Wednesday 5 February 2014

Nutroast and Devon Apple Cake.

Not much to report today. I had a bleugh day when I didn't want to get out of bed. I obviously did, but have pottered about doing nothing much all day and feeling thoroughly fed up. Anyway, enough of me feeling sorry for myself. 

Just a quick run down of tonight's dinner, which was nutroast with roast potatoes, parsnips and butternut squash. All ingredients from my stores.

 
I use a very old Cranks recipe book for the nutroast; the book's so ancient its almost more sellotape than paper. I used 3 x 100g packs of pre-chopped nuts from Approved Foods, lots of odds and ends of wholemeal bread that I found in the freezer when it was cleared out to make 8 ounces of breadcrumbs, a finely chopped onion, 2 free range eggs from Aldi, a couple of teaspoons of savoury yeast spread (like marmite) and some mixed herbs and black pepper. All was mixed well together with about a 1/4 pint of hot water and then baked for about 45 minutes in a greased loaf tin. The recipe itself doesn't call for eggs but I like to add them to bind it together a bit better; I compensate by adding less water. This made a double amount for 2 loaves to freeze one for another day.



I made Devon Apple Cake for dessert, also from a Cranks recipe. 


It uses 8 ounces wholemeal self raising flour, 4 oz brown sugar, 4 oz butter, tsp cinnamon, tsp mixed spice, a free range egg and 12oz apples, roughly chopped (mine were frozen ones from Farm Foods). Mix the dry ingredients together, rub in the butter, mix in the chopped apple and then the beaten egg and stir until everything is just wet (don't over mix). Tip into a greased 7 inch square tin (or a 6 x 11 inch oblong one, which is what I use), and bake for approx 30 minutes at gas mark 5. It's gorgeous served with custard.


Despite my down mood today I made myself get out for a walk and went the long way round into town. Black clouds dogged my every step and the wind was so fierce I got stopped in my tracks a few times, but it stayed dry for me and I walked there and back without getting rained on. The rain came later in the afternoon, just in time for poor DS1 when he went off for his evening shift. I'm hoping for a dry morning tomorrow when I go off for my volunteering. Hoping I'll have a bit more life in me too.




6 comments:

  1. Mmmmmmmm ! I could just eat that apple cake for breakfast!

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    1. It would make a good breakfast food. And it was delicious.

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  2. I have never made nut roast but as it looks just like a meatloaf I am going to try it. I love Apple Cake no matter what recipe is used, fortunately I have several apple trees.

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    1. Nutroast is one of the first things I learned to cook when DD2 decided to become vegetarian at age 8 (she's now 28 and still a veggie) and it became a favourite with all the family. I tend to leave the nuts a bit crunchy but you can grind them very finely and then the texture is much smoother. Lucky you having those apple trees. We only have a tiny concrete yard but I've even considered buying miniature apple trees you can grow in pots. We pick lbs and lbs of foraged blackberries every year but I generally have to buy the apples, although we have found a couple of wild trees up on the cliffs and pick a few from those.

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  3. More sellotape than paper....... I've got quite a few knitting patterns like that!

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    1. There are some favourite things that just need preserving any way you can, especially if they are no longer available.Sellotape is a marvellous invention.

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