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This recipe was a mistake, but it worked out both for savoury and sweet purposes so I thought I would share. I was preparing the ingredients for the onion rings recipe from Ottolenghi's Flavour cookbook, and I failed to read the recipe through before starting to mix things. I was working on the assumption of a batter, but as it turns out the recipe was for egging then flouring the onion rings. As such, being a bit of a numpty, I mixed the wet and dry ingredients together without really paying attention and then realised I had messed up. I set aside the batter I had begun and instead followed the recipe as it was actually written. I detest food waste, so the batter I had begun needed to find a use. The use I found for it was to turn it into pancakes. These I both cooked normally, and a few I deep fried (as I already had a pan of oil going), which had very interesting results. They got puffy and light and cooked faster. As a pancake variation they were tasty and I will revisit them in future. Being a mistake doesn't make them any less worthy of sharing! Ingredients: 1 c whey (or buttermilk) 2 1/2 tbsp white wine vinegar 1/2 tsp turmeric 1 1/3 c flour 2 1/2 tsp nigella seeds 2 tsp lime zest 2 tsp baking powder 2 eggs (or more accurately, 1 egg and 1 egg white as I used a yolk to make mayo) 1 tbsp butter 1) Mix the dry ingredients well with a fork. Gradually beat in the wet ingredients to form a thick-ish batter. 2) Heat a griddle or frying pan and butter. Drop batter onto the pan in two tablespoon dollops. Allow to cook at medium heat on the first side until little bubbles come to the surface and the pancake lifts away from the pan easily, then flip and cook for another minute. 3) Alternatively, if you want to deep fry them, make sure the oil in your pan is shimmering and hot. Drop the batter in in dollops and wait until they turn golden brown, turning once mid-way through. These came out really well, especially for a mistake! It had never occurred to me to put nigella seeds and turmeric in pancakes before, but they worked both with the onion rings and mayo and baked veg that I was originally making that night, and also for breakfast with butter and jam. definitely a win! Let me know what you think if you try them! When I made these (and perhaps a small amount of distraction from the cooking to focus on my book instead explains the mistake that led to their creation) I was listening to The Glass Bead Game by Hermann Hesse. I found it absolutely absorbing. Told as a biography of a brilliant man, set in an undefined future, it presents a beautiful picture of the society the narrative is set in, as well as pointing out its cracks... and those of our society too. I absolutely loved this book! My favourite by Hesse so far, but then I haven't yet read Narcissus and Goldmund,

As mentioned in Day 57 of The Challenge Rotkohl, literally red cabbage, is a stewed cabbage dish traditionally eaten in Germany and German-speaking Switzerland alongside sausages or other meat. You can get them ready made in tins, or you can make it yourself, pretty easily too. This batch came out particularly well, but the key, really, is time. I got this ready early in the day, before lunch, and stashed it in my Wonderbag slow cooker for the rest of the day until dinner, thus giving it plenty of time to stew. I also added a couple of first-time innovations which worked out scrumptiously. Ingredients: 1 half of a red cabbage, chopped 2 apples, chopped 1 c raisins 2 tsp orange peel 1/4-1/2 nutmeg, freshly grated 1 c apple cider vinegar 1 c apple juice Pepper 1) Place all ingredients in a heavy-bottomed pot. Bring to a simmer and stew covered at low temperature for at least 45 minutes (the longer the better). A slow cooker works wonders, but you can do it over the stove if need be. I love this dish! It works as a side for all sorts of meals, it is dead simple, and so so satisfying! Please try this! EDIT: I tried this again recently and made it with dried grapefruit peel instead or orange. It worked well, but there was a little more bitterness. A pinch of salt sorted that out though! Certainly an alternative to bear in mind!

Citrus season is now in full swing, and I plan on taking advantage of it in a variety of ways, not least of which is by making a bunch of different marmalades. Given that tangerines were on sale in 2kg bags, I started with those. There are a number of ways of making marmalade, some of which involve juicing the fruit and then placing the solids in a muslin , cooking them with the juice and then removing them, or straining and mincing the zest etc. I opted for the easiest possible route and just cooked it all together then blitzed the juice with the zest and pulp before adding the sugar. It does mean that the end product is less pretty - there is no golden jelly with elegant slivers of zest suspended in it - but it tastes none the worse for it, and I happen to like the bits. I kept mine less sweet, but feel free to add more, if that's your thing. Using less sugar, it is a little runnier, too, though. Ingredients: 2 kg tangerines, halved and deseeded 1,5l water 3 1/2 c sugar 1) Halve the tangerines and squeeze them into a large heavy bottomed pot. Add the water and bring to a simmer. Cook for 1 - 1 1/2 hours until reduced by about a third. 2) Blitz until all the big bits are gone. Add the sugar and stir, on medium-low heat, until the marmalade has reached the consistency of your choice. You can check the consistency by placing a saucer in the freezer. Spoon a little onto the saucer and give it a minute to cool. You'll now be able to get an idea of the consistency of your marmalade. 3) Meanwhile, boil clean jars for about 15 minutes to sterilise them. Extract the jars carefully (at this point, canning tongs might come in handy...) and spoon the marmalade into them. Wipe the rims, seal and place the jars upside down to cool. I really like the balance of flavours in this marmalade. Not too sweet, with a lovely tang. It also caramelised a little, deepening the flavour nicely (this was not planned but because I stopped stirring briefly while helping Little One with something. We've been enjoying this on toast and in yoghurt with oats. There are also plans afoot to put some in a bread pudding one of these days... This is the first time I've made marmalade with tangerines, but it won't be the last! I am so pleased with this one. Book Pairing: While making this, I have started listening to Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. It's years since I read it, but I've been meaning to reread it since watching the movie a few years ago. I enjoyed the movie, but it felt very melodramatic, which is not how I remembered the book. I am thoroughly enjoying the book, and am indeed finding it less melodramatic. Hugo writes beautifully, but he is a tad verbose at times... As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Baskets of chanterelles are available in the store again! This is very important news, which is why I'm bothering telling you so. One of my favourite things to do with mushrooms is a croûte aux champignons, and this one is more specifically a chanterelles croûte. It is dead easy to make and super flavourful, and a traditional food from this area. I hope you enjoy my take on it! Ingredients: 6 slices of your bread of choice 750g (approx) of chanterelles, chopped 1 onion, diced 1 tbsp butter 1/4 c spinach 1/2 - 3/4 c cream 1/3c white wine 1 tsp thyme Dash of fresh nutmeg 1/2 tsp sumac 1/2 tsp cumin 1) Butter a large baking dish and lay out the bread slices. Place in the oven at about 180°C and toast on each side. Glug over about 2 tbsp of white wine and place back in the oven for a few minutes. 2) Meanwhile, melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Sweat onions, then add mushrooms. Cook for about 5-8 minutes, allowing the liquid to cook off, then add remaining ingredients. Cook for a further 5 minutes. 3) Spoon mushroom sauce over bread. Optional: return to the oven for a couple of minutes. Serve hot. Like I said, dead simple, and if you like mushrooms, you can't go wrong. Little Bit devoured his portion. I'm not sure why I don't make this more often... Book Pairing: In case you are not familiar with it or missed it, there is a quote from Dr Seuss's Sleep Book above. See if you can find it! An absolute classic in children's literature, it seemed appropriate for some reason.

I've done this in various forms before, sometimes vegetarian, sometimes with sausages or other meat,

As mentioned in Day 47 of The Challenge Our basil plant was starting to suffer from the cooler weather, and our tomatoes were ripening, so the stars aligned as it were for a tomato tart. Or agriculture on my balcony did in any case. I had been wanting to have a tomato tart for a while and so seized the opportunity and am delighted that I did! Ingredients: Crust: (you can use a store bought crust if you want, but this is also very quick and easy, I promise! It is better if you have a half hour to let it chill before rolling it out, but it still works if you don't) 3/4 c flour 1/2 c cold butter, cut into pieces pinch of salt 1/4 (approximate) water 6 large tomatoes, sliced a handful of fresh basil leaves 1 ball of mozzarella, sliced 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar Salt and pepper to taste 1) To make crust, mix flour and salt. Cut in pieces of butter and mix together with fingertips until it forms a crumb like texture. Add water and mix with a fork, then knead into a soft dough. 2) Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. 3) Roll out the pastry and line a pie dish with it. Layer sliced tomatoes in the pie dish (Careful not to drizzle in the juice at the same time or your pie will be soggy!) and then place mozzarella slices over the top and drizzle over olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Tuck in basil leaves, and season. 4) Bake at 180°C for 30-35 minutes until the mozzarella browns slightly. Tasty and fresh yet warm for a cool, sunny autumn day. Absolutely loved this, and it went down well with Hubby and Little One too!

I've always really liked peanut butter cookies. When working in Greece, I entered into a bit of a relationship with tahini. Hence the idea to try a cookie variant using tahini and sesame seeds, but aiming at a similar consistency as peanut butter cookies. Little Bit came through after his nap with his kiddy baking book asking to bake, and then after deciding on peanut butter cookies with me, he promptly lost interest (toddler attention spans, anyone?), leaving me free to experiment. Here is the result. Ingredients: 3/4 c tahini 1/2 c butter 1/2 c dark brown sugar 3/4 c light brown sugar 3 tbsp milk 1 tbsp vanilla extract 2 tsp almond extract 1 egg 1 3/4 c flour 3/4 tsp baking powder a pinch of salt 1/2 c sesame seeds (I used toasted sesame seeds, but you could use regular ones too.) 1) Beat together the tahini, butter and sugars until fluffy. Work in wet ingredients. Add dry ingredients gradually. Stir in sesame seeds. 2) Drop by teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 190°C for 8 minutes until golden brown. I was really pleased with how these came out and the overall flavour. What I might try next time though is to replace at least some of the brown sugar with honey as tahini and honey is a flavour I really like. Alternatively, adding in some chocolate, either mixing in cacao powder or chocolate chips, might work nicely as a combo. In any case, having the sesame seeds in the cookies worked very nicely, adding a little crunch.

As mentioned in Day 45 of The Challenge This is a recipe I haven't made in a long time, and it is always slightly different. It is a little involved, with multiple steps and three different parts that then need to be assembled, but it is tasty and warming. It is easily varied by putting different twists on the flavouring or tweaking the sauce or the filling. This time we did a tomato and lentil filling and a spinach cream sauce. I then sprinkled it with breadcrumbs and cheese before baking it. The flavourings were warm spices rather than herbs or sharp. It came out beautifully balanced and tasty - a big favourite especially with Little Bit. Ingredients: For the Crêpes: 1 c flour 2 eggs 1 - 1 1/4 c milk For the filling: 1 onion, chopped 1 tbsp olive oil 200g tin of tomatoes 1/2 c tomato passata 3/4 c green lentils 1 c celery, chopped 1 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp cloves 1/2 tsp allspice 1 tsp garam masala 3/4 c red cooking wine For the cream sauce: 2 tbsp butter 2tbsp flour 1 1/2 c milk 1/2 c spinach 1 tsp grated nutmeg 2 tbsp breadcrumbs 2 -3 tbsp grated parmesan salt and pepper to taste 1) Mix the ingredients for the crêpe batter. Add liquids to the flour slowly, beating thoroughly to avoid lumps. 2) Grease a crêpe pan, and pour 2 tbsp of batter into the pan. Tilt the pan to spread it and allow the first side to cook. When it lifts cleanly and easily, flip the crêpe. Cook for a further couple of minutes and then remove. Repeat until the batter is all cooked. Adjust the batter after the first one by adding a little milk if it seems to thick to spread out thinly. 3) Meanwhile, heat oil in a saucepan and sauté the onion until translucent. Add the other ingredients and simmer until lentils are tender. 4) In another sauce pan, melt butter. Stir in the flour and then gradually add milk, stirring to avoid lumping. Add in the spinach and nutmeg and cook until it is the right consistency. Again, add milk as needed if it is too thick. Salt and pepper to taste. 5) Grease an oven proof dish. Carefully place 2-3 tbsp of filling along the centre line of each crêpe then roll it up. Line up the crêpes in the oven proof dish until there is no more space. Add any extra filling at the feet of the crêpe rolls to fill the dish. 6) Spoon sauce over the crêpes and sprinkle breadcrumbs and cheese over the top. Grind pepper over the whole, and bake 25-30 minutes at 180°C. Serve hot. Hot filling and comfort foody while being healthy and not too heavy. Perfect for a rainy autumnal evening!

These are an adapted version of a muffin recipe I got from my mother-in-law. They are packed full of vitamins, fibre and protein and are super tasty. The only down-side is that they are a little dense, but they are very worth it despite that! I switched out the sugar from maple syrup to honey and grape molasses, and changed the spicing and nuts around a little. Some of those decisions are taste based and some are pantry based. The grape molasses was because I recently picked some up and wanted to try it out. Ingredients: 1 c ground hazelnuts 1 c ground almonds 1 c oats 1/2 c raisins, chopped 2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp cloves 1 tsp baking soda 3 eggs 1 c zucchini, grated 1 c carrot, grated 1/3 c butter (scant), melted 1 tsp vanilla 1/4 c honey 1/4 c grape molasses 1) Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. beat in the eggs then add the wet ingredients. Stir until just combined. 2) Fill muffin cups 3/4 full and bake at 175°C for 25-35 minutes until golden brown and a knife comes out clean. I like these either plain, or with just a little butter. They are tasty, with a rich flavour and make a great breakfast on the go. I might play around with spicing and flavours a little more though just to sharpen them up a little.

Out playing in the snow in severely negative temperatures the other day at sunset, we needed something quick and easy to feed everyone before heading into bath and bed routines for the Littles. Initially, we had thought of omelettes, then somehow, via savoury crêpes, we settled on sweet crêpes. I had some dried raspberries in the cupboard (they had been destined for some more chocolate flavouring experiments that I haven't gotten to yet), so in the absence of fresh raspberries (it being winter and all), I used the dried ones for a bit of a twist on our regular crêpes. Ingredients: 1 c flour 1/4 c powdered sugar 2 eggs 1 1/2 c milk 1/2 c cream 1/4 c dried raspberries, crushed 2 tbsp lemon juice oil for cooking 1) Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the eggs and beat until smooth. Gradually add other liquids, mixing well until a loose batter is achieved. Stir in raspberries and lemon juice. 2) Heat a crêpe pan over medium-low heat (I have a dedicated cast iron one) and brush with vegetable oil. When it is hot, pour 1/2 ladle of batter in and rotate the pan to spread the batter in a thin round. DO NOT pour the oil in before the pan is hot as it will not spread properly or cook evenly. 3) Once the top side is matte and little bubbles have popped on the surface, flip the crêpe and briefly cook the other side. Serve hot. This hit the spot and was enjoyed by all. It's surprising what a difference a slight twist on a recipe can make sometimes. I personally prefer our regular ones, but Hubby and Little Bit insist that these are the best ever, so I'll let you make up your mind. Where do you sit on this question? Book Pairing: I was listening to Narcissus and Goldmund by Herman Hesse when we had these. It is a book I thoroughly enjoyed. It is the tale of two men, very different with different fates, and their effect on each other. Throughout though, I had a distinct sense of an echo of the Glass Bead Game, also by Hesse, which I listened to over a year and a half ago. I've not been able to put my finger on why. The plot and characters are different... Maybe it is just a stylistic echo, or maybe it was the same reader. I am not sure. It is amazing the difference that a reader can make to a book when you are listening to it instead of reading it off a page yourself...