Thank you Mr. Slater

I have no idea why this picture is rotated like this, so apologies. Anyway here is a beautiful fresh loaf of soda bread, made in an hour, prep to baking with great thanks to Nigel Slater's soda bread recipe.
As happy as I am in the States, there are some things that I do miss and decent wholemeal bread is one of them (along with real cheddar). I don't know why bread here has to be sweet, and so full of chemicals, honestly it's appalling. After trying many different brands I have abandoned store bought bread and now only buy from local bakeries or now make my own!

This recipe is so easy and makes a light, tasty loaf that you can use for sandwiches or toast. Often soda bread is dense and heavy so this one is a revelation. There is no kneading or proving, the baking soda does all the work for you.

My advice for storing is avoid using plastic bags because it makes the crust soggy and you want to keep that crisp crust around the soft center. Instead, store in a bread box wrapped in a clean tea towel or in a paper bag. Better for bread to go stale than moldy because you can still eat it as toast use it for bread crumbs.

My Xmas Breakfast

On Christmas morning I usually have the ubiquitous smoked salmon on a bagel or maybe in scrambled eggs. But how about something a little different that is equally as yummy and luxurious?

This really is a posh Welsh Rarebit and it is absolutely delicious!

2 slices of granary bread

1 egg

About ½ a cup of finely grated cheese – gruyere, strong cheddar or a combination. I added a little parmesan for an extra strong cheese taste

A dash of cream, about 1 dessertspoon

¼ cup Finely chopped wild mushrooms

¼ cup wilted spinach finely chopped

A pinch of mustard powder

Salt and pepper

Toast the bread on one side.

Mix all the ingredients together, the mixture should be stiff and not at all runny

Season

Spread onto the untoasted side of the bread, cover as much of the bread as you can so none of the bread singes

Put under a low to moderate grill – if the heat is too high it will cook on the outside and be raw and liquid inside

It's done when it's lightly brown on top and when you press it, no liquid comes out

*make sure there is something under the toast to catch drips*

Recipe - Aqua Sale (Poor Man's Meat)

This is one of the most surprising things I tried in Italy. It is an amazing dish for using up stale bread. Aqua sale means ‘water salt’ as they are the two main ingredients, it’s also known as ‘poor man’s meat’.
The bread is key here. In Puglia the most popular bread is arguably from Monte Sant’Angelo. A large round bread that is very springy, light and dry with a heavy crust. You can buy it in its full, massive, round form or buy pieces of it. It goes stale quite quickly and is therefore perfect for this.
Any kind of dry, tasty rustic bread with a good crust works well – ciabatta is fine but it must be stale. I have adapted this a little to make a more interesting salad
· 75 g stale bread grated into chunky crumbs
· Cold water, about ¼ pint but it depends
· Course ground sea salt
· Course ground pepper
· Extra virgin olive, a large slug of it, to taste
· A handful of good quality tomatoes – vine, cherry, pref. Organic
· A handful Flat Parsley coarsely chopped
· One spring onion finely chopped
Soak the bread in water, salt and pepper. Don’t make it soggy, it must absorb the water only.
Add all other ingredients and leave to rest for about 10 minutes.
This salad should not be wet, it should hold its shape a little like a pate. The tomatoes and oil also add liquid so don’t be heavy handed with the water.