EASY MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, or 2¼ cups pastry flour, sifted
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  
  
• 1 large egg (or 2 medium)
• 4 tbsp butter

• Preparation time: 15 minutes
 
• Cook Time: 20 minutes

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 200° C.


2. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt.


3. Heat the butter in the microwave (in a bowl) for about a minute, until it's thoroughly melted. Set it aside at room temperature to cool, but don't let it solidify again.


4. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl and then add the sugar, milk and vanilla to the eggs.


5. Thoroughly grease and flour a muffin pan (or use paper muffin liners).


6. Pour a tiny bit of the melted butter into the egg-vanilla-milk mixture and stir it in. Repeat 3-4 more times, adding a slightly larger amount of the liquid butter each time until it is all incorporated.
   
   Don't add hot melted butter to the egg mixture as the heat from the butter would cook the egg, and that's not what you want to do!


7. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ones and mix no more than 10 seconds. The batter should be visibly lumpy, and you may see pockets of dry flour. It's extremely important not to overmix the batter, or the resulting muffins will be too hard.


8. Pour the batter into the prepared muffin pan and bake immediately.
   
9. Bake 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

I like to eat delicious and health food. It has always been a pleasure being around a table with family and friends. Going to restaurants every day is expensive and tiring. At the beginning, I have started making salads and cooking simple dishes. I have a long journey ahead in order to be a good cook, but cooking is fun and it is my hobby ;-)

MAKE PRESERVED LEMONS

NEED TO KNOW

A classic ingredient in Moroccan cooking, these fragrant, bitter lemons are easy to make and give instant flavour to tagines, fish and rice. A little goes a long way.

1.Wash some unwaxed lemons - you'll need about six to fill a 500ml jar.

Cut them lengthways into quarters, then cut each wedge into three slices.

2.Layer up the lemons in a sterilised jar, packing them in tightly with a generous amount of flaky sea salt between each layer. Press down to release the juices, then cover with final layer of salt.

3.Store the jar in a cool, dark place, for three weeks or until softened, turning it occasionally to keep the juices moving. Once opened, keep chilled.

SALT AND VINEGAR WEDGES

Serves: 4
Takes: 40 mins
Cost per serve: 62p
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1kg Elfe potatoes, cut into thick wedges
1 tbsp salt
250 ml white wine vinegar
4tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp thyme leaves, chopped

1.Preheat the oven to gas 7, 220 C, fan 200 C. Put the potatoes in a large sausepan and cover with cold water. Add the salt and most of the vinegar. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, then cover and simmer until softened. Drain.

2. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer on a large roasting tray. Spoon over the olive oil, the remaining vinegar, and thyme. Gently turn the potatoes until completely coated in the mixture. Season well. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are golden and crisp

COOK PERFECT RICE EVERY TIME

INSPIRATION CHALLENGE

Choose a wide pan

The more surface area the rice has, the quicker it will cook. 

Remember

Use one cup of rice to two cups of water. This way all the water will boil off, so there'll be no need to drain the rice.

Stir only once

Stir the rice once, just after pouring in the water.Continuous stirring releases the starch from the grains and you'll end up with stodgy rice

Use a tight-fitting lid

Turn the heat right down, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and leave the rice to cook (without stirring) for the time given on the pack. The rice is ready when small holes apear on the surface of the rice and all the water has been absorbed

Cover with a tea towel

Remowe the lid and cover with a clean tea towel to absorb the steam from the rice. Fluff it with a fork before serving