Good morning…a cooler day today which is very welcome as it has been in the lower 40’s for most of this last week.

Firmly cocooned indoors my thoughts have been turning to what the kids can help make to help ease the boredom and to give them a break from their electronic gadgets and phones.

Homemade pizza...our pizzas are always an anything goes project and ideal for using up those bits and bobs of fruit and veggies…This one was no different…Homemade pizza with some kohlrabi and apple slaw…a jacket potato with sweetcorn for the men…

I made up a quick no yeast pizza base…

• 5 cups of flour of your choice
• 6 tsp of baking powder
• 2 tsp of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of water plus 2 tbsps if required
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt whisk to combine it just makes sure the baking powder is evenly distributed.

Mix your oil and 1 1/2 cups of water ina small jug and add gradually to the flour the dough should be soft but not sticky if it is too dry use up to 2 tbsp more water although the amount of water will depend on your flour.

This makes enough for two large pizzas.

A couple of tomatoes and some tomato puree with some garlic and onion was cooked up for the tomato base…I then took one loin pork chop and my trusty meat cleaver and it was soon minced meat which we cooked with some taco seasoning…Lily likes meat on her pizza…Some grated mozzarella cheese a few slices of red bell pepper and some basil.

15 minutes in the oven and ready to eat…which in this house took less than the time to cook it…

I know it has or is a worry for many of you in these unprecedented times …It is a worldwide pandemic which although greatly restricting and worrying is also uniting us…Countries are helping each other, people are looking out for their neighbours it is lovely to see…My dearest wish is that it continues…

Now I am going to have a look at where we can make our food go a little further…Firstly I am going to ask a question…Who cooks with Brocolli? Who throws the thick stem away or into the compost? Generally, that is the weightiest part of the Brocolli and we are paying for that…I was the worlds worst culprit if I remembered I would use it in soups mainly it wasn’t eaten …Not until I realised that if you peel off the hard outer it makes a lovely vegetable we love it…

Sliced and steamed with your other vegetable or added to a stir fry…

Which takes me nicely on to another wasted skin…The banana skin…I was reading the news and this article from Nadia Hussain of  Great British Bake of fame…Not only does she use the banana peel in her Banana bread but she makes this Banana Peel “Pulled Pork” Recipe…

 

Who would have thunk…Here’s how…

• Chop and shred banana peel into strips
• Fry diced onions in a pan with some garlic
• Add the peel to the onions and garlic and cook down for five minutes
• Add barbecue sauce (and other sauces such as ketchup or siracha if you want)
• Cook altogether for a few more minutes
• Add to a bun with your toppings of choice

This I haven’t tried …Have you?… However, when my next crop of bananas are ready to pick I will be giving this a go…If cooking and eating banana peels doesn’t appeal to you because of the texture or mouthfeel of the banana skin this video gives you some tips and you wouldn’t know they were in your cake…

Foraging…is another pastime which is very popular here…Tik my daughter in law loves foraging today she was up and out early and these are what she picked today…Quite a good crop of mushrooms and some of the Krachiew flowers which I featured in last Friday’s post.

Mushroom soup is a firm favourite here my favourite is made with ants eggs and Melantha a beautiful foraged herb…

https://carolcooks2.com/2017/02/21/authentic-thai-village-soup/

Another popular wild vegetable is fiddlehead fern…It grows mostly all the year-round here and is popular particularly here in the North of Thailand…It is also found around the world but in many places just in the spring…Dorothy from Vintage Kitchen loves foraging and cooking this beautiful vegetable and has some lovely recipes to share with us as well as some great tips on cleaning and cooking Fiddlehead fern…Please pop over and have a look…

Made with fiddlehead ferns and dandelion greens it looks very nice and so tempting…Thank you, Dorothy, for sharing this with us it looks lovely and great tips…

https://vintagekitchen.org/2019/04/29/spring-foragers-supper/

I hope this has given you some ideas...with food shortages in some places and curfews, self-isolating or just cocooning yourself in the safety of your own home many of us are having to rethink our cooking maybe use some of those tins and dried goods which have taken root in our larders but also made us think about waste are we using all we can…The weeds in our gardens..many of which can be cooked and eaten…I think we could see changes in the way we think about food how and what we cook and eat…

Certainly food(pun) intended for thought…

That’s all for this week from me please stay safe and think of others we are all in this together…x

About Carol Taylor:

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.

The environment is also something I am passionate about and there will be more on this on my blog this year

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

Please stay safe and well and follow your governments safety guidelines remember we are all in this together xxx