MATTYB'S BARA B

With St David's day just over a month away it's time to get my welsh inspired bake on. When I went on holiday to North Wales last year I saw Bara Brith being sold in many of the bakeries and tea shops around the area and it really caught my eye. A yummy mixed spice fruit loaf made either with yeast (for the super traditional) or without, the dried fruit and candied peel used in the dough/batter is soaked in tea overnight before being added to really make this bake a great afternoon treat. Why not give my yeast free version a go this coming 1st March.

HAIRY BIKERS CHILI SALAD BOWLS (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

Check these bad boys out! Don't they look incredible! They are crispy tortillas filled with lettuce, chili, fresh tomatoes, spring onion and grated cheese. They are one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten. I cannot take credit for creation of the idea though. That goes to the Hairy Bikers. If you have never seen any of their Hairy Dieters books then this is my public service announcement to tell you that you need to go and buy them immediately. Trust me, it'll be one of the best things you ever do with your life!

FABULOUS MEXICAN FRITTER

I do love Mexican food. That more subtle chili heat that you get compared to those blow your mouth off spicy curries you get in Indian cuisine and the use of all those fresh tomatoes, pepper etc that create in my eyes some of the best dishes in the world. However, as much as I have all this love for Mexican treats there is only so much chili con carne and tortilla based dishes a boy can take. So I've created this new Mexican inspired dish. A chili sweetcorn fritter topped with a fresh Mexican salsa topped with grated cheese. Simple, yet oh so scrummy!

MATTYB IS OFF TO BRUSSELS... AND NEEDS YOUR HELP

We are off on our holidays! I'm so excited to be going on my travels abroad for the first time in over two years and we are heading to the land of chocolate and waffles: Brussels!

This is where you come in - I love hunting out great new foodie hangouts in the UK but I can honestly say I have zero knowledge of the Belgian food scene.

Therefore I reach out to all the lovely people who take the time to read my blog and I ask for you hints and tips on great places to eat, drink and visit (food markets etc) in Brussels and the surrounding areas. Please leave your suggestions in a comment below and hopefully I'll be able to get to visit as many of your top haunts as possible and share my experiences here in the near future.

Thank you to you all!

LEFTOVER SPAG BOL PIZZAS

Remember those little frozen bread pizzas you can get that your mum used to give to you when you were little for dinner when she couldn't be bothered cooking. Boy they were delicious in a dirty kind of way weren't they. I loved them so when my eyes stumbled across a nice loaf we had bought and some left over spag bol from the previous night there was only one thing that crossed my mind: lets recreate these little guilty pleasures with fabulous fresh ingredients and mighty fine leftovers and see if you can lift them to the next level. 

KRAZEE KRANSEKAGE

I love everything Scandinavian. Not that I have ever been their (although it's on the bucket list!) but having watched many shows about the culture, beautiful natural landscape and their fabulous cuisine I was keen to try and bake my own little tribute to my Scandi neighbors. That was when I came across the Kransekage. A traditional ringed tower of spectacular looking sugary marzipan treats served by the Danish and Norwegians at special occasion, I've down sized them to little bite sized treats that will be perfect to serve at afternoon tea.

MATTYB BAKES IS BLOG OF THE DAY!

I'm please to announce that I will be the Onvation's "Blog Of The Day" on their "Blog Of The Day App" on the 22nd January 2015.

This fabulous app dedicates a whole 24hrs to a different blog each day and is a brilliant way to discover new and exciting blogs that you may not have come across before. Best of all it is completely free!

 I would like to thank them for helping me reach out to more people. I'm always looking to share this little hobby that's becoming a real passion of mine with as many people of possible.

Why not give it whirl and download the app here. Who knows who you will discover next!

MINTY SMASHED POTATOES

Earlier in the month I showed you how to show your spuds a bit of love with my salt crust baked potato recipe. They are amazing but what if one doesn't have the time or ingredients to make a salt dough? Well you still don't have to neglect your taters. Try this super easy alternative, smashed potatoes which you can cover in any delicious filling you like. I'm going to show you a delicious topping using my homemade mint sauce and a tub of creme fraiche. Incredibly simple but they will look irresistible when you present them at your table.

QUICKIDY QUICK MINT SAUCE

  I know I like to harp on about it but making your own sauces, dips and relish is so easy and they always taste so much better than shop bought versions. Today is Sunday which can only mean one thing. It's Sunday roast time! Whilst I may not be serving it with a big fat lamb shank, this super simple recipe for a fresh and fabulous mint sauce will work wonders when trickled over your roast potatoes. Try it next Sunday and see for yourself! I promise you will fall in love with this tangy treat.

CLASSICS REVISITED: PERFECT PEPPERY PICO DE GALLO

One of my early recipes was part of my Mexican trilogy, a delicious and fresh tomato and jalapeno salsa. It still holds it's own today and is much better than any shop bought version you could buy. Having educated myself over the last year of blogging and kitchen adventures I have learnt that the Mexicans would refer to this type of raw salsa as a "pico de gallo" and that there are many ways you can jazz up that basic pico base that made up my original recipe to give it an extra flavor punch. In my second revisited classic I have just done this that.

MATTYB'S CITRUS BURST CAKE

It had been so long since I last baked that I was getting withdrawal symptoms. Then along came a day off work and it was time to get back in that kitchen and do what I love best; bake a loaf cake. I love to experiment with my loaf cakes and this time I have gone for one packed full of citrus zing inspired by some oranges I had in my fridge. Be warned, if your not a fan of lemons or oranges then stay clear of this recipe but if you do love that citrus zing your going to love cutting into it and letting the lemon curd filling burst all over the place.

SCRUMPTIOUS SCRUMPY CHASSEUR

The cold winter evenings drive on and so does the need for a good warm meal in the evening. We can't spend all January eating soups though so what this calls for is a little cheeky chasseur but with my little twist. This veggie friendly stew is perfect for throwing in your favorite winter veg and contains oodles of a good strong scrumpy instead of the traditional wine (well they are both made from fruit at the end of the day so who's bothered). It's a yummy winter warmer that will have you all roasty toasty in no time!

"SORT YOURSELF OUT" BROTH

There is a lot of illness around at the moment I've never known anything like. I hate feeling under the weather, I think the term "man flu" was invented with me in mind. There is only one things for it! Its time to rustle up a huge pan of rustic homemade chicken and vegetable broth with a good old glug of red wine (for medicinal purposes of course). Packed full of carrots, kale, celery, mushrooms and beans, all you need is a couple of bowls of this pasta filled broth and you'll be back on your feet before you know it.

CLASSICS REVISITED: JALFREZI FRENZY

Having blogged for nearly a year now, I'm always pushing myself to try new things and I think my abilities at both writing and cooking have improved so much since then which always goes to show that practice makes perfect. I've been looking over past recipes and started thinking "I could really make some improvements on these". My original recipes will be great for kitchen novices but here is the first of my revisited classic recipes which add that little extra for more experienced foodies wanted to push themselves; my veggie jalfrezi.

SALT BAKED POTATO PARCELS

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the main part of a meal we often forget to lavish the same amount of attention on your sides. Spare a thought then for the humble jacket potato, thrown in the oven and told to get on with it. Well, give them a bit of attention by baking them in a salt dough and you'll have the finest potato ever to grace your plate. Not much to talk about here really, the recipe below will be enough to cover 2 medium sized jackets. Scale up the measurements as required and prepare to be amazed;

ROASTY SMOKEY CHORIZO AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

So Christmas is over and those chilly winter nights are getting colder. What this calls for is this delicious soup made with chorizo and butternut squash, roasted in the oven in an array of delicious herbs and spices and then garnished with a dollop of creme fraiche and onion chutney for a final little flourish. It's such a deep and warmly smoky tasting soup you will feel the worries of the day wash right away right after your first spoonful. I can't think of anything better to tuck into on a cold January evening.

SUPER SPECIAL SPICY SHAKSHOUKA

Some of my adventures in the kitchen come from wanted to making something delicious with a particular ingredient that I have lying in the kitchen. I take this one ingredient, research dishes which use them and then try and put my little twist on them. This recipe for Shakshouka came from wanting to use up some cooking chorizo that I had left over and I'm glad I found out about it as it was defiantly a super special spicy tomato treat. Its fabulously easy to make too and great for dishing up for breakfast, brunch or dinner.

MY DEAR MADEIRA CAKE

Spare a thought for the poor Madeira cake. Consigned to the selves of supermarkets in dense little tasteless prepackaged blocks and derived by many there must surely be a way to make this forgotten tea time treat something special again. My answer? Booze of course! As it's just after Christmas this is the perfect time to use those last little bits of leftover Madeira wine in your cupboards to breath some life into this classic British bake. It's super easy to make that you won't need to buy those nasty shop bought versions ever again.