Vegan Welsh Cakes

I made another batch of Welsh Cakes this week; and as promised, here is the recipe. As you can see, I slightly overcooked one side of them. Pro-Tip: try not to get caught up in any toddler dramas whilst cooking these, or anything for that matter.

A heavy based frying pan or griddle pan is essential to prevent burning.

* * * * *

Vegan Welsh Cakes

(Makes approx 16 x 3 inch or 32 x 2 inch cakes)

2 cups self-raising flour
1/3 cup caster sugar + extra for sprinkling
1/4 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp orange essence (optional)
1/3 cup + 1 heaped Tbsp vegan margarine, cut into 1 cm cubes
1 flax or chia 'egg'
1/3 cup of sultanas
Splash of vegan milk, if required
Oil for greasing pan

Sift the flour, sugar and spice into a mixing bowl, and rub in the butter until the mixture is crumbly and even. Mix in the currants.

Add the flax egg and essence if using and work into a soft pliable dough, adding milk a tablespoon at a time if required.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a 1/3 inch thickness; and cut into rounds using pastry cutters, re-rolling the offcuts until the dough is used up.

Lightly grease a heavy based griddle pan and bring up to temperature over a medium heat. Batch cook the cakes, around 3 minutes on each side, until they are a golden brown colour and the edges look cooked through. They will rise to around half an inch in height.

Remove from the pan and sprinkle with caster sugar. Serve warm, or leave to cool before storing in an airtight container for up to five days. They can be served as is, or split and served with butter and jam.

* * * * *

This is a very versatile recipe - I've used half wholemeal flour/half self raising, and all wholemeal plus a teaspoon of baking powder for a healthier snack. With the spice omitted, they become plain old griddle scones and are just as good.

Vegan cinnamon french toast

No relevant picture I'm afraid because Middle Pumpkin borrowed the camera and doesn't know where she left it, so instead here is one I took last week of a primrose:
 

Pretty, no? Spring - it's sprung.

I love it when a complete lack of a meal plan comes together. I whipped this up as a quick supper a few nights ago and it turned out just beautifully, if not healthily. Assuming you have stale bread, everything else comes from the pantry; and the whole shebang takes about 20 mins from start to eighth slice.

I used good old stale English Chorleywood-Process supermarket bread, because let's face it this is really just good old English eggy bread zhuzhed* up with some cinnamon. However, French Toast sounds fancier and slightly less factually incorrect because there's no eggs. There's also no French either, but I aspire to one day make it with left over pain rustique, so the name stays.

RECIPE EDITED 20/03/2017 - I made this with a different brand of Gram Flour and they are not all created equal apparently - the batter came out too thin. It should be the consistency of pancake batter - add the milk a little at a time until the right consistency is reached. I've changed the milk quantity to reflect this.

* * *

Vegan Cinnamon French Toast

8 slices slightly stale bread, halved
1/2 cup gram flour
2 tsp sugar
1 + 1/2 to 2 cups vegan milk
1/2 tsp black salt (optional)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
Vegan margarine or oil for frying
Golden syrup and extra cinnamon to serve

Preheat a little oil or margarine in a frying pan over a medium heat. Or a lot, its up to you, as long as it falls into 'shallow fried' and not an actual chip fryer.
 
Sift the gram flour and sugar into a bowl and add the cinnamon and black salt if using. You really don't want lumps.

Gradually whisk in the milk and vanilla extract, a little at a time. Again, no lumps.

Dunk the bread slices in the batter, four at a time (or however many fit in your pan), turning once to soak up the batter. Leave the next batch dunked as you cook the previous one.

Lift the slices into the pan using a slice, and fry over a medium heat, turning once, until golden brown - around 2 mins each side.

Serve with a drizzle of syrup and extra cinnamon if desired.

* * *

*Yes I had to look up how to spell zhuzhed. I expected more J's to be honest. Still worth remembering  for Scrabble. You're welcome.

First stew

The cool, grey, showery promises of the weather forecast finally delivered, a few scorching days late, but here we are - on the cusp. Autumn is coming. 

The light has been changing even when the weather has stayed obstinately summery. The nights have been drawing in; and now we have the coolness to match. It's time to nest. It's time for the first stew of autumn.

This is the 'stew' of my childhood, a fixture of cold, rainy nights. Salty and sweet all at once, barely spiced with a pinch of warming black pepper and the mustard heat of the swede. Pot barley, veg and broth and dumplings. There's no rubber chicken carcass these days or 'healing' bone broth, just lots of virtuous veg and peaceful peas. And dumplings! As many as you want! You're an adult now.

* * * * * * * 

Vegan barley stew and dumplings

(Serves 4-6)

1/2 cup yellow or green split peas, presoaked for several hours*

1/3 cup pearl barley

1 large onion, medium diced

1 stick celery, sliced into 1/2cm lengths

2 medium carrots, sliced into 1/2 cm rounds

1 medium swede, medium diced 

2 medium potatoes, cut into eighths.

1 litre vegetable stock

1 Tbsp oil

1 rounded tsp dark brown sugar (optional)

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1 heaped tsp dried parsley

1 1/2 cups self raising flour

1/2 cup vegetable suet

Water

Salt and pepper to taste 

*Presoaking is not entirely necessary for split peas, however it reduces the cooking time, especially for older peas. Add a sprinkle of bicarbonate of soda to the water of any pulse reduces the soaking time required. If short of time, add boiling water and soak for just one hour, or increase the cooking time until the peas are thoroughly cooked.

Over a medium heat, heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the sugar, onion and celery and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until golden and beginning to caramelise.

Add the drained peas and barley to the pan, along with the black pepper and vegetable stock and replace the lid. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the remaining vegetables to the pan, along with the dried parsley, replace lid and continue to simmer.

Mix together the suet and flour until well combined, and stir in the water a little at a time until a  sticky but malleable dough is formed. Split the dough into 6-8 portions, and place on top of the stew.

Cook for a further 20 minutes, turning the dumplings halfway through cooking, adding more water or stock if required. 

Adjust seasoning as required and serve. 

* * * * * * *

Oaty pancake breakfast sandwiches

Pancakes! I've eaten more pancakes in the past year than I have in my entire life. It's as if something clicked and I realised that pancakes are for life, not just for pancake day. I've eaten savoury pancakes, sweet pancakes, fat pancakes, crepes, blinis...all the delicious pancakes.

On Monday I woke up in a house devoid of bread products, cereal, fruit or other breakfast staples; just a huge bunch of bananas and the end of a bag of oats. It certainly isn't porridge weather just yet. I blitzed the oats with the stick blender to make a coarse flour; and set about making pancakes. 

These are designed to be a bit thicker than 'British' pancakes, and a slightly thicker batter works better than the 'single cream' consistency we are usually advised to use.

Whilst the rest of the storecupboard has dwindled, I've somehow acquired 8 packets of creamed coconut. My own 'mylk' in this case was creamed coconut mixed with water. It made for a really rich pancake, but any vegan milk, or even water, works just as well.

* * * * * * *

 

Oaty pancake breakfast sandwiches

(serves 4)

 

2 cups porridge oats, blitzed in a blender to a coarse meal.
1 cup self raising flour
1 heaped tbsp gram flour
2 1/2 cups  'mylk' or water (approx)
Pinch of salt, or black salt*
1 small banana per person.
Peanut butter
Oil to cook
Golden or other syrup to serve (optional)

*Black salt, or Kala Namak, is a sulphury salt that makes things taste a bit 'eggy'. 

Lightly grease a large frying pan and place over a medium heat.

Sift the flours together into a large mixing bowl and add the salt.

Make a well in the centre of the flour and stir in the mylk 1/2 a cup at a time, gradually incorporating the flour in from the edges with the fork, until the batter resembles emulsion paint in consistency.

Pour half of the batter in four small rounds into the pan - and cook over a medium heat for around a minute each side, until golden. The pancakes should double in height. Remove from the pan and repeat with the remaining half of the batter.

Whilst the pancakes are cooking, slice the bananas on the diagonal.

Butter the pancakes with the peanut butter, add the sliced banana and and assemble the sandwiches. Drizzle with syrup to serve.

* * * * * * *