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Category: uncategorized

[recipe] Focaccia

Posted on August 26, 2018August 27, 2018 By admin

520 g all-purpose flour
10 g kosher salt
1 packet instant yeast
500 ml warm tap water
5 g butter for greasing pan
60 ml olive oil divided
rosemary for seasoning
flaky sea salt

Prepare the dough:

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, and yeast. Stir well. Add the warm water. Using a sturdy wooden spoon, mix until all of the flour is incorporated. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours.

Lightly butter two 9-inch cake pans. Line pans with parchment paper. Pour one tablespoon of olive oil into the center of each pan. Using oiled hands, divide dough in half with a large spoon or rubber spatula and place one piece of dough in each pan, turning to coat with oil. Tuck edges of dough underneath to form a rough ball. Cover each pan tightly with plastic wrap and allow the dough balls to rest for 2 hours depending. The dough should cover most of the pan.

Bake:

Preheat oven to 215C with a rack positioned in the center of the oven.

Drizzle another tablespoon of oil over each round of dough. With oiled fingers, using both hands, press straight down and create deep dimples that go all the way through the dough (in other words, you’ll actually be making deep holes.) If necessary, gently stretch the dough as you dimple to allow the dough to fill the pan.

Sprinkle tops with rosemary and flaky sea salt.

Transfer the pans to the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 200C. Bake for 22 to 28 minutes, until the tops are golden and the undersides are crisp. Remove pans from the oven. With a metal spatula remove bread rounds from the pans and transfer to a cooling rack.

Serve warm or allow to cool completely then store in a zippered bag.

uncategorized

Time ain’t playing 

Posted on August 24, 2018August 24, 2018 By admin

So, Time magazine’s portrayal of Trump has been fairly… unsympathetic. I have no real problem with this given the fact that he’s a dangerous, unprincipled moron. But the latest cover is a thing of beauty, and is the next in an evolving series.

uncategorized

[recipe] Greek yogurt Turkish flatbread

Posted on August 24, 2018August 24, 2018 By admin

1.25cup /310ml warm water (40oC)
10g active dried yeast (1 packet)
1 tbsp / 15g sugar
1 tbsp / 15g kosher salt
3.75cup / 450g all-purpose flour
0.75cup / 180g Greek-style yogurt
30ml extra virgin olive oil
0.25cup / 5g chopped parsley

Combine the yeast, sugar, and water into a medium-large bowl and stir well. Allow to sit in a warm place for 5-10 minutes to activate the yeast. The mixture will be foamy and bubbly when activated. Whisk in the Greek yogurt olive oil and salt.

Add flour and parley and stir with a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula and until the dough comes together. Turn dough out onto a well-floured counter and turn to coat. Knead for 3-4 minutes or until dough is no longer sticky and springs back when lightly pressed. Sprinkle more flour onto the counter if the dough is sticky during kneading.

Divide dough into 10 equal pieces, sprinkle lightly with flour, then cover with a clean kitchen towel. Allow to rest for 15 minutes.

Preheat a medium saucepan to a medium-low heat. While pan is heating, roll one of the dough portions into an approximately 7-inch circle. Brush the top surface lightly with extra virgin olive oil. When the pan is hot, pick up the first circle with your hand and place in pan, oiled side down. Lightly brush the top surface with oil. Allow to the flatbread to cook for about 1 to 1. 5 minutes, until top surface is covered with bubbles and underside is golden around the edges and in spots.

Flip to opposite side and cook for another 60-90 seconds until a few small golden spots appear. Don’t overcook on the second side. Repeat rolling, oiling and cooking with remaining portions of dough.

Sprinkle flatbreads with a bit more chopped parsley when finished, if desired. Stack flatbreads in a clean kitchen towel after cooking to steam a bit and retain softness.

When cool, store in a ziplock bag. Reheat in a pan without oil for a minute or two on each side OR wrap flatbreads in paper toweling and heat in the microwave on low power until warm.

Notes:

You can make these flatbreads thicker or thinner by rolling the dough rounds bigger or smaller.

Since every stove is different, you might have to experiment a little bit with the first flatbread. You want the heat high enough that bubbles appear on the top surface and the underside is getting a few golden spots after about 45 seconds to 1 minute. If you’re not seeing the bubbles, increase the heat. If the underside is getting brown too fast, decrease the heat a bit.

Brush the dough rounds lightly with olive oil. You want to cover the surface but you don’t want greasy flatbread.

The amount of kosher salt sounds like a lot, but it’s divided between 10 large flatbreads. If you use regular iodized salt instead of kosher salt, definitely use less (0.5 tbsp / 7.5g)

uncategorized

[recipe] Macaroni cheese & cauliflower bake

Posted on August 24, 2018 By admin


300g cauliflower florets
300g dried macaroni (or any other tubular pasta)
600ml milk
200g mature Cheddar cheese, grated
100g mild cheese (havarti, gouda), grated
60g butter, plus a few extra knobs
4 tbsp plain flour
2 tsp mustard powder
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Sea salt, to taste
3 tbsp fresh white breadcrumbs
1 tbsp thyme leaves

Bring a large pan of well-salted water to the boil. Add the cauliflower and cook for 4–5 minutes until tender. Remove with a slotted spoon and chill in a bowl of ice-cold water to prevent it from cooking any further. Drain well.

Tip the macaroni into the boiling salted water and cook according to packet instructions. Drain, refresh under cold, running water and drain again. Mix the macaroni, cauliflower and a few knobs of butter together in a large bowl.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6. Heat the 60g butter in a pan, and stir in the flour and mustard powder to make a roux. Gradually add the milk, beating continuously with a balloon whisk until the mixture is smooth. Slowly bring to the boil over a low heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture thickens. Season well with cayenne pepper and sea salt to taste.

Mix the cheeses together and stir half into the white sauce. Mix well until the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth again. Add the macaroni and cauliflower to the sauce and mix well to coat. Spread the mixture into a large, wide gratin dish.

Combine the remaining cheeses with the breadcrumbs and thyme leaves. Sprinkle over the top of the macaroni and cauliflower mixture. Bake for about 15–20 minutes until the topping is golden and crisp. Serve immediately.

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Working from home

Posted on August 23, 2018August 27, 2018 By admin

I step away from my laptop to go get a glass of water. Come back to this. Tolstoy is an asshole.

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Keep expectations low

Posted on August 23, 2018 By admin

uncategorized

Cyberpunk photography 

Posted on August 20, 2018August 21, 2018 By admin

Ever since moving to Seoul, photographer Steve Roe has been obsessed with Cyberpunk photography. Having always dreamt of a trip wherein he could visit some of the most notorious Cyberpunk places in Asia, in just 10 days, he came up with a plan to travel from Tokyo to Hong Kong, and then to Macau.

uncategorized

Dealing with Facebook fuckwittery

Posted on August 18, 2018August 18, 2018 By admin

Before going on holiday, I got this by email from WordPress :

“Starting August 1, 2018, third-party tools can no longer share posts automatically to Facebook Profiles. This includes Publicize, the Jetpack tool that connects your site to major social media platforms (like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook).  Will this affect your ability to share content on Facebook? It depends. If you’ve connected a Facebook Profile to your site, then yes: Publicize will no longer be able to share your posts to Facebook.”

So, in order for my blog posts to automagically be posted to FB, I’ve created a page: The Beaver Is A Proud And Noble Animal. This is where my posts should appear from now on.

uncategorized

Today’s DIY project 

Posted on August 18, 2018 By admin

Little hanging rack for a wasp trap. 

uncategorized

Pavel in a box

Posted on August 18, 2018 By admin

A secure box. In warm shade. Pavel is happy. 

uncategorized

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