SWISS BUNS - BOLLOS SUIZOS

I am being told these are called Swiss buns in Spain because they were the signature bun of the famous Swiss Cafe in Madrid. But they are eaten all over Spain. A milky coffee (cafe con leche) with a  suizo is a breakfast that you can have perching around the counter of many Spanish 'bares'. In my village this is done at around 10 am while you read the newspapers and listen to the gossip of the day.

You need:
- 320 g bread flour
- 3 eggs
- 8 g dry yeast - though I have recently discovered fresh yeast, that you can buy in Amazon (and freeze) or at some supermarkets in the UK. It is a fantastic ingredient for baking. The proportion is 10g fresh yeast to 4g dry yeast. 
- 75 g butter
- 75 g sugar
- 3 eggs
- a pinch of salt

Heat the milk, butter and 55 g of sugar until the butter has melted and the whole mixture is warm. Add the yeast, mix well and wait for 3 minutes. Then add two of the eggs. And finally the flour and salt. Knead the mixture, put it in a bowl and let it rest (and rise) for 1.30 or 2 hours until it doubles its size.

Cut the mixture into 8 bits (around 50 g each) and shape them as little buns. Put them on a baking tray (with baking paper or silicone mat underneath) cover them with a tea towel and let them rest for 1.30 hours.

Preheat the oven at 210 degrees.Make a cut with a sharp knife half way through the buns, paint them with the remaining egg, damp the remaining 20 g of sugar with a few drops of water and sprinkle the wet sugar on each bun. Lower the temperature of the oven to 190 and bake for 12 minutes.

 

CHIA SEED CRACKERS

I have finally found a way to use the chia seeds that I once bought in a moment of 'clean eating' inclination.  I am afraid I  do not get what people see in chia seeds  - that slimy texture when you mix them with yogurt or milk? definitely not good!

This is a recipe to get children to eat seeds. It has no flour, which is a plus.
The recipe (that we have edited) comes from  http://ohsheglows.com/2012/01/31/endurance-crackers/

Take any measurement (a glass or yogurt pot) and  mix:
- one measurement of sunflower seeds
- half a measurement of chia seeds
- a quarter of a measurement of flax seeds
- half a measurement of sesame seeds
- half a teaspoon of salt
-one measurement of water

Preheat the oven at 150 degrees. Mix all the seeds and water. Let them rest for 20 minutes. Extend the mixture over a baking tray covered with baking paper. Bake for 30 minutes, then turn around and bake for another 25 to 30 minutes.

The taste is actually Ok… but give me Ryvita any day.

TUNA SANDWICH

This is one of my favourite sandwiches from my 'most-est favourite' tapas bar in Spain: La Criolla (in Valladolid). They serve it with mini ciabatas as a tapa, but you can make it with normal size ones so that it becomes a lunch.

You need:
- a ciabatta roll (you can also do this with a baguette)
-1.5 piquillo peppers (open them up so that you cover the whole of the roll with the peppers)
- tuna (half a small tin) - the original recipe is with ventresca, i.e. the belly bit of the tuna which is very moist, but good quality tinned tuna works well.
- two green olives
- 2 prawns
- an anchovy fillet
- a teaspoon of mayonnaise
- a drizzle of olive oil
- tiny bit of salt

Open the ciabatta roll. Drizzle each side with a tiny bit of olive oil. Put (in this order) the piquillo peppers on top of the bread, then the flaked tuna, followed by the prawns (cut them in half horizontally so that you end up with 4 thin prawns) a bit of salt, the olives (cut in half) the anchovy fillet and finally the mayonnaise. Put the other half breadroll on top. Put it in a sandwich bag and into the toaster, or under the grill for a few minutes so that the bread gets warm. Eat immediately.

BACON AND CHEESE MUFFINS

Have been travelling lots so could not cook much, but we are now back on track. I tried a mini version of these at a very stylish cocktail party, one of those Martha Stewart inspired events that only Americans seem to have the flair to put together. This is the less elegant but more substantial version of the muffins - ideal for breakfast or for an English picnic (if only the weather held up...)

You need:
 - 300 gr self raising flour
- 1 teaspoon of bicarb
- 120 gr bacon (into small cubes)
- 100 gr grated cheese (manchego or cheddar)
- a pinch of salt
- a pinch of paprika
- a pinch to dried thyme
- 1 egg
-200 ml milk
- 50 ml single cream
- 2 tablespoons olive oil

A muffin tray.

Preheat the oven at 200 degrees.

Heat the pan and fry the bacon until it becomes crunchy (4-5- minutes over medium heat). Pour it on kitchen paper to get rid of the fat.
Mix the flour, bicarb, cheese, salt, paprika and thyme.  Then add the bacon.
Separately mix the eggs, oil, cream and milk. Pour it over the flour mixture and combine it all without over-mixing.
Put the mixture into the holes of the muffin tray ( this makes 12). Bake for 35-40 minutes. Let them cool down a little before you eat them.

CRUMBS - MIGAS

This is not for the children, it is for you. You know that time when you come home seriously late with friends after a drinking and dancing night desperate for food before you call it a day? This is what 'migas' are for - the most wonderful combination of carbohydrates and fat ( and if you have been dancing all those calories are OK for once). I promise you they can cure any hangover (I even had to give a speech the morning after my last night out and it went perfectly fine) They are so good that I made them again this weekend with the children.

Originally they were shepherd's food from the main plain in Spain, though some posh Spanish restaurants serve them as a starter now.

You need:
- 4 handfuls of cubed bread. Best is the white bit of baguettes that you can break down with your fingers, but cubed loaf bread is fine.
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- two garlic cloves
- half a red pepper ( or even better a dried Spanish pepper called 'nora')
- a pinch of paprika
- a quarter of a glass of water
- a quarter of a teaspoon of salt
- 60 g of cubed bacon or pancetta (they sell this already cubed in supermarkets)
- 60g of cubed chorizo (they also sell it already cubed in supermarkets)
- a handful of green grapes (cut in halves)

Dissolve the salt in the water and sprinkle it (not too much) over the cubed bread. Put it on a kitchen towel and press firmly so that you get rid of the excess moisture.  Heat the oil in a big frying pan. Fry the garlic cloves and peppers for 5 minutes (low heat). Discard the garlic and peppers. Fry (in the same oil) the bacon and chorizo for another 3-4 minutes, then add the paprika and finally the bread. Fry it all over medium heat for 8-ish minutes until the bread is golden. Take it off the heat and add the grapes (I know it is a bit weird to add grapes but it really works well)

My 11 and 13 years old sons though this was: easy, seriously good, and also very cool, though the latter is only because I told them this is a good dish to know for the  times when they will go clubbing when they are older. Probably not too good parenting skills - but it is never too early to learn about the important things in life...

MILK BUNS

Children love these, either on their own or with butter, jam, cream cheese, ham, cheese...
It takes a bit to prepare them but to be fair  most of the time is just waiting while you are doing other things (homework?) so it is not a lot of effort.

You need:
- 500 g  plain flour
- two eggs
- 250 m milk
- 9 gr fast action yeast
- 100 gr sugr
- 90 g butter (room temperature)
- a pinch of salt
- one more egg

Warm 100 ml of milk. Mix the yeast, 50 g of flour and the100 ml of milk and let it rest for half an hour until  it gets frothy.

Then mix this with all the other ingredients. The easiest way to do this is in a food processor with the kneading hook for around 8-10 minutes. Then put it all into a glass bowl (greased with a tiny bit of sunflour oil) and let it rest for 2 hours until it has doubled in side.

Punch the dough to get rid of the air. Then divide the dough into 10 parts. Shape each one like a ball, or  give them an oval shape. You can also flatten them (oval shape), cut one extreme of the oval shape into three stripes and roll them on themselves (see bun on the right down corner in the picture). Put them on a tray lined with baking paper. Cover the buns with cling film and wait for another 35 minutes until they rise again.

Preheat the oven at 200 degrees. Cut the buns (if you like that shape) and 'paint them' with beaten egg. Put them into the oven and bake for 15 minutes.

SPINACH LOAF

This works very well with a bowl of soup and it is easy for the children to help to prepare it.
You need:

- 150 g spinach (raw and chopped - pat dry them with a tea towel after you wash them)
- 175g self raising flower
- 3 eggs
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- two table spoons of yogurt
- two handfuls of walnuts or pine nuts (or both)
- salt

Preheat the oven at 175 degrees. Grease and line a loaf tin.
Mix all the ingredients. Cook for 35 to 40 minutes.

MINI YORKSHIRE PUDDINGS

The children love eating these and it is fun to see the yorkshire puddings puffing up, but you have to be really careful as the oven tray gets seriously hot an it is really very easy for the children to burn themselves.

You need:
- sun flour oil (12 teaspoons)
- 100 gr plain flour
- 180 ml milk
- 2 eggs
- a pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. When the oven is hot put a muffing tray with a teaspoon of sun flour oil in each hole. Put the tray into the oven and wait for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile mix the flour, milk, salt and eggs with a hand held mixer. Pour carefully the mixture into the  12 holes of the muffing tray (fill them to half only). Be really careful doing this as the fat will be very hot by now. Get it all back into the oven and bake for 12 minutes.

SODA BREAD

This is the easiest bread to make at home with the kids and they all love it with butter.
You need:

150 gr plain flour
150 gr wholemeal flour
1 tablespoon of oatmeal (this is optional)
a pinch of salt
half a tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda
and 200 ml of buttermilk

Preheat the oven at 200 degrees. Mix all the ingredients but the buttermilk. Then add the buttermilk and mix it all with a wooden spoon. Make a ball with the dough, cut a cross on the top and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

PIZZA

We normally use shop-bought margarita bases and add the toping, but it is really easy to make the bases yourself. This is adapted from a Rachel Allen recipe:

You need
- 350 gr white four (preferably bread flour)
- a pinch of salt
- a teaspoon of sugar
- 25 gr butter (cold and cut into cubes)
- 25 ml of olive oil
- 7 gr fast yeast
- 160 ml warn water

Mix the flour, salt and sugar. Rub the butter in like if you are going to make a crumble. Then add the yeast, and finally the oil and water. Mix well.  Cover the dough with a tea towel (clean!) and let it rest for five minutes. Then knead it for 10 minutes. Divide the dough into three balls. Cover them with a little bit of olive oil and cling film and let them rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

When you are ready to cook the pizza roll the dough out and put any toping you like on top. We used tomato sauce, ham, chorizo, cheese and basel. Cook in a preheated 200 degrees oven for 10-15 minutes until crispy.

Children love helping with all of this. Mine always use far too many toppings, but that is part of the game...

CHOCOLATE CHIP BUNS

We got this recipe from the Guardian food section. We had a bit of a technical glitch as we poured the melted butter over the dough with chocolate chips while the butter was very hot, so some of the chocolate chips melted a bit making the buns go brown. As it happens they are lovely like that, so feel free to make the same mistake if you wish.

You need:
250 gr chocolate chips
2 pinches of salt
25 g sugar 

375 ml  milk
100 ml water
1 sachet of fast-action yeast
75 g butter 
625 g bread white flour
1 beaten egg

Preheat the oven at 200 degrees.
Boil the milk and add the water to it. Add the yeast and let it rest for 5 minutes. Separately mix the flour, sugar and salt and add it to the milky yeast mix. Add the chocolate chips. Melt the butter and add it to the mixture until you get a soft dough. Cover it with a tea towel and let it rest for ten minutes. Knead it for a few seconds, divide it into 15 balls and let it all rest (still covered) for an hour. Put them on a tray lined with baking paper, brush them with the beaten egg and bake for 20 minutes. 

FOCACCIA

This tastes very good though supermarket breads are so good these days that it is hardly worth it. The children learned about the bread making process, but in truth it is a bit of a bore to make (this applies to anything with yeast!)

You need:
500 gr bread flour
10 gr yeast
10 gr salt
340 ml water
50 ml olive oil plus half a glass.

Mix the flour, salt and yeast. Add the 50 ml of olive oil and the water in little bits while you mix it all together with your hands. The result should be a very wet mixture. Knead it for five minutes over an oiled surface until the mixture is bound together and becomes elastic. Then put it into an oiled container and let it rest of an hour so that it doubles in size. Put the dough over a lined and oiled baking tray and extend it with your fingers until it cover the whole tray. Cover with cling film and let it rest for another hour - it should double in size again.

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees. Make dimples with your fingers into the dough (this is the nicest bit) and sprinkle it all with oil. We added salt and oregano but you can also add: basil and tomatos; rosemary and flaky salt;  or cheese and oregano. Black olives and sun dried tomatoes are also good.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.