Maybe a few years late to the party, but I’ve recently gotten way into the Great British Baking Show, and one of my favorite contestants from the early seasons was Chetna. I found myself wanting to try pretty much everything she made, so I was happy to find out that she has a few books published so far. And my local library had The Cardamom Trail, which is so packed full of amazing recipes that I’m seriously considering buying it. There are lots of sweet recipes I’m excited to try, but also a pretty substantial selection of savory recipes from breads to chutneys and raitas.
The “Spinach and Spice Loaf” honestly ended up being my first selection just because I happened to have some yogurt I was looking to make good use of, and spinach is thankfully still abundant at the February farmers market (if you get there early enough!) I was very curious about how the texture would come out since she describes it as a “light loaf” but it doesn’t have any yeast, and I would describe the end product I got as somewhat like a savory coffee cake but more moist and egg-y. It really would be great in any meal: in little squares as a snack or appetizers, as a side to a savory main course, or even toasted with butter or any range of savory condiments for breakfast. I definitely recommend trying it!
Here’s her ingredient list:
- 100g (3.5 oz) spinach
- 100ml (3.5 fl oz) boiling water
- 2 large eggs
- 120ml (4 fl oz) garlic-and-her-infused sunflower oil (yeah, I just used regular oil…)
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 180ml (6.24 fl oz) yogurt
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 220 g (7.25 oz) self-raising flour (I always just google the amount I need and look for how much baking powder to add; this time I think it said 2 tsp per 150 g, so I did 2 tsp and a bit more. No interest in precise math here!)
- 50g (1.75 oz) pine nuts
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda (aka “bicarbonate of soda”)
- 1/2 tsp chili flakes (I used chili powder)
- 1/2 tsp cumin
Butter a loaf pan, line the bottom with parchment paper, and butter that again for easy turning out. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (180 celsius!)
I didn’t do this, but I would recommend giving the pine nuts a quick toast (in the oven, or even just heat them up in a frying pan a bit) to add some depth of flavor. They were good plain, but I think they’d be even better toasted. (General rule of thumb with nuts that I obey or ignore as my laziness varies day to day!)
Bring the water to a boil, then add the spinach and cook on low heat for 3-4 minutes. Drain the water and leave to cool.
Mix together all “wet” ingredients: eggs, oil. garlic, yogurt, and lime juice.
In a separate bowl, combine all the dry ingredients: flour, pine nuts, baking powder, baking soda, chili, and cumin. I thought it was strange that there was no salt here, but in the end I didn’t think it needed it! Congrats Chetna.
Gently fold together the wet and dry ingredients until combined; don’t over-mix. I still can’t find where in the recipe it says to add the spinach, but I did here: wring it out, give it a rough chop, and then fold it in to the batter. Pour the whole thing into the loaf pan, and bake for 25-30 minutes. Enjoy!
*This was easy enough for me to follow with the British measurements since I have an electronic scale which can switch between a variety of different types of measurements, and I highly recommend it for the measuring cups it will save you washing, if not the added precision and easy in any kind of baking
cleveland kitchen 