2 September 2011

I have had two weeks looking at my life and what I want.  I know that I am good at some things and not at others but I know most of all that I miss my painting. The creative part of me is missing and I need to begin again and I will.  I can now breath properly again and feel I can go on again with my life and face the crippling realities that age brings with it. My scalp has stopped itching and my mind has cleared; all with the help of a little rest and some conscious breath. And the pain has gone.

I have had the motto that if I cant make it we don’t have it and since we have been at the farm and with the time constraints that I face I manage well. Today has been cracker day using an old recipe of my mothers and a new recipe of Annabelle Langbines. Used with cheese and dips they are make the combination of crispy, soft and delicious and very cheap to make. I had the crackers with the relish that I made a couple of days with a little cheese for lunch.  Oh bliss.

I have also decided that I do not have to grow or make things that I don’t like and those jars of piccalilli, which I hate, and the jars of cucumber pickle which I will never give away, have gone to the hens.  Pickled eggs perhaps!

I made lavosh for a party that I catered for last year and they were a real hit, try them. They come out just like the ones the buy in the smart shops, which look fragile and mysterious. The secret is a heavy rolling pin and a smooth rolling motion. But watch the oven carefully.

Today is also the day to plant the sweet peas.  There are memories of last years harvest when big bunches graced the tables and their perfume filled the evening air.  I love the white ones but I don’t like the purple ones. I love the frilly ones and so do the bees. Sweet peas bring a lightness to the garden in summer as the plants struggles at the height of abundance and in many cases serious overload. 

Oat crackers

50 grams quick cook oats

175gms wholemeal flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ ground pepper white or black

¼ cayenne powder

1 teaspoon salt

100gms cold butter diced

2 tablespoons castor sugar

4 tablespoons milk

Put all ingredients except the milk in the food processor until well mixed. Pulse until the mixture forms a crumbly texture.  Add the milk gradually until it forms a ball.  You might need a little more milk.  Knead gently and leave wrapped in greaseproof paper for 15 minutes.

Roll our thinly and cut into shapes, whatever takes your fancy but not too big.

Bake on baking paper at 180c for 10-12 minutes or until they just begin to colour. Leave to rest on the tray for 2 minutes and then transfer to a rack.

Lavosh

1 cup plain flour

⅓ cup wholemeal flour

2 tbsp each black and white sesame seeds or 4 tbsp just one kind

1 tbsp finely chopped fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp salt

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp sesame oil

½ cup water

To finish: 

extra virgin olive oil 

flaky sea salt 

Preheat oven to 165˚C and line an oven tray with baking paper. In a mixing bowl stir together the flours, sesame seeds, oregano and salt. Mix the oils and water together and add to the dry ingredients, stirring to form a soft, pliable dough. 

Divide the dough into 4 pieces and roll each out on a lightly floured board as thinly as possible. Each piece of dough should yield a rectangle about 34 x 16cm. Cut each rectangle into strips measuring about 4 x 17cm and roll again. They need to be virtually see-through.

Carefully transfer strips to a baking tray, brush lightly with oil and sprinkle with flaky salt. Bake until crisp and pale golden – about 15-18 minutes. Allow to cool fully then store in an airtight container.