Tahini

For the last couple of years, I've been making my own for a few reasons:
1. Couldn't bear the idea of buying a full jar for a few table spoons to use in my dip
2. Didn't like the taste of the store bought Tahini
3. Didn't like the layer of fat on top of it!

Tahini is very simple to make and it freezes well. I put it in Ice cube trays (1 cube = 1 tbsp). Once they are frozen, I unmould them and put them in Zip lock bags...ready to use when I need it.

Tahini

Ingredients

       2 cups of sesame seeds (3 in the Thermie)
       1/4 cup of water
       1 tbsp of olive oil (optional)

How to

In a saucepan, dry roast the seeds until golden (I find this method cheaper and quicker than using the oven) and let them cool completely.

Put the sesame seeds in the mixer and blend until you get a thick mixture. Add the water and oil (if using) and keep blending until the paste becomes smooth.

Divide the paste into ice cube trays and freeze.

Once frozen, unmould and store in ziplock bags.

Pimms and Lemonade

Today, I introduced my friend to Pimms and Lemonade.
I discovered this lovely drink when living in London. My English friends and I went to this gorgeous pub, overlooking the river Thames, in Richmond. They ordered a jug and told me I would love it...well, I did!
You can make it in individual glasses but personaly, I prefer the jug (I leave it in the fridge for all the flavours to mix)
Here is the recipe (feel free to adjust the quantities to your taste)

Pimms and Lemonade

Ingredients

In a 2 litre jug

        a handful of strawberries (cut in 4 pieces each)

        10 leaves of fresh mint (slightly crushed)

        3 to 5 lemon slices (halved)

        100g of cucumber (sliced and quartered)

        1/4 L of Pimms (or more if you like it stronger)

        1 1/2 L of cold Lemonade

How to:

Put all the solid ingredients in the jug. Pour the Pimms over them. (I make this in advance and store it in the fridge at this point)

Pour the cold lemonade at the last minute, serve, sit back and relax!.

 

Ceasar Salad dressing

I finally got the perfect dressing for my Ceasar salad!!! Simple and very tasty!
I always use homemade mayonnaise, so if you are using store bought Mayo, you might need to add Mustard and use milk to make the dressing more liquid. Homemade mayonnaise only takes a few minutes to make and is so much tastier...go on, have a go!

Caesar dressing

Ingredients

        1 cup mayonnaise

        2 anchovy fillets (finely chopped)

        1 big garlic cloves or 2 small (finely chopped)

        2 tbsp of grated parmesan

        2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

        1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (if using store bought mayonnaise)

        salt and pepper

How to

Make the Mayonnaise.

Add the lemon, anchovies, garlic and parmesan.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Note: This dressing can be made a day ahead. Cover with cling film and store in the fridge.

Natural dog Shampoo

This one is not edible but it was so good, it needed to be shared.
One of my dog (Bull arab X Bull Mastiff) was suffering from dry skin. He was permanently scratching and looked bothered.  We changed his diet, gave him Organic Flaxseed oil but it wasn't improving.
We (as a family) try to limit our chemical use and replace as much as we can with natural products. So we thought we would look into a natural shampoo to help our poor pooch.
Here is the recipe I used (apart from Tea Tree oil as I ran out of it):

Dog Shampoo (dry skin)

Ingredients

        2 cups of water (or infused Camomille tea)

        1/2 cup of dishwashing liquid (I use the Earth brand)

        1/2 cup of white vinegar (skin PH)

        1/4 cup of Aloe Vera gel

        1/4 cup of Glycerin

        1 tsp of Tea Tree oil

        6 drops of Lavender oil

How to

Mix all the ingredients together.

Wet the dog first. Rub some shampoo onto the skin and lather.

Rinse thoroughly and dry your lovely smelling puppy.

 

Bread

Here is the recipe I used to make all the time (before I got hooked on Sourdough Bread). Simple and versatile, I shape it in baguette, rolls, loaves and put some egg wash on it for the crust. Shape it like a thick pizza, brush some olive oil and sprinkle some rosemay leaves for a Foccacia style (perfect for BBQs with homemade dips).
Put some seeds in the dough (dry roasted fennel seeds, caraway seeds, cumin seeds...) for different flavours.
This recipe is waiting for your creative side to come out and play.

Basic bread

Ingredients (4)

Proving mix

       6g of yeast

       50 ml of tepid water

Dough

       300 ml of tepid water

       500g of flour

       5g of salt

How to

In a large mixing bow,  mix the  yeast in water and prove until frothy (about 10 minutes)

Add flour first, then salt to the proving mix ,  add water  gradually.

Put the dough on a floured surface and knead well (until the dough becomes supple and elastic).

Make a ball and put it back in the bowl, cover with cling film and prove for 1 hour or doubled in size. The ambient temperature will have an impact on the rising time.

After the first rise, take the dough again,  work it again and shape it (balls, baguettes...) and let it rise a second time (between 30 minutes to 1 hours depending on temperature)

Brush some egg wash (egg + water) or just spray some water on it.

Make some incision on the bread and bake in a preheated oven at 180 C for 20 minutes or until brown.