I found a roast potato under the sofa from Sunday lunch today. Lunch we had in a different room. The children seem to see everywhere in the house as a surface for their stuff. Including secret potatoes. Our life seems to consist of tidying up so the whole process can start again.
They live in and for the moment, a great example of mindfulness, but I just wish that sometimes that moment was about putting their things away.
Always hungry after school, they need a snack. Today's -- in slight revenge at them turning their noses violently toward the ceiling last time I offered them carrot halwa -- is granola flapjacks with carrot halwa and a chocolate topping. Turmeric, ginger cardamon and fennel seeds are in the halwa and the combination with the chocolate and oats is pretty sublime, not to say sophisticated. It's a really delicious and moreish snack that only takes abut 15 minutes to make.
Use a lower percentage dark chocolate if you prefer it less rich.
The results came in as follows:
Noah loved it and had more, so I won the carrot halwa war that no one else was fighting.
Maya spat hers out in the bin and asked for a yoghurt instead.
Ingredients
For the halwa
450g carrots
2tsp cardamon seeds, crushed
1tsp fennel seeds, crushed
3tbsp milk powder
1 thumb of ginger
1 finger of turmeric root
1tbsp ghee or butter
For the flapjacks
800g granola
170g butter
170g golden caster sugar
5tbsp golden syrup
For the chocolate topping
200ml single cream
200g 75% dark chocolate
2tbsp honey or syrup
Method
Heat the oven to 180c.
Grate the carrot, ginger and turmeric and mix with the spices.
Add to a wide sauté pan and cook for a few minutes on a medium heat.
Stir in the milk powder, mixing well. Add the ghee, melt in and mix well. Put a lid on and cook on a low flame for four to five minutes.
Leave to cool.
Melt the butter and sugar in a saucepan until the sugar has dissolved then stir in the syrup. Add to the granola in a large mixing bowl and stir well until it all comes together and is well coated.
Line a baking tray with paper and smooth half the granola mix into the bottom of it. Spread the carrot halwa on top of that then finish with the remaining granola.
Press down and smooth well.
Cook for about ten minutes, until it is just starting to colour then remove from the oven and cool.
Meanwhile, make the chocolate sauce by gently heating the ingredients until the chocolate melts into the cream. Stir well to make a thick, glossy sauce. Don't let it get too hot or it will become grainy.
Spread over the top of the flapjack and chill in the fridge until the chocolate has set a little. Cut into rectangles and serve.