The Recipe Room

These delicious,  deep-fried onion “flowers” make for a very visually impressive appetiser with which to astound your friends!  The best thing about them is that although they look very impressive and hard to make, they’re actually very easy and will be ready in less than 30 minutes! Serve them with a side of mustard sauce for dipping.

I also recommend these aloo bonda snacks, which are deep-fried potato balls.

These coconut pancakes are made with coconut flour, which lends a delicious and intense coconut flavour and is also a great ingredient for gluten-free baking because of its high fibre, high protein, and low carbohydrate content.  The addition of the shredded coconut and coconut-flavoured extract make the pancakes even more delicious and sweet.

It can be difficult to get these pancakes right the first time, so make sure you follow the instructions carefully, mix all the ingredients very well and don’t skip any steps, such as letting the batter set.  For best results, make sure you use a good non-stick frying pan whose surface isn’t scratched or worn. (For mini treats, try these mini pancakes with mozzarella, spinach and pine nuts.)

You Need:

• 65g sorghum flour
• 65g cornflour
• 50g tapioca flour
• 60g coconut flour
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum
• 200ml to 250ml milk
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon coconut-flavoured extract
• 65g sweetened shredded coconut
• Additional butter or oil for frying

Steps:

1. In a mixing bowl or large measuring cup, sift together the sorghum flour, cornflour, tapioca flour, coconut flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and xanthan gum.
2. Gradually whisk in the milk, butter, egg, vanilla, and coconut extract.  Mix well until very smooth.
3. Mix in the shredded coconut. Let the batter stand 5 minutes and then add more milk, if necessary, just until the batter is thin enough to pour.
4. Heat the butter over medium-high heat in a large non-stick frying pan until hot but not smoking. Pour 65ml of the batter onto the frying pan and cook until bubbles appear on top of the pancake, about 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the pancake over and cook until it has browned on other side.
5. Repeat step 4 with the rest of the batter to make the rest of the pancakes.
6. Serve immediately, either plain or with maple syrup or your favourite pancake topping.

Ready In:  25 minutes

Serves:  2

Difficulty:   2 out of 5

This raisin bread recipe may take a bit of work to get right, but it’ll make your morning breakfast oh-so-much better! If you are looking for something crispier, this Biscotti di Prato recipe might also do the trick.

Toast and butter it for best results.

You Need:

• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 250ml warm (45°C) milk
• 55g dark brown sugar
• White rice flour for dusting
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 435g potato starch
• 90g sorghum flour
• 90g cornflour
• 70g tapioca flour
• 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 85ml canola oil
• 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
• 170g raisins tossed with 1 teaspoon of potato starch

Steps:

1. In a small bowl, combine the yeast, warm milk, and 1 teaspoon of the brown sugar. Set aside to foam 5 minutes.
2. Generously grease a non-stick loaf pan. Dust the bottom and sides of the pan lightly with white rice flour.
3. In the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer, beat eggs until light and frothy, about 30 seconds. Add the potato starch, sorghum flour, cornflour, tapioca flour, xanthan gum, salt, cinnamon, oil, vinegar, and remaining brown sugar and beat on low speed until blended.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
4.  Increase speed to medium and beat 30 seconds, or until dough thickens slightly. Stir in the raisins. Dough will be slightly softer than most yeast breads.
5. Transfer the dough to the prepared pan and smooth the top with a wet spatula.
6. Cover the dough lightly with foil and let rise in a warm place (about 25ºC) until the dough is level with the top of the pan.
7. Preheat the oven to 190ºC.
8. With a sharp knife, make three diagonal slashes (1/3cm deep) in the  loaf so steam can escape during baking.
9. Bake 1 hour to 1 hour 5 minutes or until temperature reaches 205°F on an instant-read thermometer inserted into centre of loaf. Do not under bake. Cover with foil tent after 20 minutes of baking to reduce overbrowning.
10. Remove from the oven and cool in pan the 10 minutes on a wire rack.
11. Remove from the pan and let cool completely on the wire rack.

Ready In:  150 minutes

Serves:  6

Difficulty:   4 out of 5

These lemon blueberry muffins are mouth-wateringly delicious and make a great snack or only slightly decadent breakfast.  The crispy lemon and sugar topping is the icing on the cake, or in this case, the muffin!  If you manage to not eat them all in one sitting, they will keep in the refrigerator for up to ten days. (I would also recommend these raspberry and cinnamon muffins.)

You Need:

LIQUID INGREDIENTS

• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 185ml milk
• 125ml canola oil
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

DRY INGREDIENTS

• 180g + 25g sorghum flour
• 180g + 20g cornflour
• 140g + 15g tapioca flour
• 150g granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1½ teaspoons xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 175g (1 cup) fresh blueberries, washed and patted dry

TOPPING

• Cooking spray
• 100g granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Steps:

1. Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 190ºC.
2. Generously grease the cups of a standard 12-cup non-stick muffin pan, or line with paper liners coated with cooking spray.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the eggs with an electric mixer on low speed until light yellow and frothy, about 30 seconds.
4. Add the milk, oil, lemon zest, and vanilla and beat just until blended.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients except the blueberries. With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat the dry ingredients into the liquid ingredients until the batter is smooth and slightly thickened.
6. Gently stir in the blueberries.
7. Divide the batter evenly in the muffin pan.
8. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until the muffin tops are firm and the edges start to pull away from the pan.
9. Cool the muffins in the pan for 10 minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack.
10. Spray the tops with cooking spray.
11. Make the topping: In a small bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest.
12. Dip each muffin top into the sugar mixture and let stand on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
13.  Serve warm.

Ready In:  60 minutes

Serves:  10-12

Difficulty:   3 out of 5

Known in Turkey as Mücver, these absolutely scrumptious courgette and leek fritters are typically eaten as a snack in the mid-afternoon between lunch and supper, but they also make for a great appetiser or side dish, and you could even make a full meal out of it by serving them alongside some salad and (gluten-free) bread. (I also recommend these potato and Gruyére cakes. Absolutely delicious!)

Fortunately, the original Turkish recipe only calls for one tablespoon of flour, so it was no problem whatsoever to substitute that for cornflour and make these gluten-free.  They are traditionally eaten plain, as far as I know, but I like to eat them with a bit of sour cream or Greek yoghurt, as I find the tartness offsets the earthy flavour of the fritters quite nicely.

One of my fondest memories from a trip I made to Turkey a few years back has got to be the incredible breakfasts!  Nuts and cheeses, yoghurt, honey, fresh fruit and marmalades, and of course, menemen, a kind of Turkish scrambled eggs.  I can still remember falling asleep every night with my mouth watering in anticipation of the next morning’s breakfast!

This recipe, as with most scrambled egg recipes, is very quick and ridiculously simple to prepare.  The only thing you really need to keep in mind to make this taste as good as possible is to use the best quality vegetables you can find, preferably organic.  And if you haven’t switched over to organic free-range eggs, I strongly recommend you do so as soon as possible, as the difference in taste and colour is absolutely astounding!  Also, if you can find the Italian style green peppers (they’re longer and thinner), then you should use them for a more authentic experience.

If you like a big breakfast, why not also try these mini pancakes with mozzarella, spinach and pine nuts? You can technically eat them for lunch or dinner, but to me, pancakes are for breakfast. And I usually prefer salty over sweet in the morning.

These creamy cheese blintzes are great for dessert or brunch.  The sweet cherry topping is both colourful and tasty. For a saltier flavour, you could also try these crepes stuffed with ricotta and courgette.

You Need:

For the crepes:

• 190ml milk
• 30g sorghum flour
• 30g cornflour
• 25g tapioca flour
• 2 large eggs
• 6 teaspoons unsalted butter, melted
• ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Additional butter for frying

For the filling and topping:

• 230g ricotta cheese or firm silken tofu
• 90g cream cheese, softened
• 3 tablespoons icing sugar + 125g for dusting
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 can (about 500ml) cherry pie filling

Steps:

1. Make the crepes: In a blender, combine all the ingredients except the additional butter, and process until smooth. Refrigerate 1 hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 205°C.
3. Coat a glass baking dish with cooking spray.
4. Just before frying the crepes, blend again to reincorporate ingredients.
5. Heat a 20cm frying pan over medium-high heat until a drop of water dances on the surface.
6. Brush the surface of the pan with butter.
7. Pour 60ml of batter into the pan and immediately tilt and swirl the pan to coat the bottom evenly with the batter.
8. Cook until the underside of the crepe is crispy brown, then flip with a thin spatula and cook the other side for 20 to 30 seconds, or until the batter sets.
9. Repeat steps 4 to 6 with the remaining batter.
10. In a medium bowl, beat the ricotta cheese/tofu and cream cheese together on medium speed until smooth.
11. Gradually beat in the 3 tablespoons icing sugar, lemon zest, and egg until smooth.
12. Spoon 60ml of the cheese mixture in a line along the lower third of each crepe.
13. Fold the bottom to just cover the cheese filling and keep rolling, ending with the seam side down.
14. Place the blintzes in the baking dish and bake 10 to 15 minutes, or until the egg is cooked and the cheese sets.
15. Dust with icing sugar, spoon cherry pie filling on top, and serve warm.

Ready In:  90 minutes

Serves:  4

Difficulty:   4 out of 5

This turkey and sun-dried tomato loaf with onion gravy makes for a great Sunday afternoon roast replacement, like this lamb roast with garlic and rosemary.  I like to use turkey mince, but it should work fine with whatever mince you prefer, or even textured vegetable protein if you want to make it vegetarian-friendly.

You Need:

For the loaf:

• 250g sun-dried tomatoes
• 500ml boiling water
• 65g cornflakes, crushed
• 1 large onion, chopped
• ½  medium-size green bell pepper, chopped
• 1tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2tbsps mushroom or vegetable broth
• 2 large eggs
• 125g creamy Havarti cheese, shredded
• 2tsps dried basil
• 1tsp dried parsley
• 1tsp dried oregano
• ½tsp dried thyme
• ½tsp freshly ground pepper
• ½tsp salt
• 700g  turkey mince
• Vegetable oil spray

For the gravy:

• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 stock cube (vegetable or chicken)
• 2tsps thyme
• 500ml water
• 4tbsp cornflour + 2tbsp water, mixed together to form a thick paste 

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 175ºC.
2. Submerge the sun-dried tomatoes in the boiling water for a few minutes to soften and then drain. Chop into small pieces and place in a large bowl.
3. Add the crushed cereal and mix to coat. Set aside.
4. Over medium heat, sauté the onion and green pepper in the olive oil until soft, about 5 to 6 minutes.
5. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute.
6. Add to the sun-dried tomato and cereal mixture.
7. Next pour in the broth and mix well.
8. Beat the eggs and then add them to the mixture,  jumbling it all together.
9. Add the cheese, herbs, seasonings and meat and stir until well-blended.
10. Lightly coat a 23cm x 13cm loaf pan with the vegetable oil spray and then press the mixture firmly down into the pan.
11. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour, or until the temperature of the loaf, when measured with a roasting thermometer, reaches 80ºC.
12. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 to10 minutes before removing from the loaf pan.
13. While the loaf is baking, prepare the gravy:

• Sauté the onions in the vegetable oil until translucent, about 3 minutes.
• Add the stock cube, thyme and 500ml of water and bring to the boil.
• Add the cornflour paste a little at a time until desired thickness is reached.

14. Cut into slices, cover with gravy and serve.

Ready In:  90 minutes

Serves:  8

Difficulty:   3 out of 5

This delicious rosemary focaccia can be served as an accompaniment for dinner or used as an original and filling sandwich bread.  You can even eat it dipped in Moroccan hummus. Or if you’re feeling a bit adventurous (and rather hungry) you could use it as a base for pizza.  Just top it off with your favourite sauce, toppings and cheese and grill for a few minutes to melt the cheese.

You Need:

• 1½tsps active dry yeast
• 2tsps granulated sugar
• 125ml  warm (45°C) water
• White rice flour for dusting
• 140g sorghum flour
• 140g cornflour
• 95g tapioca flour
• 1½tsps xanthan gum
• 2tsps chopped fresh rosemary or 1tsp dried, crushed with your hands
• ½tsp onion powder
• ½tsp salt
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1tsp cider vinegar

Topping:

• Olive oil cooking spray
• 2tsps chopped fresh rosemary or 1tsp dried, crushed with your hands
• ½tsp Italian seasoning
• 1tsp coarse sea salt

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 205°C.
2. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water.
3. Set aside to foam for 5 minutes.
4. Generously grease a 27cm x 20cm pan. Dust the bottom and sides lightly with white rice flour.
5. In a mixing bowl, sift together the sorghum flour, cornflour and tapioca flour
6. Blend in the xanthan gum, rosemary, onion powder, salt, eggs, oil, vinegar, and yeast-water mixture.
7. Beat dough with mixer on low speed until thoroughly blended.
8. Increase mixer speed to medium and continue beating for 30 seconds or until dough starts to thicken slightly.
9. Dough will be somewhat soft and sticky.
10. Transfer dough to pan. Spread dough to edges of pan with a wet spatula, making sure dough is uniform in its thickness.
11. Let dough rise in a warm place (24°C to 27°C) until dough is level with the top of the pan.
12. Spray dough lightly with cooking spray.
13. Sprinkle dough with rosemary, Italian seasoning, and salt.
14. Bake on the lower-middle oven rack 25 to 30 minutes or until top is dark golden brown and firm.
15. Remove from oven and cool focaccia 10 minutes in the pan and 10 more on a wire rack.
16. Slice and serve.

Ready In:  60 minutes

Serves:  8

Difficulty:   4 out of 5

This sugar-free gingerbread is just as rich and delicious as the one Grandma used to make, but without the guilt!  I recommend using agave nectar as a sweetener, but if you can’t find it, you can go ahead and use any other fruit sweetener, or even regular sugar if you prefer, although it obviously won’t be sugar-free then.  The gingerbread freezes very well, so you can double or triple the recipe if you like and freeze the rest for another occasion. (Also try this spicy pumpkin cake.)

You Need:

• 250g  pecans or walnuts, finely chopped
• 250ml  agave nectar
• 65ml canola oil
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 375g brown rice flour or sorghum flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 250ml unsweetened applesauce

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 175ºC.
2. Spray a 23cm square pan with a non-stick spray and set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the agave nectar or fruit sweetener and the oil.
4. Beat with an electric blender on high speed until thoroughly blended.
5. After you have mixed the oil and the sweetener, add the eggs, one at a time. Make sure to beat well between additions.
6. Add the orange rind and the vanilla extract and continue to blend together for another minute. Set aside.
7. Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, ground ginger, cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon.
8. Add the nuts to the sifted dry ingredients.
9. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, a little at a time, alternately with the applesauce, blending well after each addition.
10. Continue until you have added all the ingredients.
11. Pour the batter into the pan and bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the centre of the gingerbread comes out clean.  Alternatively you can press lightly on the centre of the gingerbread. If it leaves a dent, it’s not done.  If it springs back after touching, it’s done and you can move it to a cooling rack.
12. When cooled, slice and serve.

Ready In:  30 minutes

Serves:  8-10

Difficulty:   2 out of 5