LEMON AND GARLIC SUPREME

Preheat your oven to 200deg C
Using a small saucepan place 1 lemon roughly cut with 1 tsp of brown sugar and bring to the boil .
Keep boiling until dark brown( about 3 minutes )
Place 1 chicken breast ( bone in ) on a lined baking tray .
Drizzle over the lemon mixture through a strainer over chicken and bake for 20 minutes or till cooked through .
While chicken is baking , mix 2 tbs of minced garlic with the juice of 1 lemon , season with sumac .
Just before serving pour lemon and garlic sauce over the breast.
Serve with a cauliflower mash and a crimson salad .  

SIMPLE GARLIC PRAWNS

You need 6 baked beetroots , peeled and thickly sliced into rounds .
Heat about 5 tbs of rice bran oil in a pan over a medium heat .
Stir through 2 tbs of minced garlic
Add 500 gm of shelled and cleaned green prawns .
Move the prawns around the pan until they change colour .
Add a handful of chopped fresh parsley and 250ml of sour cream , the grated zest of 1 small lemon .
Arrange rocket leaves on serving plates .
Drizzle beetroot rounds with 2 tbs of truffle oil then place on serving plates .
Top beetroot slices with prawns .

FRESH APRICOTS AND PEACHES IN LAVENDER HONEY

Fresh apricots and peaches in lavender honey .
Place 1/4 cup of lavender honey in a pan
Over a low heat bring to the boil .
Add 6 fresh apricots stoned and halved
2 fresh peaches stoned and halved
Reduce the heat and simmer for 3 minutes
Place on a serving plate .
Top with yoghurt and a dressing of almond flakes

 

COTTAGE CHEESE AND FIGS WITH HONEY

Cottage cheese and figs with honey ......
Stuff 6 fresh figs that have been partially quartered with base still intact , with a dob of cottage cheese or smooth ricotta .
Then sprinkle with crushed pistachios and drizzle with honey
I used bush honey ( not too sweet )

 

CRIMSON SALAD

Remove the skin and cut 3 baked beetroots into 4cm cubes .
Cut 150gm of fetta into 2cm cubes .
Place fetta cubes over the cubed beetroot.
Arrange radicchio leaves around the beetroot and fetta .
Mix together 2 tbs of extra virgin olive oil with 1 dsp of minced garlic and 1 tbs of balsamic vinegar .
Drizzle over salad and dress with pomegranate seeds .

CHOCOLATE CHICKEN

Preheat your oven to 180 deg C.
Marinate 6 chicken thighs in 500ml of Prosecco overnight in a bowl in the refrigerator .
Use your mortar and pestle to grind 3 tsp of fennel seeds together with 2 whole cloves .
Add 30 gm of grated dark chocolate and set aside .
Peel and chop 2 onions and soften over a medium heat in a pan with a little oil .
Add the chicken thighs and fry lightly , until golden .
Go back to the bowl with the chocolate and spice mix and add 1 tbs of raw sugar ,freshly chopped chilli ( as much as you are comfortable with ).....mix this altogether with 4 tbs of white wine vinegar and add this to the pan with the chicken and onions .
 Place the combined ingredients into an ovenproof serving dish ,cover with a lid and let it simmer away for 40 minutes in your preheated oven .
You can add a good splash of Prosecco if it dries a little through cooking .
I will be serving this dish with wild rice , artichoke hearts and green beans .....
Enjoy !!

TANDOORI CHICKEN

You can use any joint of chicken you prefer ...but make sure whatever joint you use has the skin intact .
You will need 500gm of chicken pieces
Before you do anything ....preheat your oven  to 220 deg C
Line a baking tray with cooking spray and  baking paper
Using your washed fingers , loosen the skin from one side of the joint .( I said loosen not remove ).
In a separate  bowl  combine the juice of 1 lemon , 350 gm of Greek yoghurt with 1 tsp of ground chilli , 1 tbs of minced garlic , minced ginger , 1 dsp of ground coriander , cardamom , cinnamon fennel , 1 tbs of turmeric, 2 tbs of the zest of 1  preserved lemon ......mix thoroughly .
Now using your fingers gently coat  the flesh of the chicken   under the skin ...
Season with sumac , cracked pepper and a little salt  .

Bake in your preheated oven for 35  minutes .

PICKLED RHUBARB

I'm very fortunate to have rhubarb growing in my garden , so I have it on hand throughout the year ....
Rhubarb is at home in a sweet dish and just as welcome in a savoury dish .......or just as a crunchy snack straight from the pickling brine .

I use 10 stalks of rhubarb, washed , trimmed and sliced .
Now all you need is to prepare your brine .......1tbs of mustard seeds , 12 whole cloves , 1 dsp of whole peppercorns , 2 cups of apple cider vinegar,  1x  250ml cup of raw sugar , 1 tsp of sea salt .
Place these into a small saucepan and stir over a low heat until the sugar is dissolved , it won't take long and the brine will only be warm...
Remove from heat .
Place the sliced /chopped rhubarb into a jar that has a lid , now pour in the warm brine .
Cover with a lid and leave in the refrigerator for 10 days .....
This is rhubarb is  great as a snack , as an additive to soups or slow cooked meals .......add it to salads and drizzle with  a little of the brine .
Maybe another time I will tell you how to prepare silverside with the brine and rhubarb .

CITRUS DELIGHT WORSHOP FOR YINNAR COMMUNITY GARDEN AT YINNAR ARC.

On Sunday I had a fabulous afternoon presenting the citrus delight worshop for Yinnar Community Garden .
Our discussions crossed a wide variety of topics all based around food ......
Laufa Oakley, my assistant got people up to the table to prepare a 'one bowl brownie '.
While it was cooking we discussed the merits of fermentation and tasted my 'yummy ' rhubarb pickle.
Another group put together a cheeky salad featuring the pickled rhubarb and thinly sliced lemon with a green leaf mix , sliced onions and cherry tomatoes and drizzled with the rhubarb pickle brine  .
Sal and his wife joined me at the prep table to prepare ricotta, minced garlic and preserved lemon filling for the chicken Maryland 's and finished off with a sprinkling of sumac ( Middle Eastern savoury spice featuring lemon flavours ).
By now the brownie was done and a lemon glaze was prepared and spread over the brownie .
Earlier I had prepared a non bake lemon flan .
Our host for the workshop was Cathryn Thompson, who also bought along jars of her fabulous 3 fruit marmalade and cumquat marmalade .....they were seriously good !
Than you for the invite .
Requested recipes will be sent out to you all .
Noelene Marchwicki .

ROCKY ROAD FUDGE

Grease and line a 20cm square pan with baking paper .
Place 200gm of chopped dark chocolate in a heavy based saucepan with 1x 395 gm can of sweetened condensed milk.
Stir over medium heat until combined , take off heat and cool .
carefully fold through 210 gm of roasted nuts and 120 gm of mini marshmallows .
Pour into prepared pan .
Refrigerate for 2-4 hours or until firm .
Cut into squares and serve .....

JELLY SLICE

Grease and line a lamington pan /or until set . tray ( 20 -36 cm ) with baking paper .
Combine 185gm of melted butter /marg with 250gm of crushed marie biscuits
Press firmly into the prepared tray .
Refrigerate .
Dissolve 1 dsp of gelatine in 125 ml of boiling water . Set aside .
Add 1 x can of sweetened condensed milk ( 395 gm ) to a medium bowl with 2 tbs of lemon juice and now stir in the gelatine mix , beat until well combined .
Pour this over the biscuit base and refrigerate for 1 hour or until set .
Now make up a packet of jelly with an extra dsp of gelatine
Cool mixture and then refrigerate for 1 hour or until set .
Now cut into slices with a warm knife .

BEST LASAGNE IN 3 STEPS

STEP 1
RAGU SAUCE FOR THE LASAGNE
In a large saucepan add some rice bran oil ( not too much because the meat will release fat. )
Cut up 2 medium sized onions ( finely diced ), and fry over a low heat .
When the onions are nearly done add 1 tbs of minced garlic.
Add a drop of water if necessary to stop the onions burning .
Add 1.5 kg of mincemeat , a little at a time and stir till meat is browned .
ADD 120gm of button mushrooms ( diced ) stir with the mincemeat until beginning to cook.
Now add 2 chopped sticks of celery with celery leaves , 1 medium carrot ( chopped ), 6 tins of Italian diced tomatoes ,    1tin of tomato purée ( 170 gm ).
Add salt and pepper to taste .
Bring the ragu to the boil and then simmer for 1 and 1/2 hours minimum .
 Add 1 glass of red wine during the cooking to stop it from becoming too dry , and stir occasionally to stop it from sticking to the bottom of the pot .
Stir through fresh chopped basil right at the end of cooking .
STEP 2
PASTA
Place 750gm of strong white plain flour on your kitchen table a well in the centre, add 4 large eggs ( lightly beaten ) and 60 ml of water .
Start mixing from inside the well if you don’t want to the water .
Knead for 20 minutes minimum
Sprinkle some flour if the mix is too wet or a sprinkle of water if it is too dry .
The end dough should not be sticking to your hands or have any air bubbles in it .
You can test this by tutting the mix in half with a knife , any air bubbles will show .
Continue to work the mix until the bubbles disappear .
Then cut the dough into 3 or 4 portions, wrap all but one in cling film to keep moist .
Then start to stretch your pasta ...... this can be done with a pasta machine ,a rolling pin or wine bottle
Then cut up strips of pasta to a managble length and then lay them on the back of a chair or a portable air dryer to dry or until you are ready to cook them .
Alternatively you can use pre cooked dried lasagne sheets...
STEP 3
BESCIAMELLA SAUCE .
Place 60 gm of butter in a small saucepan , heat gently until it melts add 2 tbs of plain flour nd stir until the mixture is crumbly , add 480 ml of milk  stirring until  the mixture is smooth seaso with salt , pepper and nutmeg .
Slowly bring to the boil and stir until the sauce thickens .
When you are happy with the besciamella sauce pour it over our prepared layers of lasagne sheets and ragu sauce .
Place the completed dish in a well preheated oven 180 deg C or 45 minutes