Actually it's only because I can't get on Facebook tonight to post on my group there. It's called 'I know what Amy has had for tea, including pudding', and was started up by my friend's daughter. I think she was taking the piss, really, because my status was always what I'd had for dinner! Anyway, the group has about 50 members now, some of them are even people I don't know, and although it is mostly still me telling folks what I've had for my dinner (and lunch and breakfast), it's nice because anyone who is a member can post to it, and share recipes, and people do. Even my favourite author, the wonderful Gwyneth Jones, is a member and occasionally contributes.
Anyway, tonight I'm making pea soup, from my friend Tashadot's blog (Life, Love and Muffins), with homemade gluten-free soda bread. It's all on the go at the moment, so it might be awful, it might be fab. I'll let you know later, and take pictures. I'm also making a gluten-free dark ginger cake which smells divine!!
So, it's after dinner now, I can report back. The pea soup was lovely (I added some mint at Mr F-P's request), so thanks for that Tashadot. My 'accidentally' gluten-free soda bread was a success - I'll explain in a minute - and the ginger cake is effin' gorgeous!!
Tashadot said she had soda bread with her pea soup, and as I'm rather partial I thought we would too - to hell with the potential belly ache from the wheat! Anyway, M&S was completely out, the fiends, so I decided as it's quick I would make my own. 'I've got plenty of flour in the cupboard' thinks I. Well, yes, I had, with plenty of flour weevils in it! It takes me sooooo long to use flour that every time I have to buy new because the bloody weevils get it! I also had gluten-free flour mix, soya, chickpea and buckwheat flours and fine polenta (weevils only seem to like wheat, thankfully!). So I decided to try making the bread with the gluten-free flour mix (from Marks, natch). I pulled a simple recipe off the internet and followed it as if I was using ordinary flour. The result is pictured above, and it's lovely, crunchy and dense and with that slight scone flavour - it'll be fab with jam on!
I got a ginger cake recipe from the Juvela website (they make gluten-free prescription products for coeliacs) and altered it a bit to fit what I'd got. Oh my! I've just had a warm slice, the end off the loaf, and it's delicious!
So, my 2 new recipes are below - you'll have to visit Life, Love and Muffins for the pea soup.
Soda Bread
Ingredients
olive oil for greasing
250g/9oz plain g-f flour mix
1 tsp salt
1 tsp bicarb
1 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp soft brown sugar
225ml/8 floz live yoghurt or buttermilk
Heat oven to 230/445/Gas 8
Sift the flour, salt, soda and xanthan gum into a large bowl
Stir in the yoghurt or buttermilk (I used yoghurt) with a wooden spoon, then use your hands to knead it together. It should feel soft and firm, not sticky. Add more flour if necessary
Shape into a round and place on a greased blaking sheet
Slash a deep cross in the top
Bake for about 12 minutes then turn the oven down to 200/400/Gas 6 and bake for a further 15 to 20 minutes, The bottom of the loaf should sound hollow when you tap it.
Put the loaf to cool for a bit on a wire rack, but do have some while it's still warm. Lots of butter is reccommended with this!
Ginger Cake
200g/8oz gluten-free white flour mix
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1tsp bicarb
1tsp xanthan gum
100g/4oz soft brown sugar
50g/2oz butter
100g/4oz black treacle
1 egg
200ml/8floz milk
Grease (and line of necessary - I use silicone so it's not) a 2lb loaf tin
Pre-heat oven to 150degrees/300degrees/Gas 2
Mix the flour, bicarb, xanthan and ginger together in a large bowl
In a small pan melt together the butter, sugar and treacle
Add to the dry mix and combine will
Whisk the egg into the milkj, then add this to the rest
Stir it untill it is well mixed - takes a bit of effort
Pour into the loaf tin and bake for about 1 hour, or until a skewer comes out clean
Leave to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes then turn onto a wire rack.
