What are you cooking now?

[french frank]

As for marrowfat peas, the texture of them when cooked can be a bit challenging. But, if bruschetta with cooked and mashed broad beans, flavoured with mint or savoury and with some good olive oil (and some Pecorino), can work, there is little reason why marrowfat peas can't do the same. Skip the malt vinegar though.

I was thinking of not overcooking to mushiness, just mashable.Then adding olive oil, chopped chilli and perhaps some lemon juice. Plus a herb if I can think of one (yes, mint of course).

As for yeast bread, I confess mine isn't great, but it's edible and mine own. But with the price of electricity it's probably cheaper to buy from the local baker. Better bread too.

[HighlandDougie]

I have a sourdough starter (in France) which has survived various bouts of being deep-frozen, much to my surprise. Thawed out and fed (always with some rye flour) it comes back to life. It makes a very good base for pizzas and for pissaladière but, pace all the hype, anyone who can make decent loaves with it has my full admiration. I seem unable to do so, despite slavishly following instructions about folding and stretching etc. I have a similar problem with choux pastry. As for marrowfat peas, the texture of them when cooked can be a bit challenging. But, if bruschetta with cooked and mashed broad beans, flavoured with mint or savoury and with some good olive oil (and some Pecorino), can work, there is little reason why marrowfat peas can't do the same. Skip the malt vinegar though.

[french frank]

Not actually cooking at the moment but, following this discussion, I have bought a packet of dried marrowfat peas. Watch this space

Re hmvman's sourdough, I've never cooked sourdough because I haven't quite fathomed how to make the starter, so I just use (dried) yeast. I wonder why sourdough has become A Thing. Is it because it's actually easier (contrary to my impression) to bake successfully than ordinary bread? Or just different?

[hmvman]

Making a sourdough loaf - on its first proving now. I was a bit worried about the starter as I haven't used it for some weeks but it re-activated very well overnight after feeding.

[french frank]

I need to start shedding weight quickly, and get the cholesterol down again, so from today until autumn it's to be salads - no more cooking other than fish on Fridays and X for brekkers 3 times a week.

Not sure that salads and no cooking are the most interesting possibilities (cooking with olive oil should be ok). I'd go for the eating less, exercising, veganish (not too extreme!) with occasional/once weekly treats. And oat-based muesli with fresh fruit every morning. And one daily 8-hour gap/fasting between meals.

I like the salt cod idea, barbs. Might try that when I get fresh fish on my weekly Coop offers …

[Serial_Apologist]

I need to start shedding weight quickly, and get the cholesterol down again, so from today until autumn it's to be salads - no more cooking other than fish on Fridays and X for brekkers 3 times a week.

[Barbirollians]

Not sure whether my recipes have put people off cooking or eating but this was an interesting thread for other people's suggestions …

Salt cod with cannellini beans and fresh tomato , garlic and rosemary sauce on the menu tonight .

Easy to make your own salt cod - cover with layer of sea salt in a Tupperware or the like box - turn over and put more salt on. Leave in fridge for 24 hours.

Pour salty juices away and wash off any sea salt stuck to the fish under the cold tap . soak in cold water for 24 hours - changing water after 12 hours and it is ready to cook.

[french frank]

Not sure whether my recipes have put people off cooking or eating but this was an interesting thread for other people's suggestions …

[french frank]

Was thinking last weekend of Sophie Grigson's chickpea and tomato salad with tahini dressing (plus some green herbs). Got all the stuff and shall make it later in the week - served on a bed of watercress, perhaps. Or rocket.

I made this yesterday - pretty good, but I had half the watercress left over so today I thought I would try a watercress soup of some kind. I found a recipe which suggested the sweetness of carrot went well with watercress, so:

I sweated an onion in some olive oil and added the carrot cut into matchsticks (the recipe said grate it, but I didn't). I added some garlic and some fresh chopped ginger. When it was softening I added a vegetable stock (from a cube) and simmered it for long enough to more or less cook the carrot - about 10 mins; then I chopped up and added the watercress and simmered that for a further five minutes. Most of the recipes I saw wanted to liquidise, blend, blitz or purée the mixture but I don't like that as I prefer the solids to remain solid. I added some (plant) milk to add a bit of depth to the colour and topped with my favourite soup topping: dry roasted flaked almonds which I rather burnt through inattention. I didn't add any salt because the stock cube has enough.

[french frank]

Buy double and make Jane Grigson’s broad bean soup in which she throws in some pods

Was thinking last weekend of Sophie Grigson's chickpea and tomato salad with tahini dressing (plus some green herbs). Got all the stuff and shall make it later in the week - served on a bed of watercress, perhaps. Or rocket.

[Barbirollians]

What do you do with the outer layer? I don't throw away anything that's edible, especially cauliflower stumps and beetroot tops. Not sure about pea pods or broadbean pods. When the greengrocer gets the fresh ones in I'll have to experiment.

Buy double and make Jane Grigson’s broad bean soup in which she throws in some pods

[french frank]

if old and big and tired, very necessary to remove the outer layer.

What do you do with the outer layer? I don't throw away anything that's edible, especially cauliflower stumps and beetroot tops. Not sure about pea pods or broadbean pods. When the greengrocer gets the fresh ones in I'll have to experiment.

[vinteuil]

I'm not sure that I'll bother with Coronation Quiche:

... I think the always-excellent Felicity Cloake agrees with you -

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2023/apr/17/more-like-spinach-pie-felicity-cloake-tests-king-charles-and-camillas-coronation-quiche

.

[HighlandDougie]

Yes. I'm a big fan of your broad bean. If fresh, pleasant to pod them sitting at a table outside in the sunshine with a glass of white to hand.

The dilemma I find : if they're really young, no need to remove the outer layer ; if old and big and tired, very necessary to remove the outer layer. But the ones I get frozen from the supermarket are often of a middling sort, and sometimes I feel no need to hull them - but then sometimes regret not having so done...

.

Tsk ... but I know what you mean. Having pounced on broad beans in Leclerc last week and having podded them, the range of sizes among them led to the temptation not to peel all of them (for a risotto) but then the voice of Rowley Leigh intervened ("No, they must be peeled") so, at least an hour later, a huge bag of them was reduced to what seemed like virtually nothing. But, worth it, as the risotto was not at all bad.

[vinteuil]

Frankly, I am less enamoured of the broad beans rather a waste of their delicate flavour.

Yes. I'm a big fan of your broad bean. If fresh, pleasant to pod them sitting at a table outside in the sunshine with a glass of white to hand.

The dilemma I find : if they're really young, no need to remove the outer layer ; if old and big and tired, very necessary to remove the outer layer. But the ones I get frozen from the supermarket are often of a middling sort, and sometimes I feel no need to hull them - but then sometimes regret not having so done...

.