Posh Porridge- Bodrum Style.

I've been reading about a temporary cafe that has popped-up in London, dedicated to serving posh porridge. For once, I feel that I am ahead of a trend as the oatmeal I prepare every morning would pass muster on any la-di-da breakfast menu.  The following recipe will make my Scottish - oats, salt and water, nothing else - porridge eating friends shout at the screen.

I prefer the rolled oats I buy in Turkey to the UK ones as they are less processed and don't turn stodgy when boiled.  My porridge starts with oats and water and then I add:

A handful of sunflower seeds -  an excellent source of fatty acids, minerals, amino acids and vitamins, especially Vitamin E and B and folic acid

A sprinkle of dried cranberries - these bright red berries seem to prevent bacteria attachment in the urinary tract and may hinder the helicobacter pylori bacteria attaching itself to the stomach lining and so help prevent stomach ulcers. 

Half a teaspoon of cinnamon - curbs insulin spikes, improves brain function and tastes great.

A date or two - if I fancy a sweet breakfast. 

3 or 4 walnuts - a powerful antioxidant and supporter of healthy cholesterol levels

Once it is all boiled up together and in a bowl, on top goes:

A tablespoon of ground linseeds, a teaspoon of bee pollen and a cup of kefir,  just in case my bowel needs regulating (linseed), my immune or  respiratory systems are a bit challenged (bee pollen),  or my gut needs some pro-biotic help (kefir).  I should make my own kefir (fermented milk) at home to get the best mix of pro-biotics, but I'm lazy so I just buy a ready made one. 

This might sound like a decent into hypochondria, but it tastes great if it keeps my Turkish Lira out of the hands of the pharmaceutical giants who'd prefer me to pop pills, I'm happy to keep eating my posh porridge. 

January's Beetroot Challenge.

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After Christmas and New Year, I always feel extra parsimonious so I'm  challenging myself to make the most of everything I buy in January.  The humble beetroot is a good example of waste; how many of you chuck away the leaves and stalks? I used the bunch in the above photo to make 4 different dishes. 

First I separated the beets, stalks and leaves and put the beets into a steamer and cooked them for 40 minutes.  Once they were soft enough to be pierced with a knife, I fished them out to cool down and put in a layer of chopped stalks and then the leaves on top and left them to steam until soft - about 20 minutes. 

The first recipe is a chocolate cupcake inspired by Claudia's Blog. I made a mistake while following her recipe for a chocolate soufflé cake and then played around with the recipe to include the beets. 

120g dark chocolate

70g butter

3 eggs

70g sugar

80g sieved self-raising flour

20g cocoa

125g cooked peeled beetroot

5 pitted soft prunes

1 greased muffin tin lined with circles of greaseproof paper.  (makes 10 small cakes) 

Oven temp. 180 degrees C

• Melt the butter and chocolate in a large bowl over a saucepan of hot water
• Separate the eggs and beat the sugar into the yolks 
• Chop the beetroot finely or puree with a blender and add to the egg yolk mixture. I put it all into a deep bowl and blended it with a hand-blender.  Make sure the bowl is  very deep though or you will have bright red beetroot up the walls. 
• Chop the prunes finely and add to the egg mixture.
• Add the egg yolk mixture to the cooled butter and chocolate and mix well

• Whisk the egg white until it forms soft peaks.
• Fold the egg white into the chocolate mixture.
• Gently fold the flour and cocoa into the chocolate mixture.
• Carefully spoon into the cake tin and put in the middle of a 180C oven for 12 to 15 minutes. 
• Test by gently pressing the top of the cakes or inserting a skewer. 

These cupcakes are extremely rich and moist and keep well for several days.  ( I hid one to test this out). No one who has tried them so far has been able to identify either the beetroot or the prune ingredient. 

Peel and slice the remaining beets and dress with a tablespoon of olive oil, half a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, a tablespoon of chopped dill, salt and pepper. 

For the stalks, make a dressing with half a lemon's juice, a tablespoon of olive oil, a grated garlic clove, salt and pepper.

The leaves are tasty on their own with just salt and pepper and a dash of pomegranate molasses. 

And how much was this versatile vegetable?  

Just 1 Turkish Lira. 

Warning - You may end up with a pink kitchen.