Healthy and nutritious, a delicious rye spelt bread adapted from Brot backen-Köstliche Rezepte aus der guten alten Zeit©angiesrecipes, is strewn with a mix of flax, pumpkin and sunflower seeds and bursting with flavour.

380 g Light rye flour 380 g Refined spelt bread flour 20 g Sea salt 20 g Fresh yeast, crumbled 2 tsp Honey 100 ml Lukewarm water 150 g Sourdough starter 400 ml Buttermilk, at room temperature 50 g Pumpkin seeds 50 g Flax seeds 50 g Sunflower seeds

1. Mix light rye flour, spelt bread flour, and sea salt in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the center, and place the yeast, and honey in the well. Add in lukewarm water and a little flour from the sides of well. Stir the mixture until it resembles thick porridge. Cover with a kitchen towel and leave it aside for 15-20 minutes.
2. Add in the sourdough and buttermilk. Stir until the dough comes together and pulls away from sides of bowl. Turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface and form the dough into a ball. Dust the ball of dough with some spelt flour and proof, covered with a kitchen towel, for 20 minutes.
3. Push the pumpkin, flax, sunflower seeds into the dough and knead and knead the dough until the seeds are incorporated.
4. Divide the dough into two portions and shape each into a round. Place them on a baking tray dusted with flour and proof, covered with a kitchen towel, for another 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 220C/430F. Cut some decorative slashes on the top of bread.
5. Bake the bread in the center of the hot oven for 15 minutes then reduce the oven temperature to 180C/350F and bake the bread a further 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush with water. Return the bread to the oven and bake for 5 more minutes until nicely golden brown and crusty.

I am sending this to the "Bake Your Own Bread-April" at Girlichef.

The dough ‘blanket’ is mainly prepared with Quark, wholegrain, and refined spelt flours. Strawberries can be replaced with banana and use apricot jam instead of strawberry jam. Quark, literally translated as ‘curd’, is a German fresh cheese, very similar to the American cottage cheese. It’s a curd cheese made from skimmed milk and soured with a lactic starter. Quark is very popular in Germany. It can be eaten plain on its own or make it into a sauce, spread, dessert or cake.

Quark Dough	Filling
200 g Wholegrain spelt flour 100 g Refined spelt flour 1 tbsp Baking powder 150 g Low-fat Magerquark (German fresh cheese) 6 tbsp Milk 6 tbsp Rape seed oil 70 g Caster sugar 1 tbsp Vanilla sugar Pinch of salt	300 g Fresh strawberries, halved Strawberry jam 1 Egg, lightly beaten 3 tbsp Pistachio nuts, roughly chopped Sugar pearls

1. Whisk the spelt flours and baking powder together in a mixing bowl. Add in quark, milk, oil, sugars and salt. With a handheld electric mixer fitted with dough hooks at high speed, stir all the ingredients until just incorporated, for 1 minutes. Don’t overdo it, or the dough will be sticky.
2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Cover it with a plastic film and roll out the dough into a 24x60cm rectangular. Cut out 10 squares, each 12x12cm.
3. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F. Place two strawberry halves in the center of dough. Brush strawberries with strawberry jam. Brush four corners lightly with beaten egg. Pinch two corners crosswise to make an open pocket. (look a bit like Duchess Danish pastry) Brush the pockets with beaten egg and sprinkle with chopped pistachios and sugar pearls.
4. Bake open pockets in the center of hot oven and bake for 15-20 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla sauce or whipped cream.

A healthy and satisfying Mediterranean wholegrain spelt pasta with brine-cured green olives, tangy capers, pine nuts, and a hint of heat from pepper flakes.
The olive herb has an amazing pickled olive flavour. It’s wonderful used in pastas and pesto. It pairs well with lettuce for salads, sauces, cheeses, and marinades.

200 g Wholegrain spelt farfalle 1/2 cup Green olives, pitted 1 tbsp Capers, drained 2 tbsp Pine nuts 90 ml Olive oil 1 tsp Hot pepper flakes Olive herb for garnish Salad leaves

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. When water comes to a boil, add pasta, stirring constantly for the first minute to help prevent pasta from sticking together. Cook until al dente, about 8 minutes.
2. Finely chop pitted olive, capers and pine nuts. Toss with olive oil and pepper flakes. In a large saute pan, saute for 3 minutes over medium high heat.
3. Drain pasta in a colander, reserving 1/4 cup pasta water. Add pasta to the sauce and toss to coat completely. Add pasta water if you need to thin out the sauce a bit. Serve, garnished with olive herb leaves. on a bed of salad.

A crunchy cornmeal cookie recipe from Martha Stewart studded with dried apricots and fresh lemon-thyme. Lovely to go with a cup of tea or serve them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream as a light dessert.

Cornmeal Cookies with Apricots and Lemon Thyme

adapted from Martha Stewart

240 g All purpose flour 180 g Yellow cornmeal 1 tsp Baking soda 1/2 tsp Salt 220 g Unsalted butter, softened 160 g Sugar 2 Large eggs 100 g Dried apricots, diced 3 tbsp Fresh lemon thyme, finely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside. Whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
2. Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs, one at a time. Add flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Mix in dried apricots and lemon thyme.
3. Using a tablespoon or a 1 1/2-inch ice-cream scoop, drop rounded balls of dough onto lined sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart.
4. Bake, rotating and switching positions of sheets about halfway through, until pale golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer cookies, on parchment, to a wire rack. Let cool completely.

Crispy savoury tart made with buttery spelt pate brisee, caramelized red onions, and a rich, creamy and velvety smooth béchamel sauce. They're delicious to snack on and also lovely as a first course at a dinner party.

Creamy Onion Tartlets

adapted from Leite's Culinaria

Pate Brisee	Filling
200 g Wholegrain spelt flour 120 g Butter, cut into small pieces and slightly softened 3 g Fine salt 1 Egg 1 tbsp Cold milk	2 Red onions, very thinly sliced 60 g Unsalted butter Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 30 g All-purpose flour 180 ml Whole milk, warmed 80 ml Heavy cream, warmed 2 Large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten Freshly grated nutmeg

1. Heap the flour on a counter and make aw well. Put in butter, salt and egg. Using your fingertips, mix these ingredients together. Little by little, draw in the flour, working the dough delicately until it has a grainy texture.
2. Add in milk and incorporate gently with your fingertips until the dough begins to hold together. Using the palm of your hand, work the dough by pushing it away from you 4-5 times until smooth. Roll it into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for an hour or until firm.
3. On a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the dough to a 3-mm thickness. Cut out three 16-cm and three 9-cm circles. Use them to line three 10-cm and three 6-cm tart pans. Prick the pastry shell bases and line with foil, then fill with dried beans or pie weights. Chill for 30 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F. Bake the crusts blind for about 15 minutes. Lower the oven setting to 170C/340F. Remove the beans foil and return the pastry to te oven for 5 minutes. Leave in the pans and set aside while you prepare the filling.
5. In a large skillet, combine the onions, half of the butter, and a generous pinch of salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, over medium-low heat until very tender and lovely golden brown, about 30 minutes.


6. In a large saucepan, melt the remaining butter over medium-low heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture smells nutty, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk and cream in a slow, steady stream. Still whisking, bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly, whisking occasionally.

7. Pour a little of the cream mixture into the eggs, whisking until completely combined. Slowly whisk this mixture back into the cream mixture in the saucepan, a little at a time, until well incorporated and smooth. Stir in the caramelized onions, then season to taste with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Spoon the mixture onto the pastry shells, spreading it evenly.


8. Bake the tarts at 165C/330F until golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool the tarts slightly on wire rack, then unmold. Serve warm.

The Canarian cuisine is a mixture of some native Guanche elements, as well as Spanish, African and Latin American foods. In the Canary Islands, "mojos" or sauces are made with vinegar and oil and served cold, as an accompaniment to potatoes, meat and fish.

Canarian Potato Salad aka Potato Salad with Mojo de Cilantro

adapted from essen und trinken

500 g New potatoes 1/2 bunch Cilantro, roughly chopped 1 clove Garlic, roughly chopped 1/4 tsp Cumin, ground 2-3 tbsp Lemon juice 5 tbsp Spanish olive oil 1 tbsp Almond, chopped Sea salt Black pepper

1. Thoroughly rinse potatoes and cook in salted, gently boiling water for about 20 minutes.
2. Roughly chop the cilantro and garlic clove. Place them in a blender with cumin, 1 teaspoon of salt, lemon juice and olive oil. Process to create a puree. Season with black pepper and salt to taste.
3. Drain the potatoes and cut into quarters. Place them in a large bowl, add in cilantro sauce, and chopped almonds. Gently toss them together. Serve, garnished with cilantro leaves and coarse sea salt.

Everyone has their favourite type of chocolate cookies and If you like them soft, moist and cakey, then these are perfect for you. I have replace the wheat flour with spelt, and also reduced the original called for amount of sugar by two-thirds and added two tablespoons of coffee liqueur to batter. To keep these cookies soft and chewy for longer, store them in an airtight container. They freeze exceptionally well-layer them in a freezer-safe container between sheets of wax paper. Thaw 15 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Cakey Chocolate Splet Cookies

adapted from Family

100 g Spelt pastry flour 110 g Wholegrain spelt flour 20 g Unsweetened cocoa powder 1/2 tsp Baking soda 1/2 tsp Salt 6 Large egg whites, at room temperature 150 g Dark brown sugar 2 tbsp Coffee liqueur 100 g 70% Dark chocolate, chopped and melted

1. Preheat to 180C/350F. Line 3 baking trays with parchment paper. Whisk spelt pastry flour, wholewheat spelt flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
   
2. Roughly chop the chocolate and place them in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water. When melted, remove from the heat, and gently stir until smooth.
   
3. Beat egg whites in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer until foamy, about 1 minute. Beat in dark brown sugar in a few additions until smooth. Now beat in coffee liqueur and melted chocolate. Stir in the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon until just incorporated.
   
4. Drop the batter by tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets, 1 inch apart. Bake the cookies 10-12 minutes. Cookies will be soft. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then remove from trays to a wire rack to cool completely.

An incredibly easy spring salad, which is quick to prepare, frersh and versatile. Toss with your favourite dressing and enjoy the very best of the season.

Carrot, Fennel and Strawberry Salad

- inspired by Patty's Food

1/2 Fennel, thinly shredded 1 Carrot, shredded 1/2 Red onion, cut into thin half moon slices 150 g Strawberries, cut into smaller pieces Mint leave, shredded 2 tbsp Raspberry vinegar 1 tbsp Argan oil Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Clean and dry the vegetables and strawberries. Thinly slice the fennel and carrot. Cut the red onion into thin half moon slices. Cut the large strawberries into 2-3 chunks. Place the cut vegetables on a large serving plate. Add in strawberries and shredded mint leaves.
2. Whisk raspberry vinegar and argan oil in a small bowl. Season to taste. Drizzle the dressing over the salad.

This is a slow 3-day bread to make, but definitely worth the time and patience. You just cannot rush a good loaf of bread. If you don't have a sourdough starter you might just have to make one from scratch or buy one from stores.

Sourdough Olive Bread

inspired by myitaliansmorgasbord and sourdough

Starter
35 g Rye sourdough, 100% hydration 205 ml Water, lukewarm 170 g Bread flour	All the starter 380 ml Water 440 g Bread flour 275 g Wholewheat flour 14 g Sea salt 1 tbsp Olive oil 2 tsp Chilli pepper flakes 250 g Olives, pitted and well-drained

1. Combine all the starter ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and set aside for 12-16 hours.
2. Stir together the starter and water in a mixing bow. Add in flours and mix at low speed. Cover the dough with a plastic wrap and let sit for 15 minutes.
3. Add in salt, olive oil and stir well on low speed for 2 minutes. Increase the speed and mix 6-8 minutes more until dough is smooth and pliable.
4. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead the drained olives and chilli pepper flakes into the dough.
5. Cover the dough and let proof at room temperature for 2 and 1/2 hours, folding and stretching the dough at 45 minutes and 90 minutes.
6. Divide the dough into two portions and shape them into two balls. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Form into rounds or batons. Dust the proofing baskets with wholewheat flour and place inn the shaped dough. Dust the tops with wholewheat flour and cover with plastic bag. Place them in the refrigerator and chill 12-18 hours.
7. Place a roasting tray with water at the bottom of your oven and preheat to 230C/450F. Turn the dough onto the baking trays. Cut some decorative slashes on the top of bread if desired.
8. Bake for 20 minutes, remove the roasting tray with water, then lower the temperature to 190C/370F and continue to bake for a further 30 minutes until the loaves are golden brown.