Congee for Breakfast

If you are cutting down in salt in your diet, or avoiding palm oil, you might like to cook your congee without the stock cube

When you look at congee as a way of using leftover rice, you will find it is a way of cooking rice into porridge, and the addition of stock cube is a modern addition

Following the recipe below I made congee for breakfast without stock cube and using other toppings such as salted fish

Japanese Rice Congee (Okayu)

Miso-Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Crispy Miso Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Blueberry Kefir Cake

Repeat of an old recipe

Works a treat

Orzo With Artichokes and Pine Nuts

Arrival of a child did not permanently end my ambition to write about what I cook. So here to get back to it a quick recipe that the little one loves.

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/orzo-with-artichokes-and-pine-nuts-234671

Tomato Dal Soup

Simple and tasty recipe for leftover tur dal

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/tomato-dal-soup-102933

Bábovka 6

Bábovka again. Natural yogurt (no cream) and 2tbsp vegetable oil (could be replaced by butter). Rest stays the same, Czech semi-coarse flour and caster sugar.

Previous posts: 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.

Tastes lovely.

Bábovka 5

More bábovka! This time using wholemeal flour. Result is not bad at all.

Bábovka 4

Using the same recipe and trying plain British flour instead of semi-course flour. Result looks very good, probably fine as long as there is enough baking powder to fluff the cake up and egg whites for crispiness.

See previous numbers 1, 2 and 3.

Mince Pies 2

I only got around to making Christmas mince pies now, at the end of January – oops.

Slightly different recipe with sugar and egg in pastry. Either I’m better at making shortcrust or the sugar/egg improve pie’s texture. Very satisfied with the result!

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1813664/mince-pies

• 300g mincemeat
• 250g flour
• 175g butter
• 40g sugar
• 1 egg

Worked crumbly pastry first, chilled it and mixed with sugar and egg before rolling out.

Baking time 23 mins at 200 degrees, fan only.

Bábovka 3

Same recipe as number 1 and 2. This time using whipping cream again to see what the effect is of replacing caster sugar with brown. Result is almost as good as original recipe (which is very good).