Making staples from scratch!

quaalude

Hi fooders!

These days, I'm trying to make as many things from scratch as I can - partly for health reasons (know what goes in it, control salt, sugar etc.), but mostly because it's a fun challenge.

Recently, I've perfected butter, mayonnaise, ketchup, baked beans, and harrisa - but I am still buying canned mushy peas (a weakness of mine, I love 'em).

I read recipes online, and you can make them with marrowfat peas, so that's great. I want to make a ton of them, portion them up into 200g bags and freeze. Now, I've looked in a few Tescos and some heath food stores, but I'm coming up empty.
Has anyone seen these in Dublin - here's a pic from Tescos:



Please let me know!

And what foods do you like to make from scratch? I'm always looking for ideas and good recipes that work, with ingredients I can get in Ireland!

I've never found a thin flatbread / pitta bread type-thing that really works - so I'm in the market for that - something to wrap around homemade falafel and homemade hummus, both of which I also love to make.

P. Breathnach

I don't know them, but I'm not into mushy peas.

You might also look for Batchelor's dried marrowfat peas.

Faith

You should be able to get these in tesco:

My mum always has a box in the cupboard. You need to soak them though, so factor that into your timing.

quaalude

Thanks!
I'm a vegetarian, and I'm phasing out Quorn etc., so I always have at least one bean type soaking for cooking and freezing later - soya, pinto, turtle, black-eyed, haricot, chickpeas - so I'm no stranger to that.

I always assumed those boxed peas had loads of salt and sugar, but just I looked at the ingredients and they don't, it's just dried beans and bicarb to make them break down, so I'll give them a go, cheers!

onlineness

This sounds like such an interesting project! I only made mayo from scratch recently and as I accidentally used garlic infused oil it turned out much better than expected!

How did you get on with Ketchup? Is there anything you've decided is better to not make from scratch?

P. Breathnach

My "made from scratch" Marie Rose:
Blend:
4 dollops of mayonnaise from a jar
1 dollop of tomato ketchup from a bottle
medium splash of lemon from a plastic lemon
tiny splash of Tabasco

It makes me feel very cheffy.

Melendez

This post has been deleted.

Shenshen

Not quite as sophisticated, but a useful tip for making your own veg stock :

Whenever I prepare vegetables, I keep the peel and cut-offs. They go into a big bag in my freezer. Once every week or two weeks, I take all these, put them in a big pot (I need to get myself a stock pot, eventually) fill it up with water and set them to simmer for a few hours.

I drain the stock, and then fill it into some silicone muffin molds I've got, then put them into the freezer overnight.
Put the frozen portions into another bag in the freezer, and I've always got home-made, fresh veg stock available, with full control over both fat and salt content.

I've also spent most of last weekend making jams and liqueurs, we've got two plum trees and the fruit needed using up.

quaalude

onlineness wrote: »

This sounds like such an interesting project! I only made mayo from scratch recently and as I accidentally used garlic infused oil it turned out much better than expected!

How did you get on with Ketchup? Is there anything you've decided is better to not make from scratch?

Ah - I often put garlic - powdered or fresh, depending on the taste I want - in my home-made mayo.

I love making ketchup! I don't like the shop-bought kind any more, even my (previously) beloved Heinz tastes too sweet and almost metallic in the mouth.

I was thinking of doing a good job on the ketchup recipe, with pics, and using it for my Cooking Club go that's coming up in a few weeks.

As for anything that's better not from scratch: I am pretty rubbish at bread, even though I try and try, so I usually buy good bread, with no additives, from Soul Bakery or something similar.
I made a simple fresh cheese before - it was feta-like in texture, but didn't taste of all that much. It was fun, but the product wasn't brilliant.

pwurple

No clue on the peas, as I hate mushy peas with a passion. I think the recpie goes something like
-Add baking soda to a pot of soaked marrowfat peas
-boil the shíte out of them for several hours.

That's nice work on making things from scratch. I was going to suggest sausages, as I love doing these... but as you're a veggie, no point!

+1 Pass along the ketchup recipe. I love homemade ketchup, but have never made it myself.

(And on bread, it's so easy with a couple of simple tips and starting with simple ones like doughs and flatbreads. My 4 year old made a focaccia yesterday afternoon pretty much all on her own. If she can do it, anyone can)

quaalude

Shenshen wrote: »

Not quite as sophisticated, but a useful tip for making your own veg stock :

Whenever I prepare vegetables, I keep the peel and cut-offs. They go into a big bag in my freezer. Once every week or two weeks, I take all these, put them in a big pot (I need to get myself a stock pot, eventually) fill it up with water and set them to simmer for a few hours.

I drain the stock, and then fill it into some silicone muffin molds I've got, then put them into the freezer overnight.
Put the frozen portions into another bag in the freezer, and I've always got home-made, fresh veg stock available, with full control over both fat and salt content.

I've also spent most of last weekend making jams and liqueurs, we've got two plum trees and the fruit needed using up.

That stock idea is great - as well as loving making things from scratch, I am mad thrifty, I hate waste, and I have loads of vegetable peelings!

quaalude

pwurple wrote: »

No clue on the peas, as I hate mushy peas with a passion. I think the recpie goes something like
-Add baking soda to a pot of soaked marrowfat peas
-boil the shíte out of them for several hours.

That's nice work on making things from scratch. I was going to suggest sausages, as I love doing these... but as you're a veggie, no point!

+1 Pass along the ketchup recipe. I love homemade ketchup, but have never made it myself.

(And on bread, it's so easy with a couple of simple tips and starting with simple ones like doughs and flatbreads. My 4 year old made a focaccia yesterday afternoon pretty much all on her own. If she can do it, anyone can)

I make my own vegetarian sausages from vital wheat gluten I order online! Even a veggie can enjoy a nice sausage.

I would love some guidance on bread! Flatbreads or foccacia would be unreal to be able to make.

P. Breathnach

Melendez wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

I drink that while I am cooking!

onlineness

I find bread to be ok - I have a trusted recipe from Nigel Slater that has served me well!

pwurple

quaalude wrote: »

I make my own vegetarian sausages from vital wheat gluten I order online! Even a veggie can enjoy a nice sausage.

Interesting! What casing do you use?

I would love some guidance on bread! Flatbreads or foccacia would be unreal to be able to make.

Biggest tip for working with bread is watch your temperatures.
The yeast likes to be warm (and moist!) to grow, so to get it going, use warm water or warm milk... Blood temperatures is what it's described as.

And when the bread is rising, if you don't have a sunny window, or it is a cold day, or nighttime I sometimes use a very very low oven . My first notch on oven is 50c, so I turn it to just below that (no fan). (Manual thermometer reads about 28) I used to use our hot press where the hot water cylinder is, but that's full of a tank for solar water heating now. Pfft.

Good Link here with step by step pics for focaccia.
http://whatjessicabakednext.com/2015/08/25/rosemary-sea-salt-focaccia/

Shenshen

quaalude wrote: »

I make my own vegetarian sausages from vital wheat gluten I order online! Even a veggie can enjoy a nice sausage.

I would love some guidance on bread! Flatbreads or foccacia would be unreal to be able to make.

Foccacia is quite simple, I think.

400g of strong flour (M&S has really good flour - I never thought it would make a difference until I tried theirs)
1 sachet of fast action yeast
2 tbsp of olive oil
1 pinch of salt
Lukewarm water

I usually put the yeast into a little bowl with warm water first - no idea why, that's what my gran used to do. You can add a pinch of sugar to that to get the yeast going, but it's not strictly necessary.

Mix the flour, salt and oil, then make a hollow in the middle and pour in the yeast mixture. Start mixing it all together, and add more warm water if required. The dough should be what I call easily squeezable - not too hard, but not runny.
Once it's all mixed, take it out of the bowl and knead for 10 minutes.

Once you've got a nice, soft, silky ball of dough, put it into an oiled bowl and cover with clingfilm.
You can let it rise somewhere warm (if you don't have a lot of time, but you should give it at least 1 hour), or leave it in the fridge overnight (it'll rise there, too, but much slower and develop more flavour).

Once it's risen, add whatever flavours you want - I love chopped sundried tomatoes and rosemary, or olives, or pesto - knock it back and mix it all together.
Spread it onto a baking tray, flat but not thin. Cover with cling film again and let it rise for another half an hour or so, then bake it at 220 degrees for 20 - 30 minutes.

quaalude

pwurple wrote: »

Interesting! What casing do you use?

I steam them in tinfoil - they don't need casings. I've adapted and perfected this great recipe:
http://www.theppk.com/2012/01/vegan_sausage/

pwurple wrote: »

Biggest tip for working with bread is watch your temperatures.
The yeast likes to be warm (and moist!) to grow, so to get it going, use warm water or warm milk... Blood temperatures is what it's described as.

And when the bread is rising, if you don't have a sunny window, or it is a cold day, or nighttime I sometimes use a very very low oven . My first notch on oven is 50c, so I turn it to just below that (no fan). (Manual thermometer reads about 28) I used to use our hot press where the hot water cylinder is, but that's full of a tank for solar water heating now. Pfft.

Good Link here with step by step pics for focaccia.
http://whatjessicabakednext.com/2015/08/25/rosemary-sea-salt-focaccia/

OK, I am gonna try this - thanks so much for the tips and link!

quaalude

Shenshen wrote: »

Foccacia is quite simple, I think.

400g of strong flour (M&S has really good flour - I never thought it would make a difference until I tried theirs)
1 sachet of fast action yeast
2 tbsp of olive oil
1 pinch of salt
Lukewarm water

I usually put the yeast into a little bowl with warm water first - no idea why, that's what my gran used to do. You can add a pinch of sugar to that to get the yeast going, but it's not strictly necessary.

Mix the flour, salt and oil, then make a hollow in the middle and pour in the yeast mixture. Start mixing it all together, and add more warm water if required. The dough should be what I call easily squeezable - not too hard, but not runny.
Once it's all mixed, take it out of the bowl and knead for 10 minutes.

Once you've got a nice, soft, silky ball of dough, put it into an oiled bowl and cover with clingfilm.
You can let it rise somewhere warm (if you don't have a lot of time, but you should give it at least 1 hour), or leave it in the fridge overnight (it'll rise there, too, but much slower and develop more flavour).

Once it's risen, add whatever flavours you want - I love chopped sundried tomatoes and rosemary, or olives, or pesto - knock it back and mix it all together.
Spread it onto a baking tray, flat but not thin. Cover with cling film again and let it rise for another half an hour or so, then bake it at 220 degrees for 20 - 30 minutes.

Great, thanks for this too!

pwurple

Do you do chutney yet? Or is ketchup quite like chutney?

Will be running up a batch of that shortly to consume all the end of season veg oddments. We Still have three pots left from last year, but this years will be different anyway with different veg in it.

Chutney is such a handy condiment! Stir a big spoon of it into a curry or stew for a bit of kick, bubble it on a baked goat cheese tart, and usual accompaniment to meats/cheese/sandwich.

quaalude

pwurple wrote: »

Do you do chutney yet? Or is ketchup quite like chutney?

Will be running up a batch of that shortly to consume all the end of season veg oddments. We Still have three pots left from last year, but this years will be different anyway with different veg in it.

Chutney is such a handy condiment! Stir a big spoon of it into a curry or stew for a bit of kick, bubble it on a baked goat cheese tart, and usual accompaniment to meats/cheese/sandwich.

I love relishes and chutneys for a cheese board, but I've never made anything like that! I'd love to though, so if you can recommend a nice recipe that would be brill.

quaalude

I found the perfect marrow fat pea and made gorgeous mushy peas at the weekend - this one worked a treat: Batchelors Marrow Fat Peas 250G
(Edit: I've just noticed the Tesco website is wrong - a pack contains 200g, not 250g, in case anyone's looking for them).

I did up two packets of them - cooking only took 20 mins after the overnight soak.

So now I've loads of perfectly seasoned mushy peas in the freezer, and a new staple!

Dial Hard

You can also grow your own peas from dried marrowfats. It's too late for this year, but in spring if you fancy it, just put a good double-handful of good-quality potting compost into a sandwich bag and wet it well. Stick about 5 peas into each bag, push them into the soil, tie the bags off and leave on a sunny windowsill til they sprout (about 5 days). Pot them on once they sprout, then move them outdoors once they hit about 4" high.

quaalude

Dial Hard wrote: »

You can also grow your own peas from dried marrowfats. It's too late for this year, but in spring if you fancy it, just put a good double-handful of good-quality potting compost into a sandwich bag and wet it well. Stick about 5 peas into each bag, push them into the soil, tie the bags off and leave on a sunny windowsill til they sprout (about 5 days). Pot them on once they sprout, then move them outdoors once they hit about 4" high.

Wow!
I can't keep a houseplant alive for a month at the moment, but I do have gardening on my list of things to try and get good at, so maybe next year!

Dizzyblonde

I love home made chutneys. I usually make beetroot chutney every autumn, and this year I made rhubarb chutney for the first time. Apart from chopping a load of rhubarb and dates into small pieces it was very easy to make. It tasted quite like Branston pickle but much nicer. I'm just finished my last jar now and I've used all of my home grown rhubarb, but if I can find some rhubarb in the shops I'll make more to have for Christmas.
I've made some with courgettes spiced with chili in the past (for some reason that was referred to as relish) and it tasted great too.

quaalude

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

I love home made chutneys. I usually make beetroot chutney every autumn, and this year I made rhubarb chutney for the first time. Apart from chopping a load of rhubarb and dates into small pieces it was very easy to make. It tasted quite like Branston pickle but much nicer.

That rhubarb chutney sounds lovely, could I trouble you for the recipe, Dizzyblonde?
Dates are pretty much my favourite thing ever, and I only recently cooked with rhubarb but enjoyed it very much.

Dizzyblonde

This is the recipe I used. I love dates too and they add a lovely texture to the chutney

http://www.mumsnet.com/food/recipe/2167-Rhubarb-chutney?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=page%2Bfood%2Brhubarb%2Bchutney

quaalude

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

This is the recipe I used. I love dates too and they add a lovely texture to the chutney

http://www.mumsnet.com/food/recipe/2167-Rhubarb-chutney?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=page%2Bfood%2Brhubarb%2Bchutney

That sounds pimps - I'll add that to my (ever-growing) list of things I have to make from boards.ie!

katydid

quaalude wrote: »

I make my own vegetarian sausages from vital wheat gluten I order online! Even a veggie can enjoy a nice sausage.

I would love some guidance on bread! Flatbreads or foccacia would be unreal to be able to make.

Foccacia is dead easy to make, as are most breads. I used to have a breadmaker which would do the kneading for me, and the first rising. All I had to do was knock the bread back, shape it, and set it for the second rising.
When the breadmaker wore out, I didn't replace it, but started doing it from scratch. I found the kneading wasn't so onerous. Quite relaxing, if anything; many recipes only call for 5 minutes of kneading, and the max would be ten. You just need to have the flour close to hand to make sure the dough doesn't stick.

You can play around with textures and ingredients, and it's great fun

The only thing, from a health point of view, is that you end up eating way too much bread

quaalude

pwurple wrote: »

Interesting! What casing do you use?
Good Link here with step by step pics for focaccia.
http://whatjessicabakednext.com/2015/08/25/rosemary-sea-salt-focaccia/

I made focaccia last week, it turned out great. I used the tips from everyone in this thread, and the link above, thanks! I bought decent strong flour in Fallon and Byrne, I think it really made a difference. I'm usually a Tesco value kind of person
I'll be making more at the weekend, I'll take pics this time.

My cooking club go is next week, so I'll be making my ketchup recipe, keep an eye out for it!

Spanish Eyes

To those marrowfat pea lovers like myself.... I use the "no soak" packets from Aldi. Takes fifteen minutes or so. They are so moreish. I love them. Each to their own!

Once when I overcooked them and they went a bit meh in the pot, I added melted butter and mash potato. Made into cakes, dusted with seasoned flour and pan fried in butter/veg oil mix. OMG. I have loads in the freezer now for when I can't be bothered. Top with nice gravy and you will not be disappointed.

quaalude

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

To those marrowfat pea lovers like myself.... I use the "no soak" packets from Aldi. Takes fifteen minutes or so. They are so moreish. I love them. Each to their own!

Once when I overcooked them and they went a bit meh in the pot, I added melted butter and mash potato. Made into cakes, dusted with seasoned flour and pan fried in butter/veg oil mix. OMG. I have loads in the freezer now for when I can't be bothered. Top with nice gravy and you will not be disappointed.

Top-notch marrowfat pea ideas there, Spanish Eyes - thanks so much!