March has been a month of baking and BBQ's in The Mad House and it has really enabled me to put Cilit Bang's new All in 1 Dish & surface cleaner to the test.
The cleaner claims that with it's clever automatic dispenser that gives you a shot of just the right amount on your sponge or cloth. It can be used on pretty much all kitchen surfaces so gets rid of the need for many different cleaning products, and eliminates grease, stains and food residues.
I am all for anything that saves me having to have different products and the fact that it is safe enough to use on dishes makes me happier to use it on my food preparation surfaces too.
Our BBQ had not been cleaned at all since last year and I have to say that MadDad (cleaning the BBQ is his job) thought it did a sterling job.
The automatic dispenses means that you do not have to route around getting a cleaner out, which is especially handiy if you have chocolate icing all over your hands like I have had twice this last week.
To help put the product to the test, Cillit Bang teamed up with Great British Bake Off Runner-Up Holly Bell to share some really messy recipes. You can find them below. I didn't have time to make any what with all the baking, but I thought you might like to try them.
Homemade Buttermilk Pizza Dough
Warning: this dough is stickier than most! Don’t worry if it doesn’t look as smooth and elastic as normal bread dough does, as this is normal. It makes quite a bit of mess when rolling it out so make sure you wipe down the surfaces quickly when you’re done.
650g strong white flour
7g sachet of easy-blend yeast
2 tsp normal fine salt
30ml olive oil
50ml buttermilk (next to cream at the supermarket)
325ml warm water
A little semolina for rolling (not essential but makes for a crispier crust - otherwise use flour)
Pop the flour, yeast and salt together into your food mixer bowl and whizz together using the dough hook attachment set to medium speed
Once blended, turn the speed to low and pour in the buttermilk and oil
Next add the water and leave on low speed until the dough looks elastic which should take about 7 minutes
Remove from the mixer and cover with a damp and clean tea towel and leave in a warm place until it’s doubled in size. This should take about 1.5 hours
Once the dough has risen ‘knock it back’ by turning it over with your hands three times whilst still in the bowl
Pop the bowl back into the mixer and knead using the dough hook on a low speed for about 2 minutes until your dough looks smooth again
Remove the bowl and put the cloth back over the top and again leave in a warm place to prove for about 30 minutes to an hour. When it has doubled in size again, it is ready to be cooked
Whack the oven to the highest setting and make sure the shelf is at the top. Remove the other shelves
Take some semolina and put a handful on your work surface, then take your slightly sticky pizza dough and cover the whole thing in semolina – all sides
Now start rolling (use a wine bottle if you don’t own a rolling pin) the aim is to get it as thin as possible without breaking but don’t worry about the shape
Put your dough onto a baking sheet making sure the edges don’t escape over the edge. Nobody wants burnt crusts. If you’ve made an especially large pizza then fold the dough into half and then quarters to transfer it to the baking sheet
Spread some tomato sauce over the top and then some cheese and whatever toppings take your fancy
Bake in the oven until the edges look brown and crisp and the topping is suitably cooked - takes about 10 minutes in my gas oven
Serve with napkins and a large pair of scissors for cutting. Much better than those little pizza wheel thingies
Stick and Sweet Ribs
3 tbsp lemon juice 4 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 very generous tbsp apricot jam
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp black treacle
7 or so pork ribs
Start the day before you fancy the ribs
Mix all the ingredients together and put into a deep oven proof dish with a lid. Pop the ribs in and stir until covered all over in the sticky sauce then leave in the fridge overnight
The next day get the ribs out about 2 hours before you want to cook them and leave in the kitchen to get back to room temperature
Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4/180°C/350°F and pop the dish with lid on into the middle of the oven for about an hour
Give them a stir half way through, up the temp to Gas Mark 5/190°C/375°F and remove the lid to bake for a further 30 minutes
Lastly up the heat to Gas Mark 6/200°C/400°F and keeping the lid off, cook for another 30 minutes
You need to watch the ribs at this stage as they can easily char and burn so keep spying on them and if needs be give them a turn and a stir
The ribs are done when the sticky sauce is soldered to the ribs, the meat is tender and the fat crispy
Serve on a bed of green veggies or on some steamed white rice with the sauce drizzled over the top
Chicken Piggy Pot Pies
The wonder of these pies is that the sauce bubbles up into the topping, spreading the favour.
Meat from 2 cooked chicken legs, stripped and shredded
3 gorgeous sausages cut into quarters
5 chestnut mushrooms sliced
Half a red onion diced
A teaspoon of butter
25g butter
1 heaped tbsp of plain flour
Semi-skimmed or whole milk (about half a pint)
2 tsp of wholegrain mustard
Leftover mashed potato or breadcrumbs
Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 5 and pop a baking tray onto the top shelf
Heat the teaspoon of butter in a frying pan and add the onion, fry gently until soft then add the sausages and continue to fry
Whilst the sausages and onions are gently frying you can make the mustardy sauce Melt the 25g butter in a small saucepan, add the flour and whisk on a medium heat until it looks yellow and thick
Then add the milk, a little at a time, stirring furiously to avoid lumps, keeping the temperature medium to high
Add milk until the mixture looks like thick gravy, then add the wholegrain mustard and a bit of salt and pepper if you like
Back to the sausage and onion mixture which should be nicely browned, just before you take them off the hob turn up the heat and add the mushrooms giving the whole mixture a quick flash of intense heat. Set aside
Add the sausage mixture and chicken to the sauce and divide between two pie dishes
Next top your pies! I used some leftover mashed potato and swede but you can also use breadcrumbs
Pop onto the baking tray and leave in the oven for around 25 minutes until the tops are browning and the sauce is peeping out over the topping and bubbling up
Serve with peas or green beans or something else that offsets the sausagey pie naughtiness
Carrot Fritters (Seasider in the city made these)
3 carrots, topped and tailed and grated
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
2 tbsp plain flour
Oil for frying, anything except for olive
Put everything except the oil and carrots into a food processor and whizz for around 2 minutes until smooth and combined
Pour the mixture onto the grated carrots and mix with a metal spoon
It will look like there isn’t enough wet mixture to combine the carrot but fear not, you just want to coat each carrot strand a little, not produce a gloopy mess
Put a good slosh of oil in a frying pan, heat for a minute or so on a medium heat on the hob and then drop spoonfuls of the carrot mixture into the oil. I managed about 4 in my frying pan as you don’t want them touching
Leave to fry on one side for about 2 mins and then turn over with a spatula. Don’t mess about with them before 90 seconds is up or the skin you’re trying to form on the fritters will break and stick to the pan
Once cooked on both sides drain on kitchen roll, then serve. They’re pretty hot so be careful with little mouths
Cornish Ginger Fairing Biscuits (as demonstrated by Inside the Wendy House)
4oz butter
6oz self raising flour
3 oz castor sugar
1 level tbsp golden syrup
1 level tsp ground ginger
1/2 level tsp bicarbonate of soda
First preheat the oven to Gas Mark 5/190°C/375°F and line a couple of baking trays with greaseproof paper
Melt the butter and syrup in a saucepan
Once melted add the ginger, flour, sugar and bicarbonate and give it a good mix with a wooden spoon
Check it’s not too hot to handle. Here comes the fun bit…
Form the warm Play Doh type mixture into balls about the size of large walnuts
Put them onto the lined baking trays and make sure there’s plenty of space for them to grow in the oven so you don’t get one large tray of biscuit
Put the baking trays in the oven for 12 – 15 minutes until the balls look biscuity
If you like your biscuits with a bit of ‘chew’ (more cookie like) take them out when only the sides are brown. If you like them crunchy then let the whole biscuit get a suntan
Let them cool on the baking tray for a few minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
#WIN One of Five Cillit Bang All in 1 Dispensers
Now it's your chance to win one of five Cillit Bang All in 1 Dish and Surface Starter Sets worth £9.99. It will make your messiest kitchen clean-ups easier! All you need so is leave a comment and we will draw five people at random. Competition closes Thursday 12 April 2012 at 12 noon.
