon measure in the first place.

Right ho! I will add a weight instead/as well as

Avocet wrote: »

Once the dough was finally degunked from my hands, then rather stickily spread into the oiled loaf tins and left to rise under a damp cloth, I surveyed the destruction of my kitchen. Flour almost everywhere. Sticky bits of dough everywhere else. I was shocked at the mess, which surpassed anything I have ever managed to achieve in a kitchen, even though I seem to spend half my life cooking and prepare very nearly everything from scratch. We make 99% of our bread at home (by hand, by mixer or by bread machine), and even when the children have made it, I have never seen chaos like this. I put it down entirely to the vast quantity of flour involved, and to my misguided attempt to use the mixer to help out. Possibly, making courgette chutney at the same time was a mistake (although unavoidable, given the glut of marrows which greeted our return from holiday).

was there anything I can add to the recipe to help with the chaos element?

Avocet wrote: »

Anyway, on with the narrative... The bread took 30 minutes to bake. The five loaves looked lovely, all lined up together (and all slightly different sizes -- my 2 lb loaf tins come in three different shapes). It slices really well, and even when very fresh it is possible to slice very thinly (which is nice). It has a slightly Marmitey/yeasty/savoury side-taste, which may be a result of over-enthusiasm in my measuring, but which is in any case delicious. The bread is moist and slightly dense, with a tasty crust, and is gorgeous spread with butter and freshly made courgette chutney. It is very more-ish, and hard to resist another slice (demonstrated by my husband's repeated trips to the kitchen).

So, my verdict is that the bread is very tasty, and a good recipe, but that (for me) it is not worth the hassle of doing such a vast quantity in one batch. In smaller quantities, it is intrinsically an easy recipe and I would certainly make it again in a half-quantity, possibly on a regular basis. We make and eat lots of different types of bread, so no one type is ever going to be our sole staple.

And now I shall go and cut myself another slice, before moving on to the Pasta Funghi. :-)

I'm glad you liked it.:D And a fascinating and amusing account of your adventures! Avocet, what would be your wisdom on this, kitty and family eat 38 loaves of bread in the month, and so the 5 batch loaf is approx 4 days worth. I hear that 5 loaves is a large batch and tricky. My worry also is that with that amount of bread making she'll value gatting a few lined up for the week? I'm tempted to suggest a half quantity as you have said, will that be a step too far in terms of labour for her?

weezl74

Sian_the_Green wrote: »

It is interesting what each of us has as our scale. For me I am more like Susan, I would only make again something which scored a 5 or above, maybe even a 6. The reason for this is that normally when I am cooking for people other than me it i normally because I have invited them around for dinner and I am looking for at least an 8 out of 10 for that. If I had a family I would be looking for at least a 6 for regular meals. Seasonings can make all the difference though I think and the panzanella is greater with the fresh basil and balsamic, the pasta funghi needs a bit more seasoning for me, that is just something I should have modified though.

How was the skype meet? What was decided/recommended?

auditbabe has kindly offered to send you guys a precis of the meet, but as there was a lot of discussion, she said it may take a couple of days to do it.

Thank you auditbabe :T:T:T

weezl74

Avocet wrote: »

So, Pasta Funghi, then...

I used the first (original) method, but an ever-decreasing number of dinner attendees meant that I had to halve the quantities because it turned out that there were only two of us eating. I served the Pasta Funghi with frozen petits pois, following the serving suggestion, and I think it definitely needed the peas to freshen it up. Salad would be good, too, were the plan's finances to allow it.

We found the quantity to be vast! What a lot of pasta! We reckon that our half-quantity would serve three, and my husband is taking the leftovers for lunch tomorrow. It must be the peas that make it seem so substantial in size, because we have managed to eat that quantity of pasta per head before now (although only when served very plainly, such as with pesto or with olio, aglio e peperoncino).

In the event, I bought that Gia garlic puree from the first planner and used that instead of the (unobtainable) garlic powder, because I think the flavours of the puree and powder are closer to each other than they are to fresh garlic.

I added the chilli powder, salt and pepper, and I thought that the use of the olive brine was inspired. However, I'm afraid that we're not at all convinced about sauces made with flour and water (we felt the same way about the calzone filling for the first planner), and we definitely prefer fresh garlic to the alternatives.

Of course, it is silly to apply such preferences to options in a menu plan with such a restricted budget! And apart from those reservations, the Pasta Funghi was absolutely fine. It is very, very similar to something I cook anyway (although I use butter and milk, or sometimes cream, for the sauce, with some extra flavouring ingredients -- and olive brine had never crossed my mind). This recipe hasn't persuaded me to abandon my own version -- but it has given me an option to call on when there is no milk in the fridge.

Certainly if I were in financial straits, I would be more than happy to cook and eat this recipe for Pasta Funghi on a regular basis. And my family would be happy to eat it.

thank you that's great! A very useful road test. your last quote is of course what we are about with our testing really. I guess very few of us when we have cream in the fridge would think- but no I shall use the olive brine instead- as cream is lovely

But I'm very glad that exactly as you said it gives a good enough tight circumstances equivalent

Is it a co-op you have near you, or is it ocado you use? (thinking about the garlic powder issue in rural areas as you've said...

weezl74

Avocet wrote: »

A question, out of idle curiosity... Is the self-raising flour included for expedience? Or is it functional (to use it up, cut the price, add nutrients or whatever)?

ooops missed this! as the bread flour is 60p per 1500g and the SR flour 41p for the same, I was wondering if I could reduce the cost of the loaf by adding it, especially as the marmite adds surprisingly to the cost but is needed for the vitamin B12.

Interestingly the 5 loaf batch with the SR flour is not so well behaved without the marmite. I put this down to it needing more raising agent, as the flour has less gluten protein to support the air bubbles.

System

weezl74 wrote: »

Is it a co-op you have near you, or is it ocado you use? (thinking about the garlic powder issue in rural areas as you've said...

I shop with Ocado, largely because I like the convenience and the quality. Living in a small town, my local alternatives are Budgens (which is more expensive than Ocado) and the Co-op (which has a limited range), neither of which stocks garlic powder. There are no ethnic grocery shops, but we have a greengrocer's, a butcher's, and a few fancy delicatessens or upmarket farm shops, with prices to match.

I could, of course, drive to other supermarkets in the big town, and they do deliver here, but I don't think they stock garlic powder either -- at least, my nearest Sainsbury's didn't when I checked, and Asda's online system promptly stops listing it when I tell the site my postcode. I did once buy garlic powder from an online Indian spice shop, but the Rajah brand cost £1.45-ish, which is rather more expensive.

Garlic granules seem to be available everywhere, but I have never tried them and don't know what they're like. Do you think they would be a good substitute, or would the dish be full of little lumps?

weezl74

Avocet wrote: »

Garlic granules seem to be available everywhere, but I have never tried them and don't know what they're like. Do you think they would be a good substitute, or would the dish be full of little lumps?

avocet this article seems to suggest the only difference would be the ease of dissolving in the sauce, I might get some at asda next time and try because kitty/shirl may have a similar issue with getting hold of it