Cheese and Celery Whirls

Apium graveolens is a tasty plant commonly known as celery, or celeriac, depending which part of the plant is being eaten. We often eat the roots, or celeriac. We love it mashed with cream and herbs, it makes a fantastic gratin and as a soup, it's just lovely. (I make a mean Celeriac, Apple and Stilton soup that is to die for!)

The seeds are wonderful in salads. I always like to add a few to my coleslaw and they are fabulous in a vinaigrette dressing.

Dieters love celery, as it is relatively low in calories, being mostly water. It's when you add the cheese or the peanut butter topping that it ceases to be real diet food. I think because it is normally eaten by dieters that it gets a bit of a bad rap, not to mention it's also really hard to eat quietly.



I can't imagine making a soup or stew without adding at least a few chopped stalks. It adds a lovely flavour in my opinion. And a tuna fish or chicken salad sandwich just wouldn't be that good without chopped celery added in my opinion!



Today I'd like to show you a rather unique and unsual way of using it. These scone like whirls are quite, quite tasty . . .

It goes without saying that wrapping this crunchy vegetable in scone dough, rather takes away from it's fat busting qualities . . . but what the heck!



*Cheese and Celery Whirls*
Makes 10
Printable Recipe

Very pretty with a lovely green celery swirl in the centre. They make an excellent accompaniment to a soup meal and are wonderful as a tea-time savoury. Wonderfully light and very tasty!

340g self rising flour (2 1/3cup)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry English mustard powder
56g butter, softened (1/4 cup)
115g mature cheddar cheese, grated (1 cup)
1 clove of garlic, peeled and minced
1 large free range egg, beaten
5 fluid ounces milk
3 to 4 stick of celery, trimmed and coarsely chopped



Pre-heat the oven to 220*C/425*F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Whisk together the flour, salt and mustard powder in a bowl. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add most of the grated cheese, reserving a small amount for sprinkling on top before baking. Mix together the egg, milk and garlic and then stir this into the flour mixture, mixing in well until everything is well mixed together. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead lightly. Pat or roll out into a 12 by 9 inch rectangle. Scatter the celery over the surface. Roll up like a Swiss Roll, starting at the narrow end. Cut into 1/2 inch slices. Place flat side down on the baking tray. Sprinkle each with some of the reserved cheese. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown and well risen. Remove from the oven and serve warm.

Note - I'm not sure why this happens but from time to time the flour doesn't seem to absorb as much of the liquid as it should. This could be down to the brand of flour used, the humidity etc. IN any case, only add as much of the liquid ingredients to the flour mixture as will give you the consistency of a soft dough. Sometimes you may need more of it than at other times.

Olive Oil Focaccia

I make no secret of it, and I'll be the first to admit it. I'm a lousy bread baker. . . I'm not sure why, but when it comes to baking bread I make better door stops than I do bread . . . in fact, the bread I bake comes pretty close to resembling doorstops . . .

I've tried so many times through the years to perfect it, but to no avail. One thing my ex husband was really good at was baking bread. With five hungry and growing children bread was something that we really used a lot of and he used to bake 12 loaves a week . . .



Twelve huge and fluffy loaves of beautifully textured, delicious bread . . .

I think it was the oomph he was able to put into the kneading . . . or maybe not . . . but, he fair used to make our kitchen table dance across the floor when he was kneading his bread dough . . . the air and floor would be full of flour dust, but my goodness his bread turned out lovely every single time . . .



His loaves were embarassingly huge, gargantuan even . . . well, if you were a kid taking sandwiches in your school lunch at any rate, it did make a bit of a show . . . but, it was beautifully tender and moist on the inside, with a wonderfully crunchy crust on the outside . . .



I don't miss the man of course . . . but there are times when I miss his bread.

I have a bread machine, and it makes great bread, but probably not as good as the memory of his . . . mind you that memory comes along with the sight of the five smiling and hungry faces of my children lining the kitchen table and digging into thick hot fresh slices of it, with lots of cold butter and jam. The first loaf always disappeared in the twinkling of an eye . . .



I do make good pizza dough and focaccia . . . so all is not lost . . .

They just don't taste that good with jam . . .




*Olive Oil Focaccia*
Makes one 11 by 15 inch pan
(cuts into 10 to 12 pieces)
Printable Recipe

Although I am not a very good bread baker, or at least I don't think I am, this is one bread I can do that always turns out fabulously for me. It's quite like making a pizza dough in a way, which I can handle quite well. I like to strew fresh herbs across the top of mine before baking. I normally use a mixture of garlic, rosemary and parsley. Just be sure to chop them up really fine.

435ml warm water
1/4 ounce of active dry yeast
1 tsp honey
2 TBS olive oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
600g all purpose flour
mixture of chopped fresh herbs for topping (optional)



Put the water, yeast, honey, half of the olive oil and three handfuls of the flour into a large bowl. Mix with an electric mixer until smooth. Cover and leave for 20 to 30 minutes until it is all frothy and foamy on the top. Mix in the rest of the flour and 1 1/2 tsp salt If you have a dough hook, mix it with the dough hook for 4 to 5 minutes. If you don't have a dough hook, then you will have to use your hands. The dough will be quite sticky so just kind of slap it from one side to the other in the bowl, until it is smooth. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours or so.

Lightly grease an 11 by 15 inch baking tray with some vegetable shortening. Punch down the dough to flatten it and then spread it out into the tray, spreading it right out to the edges as evenly as you can. Try not to tear the dough. It may take a bit of perseverence to keep it spread, but eventually it will stay in place. Cover again and let rise for another 45 minutes.

Pre-heat your oven to 220*C/450*F. Mix the remaining olive oil with 1/2 cup hot water and 1 tsp salt. Stir until the salt dissolves. Make dimples in the top of the bread all over it's surface with your fingertips. Brush well with the saltwater mixture. Sprinkle with the herbs, if using.

Bake in the heated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until the bread is golden brown and a bit crusty here and there. It should sound hollow on the bottom when tapped. Remove from the oven and cool a bit before cutting or tearing into pieces. We like this best warm, but it is also good served at room temperature or split and filled with meat and cheese.

Date and Pistachio Hot Cakes

Adding a slice of fruit to the top of a pancake turns it into something really special.



When you are talking about pancakes that are already studded with pistachio nuts and chopped dates, then you are talking really special.



I just love cooking with oats. They seem so very wholesome and healthy to me. Oats are very good for you.

So are nuts and dates.



Nuts, dates, oats, apples . . .
These just have to be incredibly healthy, right?



That must mean you can eat even more of them than other pancakes. ☺

There is NO such thing as too much of a good thing. (Wisdom according to Marie)



*Date and Pistachio Hot Cakes*
Makes 12
Printable Recipe

Oh, we do love these tasty pancakes. Chock full of goodness with the oats, chopped pistachios and then dates. When you add the surprise of a slice of apple or pear on the top, well . . . these just become fabulous!! I like to serve them with a dollop of thick Greek Yoghurt and some honey drizzled over top.

200g flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 TBS soft light brown sugar, packed
50g of rolled oats
100g shelled, unsalted pistachio nuts, coarsely chopped
100g moist dates, pitted and chopped
the grazed zest of one lemon
250ml of whole milk
2 large eggs
55g unsalted butter, melted
(plus more for buttering the pan and brushing over the fruit slices)
2 crisp eating apples, cored, and sliced crosswise into 1/4 inch slices
(You can also use firm pears)



Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Stir in the sugar along with the oats, dates and pistachios. Beat together the eggs, melted butter, milk and lemon zest. Pour this over the dry mixture and mix all together just to combine and make sure all the dry bits are moistened. It doesn't have to be smooth.

Heat a large non stick pan over medium heat. Brush with butter. Spoon on dessertspoons of the batter, leaving some space between each one. Top each with a slice of apple. Cook for several minutes, until small bubbles begin to appear on the upside. Turn over, brushing the apple slices with butter some melted butter before turning. Cook on the other side until nicely browned and cooked through, about 2 minutes. Keep warm in a slow oven while you cook the rest.

Serve warm, drizzled with some honey and a dollop of Greek Yoghurt if desired.

Sultana Scones

Is it scon that rhymes with on, or is it scone that rhymes with stone??

Who knows. It sounds mightly delicious no matter which way you say it. If asked what the difference between a scone and a North American baking powder biscuit is, I would have to say first and foremost, it is in the preparation. In a baking powder biscuit the fat is cut into the flour using a pastry blender, or two round bladed knives. In a scone the fat is gently rubbed into the mixture with your fingertips, lifting the mixture high up and dropping it back into the bowl as you rub, in order to help incorporate some air to the mix.



Baking powder biscuits generally use all vegetable fat, and sometimes cream . . . scones usually use all butter, and sometimes butter and cream.

In both instances, it is wise not to overhandle the dough, lest you end up with tough scones or biscuits.



Baking powder biscuits are a bit heavier in texture and more savoury than scones . . . most scones are light and sweet . . . and go just perfectly with a nice hot cuppa and lashings of preserves and clotted cream, whereas baking powder biscuits are at their most perfect when served with hot soups and stews.



When cutting press the cutter straight down onto the scone dough and then lift it straight up without twisting. This gives you nice straight edges and they bake up straight as well. Twisting when you cut means you end up with lopsides scones.



Delicious, no matter how you cut them . . . no pun intended.




A plate of these, split and buttered alongside of a bowl of clotted cream and a jar of strawberry preserves and I am in heaven. This . . . is . . . bliss.

Damn . . . I forgot to buy the clotted cream . . .

No matter . . .



*Sultana Scones*
Makes about 14
Printable Recipe

Making good scones is easy as long as you don't overhandle the dough. Tender and moist, wrap them in a clean tea towel after baking to help to keep them that way. Served warm with lots of butter and preserves, these are wonderfully delicious . . .

8 ounces self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 ounces softened butter
1 ounce caster sugar
2 ounces sultanas
1 large egg
milk

Pre-heat the oven to 220*C/425*F. Line two baking trays with baking parchment and set aside.

Measure the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Add the butter and rub it into the flour mixture with the tips of your fingers, until the mixture closely resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar and the sultanas.

Beat the egg together with enough milk to make a total of 150 ml of liquid. Stir this mixture into the flour mixture to make a soft, but not sticky dough. You don't want it to be too dry, or too sticky.

Turn out onto a lightly floured board. Knead lightly a few times, then pat out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut into rounds with a 2 inch cutter, then place them onto the prepared baking trays. Brush the tops with a little milk.

Bake for about 10 minutes, until golden brown and nicely risen. Lift onto a wire rack to cool and then wrap in a clean tea towel to serve. Delicious!

Blueberry Scones

I picked up some beautiful little blueberries yesterday at my local shop that were quite tiny in size and for once they didn't come from Poland! Not that I am against Poland per se, but I do like to use British Ingredients whenever I can. These ones came from Surrey.



They were almost as small as the wild blueberries from back home and I knew just the perfect thing to make with them.



My delicious Blueberry scones.

They went down fabulous with this lovely green tea.



*Blueberry Scones with Lemon Drizzle Icing*
Makes 8
Printable Recipe

These lovely scones are tender and moist and oh so very delicious. Chock full of blueberries and covered with a lucious lemon drizzle icing these are pleasing on all levels. Use only fresh blueberries in these as frozen ones will bleed and spoil the look of this lovely scone.

225g plain flour (1 3/4 cups)
1 TBS baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 TBS caster sugar
5 TBS cold, unsalted butter
250ml of double cream (1 cup plus 2 TBS)
8 ounces fresh blueberries, toss with 1 TBS flour (1/2 pound berries)
Lemon Drizzle:
4 ounces freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1/2 cup)
280g of icing sugar, sifted (2 cups)
1 TBS unsalted butter



Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and caster sugar into a bowl. Whisk together to combine. Add the cold butter and using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour mixture until it forms coarse crumbs. Make a well in the centre of the mixture and dump in the cream all at once. Stir with a fork just to combine, without overworking the dough. You may need a bit more cream. The dough should be soft, but not sticky, nor crumbly. Fold in the blueberries, leaving any excess flour out. Gently mix them in without crushing them.

Pat the dough out onto a lightly floured surface into a 12 by 3 1/2 inch rectangle, about 1 inch thick. Cut into 4 equal squares, and then cut each square diagonally into even triangles. You should have 8. Place onto a lightly greased baking tray and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven to a wire rack to cool somewhat before glazing.

To make the glaze, sift the icing sugar into a microwave proof bowl. Whisk in the lemon juice and stir to melt the sugar. Add the butter and place in the microwave. heat for 30 to 45 seconds on high. Whisk again to smooth out any lumps and then drizzle decoratively over the warm scones. Let set before serving. Delicious!!

Ploughman's Muffins

One of the more popular pub lunches over here in the UK is the delicious Ploughman's Lunch. Generally comprised of a buttered crusty loaf, accompanied with Pickle (usually Branstons or a Chutney) slabs of cheddar cheese, and generally some salad leaves on the side, it has become somewhat of a cultural icon over here.

It is really rather good.



Cheese and crusty buttered bread . . . yummy.

Cheese and pickle . . . delicious



Cheese and crusty buttered bread and pickle together . . . scrumdiddlyumptious!!!

I thought I would go a bit further and combine all the tasty flavours in one delightful little muffin.

I was feeling rather inspired.



My pickle of choice . . . a tasty Apricot and Ginger chutney. These rock! (If I don't say so myself!)



*Ploughman's Muffins*
Makes 12
Printable Recipe

I just love ordering a ploughman's lunch when we go to the pub. A tasty hunk of good cheese, along with some chutney or pickle and salad leaves . . . simple and yet extremely delicious. Here is a tasty muffin that combines all the wonderful flavours of a ploughman's lunch into one scrumptious little parcel. Perfect for a packed lunch!

2 ounces butter, melted
1 large egg
250ml of milk
1 tsp English Mustard
3 TBS chutney or French mustard
( I like to use an apricot and ginger chutney)
6 ounces strong cheddar cheese, grated and divided
1 TBS baking powder
11 ounces plain flour
pinch salt



Pre-heat the oven to 190*C/375*F. Butter a 12 hole muffin tin very well. Set aside.

Combine the butter, egg, milk, mustard and chutney in a beaker. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Stir in the 5 ounces of the cheese. Add the wet ingredients all at once. Combine only until just mixed. Spoon into the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle the remaining ounce of cheese evenly over top. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until well risen and firm. Leave in the pan to cool for several minutes before loosening and placing on a wire rack to finish cooling. Serve warm for a real taste treat. These are also very good cold for lunch.

Blueberry and Granola Buttermilk Pancakes

When I was growing up, my mother only ever made pancakes once a year, on Shrove Tuesday in February, Pancake Day. It was a day we looked forward to all year and we would gorge ourselves on them until we couldn't eat any more. We never ever had them for breakfast, ever . . . and we never ever had anything but ordinary plain pancakes, there was never anything added . . . like buttermilk or blueberries . . .



When my own children were growing up I think I made pancakes every Saturday morning for years and years. I began to appreciate why my mother had only made them once a year. It's an arduous job standing at the stove for what seems like hours, flipping pancake after pancake, only to watch them consumed and inhaled as soon as you scoop them out of the pan! But then motherhood has it's rewards and so you do it . . . and I always made buttermilk pancakes and often added blueberries, much to my children's delight.



If I hadn't added blueberries, I served them up with a big bowl of chilled tinned sliced peaches. Oh, they are lovely spooned over top and covered with lashings of maple syrup . . .



As an adult, pancakes are a treat that I splurge on every once in a while. Never for breakfast . . . I am never all that hungry first thing in the morning, a bowl of cereal usually does me fine, although I do confess to occasionally indulging in an entirely hedonistic fry up . . . Pancakes for supper suits me very well.



Perhaps its a throwback to my childhood . . . or not. But I do like them for supper every now and then. The other day I sprinkled blueberries and granola over top as I cooked them. It was lovely . . . sweet and berry-like and scrummily crunchy and nutty. It almost felt like dessert . . .



Especially when I added the butter and the maple syrup. Right now I am in live with Dorset's Honey Granola, which was perfect as there isn't huge lumps of nuts like my homemade version. Oh they were lovely, and I am thinking now that a dollop of greek yoghurt and some honey drizzled over would have been even lovelier than the maple syrup and butter . . .



Be warned however, the granola will soften upon standing so you will want to eat every scrumptious bit on the day/night. Don't let your imagination stop there though . . . a cooking pancake is the perfect canvas for lots of things . . .



dried cherries and chocolate chips . . . chopped toasted pecans or walnuts . . . sliced bananas and flaked coconut . . . slices peaches, pears and cardamom . . . chopped apples, sultanas and cinnamon . . . fresh raspberries and blackberries . . . dried cranberries, and white chocolate chips . . . poppy seeds and lemon zest . . . why not let your imagination go wild!!



*Blueberry and Granola Buttermilk Pancakes*
Makes about nine 6-inch pancakes
Printable Recipe

I love buttermilk pancakes full stop, but when you top each one with a sprinkle of blueberries and granola they take on an entirely new life. You get the sweetness of the berries, and then the crunch of the granola. Healthy, healthy, healthy! With the anti-oxidants from the berries and all the vitamins and goodness from the granola you almost feel like mother earth herself! Of course a pat of butter and some pure maple syrup complete the picture!

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 TBS white sugar
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
(I use only free range organic)
3 cups buttermilk
4 TBS butter, melted
plus butter for greasing the skillet
a small punnet of fresh blueberries
about 1 cup of crunchy granola



Sift the flour, baking powder, soda and salt into a bowl. Whisk in the sugar. Beat the eggs, buttermilk and melted butter together. Pour over the dry ingredients and whisk together until combined. The mixture will have small to medium lumps and that is ok, it's what you want.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat until very hot. Brush with some butter, and then ladle in about 1/2 cup of the pancake batter. Sprinkle with a few blueberries and about a TBS of granola. When the surface of the pancake is covered with tiny bubbles and they appear dry around the edges, flip over and cook on the other side until golden brown. Place on a heatproof plate in a warm oven to keep warm while you cook the remainder of the pancakes. (Brush the pan with a bit more butter each time) Serve hot with butter and Maple Syrup.

Mom's Quick Cinnamon Rolls

When I was growing up, one of the favourite treats my mother used to make for us was what she called Cinnamon Rolls. They weren't cinnamon rolls as you would expect them to be though . . . but a deliciously butter scone type of dough, rolled out flat, heavily buttered, sprinkled with a mixture of heavenly cinnamon and brown sugar and then rolled up like a jelly roll, sliced and baked.



They were quick to do and I suppose that's why she used to make them for us. She could have a nice plate full of these warm treats sitting in front of us in about half an hour and boy, oh boy, what a treat they were! After having been tortured by the smell of them baking we could hardly wait to dig in.



My father, being French Canadian, had another pet name for them. He always called them . . . wait for it . . . Nun's Farts!! I know . . . rude eh? My mother hated it, but we always thought it was quite funny . . . even if she did shoot daggers our way anytime we referred to them as such . . .



Only the French could come up with a name like that . . . and I say that with affection. Let's face it . . . if a Nun did fart (and you would have a hard time getting one to admit it eh?) they'd have to smell like cinnamon buns wouldn't they? How could you resist the temptation of eating such a delicacy . . I know I couldn't!! 'Nuff said . . .

You'll have to eat these all on the day, as they don't hold up that well in the waiting and taste best when fresh. Pity that . . . but eating them all on the same day as they are baked has never been a problem around here . . . funny how that goes. You can freeze them, without icing, so no worries.



*Mom's Quick Cinnamon Rolls*
Makes a dozen
Printable Recipe

These are not a yeast roll, but a quick roll made with biscuit dough, rolled out and then spread with softened butter. Sprinkled with a tasty cinnamon sugar mixture, rolled up, sliced and baked, they are a real taste treat. I like to add sultanas and chopped walnuts to mine, and a thin drizzle of icing. Mom never did this and we were happy with them plain, but then you can't miss what you've never had can you?

For the Dough:
2 cups plain flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
3/4 cup plus 2 TBS milk
For the Filling:
3/4 cup packed soft light brown sugar
2 TBS cinnamon
softened butter
Sultana raisins and chopped walnuts to taste (optional)
To Glaze:
1 cup of sifted icing sugar
a bit of milk



Pre-heat the oven to 205*C/435*F. Butter a shallow baking sheet large enough to hold the rolls, about the size of a jelly roll pan. Set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the shortening with either a pasty blender, or two round bladed knives until the mixture looks like fine bread crumbs. Stir in the milk with a fork to make a soft dough. Turn onto a lightly floured board and gently knead 8 to 10 times. Roll or pat out to a rectangle, 8 inches wide by 12 inches long. Spread with the softened butter. Mix together the sugar and the cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over top of the butter. If using sultanas and nuts, sprinkle these on now as well. Roll up tightly from the long end as if for a jelly roll, sealing it along the long edge by pinching it together. Cut into 1 inch thick slices and place them onto the buttered baking tray. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until nicely browned. Remove to a wire rack to cool a bit. Whisk together the icing sugar and enough milk to make a loose drizzle.
Drizzle some of this over the warm biscuits. Serve warm. Delicious!