Sunday, October 24, 2010

Let's Eat ...

When I joined Amy's blog hop it didn't occur to me that it would happen at the end of half term.  So I haven't got any photos or other artwork. However, you are most welcome.

I was horrified the other day when my husband said that mince was my signature dish.  I'd heard the phrase and thought it had a far posher image.  I was also shocked my husband knew the phrase.  However, I suspect it's true.

When I was in the sixth year at school my mother thought if I took over the family baking it would improve my speed during Physics practicals (following a comment on my report!) and so I baked every Friday night, listening to Desert Island Discs which I'm sure was at night in the 70s.  I rarely cooked a meal.  I'd far rather read a book and wait for my parents (more often my father) to concoct something delicious.

At university I didn't need to cook but when I got a flat of my own I started to experiment.  I liked doing roasts and lots of vegetables but the easiest meal involved mince, a tin of tomatoes and tomato puree, chopped peppers and mushrooms, some stock and any herbs.  Leave it to simmer, cook some potatoes or pasta and you've got a tasty meal for family or friends.

If you would like a recipe here's one for wheat-free chocolate cake.  My mother found the original version in a magazine at the hairdresser's and we've used it for birthday cakes for decades.  This year I adapted it for my newly wheat-sensitive daughter:

6 oz butter
6 oz caster sugar
3 eggs
6 oz gluten free SR flour
2 level tbsp drinking chocolate
mixed with 1 tbsp warm water
4tbsp milk (leave this out if using ordinary SR flour but add 1.5 tsp baking powder to the flour)

Bake in a fan oven at about 160 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes

I use a handheld mixer to mix everything but I do it in stages, creaming the butter and sugar, mixing in the beaten eggs then the chocolate mixture, and finally the flour.  Cook it in two tins but it will not rise as much as a conventional cake.

Now let's visit the delightful Mel whose recipe blog is wonderful.

20 comments:

Jennifer Grace said...

I think mince is always my go to dish as well. My recipe as part of the hop uses beef mince. I also like cooking pork mince with apples, or lamb mince with morrocan spices. There's so much you can do with mince! xx

Amy said...

A wheat free recipe is greatly appreciated - good ones are hard to find!
I'm pretty handy with the mince too ;-)

furrypig said...

Well there is nothing wrong with mince!! Great idea to post a recipe for a gluten free cake I have a couple of friends that I always have to 'buy' cakes for instead of making them so thanks xxx

Diane said...

Love a chocolate cake:)

scrappyjacky said...

I use mince quite a lot as well....it's versatile...and can be used in so many recipes.

alexa said...

As someone who likes to have wheat-free days (just because I feel better if I don't eat wheat every day), this is a real bonus, Elizabeth and thank-you!

Anne said...

Mmm, this sounds yummy. I often bake for other people and for charity and have been asked for wheat free cakes. This is one I will try.

Miriam said...

I have a very old and battered (a bit like me) recipe book called Mince Matters! My husband made a great meal from it only a couple of weeks ago!

JO SOWERBY said...

ooh i'll shaer this with my friend who cant have wheat, thanx elizabeth
Jo xxxx

Sian said...

This is a great story - it really made me smile! And I'm going to own up to still preferring to read a book than make the dinner lol (I do quite a lot of mince too hehe)

If you can tell a tale like this, I'd love to see you posting more often..

This West London Life said...

I don't think I have a signature dish, so you're one up on me!

debs14 said...

How interesting to see a wheat free recipe, there's not many about! Thanks for sharing

Tracy said...

Lol, mince is my signature dish too, that and chicken.

Deb @ PaperTurtle said...

:o) I enjoyed reading your post, Elizabeth, and your recipe sounds really good. I'm going to pass this along to my friend who is alergic to gluten ~ I'm sure she will enjoy it. And, I have never had mince...in fact, I don't know what it is. Guess I need to do a google search and learn more about it!

humel said...

Thanks for the kind words :-)

Bonus, two recipes in one here! I've just reorganised our freezer and come across two bags of Quorn mince (bought for The Nearly-Vegetarian Boy) so I shall give the easy mince recipe a try with that, thank you.

I had to avoid gluten for a while to see if it helped my eczema - the results were inconclusive, but I remember struggling to find any good recipes that didn't use nuts, because I'm allergic to them!! I shall know who to turn to if I need another wheat-free phase xx

Faith Hope and Cherrytea said...

i had been wondering about trying such a cake & now have recipe in hand! thx for posting and hopping today! see you at FHC for maple pear pies:)

Beverly said...

I am sure your dh thought he was givinhg you a huge compliment :) Add me as another that apprectaes a gluten free recipe, oldest son's gf has Celiacs so we have been building a cookbook of recipes together :)

Maria Ontiveros said...

Finally! Someone has explained mince to me! Lol! Not a term we use here, but we do eat ir quite frequently.
Rinda

Liberty :) said...

thanks so much for this!!! my friend cant eat wheat so ill try this for her!

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