OK, this isn't baking, but it does use the oven and I just wanted to share my all-time favourite snack. Mama Chan used to make these in her childhood in China - sweet potato slices dried in the sun. Then she made dried kumara throughout my childhood and I always gobbled them up.
Boil a pot of kumara with the skins on until just cooked through. Drain and leave to cool. Scrape the skin off with a knife. Slice into 1cm-thick slices. Spread on to a wire oven rack. Dry for several hours at 50-100C...
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Okay, this isn't baking but as I have previously posted gazpacho, one of my favourite soups to make in summer  (http://bakeclub.yolasite.com/index/frances-s-favourite-summer-soup-gazpacho-), I had to also include ‘white garlic’ soup from the Spanish, which is equally easy to make and tasty.

 

4 oz (1/2 cup) blanched, peeled almonds*

3-4 slices stale baguette or white bread

3 cloves garlic

4 cups water

5 Tbsp extra virgin Spanish olive oil

3-4 Tbsp Spanish sherry...

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Thanks Jamie Oliver for this recipe, which doesn't include a white sauce, you just grate the veg into the dish - simple and use less pots! I added a puff pastry top to impress our dinner guest. He had 3 helpings.

1kg potatoes
1 carrot
2 sticks celery
150g Cheddar cheese
1 lemon
1/2 fresh chili
handful fresh parsley
300g smoked fish (I used terakihi, Jamie used salmon and haddock)
125g king prawns (optional, I didn't have any)
olive oil
salt and pepper
chopped spinach, optional
couple of ripe tomatoes, opt...
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2 c self-raising flour
½ tsp salt
black pepper to taste
1 c grated cheese
50g butter, melted
2 large eggs
¾ c milk
250g zucchini, grated (about 3)

Heat oven to 210C. Line 12-muffin or 24-mini muffin tray with lightly greased muffin cases or just grease the tray. Mix flour and salt in a bowl with pepper and cheese. Mix eggs and milk in another bowl, add zucchini and butter. Fold dry ingreds into egg mixture and mix to just combined. Spoon into muffin cases amd bake for 12-15 min un...

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I have to say, this is the best pizza I've ever made. It was almost as good as the Leigh Sawmill pizza. I made 3 kinds that day - snapper, capers and dill; aubergine and sage; and asparagus and roasted capsicum. I used Alessandra Zecchini's basic pizza dough from her book, Savour.

300ml warm water
2 1/2 tsp active yeast granules
1/4 tsp sugar
500g flour
pinch salt

In a large bowl dissolve yeast and sugar in the warm water. When it starts to bubble add flour and salt and mix into a dough for about 1...
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I had a strange hankering for good ol' cheese straws tonight. That crunchy, cheesy, salty hit. Also it's my turn for the office morning tea so I'm serving these plus a date loaf.

2 cups all-purpose flour (I used spelt and white)

2 cups grated cheese

3/4 cup butter or butter substitute

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup water

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Grease or line a baking sheet with parchment...

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Alessandra does a corn loaf with sultanas in her book Savour. I did a savoury version with cheese and gluten-free flour. Turned out to be a good firm loaf that cut easily. The slices toasted well too.

 

250ml warm water
2 tsp active yeast granules
¼ tsp sugar
200g flour (I used gluten-free mix)
100g fine ground cornmeal
pinch salt
1 c grated cheese

Place warm water in large bowl, add yeast and sugar and set aside. When yeast starts to bubble, add cornmeal, flour and salt...

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This recipe is from Healthy Food Guide. It turned out really well and leftover lunch tasted good too.

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled, chopped
2 stalks celery, trimmed, chopped
1 red capsicum, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 cloves garlic, crushed
pinch dried chilli flakes
1/4 cup no-added-salt tomato paste
400g can no-added-salt diced tomatoes
1⁄3 cup chopped fresh basil
75g fresh baby spinach
400g can borlotti beans, drain...

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From my batch of caramelised onions I made lentil pie, used them as a topping on bread and also added them to these quiches. Again, I used ready rolled pastry for a quick baking effort. I blind baked the pastry for about 25 mins for the large quiche and 15 mins for the mini ones.
The filling is a mix of 6 eggs, 150 ml cream, caramelized onions, chopped green olives, roasted red peppers, brie, fresh mung bean sprouts, sprinkle of salt and pepper and topped with a little grated cheddar cheese. ...
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What to do with leftover cooked lentils and ready-rolled pastry? Make a good ol’ pie with bottom and top crust.
I blind baked the bottom crust for about 20-25 mins at 180 C.
I made the filling by sautéing these finely chopped veges:
1 onion
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 carrot
1 stick celery
1 pepper
few sundried tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried marjoram
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander powder
salt and pepper

To the cooked veges I added 2 cups cooked brown lenti...

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I'm on a roll with soup. I know this one looks a bit like the gazpacho I made (tomato is tomato is tomato)
but this one is roasted, and uses tomatoes from Nabby, a very special suburb in Auckland
(Nic and Ben’s Back Yard). The recipe is adapted from Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Cooking.

5 tomatoes, cored and quartered
1 large red capsicum, seeded and quartered
3 onions, quartered (Heidi uses brown onions)
salt and pepper
5 cloves garlic, unpeeled
3 c vegetable s...

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Gazpacho! You need to say it several times in a Spanish accent. GazPAcho! Not baked, but that’s why it’s so easy and quick to make.

 

Chuck in a blender or food processor:
about 1/2 kilo peeled and chopped tomatoes, a variety if you like
1 cucumber peeled, seeded and chopped
1 red pepper seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic peeled and chopped
1/2 onion chopped if you like, brown or red
1/3 c olive oil or thereabouts
2 tbs vinegar, any kind

1-2 tbs lemon juice
1 tbs wate...

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This lentil loaf was easy to make. I actually made two to feed 10 people. Start with 2 c of cooked lentils (I used puy).

Saute:
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed

Mix in:
1 c carrot, grated
2 Tbs tomato paste
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried parsley (or any herbs you like)
black pepper
salt

Put everything in a bowl with the lentils. Mix in 2 eggs, 1 c dried breadcrumbs, some chopped nuts (I used hazels). If you need more moisture add water or vege stock.
Pour into loaf tin and whack in an oven at...
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OK, I'm branching out here on Bake Club by including something not baked at all! I am embracing raw food much more these days - we try for 50% raw in most main meals. I've been to some great raw/superfood talks and learnt a bit about the importance of enzymes in raw food and fermented foods. So here are some supereasy Vietnamese-style rice rolls. I had them once at my friend Lizzie's dinner party - she laid out all the fillings and we just made them up ourselves. I brought along some ajo blan...
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At the 2nd Bake Club meet I made a quiche in a fancy cake tin.

4 Free Range Eggs
1C Milk
1C Rice Flour
1t Baking Powder
1C Grated Cheese
Salt & Pepper
Any vegetables you like cut into small pieces. I used mushrooms, asparagus, tomatoes and purple basil

Mix together eggs, milk, salt and pepper, then add flour and baking powder until just combined. Add in vegies and cheese. Pour into 20/23cm greased tin and bake at 220 C for 20-25 mins. Leave 5-10 mins before turning out.

Recipe f...

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Now that I’ve set a precedent by adding the deep fried frittelle di pere to Bake Club, here’s another fried snack featuring a new favourite flour at the moment, chickpea flour (aka garbanzo, gram, besan) or pea flour. This recipe is from Annabel Langbein.

Prep time:  5 mins + standing
Cook time:  3-5 mins per batchjk
Serves: Makes approx 30

 

2 cups chickpea or pea flour
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp coriander seeds or mustard seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds, roughly ground o...

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 Filling:
1 potato, grated
1 carrot, grated
1 onion, finely diced
2 spring onions, chopped
10 water chestnuts, chopped
1 tsp ginger, minced
1 tsp garlic, minced
pinch of sugar
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp dry sherry
1 tsp curry paste or laksa paste
1 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbs curry powder

Pastry:
2 c flour
450g cold butter, grated
½ c milk to bind

OR use bought puff pastry, it’s still good

Mix together flour, butter and milk, knead to a dough. Divi...

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My muffins tend to come out dry because: I bake them too long, I probably don't use enough eggs and I need to adjust temps and times for my wee benchtop oven. Still edible though.

375g (2 1/2 cups) gluten-free flour
1 tsp baking powder
150g feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup chopped sundried tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped toasted cashews
finely chopped parsley
330ml (1 1/3 cups) milk
90g butter, melted
1 egg
Finely grated parmesan, extra

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease 2 mini muffins trays (12 muffins in each).
Sif...
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No more slaving over a hot stove waiting for risotto rice to cook! Bake it!

2 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, drushed
300g button mushooms, sliced or mix of dried porcini mushrooms that have been dehydrated and fresh shrooms
2 tsp thyme leaves or 1 tsp dried thyme
2 c arborio rice
5 c vegetable stock
grated parmesan
bunch of spinach leaves if you wish

Preheat oven to 200C. Heat large frying pan and add oil. Add onion and garlic and cook for 1 min. Add mushrooms and thyme and cook for 4-5 ...
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