Banana carrot bread

I know that the mere mention of banana bread spreads yawns across the social media, since it's been the staple of baking during the lockdown, but please bear with me. I baked a banana bread last week, and it didn't last long. This week I have added a carrot to the banana loaf, and it was very tasty too.

We have a lovely café in town, called UE Roasters. They serve the best coffee in town, and oh boy, I do miss it. They also serve the best (and truly it should be with a capital B) banana bread with Greek yogurt and honey. If ever you stop by in Witney, treat yourselves to a slice of banana bread at UE Roasters, you wont' regret it.
I did ask them if they'd share their recipe with me. They told me they don't bake it on the premises, but people who bake it for them use Delia's recipe.
I have used Delia's recipe for banana bread, and though delicious, it's still not the same as they serve in the café. So, I'm working on trying to figure out what the secret ingredient is.

Banana carrot bread
Ingredients:
2 medium bananas, mashed
carrots, grated (130g unpeeled weight)
150g demerara sugar
100ml mild olive oil (butter is fine too)
2 medium eggs
250g flour
1tsp baking powder
1tsp cinnamon
a pinch of salt
60g walnuts, chopped (optional)

Mash two peeled bananas in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add a grated carrot and demerara sugar, pour olive oil, beat in eggs, one at a time, and add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, a pinch of salt and chopped walnuts. Mix all the ingredients together, and pour the cake batter into a well oiled loaf tin.

Place in the oven preheated to 180C and bake for about 45 minutes, until golden brown (check if it's ready with a wooden toothpick).
Remove from the oven, leave it in a tin for about 5 minutes before removing out of the tin and letting it cool on the cooling rack.

It is tasty warm, with a cup of tea and coffee. For a totally decadent treat, add a big dollop of thick Greek yogurt and drizzle a bit of honey over it. Mmmm, so, so good.

In this recipe I used Homepride Superior Sponge Flour from March Degustabox food box. Superior Sponge Flour is the latest addition to the Homepride range, a perfect flour for cake-baking.
It's made from 100% British wheat flour, and is available at Tesco.

If you don't have this flour (I know finding flour is still a problem in many supermarkets), any quality self-raising flour will do.

Skip walnuts if you don't like nuts in baking (or have allergies).
I prefer using demerara sugar with the banana bread, but again, caster sugar will be fine.

Sweet and sour aubergine ragu with oyster mushrooms

November is being hailed as a World Vegan Month. While no-one in our family is a vegan, I cook lots of vegetable dishes that just happen to be vegan-friendly.
Aubergines and potatoes are my most favourite vegetables, I am happy to eat them as often as possible.
A few years ago I tried to grow my own aubergines, but there was one plague after another - slugs, caterpillars, some kind of mould etc, so I've not succeeded. After that gardening disaster I just buy them in the shops.
I rarely peel the aubergines (unless the recipe asks for that specifically). The modern varieties are not bitter, and I don't pre-salt them either to remove bitterness.
Sweet and sour aubergine ragu with oyster mushrooms is a tasty comfort food.

Sweet and sour aubergine ragu with oyster mushrooms
Ingredients:
1 red onion
5+tbsp olive oil
2 medium carrots, grated
2 medium aubergines
1 sweet pepper
1-2 clove of garlic
2 big tomatoes
3-4tbsp fresh lemon juice
2tbsp Clarks maple syrup
a punnet of oyster mushrooms
fresh dill (optional)

The sweet pepper is listed in the ingredients list, but is missing in the photo, as I added it after I took the photo

Start by frying a finely chopped red onion in 2 tbsp olive oil, keep stirring for 3-4 minutes, then add grated carrots, and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
Cube the aubergines and slice a pepper, add to the onion and carrot mix, with more of olive oil.
Aubergines tend to absorb quite a lot of oil, so if you're counting calories, add a dash of water, and cook stirring frequently.
Add a finely chopped clove of garlic, chopped tomatoes, lemon juice and maple syrup. You might need a big glug of water. Cover the pan with the lid, and cook simmering, on low heat, for half an hour or so, until the aubergines are soft.
Add the mushrooms in the last five minutes of cooking.
Serve with rice, or as a side dish to a meat course. Sprinkle with fresh herbs, like dill or parsley.
If you don't like oyster mushrooms, they can be easily swapped for chestnut mushrooms.
I served the ragu with the arancini (rice balls).

In this recipe I used Clarks Original maple syrup, which was one of the products in the latest Degustabox food box. It's a natural blend of Pure Canadian maple syrup and carob fruit syrup. It's suitable for both vegetarians and vegans.

If you enjoy cooking with aubergines, check out the following recipes:

Aubergine curry (Indian recipe)

Aubergine ikra (Russian recipe)

Caponata (Sicilian recipe)

Pasta 'ncasiata (Sicilian recipe)

Freekeh with aubergines and cashews

What are your favourite aubergine-based recipes?

Bonfire Night: the full Moon, friends and marshmallows

My Mum started her journey back home very early this morning. As I write it now, she must have arrived to Moscow, if there was no delay. I am always very sad when she goes home. We see each other once a year, and this year her trip almost didn't happen. She was very poorly, and had to cancel her trip arrangements.
She usually stays earlier in the year, mostly in summer, and this was the first time when she spent October and early days of November with us.
I thought it might be a fun idea to do something for the Bonfire Night, while Mum was with us.

You have to be English-born to fully understand the reasoning behind the 5th of November festivities. What this celebration glorifies is in fact the gruesome persecution of Catholics in this country (hasten to add, I'm not a Catholic, so let's say, an impartial side). I don't find any cause for joy in killing Guy Fawkes, and it seems bizarre that this fact is being lauded for centuries.
Living in the UK for more than 21 years, I rarely acknowledge this day. In the past we have attended a couple of big bonfires and fireworks displays, but this year we decided to make a smaller scale bonfire in our garden and invite friends over.

I wanted to make my Mum happy. She loves bonfires, and I have been telling her off for lighting the fires in the garden since she arrived. Eddie was ecstatic when Baba (grandma) roasted frankfurters for him over the bonfire in the garden a couple of weeks ago. He wanted to invite his best friend Peter over and roast marshmallows.
We bought a pack of Mega marshmallows for the occasion.

It was a beautiful night, with the full Moon and a starry night, clearly visible in the darkness.

On Saturday I cooked a big pan of carrot, sweet potato and ginger soup.
Take 1kg of carrots, peel them, chop into smaller chunks and cook on low, simmering for an hour+. Add a chopped sweet potato, 1tbsp vegetable stock, 2 tbsp red lentils, grate ginger (as much as you like, I had quite a big piece), season with sea salt, and when the veg is all cooked, blitz it all.
Serve hot in smaller cups or mugs.

I have also baked a gluten free parkin and made a big batch of white chocolate Oreo fudge, on request from my men.

We had lots of sausages, with a simple potato salad, Russian-style (with soured cream and gherkins) and a big bowl of pickled onion among other things.
Prepare the pickled onion a day in advance: slice 2 onions in thin rings, using a mandolin slicer, then add 2tbsp of demerara sugar, 2-3tbsp cider vinegar, 1tbsp honey, 1-2 tsp paprika, mix well, and put a smaller heavier dish on top of onion + add some weight on top (like a soup tin) to slightly squash the onion mix. Place in the fridge overnight. It is great in sandwiches or with cold meats.
It might not look very pretty but it tastes really nice.

Eddie and his friend were very excited about roasting marshmallows. My Mum was in charge of the fire.

We looked up at the bright stars and the full Moon, and even howled at the Moon jokingly, like urban werewolves.

After stuffing ourselves with marshmallows, we had a go with sparklers (cheap ones, from Poundland). Two of our younger guests are disabled, and couldn't go in the garden, so we had lights off in the sitting room, with a mini-display of sparklers outside the windows.

It was a lovely evening, and having Mum with us made it extra special for me.

Mini carrot cakes with cream cheese topping by Tom Kitchin - Be a Star, Bake a Cake

If my family had to choose our favourite cake, carrot cake would be a top contender, along with Advocaat cake and ricotta cake. I have tried and tested many different versions of this classic bake, from family recipes to celebrity chefs. Some of them we loved, some decided not to bake again.
When I was asked to mention a Be a Star, Bake a cake fundraiser on my blog, I was offered a selection of delicious recipes to try.

Bowel Cancer UK is encouraging the nation to join celebrity chefs to bake their favourite cake for their families, friends and colleagues to raise money for the charity for Bowel Cancer Awareness Month.

Celebrity chefs - Rick Stein, Tom Kitchin, Brian Turner, Eric Lanlard, Tom Aikens, the Hairy Bikers, Gennaro Contaldo, Deliciously Ella, Mark Greenway - whipped up their favourite bakes in order to inspire the Brits to bake their favourite cake for Be a Star, Bake a Cake.

"This year Bowel Cancer UK, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary, is oping more people than ever will hold a bake sale during Bowel Cancer Awareness Month in April and raise as much money as possible to help fund vital research and lifesaving work to stop bowel cancer.
More than 44 people die from bowel cancer every day in the UK, it's the nation's second biggest cancer killer. However, it shouldn't be. It's treatable and curable, especially if diagnosed early"

Steph Mills, Community Fundraising Manager at Bowel Cancer UK says: "Whether you're a whiz in the kitchen or if baking sends you into a tiz, our celebrity chef supporters have a recipe for you. Test your souffle skills with a delicious Chocolate Orange Souffle by the Hairy Bikers, make your chocolate brownies less devilish with Deliciously Ella's sweet potato borwnies or if you're after indulgence, Tom Aikens' chocolate cake will satisfy your sweet tooth. Then hold a cake stall, coffee morning or afternoon tea and invite your friends and colleagues to make a donation and sample the delicious treats".
Your bake will make a real difference - sign up here - Be a Star, Bake a Cake.

There were several recipes I fancied trying, but I can never resist another variation of the carrot cake.
Tom Kitchin's version is very carroty, and as a traybake, it is easily divided into portions for a bake sale.

Mini carrot cakes with cream cheese topping by Tom Kitchin
Ingredients:
makes 12 cakes
a little butter for greasing
190g plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2tsp bicarbonate of soda
1tsp ground cinnamon
3/3tsp freshly grated nutmeg
95g dessicated coconut
4 free range medium eggs
135ml vegetable oil
190g soft dark brown sugar
400g peeled carrots, grated

Topping:
270g cream cheese
230g icing sugar, sifted
160g unsalted butter, softened
1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped or 1tsp vanilla extract
finely chopped carrot and grated orange zest to finish

Method:
Heat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Grease and line 30x20cm baking tin with baking parchment. Sift the flour with the baking powder, bicarb of soda and spices into a large bowl.
stir in the dessicated coconut.

Using an electric mixer or hand whisk, whisk the eggs, oil and brown sugar together until fluffy and thick. Using a large metal spoon carefully fold in the flour and coconut mixture until just combined. Finally, add the grated carrots and fold in gently.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin, spreading it evenly and into the corners. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a fine skewer or cocktail stick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Leave the cake in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the topping, beat the cream cheese, icing sugar, butter, vanilla seeds or extract together, using the mixer or whisk, for at least 5 minutes until the mixture is fluffy and white.

Cut the cake into bite size helpings and pipe a generous dollop of the cream cheese mixtures on top.
Finish with a sprinkling of finely chopped carrot and grated orange zest.

It happened to be an interesting version of our favourite cake, and not only visually - I typically make a round carrot cake, sliced in half and frosted with cream cheese frosting.
I have a square cake tin, so poured the remaining cake batter into four paper cupcake cases.

Our verdict: it was a tasty bake, but for me the ratio of carrots to flour was slightly odd. I usually grate 2 carrots and use more flour. Here the amount of carrots is double to flour, so it is a very carroty carrot cake. It is healthier, of course. I also missed the chopped walnuts in the cake, so added a few chopped ones to the frosted tops.
It's a moist bake, crumbly and not over-sweet. The frosting is delicate and works beautifully with the carrot cake.

Carrot banana cake - #GameOnCooks

When it comes to baking, The Women's Institute which was founded in 1915, is a great authority. Last year I picked up a copy of The Women's Institute Big Book Of Baking reduced from £25 to £2.99. And though most recipes looked familiar, there were quite a few recipes with a twist on the much loved British classics.
I bake a carrot cake at least a couple of times a month, sometimes every week, as this is one of our family favourites. I have tried many carrot cake recipes, some were delicious, some less so.
The Women's Institute has created a carrot cake recipe with a twist - adding a banana to the cake batter and swapping the cream cheese frosting for buttercream frosting.
I have fancied trying the recipe, but have adapted it and changed the frosting back to cream cheese, simply because my guys are not overly keen on buttercream frosting. I have also skipped the dessicated coconut and did some other minor changes, but the overall idea of adding a banana to a carrot cake was a novelty to me. The WI named it a Passion Cake, not quite sure why, but I'll go for a more descriptive Carrot banana cake.

Carrot banana cake
Ingredients:
zest of 1 orange
1 banana, mashed
1tsp baking powder
1tsp ground cinnamon
1/3tsp ground cloves
1/2tsp ground allspice
200g crunchy demerara sugar
a pinch of salt
170g carrot (peeled weight), grated
3 medium eggs
45g walnuts, chopped finely + more for decoration
125ml vegetable oil
2tsp ground hazelnuts (optional)
225g wholemeal flour
For the cream cheese frosting:
200g cream cheese (I used Philadelphia original)
150g icing sugar
100g softened butter

Grate the zest of 1 orange in a big mixing bowl, add a peeled banana and mash it with a fork. Add the baking powder, spices, demerara sugar, a pinch of salt, grated carrot, beat in the eggs, mix well. Add the chopped walnuts, oil, flour and ground hazelnuts. The original recipe asks for dessicated coconut, but I couldn't find any in my kitchen, so I have reduced the amount of vegetable oil to 125ml and added a couple of heaped teaspoons of ground hazelnuts. Mix all the ingredients together, and pour the cake batter into a well buttered round cake tin. Place the tin in an oven preheated to 200C and bake for about 45 minutes until golden brown (check if it's ready with a wooden toothpick).
Remove from the oven and leave it in the tin for 10 minutes before removing out of the tin to cool completely.
Slice the cake in half horizontally.
Make the frosting with the cream cheese, softened butter and icing sugar. Spread 1/3 on the lower layer of the cake, sandwich it and top up with the remaining frosting. Sprinkle some finely chopped walnuts on the top.
Enjoy!

In this recipe I used a Lurpak unsalted butter to make a delicious cream cheese frosting. For the tasty frosting you need the best ingredients - a quality butter and a decent cream cheese. I used Philadelphia original. In the past I have tried Light and Lightest Philly, but they didn't quite work. They might be less in calories but make a runnier frosting, so the choice is yours.

And that's my second bake for #GameOnCooks.
To encourage us to do more cooking, Lurpak has started a new Game On, Cooks campaign. It's challenging Brits to turn their screens off and ovens on. Their motto is "You're not a cook until you cook".

If you're curious about the vintage style magazine used in the photos, this is a replica magazine from 1950s Household pack from Historic Newspapers. This replica memorabilia pack is a splendid educational resource, great for a school project or for bloggers who might use them in vintage themed posts - be it a fashion or recipe post.
This pack contains a Ration Book, Timothy Whites Xmas brochure, household bills, TV and 1950s Radio brochure, housework ephemera, mini postcards, leaflets on Belling fires and kitchen cookers as well as advertising images. These colourful prints were carefully scanned and printed as close to the original as possible.
I love the random choice of items in this pack.
For someone who loves rummaging at the flea markets and vintage shops, looking for memorabilia, this is an inspiring little gift.

Carrot orange soup with umami paste

Buying vegetables in bulk might be a good budget decision, but on the other hand, going through "eleventy million" carrots is not very appealing. If you have a freezer, and can batch cook, fine. My freezer is on a small size and packed full as it is. One kilo of carrots at a time is bulky enough for me.
Rummaging through the fridge the other day, I noticed that the carrots were looking decidedly despondent.
Soup was the obvious solution.

Carrot orange soup
Ingredients:
350g carrots, peeled and chopped
1tbsp olive oil
1 orange, zest and juice
80g red lentils
1 small potato
1tsp Swiss vegetable bouillon powder
1tbsp Clearspring Umami ginger paste

Peel and chop carrots, heat the oil in a frying pan, then fry the carrots until softened, stirring occasionally. Put the carrots in a medium sized pan, add the zest and juice of one orange, dry lentils, peeled and cubed potato, a tsp of vegetable bouillon powder or any vegetable stock cube you prefer, as well as a tbsp of Umami ginger paste.
Cover with boiling water, cook simmering for 20+ minutes until the carrots and potatoes are tender.
Blitz with a hand blender to a smooth creamy consistency. Season if necessary. You might need to add more hot water to the soup as it's cooking.
Serve hot with a dollop of soured cream or Greek style yogurt.

In this recipe I used Clearspring Organic Japanese Umami paste with ginger which is traditionally fermented with soya sauce and koji.
It has no added sugar, it's high in protein, fat free and vegan.
Squeeze straight from the pouch into sauces, stews and stir fries.
Ingredients: soya sauce, cultured rice, ginger.
You can substitute this paste for a mix of grated fresh ginger and soy sauce.

Disclosure: I received a couple of pouches of Clearspring umami paste for the purposes of testing and reviewing. All opinions are mine.

Carrot cookies (#ReadCookEat - The Icecutter's Daughter)

The Icecutter's Daughter by Tracie Peterson is set in 1896 in a small Minnesota town. Merrill Krause is the only female in a big houseful of men. After her mother's death she dedicates her life to her father and brothers. She is strong and robust and works as hard as any man, assisting her father with his ice-cutting business. She is not looking for romance, that is until a handsome Swede Rurik Jorgensen arrives to their town to help his ailing uncle to run a carpentry business.
Merrill is an excellent cook. With her German cooking heritage, she treats her family to a whole variety of delicious meals, be it cinnamon rolls, meatballs with gravy, mashed potatoes and sauerkraut, green beans and spaetzle, and bierocks.
"She hurried to pull out a tray of golden brown bierocks. The aroma of fresh bread dough, cabbage and meat filled the air".
I looked up the quark-tasche, and this is something I'm going to try baking one day. "What is that?" "Oh, it's a delicious cheese pastry, Our mother used to make it for special occasions, and it's one of my favourites"

Merrill's famous apple strudel makes appearance more than once.

It's not only the German recipes which pop up through the book, there is also a mention of kladdkaka, Swedish sticky chocolate cake, which also sounds tempting.

Yet the recipe I fancied recreating the most from the book is carrot cookies.
"I have some delicious cookies"
Granny shook her head. "Carrot cookies? Doesn't sound too appetizing to me. 'Course, I've never been overly fond of 'em. But if you're the one doing the baking, I'm glad to try"... Granny and Corabeth each picked one of the frosted cookies and sampled it. Merrill waited as the women considered the offering. Their smiles were her answer.
"You say these are made with carrots?" Granny asked.
"Carrots?" Corabeth looked at the partially eaten cookie. "I can't taste any carrot. I taste orange".
Merrill nodded. "Remember the oranges we got at church for Christmas? I saved them and used the juice and zest for frosting".
"They're wonderful", Granny said, reaching for another... Merrill, you have a real prize here..."

I have looked online for carrot cookies, and found an interesting recipe for carrot cake oatmeal cookies on Amy's Healthy Baking blog (follow the link to check out Amy's delicious recipe).
I have adapted it and changed some of the ingredients. As the coconut oil wouldn't have been available in Minnesota of 1896, I substituted it for margarine, as that was already available in America in the 2nd half of the 19C.

Carrot cookies
Ingredients:
zest of 1 orange
70g carrots, grated
1 medium egg
40g dark demerara sugar
80g margarine
a pinch of salt
100g oats
170g whole wheat flour (+ more for dusting the working surface)
1tsp baking powder
1tsp ground cinnamon
100ml maple syrup

Peel and grate carrots in a big mixing bowl. Grate the orange zest and add to the carrots. Beat in the egg, add the sugar, margarine, a pinch of salt, oats and mix well. Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and maple syrup and mix well. The cookie batter will be still a bit sticky, you will need to dust the working surface with flour quite well. Roll the cookie dough on the surface up to 2cm in height, cut out circles with a cookie cutter and place on the trays lined with foil (or parchement paper). Bake at 180C for about minutes.
The cookies will still be soft when you take them out of the oven.
I thought about icing them with the icing sugar and orange juice, but they were sweet enough.
They will keep well in a tin for a couple of days.

Borscht with beet and carrot greens

I'm happy to try anything once (that is anything reasonably appetizing, so no insects, snakes or animal eyes, brain, or private bits). Recently I talked to my Mum on the phone and mentioned that I cooked a soup with beet leaves. She asked me if I ever prepared any meals with carrot's green tops. No, I haven't, and to remedy that I googled for recipes. Apparently they are edible, and that prompted me to cook a borsht with beet and carrot greens. I found a lovely bunch of carrot at the local market.

Borscht with beet and carrot greens
Ingredients:
2 beets
2 carrots
1 onion
3tbsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
2 tomatoes
1 apple
1tbsp vegetable stock powder
2 big handfuls of beet leaves
a handful of carrot greens
2 potatoes
1tbsp chervil
2 spring onions

Chop the onion finely and fry with 1tbsp of olive oil until the onion gets translucent. Remove the fried onions from the frying pan and set aside in a bowl. Add more olive oil to the pan and fry the peeled and chopped beets and carrots for about 5-7 minutes, stirring regularly. Add a chopped garlic to the vegetables and fry for another couple of minutes.
Put the fried vegetables in a deep pan with the chopped tomatoes, apple, chopped carrot greens and vegetable stock, pour enough water to cover the veggies well. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, then add chopped potatoes to the pan, and cook for another 10+ minutes until the potatoes are cooked. Add the chopped beet leaves in the last 5 minutes of cooking. Add more water as the soup is cooked, so it does look like a soup rather than a stew. Though it is quite a thick soup. Season with salt and add some herbs, like chervil and spring onions.
Serve hot with a dollop of soured cream or Greek style yogurt.
This is a vegetarian version of the soup, you can of course, cook it with the beef or chicken stock.

Now, what about the flavour of the carrot greens? I love the beet leaves in soups, but cannot feign much enthusiasm for the carrot greens. They were OK, edible, but that's about it. There's probably a good reason why they are not as popular in cooking. They might be super healthy, but I didn't like the texture, and flavour didn't convince me either. I was glad that I satisfied my curiosity.
I suppose when the food is scarce then you would eat anything, and this is a Russian equivalent of the cucina povera.
Have you tried cooking the carrot greens?

Abel and Cole Superb Souping Box

If you decided to observe Lent and go meatless, soups are certainly an answer to a question What to cook? Lenten recipes don't have to be bland and lacking in flavour. If you are running of ideas though, you might consider getting a Superb Souping Box from Abel and Cole. I have been a customer of A&C for a few years, on and off, skipping some weeks altogether, or ordering for a few weeks in a row.
I love soups, and was very curious to try their recent addition to fruit & veg boxes - Superb Souping boxes. which are different each week. So far I have tried two of them (the third one was delivered just yesterday, and I'm cooking one of the soups today)
Soup boxes come with a selection of vegetables, fruit, herbs and spices as well as recipes for three wholesome soups.
To give you an idea on what to expect, have a look inside the box. The first Souping box I ordered had ingredients for 3 delicious soups, all vegetarian. The recipes suggested cooking a Winter Pho, Spanish carrot soup and Bay beet borscht. I cooked the first two soups and used the vegetables for the 3rd soup in a different dish, but I will use the recipe one day.

Winter Pho was a delightful hearty fusion soup, a mix of English and Vietnamese flavours: leeks, carrot, mushrooms and watercress were cooked with chilli, ginger, garlic, star anise, juice and zest of lime and tamari. The addition of zest and juice of a whole lime made it extra special. It was easy to make and tasted delicious. A real winner.

Winter Pho

Spanish carrot soup was a pureed soup variety, vibrant, colourful and zesty. I love carrot soups, and usually add some orange juice to it. This recipe asked to roast the carrots first. Cook the red pepper, cut into strips, with an onion, garlic and chilli. Add smoked paprika, zest and juice of one lemon and cumin seeds. Smoked paprika adds an extra warmth to the soup. It was great comfort food.

Spanish carrot soup

The second box had ingredients for Moroccan chickpea soup, Mushroom and rosemary soup as well as Parsnip, Banana and lime soup. It's the last soup that totally sold it to me. I haven't tried those flavours together in soup before, and was very curious.
Abel & Cole themselves say in the recipe "Banana in a soup may sound a bit bonkers. Trust us - it works, and adds a creamy, velvety depth". I am so glad I gave it a go.
Parsnip, banana and lime soup might not have been a looker, but oh boy, it was so good. I am definitely keeping the recipe to use in the future. It uses 2 parsnips, onion, red chilli, garlic cloves, turmeric, zest and juice of 1 lime and a banana. You have to try it.

Mushroom & rosemary soup is a classic soup, with a twist, as it included an apple as one of its ingredients. These are the ingredients which went into the soup: a punnet of mushrooms, celery, onion, garlic cloves, carrot, balsamic vinegar and rosemary. I usually add a potato or some rice, when cooking a mushroom soup, and it was the 1st time I tried it with an apple.

The earthy flavours of mushrooms were enhanced by the fruity note from an apple and rich acidity from balsamic vinegar. It was an interesting recipe, but I still prefer to add a potato instead of an apple.

Mushroom & rosemary soup

The last of the three was a Moroccan chickpea soup, another colourful dish with lots of flavours going on.

Moroccan chickpea soup

As I was editing the photos for this post, a new soup was simmering on the cooker from my 3rd Superb Souping box - Watercress, Salsify and Crispy Garlic Soup. Black salsify looks quite ugly, like a dirty rough-skinned carrot. But under that rough skin there's a delicate soul. I have tried it before, in a salad (see my old post Black salsify and wild mushrooms warm salad)

Black salsify

The soup recipe included onions, carrot, black salsify, celery, juice and zest of one lemon and watercress, with garlic thinly sliced, fried and scattered over the soup. Very flavourful and quite unusual. I liked the addition of crispy garlic, though I think the delicate salsify is a bit overwhelmed by the peppery watercress and garlic. Still, top marks to A&C for developing varied recipes every week. I still have to cook two more soups - Bloody Mary and Asian apple beet soup.

Each soup box costs £12.50 plus delivery. It includes all ingredients, from vegetables to fruit, from herbs to spices and sauces.

Have you tried a Superb Souping Box?

Watercress, salsify and crispy garlic soup

Disclaimer: I haven't been asked to write about soup boxes. All products have been purchased by me.

Gluten-free Carrot Cake

I am forever looking for new recipes to expand my repertoire of gluten-free recipes. Last Sunday we hosted a BBQ in our garden, which later turned into a summerhouse dinner thanks to the fickleness of the English weather. One of our guests is a coeliac, and each time he's coming, I try to bake something new for him, so he's my perfect gluten-free guinea pig (sorry, Jay!). As we all enjoy cakes, I decided to bake a Carrot Cake. My recipe is an adaptation of Phil Vickery's version from Seriously Good Guten-Free Baking.

Gluten-free Carrot Cake
Ingredients:
3 eggs
150g light brown muscovado sugar
125ml mild olive oil
225g gluten-free flour (I use Doves Farm brand, which is very good)
1tsp baking powder, gluten-free
1tsp xanthan gum (optional)
1tbsp Vandotsch Speculaas spice (or use a mix of ground cinnamon and ginger)
200g grated carrots
50g chopped walnuts
zest of 1 orange
3tbsp orange juice

for the frosting:
4tbsp icing sugar
1tbsp+ orange juice
250g quark
orange zest+sugar for decorating

Beat the eggs with sugar, add the olive oil and mix well. I like to use milder varieties of olive oil in a carrot cake as the extra virgin variety could be overpowering in a dessert. Add the gluten-free flour, baking powder, xantham gum (which is added for texture rather than flavour), spices, mix. Grate the carrots and chop the walnuts, and add both to the cake mix. Finely zest one orange and add to the batter. It is quite dense, so you might want to loosen it up a bit by adding some orange juice or milk.
Spoon the mixture into a cake tin, and put the tin in the oven preheated to 180C. Bake for about 45 minutes, check with a wooden skewer if the cake is ready.
Cool in the tin for ten minutes, then turn it out onto a plate. Once completely cool, slice the cake into two circles, using a big thin knife.
Prepare the frosting by mixing the icing sugar with the orange juice, it should be smooth but not too runny. Add the quark and mix well. Divide the frosting in two and spread on the both layers. Place one layer on top of the other.
In a small pan dissolve 1 heaped tsbp of sugar with some orange juice and add the grated orange zest. Cook for a few minutes. Once it's cooled, decorate the top frosted layer with the orange bits.

I recently received a small packet of Vandotsch Speculaas spice, which is a mix of nine spices including high grade cinnamon, cloves, ginger and others. It is very aromatic and all the flavours are beautifully balanced. This spice is created, using a family recipe.

You can substitute it with 1/2tsp of cinnamon and 1/2 ground ginger.

It was a tasty cake, though the texture was different from a "normal" carrot cake, it was not as crumbly-fluffy.