Trial, Error, and Success

The squash risotto I made for Christmas was horrible. I couldn't even eat it, I just threw it out. I guess not everything can come out good, right? Well, anyway, that night, I had a lovely hummus, tomato, and spinach wrap and asparagus on the side. It was tasty.

Last night, I made split pea soup and french bread. Both were very good and I got many, many compliments on both! Yay, it makes me happy.



French Bread

2 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cup unbleached flour
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup sesame seeds
oil

Mix the flours together and set aside.

In a large bowl, stir the yeast and the 1/4 cup of warm water together. Add the sugar, and let sit for about 10 minutes. Then, stir in the rest of the water, salt, and 1 cup of the flour mixture. Mix, and slowly add the rest the of the flour 1 cup at a time.

Lightly flour a surface and knead the bread until smooth, elastic, and not very sticky. Add more flour if needed. Next, place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl. Turn and roll the dough until covered. Cover the dough with plastic wrap.

If you have a convection microwave oven, preheat it to 100°F. When preheated, place the dough in the microwave for 30 minutes. The dough should double in size.*

If you do not have a convection microwave, preheat the oven to 200°F. When it is preheated, shut it off and place the dough in for 30 minutes.*

While dough is rising, toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 3 or 5 minutes or until the seeds begin to brown. Stir and shake constantly and be careful not to burn them. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

After the dough has risen, punch it down and knead the air bubbles out. Shape the dough into a large loaf or two small baguettes on a lightly floured surface. Make 5 diagonal slashes across the top and evenly sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds over it. Let sit for about 15 minutes in a warm spot. Preheat the oven to 400°F (375 if using convection bake). Place the dough on a cookie sheet (I spray mine with Pam) and bake for 20 minutes. Let cool on the rack for about 10 minutes before serving.


If you want the bread to have a hard, shiny crust, mist it with water during the last 10 minutes of baking.

*letting the bread rise like this cuts down on the time dramatically, from 1.5-2 hours to 30 minutes.


Bella's Green Split Pea Soup

1 onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium potato, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 turnip, finely chopped (about 1/2-3/4 cup)
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
2 1/2 cups water or vegetable stock
1/2 cup greed split peas
salt and pepper to taste


Sauté the onions in water or oil. After about a minute or so, add the carrots and celery and sauté until the onions are translucent. Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil, and reduce the heat. Cover and simmer for 50 minutes or until the split peas are cooked.

Serve with a nice fresh salad and french bread. Enjoy!