• 1 cup dried yellow split peas
• 5 cups water (plus 1/2 cup more later)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 -5 garlic cloves
• 3/4 teaspoon cumin seed
• 3/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
• black pepper
• crushed red pepper flakes

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/yellow-split-pea-dal-64224#ixzz1jdxQ74RV

By John Barrowman from the BBC’s Taste of My Life

This is an easy recipe that gives perfect results every time. Be sure to use overripe bananas and the right sized tin.

preparation time Less than 30 mins
cooking time 30 mins to 1 hour
Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients

• 285g/10oz plain flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 110g/4oz butter, plus extra for greasing
• 225g/8oz caster sugar
• 2 free-range eggs
• 4 ripe bananas, mashed
• 85ml/3fl oz buttermilk (or normal milk mixed with 1½ tsp lemon juice or vinegar)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• Grease a 20cm x 12.5cm/8in x 5in loaf tin and pour the cake mixture into the tin.
• Transfer to the oven and bake for about an hour, or until well-risen and golden-brown.
• Remove from the oven and cool in the tin for a few minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

 Clipped from cookingforgeeks.com, by by Jeff Potter

Chemical leaveners aren’t always used to create light, fluffy foods. Even dense items need some air to keep them enjoyable.

Even dense items need some air to keep them enjoyable.

In a bowl, mix together with a wooden spoon or electric beater:

• ½ cup (100g) sugar
• 6 tablespoons (80g) butter, softened but not melted
• ½ cup (170g) molasses
• 1 tablespoon (17g) minced ginger (or ginger paste)

In a separate bowl, whisk together:

• 3¼ cups (400g) flour
• 4 teaspoons (12g) ginger powder
• 1 teaspoon (5g) baking soda
• 2 teaspoons (3g) cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon (1g) allspice
• ½ teaspoon (2g) salt
• ½ teaspoon (2g) ground black pepper

Sift the dry ingredients into the bowl with the sugar/butter mixture. (I use a strainer as a sifter.) Work the dry and wet ingredients together using a spoon or, if you don’t mind, your hands. The dough will get to a crumbly, sand-like texture.

Add ½ cup (120g) water and continue mixing until the dough forms a ball. Turn out the dough onto a cutting board coated with a few tablespoons of flour. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough until it is about ¼″ (0.6 cm) thick.

Cut it into shapes using a cookie cutter or a paring knife and bake them on a cookie sheet in an oven set to 400°F / 200°C until cooked, about eight minutes. The cookies should be slightly puffed up and dry, but not overly dry.

Bread machines are great and can take the messy, mechanical process out of creating your daily bread. If, like me, you’ve had a bread maker for a while, you’ll have gotten used to how your bread looks. It doesn’t look like this, does it? It can… read on to find out how.
 
 

 
 
You can use your bread machine to mix, knead and proof your dough which stops you getting messy. We’ll take advantage of that, but then do the final proving and baking away from the bread machine.
 
 
Recipe
 
 
There are more than a googol recipes in the world, and you’ll  find the perfect recipie for your own taste. Our recipe require you add the following ingredients in exactly the right quantities and in the same order into your bread machine’s pan.

1. 1 tsp sunflower oil
2. 270 ml tepid water
3. 2 tsp sugar
4. 1.5 tsp salt
5. 225 g Strong White Bread Flour
6. 225 g Multi Cereal Bread Flour
7. 1 tsp dried yeast 

 
 
Bang that into your bread machine and find the setting for ‘make raised dough without cooking’ or similar. Basically, the cycle should take around 1.5 hours. It will start by kneading everything together in the usual way, and then warm up the dough slightly for a hour until it’s ready for the second proving.
 
 
Now we’re going off piste and leaving the bread machine alone. Find a loaf tin which you think looks about the right size and tip out the dough into your tin. No need to grease the tin, just tip it in without touching the dough. Don’t knock it back or anything. You should now have a loaf tin looking a bit like this.
 
 

 
 
Leave it in the nicest, warmest place you can find. Preferably somewhere you won’t forget it because you’re going to leave it for at least an hour to proof for the second time.
 
 
After a while your bread will start to look like this, which is the right time to add an eggwash and some seeds like sesame or pine nuts if you wish.
 
 

 
 
Your bread is ready to bake when it looks like that. This part is not tricky, but there is no room for error.
 
 
Preheat your oven to ‘Fairly Hot ‘ (Gas Mark 6, 200°C 400°F)
 
 
Put your loaf in and set a timer for 30 mins. UNLESS YOU ACTUALLY SMELL BURNING…. Don’t open the door of the oven until your timer goes off. Take out the bread and let it cool. It should look like this
 
 

 
 
If your bread is slightly undercooked, set your timer to 35 mins the next time. Experiment a little to get it just right and your loaves will impress.
 
 

500 g fresh mango (cubed)
2 tbsp salt
300 ml water
225g brown sugar
225 ml vinegar
1 tsp fresh ginger root, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh garlic, fineely chopped
1 tsp chilli powder
1 cinnamon stick
30g raisins
50g dates (stoned)

Add the salt to the cubed mango and leave in a large bowl overnight. Drain the liquid from the bowl in  the morning and set the mangoes aside.

Bring the sugar and vinegar to the boil in a large saucepan over a low heat, stirring. Gradually add the mango cubes to the sugar, stirring to coat the mango in the mixture.

Add the ginger, garlic, chilli powder, cinnamon sticks, raisins and the dates and bring to the boil again, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat and cook for about 1 hour or until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

Remove the cinnamon sticks and discard. Spoon the chutney into clean, dry jars and cover tightly with lids. Leave in a cool place for the flavours to fully develop.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pork-recipes/toad-in-the-hole

Ingredients

• sunflower oil
• 8 large good-quality sausages
• 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 2 large red onions, peeled and sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
• 2 knobs of butter
• 6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 level tablespoon
good-quality vegetable stock powder or 1 vegetable stock cube

for the batter
• 285ml milk
• 115g plain flour
• a pinch of salt
• 3 eggs

main courses | serves 4
Mix the batter ingredients together, and put to one side. I like the batter to go huge so the key thing is to have an appropriately-sized baking tin – the thinner the better – as we need to get the oil smoking hot.

Put 1cm/just under ½ inch of sunflower oil into a baking tin, then place this on the middle shelf of your oven at its highest setting (240–250ºC/475ºF/gas 9). Place a larger tray underneath it to catch any oil that overflows from the tin while cooking. When the oil is very hot, add your sausages. Keep your eye on them and allow them to colour until lightly golden.

At this point, take the tin out of the oven, being very careful, and pour your batter over the sausages. Throw a couple of sprigs of rosemary into the batter. It will bubble and possibly even spit a little, so carefully put the tin back in the oven, and close the door. Don’t open it for at least 20 minutes, as Yorkshire puddings can be a bit temperamental when rising. Remove from the oven when golden and crisp.

For the onion gravy, simply fry off your onions and garlic in the butter on a medium heat for about 5 minutes until they go sweet and translucent. You could add a little thyme or rosemary if you like. Add the balsamic vinegar and allow it to cook down by half. At this point, I do cheat a little and add a stock cube or powder. You can get some good ones in the supermarkets now that aren’t full of rubbish. Sprinkle this in and add a little water. Allow to simmer and you’ll have a really tasty onion gravy. Serve at the table with your Toad in the Hole, mashed potatoes, greens and baked beans or maybe a green salad if you’re feeling a little guilty!