easy cornbread with wild garlic and za'atar

My recipe for easy cornbread with wild garlic and za'atar.  I love cornbread - a quick and easy bread recipe made with cornmeal/polenta.  A great accompaniment to stews and soups but also lovely with cheese and salads as a simple lunch idea, or for breakfast.   

I added wild garlic and za'atar to this cornbread recipe to accompany part of a Middle Eastern style mezze selection I was preparing for dinner...and as you may have noticed I am currently obsessed with wild garlic!  

Cornbread can take many flavour combinations - how about trying caramelised onion and goats cheese, Cheddar and bacon?  Or just leave it plain - I think it's delicious either way.  

For more handy information and safety tips about foraging for wild garlic check out my previous posts for wild garlic with tofu, aubergine and oyster sauce and wild garlic minestrone soup.  I also found Galloway wild foods really useful with a wealth of information about foraging for wild garlic and other edibles. 

Let me know how you get on, and any other flavours you would like to try.  

serves 3-4 
preparation time:  5 minutes
cooking time:  20-25 minutes
recipe author:  chip butties and noodle soup

ingredients:

1 cup plain flour
1 cup fine cornmeal/polenta
1 tbs baking powder
1 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup sugar/honey
2 eggs beaten
1 bunch wild garlic chopped (washed and cleaned well in cold running water) 
2 heaped tsp za'atar spice mix
salt and pepper

instructions:

1. heat the oven to 200C and grease a baking tin (about 20cm square size)
2. sieve the flour, cornmeal and baking powder into a large mixing bowl and add the za'atar and salt and pepper.
3. in a separate bowl mix together the eggs, sugar/honey, milk and vegetable oil.
4. add the two mixtures together with the chopped wild garlic and stir together quickly - do not over mix otherwise you will get a heavy cornbread.  
5. bake for about 20-25 minutes - until a skewer comes out clean and it's well risen
6. best served immediately!  

For other recipes using za'atar check out my za'atar roast potatoes and cumin roast lamb with za'atar spiced chickpeas.  

I am also entering this dish into the May herbs on Saturday challenge hosted by delicieux.  Organised by Karen at lavender and lovage. 

super quick miso, pak choi and beef noodle soup

A recipe for one of my favourite things - noodle soup!!!!  I don't mind what country it originates from or what flavourings are in it;  and whether it's like my Gran's Polish chicken noodle soup or a spicy Asian influenced broth - as long as noodles are involved I am happy! 

This soup is of the Asian inspired variety and is based on what I had in the house - some lovely fresh miso paste, pak choi and leftover roast beef.  You can of course omit the beef completely if you would like or substitute it for pork, chicken, tofu or more vegetables.  I have not over complicated this recipe with lots of herbs and spices and the result is a nice clean tasting broth made from a simple stock flavoured with ginger and garlic.  The miso is stirred in just before serving as it should not be boiled as this destroys its nutritional value.

I finished the dish with some dried chilli flakes, soy sauce and fresh lime, but a big dollop of my hot and sweet chilli, garlic and ginger jam would also not go a miss..........but then again I would say that as it ends up on most of my meals!

I hope you enjoy!

preparation time:  5 minutes

cooking time:  5-10 minutes

serves 3-4 people

ingredients:

• 250g noodles (I used egg noodles but most noodles would work, e.g rice noodles, udon noodles etc)
• 2 litres vegetable/chicken stock (fresh or from stock cubes)
• 3 pak choi - leaves washed and separated (or your choice of green vegetable, you could use greens, cabbage, broccoli etc)
• 2 cloves garlic chopped
• 4-5 thin slices of ginger
• 5-6 mushrooms sliced  (I used chestnut but any would work) 
• 250g roast beef (or substitute for leftover cooked chicken, pork, tofu or more vegetables)
• 3 tbs miso paste 

optional toppings:

• fresh lime
• chilli flakes
• soy sauce
• fresh coriander
• fresh mint
• sesame seeds

• add stock to a large saucepan and then add ginger, garlic and sliced mushrooms and bring to the boil for about 3-5 minutes.

• add the noodles, sliced cooked roast beef, pak choi leaves and simmer for a further 3-5 minutes until the beef and noodles are cooked through.

• take off the heat and stir in the miso paste.

• serve in bowls with your choice of topping - I added freshly squeezed lime juice, dried chilli flakes and a dash of soy sauce.  

This only took me 15 minutes from start to finish - really quick, easy and delicious.  Also a tasty way to use up leftover roast meat.  Let me know how you get on and what you add to your noodle soup :) 

easy flat breads

This is a really quick and easy recipe for a flat bread or chapati made with gram flour (besan). This flour is made from chick peas so is also high in protein and also gluten free.  I had these to accompany a potato curry the other night - but they would be great with any stew, dips or even on their own - they are quite 'moreish'.  They really are very easy and only take a few moments to put together.  You can substitute the gram flour for plain/all purpose flour if you would prefer and they would work just as well, but I like the interesting 'nutty' taste of the gram flour.  

ingredients:

1 cup gram flour (or plain flour/all purpose flour would also work well - either plain or wholemeal)

1/2 cup warm water

1 tbs oil 

1 tsp salt (or to taste) 

additional optional extras:

1 tsp kalonji (onion) seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

The above recipe makes 4 flat breads - but can easily be multiplied to make more according to what you want. 

preparation time: 5 minutes

cooking time:  approx 2 minutes per flat bread 

instructions:

• add gram flour and salt to a bowl

 

• add the warm water and oil gradually and mix to a dough with your hands.  You may need a little less or more water - don't worry as you can always add more flour if it gets too sticky.  

 

• divide the dough into equal balls about the size of a golf ball and roll out thinly on a well floured surface (the gram flour is quite sticky so do make sure you have plenty of flour on your rolling pin and surface to prevent sticking)

 

• fry the flat breads in a hot un oiled pan for about 1 minute a side - they are ready to turn when bubbles appear on the top side of the flat bread
• keep warm in a clean tea towel as you prepare the others.

 

• serve warm with dish of your choice - let me know how you get on - Enjoy :) 

15 minute peanut butter and chilli noodles

an easy, quick, combination of peanut butter, chilli sauce, and soy sauce - creates this delicious Thai inspired noodle dish.  This is one recipe I will be making more than once!  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. 

serves 3-4

recipe ready in 15 minutes (or less if you are really quick and not using meat!)

 

 

 

 

ingredients

 

250g egg noodles

1 bag stir fry vegetables (I used about 400g size)

300g minced beef (but you can use pork, prawns, chicken, tofu, extra veg - it's up to you)

1 tbs oil

 

sauce:

3 tbs peanut butter (I like crunchy for the texture but smooth is OK)

3 tbs soya sauce

3 tbs sweet chilli sauce

6 tbs boiled water

 

optional sauce extras:

crushed garlic

grated ginger

lime zest

 

optional toppings:

sesame seeds

lime segment

chilli flakes

chopped mint/coriander

chopped peanuts

sliced spring onions

• mix all the sauce ingredients together and leave to one side while you prepare everything else
• turn on frying pan and when hot carefully add oil and fry beef (or other ingredient of choice) for approx 10 minutes on a high heat. Make sure meat is hot and completely cooked through.

• at the same time add noodles to a pan and carefully pour over boiled water to soften (follow packet instructions as noodles take different amounts of time).
• drain when cooked and leave to one side

• when the beef (etc....) is cooked add the stir fry veg mix and fry for a minute on a high heat.
• add the noodles to the pan with the stir fry and meat and pour over the sauce mix
• heat through for a couple of minutes
• serve with optional toppings - I used chopped mint, chilli flakes, sesame seeds and lime segments
• enjoy your super quick and tasty noodles ready in only 15 minutes!