Fish Cakes | Book of Elsa

Like most people, I work very long hours and there is no way I get home after a 12 hour day and begin peeling anything except my clothes. But, we still need to eat and eat well at that, so here is what I do: At the weekend preferably a saturday afternoon after all other chores I've been ignoring are done I prepare part of meals that can either keep in the fridge or freezer.

1. Such as couscous salad that can be eaten cold or at room temperature.
2.  Fish cakes that are frozen ready to fry/oven bake at a moments notice.

If all else fails it is ok to put some pasta on to boil <again> and open a jar of pesto; 

Life is way too short to worry about it, just take off your coat, eat, relax and move on sister.

Book of Elsa 

About 1kg of potatoes mashed with some butter and a little milk. 

Pizza | Book of Elsa

Okay so the premise is this: I cannot make bread.

Long ago I accepted that combining flour, water, yeast and salt just wasnt meant to be. I have wasted kilos of flour trying to make bread and everytime it has fallen flat <literally> until today!

The recipe below is WORKS. Just try it and you will not be disappointed.

Obviously any toppings you like will do, I used:

Pesto, cooked sausage, cheese and sweetcorn

Apple Turnover | Book of Elsa

<Large> Apple and Blackberry Turnover

The large is in brackets because I was lazy and couldn't be bothered to make a couple more reasonable sized ones which would be the normal thing to do here. 

Place a baking sheet in the oven and preheat at 200℃

Peel and roughly chop a couple of eating apples, I used cox but I mean please use whatever variety you want.

Add a few blackberries

Some lemon zest

2 Tablespoons of caster sugar

2 Tablespoon of ground almonds

1 Teaspoon of cornflour

Whisk a golden egg 

Roll out puff pastry into a rough circle

Pile the dry mixture on the left side of pastry; this amount is too much I took off about half, bagged it and am freezing it for next time. 

Brush the edges with the beaten egg

 Bring the right edge to the left making a half moon. 

Crimp edges with a fork 😼

Brush the top with more beaten egg, refrigerated for 30mins

Bake for 25mins.

Eat with lashes of cream or custard.