urban hermit

Dinner party cancelled

One guest Hendrix-cat sequestered to cat basket with cramps the other S beaten up yesterday evening walking back from the gym who had an encounter with a none too helpful policeman.

So I have the bliss of an empty evening ahead. Sark calls this the Joy of Cancelled Plans. I'm making bagels and soup. My friend A came around with boyfriend and removed 8 boxes of books that were living under my stairs (holding parties and generally carring on) after a year it was time they found a new billet...

Radio 4 burbling away.

Bagel recipe (from Claudia Roden's Complete Book of Jewish Cookery)

500g strong white flour (cake flour works but they do lie down in a flat sort of way)
1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon sugar
pinch of salt
1 small packet of dried yeast
1 egg ( or add more water)

mix

then add 250 g of lukewarm water. Test it with your finger or if too hot will kill yeast.

Mix in

Kneed for 6-10 mins until a smooth elastic lump.

Put oil on the lump

Put tea towl over bowl and leave to rise

Once doubled in size kneed for another 5 mins or so - shape into bagels and leave to rise again on trays with tea towels on them.

Once risen get a pot of boiling water. Drop in each bagel for a minute or so turningover. Dry on tea towels. Put in moderate oven for 15 mins. If feeling extravagant sprinkle sesame seeds on top before going into oven. There is nothing more yummy than bagel straight out of oven with butter melting into it.

posted by m @ 5:19 PM