place / pitted cherries / 3 cups
water / 1 cup
sugar / ¼ cup
cornflour / 2 tbsp
/ in a saucepan
stir / till cornflour has dissolved
cook / over medium heat till mixture boils and thickens (about 5 mins)
remove / and leave to cool
roll out / sweet shortcrust pastry / 2/3of 500g total
/ to 3mm thick
line / base and sides of pie dish
prick / base all over with a fork
add / cold cherry filling / to dish
refrigerate / for 20 minutes
preheat / oven / to 180C
roll out / sweet shortcrust pastry / 1/3 of 500g total
/ to a circle the same size as the dish
cover / dish with pastry circle
brush / beaten egg / 1
/ over surface of pie
bake / 45 minutes or till golden brown
Pork Tagine
heat / oil / (a little)
add / uniformly sliced onions / 2
/ stirring till they start to soften
top with / thick pork cutlets / 4
/ and season to taste
cover with / large cooling apples, sliced / 2
sprinkle / ras-el-hanout / liberal
cumin / (optional)
chili powder
lemon juice
cook / approx. 40-60 minutes or till pork is tender and falling off the bone
Chicken, Date and Apricot Tagine
Skin and cut into pieces / chicken / 1 (1.6kg)
/ reserving wings for another purpose (flying?)
Heat / olive oil / 1 tbsp
/ in a Dutch oven (so why did they call the recipe a tagine???)
Cook / chicken pieces / till browned (5 minutes on each side)
Add / chopped onion / 1 cup
ground turmeric / 1 tsp
ground cumin / 1 tsp
ground ginger / ½ tsp
ground cinnamon / ½ tsp
ground red pepper / 1/8 tsp
minced garlic cloves / 5
Cook / 4 minutes, stirring occasionally
Add / chicken broth / 1 ½ cups
pitted and sliced dates / 1/3 cup
dried apricots / 1/3 cup
julienned lemon rind / 2 tsp
salt / ½ tsp
Cover, reduce heat, and simmer / 30 minutes or till chicken is tender
Remove from heat and stir in / chopped parsley / 1/3 cup
lemon sections / 1/3 cup
cilantro / 2 tbsp
Serve / over couscous
Ras el hanout
Deep fry / coriander seeds / 2 tsp
cumin seeds / 1½ tsp
cardamom seeds / ½ tsp
fennel seeds / ½ tsp
black peppercorns / ½ tsp
Add / ground turmeric / 1 tsp
ground cinnamon / 1 tsp
paprika / ½ tsp
salt / ¼ tsp
Grind or process
Pork Tagine
heat / oil / a little
large onions, thinly sliced / 2
/ stirring constantly till onions start to soften and brown
top with / thick pork cutlets / 4
add / seasoning / to taste
cover with / large cooking apples, sliced / 2
sprinkle with / lemon juice
cover and simmer
allow to cool / till pork is tender (approx. 40-60 minutes)
Chicken Tagine with Apricots and Almonds
Stir together / ground cinnamon / 1 tsp
ground ginger / 1 tsp
turmeric / ½ tsp
ground black pepper / ½ tsp
salt / 1tsp
olive oil / 2 tbsp
/ in a large bowl
add / chicken pieces skinless / 1½ kg
/ and turn to coat well
Heat / unsalted butter / 1 tbsp
olive oil / 1 tbsp
/ in tagine, uncovered, till hot but not smoking
brown / chicken / (in stages, if necessary)
add / onion, medium red, halved and sliced / 1
salt / ¼ tsp
cook / the mixture / uncovered, stirring frequently until soft (~8minutes)
add / chopped garlic / 4 cloves
cook / it all / another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally
Add and simmer / cilantro / 5
flat-leaved parsley / 5 sprigs
water / ½ cup
/ over low heat, covered, for about 30 minutes
Apricot Sauce and Almond Garnish
Bring to a boil and simmer / mild honey / 2 tbsp
water / 1 cup
cinnamon stick
Turkish apricots, halved / ½ cup
/ in heavy saucepan, till apricots are very tender , adding more water if necessary, then reduce to a gloze (10-15 minutes
Heat / oil / ¼ cup
cook / blanched almonds / 1/3 cup
/ until just golden (1-2 minutes)
drain / on a paper towel
Combination
Add / apricot mixture / to tagine 10 minutes before chicken is done
discard / herbs and cinnamon stick
sprinkle / almonds / on top
serve
Banana Cake
The Cake
preheat / oven / oven to 170C
line / 23cm round cake tin or 4 0cm tines or 12 muffin tins
beat / softened butter / 250g
sugar / 1 ½ cups
/ until creamy
beat in / eggs / 4
vanilla essence / 2 tsp
very ripe bananas, peeled and mashed / 4 (about 2 cups)
dissolve and add / baking soda / 2tsp
½ cup hot milk
sift and fold in / flour / 3 cups
baking powder / 2tsp
spoon / mixture / into prepared tin(s)
bake / till skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean and the top is springy to the touch (50-60 minutes for large cake, 45-55 minutes for 4 medium cakes and about 20 minutes for muffin sized cakes
allow to cool / before icing
The Lemon Icing
beat together / softened butter / 50g
lemon juice / 3 tbsp
icing sugar / 3 cups
hot water / ½ tsp
/ till creamy
Steamed green lip mussels in a creamy garlic and white wine sauce. The sauce is so good you need to serve this dish with a spoon.
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Servings: 2
Ingredients:
1 dozen green lip mussels
6 cloves of garlic
1 1/2 cups of white wine
1 stalk of celery
1 small onion
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup of cream
Directions:
Preparing mussels for cooking
Scrub mussels well in sink with running cold water. Remove "beards" from the mussel by pulling firmly towards hinge. If mussels are open then tap them...if they close they are good but if the do not discard immediately.
1. Finely chopped onion, celery and garlic. Place into pot and gently sauté in butter. (Make sure the pot is big enough to hold the dozen mussels).
2. Add the wine and bring to the boil. Drop in mussels, stir once and place on the lid. Steam until they open. Discard any that do not open.
3. Remove pot from heat, add cream and serve.
Best served with some crusty french bread to soak up the delicious sauce.
Chicken Casseroleheat / water / 750 ml
/ in the kettle
fry to brown / bone-in, skinless chicken thighs / 8
/ in a casserole or wide pan with a lid
dice / spring onions / 5
stir in / whites of spring onions
plain flour / 2 tbsp
chicken stock cubes / 2
/ and cook till flour disappears
stir in / hot water
bring to a simmer with / large carrots cut into batons ( no need to peel) / 2
new potatoes (halved if large) / 400g
cover and cook / 20 minutes
remove lid and simmer / 15 minutes
simmer after adding / frozen peas / 200g
/ 5 minutes more
add / parsley, chives, dill, tarragon / small handful of some or all
spring onion green bits
grainy mustard / 1 tbsp
seasoning / “some”
Conor’s Cookies
Mix / condensed milk / 200g
melted butter / 115 g
sugar (brown or white) / 50g
flour / 1 cup
baking powder / 1 tsp
/ in a bowl
Add goodies / chocolate chips, nuts, raisins
(whatever floats your boat) / 2 tbsp
Place on a tray
Cook / in a fan-forced oven at 180C for 10 – 15 minutes or until golden. Takes longer if oven is not fan-forced.
Basmati Rice
Wash / long-grain rice / 2 cups
/ in a sieve, till water runs clear
Add / melted unsalted butter
or
olive oil / 2 tbsp
washed rice / to a pot for which there is a close-fitting lid
Cook while stirring / for about 2 minutes
Add / water
or
chicken stock / 31/3 cups
saffron
or
turmeric / 2-3 threads
½ tsp
cayenne pepper / pinch
Bring to a boil / over high heat
Fit lid
Reduce heat to very low
Cook / for 15 minutes (more is OK), without removing lid.
Remove / from heat
Allow to stand / 5 minutes
Fluff with fork
any of the following can be added to modify the flavour
fried diced onion cumin + 2 tbsp tomato paste (Mexican rice)oregano + basil (or mixed herbs)curry powder + rasins
pinch of cayenne pepper + ¼ cup toasted almond slivers1 tsp lomen zest6 whole cloves (discard before serving)garlic powder
any of above + thawed frozen peas, stirred in while rice is standing
Cold rice can be reheated; 5 minutes in a covered colander over boiling water
Southern Sausage StewHeat / olive oil / a splash
/ in a frying pan
Cook / quality sausages / 2-3 per person
/ till golden brown and crisp
Remove / sausages / and sit on a plate. The sausages,silly, not you.
Pour off fat or add / olive oil / sufficient
/ to make quantity of liquid in pan equal to about 4 tbsp.
Fry / roughly chopped onion / 1
yellow pepper, deseeded, roughly chopped / 1
green pepper, ditto / 1
red pepper, ditto / 1
celery, trimmed and roughly chopped / 2 sticks
/ stirring occasionally, 10 – 12 minutes, till softened.
Add / peeled and chopped garlic / 4 cloves
fresh red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped / 1-2
freshly picked thyme / 10 sprigs
paprika / 1 heaped tsp
cayenne pepper / 1 heaped tsp
and fry / everything / for another minute or two.
Stir in and cook / flour / 2-3 heaped tbsp.
white wine or cider vinegar / 1 tbsp
/ for a couple of minutes.
Add / sausages
chicken stock / 750 ml
tinned tomatoes / 400g tin
/ breaking tomatoes up with a wooden spoon.
Season with / salt / big pinch
pepper / big pinch
Simmer / the mixture / for 15 minutes.
Serve / with rice.
This was quite spicy with ½ tsp chilli powder instead of chillies, and only ½ tsp cayenne pepper.
Baked Chicken Curry
Toastcumin seeds / 2 heaped tsp
coriander seeds / 2 heaped tsp
fennel seeds / 1 heaped tsp
/ in a dry frying pan for a minute or two, until fragrant.
Grind
the whole spices / to a rough powder in a spice grinder or with a pestle and mortar
Mix with
ground turmeric / 2 tsp
ground fenugreek / 2 tsp
Put
onion / 1 large
roughly chopped garlic / 3 large cloves
freshly chopped ginger / 1 thumb-sized piece
green pepper / 1, roughly chopped
/ in a food processor or blender.
Blitz / to a coarse paste, stopping to scrape down the sides a few times.
Heat
sunflower or groundnut oil / 3-4 tbsp
/ in a large frying pan over a medium/high heat.
Add
chicken pieces / 3 (half of the total 1.5kg)
Season well
Brown all over / making sure you get the skin a good colour.
Transfer / to a large roasting dish, skin-side up.
Repeat / with the remaining chicken pieces.
Reduce / heat under frying pan
Add
the spice mix
Fry / for a minute or two
Add
the onion paste
Fry, stirring frequently / for about 5 minutes, until the paste is soft, fragrant and reduced in volume
Add
a little more oil / if it seems to be sticking
Tip
tomatoes / 1 400g tin
coconut milk / 1 400g tin
/ into the food processor (no need to wash it out first)
Blitz / to combine
Pour
the mixture / into the frying pan and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly
Add
salt / 1 tsp
pepper / a grinding
Pour
the sauce / over the chicken pieces
Ensure / they are all coated with sauce, then push most of the sauce off the top of the chicken
Place
dish / in an oven preheated to 1800C
Bake, uncovered, turning and basting a couple of times / for 1 hour or until chicken is cooked thoroughly and nicely browned on top
Serve / with lots of basmati rice to soak up the sauce
Meatloaf
5 tbsp duck fat
4 onions (450g lb)
½ tsp salt
fry chopped onions 20-25 min in duck fat with salt – till golden not till crisp. Allow to cool before using
900g freshly minced beef
Worcestershire sauce
add onions and all duckfat
add 100g breadcrumbs &
1 raw egg
mix briefly (prevents from going tough)
half mixture makes base – make flat oval with a groove. Put 3 hardboiled (7 mins in boiling water; refresh in cold water) eggs in the groove. Add rest of meat over top.
Swaddle in slices of streaky rindless bacon overlapping each other.
Put in tray. Roast @ 200C (preheated) for 1 hour until juices run clear
rest 15 minutes
serve with roast potatoes
Strawberry Crumble
Strawberry and almond crumble
throw strawbs into regular pie dish
sprinkle 25 ground almonds to soak up liquid
then 50g sugar
tablespoon vanilla essence
Crumble
110g flour
tsp baking powder
75g cold unsalted diced butter
mix crumble
add 100g toasted flaked almonds for taste and texture
75g demerera sugar
fork to mix (no heat)
put crumble over fruit
crumble in 200C oven ½ hour
Citrus Delicious Puddingserves 6
Preheat / oven
/ to 180C (3550F)
Process / softened butter / 90g
caster (superfine) sugar / 1 ½ cup (330g)
milk / ½ cup (375 ml)
eggs / 3
lemon juice / ½ cup (125ml)
plain (all-purpose) flour / ½ cup (75g)
baking powder / 1 tsp
finely grated orange rind / 1 tsp
/ in a food processor
Pour / processed substances / into a lightly greased 1.25 l (5-cup) oven-proof dish
Bake / 1 hr or till golden brown
Dust with / icing sugar / as required
Baked Whole Lemon Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 thin-skinnedlemon
- 330 g caster sugar
- 30 g butter
- 3 egg yolks
- 180 ml single cream
- 2 tbsp cornflour
- vanillaice cream, to serve
Method
1. Preheat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3.
2. Cut the lemon into 8 pieces and remove any seeds. Place in a food processor with the sugar and process until very smooth. Add the butter, egg yolks, cream and cornflour and process until smooth. Pour mixture into 4 greased 250ml ovenproof pie dishes.
3. Bake for 22–24 minutes or until just set. Serve warm or cold with vanilla ice-cream.
Buttermilk Panna Cotta
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp warmwater
- 1 1/2 tsp powderedgelatine
- 250 ml single cream
- 110 g caster sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 500 ml buttermilk
- pulp offresh passionfruit, to serve
Method
1. Place the water in a small bowl and sprinkle over the gelatine. Set aside until the gelatine has absorbed the water.
2. Place the cream and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat and stir to dissolve the sugar. Add the gelatine mixture and stir to dissolve. Remove from heat and stir through the vanilla and buttermilk.
3. Pour mixture into 4 glasses and refrigerate for 3 hours or until set. Serve with passionfruit.
Mushroom, Kumara and Potato bake
Ingredients
- 3 medium (approx. 650g) floury potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 medium (approx. 300g) kumara, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 small onion, finely sliced
- 500g jar Heinz Seriously Good Creamy Mushroom Pasta Bake
Crumb Topping- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup grated cheese
- Handful chopped parsley
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan bake). Grease a 20cm baking or casserole dish. Place a layer of potatoes and kumara in the dish. Scatter over sliced onion. Season with freshly ground black pepper and a little salt to taste.
2. Repeat until all the vegetables are used. Pour over Heinz Seriously Good Creamy Mushroom Pasta Bake . Cover and cook for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven. Sprinkle over the crumble topping. Return to the oven and cook with the lid off for a further 30–45 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked and topping is golden. Stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Crumb topping
Mix together breadcrumbs, cheese and parsley.
Beetroot hummus
Ingredients
- 410g can Wattie's Baby Beetroot, drained
- 400g can Craig's Chickpeas in brine, drained and rinsed
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 1/2 Tbsp horseradish sauce
- 1/2 cup crème fraiche
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- juice 1/2 lemon
Method
1. Place the drained Wattie’s Baby Beetroot and Craig’s Chickpeas into a food processor.
2. Add garlic, horseradish sauce, crème fraiche and cumin. Process until smooth.
3. Season to taste with salt, freshly ground black pepper and lemon juice. Chill before serving.
Garlic Chicken Legs
Preheat Oven
to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C)
Place
¼ cup butter
into a roasting pan, and melt in the oven
Swirl
the melted butterto coat the bottom of the roasting pan
Place
6 chicken drumsticks and thighs
6 large potatoes, cut into chunks
24 cloves unpeeled garlic cloves
in the pan
Sprinkle on
salt and black pepper
Turn
the chicken, potatoes, and garlicto coat with butter
Bake
in the preheated oven until the chicken is no longer pink inside and the juices run clear, about 40 minutes,
Baste
3 times with pan drippings.
Brush
¼ cup maple syrup
over the chicken pieces
Spoon
pan drippings over the potatoes
Return
pan to oven
Bake
until the chicken and potatoes are tender and browned, about 20 more minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into a thick part of a thigh should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C)
Serve
squeezing garlic from the baked cloves, and spread the soft garlic over the chicken. Do not use a garlic press, or it will clog!
Pour
pan juices over chicken and potatoes.
Gingerbread Men:3 cups (390 grams) all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar
1 large egg
2/3 cup (160 ml) unsulphured molasses (To prevent molasses from sticking to the measuring cup, first spray the cup with a non stick vegetable spray.)
Confectioners Frosting:
2 cups (230 grams) confectioners sugar (icing or powdered sugar), sifted
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 tablespoons milk or light cream
Assorted food colors (if desired)
In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices.
In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and molasses and beat until well combined.Gradually add the flour mixture beating until incorporated.
Divide the dough in half, and wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven.Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside while you roll out the dough.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch.Use a gingerbread cutter to cut out the cookies. With an offset spatula lift the cut out cookies onto the baking sheet, placing the cookies about 1 inch (2.54 cm) apart. If you are hanging the cookies or using as gift tags, make a hole at the top of the cookies with a straw or end of a wooden skewer.
Bake for about 8 - 12 minutes depending on the size of the cookies.Small ones will take about 8 minutes, larger cookies will take about 12 minutes.They are done when they are firm and the edges are just beginning to brown.
Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for about 1 minutes. When they are firm enough to move, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
If desired, you can press raisins, currants, or candies into the dough for eyes and buttons while the cookies are still warm.Otherwise, confectioners frosting can be used to decorate the cookies. You can also use the icing as a glue to attach candies, raisins, and sprinkles.
Confectioners Frosting:In an electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter until smooth and well blended. Add the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beater.Add the milk and beat on high speed until frosting is light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes). Add a little more milk if too dry. Place the frosting in a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip and decorate the gingerbread men as desired.
Tint portions of frosting with desired food color (I use the paste food coloring that is available at cake decorating stores and party stores).
Makes about 3 dozen cookies depending on the size of cookie cutter used.
Store in an airtight container.
Gingerbread Men:
3 cups (390 grams) all purpose flour