Things I like in the kitchen (part one)

Just as we've recovered from our trip to Legoland, it's time for the school summer fair. I found myself flipping burgers and sausages for four hours with Mike on a hot Saturday after volunteering to help. I'm sure there must have been some form of mind control involved, or perhaps he asked me when Maya was pulling my nose and Noah was falling off his scooter at speed. However it happened, he must have caught me at a weak moment.But now the meat sweats have calmed down, and I no longer smell like a forest fire and can face eating again it's been little but salads this week, or ham and egg on toast. Simple and quick things that don't require much thought or time.So in light of not a great deal going on in the kitchen for the past few days, here is a selection of things I find essential and interestingly useful from my bulging shelves.La isla bonito:dried and fermented smoked tuna is a surprisingly delicious addition to many seafood dishes and stocks. I particularly like to add it to the pasta when I'm making spaghetti alle vongole. And I occasionally just like smelling the jar for that strange almost fish food smell.We bought a yuzu:I'll often use this in dressings instead of lemon juice to give a slightly different citrus tang or in sorbets and lemon tarts.Yeast today, once more:Usually I make the weekly bread using my sourdough starter, but when I want a quicker loaf, pitta breads, ciabbattas or the like, I'll use this fresh yeast from Sweden (via Ocado or the internet). It's tangy, I much prefer fresh than the dried powdery stuff and I like the packaging.Tarragon with the wind:Not many days pass in this house without a salad and our house vinaigrette. Cider vinegar that has had a small bunch of tarragon steeping in it is key to this. Aniseed and apple flavours make this vinaigrette stand out.Fungi to be around:Dried porcini mushrooms, ground to a powder (or for that matter, dried mushrooms of most kinds) make an excellent seasoning for steak, or beef. I also add it to my mushroom pasta and many other dishes where I want that deep umami hit.Oil be seeing you, in all the old familiar places:I have a standard olive oil to cook with and I have a few special ones to dress with. Food that is, I don't need oil on hand when putting clothes on. Just spending a little more on a really good quality olive oil makes such a difference to finishing dishes or for making dressings or just to dip good bread in.Sitting on the dock of the Old Bay:First of all, I love the packaging. Second, no fish taco in this house is complete without Old Bay seasoning. Easy.Pepper the conversation:Japanese pepper is slightly fruity and lemony, so is great on seafood or with meringues and strawberries. I use it a lot when I want an extra kick without too much pepper flavourAil be seeing you, in all those old familiar faces:A house without garlic is a sad house.Cutting the mustard:Maille is my preferred brand of Dijon mustard. I use it in vinagrettes and it's a must(ard) with roast chicken.Chilli in here:I like chilli heat, we have a variety of hot chilli sauces on the shelves too. And one of my favourite uses for them is hot green chilli sliced onto scrambled eggs. Hot green chillies probably would improve most dishes in my opinion.Herb Salt:A mix of rosemary, thyme, sage and parsley, this salt will turn your morning fried eggs into delicious morning fried eggs. And there are plenty more uses for it than that too. Seasoning chicken skin before the bird goes in the oven, sprinkling over flaky white fish or seasoning, even curing salmon, this salt is just a little bit more than the usual. All you need is a spice grinder and it keeps for a long, long while.

Mayan Sandwich Loaf

Every weekday Maya needs a packed lunch for nursery. That will come to an end as she moves into year one in the autumn, but until then, each morning I will continue to run around like a loon with one shoe on, half a cup of coffee reheated from the night before and a slight sense of panic that there is only a questionably fresh slice of ham or two in the fridge to go in her sandwich along with the banana that has been making day trips to class with her.I do, however, know there will be bread. On Sunday I make the loaves for the week. Usually two. One sourdough and one of these. This is so easy and quick to make there really is no need to buy bad bread ever again. If you have a mixer with a dough hook, it's about two minutes work and a little waiting while the yeast does its job. If not, well it's not an hour of knead, more like ten minutes and surely that's worth it. You can add all kinds of extra things to it as you see fit. I'll often throw in some pumpkin seeds, rye grains, quinoa or sunflower seeds.Half an hour in the oven and you have a loaf of homemade bread with no funny business going on. It's a challenge well worth rising to.Ingredients250 organic stoneground strong white flour (I like Gilchesters)50g rye flour50g wholemeal flour7g dried yeastA large pinch of salt225-250ml warm waterMethodAdd the yeast to the warm water and let it foam for about five minutes.Add everything else to the mixer's bowl and start it off slowly.Pour in the water and yeast and let the machine knead it for about ten minutes.Heat the oven to 180c.Put the dough into a 1kg greased loaf tin and let it rise somewhere warm for about half an hour, or until it's filled the tin and risen well.Throw an ice cube in the oven to create a little steam then bake the dough for about half and hour.It should be soft yet still sound hollow when tapped. Leave to cool in the tin and store in the bread bin.

All Rise

I've been using different types of flour recently, trying more wholegrains as well as looking for interesting flavours and texture. There's more to life than wheat, and anyway, I'm not convinced it's that good for you. I haven't ruled it out though, it just has to be worth it, such as with silky and elastic homemade papardelle or deilcate ravioli. As Oscar Wilde said, "Everything in moderation, including moderation."I believe that homemade is best, especially when it comes to bread. Or at the very least, bread made traditionally and slowly by a proper baker. It takes a little more time, effort and planning, but it's worth it and you can always freeze extra for toasting. This loaf uses khorasan flour, an ancient Egyptian grain that is soft, nutty and delicious.My sourdough starter is one year old this month, I'm very proud of that. I've kept it alive for longer than some animals. Like all pets though, it does have to be fed, and sometimes cleaned up after. I keep mine in the fridge in a state of suspended animation, feeding it once a week when I make a loaf. There are plenty of starter 'recipes' out there, but basically do this:Get a large glass kilner jar, fill it 3/4 full with an equal amount of flour and water. Start with a mix of wheat and rye if you like. Stir it well and leave open on the kitchen bench for a couple of days. Throw away half of it and replace with more flour and water. Leave for another day. Repeat this for five to seven days and you should have a nice bubbly and tangy starter. Now you can close the lid properly. Look after it and it should last indefinetely.To make great sourdough, I would recommend buying a bannetone and using a lidded cast iron casserole dish (also known as a Dutch Oven). It bakes and steams the dough with it's own moisture so you get a beautiful crust. If you don't have one, just use a baking tray and put a bowl of ice cubes in the bottom of the oven to create steam. You will notice the difference if you just take a little time and see bread-making as an act in itself. This recipe works equally with wheat flour or other types, you may just need to add a little more or less water.Ingredients240g sourdough starter300g khorasan flour (kamut)30g rye flour60g strong white wheat flour8g saltApproximately 255ml water. If your dough is too stiff add a little more. Bread making is also about using your senses. These will improve with practice.Extra flour for dustingMethodI use my Kenwood Chef to do all the kneading for me, but you may have tension and anger you want to work out by hand. Either way, the dough needs like us all, to be kneaded. I usually do it for about 12-15 minutes.Add the starter to the bowl and pour in the flour and salt then mix well. Slowly add the water and gently incorporate it until well mixed. Knead on the bench for about 15 minutes then put back in the bowl, cover and leave to rise for four hours.Take the dough out of the bowl, knead for a minute or two and shape into a ballthen dust very well with flour.If you're using a banneton, make sure it is well dusted inside with flour. If you like, you can sprinkle some rye grains or other seeds into it so they come out on top of your loaf. Put the dough in, cover it and leave to rise again for another eight hours. I usually leave mine overnight, but be careful to not leave it too long otherwise it will overprove, have too much air in it and collapse.Heat your oven as hot as you can with the pan inside. Remove the dough from the banneton, dust with a little more flour and put in the pan, covering with the lid. Bake for about 30 minutes, then turn the heat down to medium hot and take the lid off. Bake for another 20 or so minutes then remove from the oven and leave to cool.If you're baking this on an oven tray, make sure the ice is in the oven and keep an eye on the loaf so it doesn't burn. It should sound hollow when you tap it. Again, use youre senses.Serve with unsalted butter, thinly sliced (you can use salted butter if your partner threatens you and sees that as an open act of hostility). Or, as we sometimes do, toast it and top with avocado, chilli, lime juice, tomato, spring onion and coriander. Amazing.