With the Coronavirus causing some issues with food supplies (or, rather, some selfish people buying up all the food they can get their hands on) I thought it might be a good idea to start a thread where we can post up simple recipes for us to try, and to help us to get through this crisis. Please, wherever possible, use recipes that do not require fresh produce that is (currently) difficult to get hold of. Well, here goes with a few I have to hand;
5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
A small splash of vanilla extract
1 large (microwave safe) coffee mug
Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.
Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.
The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.
EAT! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous).
And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world?
Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!
GINGER AND DATE CAKE
250 g/8 oz butter
250 g/8 oz dark muscovado sugar
112 g black treacle (put tin on scales, remove treacle until the scales read 112 g less than they did when you started)
375 g/12 oz plain flour
5 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoonsful ground mixed spice
1 packet Whitworth’s Fiery Ginger (chopped crystallised ginger) (chopped again)
1 packet Whitworth’s chopped dates
2 eggs. Beaten
300 ml/1/2 pint milk
2 teaspoonfuls bicarbonate of soda
Line two large loaf tins, or similar capacity cake tins.
Heat oven to 160 c, gas mark 3
Put the butter, sugar and treacle into a heavy pan and heat gently, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Allow to cool a little while.
Mix together flour and spices, pour in treacle mixture, stir thoroughly. Add ginger and dates, stir eggs into the mixture.
Warm the milk, stirring to avoid it burning. Add the bicarbonate of soda, and let it foam. Stir it into the mixture, making sure it is all well blended.
Pour into the prepared tins, and bake until it is springy, or a skewer comes out clean, approximately one hour.
MEXICAN BEAN POT
Starting ingredients.
2 tins of kidney beans.
2 tins chopped tomatoes
1 medium onion
4 medium carrots
2 cloves crushed garlic (more if you like).
1 dessertspoon hot paprika
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon Winter Savoury (If you cannot get Winter Savoury Marjoram or Oregano will do, but barely. The German name for Winter Savoury is 'Bean Herb', and it makes even cheap baked beans taste good).
To add later.
Half teaspoon chilli powder (full one if you prefer).
1 seeded, cored and chopped red pepper (prepare in the morning and leave in the fridge until needed).
1 dessertspoon Marmite
Salt and pepper
Parsley to garnish, if you are feeling posh.
Put the starting ingredients in a large pan and cook them slowly until the carrots are soft. Either leave to simmer on the slow part of the range, or (if the oven is big enough) transfer to an oven proof dish and leave to cook slowly. About half an hour before you are planning to eat add the last ingredients (other than the parsley, you pop that on at the last minute).
This can be eaten the next day, frozen, wrapped in tortillas, or whatever you like. Mums' preference was hot wholemeal bread rolls and herb butter.
Herb Butter. When you have the time and fresh herbs, mash the herbs into butter (not margarine or those fake buttery spreads), and pack the mixture into ice cube trays, and freeze. To remove them dip the base of the tray into hot water for a moment. To store them wrap them in cling film, but do not pack them unwrapped in a container as they will stick together.
SWEETCORN PANCAKES
Two tablespoons of plain flour,
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 pinch salt
3 eggs,
Milk
Small tin of sweetcorn
Sieve the flour, bicarb and salt together. Add the eggs, and beat until smooth. Add sufficient milk to make a batter consistency of double cream. Drain the sweetcorn, add to the batter. Fry (small pancakes). Mum uses a serving spoon amount per pancake.
WHOLEMEAL BREAD
Ingredients:
350g strong brown bread flour
50g malted wheat flour
7g instant yeast
8g salt
25ml olive oil plus extra for the tin
265ml lukewarm water
Method:
Tip the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the yeast to one side and the salt to the other (salt in direct contact with the yeast could kill it or slow it down).
Add the olive oil and 200ml water and, using a plastic dough scraper or your fingers, work together the flour mixture and water. Slowly add the remaining water until you’ve picked up all the flour from the sides of the bowl and the dough is soft, but not soggy. You may not need absolutely all the water.
Tip the dough onto a lightly oiled work surface and knead for 5 – 10 minutes until the dough forms a smooth, soft skin. At first it will feel wet and sticky – continue kneading and you’ll end up with the smooth texture you’re looking for.
Shape the dough into a round and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise until the dough has doubled in size. This could be anything from one hour to three, depending on how warm your kitchen is but don’t worry too much about leaving it too long, the dough should be fine left for up to three hours.
Rub a thin layer of olive oil into a 1kg loaf tin. Tip the risen dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knock the air out of it by folding inwards repeatedly. Then flatten the dough slightly and form into an oblong by folding the sides into the middle. Press firmly on the dough where it joins to create a good structure then place your dough in the prepared tin, making sure the join is underneath.
Place the tin inside a black plastic bag and leave to prove for about one hour, or until the dough is doubled in size and springs back quickly if you prod it with your finger. Preheat the oven to 225 degrees C and fill a roasting tray with hot water, placing it on the bottom shelf. This will create steam to help your loaf rise with a lovely crust.
Dust the risen dough with flour and slash the top with a sharp serrated knife or razor. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the loaf is cooked through. Check by tipping the loaf out of the tin and tapping the base – it should sound hollow.
Remove your loaf from the oven and cool out of the tin on a wire rack.
Thank you for reading, and thanks you for any recipes to can add to this thread.
5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
A small splash of vanilla extract
1 large (microwave safe) coffee mug
Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.
Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.
The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.
EAT! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous).
And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world?
Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!
GINGER AND DATE CAKE
250 g/8 oz butter
250 g/8 oz dark muscovado sugar
112 g black treacle (put tin on scales, remove treacle until the scales read 112 g less than they did when you started)
375 g/12 oz plain flour
5 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoonsful ground mixed spice
1 packet Whitworth’s Fiery Ginger (chopped crystallised ginger) (chopped again)
1 packet Whitworth’s chopped dates
2 eggs. Beaten
300 ml/1/2 pint milk
2 teaspoonfuls bicarbonate of soda
Line two large loaf tins, or similar capacity cake tins.
Heat oven to 160 c, gas mark 3
Put the butter, sugar and treacle into a heavy pan and heat gently, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Allow to cool a little while.
Mix together flour and spices, pour in treacle mixture, stir thoroughly. Add ginger and dates, stir eggs into the mixture.
Warm the milk, stirring to avoid it burning. Add the bicarbonate of soda, and let it foam. Stir it into the mixture, making sure it is all well blended.
Pour into the prepared tins, and bake until it is springy, or a skewer comes out clean, approximately one hour.
MEXICAN BEAN POT
Starting ingredients.
2 tins of kidney beans.
2 tins chopped tomatoes
1 medium onion
4 medium carrots
2 cloves crushed garlic (more if you like).
1 dessertspoon hot paprika
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon Winter Savoury (If you cannot get Winter Savoury Marjoram or Oregano will do, but barely. The German name for Winter Savoury is 'Bean Herb', and it makes even cheap baked beans taste good).
To add later.
Half teaspoon chilli powder (full one if you prefer).
1 seeded, cored and chopped red pepper (prepare in the morning and leave in the fridge until needed).
1 dessertspoon Marmite
Salt and pepper
Parsley to garnish, if you are feeling posh.
Put the starting ingredients in a large pan and cook them slowly until the carrots are soft. Either leave to simmer on the slow part of the range, or (if the oven is big enough) transfer to an oven proof dish and leave to cook slowly. About half an hour before you are planning to eat add the last ingredients (other than the parsley, you pop that on at the last minute).
This can be eaten the next day, frozen, wrapped in tortillas, or whatever you like. Mums' preference was hot wholemeal bread rolls and herb butter.
Herb Butter. When you have the time and fresh herbs, mash the herbs into butter (not margarine or those fake buttery spreads), and pack the mixture into ice cube trays, and freeze. To remove them dip the base of the tray into hot water for a moment. To store them wrap them in cling film, but do not pack them unwrapped in a container as they will stick together.
SWEETCORN PANCAKES
Two tablespoons of plain flour,
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 pinch salt
3 eggs,
Milk
Small tin of sweetcorn
Sieve the flour, bicarb and salt together. Add the eggs, and beat until smooth. Add sufficient milk to make a batter consistency of double cream. Drain the sweetcorn, add to the batter. Fry (small pancakes). Mum uses a serving spoon amount per pancake.
WHOLEMEAL BREAD
Ingredients:
350g strong brown bread flour
50g malted wheat flour
7g instant yeast
8g salt
25ml olive oil plus extra for the tin
265ml lukewarm water
Method:
Tip the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the yeast to one side and the salt to the other (salt in direct contact with the yeast could kill it or slow it down).
Add the olive oil and 200ml water and, using a plastic dough scraper or your fingers, work together the flour mixture and water. Slowly add the remaining water until you’ve picked up all the flour from the sides of the bowl and the dough is soft, but not soggy. You may not need absolutely all the water.
Tip the dough onto a lightly oiled work surface and knead for 5 – 10 minutes until the dough forms a smooth, soft skin. At first it will feel wet and sticky – continue kneading and you’ll end up with the smooth texture you’re looking for.
Shape the dough into a round and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise until the dough has doubled in size. This could be anything from one hour to three, depending on how warm your kitchen is but don’t worry too much about leaving it too long, the dough should be fine left for up to three hours.
Rub a thin layer of olive oil into a 1kg loaf tin. Tip the risen dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knock the air out of it by folding inwards repeatedly. Then flatten the dough slightly and form into an oblong by folding the sides into the middle. Press firmly on the dough where it joins to create a good structure then place your dough in the prepared tin, making sure the join is underneath.
Place the tin inside a black plastic bag and leave to prove for about one hour, or until the dough is doubled in size and springs back quickly if you prod it with your finger. Preheat the oven to 225 degrees C and fill a roasting tray with hot water, placing it on the bottom shelf. This will create steam to help your loaf rise with a lovely crust.
Dust the risen dough with flour and slash the top with a sharp serrated knife or razor. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the loaf is cooked through. Check by tipping the loaf out of the tin and tapping the base – it should sound hollow.
Remove your loaf from the oven and cool out of the tin on a wire rack.
Thank you for reading, and thanks you for any recipes to can add to this thread.
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