Hello, I'm here, anyone missed me? Due to this here blog I've had quite an exciting time job~wise over the last 6 months.
I have been working for Manchesters Teacup Kitchen & ProperTea as a food development chef!
Sooooo exciting! I've learnt loads and I've got some new recipes up my apron sleeve.
Back in Lancaster now and working at Roots Veggie Cafe where I'm discovering the magic of vegan cake baking!
This weeks recipe is a kind of healthy, sticky pile of winter warming comfort, inspired by my friends requests on Facebook and an amalgamation of some of the recipes I've been coming up with for Teacup Kitchen.
I used Smokey Freekeh because I love the name so much, but you could use Buckwheat or Bulgar instead.
I actually asked Jamie to get me some Kale when he did the Sainsburys shop, but I got this rather fancy Cavolo Nero instead! i.e black cabbage.
Do make your own Harissa sauce ~ it's really very very nice!
I know it looks like a long list but you can make the harissa weeks in advance and the pancake mix the night before, just keep it covered in the fridge.
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Here's what you'll need for 5 stacks:
Smokey Freekeh & Black cabbage
120g black cabbage
3dsp olive oil
3dsp sesame oil
big pinch of salt
100g smokey freekeh
4tsp black sesame seeds
6tsp pumpkin seeds
1/2 a lemon
Sweet Potato Pancakes
600g sweet potato
2dsp olive oil for roasting
pinch of salt & pepper
The Pancakes ~ makes about 20
150g flour
1tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
2 eggs
130g yoghurt
200ml milk
4dsp olive oil for pancake cooking
Harissa sauce ~ makes 125g
8 birds eye chillies
5 cloves of garlic
1" of fresh ginger
1tsp coriander seeds
1tsp fennel seeds
2tsp cumin seeds
1tsp sea salt
1/2tsp black pepper
10dsp olive oil
Tahini & Harissa sauce
100g tahini
10g harissa
2tsp honey or agar syrup or brown sugar
120ml water
To make the cabbage & freekeh first heat the oven 190c / gas 5. Wash & chop the cabbage then mix it in the oil so it's all covered, sprinkle with salt and spread it out on a roasting tin. Cook for 20 mins stirring it round once or twice during cooking until it's nice and crispy and not too chewy.
At the same time, sprinkle the pumpkin seeds on to another roasting tin and toast for 5 ~ 10 mins. Keep checking and stirring.
( Also get the sweet potatoes roasting while the ovens on. Peel and chop the sweet potato into chunks. Mix with the oil and sprinkle with salt, cook for 30 mins. )
Wash the freekeh well, then add to a pan with twice as much water. Bring to a boil then simmer for 15 minutes. Drain and rinse under a cold tap. Leave in a sieve to cool.
To make this dish mix the cooked cabbage and the cooked freekeh together. Stir in the sesame seeds, the juice of 1/2 a lemon and salt & pepper to taste. Sprinkle the pumpkin seeds on top.
To make the Harissa first toast the seeds with the salt. I do this in a little sauce pan, stirring constantly until it just begins to get smokey! Tip into whatever grinder you have.
Add the peeled and chopped garlic, ginger and chopped chillies, seeds and all. Pummel until your arm aches or flick the switch on your spice grinder.
Stir in the oil before, during or after. Add more if you need to ~ enough to cover the spicy mix then keep in a jar in the fridge. It will last for ages.
To make the sauce, just stir all the ingredients together.
To make the pancake mix, you could do with having a hand held blender.
Weigh out the flour, salt and baking powder.
Put the roasted sweet potato into a mixing bowl.
Mix the eggs, milk and yoghurt together in a jug.
Add a bit of the eggy milk to the sweet potato and whizz. Then a bit of the flour and whizz. Alternate like this until you have your batter. It is a thick mix but you can add more milk if you prefer.
To make the pancakes, heat up a frying pan with a bit of oil and drop a tablespoon of the pancake mix in. Use the back of a spoon to spread it out if it's very thick. Cook on both sides for a couple of minutes.
Stack and serve!
Mmmmmmm.....
