Yet another courgette (zucchini) recipe! Why, you ask? It’s too early for garden glut. I have signed up for a veg box delivery service to help us eat more vegetables in the winter. There’s a couple of purple cabbage recipes on the way as well. Guess what there’s a lot of in the veg box – oh yes, courgettes.

This is a quick bread recipe, so raised with baking powder and baking soda, not yeast. I used buttermilk (full fat obvs) for my recipe but any fermented milk product will probably do the trick; Greek yoghurt, creme fraiche, sour cream. There’s no butter or oil in the recipe so it does need the fat from the dairy products to achieve a good texture. Keep an eye on consistency, I found this batter relatively dry. If yours is too dry to spread in the pans, thin it out with milk.

You can also be flexible with the herbs: I used dried basil and dried chives because that’s what I had in the cupboard. You can also try some garlic or add in a handful of finely chopped spring onions.

One ‘must’ with this recipe – use small (1 pound) loaf pans and line them with parchment or purchased paper liners. Otherwise – a sticky mess and possibly new pans in your future. Also, try disposable miniature loaf pans for single portions, reduce the cooking time. My recipe made 3 modest small loaves, you could possibly cram the batter into 2 small pans.

Let’s get cooking.

Recipe

Ingredients

450 grams of courgettes (2 medium)

1 tsp sea salt

125 grams of plain white flour

125 grams of whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 tablespoons dried chives

2 tablespoons dried basil

150 grams cheddar cheese

3 large eggs

170 grams buttermilk (3/4 cup)

Instructions

1. Grate the courgettes, add the teaspoon of sea salt, stir through, put in a colander in the sink and drain out the liquid. Leave for at least 30 minutes. When you’re ready to cook the recipe, put the courgettes in a clean tea towel and squeeze out the remaining liquid. Put to one side.
2. Preheat the over to 180C (350F). Needs a lower temperature and a longer cooking time to bake through.
3. Grate the cheese, put to one side.
4. In a large bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients (flours, baking powder, baking soda, remaining salt) until well combined.
5. Add the shredded courgettes to the dry ingredients, it should look like the individual shreds are coated with flour.
6. Add the basil and chives (and any other spices of your choice) and the grated cheddar, combine with your hands or a baking whisk.
7. Beat together the eggs and buttermilk, in a separate bowl.
8. Fold the buttermilk and eggs into the dry mixture. As with any quick bread – do not beat or overstir, just until its combined. Makes it tough.
9. Using your trigger scoop, fill your prepared pans about 2/3 to 3/4 full. If you’ve gone for fuller pans, line a baking sheet and put them on that. Unless you like cleaning your oven, you’ll be glad you did this.
10. Bake for an hour in the lower part of the oven, if using 1 pound loaf pans, 45 minutes if using smaller loaf casings. It seems like a along time, but it’s a thick batter and needs the time to cook through. If the tops look too brown, cover with a piece of foil but don’t undercook.
11. Cool completely before removing. Lovely with just butter. We also toasted and had with our boiled eggs in the morning.

Thank you for reading the blog and trying the recipes. Let me know how it went in the comments below or on social media @mamadolson on Twitter and Instagram.

I love buffalo wings. I remember eating buffalo wings so hot it burned our lips and made us cry in the snack bar overlooking the ice rink at Rockefeller Center. If food had no consequences for weight or health I’m pretty sure I could live on buffalo wings, chocolate ice cream, deep fried zucchini and champagne. Sadly, this is not the case. I’ve had to seek out an alternative to buffalo wings. And inspired by the buffalo cauliflower (discontinued!) at Smith & Wollensky London, I’ve been trying out various methods for oven baked buffalo cauliflower. I do have a deep fat fryer but I’m afraid to try a deep fried version – it might be irresistible. So baked it must be.

Good news and bad news. Baked buffalo cauliflower tastes fabulous = good news. I cannot make it crunchy = bad news. My recipe below makes it less soggy and less messy but crunchy it is not. Still a great way to make cauliflower interesting (without cheese sauce and macaroni) and it’s relatively healthy.

There is a bit of ‘in and out’ of the oven with this recipe. And some tips to decrease the soggy quotient but it’s fairly simple. I started with a recipe from Cookie&Kate and adapted it for European ingredients, methods, measurements and eliminating garlic.

I use Frank’s Red Hot Sauce in my wings, feel free to use your favourite. Here’s a great article on hot sauce from Spruce Eats. Make it vegan by using your favourite butter substitute.

Recipe

• 1 large head of cauliflower (kilo or more)
• 15 grams or 2 tablespoons of corn flour (corn starch for Americans)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon of ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 to 4 tablespoons of your favourite hot sauce, to taste (see above for choices)
• 30 grams unsalted butter, melted

Equipment

Four things can help with this recipe – it’s all about more crisp and less soggy.

• Use a Ziplock bag to coat the florets with corn flour and spices.
• Put parchment paper on your baking sheet(s)
• Try using a fine mesh rack over the baking parchment
• Use the fan oven

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200C fan oven (220C no fan)(425F) with racks in the bottom half of the oven.
2. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent the cauliflower from sticking. If you have fine mesh racks (say for cookie cooling or similar use those as well)
3. Cut the cauliflower into florets no more than 5 cms (2 inches) in size.
4. Put the cornstarch, cumin and pepper in a Ziplock. Shake to mix. Add the cauliflower florets and shake until well coated.
5. Drizzle in the olive oil and toss again until lightly and evenly coated.
6. Arrange the florets evenly across the prepared baking sheets. Space them out well – they would fit on a single baking sheet but spaced out gives a better result.
7. Roast the cauliflower for 20 minutes on the lower rack, then gently toss. Return the pan to the lower rack and bake until the cauliflower is tender and golden, about 10 more minutes. 
8. Meanwhile combine the hot sauce and melted butter. Whisk to combine. Taste, and stir in another tablespoon of hot sauce if desired. Once the cauliflower is golden, transfer it to the bowl and gently toss until the cauliflower is well coated. 
9. Arrange the cauliflower on the pan in a single layer once again. Return the pan to the oven and bake until the cauliflower is blistered in spots, about 10 more minutes. Serve as desired with blue cheese or Ranch style dressing.

Thank you for reading the blog and cooking the recipes. Tag me @mamadolson on Instagram or Twitter if you’ve got photos. Leave your comments and ask your questions below.

We have been having a fabulous summer in England. One of those warm dry summers that appears about once every 20 years. The last like this was in 2003. It’s a little warm for some but it’s better than that August that I remember wearing a coat to the office or even last summer when I never bothered to put my cashmere sweaters away.

One consequence of such a glorious summer is, of course, still more courgettes (zucchini). Here is yet another courgette recipe. This one involves a lot of herbs to form a basis for pilau (pilaf you Americans) and then making it into a main course by breaking in some eggs. There is a lot of prep; you will be chopping and grating, but it does cook up in one pot. Some faff with ‘in and out’ of the oven to finish off but it was worth the work.

Here’s link to all my courgette recipes: 50 Ways to Use your Squash

A couple of very useful tools for this recipe: a handheld mandolin, a mezzaluna and a large shallow enamelled cast iron skillet with a lid – le Creuset or similar. This recipe makes a nice lunch for four, maybe not enough protein for some. I make it and do the eggs separately so that the leftovers keep nicely. Easy to make a vegan version of this recipe with a couple of little tweaks and substitutions.

Let’s get cooking.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 80 grams (3 ounces) mixed green leaves by preference sharper such as watercress, rocket and spinach
• 1 green chilli, sliced with seeds left inside(handle with care, see below)
• 2 medium courgettes, coarsely grated
• 3 tablespoons of chopped coriander (cilantro) (1 tablespoon dried)
• 50 grams (2 ounces) unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 bunch of spring onions (scallions), trimmed, finely sliced
• 1 tablespoon dried coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons nigella seeds
• 40 grams (1/3 cup) raisins
• 300 grams (1 1/4 cup) basmati rice
• 650 mls (2 3/4) vegetable stock (watch out here if you’re doing a vegan version, not all stock cubes are suitable)
• 4 eggs
• 10 grams flaked almonds
• greek yoghurt (full fat) and extra coriander to serve

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
2. Rough tear the green leaves into a bowl.
3. Put on gloves or coat your hands in olive oil, then carefully remove the top of the green chilli, cut in half and then slice as thin as you can. Add to the bowl of green leaves. Wash your hands. Be very careful not to touch your face.
4. Grate the courgettes, add to the vegetable bowl.
5. Chop the coriander with the mezzaluna (I find it very therapeutic, back and forth, back and forth, etc) Here’s a very short video on ‘how to mezzaluna’. Throw the chopped coriander in with the greens.
6. Get your large shallow oven proof skillet on the hob. Melt the butter, add the olive oil. If you’re doing a vegan version omit the butter. Why combine butter and olive oil? Partly for taste but also because the butter keeps the oil from splattering. Using a knife or your hand held mandolin, finely slice your spring onions into the butter & oil.
7. Soften the spring onions for just a minute or so, then throw in the raisins, nigella seeds and the dried herbs (coriander, cumin, cardamom). Cook for another minute, stirring constantly.
8. Add the bowl of green leaves and vegetables. Cook over medium heat, up to ten minutes, allowing the vegetables to shed some water and reduce in volume. Grind over some salt and pepper.
9. Add the rice, stirring to coat and incorporate with the vegetables. Add the vegetable stock (I use Knorr jelly bouillon but then I make a lot of soup and stew). Stock cubes or stock pots are good. Check for ‘vegan friendly’ if you’re trying for a vegan version.
10. Bring the mixture to a bubble, put the lid on and slide it in to the oven. Leave undisturbed for 25 minutes.
11. Remove from the oven, take the lid off. Make four spaces for the eggs in the mixture. Break in the eggs, sprinkle the slivered almonds over the top and return to the oven for about 10 minutes. Leave for longer depending on how firm you like your eggs.
12. Serve with greek yoghurt and extra chopped coriander. Enjoy!

Thank you for reading the blog and trying the recipes. I promise the next recipe will be on something other than courgettes!

I fail spectacularly at absolutes. ‘Janu-dry’ in our household has lasted – once – until 20 January. Now we practice ‘Janu-less’ and only have wine with our meals twice a week. Same with ‘veganuary’. I’m happy that I got the Davinator to embrace ‘meat free Monday’, essentially by not telling him it was happening. One of the kids ratted me out but now he rolls with it. So vegananuary is not going to work in our house. But I wanted to get more vegetables into our diet.

I’m a fan of positives and my January resolution is to have more fun with vegetables. There’s a long back story about my love hate relationship with vegetables. Netting it out – I grew up in farm country and we had a large kitchen garden. I was used to eating what had just come out of the garden or had been preserved (frozen, canned, stored) within hours of harvest. That was my experience of how vegetables should taste. That was not what I encountered in the wider world and I ate vegetables but didn’t enjoy them.

So, I’m trying to make vegetables interesting and exciting without breading and deep frying them (the Italian method) or shredding them into cake. Ironically, this recipe is an onion tart mimicking tarte tatin. It uses the same technique to make onions into an exquisite savory dish. Here’s a link to my tarte tatin recipe if you really want to make a dessert.

I must confess – I love this onion tart. Even the first attempt was excellent and I’m going to work on a couple of refinements. I started with a recipe from Delia Smith’s Winter Collection and there are many fabulous recipes there. Perfect for Lockdown 3.0

Equipment for this recipe: you need a round 9 inch pan that can go from the stove top to the oven and back again. I love my le Creuset pans. They are expensive and you might look for good quality clones ( enamel covered cast iron – still will be pricey) but I’ve got le Creuset pots and pans that are older than my children. You can do this with a sturdy cake or pie tin but it will be more difficult to handle. A pastry blender also comes in handy or you can use your food processor.

This a great recipe to brush up your onion cutting technique. You’ll find a lot of advice on how to cut onions without serious crying and honestly not many of them work that well. I use a combination of techniques: peel the onions but don’t cut them until you’re ready to use them, turn the extractor fan on high and cut nearby, throw the waste into a compost caddy with a lid after each cut and rinse your knife and cutting board from time to time. Also, I keep a candle burning nearby – but this is probably just superstition.

There’s an easy vegan flex for this one – use your hard fat of choice (should be firm at room temperature) to substitute the butter. Vegan cheese for the crust.

Time to make ourselves cry……

Recipe

Ingredients – tart

• 1 kg onions (red or white) of fairly uniform size, mine were on average smaller than a tennis ball
• 50 grams of butter
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Fresh thyme if you have some but dried also works fine
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar (use the good stuff but sparingly)
• salt and pepper

For the pastry:

• 75 grams wholemeal flour
• 50 grams plain white flour
• 50 grams chilled butter (grated)
• 25 grams (grated)
• 1 teaspoon chopped thyme

Instructions – onions

1. Prep your onions. Remove the outer skin. Trim any roots very close to the body of the onions. Put to one side. We will cut them just before we place them in the pan. Turn your oven on to about 180C (160C fan).
2. Place the pan over a medium heat melt the butter. Add the sugar to the melted butter.
3. When the sugar is blended and the mixture is bubbling, scatter six sprigs of thyme (if fresh) or a tablespoon of dried.
4. Begin cutting your onions in half and arrange them cut side down on the base of the pan. Think about doing a jigsaw puzzle as you place the onions. Once you have can put anymore halves in, start cutting wedges to fill in the gaps and the sides. The cut sides will be showing when you flip the tart so this is the moment to make it pretty.
5. Seasons the onions with salt and pepper and then sprinkle in the balsamic vinegar. Turn the heat down under the pan and let the onions cook very gently for about 10 minutes.
6. Put the lid on the pan or cover it with foil. Place it on the middle shelf in the oven and leave it cook for an hour.

Instructions – pastry & assembly

1. Combine the flours, butter, cheese in a bowl with a pastry blender or in your food processor. Pulse or blend until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add cold water, a tablespoon at a time until it forms a soft dough.
2. Gather the dough and place it between two sheets of cling film. Roll into a 10 inch round. Tuck the cling film around the dough and put it in fridge to chill. egradually add enough cold water – about 2-3 tablespoons – to make a soft dough.
3. Test the onions with a skewer at the end of the cooking time. They should be cooked through but still have texture and shape.
4. Move the pan to the stove top, turn up the oven to 200C.
5. Cook the pan on the stove top to reduce the onion butter juice. Try medium heat, keeping a close eye on the onions so that they don’t scorch. You’re aiming to reduce the juice to a syrup. This might take ten minutes.
6. Take your dough round out of the fridge. Take the pan off the heat and carefully fit the pastry over and around the onions. Tuck in the edges around the inside of the pan.
7. Put the tart back in the oven on top shelf and bake it for another 30 minutes until the pastry is crisp and golden. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool for 20 minutes before flipping it. Loosen the dough around the edges if it’s stuck.
8. Find a flat plate or a cutting board. Get your oven mitts or other protection for your hands. Place the plate over the tart, take a deep breath, hold it firmly and flip it over. Be bold!
9. Some of the onions might stick to the pan or become disarranged when flipping. Just pick them up with tongs or a spoon and fit them back into your tart.
10. Voila – Red Onion Tarte Tatin!

I’m going to work on some flexes for this recipe – I fancy using concentrated beef stock instead of balsamic vinegar. Also, changing the spices. I’ve been enjoying this tarte cold as snacks and with some cheese on the side as a meal. There are no Davinator remarks because – he’s very sensitive to onions and so this one is just for me.

Thank you for reading the blog, cooking the recipes, enjoying food and sending me comments and requests. Please subscribe and tag me if you post photos on social media. @mamadolson on Twitter and Instagram. Search Mama Dolson’s Bakery & Hangout on Facebook.

I don’t like beetroot (beets for los Americanos).  It tastes like dirt to me – just saying. But there are some in my household who do love beetroot and I cook it for them.

Here’s my go to borscht,  based on a Martha Stewart recipe. Like all soup recipes, it’s flexible so you can add and subtract vegetables and seasonings based on what you have on hand and what you like. Other than the beetroot obviously.

My top tip for working with beetroot – wear thin rubber globes and put a layer of cling film or plastic wrap on anything you don’t want stained a red and purple.  People will be thinking there’s been a murder in your kitchen if you’re not careful.

The beetroot and other vegetables must be roasted before being included in the soup, so leave time for roasting.

Make this recipe vegetarian or vegan friendly by eliminating the bacon and serving with some fried chunks of tofu on top.  Also be careful with your stock cube.  Many commercial stock cubes – even the vegetable stock – can have animal products in them.

Ingredients

1 kilo of beetroot – scrubbed, peeled and cut into chunks about 2.5 cms square

500 grams of potatoes – scrubbed, peeled and cut into chunks about 2.5 cms square

500 grams of carrots – scrubbed and cut into chunks

8 rashers of streaky bacon

2 large shallots

Generous slug of cooking brandy

2 tablespoons high quality olive oil plus another tablespoon and a pat of butter

5 sprigs fresh thyme

Coarse salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 litre of high quality vegetable stock

Sour cream, creme fraiche or greek yogurt for serving, plus fresh chives or parsley

Instructions

1.  Preheat oven to 180c fan or 200 non-fan.  Combine beets, potatoes and carrots with  2 tablespoons of olive oil and thyme in a roasting pan or pans – in a single layer.  Cook for 45 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through.
2.  About 10 minutes before vegetables are finished roasting, chop shallots and cut the bacon into small chunks.  Saute in remaining olive oil and butter over medium heat in a soup pot until lovely and soft.  Add the cooking brandy, and cook over high to cook off all the alcohol.    Get the vegetable stock ready.
3. Combine roasted beets, potatoes and carrots with the bacon and shallots and vegetable stock  in the soup pot.   Bring to a simmer over medium high heat.  Cook until all vegetables are tender.
4. Puree with a soup blender for a super smooth texture or use your potato masher for a coarser texture.
5. Stir in the vinegar.  Put in the bowls, add the Greek yogurt and chives, pair with some of Mama Dolson’s famous rye bread and enjoy!