A Girl With A Stove.

Olive Oil Bread

Ingredients

1 1/2 packages of active dry yeast (3/4 oz. or 25 grams)

1 Tsp. sugar

1 1/4 Cups of warm water 

5-6 Cups of unbleached white flour ( I use bread flour)

2-4 Tsp. salt

4 Tbs. Olive oil

Prepare the yeast

1. Put yeast, sugar and half of the water and olive oil in a small bowl and mix well. Let stand for 10-15 minutes until foamy.

2. Put flour in a large bowl and sprinkle in the salt- mix a little.  Reserve a cup of flour and add if the dough is too sticky or wet. Make a well in the middle and add remaining water and yeast mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon until all the flour is absorbed. You may need to add more water - I sometimes have to add a half of cup. Mix the dough as good as you can with the wooden spoon. Note: if you want a smooth crumb or texture then you can knead it for 7-10 minutes. 

3. Cover with a cloth and let rise in warm place for 1 and a half hours. Should double in size.

4. Punch down and mix again with a wooden spoon. Put bread on a baking sheet or round bread pan and cover with cloth and let rise again for 30 minutes.

5. Bake 28-35 miutes at 450 F/ 230 C.

 

* If you want a bread with a rougher outer texture and to be heavier- do not knead the bread in step 2; the dough should be sticky in consistency and should only be mixed with a wooden spoon before first rising. It will look like this

Stokes Purple Sweet Potato and Leek Soup with Goat Cheese and Lemon Balm

This was a magnificant soup. I had some leeks in the garden that needed to be used since they were going to seed and I wanted to try these new sweet potatoes in a soup.  These purples cooked up wonderfully.

Here are the ingredients:

3 Stokes Purple Sweet Potaotes
1 Onion- sweet
5 Leeks
2 Garlic cloves 
2 Cans of Chicken broth
1/2 Litre of Rosé wine
2 Cups of fat-free half & half (light whipping cream if you're brave)
4 Tbs. Butter
Salt & pepper (sea salt)
Cardamom
Ginger
Freshly scratched nutmeg
Thyme
Red pepper flakes
Lemon zest

I peeled and cubed the potatoes before boiling until tender.  Sauteed the onion and leeks in a pan with the butter (15 minutes). Then add chicken broth and half of the rose wine, spices and minced garlic. Drain the potatoes and add to the pan with the leeks. Simmer together for a few minutes then remove from burner.  In small batches puree the soup in a blender. Return to a clean pot or tureen. Pour in the half and half , whisking it in with remaining wine.  Adjust seasonings to taste.  I use the drop method of cooking, but adjust seasoning to your own preference.  The ginger should not be overly strong- just enough to tingle the cheeks in your mouth. (around 1.5 Tsp).

Serve in bowls with goat cheese and embellish with lemon balm or oregano.  I have to say the lemon balm was fantastic with this.

Secret Ingredient: Cocoa

Do you ever have that secret ingredient that you put in some dishes that leave people eating more just so they can figure out what is in the dish?  I have a few ingredients like that and cocoa powder is one of them.  I put this in one of my southern tarts and it really mystifies people.  It is also good in potato bearing soups. Some other secret ingredients are: lemon zest, freshly grated nutmeg and cardamom.  I can inhale cardamom because it smells so good. What other secret ingredients do you use?