Azeliaskitchen.net - Guide to a Better Kitchen

Nasu dengaku – miso glazed aubergine

Nasu dengaku is a simple dish to prepare, aubergine topped with a sweet, salty, nutty glaze. It will make a good side dish and I like having it as a snack for lunch.

None of the nasu dengaku recipes I came across on the net mentioned the importance of the skin. Aubergine skin when baked, grilled or fried can become leathery but in this dish there must be some skin in order for the aubergine to retain its shape when cooked.

The answer to resolving the aubergine skin came from A Taste of Japan by Lesley Downer (now out of print). A simple book with traditional recipes. In their recipe for aubergine with miso they strip the skin into a stripe pattern.

Cutting the aubergine into a stripe effect allows for easier biting into the aubergine but with enough skin to hold the shape when cooked.

I tried the aubergine cut into thick round slices and lengthways and concluded that although lengthways they look very attractive I prefer cut into thick slices because there is a better ratio of glaze to flesh.

Do not to bother with baby aubergines at all. By the time they are cooked they have a large ratio of skin to flesh which is not pleasant to eat.

Choose a small to medium size aubergine. It’s really important to score the flesh before cooking, because when they cook the cut opens up and the glaze can seep down the cracks, more of the flesh is penetrated with flavour.

I fried and baked the aubergine and prefer to bake them for this recipe. Baking was easier. Frying lets the flesh absorb fat which makes the result taste a little greasy.

Before going into the oven brushed the surface with some oil. Bake in hot oven until completely soft in the middle, 25-30mins depending on size.

Brushed the glaze on. Put the aubergines back in the oven for a couple of minutes for the glaze to bubble. Best eaten while warm.

If putting the aubergine under the grill the edges burn easily.

Miso

The ratio of miso to other ingredients varies with recipes. Some recipes have larger ratio of miso to mirin and sake, some have large amounts of sugar. Others are equal amounts of miso to the rest of ingredients.

I like using white miso because it’s the lightest miso. Red miso is also used but it’s stronger and saltier than the white. White miso varies on saltiness, it will depend on the brand.

I liked adding freshly grated ginger at the very end and top with thin slices of spring onion. They added a zingyness and freshness which cut through the richness of the glaze really well.

Some recipes start by reducing the mirin and sake first, and then adding the miso. Others reduce the miso with the mirin and sake.

I tried one recipe adding toasted sesame seeds ground into powder but I found it too cloggy and thick in the mouth.

Omitting sake

I tried using just mirin without sake. I noticed such small difference without the sake that I would recommend using only mirin if you can not buy sake. The sake made the glaze have a slight alcoholic note, even after reduction.

After trying many different variations on the glaze I settled on one which boiled all the ingredients together until a caramel consistency and colour. Not too thick, not too concentrated.

Nasu Dengaku – aubergine glazed with misoAuthor: Azelia’s Kitchen I have not use as much sugar as most recipes I have seen. If the glaze is cold when the aubergines are ready it hardens making difficult to glaze over. Put the pan back on the heat for a few seconds to melt again making it easier to spread. Serves 4Ingredients

2 small to medium size aubergines
1 tablespoon of white miso
2 tablespoons mirin (sweet cooking wine)
2 tablespoons sake (sake is more like beer than wine in its making process) can replace it with all mirin
1 – 1½ teaspoon sugar
½ – 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon finely chopped spring onion (scallion)
½ teaspoon of toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to moderate 180˚C
Start by peeling strips of the aubergine skin leaving the aubergine with a stripe affect. Cut the aubergine into thick round slices or slice it lengthways. Score criss-cross marks on the flesh of the aubergine and place them on a baking sheet. Brush the top of the aubergine with some oil and place them in the pre-heated oven to bake all the way through. For slices check after 25 minutes for the aubergine halves it can take 30-35 minutes.
To prepare the glaze add the miso, mirin, sake and sugar to a small pan bring it to the boil and simmer for a minute or so until the miso has melted and thicken. Keep whisking and the miso will melt. Add the ginger.
When the aubergines are soft and cooked through brush generously the glaze over them, serve them like this or put them back in the oven for a couple of minutes to bubble the glaze. Sprinkle the spring onions and toasted sesame seeds and serve warm.

NotesTasting this glaze on its own it’s strong and too salty but when eaten with the aubergine’s bland flesh it makes sense.

Best Programmable Slow Cookers

A slow cooker or crock-pot is a countertop cooking appliance that usually simmers the food at a low temperature to maintain the nutrients. It uses much less heat than other types of cooking methods. However, almost all kinds of dishes can be easily prepared in this appliance. And, the best part is that you do not need to constantly vigilant throughout the process!

Irving Naxon of the Naxon Utilities Corporation first developed a ‘Beanery All-Purpose Cooker’ in Chicago to help with the cooking of bean meals. And then in 1950, Industrial Radiant Heat Corporation made the ‘Simmer Crock’ in Gladstone, New Jersey. And since then, slow cookers have remained a must-have appliance in everyone’s kitchen.

Here’s our pick of 7 best programmable slow cookers

1. LUX60V3 V3 6 Qt 6-in-1 Multi-Use Cooker by Instant Pot

The LUX60V3 V3 Cooker is a combination of six kitchen appliances: pressure cooker, rice cooker, slow cooker, steamer, sautéing appliance, and warmer. It is equipped with 3rd generation microprocessor technology to ensure unmatched performance. It delivers three temperature modes in slow cooking and sautéing. It also offers up to 240 minutes of pressure cooking time and as much as 24 hours of Delay Cooking Start feature. You also get a Keep Warm setting of up to 10 hours.

The inner cooking pot is made of 304 food grade 18/8 stainless steel; it doesn’t have any chemical coating to make it safe and healthy. Besides, it is UL and ULC certified, thus ensuring 10 safety mechanisms of this cooker. This 1000 watts slow cooker runs smoothly on the 120V – 60Hz power supply. It also comes with an Alexa cooking guide that has more than 300 unique recipes to enable you to make incredible dishes with this cooker.

Specifications

Product Dimensions: 13.2 x 12.2 x 12.5 inches
Product Weight: 11.53 pounds
Program: 12 Smart programs

Pros

Comes in three different sizes of 3-8 QT
Cooks about 70% faster than traditional cooking methods
Comes with 3 ply bottom for the even distribution of heat
Fully-sealed pot to trap nutrients and flavor while cooking

Cons

Operates only on high pressure
Comes with just a 1-year manufacturer’s warranty

2. 6 Qt 11-in-1 Programmable Multi-Cooker Pot by COSORI

The newly-innovated cooker from the house of COSORI serves the purposes of eleven kitchen appliances: steamer, simmer, rice cooker, baking appliance, boiling appliance, yogurt maker, sautéing appliance, roaster, browning tool, slow cooker, and manual cooking device. You can slow cook in three different heat settings and can customize the heat setting to turn it to 86°F-400°F manually. It also enables you to cook in a customized cooking time.

The cast-aluminum inner pot is made of food-grade-safe material that also has non-stick properties. It is also lead and BPA-free besides being free of any PTFE and PFOA coating. The exterior is made of brushed stainless steel that is fingerprint-resistant and is much easier to clean. This cooker has six safety mechanisms and is entirely dishwasher-safe, making it suitable for everyone. It also features heat-resistant handles for easy operation.

Specifications

Product Dimensions: 17.7 x 11 x 9 inches
Product Weight: 15 pounds
Program: 11 Micro-processor Controlled Programs

Pros

1-year manufacturer’s warranty with the option of 1-year extended warranty
Comes with a removable rubber seal for faster cook
Keeps the food warm for as long as 8 hours
UL and FDA approved to prove it safe and secure

Cons

Stirring the food while cooking required
Rubber gasket to be washed and dried after every use

3. SD700450 Programmable Slow Cooker by All-Clad

The SD700450 slow cooker is made of stainless steel and has a removable black insert made of ceramic. It is large enough to cook for a good number of people; and, you can directly use it as a serving pot. It ensures 4-20 hours of cooking time and has a cycle time of 26 hours. These settings help you to prepare your favorite dishes on any schedule. Besides, it also traps the aroma and flavor of the food to ensure you have the best of your dish each time.

The ceramic insert of this slow cooker has integrated handles that ensure a secure grip. These handles also give you the freedom to transport it easily. So, it can also be your companion on a picnic or family outing. Besides, it has a glass lid that traps the moisture and heat of the food while cooking. This cooker has riveted handles on the base, made of stainless steel.

Specifications

Product Dimensions: 19.9 x 14 x 11.4 inches
Product Weight: 12.5 pounds
Program: N/A

Pros

Come in four different size variants of 4-7 QT
Large easy-to-read digital display
Large buttons for easy control
Easy to clean and fully dishwasher-safe cooker, lid, crock liner, and insert
Secure and easy grip enabled by integrated handles

Cons

Difficult to wash it by hand because of heavy main insert
Using ceramic insert as a stovetop strictly not recommended

4. Auto-iQ Multi/Slow Cooker by Ninja

The specially-designed Ninja cooker comes with 80+ Auto-iQ recipes. You can select the pre-program modes by just a touch of a button; all you need to do is add the ingredients of the dish, and the intelligent cooker will take care of the rest. It is a combo of four kitchen appliances: slow cooker, searer, baking appliance, and sautéing device. This cooker comes with ‘Triple Fusion Heat’ technology that provides heat and steam simultaneously.

This slow cooker comes with a large digital timer and has an auto Stay Warm feature; it maintains the ideal temperature of your favorite dish until the service. It is also extremely lightweight, making it easy to carry. The ‘AccuTemp’ feature of this cooker intelligently controls the whole cooking operation to make the dish perfect. It is also PTFE free and has a non-stick coating.

Specifications

Product Dimensions: 12.5 x 10.2 x 17 inches
Product Weight: 11 pounds
Program: 80+ Auto-iQ

Pros

Triple fusion heat unlike traditional cookers
Manual control of cooking temperature from 250°F to 425°F
Lightweight and easy to carry
Cooks within 30 minutes, just at a touch of a button

Cons

Comes in just a single size variant of 6 QT
Uneven heat at the base when used as a stovetop

5. MSC-800 Cook Central 4-in-1 Multi-Cooker by Cuisinart

The all-new MSC-800 is a combination of four different kitchen appliances: slow cooker, simmer, roaster, and warmer. You can slow cook in three different heat settings. You can keep food warm or simmer any food for up to 24 hours; you can roast your favorite turkey for up to 6 hours at 250°F-450°F. Besides, you can also steam or sauté your favorite food in up to 500°F. The removable cooking pot is made of non-stick cast aluminum and has a Teflon coating.

Its 7-quarts capacity is ideal for any small gathering. Besides, it features an automatic Keep Warm mode that also makes it perfect for any house party. This slow cooker has an extra-large LCD that is perfect for easily reading cooking time and temperature. It features a retractable power cord that makes your kitchen counter clutter-free. Besides, it also comes with the clear-view glass top.

Specifications

Product Dimensions: 13.5 x 19.5 x 9.9 inches
Product Weight: 18.8 pounds
Program: 4 Function

Pros

Single-touch mode change for combo cooking
Comes in 3 different size variants from 4 QT to 8 QT
Dishwasher-safe cooking pot and glass lid for easy cleaning
Comes with a reversible roasting and steaming rack

Cons

44-inch long, non-detachable power cord
Shallow but wide inner pot

6. 6-Quart Slow Cooker by Hamilton Beach

The new cooker from the house of Hamilton Beach is not just an excellent slow cooker available in 2019; it also features some innovative smart technologies. It allows you to prepare your favorite dish in a specific time or temperature. You can cook on low, medium, or high heat using manual settings. It comes with a patented temperature probe that can be easily placed in the food during the preparation to achieve precise temperature.

This slow cooker comes with a clip-tight lid gasket that secures the seal between the lid and the pot so that you can easily carry the food. Besides, this unique seal also maintains the temperature of the food during the short power cut. The inner pot is also large enough to cook 6 pounds of chicken or 4 pounds of turkey roast. So, it is not only just a great appliance for any household but is also ideal for small gatherings.

Specifications

Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 17.5 x 11.8 inches
Product Weight: 14.5 pounds
Program: N/A

Pros

Automatically switches to Keep Warm mode after cooking
Displays Real-time temperature on backlit control panel while cooking
Chances of spillage eliminated by the tight and secured seal
Removable and dishwasher-safe crock and lid

Cons

Comes in just a single size variant
Comes with just a 1-year manufacturer’s warranty

7. SCCPVI600-S 6-Quart Programmable Cooker by Crock-Pot

The SCCPVI600-S cooker comes with a ceramic-coated pot that is also ideal for stove-top browning. That not only makes it one of the best slow cookers but also assures multipurpose application. You can pre-set your cooking time from 30 minutes to 20 hours, as it has a digital timer. This crock-pot is not just easy to use but is also extremely durable.

The stoneware and glass lid is removable and is fully dishwasher-safe to ensure easy cleaning. Besides, you can also clean the pot and the lid with hot and soapy water. Besides slow cooking, the removable stoneware can also be used as a serving dish. Like traditional cookers, this particular crock-pot does not provide heat only from the bottom. So, you need to fill up the inner pot at least up to the halfway mark to get the best result.

Specifications

Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 15.2 x 15.1 inches
Product Weight: 8.75 pounds
Program: N/A

Pros

6-quart capacity that is ideal for 6 or more people
Comes with unique recipes
Auto-shift to Keep Warm mode for ideal serving temperature
Maintains the aroma and nutrients of the food

Cons

Preheat strictly not recommended
Needs to be cooled before cleaning

How to Choose the Right Programmable Slow Cooker

To buy the right programmable slow cooker for your kitchen, you first need to understand the components and the features of the device. This will help you figure out what are the possible advantages and disadvantages of the appliance.

Almost all of the most popular programmable slow cookers primarily have three main components:

An oval cooking pot, usually made of porcelain or glazed ceramics;
A housing casing, made of metal, with a heating element;
A lid to cover the pot, usually made of glass.

The lid sits tightly on the groove in the edge of the pot. Condensed vapor usually collects in that groove that makes a seal, although many cookers now also come with a separate rubber gasket. The inner ceramic pot of the slow cooker acts both as a container and a heat reservoir. The actual pressure inside a crock-pot is quite similar to the atmospheric pressure that not only makes is different than other pressure cooker but also eliminates the danger of any abrupt pressure release.

Slow cookers now come in several variants of 500ml-7litres (17 US fl. oz.-8 Q). However, most of the slow cooker has a minimum recommendation of liquid level to eliminate the chance of sudden heating. Most of the slow cookers primarily have three types of heat settings: low, medium, and high. However, many top-notch slow cookers now available also have a separate ‘keep warm’ setting.

Conclusion

With slow cookers, it is almost impossible to burn the food due to the low simmering temperature. Slow cookers are also quite easy to clean, as most of them are dishwasher-safe. Slow cookers can make it easy for you to prepare delicious comfort food, and perfectly cooked meat that falls off the bones. By understanding what to look for in a slow cooker, it will be easy to choose the right slow cooker that seems tailored to suit all your needs. So, happy cooking!

Yoghurt Cake , Yoghurt Muffins (Yogurt Cake, Yogurt Muffins) of Any Flavour

Here it is my standard cake recipe for any occasion, it has now taken over the Victoria Sponge for the all in one quick throw it together always turns out delicious cake, this cake seems even more moist the second day. I’ve been playing around with it over the last few months. I tried out a few different yoghurt recipes but nothing stood out and I went back to playing around with my double strawberry muffin recipe and this came out. I have been baking away using different fruits or just plain with icing just like the ones I made for the 3 yr old’s birthday and middle child’s birthday. It really seems to suit any flavour you through at it and now that we’re entering into winter fruits season I will be throwing in some chopped apples and even trying an upside down pear version.

Last week, my 3 yr old’s new nursery teachers had to endure a few variations on this yoghurt cake and it went down well…they now understand along with my neighbours that this is the price they pay for knowing me. This is the perfect cake if you don’t want to use or have electric whisks as it’s based on the muffin method of mixing dried ingredients together and wet ingredients together, folding them at the last minute and that’s it. The cake mixture will turn out moist and keep so for days. Even if you think you’re not good at baking cakes or never made one before this is a great starting point as all the work is done by the baking powder and bicarbonate of soda to do the rising and the large quantity of yoghurt will ensure it’s moist.

Footnote, 4th October 2010: Feedback

As one of the nursery teachers handed me back my cake plate this morning when I dropped off the 3 yr old she confirmed what Bikerboy and I had thought last week when experimenting with leaving out the bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) which is; the cake with the bicarbonate of soda is superior. This is the plus of giving away my baking, not just because it stops me eating it…and for someone as greedy as me with no discipline I need the help...but I also get to hear what people’s opinion are which I find invaluable.

The nursery teacher last week said that she loved my plum cake, which was the one without the bicarbonate of soda, and as I handed over another plate of cake but this time made with the bicarbonate, I told her to wait until she tasted this one. This morning when she confirmed the second batch was better it sealed the recipe I have below.

Yoghurt Cake or Yoghurt Muffins

20cm / 8″ cake tin, bottom lined with baking paper or greased with butter and dusted with flour

Oven temperature 170C fan / 190 C / 375 F / Gas 5

Wet Mixture
250 grms / 1 cup of thick plain yogurt
120 grms / 1 stick of butter melted (if using unsalted add 1/4 teaspoon of salt)
3 large eggs, lightly mixed together until blended
1 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract (not essence)

Mix all together in a bowl.

Dry Mixture
275 grms / 2 cups of plain flour (all purpose)
200 grms / 1 cup of granulate or caster sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), slightly rounded spoon

Mix all together in a separate bowl.

1-2 tablespoon of milk

FRUIT – if you want to add berries you can add as much as a cupful or a little as a handful.

Once you have the two separate bowl ready you can leave like this for a long time, you can even leave it overnight just put the yoghurt mixture in the fridge. Once you mix the two together however you can’t wait around as the bicarbonate of soda will start to react with the yoghurt and you want to make sure it does most of its work in the oven. For this reason make sure the tin is ready beforehand.

Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ones and using a large spoon fold the two together until it’s all mixed and you can no longer see any flour.

The mixture should be slightly sloppy, not stiff and should fall off the spoon quite easily if it’s not add between 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk. If you are folding in fruit do it at this stage. When everything is mixed pour into prepared tin and bake for 40 mins. Check after 35 mins. If making muffins bake between 15-20 mins.

Larger Quantities For 23 cm / 9″ cake tin or deep 23 cm / 8″ sandwich tins as follows:

Wet Mixture
375 grms / 1 1/2 cup thick yoghurt
170 grms / 1 1/2 stick of butter melted (if using unsalted add 1/4 teaspoon of salt)
3 large eggs, lightly mixed together until blended
2 teaspoon of vanilla extract (not essence)

Mix all together in a bowl

Dry Mixture
310 grms / 2 1/2 cups of plain flour (all purpose)
280 grms / 1 1/4 cup of granulate or caster sugar
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

Mix all together in a separate bowl

1-2 tablespoons of milk

See recipe above.

Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
I experimented with this recipe leaving out the bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) and although it makes a good enough cake it’s not as good as when it’s added even with such a small amount, it lifts the mixture and makes for a better lighter crumb.

Mix your yogurt, vanilla extract.

Add the melted butter

When you have the dry ingredients in one bowl and all the wet ingredients in another you ready to mix the two.

Fold the two mixture with a large spoon until the two combined, if the mixture is a little stiff add between 1 or 2 tablespoons of milk.

Making it into Muffins.

If you’re using frozen blueberries they like to sink to the bottom so to help them stay put sprinkle a little flour over them before adding them to the mixture.

The Blueberry Cake

And this is where I made the classic mistake of not flouring the frozen blueberries first and ended up with all of them at the bottom or in this case at the top of the cake…well it was kind of different having a layer of blueberries on top.

My Many Plum Cakes.

I have already posted about my first attempt and failure of the upside plum cake because of not lining the bottom of the tin, heck of an ugly cake…but you know you certainly can’t judge the delicious eating of the cake by its appearance.

My second attempt at the upside down plum cake, was more successful but I made the mistake of buying plums that were too small and by the time you removed the stone there was hardly any of plum flesh on them. I resorted to using some large plums I had to hand but didn’t have enough of them, which meant leaving large gaps inbetween the plums, so when the plums shrunk during baking there remained a large gap between the crumb and shrunken plums.

My very small plums below which I had to discard and opt for the larger variety I had.

Unfortunately it meant there wasn’t enough of the larger plums to make a snug fitting around the base of the tin…knowing better now I should have cut them into quarters and turned them the other way.

My third and so far final attempt at the upside down plum cake…using a good fleshy plum snug in the bottom of the tin and turned them with the skin facing the bottom to see if it helped with the uneven surface of the cake I had before, which it did.

The cake below is one I didn’t add any bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) and though the cake was fine, I would opt for adding the tiny bit of bicarbonate as it makes for a better cake, lighter crumb.

To Make Some Good Natural Colour Icing

Reduce a cupful of berries with tiny tiny bit of water like half tablespoon in a small pan with a lid until all the berries burst and come to the boil. Don’ do what I do and let it overboil. Take the lid off let the liquid reduce until thicker, sieve it and when cool use it to add to your soft butter and icing sugar.

The icing below, lilac colour was made from blueberries.

How To Make Easy Sourdough Starter – Dan Lepard

Since I intend to carry on baking sourdough and post about it I wanted to make my own starter from scratch to make sure I was capable of producing it and show how easy it is. If I can…anyone can produce some. For a sourdough novice like me when I first received my hand-me-down leaven I was expecting to be dealing with something incredibly difficult, something temperamental, something that’s always on the edge of dying. When I made room for this living thing on my kitchen top I was convinced it was going to be my worst child to look after. The words volatile, unstable, neurotic, fiery, highly-strung, sensitive, irritable, came to mind...urmmmm..but enough about me now….For those of you who have Dan’s starter I’m sure will agree it’s incredibly easy to make and to maintain. I was led to believe this organism was hellish, it doesn’t help the vivid words still imprinted in my brain from reading Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential where he describes his unreliable but amazing breadmaker ringing him after another absence to say “…feed the bitch…feed the bitch”.

I follow just a couple of simple rules, always use cold water, always put it in very clean containers, make sure nothing contaminates it, I only use clean spoons to divide it up, I have no idea if these are essential but it’s my method and it seems to be just fine on it. I’ve read people having problems with creating starters but they were referring to starter just using flour and water, Dan uses raisins and tiny bit of yoghurt. Dan states in his Handmade Loaf book there is a high chance of yeast being on the surface of raisins and the yoghurt contains lactic bacteria, lactobacilli which is responsible according to wikipedia for the sour taste.

I messed up the recipe…but it still worked.

I had read through the instructions fully carefully before starting the process but when day 4 came to throw away three quarters of the mixture before feeding it with fresh flour and water I forgot…what can I say…I was distracted…it had been a long day…I also forgot to remove the raisins too. I was hoping it wouldn’t be the end of its world since I was feeding new flour to keep it ticking away and I was right it did just fine. I’m giving you the correct method as Dan has it but realise my photos of the process will be distorted somewhat, they should look lame in comparison to the right way. I think subconsciously I do this kinda of thing wrong on purpose, that way I can prove even the most absent minded of us can produce the illusive Sourdough Starter!

By the way, if it so happens you make the foolish mistake of mine of just adding flour without taking some old mixture out first (day 4 onwards) then once you’ve added the fresh flour and water remember to remove some of the mixture and throw it away….otherwise you won’t have room in the jar if you keep on adding but not taking away…yes…I had a Homer Simpson moment there!

Now realise I’m a novice at all this sourdough…I can produce a good white loaf or even a brown loaf but when it comes to reducing the hydration percentages of your starter or other such stuff I’m still a newly wed bride here, there is good help on Dan’s website if you head to the forum section and just post your question, the help may be a little slow but it’s friendly and experienced folks on therewill help. My starter is kept at 100% hydration; whatever the amount of starter I feed it with double the amount of water and flour, easy to remember.

Water Temperature 20˚C

The water for whole process should be at this temperature but I just did not have a thermometer that would take a low enough temperature, my sugar thermometer starts at 40˚C. Instead I relied on using the temperature I use when making a sourdough bread, water that is cold to the touch, not freezing cold but the coldness you would find if you left water at room temperature.

Jar Size

Use a 500ml jar, Dan suggests to use a kilner jar but all I had was my very large 1 pint jam jar. I filled it with 500ml of water and could see there was plenty of room for the mixture to bubble up.

Day 1

50g water 20˚C
2 rounded teaspoons of rye flour
2 rounded teaspoons of strong white flour
2 rounded teaspoons of currants or raisins
2 rounded teaspoons of live low-fat yoghurt (I don’t think mine was low fat, couldn’t find any so grab a plain activa)

Mix everything together tighten with lid and leave for 24 hrs

DAY 2

50g water 20˚C
2 rounded teaspoon rye flour
2 rounded teaspoon strong white flour

Add the water first and then the flours mix well and leave for 24 hours.

DAY 3

I was interested to see by now a few bubbles appearing on the surface.

100g water 20˚C
4 rounded teaspoons rye flour
4 rounded teaspoons strong white flour

Add the water followed by the flours mix well and leave it for 24 hrs.

DAY 4

100g water 20˚C
125g strong white flour

Before adding water and flour make sure you first remove three quarters of the mixture and throw it away. Strain the raisins or currants from the remainder quarter and put the mixture back into the jar and then add the water and flour! Yes….this is where I went a little wrong…doh!

DAY 5

100g water 20˚C
125g strong white flour

Now this where my photos don’t match your starter because you should have more bubbles bubbling away…but I could tell there was something going on here with tiny little bubbles.

Again like day 4, first throw away three quarters of this old mixture and then add the water followed by the flour mix well, leave for 24 hrs.

DAY 6

This is it now you should have a nice bubbling mixture. Mine here is lagging behind because I kept forgetting to remove old mixture before adding fresh flour and water, but it was still active.

Still On Day 6

50g of my new starter
100g water 20˚C
100g strong white flour

Put all of the above into a clean container large enough for some bubbling expansion, and leave it for 24 hrs.

DAY 7

And here is the proof my new starter in the small container (right) is not far from my hand-me-down starter (left)

From Now Onwards

100g starter
200g water 20˚C water
200g flour

I use the above ratio for my baking. This gives me 200g of leaven for say a white sourdough and just over a 100g for either a semi-sourdough or some pitta breads or a slow proving bread…whatever I’m doing And still having a 100g of starter to feed again for another batch of baking. If you don’t bake that often you can keep it in the fridge, leave it out after feeding. The mixture being colder I suspect will take longer to start bubbling away. For safe keeping I have 100g of starter in the freezer which apparently can stay there for a year.

I leave my starter on my kitchen worktop and then refresh every week to the above mixture. I didn’t realise in the beginning that the best time to use this leaven was between 8 hrs – 24 hrs after feeding, there should be lots of nice bubbles and the mixture should be gluppy. I have used leaven that is 3 days old but don’t expect the rise to be as good. When I’ve been stuck, forgotten to refresh the leaven for baking and I’m desperate for a loaf I’ve used the 3 day old leaven, but I add 2g of fast dried yeast to make sure it rises…your leaven will have a sourer smell and produce a slightly sourer bread.

Rojões – Portuguese pork with cumin and white wine

Rajões are as traditional Portuguese food as you can have. Cooking rojões reminds me so much of my Grandmother, I can see her standing over the stove where a huge pot is slowly bubbling away with large pieces of pork, wearing her blue apron and a wooden spoon in her hand turning around to me asking if I want a rojõe to keep me going until lunch was ready. She loves any part of the pig. In rural parts of Portugal every household use to rear a pig or two. If you had a pig you were never far away from your cellar being full with porky abundance. My Grandmother slaughtered them and was hired to slaughter her friends and neighbours pigs too. Fearless.

The wonderful side effect of this dish is the lovely fragrance from the cumin, bay leaves and garlic while cooking.

There will be slight variations of this dish and like all traditional recipes every village or household will have their version and their way of cooking it. I have always known rajões to be marinated in white wine, garlic, bay leaf, cumin and then cooked in the marinade. This is how my mother does it and my Grandmother does it and my Great Grandmother did it.

Make it in advance

It is a well tempered dish, you can serve it straight away with new potatoes cooked in with the pork, or take some of the stock and roast the potatoes with that liquid. They are the best flavoured potatoes. When you want to re-heat them make sure there is liquid in the pan and put the lid on bringing them slowly to temperature. Like the French duck confit this pork will keep well covered in the stock you removed while browning. It will sit happy in the fridge for 10 days or freeze them, de-frost and re-heat gently in the jellyfied stock.

Fat is important

This dish will not work if there isn’t enough fat around the muscle and connective fatty tissue, or to be more precise you can still cook this but you will end up with dry pork. The fat is crucial to having tender rojões . For this reason if using modern breed of pig, the pork sold through supermarkets and butcher shops, use the shoulder of pork. Stay away from using the leg unless you are using old breed of pigs which tend to be fattier animals.

Must use Salt

It is really important to marinade the pork using the salt otherwise the brining doesn’t work. The acidity from the wine with the salt will season and flavour the pork properly not just on the surface but actually penetrate the meat. This has been shown to be the case now scientifically but our grandparents were doing this in the olden days. They knew what would produce a good meat dish.

Marinate the pork the night before you want to cook it, including the salt. Make sure everything is very well mixed in, and refrigerate until you’re ready to cook it.

Put the pork along with the marinade but remove most of the garlic slices (it doesn’t matter if some go through) into a large wide enough pan to fit the pork comfortably. Bring the pork to a simmer, and simmer with the lid on for about 45 min -1 hr.

At this point the pork should look half way cooked as the picture above. The pork will shrink quite a bit and the colour will look rather anemic and you’ll have too much liquid.

To give the pork some colour you need to remove at least half that liquid, maybe more, leaving most of the meat exposed. Keep the liquid you’ll need it for later.

Traditionally we will use some of the liquid we removed to cook new potatoes in the oven, they will taste delicious. Others will put the new potatoes in with the meat.

Put it back on a slow simmer without a lid and you should find it starts to brown after about half hour.

At this point you need to keep checking the amount of liquid and if it appears to be drying out too fast just add a ladle of the saved stock and put the lid half covering the pan. If they are not colouring just keep the lid off. You don’t want the pan to dry out but at the same time you’re trying to brown the meat exposed, so it’s a judgement call here.

Rojões – Portuguese Pork with Cumin and White Wine

Serves 8

I often have leftovers in a sandwich, warm it up in the microwave.

2kg pork shoulder, discard the rind and you can trim some of the outer fat but keep plenty Cut the pork into very large pieces, the size of woman’s fist. They don’t have to be uniform and it does not matter if they’re small pieces mixed in
2 – 2 ½ generous teaspoons of cumin
2 fat cloves of garlic, sliced thickly
3 bay leaves torn in half
2 teaspoons of sea salt
1 bottle of dry white wine, bland and nothing too strongly flavoured, stay away from likes of Australian chardonnay

Marinate the pork the night before you want to cook it or at least for 10-12 hrs with the rest of the ingredients, including the salt. Make sure everything is very well mixed in, and refrigerate until you’re ready to cook it.

Put the pork along with the marinade but remove most of the garlic slices (it doesn’t matter if some go through) into a large enough pan to fit the pork comfortably. Bring the pork to a simmer, and simmer with the lid on for about 45 min -1 hr

At this point the pork should look half way cooked as the picture below. The pork will shrink quite a bit and the colour will look rather anemic and you’ll have too much liquid.

To give the pork some colour you need to remove at least half that liquid, maybe more, leaving most of the meat exposed. Keep the liquid you’ll need it for later.

Traditionally we will use some of the liquid we removed to cook new potatoes in the oven, they will taste delicious. Others will put the new potatoes in with the meat.

Put it back on a slow simmer without a lid and you should find it starts to brown after about half hour.

The pork will roughly take about 2 hours in total, it could be less or more, when it’s done it should have a nice golden colour and the meat should pull apart easily.