Wait...What? .....A chocolate cake made with kidney beans?, and Family Games.

*warning may upset dedicated carnivores :)

I received the new Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall River Cottage Light and Easy book from my son for my birthday.  I haven't been a fan of JFW in the past as he was very much a *'me man, me eat meat' sort of person, so not much to interest me in his recipes.  He then concentrated on veg in his series and the accompanying book and came up with really lovely recipes, and this became one of my favourite recipe books.  He seemed to come around to the thinking that meals without fish and meat can be just as satisfying.  Now after a health scare with his cholesterol he is looking at using less dairy product as well as questioning our reliance on wheat products when there are so many other flours we can use.  He is not saying stop using them altogether, just why not try some alternatives.  I have seen comments from people after his Veg book and now this one saying I'll never buy his books again, which I don't understand, he has written plenty of other books that would cover their style of eating.  I guess some people just don't like change.  I think he has become a more 'rounded' and mature chef.

This book is not a vegetarian cookery book so has plenty of fish and meat recipes for those who eat it.   However all the recipes are wheat and dairy free.  I have been vegan in the past and am now gluten free (not by choice) so I am used to using different ingredients in my cooking, but it can take a bit of getting used to.  I have had a look through and marked a few recipes I would like to try soon and will share them with you.  The one that most intrigued me was a chocolate cake made with a tin of kidney beans.  I know, sound revolting but I thought I would give it a go.

Here's the recipe:

75 ml sunflower oil or melted coconut oil (raw or odourless )  I used raw as I love coconut. (plus extra for greasing)
400g tin of red kidney beans (or other tender tinned pulse such as cannelloni or butter beans) drained and rinsed.
100 g rice flour
50g cocoa powder ( I always think it is worth using a good quality powder)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
125 g soft light brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract.

Preheat the oven to 180 c/Gas 4

Lightly oil a 20 cm springform cake tin and line the base with baking parchment

Now simply put all the ingredients into a food processor and blitz to a smooth batter, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and spread out evenly.

Bake for 20 - 25 mins until it has risen and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean or almost clean.

Leave the cake to cool slightly in the tin for about 10 mins, then turn out and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before cutting.

The bearded one and son can be a bit picky about food and if I had told them it was made with kidney beans probably would have given it a miss.  So I didn't tell them until after they had eaten it and said it was nice.  You really can't tell.  It is very chocolatey with a nice squidgy rich texture.  After I cut a piece and took a photo I decided it wasn't quite cooked so put it back in the oven, so not as 'torte' like as in the photo.  Of course serving it with Cornish clotted cream defeated the whole point of it being dairy free :)  If you give it a try let me know what you think.

I have been tidying up some cupboards today and dug out our haul of games.  One of the joys of getting the family together at Xmas are the games.  Boy can it get competitive!  Our favourite is whose in the bag, we usually write our own names to put in the bag so it can get very bizarre.  Do you have a family favourite?

Chickpea xx

Socca and Socks

Not being able to eat gluten has meant that I have been experimenting with all sorts of different flours.  Today I made socca, also known as farinata.   I have eaten it several times in cafes but never tried making it.  It is a type of flatbread that can be eaten as it is with a drizzle of olive oil and sea salt  for example, or as a type of 'pizza' base.  It is really easy to make with 4 basic ingredients, then you can add whatever you like to the basic mix, garlic, herbs or spices.  It can have an Italian feel to it with basil, thyme etc. or an indian flatbread vibe with cumin, coriander etc.  Go mad, try all the different herbs and spices and see which is your favourite.... or leave it plain.

The  basic recipe I used for the socca is 1 cup of chickpea (gram) flour, 1 cup of warm water, 1 1/2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive, sea salt,  I then added  1\2 tsp of cumin to give it a lovely 'warm' kick.  Mix it all together getting rid of any lumps and then leave to sit for a couple of hours or longer.  If you do not have the American cups, use a mug, it is basically 1 large mug of flour to 1 large mug of water.

In the mean time I thinly sliced some onions and bell peppers let them slowly soften in a frying pan with the lid on.  I added some chilli for a kick.

The thin base crumbled a bit getting it out of the tin.

Heat the oven to 200c.  If you have a cast iron pan that would be ideal, I used a couple of sandwich  cake tins to make two thin bases.   Heat the tins in the oven, pour a glug (I sound like Jamie Oliver) of olive oil in the pans making sure they are well coated, and pour in the mixture.  Spread the onion and pepper mix on top and cook in the oven for 10 to 15 mins until set and slightly browned. If you are making thin crispier bases  they can be a bit difficult to get out of the pan and may crumble a little but taste delicious.  You can add any topping you like, they could be different every time!

I then experimented by putting all the mixture into one large cake tin so that it was a deeper thickness. Again I put a bit of cumin in the mix.  Heated the tin under the GRILL this time until it was hot, added the olive oil to coat the tin and poured in the mix.  After about 10 mins under the grill with the tray on the lowest setting so it didn't burn before it was cooked through, it was firm and browning slightly. I used a loose bottomed cake tin this time so it made it easier to get the socca out.  I may invest in a cast iron pan as I intend to make this again and again.  Serve warm.   I ate this with some rocket, sea salt and a dribble of virgin olive oil.  Very easy, very flexible, oven or grill,  lovely jubbly :)

..... and the socks.  I have at last finished my first pair of knitted socks.  It's only taken years!

Thank you for all your comments and tips about insomnia.  There seems to be an awful lot of us out there!

Chickpea xx