Pesto Potato Bread

Leftover mashed potato and a couple of tablespoons of pesto turned into two very tasty loaves of bread...

Using mashed potato in bread keeps the dough soft and light, and it makes the best toast, other than sourdough, in my opinion.






Adding in the last 2 tablespoons of my basil, spinach and arugula pesto gave hints of garlic, basil and peppery arugula, but the bread was not overpowered by the pesto. It was perfect for sandwhiches.

In a small pan, heat until just warmer than body temperature:

1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons olive oil

Pour the warm milk over:

1 1/2 cups mashed potato

Whisk to combine.

Whisk in:

2 tablespoons pesto

Whisk in:

1 egg

Set aside until needed.

In the bowl of a stand mixer dissolve the yeast in warm water:

1 tablespoon dried yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water

When the yeast has started to bubble, add the potato and milk mixture, along with:

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Mix to combine.

With the mixer running on low, add the flour 1 cup at a time, until you have a soft dough.

Continue to add flour until the dough is slightly sticky, and forms a ball around the dough hook.

I used between 5 - 6 cups of flour.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead by hand until smooth and elastic.

Form the dough into a ball and place into a lightly oiled bowl to rise. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place.

When the dough has doubled in size, knead lightly and cut into two equal pieces. Form into loaves and place into 2 lightly greased bread pans.

Leave to rise until the dough is even with the top of the pans.





Heat the oven to 350F.

Brush the tops of the loaves with water and bake for 45 minutes.

The loaves with be crisp and golden on top, and sound hollow when tapped.





Immediately tip the loaves out of the pans and leave to cool to room temperature before slicing.

• If you do not have leftover mashed potato, boil potatoes in lightly salted water and then drain, reserving the boiling water. Mash the potatoes, measure out 1 1/2 cups and use the reserved water instead of milk.
• You can use all water instead of part milk.
• Consider using wholewheat or oat flour for the first 1 or 2 cups of flour.
• If you have more pesto, you could roll the dough halves into 12" X 18" rectangles, spread the pesto over the dough, sprinkle some cheese over the pesto and roll it up to create a spiral. Bake these as loaves in the pans, or cut into 2" lengths, place cut side down in an ovenproof dish and bake (cinnamon roll style).
• No pesto...add chopped fresh herbs; grated cheese; fresh or roasted garlic; olive tapenade or caramelized onions.
• The loaves can be frozen once they are baked and cooled.

Baked Chicken Thighs in a Papaya Seed Marinade

Using up papaya seeds may seem a bit over the top to some people, but I really hate to throw out anything that can be eaten! I have used the seeds to make a salad dressing before (see the post

Baby Greens with Flank Steak, Papaya, Blue Cheese and Papaya Seed Dressing).

 

I have never cooked them before, so decided to make a marinade for chicken thighs. The peppery bite the papaya seeds added to the marinade was amazing; I added no extra pepper. 

 

Some grape tomatoes that were starting to wrinkle, and 12 asparagus spears were in the fridge, so I added them to the meal, and along with some open white wine, turned everything into a baked chicken dish.

Make the marinade by placing the ingredients in a blender and pureeing until smooth. Place into a resealable plastic bag:

Seeds from half a papaya
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, roughly chopped
Pinch of salt

Add:

7 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Seal the bag, removing as much air as possible, making sure that all of the thighs are covered by marinade.

Refrigerate overnight.





Heat the oven to 375F, and have an ovenproof dish ready.

In a hot skillet, using a tiny bit of olive oil, sear the chicken on both sides.

Remove the chicken from the pan when both sides are well browned, and place in the ovenproof dish.

In the same pan, over a medium high heat, add a drizzle of olive oil, and cook until just starting to colour:

12 spears of asparagus, cut into 3"lengths
1/2 orange pepper, diced

Remove from the pan and add to the chicken.

Keep the pan on the heat and add:

a large handful of grape tomatoes

Cook, stirring often, until the skins start to blister.
Add to the chicken, asparagus and orange pepper.

Keeping the pan on the heat, add:

1/4 cup white wine

Cook for 2 minutes, stirring to remove the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Pour the white wine over the chicken and vegetables.

Place into the oven and bake until the chicken is fully cooked. Remove and leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving.




I served the chicken and vegetables over a bed of coconut rice and diced avocado. Make sure to give each serving some of the pan juices.

• Papaya seeds can be eaten straight from the fruit; they can be used to make salad dressing. They can also be washed, and then dried out in a low oven and ground up to use as a seasoning. The peppery bite that the seeds have is lessened  by drying them.
• Both the papaya fruit and seeds contain an enzyme that helps to tenderize meat.
• The chicken thighs can also be grilled, along with the vegetables, and served with a salad. If you grill the meat, save the marinade and use it to baste the chicken while cooking.
• To make the coconut rice, cook 1 cup of basmati rice with 1/2 cup of coconut milk and 1 cup of water.

Caramelized Onion, Cauliflower and Chick Pea Soup

It's been a while since I've posted, but we have been in the middle of moving back into our newly renovated house, with temporary kitchen facilities for a couple of weeks. Combine that with a vacation, and now a newly stocked kitchen and I haven't really had a lot of bits and pieces to use up!

The odds and ends are starting to happen, and this soup was a way to use up the piece of cauliflower in the fridge and the half can of chick peas in the freezer. My husband does not love cauliflower soup as much as I do, so I decided to add tandoori masala to give it some spice, and a hint of heat. Sprinkling an extra pinch of tandoori masala on top as a garnish was his idea, and gave the soup the finish it needed.

Slightly caramelizing the onions added a bit of sweetness, and the chick peas helped thicken the soup, along with the potato.

In a bit of olive oil, cook until softened and slightly caramelized:

1/2 large onion, sliced (about 1 cup)

Add:

1 teaspoon tandoori masala
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Cook until the spices release their aroma, stirring constantly.

Add:

3 cups roughly chopped cauliflower

Add enough chicken stock to cover the cauliflower.

Bring to a boil.

When the stock is boiling, stir in:

1 large potato, roughly chopped
1 cup chick peas

Add more stock if needed, to keep everything covered. Turn the heat down and simmer until the potatoes and cauliflower are tender.

Remove from the heat, and puree. I like to use a hand blender.

Strain to remove any remaining lumps.





Return the soup to the pot, and keeping the heat on low, adjust the thickness by adding more chicken stock, or milk to obtain the right consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning.

I served the soup with a pinch of tandoori masala sprinkled on top, which added an extra bit of seasoning with each mouthful.

• The chick peas can be omitted, but I liked the idea of having them in there. I contemplated adding them after I had pureed everything, but decided against it. 
• The tandoori masala is spicy and full of flavour, with a vague hint of heat in the background. Think really mild curry powder if you don't have tandoori masala.
• The onions were caramelized until just starting to become golden. I wanted a bit of extra sweetness, but not a lot of colour.
• Use whipping cream to adjust the thickness before serving if you want an even richer soup. I used a combination of milk and chicken stock.
• Serve the soup with warm naan bread if you have any.