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The silly season is almost upon us - how did that happen?! With that in mind, we wanted to give you a recipe that will help grease the post-lockdown rusty wheels of socialising and hospitality. Homemade Lavash - or flatbread crackers are a quietly genius way to spruce up your cheese platter. They also make the perfect offering to take to holiday get-togethers, and they're a lovely gift for friends, colleagues and school teachers. To the receiver they have the sparkly allure of being an impressively complicated thing to make, but they're really not! Whether you're a novice in the kitchen or an old-hand, Lavash crackers require a very small set of both skills and ingredients. Let's do this.  Makes about 36 crackers
Ingredients: 1 cup plain/all purpose flour (150g) Pinch of salt 3 tbsp olive oil ¼ cup water Method: Preheat the oven to 200c (180c fan-forced) and set aside 2 baking trays, lined with baking paper. In a mixing bowl, combine plain flour and salt. Make a well in the centre. Add 2 tbsp of olive oil and the water to the well, and mix gradually until you have what's known as a shaggy dough (lumpy but well mixed with no dry spots). If it looks a little dry add more water 1 tsp at a time. Form the dough into a rough ball then turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough a little with the heels of your hands to make it pliable and elastic - about 2 minutes. Divide dough roughly into three portions. Roll out each portion as thinly as you can - about 1-2 mm thick. I find it easier to do this by putting the dough between 2 pieces of baking paper. Keep the surfaces dusted with flour as you go (if not rolling between baking paper). Using a sharp knife, or better yet a pizza cutter, cut dough into your desired shapes (long strips, squares etc) then place them on the baking trays. You don't want them to overlap, but they also won't spread as they cook, so no need to space them. Using a pastry brush, brush the remaining olive oil (1 tablespoon) evenly over the surface of the crackers, then sprinkle them with a little salt. Bake for 6-10 minutes, or until golden brown. Then turn the oven off and leave the crackers on their trays in the oven while it cools. This allows them to really dry out and maintain their crunchiness. Kept in an airtight container, they'll stay fresh for 2-3 weeks. PIMP MY RECIPE You can sprinkle so many things on lavash to really make them sing! Just before you pop them in the oven, and after you've brushed them with olive oil and sprinkled a little salt, you can add all manner of seeds and seasonings:
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MIX, WAIT, SHAPE & BAKE. That's all that's required for the most beautiful, golden crusty homemade loaf. Your nearest and dearest will think you've spent weeks nurturing a starter then half a day kneading and resting the dough. There is no need to tell them that you produced this wondrous bread on a spur of the moment whim, or that it took a mere 10-15 mins of your time to put together. Your secret is safe with us.  Prep time: 15min (+2 hrs for rising)
Bake time: 40min Ingredients: 3 cups (450g) plain bakers flour 2 tsp instant yeast 1 tsp salt 3/4 tsp diastatic malt powder 1.5 cups (375 ml) of very warm water. Not super hot, not tepid. Think lovely bath water temperature. (50°c is perfect if you have a thermometer). Extra flour for dusting. Method: 1. MIX Mix flour, malt, yeast, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add water, then stir with spatula or wooden spoon until combined. Dough will be a splattery, gooey mucky mess – too wet to knead but not as runny as a batter. You may need to add a splash more water to get the right consistency. 2. WAIT Cover the bowl with wax wrap, cling film or plate. Now leave it somewhere warm to rise for about 2 hours, after which it will have doubled in volume. If it's not rising, move it somewhere warmer. 3. SHAPE Place a dutch oven or casserole pot with a lid on into your cold oven. Turn on and heat the oven to 230°c (210°c fan forced). This also will preheat the dutch oven/casserole dish at the same time. While it's heating shape the dough: Place a large square of baking paper on your work surface and sprinkle a scattering of flour over it. Scrape the sticky dough out onto it using a spatula or scraper. Sprinkle a little more flour over the dough. Use your scraper or spatula to fold the sides of the dough in on itself to form a roundish mound. It doesn't have to look perfect; in fact the less smooth and round, the crunchier the crust! 4. BAKE Remove the piping hot dutch oven/casserole pot from the oven. Remove the lid. Lift corners of paper to place dough into the pot, paper and all. Place the lid on and put it in the oven. Bake 30 minutes covered, then 10 minutes uncovered or until golden and crispy. Cool on rack for 30 minutes before slicing. If you can. No judgement from us if you start whittling away at it immediately. PIMP MY RECIPE
Our cosy team here at Village Wholefoods loves to share an afternoon cuppa and a homemade treat in our back tea room. A slice of cake, a muffin, a shortbread or 3 - all offerings are devoured with appreciation and gusto. When Our Kellie came in recently bearing a bowl of chocolate mousse, it was tools down immediately! Velvety smooth, light, fluffy and decadently chocolatey, I was amazed to learn it was vegan. No eggs! No dairy! How did Kellie make this incredible concoction? Turns out, her secret weapon is Coconut Whipping Cream. Keep the can in the fridge so it's ready to go when needed. Kellie's easy vegan chocolate mousse is a must try. The good news is this mousse takes only 10 minutes to make. The not so good news is you'll have to pop it in the fridge and wait an hour before demolishing it. We know you can do it. Good luck!  Serves: 4
Ingredients: 1 can coconut whipping cream (refrigerate for at least 3 hours prior to using) 1/3 cup alkalised cocoa powder 4 tbsp icing sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 2-3 chocolate freeze dried strawberries, crushed or fresh berries (Optional) Method: Scoop the contents of coconut whipping cream into a large bowl. Using electric beaters or a stand mixer, whip until smooth and creamy. (You can use a balloon whisk, but this will require a little more elbow grease and a little more time) Add the alkalised cocoa, icing sugar and vanilla extract and beat again for about 5-8 minutes or until all the ingredients are completely mixed and it has a creamy mousse like texture. If using add 2/3 of the crushed strawberries and gently stir through the mixture. Portion into bowls and sprinkle remaining crushed strawberries on top of each bowl to decorate. If using fresh berries just add on top at the end. Place in the fridge for 1 hour or until ready to consume. Spring has sprung! Lockdown is over! Both great reasons for diving into this all-occasion Pearl Couscous Salad. The silky, comforting pasta vibe of pearl couscous teamed with fresh Mediterranean-inspired ingredients like tomato, cucumber and capsicum, and the vibrancy of fresh herbs and feta means this is a dish that can be enjoyed as a midweek supper, a hearty offering to take to an impromptu gathering with family and friends, or even an enviable leftovers lunch!  Prep Time: 30 min
Cooking Time: 10 min Ingredients: 1 cup pearl couscous 1 tbsp oil 2 garlic cloves minced 1 ¾ cups water 2 tsp vegetable or chicken stock powder 1 cucumber chopped ½ red onion, finely diced 1 capsicum, chopped 1-2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved ½ cup cubed feta or goats cheese ½ bunch mint, roughly chopped ½ bunch parsley, roughly chopped ¼ cup slivered almonds For dressing: 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp squeezed lemon juice 1/2 tsp salt ½ tsp pepper 1 tsp honey 1 tbsp za'atar spice mix Method: First, toast the almonds over a medium heat in a frying pan. This only takes a couple of mins. As soon as they start to colour, remove the pan from heat and transfer almonds to a small dish. Set them aside for garnishing your salad at the end. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add pearl couscous and garlic and stir, cooking for 1-2 minutes. Add stock powder and water, cover with lid and reduce heat to medium low. Cook for 10 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and the pearl couscous is cooked through but still a bit firm. Use a fork to gently separate the couscous, then transfer into a large bowl to cool. Note: it might look like it's getting a bit sticky or gluggy as it's cooling but never fear, the dressing and other ingredients will fix all that. While the couscous is cooking, make the dressing and chop the salad ingredient To make dressing, simply place dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well. Add remaining salad ingredients into the large bowl with the Pearl couscous, then pour over the dressing and toss. Garnish with slivered almonds and serve the salad at room temperature. PIMP MY RECIPE
Indian Spiced scrambled eggs with curry leaves is a wonderful way to add fresh flavour and variety to a breakfast classic. I love to serve mine with roti, naan or paratha, and grilled tomato.  Serves 2
Ingredients: 2-3 tsp ghee or butter 4 eggs ¼ tsp mustard seeds, brown or yellow ¼ tsp ground ginger ½ tsp turmeric 6 or 7 curry leaves Salt and pepper Toast, roti, naan or paratha to serve Method: Whisk eggs in a bowl or jug together with a small splash of water (or cream if you're feeling decadent). Heat a frypan over medium-low heat, add ghee or butter. Add all the spices and stir for 30 seconds or so before pouring the whisked eggs in. Turn heat to low. Low and slow is the secret to creamy scrambled eggs. Don't scramble the eggs so much as keep them moving with your spatula or wooden spoon. The aim is to keep gently lifting the egg mixture off the bottom of the pan. They need to cook slowly and gradually, over a few minutes. When they are almost cooked, spoon the scrambled eggs onto your serving plates; they will continue to cook for a minute after leaving the pan, and if you leave them in the pan until they are perfectly cooked, they'll be overcooked by the time you sit down to enjoy them. Serve with your choice of bread or toast, plus any sides you fancy. PIMP MY RECIPE Paneer goes beautifully with these eggs. Crumble them over the eggs as they are cooking. Leftover potato is an utterly perfect accompaniment to Indian spiced eggs. Cut cooked potato into small cubes and fry over a high heat, adding a few mustard seeds if you like. Delicious! Chopped shallot is another yummy garnish, as is coriander. Green chilli is a delicious garnish if you want things spicy. You can also try eggplant or lime pickle to really ramp up the flavour. |
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