Bakin' Bread

So I spent some of the rainiest rainy day making my first ever focaccia (rosemary, garlic and sea salt). It tasted awesome, especially eating it as soon as it came fresh out of the oven! 

Recipe for Rosemary, Garlic and Sea Salt Focaccia:

2.5 cups plain flour

2 teaspoons of dried yeast

1/4 cups parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon freshly chopped sage

3 teaspoons sea salt flakes

1 cup (250ml) warm water

1/4 cups olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped rosemary

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

Sift flour into a large bowl, then stir through the yeast, cheese, sage and 1 teaspoon of the salt.

Gradually stir in the water and 2 tablespoons of the oil.

Knead on a floured surface for roughly ten minutes, or knead in a mixer for about five minutes; either way the dough should be smooth and elastic.

Place the dough on a oiled oven tray. Press into a 24 cm round (this is what the recipe said, however I pressed it out into a square, the shape of a baking tray I had). Cover in plastic wrap and stand in a warm place until dough doubles in size. Try placing it on a tray over a sink of hot water with a towel covering it to keep the warm air in.

Preheat oven to 220 degrees Celsius or 200 fan forced.

Combine rosemary, remaining oil and the sliced garlic.

Remove plastic wrap from dough, then sprinkle the oil mixture evenly(ish) over the dough. Sprinkle the sea salt over the dough.

Bake focaccia for 25 - 30 minutes. It should look nice and golden brown.

Place it on a wire rack to cool.

Eat some while its warm!

Gourmet Garden Gifts

I would definitely regard homemade gifts to be more meaningful than most shop bought pressies. They can also be better for the environment if you use recycled materials and better still if you can grow it in your garden. So for some of my relatives for Christmas, I made these homemade condiments in decorated jars. 

Hang on to some old jars and recycle them for this project. I bought the labels from etsy. 

This time I've made poached pear and rhubarb and a roma tomato and capsicum relish, but there are so many others I'd love to try. Some other ideas for these gift jars are homemade bbq sauce, jams, dukkah, chocolate ganache, granola, aioli or berry compote. 

Here's the recipe for my tomato and capsicum relish:

3 red capsicums, halved and seeded

2 kg ripe roma tomatoes

125ml (half a cup)olive oil

2 spanish onions, finely chopped

250 ml (one cup) aged red wine vinegar

220 g (one cup)caster sugar

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes

                              ---

Blanch capsicums for five minutes, then transfer to a bowl of iced water. Blanch tomatoes for thirty seconds, then transfer to a bowl of iced water. Peel, cut tomatoes in half, then scoop out the seeds. Dice the tomatoes and slice capsicums into strips.

Heat oil in a large pot and add the capsicums, onions and one teaspoon of salt. Cook over a low-medium heat for ten minutes. Add all the remaining ingredients and cook, uncovered, over a medium heat for one and three quarter hours or just until the mixture is thick and has reduced.

Spoon into hot, sterilised jars and seal.

It should keep in the fridge for up to three months.

For the poached pear and rhubarb, I didn't follow a recipe. I just used one pear, a bunch of rhubarb and some caster sugar and water. It only took about 15 minutes in a pot on the stove and it was ready to rock and roll. There are plenty of recipes online, or your mum or nanna might have a recipe.

Try mixing up the jar sizes and shapes. Get creative. Make them for birthdays, engagement gifts, mothers/fathers day.. or just for yourself.