Flatbread made with brine

Do you love pickles? What do you do with the leftover brine?
Many Russians swear by pickle brine's ability to help with the hangovers. The brine with a right balance of sweet, salty and sour, with herbs and bits of garlic or chilli pepper adds a nice touch to a soup. You can use it as a liquid for fermenting more vegetables, of course, in a sort of never-ending pickle, just keep adding chopped vegetables and weigh them down for another portion of pickled goodness.

I also discovered recently that you can make tasty flatbread with it. Now that I never knew, until I came across a recipe for flatbread made with brine on a Russian site Povarionok (lit. Little chef).
I receive a daily newslwetter from this site, with 5 selected recipes of the day.
Many recipe posts make me smile, especially when the poster is over-the-top, complimenting their own cooking talents, like "Nobody, absolutely nobody, will be able to resist it", or claim a recipe to be an authentic Italian recipe and use a soured cream or cultured milk drink like kefir (yes, such authentic Italian ingredients).
From time to time there are real gems of recipes and ideas, which I add to my "Recipes to try" bookmarked list.

The original author uses measurements like 1 glass of flour. Since I have no idea how much flour is in 1 glass (it's not the equivalent of the American cup), I used approximate measurements.

Flatbread with brine
Ingredients:
225ml brine from pickles
300+g plain flour
1/2tsp baking soda
6tbsp olive oil

Mix 3tbsp of oil with brine, and sift in the flour and baking soda. Mix well.
The recipe suggests adding a pinch of salt or sugar, depending on the taste of the brine. The one I used was sweet & sour enough, so I didn't add any sugar or salt.
The dough should be soft and pliable.
Dust your hands with flour and divide the dough into three parts, roll them into a semblance of balls and let rest in the covered bowl for about half an hour.
OK, it might look like Paul Hollywood's nightmare, but don't deride it for its looks.

Then flatten each dough ball into a flatbread. Heat up 1tbsp of oil (per flatbread) on a small to medium sized frying pan, and fry for 2-3 minutes on each side.

And that's it, such an easy and useful recipe. I am going to experiment with different types of brine.

The one I used was from the Polish cucumber preserves/dill pickles which I bough in the local Polish deli. I find many British pickles to be too vinegary, but I obviously cannot generalise.

I ate it with honey for breakfast, and it was lovely.

Adding this recipe to #KitchenClearout linky run by Cheryl at Madhouse Family Reviews.

Leftover rice cutlets

There are some things you learn in youth that stay with you forever, imprinted in your brain in their glaring severity, as if branded with a hot iron. You might forget some important scientific rules, mathematic equations or historical dates become obscure in your memory, but some stuff just stays put, years later.
As a child growing up in the Soviet Union, I, like millions of the other Soviet children and young people, had to read and study many works by Lenin, the founder of the Russian Communist Party.

Many years later, I resent every single hour of my life wasted on that. He was a horrid person, and I could never understand how such intelligent people like his parents could bring up such a monster.

One of the works we had to study was called Leo Tolstoy as the Mirror of the Russian Revolution (if you fancy reading it in an English translation just click on the link). Lenin is full of derision and makes nasty remarks about Tolstoy, his main argument being that Tolstoy was a hypocrite due to his strong religious beliefs.

And thus he destroys all the Russian intellectuals, who followed Tolstoy's way of thinking. In Lenin's words the Russian intellectual "publicly beats his breast and wails: "I am a bad wicked man, but I am practising moral self-perfection; I don't eat meat any more, I now eat rice cutlets."

The history proved who was the hypocrite and who was the monster.

And what's wrong with the rice cutlets, if you ask me? Apart from the fact that when I hear words "rice cutlets", I think of Leo Tolstoy and the spiteful comments by Lenin. Just why this particular quote stayed in my head forever, is a mystery to me.

I cannot claim that eating rice cutlets makes me an intellectual either. 

If you think I've lost the plot completely, please bear with me.

I cooked rice cutlets yesterday and thought I'd share this easy recipe of what to do with the leftover rice.

I don't know which rice cutlets Leo Tolstoy favoured, but from my childhood I remember rice and raisin cutlets served with sweet kissel (berry sauce) which we had in the nursery or school.

The beauty of leftover rice cutlets is that you can literally use whichever leftovers you might have. You can use a grated raw potato instead of a mashed cooked one, grate a parsnip or sweet potato instead of the carrot, add spring onions rather than the onion, the spices could be again different (garam masala is fab, for example).
They are lovely with a soured cream or Greek style yogurt mixed with fresh herbs, and even salad cream.

Leftover rice cutlets

Ingredients:

3tbsp oil

1/2 white onion (big size)

1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped finely

1 small carrot or 1/2 big carrot

150g cooked basmati rice

1 small potato, cooked and mashed

2tbsp self-raising flour

1 medium egg

about 1/2tsp ground cumin and turmeric each

salt

In a small frying pan fry a finely chopped onion with 2tbsp olive oil. Add the finely chopped chilli about 5 minutes after frying the onion. Cook, stirring frequently for another 5 minutes. Add the spices, and mix well.
In a medium mixing bowl add the grated carrot, cooked rice, mashed potato, flour and beat in 1 egg.  Add the fried onion and chilli, and mix all the ingredients together. The mix is quite gloopy.
Divide it into about 6 parts, then shape them into cutlets (oval or round).
Place the cutlets on the oiled tray or grill, and place in the oven preheated to 180C (that's what they look like uncooked).

Cook for about 20 minutes. Serve hot, with a soured cream/Greek yogurt on the side or without.

This is a vegetarian meal, which could be easily adapted for meat eaters and served as a side dish for sausages.

I told Eddie these were Minecraft cutlets, as they are crafted as a block from all available valuable materials. Like in Minecraft where you need different ingots or gems to craft a single resource block, these cutlets are also "built" from a variety of valuable ingredients.
This kind of amused my child, so between him and me the rice cutlets are now called Minecraft cutlets.

Adding this recipe to #KitchenClearout linky hosted by Cheryl at Madhouse Family Reviews.

Ferrero Rocher brownie bites

Browsing food magazines in Sainsbury's, I picked up a copy of My Favourite Recipes. I used to buy it every month, though don't buy every issue these days, as my house needs a drastic recycling session of magazines as it is, but couldn't resist getting the latest copy.

I loved the sound of Jenny Jackson's Ferrero Rocher bites. I did have an unopen box of Ferrero Rocher which someone gifted me for Christmas. I could have eaten the chocolates, of course, but I'm trying to be good and stop being a human hoover in our house.

If I use them crushed in baking, then my guys will definitely eat them.

I have adapted the recipe, swapping the vegetable oil for coconut oil, yogurt for soured cream and also adding cocoa and 1 egg. I didn't add any bicarb of soda, as I don't like the taste of it.

Ferrero Rocher brownie bites

Ingredients:

8 Ferrero Rocher, crushed into crumbs

60g brown sugar

4tbsp hot water

55g coconut oil

1tbsp cocoa, sifted

140g self-raising flour, sifted

1/2tsp baking powder

80g soured cream

1 medium egg

In a medium sized mixing bowl beat the Ferrero Rocher with a wooden roller, to crush them.

Add sugar to a small pan with hot water and put over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Add the coconut oil so that it melts too.
Pour the sugar coconut into a mixing bowl, sift the flour, cocoa and baking powder in and beat in an egg + soured cream.
Line a brownie tin with a foil and slightly oil it. Pour in the chocolate batter. Place the tin in the oven preheated to 160C. Bake for about 20 minutes. Cool before cutting into bites.

This is a very satisfying chocolate treat, lovely with a cup of tea or coffee. It's very easy to make.
So, now you know what to do with any leftover Ferrero Rochers.

Adding this recipe to #KitchenClearout linky hosted by Cheryl from Madhouse Family Reviews.

and to #WeShouldCocoa linky hosted by Choclette at Tin and Thyme.

The theme for LoveCake linky at JibberJabber UK blog this month is brownies, so linking up as well.

Oriental mushroom and prawn soup

Once my boys are asleep, I'm usually too tired in the evening to watch TV, but I find reading in bed might be conducive to nodding off more smoothly. If not reading the never-ending War and Peace (I swear, the war scenes are the best sleeping remedy), then I pop into one of the famous parenting forums for the latest gossip.
Thus recently I came across a discussion of myths perpetuated on forums, including a never-ending chicken. I confess that it made me smile. I don't doubt that in some families who have hearty appetites or simply  bigger number of family members, there are no chicken leftovers.
In our case, we always have leftovers, I'm not inventing stories just for the blogging purposes.
Whenever I buy a whole chicken and cook a roast, I save the carcass and small pieces like wings to prepare a fresh stock for a soup.

Oriental mushroom and prawn soup
Ingredients:
chicken stock made with a chicken carcass + 2 wings
1 carrot
1 leek
1 vegetable stock cube
1tbsp olive oil
200g mixed speciality mushrooms like enoki, eryngii, shiitake and oyster
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1tbsp soy sauce
juice of 1/2 lime
200g king prawns

First prepare the stock or broth with the chicken leftovers and peeled whole carrot.
After simmering the stock with the carrots and stock cube, I discard the bones, leaving any pieces of meat for the soup. Take the carrot out and chop it into smaller pieces, put back in the broth together with the finely sliced leek. Cook for about 5 minutes.
Slice mushrooms and give them a quick fry with the olive oil and a clove of garlic. Add the mushrooms, soy sauce, lime juice and fresh king prawns (shells removed) to the soup and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
Serve hot. Sprinkle some chopped fresh coriander or flat leaf parsley before serving.

This is a lovely light soup, flavourful and fragrant. I buy a big pack of Oriental mushrooms at Sainsbury's. The same pack of exotic mushrooms in Waitrose is twice as much. If you cannot find this selection, you can use either oyster or shiitake mushrooms.

Chicken leftovers miso soup

On Saturday we invited a couple of friends to come over for dinner. I cooked a roast chicken with lemon and spices for a main course, as well as garlicky roast potatoes, carrots and parsnips. The next day I cooked a soup with chicken leftovers and miso paste.

Chicken leftovers miso soup
Ingredients:
Chicken leftovers (carcass, leg bones as well as about 200g meat)
2 carrots (cooked, if you have any leftover or fresh, or mix)
a couple of dried kaffir lime leaves (optional)
1/2 onion
1 leek, finely sliced
1 packet of Miso soup
2 tbsp soy sauce
1tbsp white wine vinegar
200g sweet potato, cubed

Place the chicken carcass and meat in a big pan, pour over the water to cover it, bring to boil, then lower the heat and simmer for about half an hour. Add the dried kaffir lime leaves if using, or bay leaf if you prefer.
Remove the bones from the broth, pick whatever meat is there left, and tear it into smaller bits. The meat goes back in the broth.
Chop the carrots (I did a mix of fresh and cooked). Finely slice the leek and half an onion, add to the soup.
Add the Miso soup paste, soy sauce, white wine vinegar and cubed sweet potato. Cook on low for about 15 minutes. Serve hot.

This is a lovely flavourful soup, you can add whatever veggies you have leftover. I loved the addition of seaweed, really livens it up.

I used Miso Tasty Classic Shiro Miso Soup, it is a sweet miso soup. The packet includes a sachet of soybean paste and a small packet of dried onions, wakame seaweed and kelp. I had this sachet for ages, I think it was one of the freebies where you could try a Miso soup by filling in a request online. It was lurking in the cupboard for a long time, so this recipe is definitely a contender for #KitchenClearout linky.
Get your Miso Tasty online, or look for it in the supermarkets, I've seen it in Waitrose.

And there's another super linky which calls for leftover soup recipes this month - Super Soup hosted by Jo at Jo's Kitchen.

Turkey, leek and potato pie

Another after-Christmas day, another dilemma on what to do with the leftovers. Yesterday we had a Boxing day turkey soup. Today I spotted a nice recipe for Turkey, leek and mashed potato pie recipe from Delicious magazine which conveniently arrived by email. I have adapted it, and though we had some Stilton and pancetta, I didn't want the pie to be too fatty and rich, so I skipped those ingredients altogether.
Once all the leftovers and cheese is gone, I really fancy just a plain salad.
I also don't like the taste of the roast potatoes the day or two after they were cooked, and mashing them for the pie didn't appeal at all, so I cooked fresh mashed potatoes just for the pie.

Turkey, leek and potato pie
Ingredients:
2 leeks, finely sliced
1/2 red onion, finely sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
dried basil
450g white turkey meat, cubed
1tsp fresh thyme leaves
4 medium potatoes
1 tub single cream + more (about 300ml)
2tsp butter
100g Cheddar, grated

Slice the leeks and onion and fry with the olive oil for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Sprinkle with the dried basil. Cube the turkey and place in an oiled medium sized ceramic pie dish or casserole. Layer the leeks and onion mix over the turkey. Pour a bit of cream over.
Cook potatoes in salted water. Drain, leaving some of the liquid in a mug. Mash the potatoes, mix with the single cream and add a bit of potato liquid to make the mash slightly lighter in texture and easier to spread.

Spread over the turkey and leeks. Add a little bit of butter on top. Place the dish in the oven preheated to 180C. Cook for about 25+ minutes. Add the grated cheese in the last 8-10 minutes of cooking. Once the cheese has melted and turned golden brown, it's ready.
Serve hot.

This variation on the shepherd's or cottage pie with the leftover turkey is a real winner. It might not be a great looker, but it tastes lovely, and it's an easy recipe too.

Boxing Day turkey soup

I spent hours slaving in the kitchen yesterday, cooking a Christmas lunch for my family and friends. Half an hour before our guests arrived, my younger son piped in that he wanted some Christmas pasta (we got it in Lakeland, and he's been eating it daily for the last couple of weeks). No amount of persuasion that soon we were going to eat worked. So I cooked him a plate of pasta. It must be his Italian genes to blame.

By the time our guests arrived, I was knackered and irritable. My gravy was coddling and I was ready to chuck the pan in the garden, pan with gravy, apron and all. Thankfully, one of our friends came to the rescue and made a very good gravy. 

We had a veritable feast of salmon with blinis and roast gammon as a starter, followed by the turkey with all the trimmings - roast potatoes, parsnips with candied walnuts, carrots with fennel seeds, red cabbage, sprouts with pancetta and chestnuts, pigs in blankets, stuffing balls and cranberry sauce. I didn't bother with the bread sauce, I don't like it and don't see the point of it. You probably need to be born British to appreciate the "beauty" of it. I also warned my guests that we would be having an Italian-style dessert, and if they fancied a Christmas pudding, they'd have to bring their own. They brought a wonderful homemade tiramisu made with Marsala wine and homebaked gluten-free savoiardi biscuits. So, we ended up indulging in the excellent Pandoro and splendid tiramisu. By the end of the meal, I suspect we all felt like the proverbial turkey.

Though I gave our friends a "doggy bag" with leftovers, we still need to go through a big mount of food. This morning I opened the fridge and looked wistfully, pondering what should I do with the leftovers. Nobody fancied a Boxing day sandwich with leftovers. Turkey curry always reminds me of Bridget Jones' Mum's culinary expertise. Bubble and squeak? Too British. 

What about a slightly Oriental soup with the leftover turkey and vegetables? Yes, that sounds better.

So, soup it was.

Boxing Day turkey soup

Ingredients:

About 250g turkey meat, chopped or broken into smaller pieces

1 medium sized leek, sliced thinly

cooked carrot batons (about 1 full carrot in total)

cooked parsnip (about 1 full parsnip in total)

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

1 vegetable stock cube, crumbled

2cm grated fresh ginger

a handful of cooked sprouts

1tbsp soy sauce

1tsp white wine vinegar

2 egg noodle nests, broken into smaller pieces

If you have any bones left, put them in a pan and cover with boiling water. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, then spoon the bones out and discard. Slice finely a medium leek and put in the pan with the broth. add the stock cube and finely chopped garlic. Add the sliced carrots and parsnips and grate the  fresh ginger in.
Slice the sprouts and chop or cut the turkey meat into small pieces. Chuck everything in, bring to boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add a splash of vinegar. I suppose the rice vinegar would have been a more authentic Asian flavour, but I didn't have any, so I added just white wine vinegar. In the last five minutes of cooking break a couple of small egg noodle nests in.
Serve hot.

It is a lovely flavourful soup. It will also work well with the roast duck leftovers. If you have spring onions or fresh coriander, that would be a nice addition to the soup as well.

If you had a turkey yesterday for Christmas, what did you make with the leftovers today?