Above: Instant GF & DF pea soup
Hodmedod's is an up-and-coming name in the wholefoods world
and rightly so. If you’ve not come across the brand before, it is based in
Suffolk and works with British farmers to create a range of pulses and grains –
some tinned, some dried, some salted as snacks, and some milled (like the ones
I was sent to try out).
I love the packaging – retro brown paper bags, arty labels
and a few suggestions for use as well. These came in handy. The quinoa flour,
fava bean flour and yellow and green pea flours were undeniably pretty, but
what would they actually be good for, I wondered? They are all gluten-free, so I did a few
initial taste tests and decided to experiment with the fava bean and quinoa
flours to make a classic from my mother’s kitchen – tea brack.
It’s the simplest cake ever: 1 mug of strong tea, 1 mug of
raisins, ½ mug of sugar, 2 mugs of self-raising flour and an egg. I made two
versions, one where I replaced the flour with fava bean, the other with quinoa.
The results were baked, sliced and spread with butter… I can report that the ‘bean’
flavour of fava beans does not make it the best choice. The quinoa worked
really well though – and to think that the healthy benefits of quinoa can be
enjoyed mid-morning in a cake made it especially exciting.
The yellow pea flour and fava bean flour would make good
gram flour substitutes, and I have a fab chocolate cake that they could be
tried in (see here). But the green pea flour got me scratching my head a little
more. It really is very green, and the pea flavour is pretty obvious. Luckily
there were some suggestions on the pack – pancakes and soup. Yes, yes, I
thought… I can see that you could add an egg and some milk, whip up some savoury pancakes and serve with
eg. smoked salmon, sour cream and chives, lovely. But what of the soup…?
A few experiments later and I managed to create a fab
alternative to a Cup-a-Soup for those days when you need something instant (and
frankly, who doesn’t?). I’d happily have a stash of this in my cupboard and in fact I have just enjoyed some of it for lunch. Virtue
and convenience… who can resist it?
Gluten-free, dairy-free tea brack
Serve sliced with butter or margarine, best eaten in the
first couple of days.
1 mug of strong tea (cold)
1 mug of raisins
½ mug granulated sugar
2 mugs quinoa flour
1 egg
2 tsp baking powder
Preheat the oven to 160C, then oil a loaf tin with a little
sunflower oil. Stir all the ingredients together until you have smooth batter
and pour it into the loaf tin. Bake for 30 minutes until risen and golden.
Leave to cool in the tin.
Dairy-free, gluten-free instant pea soup
2 tbsp green pea flour
½ tsp gluten-free and vegan vegetable stock powder
1 tsp humous (optional, but gives a creamier result)
approx. 300ml boiling water
Place the green pea flour, stock powder and hummous in a
mug. Gradually stir in boiling water, taking care not to get lumps. Wait a
minute while the soup thickens and the flour absorbs the moisture. Stir again….
You’re done!