GUEST BLOG: Our daily bread

By guest blogger SIOBHAN KELLY

On Saturday's all-day bread session at Chorlton High School, we had loads to make: a traditional tin loaf, soda bread, caraway rye bread and focaccia. The volunteers and myself also made pizza dough from scratch, homemade pizza sauce and toppings, and served this up for lunch halfway through, along with a farro grain and yellow beetroot salad.

First job: ovens on, and soon the kitchen was warming up to the right temperature to help the dough rise later on. After some introductions and health & safety information, it was over to Rob to begin the session. Rob is a very experienced, knowledgeable and passionate baker and throughout the session shares his wealth of experience with the group.

To kick off, the group was shown how to make the soda bread, a variation to the standard loaf as bicarbonate of soda and buttermilk are used, and some very professional looking loaves had appeared from the oven by the end of the session. I will never tire of seeing the spectacular focaccia being made - a piece of rustic heaven. The dough is rolled out, sprinkled with ingredients like black olives and tomatoes, folded over, rolled again and then topped with rock salt, fresh rosemary, sliced red onions and olive oil, beautiful before baking, and quite spectacular after some time in the oven.

The tin loaf never disappoints despite the simple dough-making process, which is just left to rise before going in the oven for a spell. Homemade bread is something that far outweighs the supermarket loaf and all its preservatives. Finally, caraway rye bread was made with a mix of flours and slightly more water than the standard loaf, and with additional honey and seeds of choice. So tasty!

Click here to see our Facebook page for lots more photos of the delicious bread made during this session.

If you missed this session but would like to learn the fine art of baking your own bread, we're running a session in Altrincham on 9 November and in Chorlton on 23 November. Visit http://www.crackinggoodfood.org/ for full details and how to book.

Roti dinner

Step-by-step roti-making with Harjinder at last Saturday's class on vegetarian Punjabi cuisine...

Delicious!

GUEST BLOG: Spice age

By guest blogger SIOBHAN KELLY

The group who had booked onto Harjinder’s Vegetarian Punjabi Extra session at Chorlton High School last Saturday got to make a feast of fabulous dishes. On the menu was Smoked Aubergine (Bhartha), Lentil Tarka Dhal, Paneer and Spinach Curry (with a pea variation), and rotis (using atta dough).

The session started with Harjinder’s now famous Spice Tin (pictured) talk - it has been featured on national television: BBC's Hairy Bikers Mums Know Best and ITV's Cook Me The Money. We spent a lovely 10 minutes listening to Harjinder’s tales of childhood cooking, her family history, the values of certain spices: paprika, tumeric, red chilli flakes, kala masala (you won’t find this in the shops) and a very special garam masala mix, and we had a chance to smell and taste some of these.

Next, Harjinder demonstrated how to make atta dough for the roti later on, then the aubergines were prepared for the Bhartha: rubbed with oil and put on the hot tavas to cook, giving a smoky flavour, then dropped into cold water so the charred skin could easily be removed. The flesh was then cut and mashed into pieces and set aside before being added to the flavours: cumin was fried in hot oil, before onion was added, then ginger, tomatoes and chillies, and it was all finished off with fresh coriander.

The room was now a hive of activity! For the Paneer and Spinach Curry, diced paneer was added to fried cumin and put to one side. Onion was fried, then garlic and ginger were added, followed by fresh tomatoes. The paneer, green chillies and spices were added, before freshly chopped spinach and bay leaves (picked fresh from my garden that very morning), completed the dish.

The Lentil Tarka Dhal was made by first preparing the dhal with red lentils, water and tomatoes, plus a mix of spices: fresh ginger, chilli, fenugreek leaves and fresh coriander. As it was covered and left to cook, we made the tarka by toasting cumin seeds, adding oil, frying onions and asafoetida powder and adding to the lentils. This is one of my favourite recipes, and is always in my freezer, so it is ‘on tap’ in my house.

Harjinder demonstrated roti-making with such ease - but, as she says, she has been practising this skill since she was a small child! It is a work of art to watch. Tables were then cleared and set for lunch - it was time to relax, chat and reflect while enjoying the products of a busy morning and afternoon in the kitchen. It was a real feast of colour, flavour, and taste, with dishes which complement each other perfectly. This combination of dishes was a delight to eat - I never tire of Tarka Dhal and Harjinder's magical Garam Masala mix really makes the dish. Recipe sheets were then given out for the participants to take home and share with friends and family. 

There will soon be a complete photo album on the official Cracking Good Food Facebook page. 

GUEST BLOG: Totally woks

By guest blogger SIOBHAN KELLY

On the menu on Saturday was Egg Fried Rice, Egg and Vegetables with Lemon Sauce, and Stir-Fry Pak Choi with Mushroom and Tofu. The session started, however, with guest cook Judy Wong providing a valuable lesson on ‘how to treat your wok’, which was interesting, helpful and worth remembering for those not familiar with cooking this way. Heating the wok upside down over a flame, wiping it and washing it, then repeating this process a few times and sealing the surface with heated oil will keep it ‘treated’ for many cooking sessions to come. (This only works with metal woks, not non-stick ones.) This was followed by facts and information about soy sauce, sesame oil and other ingredients, Chinese supermarkets and knife-sharpening tips. This latter was essential as Judy’s next demonstration was how to make sliced carrot 'flowers’ - simple but beautiful - then how to make a decorative spring onion flower; putting it in a bowl of water helped open up the end tails.

 The benefits of rice cookers came next, followed by a demonstration of how to prepare and make Egg Fried Rice. The participants then all made this themselves and lovely aromas spread through the cooking room, followed by the chance to eat this surprisingly simple yet tasty dish. Egg is cooked in a wok, cold rice is added, spring onions and peas are next, stirring constantly, and then the dish is seasoned with soy sauce, salt and pepper, and optional sesame oil. Delicious for breakfast, lunch or supper. Next up was Egg and Vegetables with Lemon Sauce. We all stood around the cooker to watch the process demonstrated by Judy, then it was back to the work stations to prepare and cook the dish ourselves. Last but not least, and my favourite of the three dishes today, was Stir Fry Pak Choi. Large triangular pieces of tofu are sealed in a wok of hot oil, then drained. Garlic and ginger is heated then shitake or black mushrooms are added, followed by spring onions and greens, then it's seasoned with salt, pepper, soy sauce, rice vinegar and corn flour mixture, then oyster sauce and a few drops of sesame oil are added before serving. Such a tasty dish!

A great session, in which I learnt a lot of new skills and some amazing new recipes. Thanks to Judy, and to our two volunteers Angela and Kate who worked hard during the session today.

We're re-running this session on 25 January in Chorlton and, on 1 February, Judy will be leading a non-vegetarian Totally Woks session: full details and bookings of both classes are now on the Cracking Good Food website.

See our Facebook page for a full set of pictures - and don't forget to click "like"!

GUEST BLOG: Waste not, want not

By guest blogger MAZ

What a beautiful sunny day we got to enjoy in Rochdale's Falinge Park last Sunday, working with the community to learn how to Love Food Hate Waste, a campaign run by Recycle For Greater Manchester.

The organiser Catherine and her eager volunteers were already converted and helped us rally the small but committed band of visitors to join Cracking Good Food and learn to cook fresh, healthy meals on a budget, with no waste. We were making tasty tagine, which can use up just about any vegetables you have left knocking around at the end of the week and you can freeze portions if you don’t need all of it. The vegetables are spiced up with cumin , paprika, cinnamon and mild chilli powder and, of course, dried apricots and sweet honey add that special Middle Eastern flavour! I was asked if we wanted some herbs from the community garden so off I went to pick a selection. With four types of mint and other tasty choices, I knew the couscous and tzatsiki would taste even better, and nothing was wasted as I could just pick the amount we needed. What a great start!

Our young participants were happy chopping away with their parents’ support and encouragement, so we quickly had our onions caramelising, creating a smell that everyone was enjoying. Then came carrots, parsnips and peppers followed by the spices, after they had been sniffed and tasted by all, and honey. Finally we added the dried apricots and tinned tomatoes - resourcefully opened as the tin openers malfunctioned!

 As the tagine bubbled away, we discussed how most households waste around £50 month on food. One woman explained how she buys food for visitors and then they can’t come and another mentioned the changing tastes of her young granddaughter from day to day. These circumstances can be hard to overcome, but we managed to convince another woman, who admitted she threw things away before the end date as she knew she wouldn’t use them in time, to put these items in the freezer along with leftovers. We also explored packet sizes and use-by dates, and came up with lots of ideas how to reduce this waste straight away.

The tagine was ready and everyone ate well, including the apprehensive boxing demonstration next to us, some of whom had seconds! I had a great day and felt the community spirit in full swing - everyone had come together to make this event work and I left feeling that our contribution helped inform and remind us all how good it is to cook and eat together.

Our next Love Food Hate Waste session takes place in Dukinfield on 17 October, with further sessions taking place around Greater Manchester until 4 December. All are free to take part in; visit our website for further details and to book your free place. Click here to be redirected.

There are more photos from this event on our Facebook page.

GUEST BLOG: Breaking bread

By guest blogger SIOBHAN KELLY

Saturday’s sell-out Breaking Bread session saw the group make a basic loaf, garlic naan and focaccia with olives, sun-dried tomatoes, rosemary, rock salt and olive oil. An extra treat for all the participants were the lunchtime pizzas made by me and volunteers Janice and Barry, which we topped with red and green peppers, fresh chilli, garlic, anchovies, mushrooms and cheese, and a special sauce made with red onions, garlic, tinned tomatoes, chopped fresh pear and seasoning, simmered down.   

The friendly group of people on the course today gathered around to learn about breadmaking from Rob, who shared his wealth of information and knowledge throughout the session: from scientific facts and top tips to differences in the yeasts available, good places to buy ingredients, and ‘bakers mates’ and their value in the kitchen.

To start, the group mixed flour with water, yeast and salt to make the bread dough, leaving it to rest under a wet towel while getting on with the dough for the naan and focaccia. With the ovens pre-heating for the loaves, the temperature in the kitchen was rising, making it the perfect environment for the dough to rise. Making focaccia is fun: stretching the dough, folding it over, rolling it and adding ingredients between the layers. And the result is rustic and delicious - a cut above shop-bought versions. For the naan bread, garlic was chopped and mixed with salt to make a garlic paste, and yoghurt was gently heated in a pan using a finger to stir rather than a spoon to keep it at the correct temperature. The garlic naans were then fried in pans of hot oil, giving off a really appetising smell. They can be flavoured as strongly or as mildly as you like, depending on your taste - just one of the benefits of making them from scratch.

Everything came together perfectly at the end of the session: loaves, garlic naan and focaccia, all lovely and warm. Recipe sheets were given out to the group to encourage and enable everyone to try breadmaking again at home and to share their new-found knowledge with friends and family. Another great day in the kitchen!

You can see more photos from this breadmaking session on the Cracking Good Food Facebook page. Click here to view.

GUEST BLOG: Curry in a hurry

By guest blogger KIM IRWIN

Following on from the success of the Contour Housing Association Roadshow event in Salford where Rob and Tracey rustled up stuffed pancakes, we took the cooks to Oldham; this time with new chef James and new volunteer Mariosz. We were supplied with some amazing produce for the event by Fareshare, the nationwide charity which redistributes food that would otherwise have gone to waste. They gave us tomatoes, onions, potatoes, cauliflower, lemons, peaches and Greek yoghurt to both cook with and for people to take home in packed goody bags. James had soon rustled up a simple curry with the ingredients and a few spices, and I made gram flour pancakes with a hint of chilli and fresh coriander. They were lovingly stuffed with the curry and topped with yoghurt, and yes… they tasted awesome!

For more photos from the day, visit our Facebook page: click here.

If you are interested in Cracking Good Food working with your community group, check out the Community Outreach pages on our website: click here.