I am writing on day 40 from the pandemic lockdown, thanking all heavens of every religion we ate allowed to squirrel around in the name of wellbeing as we are able to respect the prescribed 2 mtr social distance. I have many anecdotes regarding my runs in the park, mainly silently cursing and judging, but by no means in condescension , just my way of expressing my inner conflict. It is exceedingly hard to psch oneself up against of a multitude of ever changing personalities in the face of a crisis. Let me elaborate on this in case I have lost you, the people I come across whilst on a run vary a great deal. As a jogger, I try and take care to keep my distance and keep aware of all those around me but you get the parent with 5 kids taking up the whole pavement, the local angry neighbourhood nutter who walks with both hands out whilst walking her dog, the crazily unaware teens who walk in twos and literally brush up against you, the couple who’ll flatten themselves against the railing, even with the 2 mtr distance if they see you walk past, I dont know, maybe for fear of me combusting and rocketing them one way to the moon -wishful thinking on my part- and finally, credit to those who smile and say thank, whilst aknowledging your effort to navigate safely around everyone. The list goes on. Hence the reason why psychological prep is of the utmost necessity prior to leaving the house. This goes without saying , as a result, I find myself truncating my outdoor jogs but in the same token, it is hard not to wince at the slowly increasing weight on my bathroom scales. Time to throw them out of the window. The reason for this is cooking therapy. Also, intense pressure from an ever hungry growing teen mainly, but also the rest of the family. It is a constantly hungry family. I find myself having to come up with new ideas and snacks, hence a fair amount of experimentation. You should find my recipes for small plates and snacks in my starter section.
(Starter/ Apéros/small plates)
Little corncakes or bread
- 225g fine polenta or cornmeal
- 125g plain flour
- 2tsp baking powder
- I tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp fine or ground sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 100g mixed pitted olives
- 100g chopped sundried tomatoes
- 3 large eggs
- 500ml of buttermilk
- 70g melted butter
- 2 tbsp pesto
Preheat oven to 200°C for a conventional oven, or 180°C for a fan oven or gasmark 6
- Line the base of your tin with parchment paper. I made mini ones and I simply lines the bottom of my cupcake tin. Cupcake or muffin cases would also work.
- Mix all dry ingredients in a big bowl, this is the flour, polenta, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
- To the buttermilk, add the eggs, melted butter and pesto, giving it a quick whisk without overworking it.
- Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour polenta mix and stir together until just combined. Add in grated cheese, olives and tomatoes.
- Pour the mixture into your tin, I usually make mine in a 10-inch tin. Thus should take about 30mins or the tried and trusted golden on top and bouncy when pressed rather than sinking in. If making mini ones, 15-20mins should be about right, again making sure its golden on top.
Leave to cool in the tin.
This recipe is incredibly versatile so by all means feel free to play with the ingredients. Im thinking cooked mushrooms, caramelised onions, other cheeses, even chillies or roasted peppers and veg. The only thing I would add is, as in any cake, best avoid fresh fruit or veg which is likely to release moisture during cooking hence possible sogginess. If I'm having them as a nibble with my wine, I usually have it with a textured buttery chardonnay or a fruity white. Fruity light bodied reds also work for me. Up to you!
