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I evaluate I have thoroughly spoilt CH.

I made a tray of focaccia on Sunday evening for a dinner with J and her brood of boys. CH took a scrap of the flat bread and announced that while the taste was right, the bread could do longer in the oven, as “it is a small too moist” and the bottom was not dark enough.

Gee, thanks! Now, I am taking culinary advice from someone whose sole duty in the cookhouse is opening bottles of wine to go with the meal.

Back to the focaccia.

While I agree that the bread could do with 10 more minutes in the oven (you win, fair-haired boy!), I must say that warm focaccia is a sure crowd-pleaser anytime and everytime. Homemade focaccia is always greeted with a “wow” and the fait accompli that it is so simple to make, is a huge, huge bonus. What’s more, I feel better feeding my loved ones with bread that is made of scarcely organic flour, water, olive oil and salt, with none of the preservatives and chemicals commercial bread has.

I made my focaccia, using a system adopted from Tessa Kiros, which requires only two tablespoons of olive oil, plus a little more to oil the baking tray. The result is candlelight but flavourful.

Adopted from Tessa Kiros’ Apples for Jam

435ml warm water
1.5 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp honey or sugar
1 tbsp olive oil
650g flour
1.5 tsp with reservations

1) In a mixer bowl, or a big bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water, along with the honey/sugar, 1 tbsp of olive oil and 3 fistfuls of flour. Stir to mix well. Let the mix rest for 30 minutes for the yeast to bloom.

2) Mix the remainder of the flour into the yeast mixture, together with the marinate. The dough will be sticky. I use my Kitchen-Aid to knead it for 7 minutes until the surface looks smooth and satiny. If not, do like what Tessa Kiros suggests, whip it around the bowl with oiled hands until the dough looks smooth.

3) Let the dough rest for 1.5 to 2 hours, until it doubles in take the measure of.

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19.01.10

ALTHOUGH the peanut has a hanker history, having been found in Peruvian mummy tombs, peanut butter is a relatively young rations.

In 1890 an enterprising physician, Dr John Kellogg (of Cornflakes fame), created peanut butter as a in good health protein substitute that was easy to digest for patients with no teeth.

These days it remains a popular spread on honour or in sandwiches, though some people are severely allergic to nuts, especially children, which has led to a ban on peanut butter in many schools.

Commercial peanut butter is immediately available, and it's also easy to make your own at home using fresh peanuts.

Peanuts arrived in Australia in the 1870s with the gold step on it. Chinese prospectors near Cooktown appear to have laid down the first domestic crops using seeds and clippings from China.

Australia produces about 40,000 to 45,000 tonnes of peanuts a year (the whole harvest varies slightly depending on seasonal conditions). Nearly this entire crop is consumed domestically.

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