Advent 2022 - Fast Tracking #15

 

Today's Challenge: Fast from... wheat.

Wheat-free days are easier than I thought they would be. Not nearly as hard as the no-imported-food days, for example. 

Breakfast 

tea with unsweetened soya milk

grape juice

blackberry and apple compôte as per yesterday

oatcakes (as per Day #7) with honeycomb

Lunch

homemade Greek-style yoghurt

mango

Tea

black tea

Christopher's macaroons as per Day #5

Supper

Goan-style prawn curry with basmati rice

crème caramel

This Goan-style prawn curry is something I make a lot. It's based on a spice mix of toasted cumin and  coriander seeds blitzed with some black peppercorns in a spice grinder, mixed with some ground turmeric and hot and sweet paprikas. The spice mix is added to a pan of chopped onions, plenty of grated fresh ginger and some chopped assorted fresh red chillies cooking in a little olive oil. I add some salt, a tin (or sometimes two) of coconut milk and a little water and let the whole mixture bubble away for some time on the hob until thick. I tend to use defrosted, frozen, raw prawns which I add at the last minute and cook just until they have turned opaque and pink. A squeeze of fresh lime juice is nice at the end and some fresh parsley on the top. Today's curry was quite hot. I always tend to have a heavy hand with fresh ginger - I love the stuff! and I slightly lost count of the number of Scotch bonnet chillies I'd added! But it was perfect for the end of a freezing cold December day.

The crème caramel is made from a classic recipe of sugar, eggs and milk infused with a piece of vanilla pod which I cook in individual ramekins in the pressure cooker. This gives a good, velvety result in very little time - 5 minutes under pressure is all it takes. They need to be well-chilled before serving though so they're not an instant pudding. You can turn them out or eat them straight from the ramekins. 

E x