SIO Tips no. 51: Easy Garlic

Peeling Garlic cloves can be a pain but no need for fancy gadgets; simply cut off the end where the clove attached to the rest of the bulb then roll the clove between your palms a couple of times applying enough pressure for the skin to come away from the flesh - Easy Peasy!

SEEKITOUT: Changing the world a stitch at a time.

SIO Tips no. 47: Stale Bread

Instead of throwing away crusts use them to make bread crumbs. Keep for later use in coating fish or making old fashioned style treacle tart; store them in the freezer in a sealed bag or box. Much nicer than the bright orange crumbs you buy.

SIO Tips no. 45: Juicing Oranges, Lemons and Limes

To get the most juice out of fresh lemons, orange, or limes, ensure you let them get to room temperature before you roll them with your palm on a chopping board or worktop. This way you get all the juice as it is released more easily by the juicer, hand held or electric.

Home-made Pasta, Easy as you like!

Seek It Out have kindly invited me to share more of my favourite recipes with you all so here I am again, writing from the Western Cape of South Africa with my latest craze: Home-made pasta.

My other half kindly bought me a pasta machine for Christmas last year, something I've wanted to try out for the longest time.

I spent some time looking up recipes and how to make but was totally put off by the time and difficulty in making the dough by hand. It wasn't until a good friend suggested that I use a food processor to mix the dough, that I really saw the potential fun in making my own because, lets face it... spending ages kneading dough wears down your enthusiasm a bit!

So here's my quick fix pasta dough recipe: (Makes enough for 2 but very easy to double up)

1 Cup Plain Flour
1 Egg
1/2 tsp Salt
Black pepper
A dash of Olive Oil
and don't forget your apron!!

Put everything into your food processor and whizz up until it's thoroughly combined.











Turn out onto a floured board and knead until you have a smooth dough, this shouldn't take long. The dough should be soft and pliable but not sticky. Just flour your hands and keep kneading until the texture is good.

Then you can run the dough int a few batches through your pasta machine if you have one, or alternatively roll out by hand. Either way is fine but do make sure you make nice thin sheets because the pasta does puff up on cooking.

I like to use a cookie cutter to make rounds which I fill with whatever happens to be in the fridge. You can really get creative here - I like to use leftover roasted sweet potato and butternut which I blend or mash and season. If you don't have a pasta machine, it is difficult and time consuming to make spaghetti  but this ravioli is really special and is really quite easy.


You can also freeze any spare ravioli on a tray then once they are solid you can turn them out into a tupperware ready to pop into boiling water for five minutes next time you need a quick meal.
I recommend making a smallish batch the first time you try so you're not daunted by making masses of pasta.





Try it out for yourself before making for a whole dinner party!
Enjoy playing with this wonderfully creative meal - top with pesto, avocado, olives, home-made sauce or whatever you can dream up!

SIO Tips no. 40

To prevent egg shells from cracking, add a pinch of salt to the water before hard-boiling!




SEEKITOUT: Changing the world a stitch at a time.

SIO Tips no 32

When measuring honey, coat the measuring cup with non-stick cooking spray or vegetable oil before adding the honey. The honey will slide right out.

SEEKITOUT: Changing the world a stitch at a time.

SIO Tips No 27

Pop a little dish of Bicarbonate of Soda in the fridge to rid it of smells, leave in it lasts a good while.  Also when cleaning the fridge wipe with a damp cloth and Bicarbonate of Soda to give a lovely fresh and clean finish.  You can still use a little washing up liquid but do not use harsh chemicals in the fridge or mixed with other chemicals / materials.

SEEKITOUT: Changing the world a stitch at a time.