Recipe for Success

Mango and Banana Smoothie

2006-05-07T10:21:00.000+01:00

A quick and tasty breakfast drink. It's extremely healthy as it only contains fruit and it's full of all the vitamins and nutrients you need - an easy way to five-a-day. Serves 2.

Update: Obviously you can make smoothies with practically any fruit, but mango, papaya and banana with a squeeze of lime is a very tasty combination!

Ingredients

One large ripe mango
One large ripe banana
One large orange

Method

Peel the mango and remove the stone. This is difficult with a very ripe mango, which is what you need for a smoothie with the extra sweetness: the skin will come off easily - scrape any flesh off it with a spoon - but the easiest way to remove the stone from a very ripe mango is just to scrape the flesh off it, preferably over a bowl or jug to catch the juice. Put the mango in a blender.
Roughly chop the banana and add to the mango. Blend until smooth.
Squeeze the orange into the blender, allowing some of the pulp to fall in too (but remove any seeds).
Blend once more to incorporate the orange, then serve in two tall glasses.

Lemon curd

2005-03-14T21:19:00.000Z

Today I've experimented with making lemon curd partly in the microwave. You need to make lemon curd in a bain marie or a glass bowl over a pan of boiling water - the pan I was using wasn't quite the right size so the curd wasn't thickening well, leading to my desperate microwaving effort. Do proceed carefully either way - cook it too fast and you'll have lemon flavoured scrambled eggs, not really what we want.

Ingredients:

grated zest of 3 lemons
juice of 2 large lemons
8 oz sugar
4 oz butter
3 medium eggs

Method:

Fill your sink with cold water. If the curd starts to turn scrambled, put the bowl in the water to cool it quickly to stop it getting worse.
Sterilize jars (makes a little more than one standard 454g / 1lb jar) - place them in a cool oven or just put them on a hot cycle in the dishwasher and use immediately when it finishes, when they are still hot and steaming.
Place a glass bowl over a pan of boiling water. Make sure that the water does not touch the bowl and that the pan does not boil dry.
Put the sugar, butter, zest and juice in the bowl and keep stirring until the butter is melted and everything is combined.
Beat the eggs well and add to the bowl. Cook and keep stirring until the mixture thickens.
After adding the eggs you can try using the microwave to thicken the curd. Remove the bowl from the pan and dry it before placing in the microwave. I have a 950W microwave and would advise proceeding very carefully: put the curd in the microwave for only about 15 seconds at a time and then whisk well before returning to the microwave - any longer and you risk the scrambled egg problem. Continue until the curd thickens.
Pour the curd into the hot jars (they must be hot or they may crack). Allow to cool for a while then place in the sink full of cold water (with lids on) to cool quickly. The jars should seal. Once cool, keep in the fridge.

Lemon and poppy seed cake

2005-03-14T20:57:00.000Z

This is basically a madeira cake with added juice and seeds, which makes it just that little bit more moist. It's also lovely and easy to make - practically foolproof: if the middle of the cake is still uncooked when the outside is almost ready, just turn down the oven a bit and leave it in a little longer. Perfect with a cup of tea!

Ingredients:
240g softened unsalted butter
200g caster sgar, plus extra for sprinkling
grated zest of one lemon
3 large eggs
210g self-raising flour
90g plain flour
juice of 1 ½ lemons
2 tbsp poppy seeds

Method:

Preheat the oven to 150° C fan (170° C electric / gas mark 3). Butter and line a 23 x 13 x 7cm loaf tin.
Cream the butter and sugar and add the lemon zest.
Add the eggs one at a time with a little of the flour for each. Then gently mix in the rest of the flour.
Finally mix in the lemon juice and poppy seeds.
Transfer to the loaf tin and sprinkle with caster sugar. Bake for one hour or until a cake-tester comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack, and let it cool in the tin before turning out.

Simple Scallops

2005-02-26T23:25:00.000Z

Simple, quick and tasty - it only takes about 5 minutes. Scallops may seem a little posh, but this far from the sea there are few alternatives to cod available - bizarrely this seems to be one of them. They are, however, fantastically easy to cook, so treat yourself.

Ingredients

Scallops
butter and oil
root ginger, finely chopped
lemongrass, finely chopped (optional)
coriander, finely chopped
white wine
lime juice

Method

Heat the butter in a frying pan with a little oil (this stops the butter burning).
Fry the scallops for a couple of minutes on each side then remove.
Fry the ginger and lemongrass in the same pan for about 30 seconds then add the wine and lime juice. Finally add the chopped coriander.
Pour this sauce over the scallops. The sauce will be very sharp to taste, so you may want to just remove the scallops from the sauce to serve.

One-pot fish with tomatoes and olives

2005-02-25T13:17:00.000Z

This is a wonderfully simple and healthy dish for a low-fat supper - you can cook it for five minutes then leave just leave it in the oven while you get on with something else. The flavours are also infinitely variable - add whatever you like to make it more substantial (see below) or keep it simpe and serve with rice or couscous.

Ingredients

1 large onion, roughly chopped
400g can chopped tomatoes
6 oz black olives
4 boneless white fish fillets
pesto
variants: sun-dried tomatoes, capers, artichoke hearts...

Method

Preheat the oven to 200° C (fan 180° C)
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in an ovenproof pan (use the oil from the olives or sun-dried tomatoes if using). Tip in the onions and stir well, leave to cook for a minute or two.
Stir in the tomatoes and some salt and pepper. (If you are wanting a more substantial dish, or if your pan is shallow but quite wide, you may wish to use two tins of tomatoes.) Bring to the boil, then add the drained olives and any 'variant' ingredients.
Put the fish, skin-side down, onto the sauce and drizzle the fillets with pesto.
Bake uncovered for 15 mins until the fish is cooked. Serve straight from the pan.

Chilli Coconut Chicken

2005-02-16T15:52:00.000Z

This Thai-inspired dish is quick, simple and tasty. Serve it with Thai Jasmine rice for lunch or supper and make it as firey as you can stand!

Ingredients

2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 inch piece root ginger, finely chopped
chilli flakes
chilli powder
lemon grass
2 chicken breasts
1 can coconut milk (low fat can be used)
milk
sweet chilli sauce
light soy sauce
oyster sauce
dessicated coconut, toasted
fresh coriander

Method

Heat vegetable oil in a pan and add the garlic, ginger, chilli flakes and powder and lemon grass. Fry for a couple of minutes then add the chicken breasts and sear on all sides.
Mix the coconut milk with the milk, smoothing out any lumps. Pour this into the pan with the chicken. Add the sauces and mix well.
Simmer the sauce with the chicken in, covered but stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked and the sauce is reduced and thickened. If the chicken is cooked before the sauce reaches the consistency you desire, simply remove the chicken from the sauce and then replace it for a couple of minutes to reheat once the sauce is thickened.
Serve the chicken on a bed of rice with the sauce poured over. Garnish with a sprinkling of toasted coconut and some coriander.

Ricciarelli - Sienese almond biscuits

2005-02-15T13:43:00.000Z

These are fantastically easy and fantastically tasty. They take a little time because you need to leave the mixture to dry out overnight before baking, but make them at night and pop them in the oven while you eat your breakfast and they might even last the rest of the day (if you hide them and forget where they are, perhaps). They keep well in an airtight container (again, if you can keep yourself from eating them).

These may be useful for gluten free diets as there is no flour used, only ground almonds. It is similar to the topping on the tortine di mele e mandorle (apple and almond puds) so try them as well!

Ingredients

2 large egg whites
pinch of salt
225g caster sugar
zest of one lemon
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond essence
300g ground almonds
icing sugar for dusting

Method:

Whisk the egg whites and salt until stiff and dry, then whisk in the sugar a little at a time until you reach a marshmallowy consistency.
Add lemon zest, vanilla extract, almond essence and ground almonds. Mix to a hard paste.
Shape into small diamonds - dust hands and surfaces with icing sugar to stop the mixture sticking. Lay on lined baking sheets and leave to dry out overnight.
Heat the oven to 140° C (fan 120° C / gas mark 1) and cook the biscuits for 25-30 mins - they should be pale and slightly cracked. When cool, dust with icing sugar and serve.

Special Egg and Bacon Brunch

2005-01-17T20:37:00.000Z

A tasty and (slightly) healthier alternative to a cooked breakfast - only the bacon is fried. For an even lower fat version, try the Mediterranean Ham and Eggs variation below. This basic idea is infinitely variable and is great for a more substantial breakfast or a light lunch or supper.

Ingredients

1 English muffin or 1 bagel
2 cheese slices (Jarlsberg is especially good, or try Emmental)
tomato chutney (Betty's in York and Northallerton make a delicious one, otherwise I like Sainsbury's tomato chutney from their "Taste the Difference" range - lovely and tangy)
lardons (chopped pieces of bacon)
eggs

Method

Pre-heat the grill on high.
Split and lightly toast the muffin or bagel.
Spread each half of the muffin or bagel with the tomato chutney and top with a cheese slice. Grill until the cheese melts.
Serve this topped with the bacon (dry-fry the lardons in a non-stick pan - you do not need extra oil) and the eggs, scrambled.

Variation: Mediterranean Ham and Eggs

Sperad a split, toasted bagel or muffin with pesto. Top this with slices of ham, spread with tomato chutney and top with a slice of cheese. Grill until the cheese melts and serve topped with scrambled egg.

Tortine di Mele e Mandorle

2005-01-11T22:14:00.000Z

Individual almond apple pies

This recipe for a delicious hot Italian pud comes from Gino D'Acampo. This serves 6, based on using quite large ramekins. I made twice as many using smaller ramekins (in this case cook them for about 30 minutes). I didn't hesitate at all before scoffing a second one though! I'm planning to try adapting this for peaches and/or apricots - the combination with the almonds would be delicious.

I cleverly forgot to add the butter when making this dessert - this still works perfectly for a lighter pud which goes more crunchy on the top while staying soft in the middle.

Ingredients

1.4kg cooking apples
100g soft brown sugar
200g ground almonds
200g soft salted butter (room temperature)
200g caster sugar
3 fresh eggs
sliced toasted almonds (for decoration)
icing sugar (for decoration)

Method

Preheat the oven to 140° C (fan) / 160° C (conventional)
Cook the apple with the brown sugar on a low heat until soft.
Beat the eggs with the caster sugar, mix in the butter and ground almonds, creating a smooth paste.
Separate the apples into six (or 12 small) ramekins and spread the mixture on top of each of them.
Put some sliced almonds on top and cook for about 50 minutes (30 minutes for smaller ramekins) until golden brown. Once ready, dust on some icing sugar and serve immediately.

Leek and Sweet Potato Soup

2005-01-11T21:25:00.000Z

This recipe from UKTV Food is a variation on the traditional Leek and Potato soup. It's especially good with the kick from the chilli (you can replace the fresh chilli with chilli flakes) - it's not hot, it's just a little extra taste so don't leave it out. A delicious, thick and tasty soup for winter.

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 large leeks, sliced into rounds
2 heaped tsp ground cumin
1 chilli, roughly chopped (or use chilli flakes)
1 litre vegetable stock
4 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into bite-size chunks
400ml canned coconut milk
Salt and pepper

Method

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and fry gently for 2-3 minutes, stirring now and then.
Add the garlic and leek and fry gently for 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Mix in the cumin and fry gently for a further 2-3 minutes.
Add the chilli, then the stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the sweet potato. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes until the sweet potato is soft. Purée the soup in a blender or food processor until smooth.
Gently reheat the soup, stirring in the coconut milk. Season and serve with crusty bread.

Stir-fried Orange and Ginger Chicken

2005-01-11T02:17:00.000Z

Serves 2. An even quicker to prepare variation of my original recipe for Chicken with Orange and Ginger. Serve this with Oriental Vegetable Rice.

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts
plain flour
ground ginger
1 tbsp golden syrup
1 inch piece fresh root ginger, grated
zest of one orange
juice of 2 large oranges

Method

Chop the chicken breasts into small pieces of roughly equal size.
Mix the flour and ground ginger. Cover the chicken pieces in this mix.
Stir-fry the chicken for a few minutes until cooked through.
Add the orange zest, grated ginger, golden syrup and orange juice. Cook for about 1 minute until the sauce is reduced, then serve.

Oriental Vegetable Rice

2005-01-11T02:06:00.000Z

A sort of posh vegetarian special fried rice to accompany oriental dishes. Very easy to make, especially as the vegetables are a cheat and ready-prepared. Serves 2.

Ingredients
4 oz Thai Jasmine Rice
400 g pack Amoy Thai-style Stir-Fry Vegetables, drained and rinsed
3 eggs, beaten
soy sauce
Thai fish sauce
toasted sesame oil

Method

Boil the jasmine rice for 10 mins. When cooked, drain and set aside. Do not rinse the rice - we want the starch to keep the rice sticky.
Meanwhile, use the eggs to make a plain omelette. Allow this to cool slightly and chop into pieces.
Stir-fry the vegetables for 2-3 minutes. Add the rice and omelette pieces and stir-fry for a further minute.
Add a splash each of soy sauce, fish sauce and sesame oil. Mix well and serve.

Mush Cake

2005-01-10T23:56:00.000Z

Not a particularly attractive name, but a fairly accurate description of its main ingredient. This is a use for the mushy pulp left over from using a juicer. Try carrot, orange and ginger.

Ingredients

200 g light muscavado sugar
300 ml sunflower oil
5 eggs
450 g plain flour
1½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp cinnamon
approx 300 g juicer pulp (any large, non-pulped lumps removed)
A splash of juice

Method

Preheat oven to 150° C.
Beat the sugar and oil together, then add the eggs one at a time.
Add the flour, bicarb and cinnamon, then fold in the pulp. Add some of the juice you have made.
Bake:
- in muffin cases for about 20 mins.
- in a loose-bottomed tin for 40-50 mins. Baked this way, this cake may well need emergency cake saving.

Emergency Cake Saver

2005-01-10T21:48:00.000Z

So, the cake is cooked and looks lovely and golden and seems like it might even come out of the tin. You poke a skewer in, just to check, and... ah... not cooked in the middle. It happens, but it may be possible to save it.

Take the cake out of the tin and put it in the microwave for one minute. Test it again and if it isn't cooked, pop it in for another minute. The microwave cooks from the inside out, which is exactly what the cake needs, but could make the cake a little soggy, so pop it back in the oven for a couple of minutes to finish it off.

In the worst case, if it's still a bit soggy, clearly the cake was supposed to be, um, "deliciously moist", or something like that.

Spicy Parsnip Rösti

2005-01-09T23:40:00.000Z

Makes 8. Preparation 25 mins (+ cooling), cooking 40 mins. Serve, for Christmas Dinner, topped with slices of turkey and ham, or substitute the spices with just a sprinkle of cayenne pepper and top with a fried egg for a healthy brunch.

Ingredients

9 oz potatoes, preferably Desirée
9 oz parsnips
¼ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp cumin
pinch ground cumin
1 oz melted butter

Method

Boil the whole, unpeeled potatoes in a large pan of salted water for 10 mins. After 5 mins, add the whole, unpeeled parsnips. Remove from the water and leave until cool enough to handle.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180° C (fan) / 200° C (conventional).
Scrape the skin from the potatoes and parsnips with a sharp knife. Grate thickly in long pieces (a food processor will do this quickly and easily with a grater disk attachment).
Mix the spices with the melted butter and pour onto the grated vegetables. Mix thoroughly with two forks.
Take 8 large spoonfuls and flatten them onto a baking tray with the back of a fork.
Cook for 15-20 mins, flip each rösti carefully and cook for a further 10 mins.

Baked stuffed red onions

2005-01-09T23:27:00.000Z

Ready in 1½ hours, serves 8. A good vegetarian acompaniment for Christmas. The onions are stuffed with a mushroom risotto, using half the mixture for Wild Mushroom and Sundried Tomato Stuffing.

Ingredients

8 medium red onions
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
½ quantity Wild Mushroom and Sundried Tomato Stuffing
25g / 1 oz freshly grated parmesan

Method

Preheat oven to 170° C (fan) / 190° C (conventional).
Peel the onions and cut a good slice off the top of each (if you do not slice off enough you will have difficulty removing the inner layers later).
Place the onions in one layer in a shallow dish and sprinkle over the oil and vinegar then season. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour until tender.
Carefully remove the central layers from eacdh onion. (Reserve the centres and add to your roast potatoes or a mix of roast vegetables towards the end of their cooking time). Fill with the stuffing and sprinkle with the parmesan.
Return to the oven for 15 mins until the cheese is lightly browned.

Wild Mushroom and Sundried Tomato Stuffing

2005-01-09T23:17:00.000Z

Ready in 40 mins, serves 8. For Christmas, use half to stuff the turkey and the other half for baked stuffed red onions or spoon into a shallow ovenproof dish, sprinkle with 25g grated parmesan and bake for the final 30 mins of the turkey's cooking time.

Ingredients

25g pack dried porcini
25g / 1 oz butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
300g / 10 oz arborio (risotto) rice
150ml / ¼ pint glass white wine
425ml / ¾ pint chicken stock
3 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
85 g / 3 oz sundried tomato, chopped
juice of 1 lemon

Method

Pour 300ml / ½ pint boiling water onto the mushrooms and leave for 20 mins to soak. Drain and chop, reserving the soaking liquid.
Heat the butter and oil in a pan, add the onion and fry gently for 5 mins until soft. Add the rice and cook, stirring for 2-3 mins until the grains are lightly toasted.
Add the mushrooms, mushroom soaking liquid, wine and 300ml / ½ pint of stock and bring to the boil.
Cover and cook for 10 mins until the rice is almost tender, adding more stock if it starts to look dry.
Remove from the heat and add pepper and salt, parsley, sundried tomatoes and the lemon juice. Stir lightly, then leave to cool before using.

Cranberry Sauce

2005-01-09T16:45:00.000Z

Ready in 15 mins, serves 8-10. This freezes well, so it can easily be made in advance for Christmas.

Ingredients

200g / 8 oz fresh or frozen cranberries
100g / 4 oz light muscovado sugar
grated zest and juice of 1 small orange
6 tbsp port or red wine

Method

Put the cranberries in a pan with the sugar, orange rind and juice and the port or red wine.
Stir over a gentle heat until the sugar has dissolved, then simmer for 5-8 mins until the cranberries have softened and the sauce is thickened.
Leave to cool, then spoon into a rigid container and store in the fridge for up to a week or freeze for up to 2 months.

Stir-fried sprouts, bacon and chestnuts

2005-01-09T16:27:00.000Z

Ready in 30 mins, serves 8. A great acompaniment for Christmas Dinner, very tasty and quick and easy to do at the last minute while the turkey is resting. If you hate Brussels sprouts, it's probably because you've only tried them in their "traditional" boiled-to-death form. This way you can taste them at their best - just make sure you use very fresh sprouts.

Ingredients

16 rashers smoked, streaky bacon, cut into large chunks (lardons)
250g vacuum pack peeled chestnuts
3 cloves garlic, finely sliced
1 kg Brussel sprouts, thickly sliced
100 ml hot chicken stock
finely grated zest of one lemon
a splash of soy sauce

Method

Gently fry the bacon in a dry wok for 10 mins until crispy and a lot of the fat has been released.
Throw in the chestnuts, then continue to fry until coated in the fat. Add the garlic then cook for 1 min until golden.
Throw in the sprouts, turn up the heat and continue to stir fry for 1 min.
Pour over the stock then cook for 10 mins until the sprouts are just cooked.
Add the lemon zest and soy saucd, cook for 1 min more, then serve immediately.

Simple Salmon Terrine

2005-01-08T13:10:00.000Z

A bit of a cheat's recipe which only needs three ingredients. It can easily be made as one large terrine or as individual portions in small ramekins.

Ingredients

Smoked salmon slices
One packet cooked, flaked salmon
One carton cream cheese (e.g. Philadelphia Light with Chives)

Method

Prepare the container(s): line them with clingfilm with a large overhang to wrap them when complete.
Line with slices of smoked salmon, covering the bottom and sides and again leaving an overhang.
Make the filling: Mash the salmon flakes into the cream cheese and combine well.
Press the salmon/cream cheese mix into the containers.
Fold over the edges of the overhanging smoked salmon slices and cover any gaps with more smoked salmon.
Cover the terrine with the clingfilm and refridgerate for 24 hours. Uncover and turn out onto plates to serve.

Chicken with Orange and Ginger

2005-01-08T13:01:00.000Z

A simple, quick and tasty meal for one.

Ingredients

2 oranges
½ tsp ground ginger
flour and salt
2 chicken thighs
100 ml cider / apple juic + white wine
1 dessertspoon golden syrup
grated root ginger

Method

Reserve the zest from one orange. Cut a couple of thin slices from the orange and reserve for garnish. Juice the oranges.
Mix the flour with the seasoning and ground ginger and use this mixture to coat the chicken.
Brown the chicken all over in a large frying pan.
Add the syrup, the juice and zest of one orange, the cider (or apple juice and white wine) and the fresh grated ginger.
Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 15-20 mins until the chicken is tender. Add the juice of the second orange as necessary if the sauce reduces too quickly.
Serve the chicken with the sauce poured over and garnished with the reserved orange slices.

Mediterranean Chicken

2005-01-08T01:09:00.000Z

Makes a delicious, hearty meal for two. Serve with fine green beans and carrots plus grilled peppers with a warm balsamic dressing (see the recipe for Polenta alla Bolognese). Waste nothing: the bones can be used to make stock!

Ingredients
4 chicken thighs
Flour
Salt and pepper

For the vegetable mix and sauce
Olives
Artichoke hearts in oil (lightly drained)
Green and yellow peppers
A couple of cloves of garlic, finely chopped
Passata
Tomato purée
Balsamic vinegar
Provencale herbs
Mozerella, chopped into small pieces
Freshly grated parmesan

For the topping
Mozerella, chopped into small pieces

Method

Season and flour four chicken thighs and fry on each side until golden, with a little garlic.
Meanwhile prepare the mixture of vegetables: chop olives, artichokes hearts in oil (lightly drained), green and yellow peppers and mix well.
Spread a little of the vegetable mix in the bottom of an oven-proof dish just large enough for the chicken and place the chicken on top.
Make the sauce in the pan used to fry the chicken. Add more garlic, some passata, the vegetable mix, some provencale herbs, a squeeze of tomato purée and a dash of balsamic vinegar and heat through.
Melt into this sauce a little chopped mozerella (reserve more for topping) and some freshly grated parmesan.
Pour the sauce over the chicken and bake at 170° C (fan) - 190° C (conventional) for 15-20 mins.
Top the chicken with some small chunks of mozerella and then return to the oven for a further 2-3 minutes until the mozerella is beginning to melt.
Remove from the oven and allow to rest for a few minutes before serving.

Parmesan Fish Fillets

2005-01-07T21:33:00.000Z

A simple and tasty supper - the parmesan and chilli flakes make all the difference and so it's very moreish! It only takes about 5-10 minutes for quick fresh food (so there's no excuse not to cook!) and it tastes delicious. Serve it with a simple green salad.

Ingredients

Skinned white fish fillets
Flour
1 egg, beaten
freshly grated parmesan
chilli flakes
light olive oil
salt and pepper

Method

Season the flour with the salt and pepper.
Dust the skinned fish fillets with the seasoned flour.
Dip in the beaten egg.
Press into the freshly grated parmesan - cover the fillets well.
Heat a frying pan - make it very hot before adding some light olive oil.
Fry the fillets for a couple of minutes on each side until golden brown.
Throw in some chilli flakes just before you finish cooking.

"Power Bar" fruity, seedy, nutty flapjacks

2005-01-07T20:51:00.000Z

The basic flapjack recipe can be infinitely varied with the addition of your choice of dried fruit, nuts and seeds to make a healthy, energy-boosting snack.

Ingredients

Basic flapjack mix
3 oz margarine
1 tbsp golden syrup
1 tbsp honey
3 oz sugar
5 oz porridge oats

Power bar variants

Replace part of the porridge oats with fruit and nut muesli (crush any large nuts with a pastle and mortar).
dried fruits: try figs, apricots, glacé cherries, raisins, mixed dried fruit packs, banana chips (crushed)...
seeds: try sesame, sunflower, poppy...
nuts: flaked almonds, walnuts, hazels, brazils...
spice it up with ground ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg...

Method

Crush nuts and any larger seeds in a pestle and mortar.
Melt the margarine and syrup in a pan. Mix in the sugar, stirring until it melts.
Mix the dry ingredients together well, then add to the syrup mixture and mix well.
Spread in a greased tin and bake at 160° C for about 10 mins.

Apple flapjacks

2005-01-07T20:41:00.000Z

A variation on traditional flapjacks. The apple filling keeps them lovely and moist in the middle. Serve them warm with ice cream as a dessert or cold as a snack. Delicious crumbled into plain yoghurt.

Ingredients

Flapjack mix (Use twice these amounts - one for each layer of flapjack)
3 oz margarine
2 tbsp golden syrup (or 1 syrup, 1 honey)
3 oz brown sugar
5 oz porridge oats
cinnamon

Filling
Apple compôte (stew apples with sugar to taste until soft)

Method

Make one portion of the flapjack mix: melt the margarine and syrup in a pan, mix in the sugar then, when this has melted, the porridge oats and cinnamon.
Spread in a layer in a prepared tin and top this with a layer of apple compôte.
Make a second batch of flapjack mix and spread this over the compôte, covering it as well as possible and enclosing it at the edges.
Bake at 160° C (fan) / 180° C (conventional) for 10-12 mins.

Spicy Autumn Soup (Pumpkin and Carrot)

2005-01-07T01:10:00.000Z

A warming soup for cold evenings. Make this with the pumpkin flesh when you carve a jack-o-lantern for halloween. Serve with thick slices of warm, crusty ciabatta.

Ingredients

25ml olive oil
800g pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, cut into 1 inch slices
1 tsp curry powder
1 litre vegetable stock
300ml full cream milk
chopped chives and pumpkin seeds to garnish.

Method

Sauté the pumpkin, onion and carrots in a large pan over a low heat for 5 mins.
Add the curry powder and cook for a further minute.
Add the stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 20-25 mins until the vegetables are soft.
Leave to cool for 10 mins then add the cold milk and liquidise.
Serve garnished with chives and pumpkin seeds.

Crunchy ginger and cinnamon cookies

2005-01-06T23:57:00.000Z

My favourite biscuits. I have been known to make double quantities because I can't stop myself eating them as soon as they are cool enough to eat! I love them made with heaps of the spices, but use as much or as little as you like.

Ingredients

3 oz porridge oats
2 oz plain flour
2 oz margarine
2 oz sugar
1 level tbsp golden syrup
½ level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
ground ginger and cinnamon to taste

Method

Preheat the oven to 180° C
Melt the margarine with the sugar and syrup in a large pan.
Mix the dry ingredients together. Add to the pan and mix well.
Make walnut-sized balls of the mixture and place them, well apart, on well-greased baking sheets.
Bake at 180° C for 10-15 mins.
Leet the cookies cool slightly on the baking sheet before removing them to a wire rack.

Aubergine Steaks with Ginger and Chilli crust

2005-01-06T23:40:00.000Z

A healthy and light vegetarian meal. Very simple to prepare (it only involves grilling, mixing, spreading and grilling some more) it looks as delicious as it tastes. Serve with a simple tomato sauce: fry some garlic in olive oil, put some passata (seived tomatoes) in the pan with this and add some Italian herbs - just heat this through and serve.

Ingredients

2 large aubergines
150ml olive oil

for the buttered crust:
4 oz white breadcrumbs
2 fresh red chillis, deseeded and finely chopped
1 inch piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
grated zest of one lime
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
85g / 3 oz melted butter
salt and pepper

Method

Preheat the grill to its highest setting.
Trim the stalks from the aubergines and cut each in half lengthways, then in half again to make 4 thick slices. Brush each slice liberally with olive oil and grill on both sides until golden brown.
Mix all the crust ingredients together and season. Spread the mixture evenly over the aubergine steaks and continue to grill until browned. Serve immediately.

Lemon cream meringues

2005-01-06T16:35:00.000Z

A simple and delicious recipe. You only need very few ingredients and it only takes a couple of minutes to prepare.

Ingredients

Double cream
Icing sugar
Juice and zest of a lemon
Limoncello liqueur (optional)
Meringue nests

Method

Whisk the double cream, then whisk in the icing sugar.
Add the lemon zest (reserving some for decoration) and limoncello (if using).
Whisk continually while adding lemon juice. This will thicken the cream.
Top the meringue nests with the lemon cream and serve decorated with the reserved lemon zest.

Polenta alla Bolognese with warm sweet pepper salad and balsamic dressing

2005-01-06T16:23:00.000Z

A quick and tasty Italian-inspired supper. Ready-prepared polenta can be found in packs in major supermarkets, and you can of course replace the simple bolognese-style sauce here with a store-bought one if you wish, making this even quicker and easier to make.

Ingredients:

for the polenta and sauce
One pack of ready-prepared polenta
onion
lean beef mince
passata
tomato purée
oregano

for the sweet pepper salad
green and yellow sweet peppers
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
garlic
chilli powder

Method

Finely chop the onion and fry in olive oil. Add the mince and brown it.
Add the passata and a little tomato purée.
Season and add oregano. Leave to cook while preparing the polenta.
Slice the polenta and cook in a griddle pan for a few minutes on each side.
For the balsamic dressing: fry crushed garlic in olive oil. Into this mix the balsamic vinegar and a little chilli powder.
Cook slices of green and yellow pepper in the griddle pan until 'char-grilled'.
Serve the polenta covered with bolognaise and sprinkled with grated parmesan. Serve the peppers alongside topped with the warm balsamic dressing.