How to make your own Tomato and Chilli Jam.
Easy to make Tomato and Chilli Jam. One taste and your hooked! Great with meats and shellfish. The possibilities are endless
Tag: how-to
How to Make Blackberry Jelly, and why fruit jellies work.
Want to know how to make Blackberry Jelly? It’s not that difficult, and so satisfying to make the best of the (free) autumn harvest.
Simple, Summertime Courgette and Tomato Tarts
Courgette and Tomato Tarts, with feta cheese and Basil. It’s mid-summer, the tomatoes are ripening, and the courgettes are going wild. These Courgette and Tomato Tarts are an ideal way of using up this seasonal bounty. And impressing your guests.
I have been making this starter for years and it has always been a favourite of my guests. Light, crispy and full of flavour it’s easy to make. And the best part is to serve it, you just pop it into the oven.
In fact, some years ago my team served this to 300 people for a charity dinner. With each of five chefs producing a course. It was quite a bit of work to prepare the tarts. But when it came to the time to serve the course it was the quickest and easiest of the entire meal.
Before you start look up our pages on Blanching Tomatoes, Chive Oil, and Making your Own Pesto at Home
So, let’s get cooking.
You will need.
Chopping board and knife.
Baking sheet.
Frying pan.
Small saucepan.
Baking sheet.
Fish slice.
Small bowl.
Small fine sieve.
Baking paper.
Courgette and Tomato Tarts
Serves 4.
4 sheets filo pastry.
50g unsalted Butter.
3 slices garlic.
1 sprig thyme.
4 med courgettes.
Olive oil.
1 clove garlic (bruised).
1 sprig thyme.
4 ripe tomatoes.
4tsp pesto sauce.
170g feta cheese.
2tsp Pine kernels.
Basil leaves.
Sea salt.
Mill pepper.
chive oil to serve
Making the bases.
Place the butter into a small pan with the bruised garlic and thyme then put it on to melt. We don’t want to toast the butter, just melt it enough to separate the milk and fat. When you see the butter begin to clear, stain it into a warm bowl leaving the milky part in the pan. This can be discarded.
Take the pastry and carefully unwrap it. Then cover the pastry with a tea towel to avoid it drying out. Lift off a sheet of pastry and place it on a flat surface. Brush lightly with the melted butter then cover with a second sheet of pastry.
Storing the bases.
Repeat the process until you have a sheet of pastry three layers thick and with butter. You can if you wish use olive oil instead of the butter, however you will need to cook the flans as soon as they are made. The butter will cool on the pastry and form a waterproof layer to protect the pastry. This allows us to make the flans in the morning. Pop them into the fridge, then cook them at night. How easy is that!
Cut out disks of pastry using a saucer or small plate about 10cm diameter cutting around with the point of a sharp knife. Arrange the disks on squares of baking paper on a tray that will fit in the fridge and put aside.
Now for the topping.
Remove the skin of the tomatoes. Blanch, peel, and de-seed the tomatoes. Cut the flesh into 8mm dice and set aside
Top, tail and wash the courgettes then slice into 4mm thick slices. Pour some of the olive oil into a large shallow pan over a medium heat. Half cook the slices by tossing in the hot oil with a clove of garlic and sprig of thyme for flavour. Spread the cooked courgette on to a tray and allow to cool.
Arrange the courgette on the filo discs in concentric circles starting 5mm in from the edge. Overlapping each slice slightly until the disc is covered. Don’t be tempted to season the tarts yet, the salt will make them weep.
Final additions.
Lay a tablespoon of tomato in the centre of each tart. Set a teaspoon of pesto on the tomato then cover with the remaining diced tomato. This will protect the pesto from the heat of the oven, while adding a little punch to the flavour.
Drain the feta and dry off with kitchen paper, then cut the cheese into 6mm dice. Divide the cheese between the flans and sprinkle with pine kernels. Again, if you want you can change the cheese, but I find feta to be ideal. In the oven it gently toasts without running and it’s salty tang gives the tarts a bit of a kick.
Serving.
To serve. Lift the flan’s on their paper squares onto a baking sheet. Lightly season then bake in a 200˚c oven for about 10 mins when they should be crisp and golden. The edges of the pastry will souffle up to form a border around the courgettes. Lift each flan onto a serving plate, sprinkle with freshly cut basil and pour a little chive oil around.
This is one of the most flexible dishes I know. Serve it as a starter, light lunch, or replacement fish course. I have even tiny ones to use as a canape in the past. I would love to know how you get on.
Enjoy life!
John.
Hi, my name is John Webber, award winning chef and tutor, now retired to the west coast of Scotland. Welcome to our blog focusing on food, cooking, and countryside. My aim is to pass on my years of skills and knowledge together with an appreciation of the countryside.
Join us to experience the beauty of the west coast, cook some great food and be at ease in the kitchen.
If you enjoyed your visit with us, please subscribe up to our newsletter to receive regular updates of what’s new and upcoming at The Westcoaster. Subscribe Here
©John Webber. 2023
How to make, Rosemary and Red Onion Focaccia Bread
Homemade Focaccia bread is a joy and very versatile. It’s sure to become a family favourite, and a great accompaniment to a BBQ or picnic.
The Best, Walnut Bread, Rich, and Delicious
Rich, and delicious, Walnut Bread is a perfect bread to serve with cheese at a casual lunch. Or as part of a dinner party meal. Savoury yet sweet it’s very moreish and is just as good lightly toasted and served with butter.
A guide to Flour Types and uses.
This guide to Flour Types and uses will explain the difference between flours. How and why we use different types of flour and explain alternative types of flour available.
It’s is one of those ingredients we use all the time. But are we using the correct type of flour for the dish we are creating? Were not just talking white or brown here but what grain was used in its production. What are the characteristics of the flour we are using? Will it help us? Make things difficult, or just cause an absolute disaster.
Read on and we will aim to solve some of the mysteries. use this guide along with our pages on Making Bread at Home, and What is yeast.
For more flour facts look up fabflour.co.uk and flour.com
What is Flour?
Well, what is flour? A type of flour can be made from many grains, beans, nuts, roots, or seeds. As long as they have enough starch content to allow us to grind them into flour.
Most of the time we are talking about wheat flour but there are many other options out there. For example, rye, spelt, cassava, arrowroot, corn, rice, chickpeas, potato, and nuts.
Each of these flours have there uses but as a baker our primary consideration is gluten. The gluten content of the flour provides strength and elasticity to a dough. While a high gluten content may be an advantage in making a perfect loaf. It would spoil our attempts at making perfect shortbread.
So, what is gluten?
Gluten is formed when two proteins in the flour are hydrated and merged together. The higher the ratio of protein in the grains the more gluten can be formed in a dough. By stretching the gluten (kneading). We can strengthen its elasticity, allowing the dough to rise in the oven without breaking.
If you have ever wondered why your pastry shrinks back as you try to roll it out, it’s the gluten. The dough has been overworked. This toughens the gluten which like an elastic band is pulling back against been stretched. That’s why a lighter hand produces the best pastry and shortbread.
What are the grades of flour?
It’s important to use the correct flour for the job in hand. In British kitchens we refer to cake flour, plain flour, and strong flour. This is simply a useful reference to the amount of protein in the flour.
Cake Flour. 8-9% protein. Not that easy to find now, most people use plain flour as a replacement. If you want to try it out add roughly 15% cornflour to plain flour and sift together. Semolina or rice flour can also be used for a coarser texture. This is quite a common technique in making shortbread.
Plain Flour, 10-12% protein. Readily available and possible the most common flour found at home. Self-Raising flour is simply plain flour with chemical raising agents added.
Strong Flour, 12-16% More commonly used for bread or leavened products. We will cover this in more detail with a later post on bread making.
Flour Types and uses.
White wheat flour.
The everyday flour you will use. This is made by crushing the kernel of the wheat to make flour. The flour is then sieved to remove the outer layers. This process removes flavour from the flour. But been so fine allows for better gluten development.
Most flour is produced on a roller mill which is very efficient keeping costs down. Some flour is still produced by stoneground milling where two millstones are used to crush the grains. This is less aggressive than a rolled mill. And more of the nutrients are retained within the flour and have a better flavour.
Wholemeal flour.
This is flour which contains 100% of the kernel, endosperm, germ, and bran. The bran content produces a coarser texture that white flour. As most of the nutrients in the grain are in the bran the flour is more nutritious than white flour.
Brown flour.
Similar to above but brown flour will contain less bran and may not contain any germ. This will produce a smother, and lighter dough than wholemeal flour.
Rye flour.
One of the best flavoured flours for baking bread. Rye is a grass (like wheat) and has a rich fruity flavour. Bread made with rye flour don’t need as much working as with white flour. This means less work, and a shorter production time.
Semolina.
Basically, an intermediate process in the flour production. Semolina is the coarsely ground endosperm of wheat. This can be found both coarse and fine milled grades. Soft wheat versions are used cooked as a dessert. The classic Durum wheat version been used for the production of pasta and breads.
Durum Wheat produces a high gluten content flour that is difficult to turn into fine flour. And is more commonly found in a semolina version.
European flour grades.
The French and Italians use a grading system to describe their flour. The French have a ‘T, number attached to regulate the ash content of the flour. T110 is a brown flour and as the numbers go down so does the flour’s ash content. This makes the flour finer and whiter. T55 been a common grade to use in kitchens. The flour will be named according to its purpose. So in a French bakery you will see sacks of flour marked croissant, baguette, etc
The Italians again tend to name their flours but grade them differently according to milling and bran content.
They are.
000, very fine flour.
00, fine flour.
0, medium fine flour
Tipo 1, a coarse grade
Tipo 2, very coarse flour
Farina almost straight from the mill, a wholemeal flour.
00 flour is the version banded about on the media and is really an all-purpose flour.
Alternative flours.
Almond flour.
Gluten free almond flour is basically very finely ground almonds. It is possible to make at home by blanching and peeling the almonds. Then dry them off and grind in a food processor.
Chickpea Flour.
Chickpea flour is made as you might suspect from chickpeas.
It’s an extremely useful flour with a mild and slightly sweet flavour. It has both a high protein and fibre content and is very useful as a gluten free alternative.
Corn Flour.
Commonly used to thicken sauces this is made from whole corn kernels, and is gluten free
It can also be mixed with wheat flours to reduce the protein content of the flour in pastry, shortbread, and cakes.
Arrowroot Flour.
As the name may suggest, arrowroot flour is made with the starch of the root of the arrow, a type of tuber.
Mainly used to thicken dishes it gives a clearer, glossier finish that cornflour. It is very low in protein and again gluten free.
Nutritionally it is very high in carbohydrates with minimal amounts of fat and protein.
Acorn Flour.
Not In common use, but with a sweet nutty taste can but used to make breads, muffins, flatbreads, and pastries. Naturally gluten free it is commonly mixed with other flour.
Buckwheat Flour.
Buckwheat flour is ground from buckwheat seeds which are actually a herb. The resulting flour with its earthy flavour is both healthy and again gluten free.
Oat Flour.
Oat flour is a whole grain flour made from oats. Once more the flour is gluten free, (see tips below) Great mixed with other flours and easy to make at home.
Cassava Flour.
Yet another gluten free flour, Cassava flour comes from a starchy tuber called cassava, and it has a nutty and savoury taste.
Chestnut Flour.
Great for desserts, cakes, and pastries this is a very starchy flour with a sweet flavour. While not as well-known as other flours it is gaining in popularity and is a feature of some Italian cooking.
Flour tips.
Removing bran.
A good tip when making a wholemeal loaf is to remove the bran with a fine sieve and set it aside while making the dough. This stops the shards of bran cutting into the dough, which makes gluten development harder. Once the dough has had its initial development the bran can be added back in or dusted on top. So, you still get enjoy the extra flavour and texture of wholemeal flour.
Mixing white and wholemeal /rye flours.
Wholemeal and rye flour have a wonderful flavour, but the bread can be heavy textured and difficult to cut. Adding a proportion of white bread flour to the recipe will give structure and lift to the dough.
Use wet hands when handling rye flour dough.
Baking with rye flour? It makes great bread however it is very sticky and can be difficult to handle.
The best solution to this is to wet your hands and tools with cold water, before handling the dough. This will allow the dough to slide off and not stick.
Beware of allergies.
When using nut-based flours remember to check for nut allergies with your guests.
Get a great Pizza crust.
Use semolina or polenta as a dusting agent when rolling out the dough. When baked you will have a crisp, sandy crust.
Flours with a higher protein content need more liquid.
Remember not to make your dough too dry when bread making. A dry dough will be difficult to knead and will inhibit the creation of gluten.
Beware of gluten free flour types!.
As you will have seen there are a number of Gluten free flours available to us. But beware! Just because the product used to make the flour is in itself, gluten free be careful. It may have become cross contaminated in production or packaging. Be careful to check that the product is certified gluten free before serving to anybody on a gluten free diet.
Enjoy Life!.
John.
©John Webber. 2023
Making Bread at Home.
Making bread at home? All your questions answered here. Together with hints and tips to help you.
What is yeast? A Baker’s guide.
This baker’s guide to yeast will explain all you need to know about using yeast.
Learn the different types of yeast available and how to use them to get the best results in your bread and baking
How To Grow Your Own Tomatoes.
Now is the time to grow your own tomatoes. This year again we are looking forward to a good crop of tomatoes from the polytunnel. And as I’ve said before, I’m no gardener, so if I can do it anybody can. But, you don’t need a polytunnel or greenhouse to enjoy home grown tomatoes. A bit of space near a window is all you need to give it a try. My seedlings are coming on in the living room ready to be planted later. Once the weather improves and we have seen the end of the frost.
How to Grow Your Own Tomatoes.
Getting started.
If you have never tried growing your own, grab a packet of seeds from the garden centre and get going. I have been growing three varieties Outdoor Girl, Alisa Craig, and San Marzano.
I start the seeds in plug trays and once I have about 8cm of growth re-pot them into 10cm recyclable pots. The seedlings will be quite fragile. And if allowed to grow too tall will be unable to support themselves. When re-potting cover the seedling stem down to just below the formed leaves. If you have small leaves forming near the base of the stem pick these off before covering with compost. If this is not done, they may cause rot below the surface. The pots are used later as a watering aid once the plants are in their final position.
Once they begin to outgrow the pots again, they are re-potted once more into 15cm deep pots proceeding as before. I always use fresh compost when seeding and re-potting. As the plants get larger feed once a week with liquid feed and support with plant sticks as needed.
I keep the plants in the living room by the window until I’m sure the frosts have finished. I you live in a warmer area; you should be able to move into the greenhouse or polytunnel earlier.
Moving outside.
When the time comes the plants are potted on once more into 30cm pots. You can use slightly smaller pots if space is a problem. But if the pot is too small, the yield of the plant may be reduced. Again, I use fresh compost with a layer of gravel in the base of the pot for drainage. The 10cm pots are sunk into the compost to allow water to reach the roots and not form around the stem. Watering the surface of the pot can cause the stem to rot at ground level. The sunken pots get the water/feed down and keep the surface dry. try to avoid getting the leaves wet as this can also be a cause of rot. It’s often a good idea to take the plants outside during the day and then bring them under cover for a few days to become acclimatised to a change in temperature before permanently planting them out.
Using Grow bags.
An alternative is to use grow bags and buy Plant Halos‘. These are doughnut like devices which are perfect for growbags. They allow extra compost to be used in the centre to give the plant more depth for growth. The outer ring is then filled with water that dribbles down via spikes in the base of the halo to water the roots. If you want to try growbags, I would definitely recommend you use the halos. I don’t think the growbag on its own has enough depth to support an adult plant. I have heard of people cutting one side of the plastic off two bags. Then sandwiching the two together to increase the depth. Fine if you are just growing a couple of plants on the balcony, but I think pots are a better bet. This year I am also going to use the Haloes on my 30cm pots to make the watering easier.
Tomato types.
There are two main types of tomato plants, Bush, and Cordon. Some varieties such as Rio Grande, Red Alert, and Incas are bush tomatoes. These are better if you want to use grow bags, smaller pots or even hanging baskets. These are a good bet if you are just starting off or don’t have a greenhouse or polytunnel. They also don’t require any pruning as they grow.
All three of these tomato varieties I’m growing are Cordon Tomatoes, San Manzano, Outdoor Girl, and Alisa Craig. This means they need to be supported as they grow with robust canes as they can grow up to 1.8mt in hight. Set the canes deep into the pots and support the top with garden wire. The watering halos have the provision to set a tepee of canes around the plant.
They also need to be pruned during the growing process. The basic principle in pruning cordon tomatoes plants is that you want the main stem to be where the leaf stems emerge from. Take a look at https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/how-to-grow-cordon-tomatoes/ for a detailed instruction on pruning.
Outdoor Girl Tomatoes.
These are well suited to variable, colder UK conditions, i.e., Scotland. And can be grown outside if you have a suitable protected sunny spot in the garden. Flavour is a traditional sweet and sharp, good for salads and preserving.
Alisa Craig Tomatoes.
As far as taste goes this variety is still the one which many gardeners compare against for measuring how tasty a tomato is. Ailsa Craig has the right balance of sweetness and acidity combined with deep tomato flavour. There are few, if any tomatoes, which can match Ailsa Craig when it comes to taste. The texture is good for salads, and firm enough to make them excellent for slicing and serving on burgers and in sandwiches.
San Marzano Tomatoes.
These are my go-to cooking tomatoes and even if you are just buying your tomatoes in a tin, look for San Marzano. This is both a tomato variety and a region in Italy from where they take their name.
They are a plum tomato, a bit thinner and longer than the plum tomatoes you will be familiar with. with a lovely sweet – sharp flavour. The key thing is that they have fewer seeds and more flesh than a plum tomato. I find a lot of ‘Plum’ tomatoes seem to be no more than a stretched round tomato. If you have ever wondered why your tomato sauce is never as good as the one you tasted on your Italian holiday. It’s simply the quality of the ingredients.
So, now’s the time to get started. Once you have tried your home-grown tomatoes, you will realise how poor the shop bought versions are.
Look up the websites below for more in-depth information.
https://www.tomatogrowing.co.uk/
https://www.rhs.org.uk/vegetables/tomatoes/grow-your-own
Enjoy Life!
John.
Hi, my name is John Webber, award winning chef and tutor, now retired to the west coast of Scotland. Welcome to our blog focusing on food, cooking, and countryside. My aim is to pass on my years of skills and knowledge together with an appreciation of the countryside.
Join us to experience the beauty of the west coast, cook some great food and be at ease in the kitchen.
If you enjoyed your visit with us, please subscribe up to our newsletter to receive regular updates of what’s new and upcoming at The Westcoaster. Subscribe Here
©John Webber. 2023
Easy Soda Breads to Make at Home.
Make these easy soda breads at home. It’s so satisfying and rewarding everybody should be doing it.
Boiling, Poaching, Simmering, The duffer’s guide to wet heat.
The duffer’s’ guide to cooking with wet heat. Discover the correct way to use wet heat.
Make Your Own,- Welsh Cakes.
These homemade Welsh Cakes are easy to make and are a great addition to an afternoon tea spread. They are a variation of a griddle scone and shortbread, lightly spiced and finished with a coating of sugar. These make a great alternative to scones or cookies if friends come around. The only problem with them is that is impossible to only have one! They are at their best served fresh and warm but will keep in a cake box for a few days.
My father was Welsh, and as a child we often made the trip to Wales to see my relations. You were always sure to be greeted with a plate of warm Welsh cakes straight off the griddle. I have fond memories of those days and looking forward to the inevitable plate of warm delight.
Each region as its own variation of stove top bakes. Back at the farm Scotch pancakes are a firm favourite cooked directly on top of the hotplate. I attempted it once, what a mess. I had to scrape my efforts off the cooker. I’ll stick to the Welsh cakes.
You will need.
Mixing bowl
Small knife
Pastry knife
Jug for beaten egg
Measuring spoons
Flour sieve
Silicone spatula
Fish slice or pallet knife
Cooling wire
Makes 20 -22
50g unsalted Butter
50g lard
230g plain Flour
80g caster Sugar
Pinch salt
75g currants
1 ½ tsp baking Powder
1 tsp clear Honey
¼ tsp mixed Spice
4tbsp beaten Egg
2 tbsp milk
Caster sugar to sprinkle on top.
Dice the butter and lard into 1cm cubes then return to the fridge to firm up for a few minutes.
Weigh the flour then sieve into a mixing bowl, and stir in the baking powder, mixed spice, and salt.
Add the diced fats to the dry mix and rub fat into the flour to produce a sandy texture. Using a pastry knife will avoid the chances of melting the fats into the flour.
Add the sugar, currants, spice and honey and mix in.
Finally add the egg and mix just enough to produce a firm dough. Do not over work the dough or the Welsh cakes will be tough. Just like scones the less the dough is handled the lighter the finished product will be.
Roll out the dough 8mm thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut out circles of dough 6cm to 6.5cm diameter. Don’t try to make them too large or they will break up as you try to turn them.
Cooking the Welsh cakes
Cook on a flat griddle plate lightly coated with ghee or vegetable oil over a medium heat until golden brown. Give them about 1 ½ minutes then flip them over and cook on the other side for the same time. Turn again and cook for another half a minute on each side.
As soon as cooked lift onto a cooling wire and sprinkle with caster sugar. You can also cook the Welsh cakes in a non-stick frying pan again with a touch of fat added to help the colour form.
Alternatives,
To ring the changes, try maple syrup instead of honey in the dough.
Try a pinch of cinnamon instead of mixed spice. Leave out the currants and top each Welsh cake with a dollop of cooked diced Bramley apple. Do give them a try, they are just as easy as making scones, but without the need to put the oven on.
Enjoy Life,
John.
Hi, my name is John Webber, award winning chef and tutor, now retired to the west coast of Scotland. Welcome to our blog focusing on food, cooking, and countryside. My aim is to pass on my years of skills and knowledge together with an appreciation of the countryside.
Join us to experience the beauty of the west coast, cook some great food and be at ease in the kitchen.
If you enjoyed your visit with us, please subscribe up to our newsletter to receive regular updates of what’s new and upcoming at The Westcoaster. Subscribe Here
©John Webber. 2023
How to portion a chicken on the bone.
The article explains how to portion a whole chicken, providing detailed, step-by-step instructions. It emphasizes the benefits of working with a whole free-range bird, including better flavor, cost savings, and the ability to create stock. The guide also highlights important hygiene practices while preparing the chicken for various dishes.
Stunning, Mango and Coconut Tarts,
Delicious, mango and coconut cream tarts. Great for entertaining. Light,crisp almond pastry filled with fresh mango and coconut cream.