THE POTATO QUESTION (4)

With the humble potato you can prepare ..Scalloped potatoes. This is a tasy dish , where the poatatoes are sliced thinly, layered in a dish with butter , salt , cracked black pepper , covered with cream , flavoured with nutmeg and topped with gruyere cheese . Prehaet your oven to 160 deg C . Scalloped potatoes are a variation of the French dish Gratin Dauphinois . Peel 1 kg of floury 'old' potatoes , thinly slice into rounds and dry thoroughly . Spray a shallow ovenproof dish with cooking oil and smear 1 tbs of minced garlic mixed with 30 gm of butter/ marg around the base of the dish . Carefully arrange the potato slices in overlapping layers in the dish, seasoning each layer with salt and cracked pepper . Bring 1 cup of milk to the boil and add 1/2 tsp of ground nutmeg . Grate 100gm of gruyere cheese and spread over the top of the potatoes . Carefully pour the milk over the potatoes and add 60 gm of butter / marg cut in small pieces on top . Bake in a moderate oven for 45 minutes or until tender and golden .

LEMONS

Thank you to everyone who has dropped off lemons for me at the front door of The Manor I have spent a lot of time over the previous 4 days grating lemon rinds and juicing lemons . The rind and juice are stored separately in ice cube trays , frozen in the freezer and once solid placed in freezer bags and stored in the freezer to be used as required . 1 x plastic cube holds the juice of 1 lemon , the ratio is the same for the grated rind ( remove the rind with a paring knife trying not to get too much pith and then finely chop in the processor .) I now have 2 drawers in the freezer , full of bags of lemon cubes and cubes of chopped rind.

THE POTATO QUESTION (3)

The humble potato makes the best chips.....use a floury potato such as a Desiree or Dutch Cream . Peel and slice 4 large potatoes into even sized chips . Preheat vegetable oil in a deep fryer to 180 deg C with enough oil to fill 1/4 of the fryer bowl . Fry the chips for about 10 minutes , until they are softened but not coloured . Now remove the chips from the oil , drain on kitchen paper and set aside for 10 minutes . Make sure the oil is still at 180 deg C and return the partially cooked chips to the oil and cook till golden brown and crispy . Drain and season with salt and lemon wedges or a squeezing over the top . You can make a healthy version of the 'best ever chips 'by cutting large potatoes into wedges , brushing them with oil and bake in your air fryer or in a preheated oven 200deg C.

THE POTATO QUESTION (2)

The humble potato makes the perfect roast potato , the best potatoes to use for roasted potatoes are a floury potatoe ,eg Desiree or Dutch Cream . Preheat your oven to 200 deg C. Peel and quarter the potatoes and cook in a large saucepan of salted boiling water over a medium heat , covered for 5 minutes . The potatoes will still be firm but remove from heat , drain and return the potatoes to the warm saucepan . Cover the saucepan with a lid and vigoursly shake the pot so that the surface of the potatoes are slightly roughened to help give them a crisper texture . Now place a roasting pan in the preheated oven and melt 6 tbs of duck fat or good old fashioned dripping . Once the fat / dripping has melted remove the roasting pan from the oven and carefully place the potatoes in the fat / dripping and baste them to make sure they are all coated . roast the potatoes for 45 minutes or until browned all over and crisp. Turn the potatoes and baste only once during the roasting process, so you don't destroy the crunchy edges . Use a slotted spoon to transfer the potatoes to a warmed serving plate and season with a little salt .. Delicious .!!

THE POTATO QUESTION (1)

The humble potato......how to make the perfect mash ? Peel 1 kg of floury potatoes such as Dutch Cream or Desiree. Cut the peeled potatoes into chunks and place them in a saucepan of salted boiling water over a medium heat , covered for for 25 minutes untl they are tender . Test with a skewer to make sure you test right to the middle to avoid lumps . Remove the saucepan from the heat and drain the potatoes . Return the potatoes to the hot saucepan and mash with a potatoe masher until smooth . Add 5 tbs of butter/marg and continue to mash until it is all mixed in. NOW here is the secret ......add 5 tbs of hot milk , potatoes absorb hot milk quickly , producing a creamier mash. See simple !!!

LEMON MERINGUE PIE

Preheat your oven to 180 deg C To make the pastryplace 150 gm of plain flour into a bowl ,rub in 85 gm of butter/ marg wit your fingers until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs . Now add 35 gm of icing sugar , 1/2 beaten egg yolk ,the finely grated rind of 1/2 lemon and 1 and 1/2 tbs of milk . Turn the dough out to a lightly floured work surface and knad until smooth , roll into a ball and let rest for 30 minutes. Grease a 8'/ 20cm loose bottom flan pan . Roll out your pastry to a thickness 1/4"/5 mm and line the base and sides of your flan pan . Prick the pastry all over with a fork and line with baking paper and fill with dried rice or baking beans . Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the paper and baking beans /rice. Set aside. To make the filling , mix 3 tbs of cornflour with 1 tbs of water . Put 300ml of water in a saucepan and stir in juice and rind of 2 lemons along with the cornflour paste . Bring this to the boil , stirring constantly . Then remove from heat and stir in 90gm of castor sugar and add 2 lightly beaten egg yolks , now pour the filling into the pastry case . Finally whisk the 2 egg whites in a clean dry bowl until stiff and gradually add in 85 gm of castor sugar in small increments making sure sugar is dissolved between additions . Spread the egg white mixture over the pie and bake for 40 minutes . Remove from the oven , cool and serve .

OSSO BUCO ALLA MILANESE

Milanese style osso bucco . Ossobuco , it can be the marrow bone , the knickle or shin of veal cut in steaks across the bone, sauteed on the bone and then simmered with garlic , onions and tomatoes, sprinkled with a mixture of chopped parsley , garlic and grated lemon zest and served with risotto rice .....risotto alla Milanese . The description above is all you need to prepare this time honoured dish , but if you prefer here is the recipe . You need to visit your butcher and ask for 4 slices of veal shank about 4 cm /1 and 1/2 inches thick . Wash the veal slices and pat dry with kitchen paper . Rub them all over with a mix of flour and course pepper , shaking off the excess . Melt 4 tbs of butter / marg in a large pan and brown the slices on both sides . Deglaze the pan with 125 ml of dry white wine , allow to reduce a little and then add 400gm can of diced tomatoes . Now add the sauce and bone in steaks to the bowl of your slow cooker and cook on a low heat for 90 minutes , turning the slices over in the sauce as they cook . Once the meat begins to separate from the bone , it is ready . Mix together 1 tbs of minced garlic with 2 tbs of finely chopped parsley and 1 tbs of grated lemon rind. Serve with short grain / risotto rice . Simply the best .

GRILLED CHEESE SANGA ‘

I placed 2 slices of pastrami on a slice of wholemeal bread and then topped with 2 slices of Gouda cheese followed with 2 slices of Manuka ham , then I topped with another slice of bread , pressing down hard on the sandwich . Now you need to make a sauce ....melt 2 tbs of butter /marg in a small saucepan and stir in 1 tsp of rice bran oil and 1 dsp of plain flour, stirring until well combined and smooth . Remove from the heat and slowly stir in 125 ml of milk , now slowly heat while stirring until the sauce is thickened and smooth . Stir in 1/4 cup of grated cheese and pepper to taste , then set aside . Preheat your grill . Beat 1 egg in a shallow dish and place your sandwich in the egg mix and press down on both sides . Cook both sides of your 'sanga in a pan with a little oil until golden . Transfer your 'sanga' to a foil lined tray and pour over the cheese sauce . Cook under the prehated grill until the sauce is golden and brown ... This is my lockdown survival dish ...

CAULIFLOWER CHEESE

Using a mix of both cauliflower and broccoli will give you a more colouful dish. You can also use some sliced and softened onions along with bacon pieces . Preheat your oven to 200 deg C Cook 700gm of cauliflower florets or a combination of cauliflower and broccoli florets in salted boiling water for 5 minutes . Drain and place in an ovenproof dish that has been warmed . Melt 40 gm of butter / marg in a saucepan over a low heat and add 40 gm of plain flour , cook for 1 minute , stirring continuously. Remove the pot from the heat and gradually stir in 450 ml of milk until you have a smooth consistency . Now return to a low heat and stir till the sauce thickens , stirring constantly till the sauce is creamy and smooth . Remove from heat and stir in 120 gm of finely grated cheddar cheese and 1 tsp of ground nutmeg . Taste and season with salt and pepper . Pour the hot sauce over the cauliflower , top with grated parmesan and place in the hot oven until golden tinged with brown . Serve immediately .

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Preheat your oven to 180 deg C . Using a large bowl mix together 125gm of margarine / butter with 175 gm of plain flour , 1 tsp of baking powder , 85 gm of muscovado sugar , 5 tbs of castor sugar , 1 tsp of vanilla extract , 1 lightly beaten egg , beat until well combined and then stir through 125 gm of dark chocolate chips . Grease and line an oven tray and place tbs of the mixture on the tray spacing them well apart to allow for spreading during the cooking process . You only need to bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown . Using a palette knife or flat spatula , transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before serving . Keep in an airtight container .

ITALIAN STYLE CHEESECAKE

Preheat your oven to 180 deg C Soak 4 tbs of sultanas in 4 tbs of cream apera . Grease an ovenproof tray and set aside . Place 350 gm of ricotta cheese in the bowl of your mixer along with 3 lightly beaten egg yolks, the grated rind of 1 small lemon and 100gm of castor sugar . Now beat until blended and the sugar dissolves . Add 55gms of ground almonds and stir through the cream apera and sultanas until the batter is well mixed and smooth . Pour the batter into the prepared tray and smooth the surface. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 and 1/4 hours or until the cheesecake is set and pulling away from the sides of the tray . Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake inside for 3 hours with the door ajar . When the cake is cool carefully remove it from the pan to a serving plate . Dust with icing sugar to serve .

BADAMI GOSHT (ba-DAH-mee gosht )

This is my adaption of an Indian recipe ....a fragrant and spicy meat cooked with crushed almonds . Using a medium saucepan or pan , heat 5 tbs of ghee over a medium heat . Add 2 cinnamon sticks (1 dsp of ground cinnamon )6 cloves ( 1 dsp of ground cloves ) 6 cardamon pods ( 1 tsp of cardamon seeds ) ... and cook for 2 minutes . Add 1 large onion / 2 small onions.. that has been peeled and sliced , cook for 5 minutes till onions softens . Add 1 tbs of minced garlic along with 1 tbs of minced ginger . Cook continuing to to stir until the onions are golden . Add 1 kg of diced beef , lamb or pork , a few at a time and stir until browned . Place 1 and 1/4 cup of natural yoghurt into a small bowl and mix in 1/2 dsp of chilli powder with a few strands of saffron or 1 dsp of saffron powder ...mix well . Add the yoghurt mixture and stir through the meat . Mix 1/2 cup of ground almond to a small bowl and a little water , just enough to make a paste . Stir in the almond paste along with 1 tsp of salt . Now turn the mixture into a greased slow cooker bowl and finally stir through 1 can of coconut cream ( 400ml ),stir through and cook on low for 4.5 hours . To make this my version of the dish I added 3/4 cups of short rice and stirred through with 1 cup of white wine and 1 cup of chopped capsicums . Once the rice absorbed the excess liquid ,I turned off the heat and removed the cooked dish to an oven proof dish and lightly drizzled a thin stream of honey over. To serve ... reheat and serve with an oil dressed salad .

PASTA PIZZA BAKE

Preheat your oven to 160 deg C . I boiled spiral pasta in salted water . I sprayed an ovenproof tray and lined it with thin slices of pumpkin and added 3 sliced celery stalks . Sprinkled over sumac to flavour . Then spread a generous layer of the cooked and drained pasta over the base , spraying this layer with cooking oil . I then spread a blended mixture of spinach , ricotta and shredded mozarella over the pasta. Finally layering the remaining cooked and drained pasta on top and spraying the pasta with cooking oil and a sprinkle of sumac. The finishing touch to the pasta pizza bake was the pepperoni rounds placed verically through the pasta and topped with grated mozarella . Place in preheated oven for 35 minutes and pepperoni starts to crispen .

SPINACH AND RICOTTA DUMPLINGS ( GNOCCHI )

Place 200gm of spinach leaves , 1 dsp of finely chopped parsley ,1 dsp of minced garlic, 140 gm of ricotta , 85gm of plain flour ,2 lightly beaten eggs , 100gm of grated parmesan cheese and a tsp of ground nutmeg into a large bowl . Use a fork to stir very thoroughly , season with course pepper .Then place the mixture into your processor . Now wet your hands and form the mixture into walnut size balls . Place dumplings on a large plate and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes or longer . To cook place the dumplings in a pot of boiling water , about 8 at a time . the dumplings will sink to the bottom of the pot and will rise to the top when nearly done , once risen allow an extra minute to finish cooking . Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a warmed plate and place in a warm oven while you cook the rest . Serve the gnocchi spooned over with your favouite pasatta or drizzled with olive oil and a scatter of parmesan cheese .

THE EASIEST APPLE STRUDEL

Preheat your oven to 200 deg C. Lay 6 sheets of filo pastry under a damp tea towel , sprinkling with fine polenta between each sheet. I used 2x 415gm cans of pie apple and mixed these with 1/2 cup of sultanas ,1/2 tsp of ground cloves , 1/2tsp of mixed spice . Spread the layered sheets of pastry with the apple mixture down the centre of the pastry within 3cm of the ends Roll one long end of pastry over the filling and rollas for a sponge roll . Place the roll on a greased and lined baking tray . Mix 1 tbs of melted butter/marg with 1 tsp of icing sugar . Brush around the end edges of the pastry , fold in short ends over filling, brush remaining butter over the top of the roll. Use a sharp knife to pierce the strudel surface . Bake for 25 minutes or until pastry is lightly golden and cooked through . Serve warm with thickened cream .

QUICK AND EASY APPLE CRUMBLE

Preheat your oven to 180 deg C . Place the contents of 1 x 415 gm can of apple in an ovenproof dish . In a medium bowl mix together 1 cup of plain flour with 1 tsp of baking powder and 1/2 cup of rolled oats . Melt 100gm of butter / marg and mix through the flour mixture until it looks like breadcrumbs and sprinkle over the apple . In a separate bowl mix together 1/2 cup of soft brown sugar with 1 tbs of cornflour. Sprinkle sugar mix over the flour and butter/marg mix . Pour 1/4 cup of boiling water over the back of a spoon onto the pudding . Bake in your preheated oven for 25 minutes or until crusty on top , serve with custard or whipped cream .

SOUR CREAM AND GRAPE STRUDEL CAKE .

Preheat your oven to 180 deg C Combine 1 tbs of plain flour in a small bowl with 1/3 rd cup of brown sugar , 1 tsp of ground cinnamon and rub in 30 gm of butter/ marg , until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs . Set this bowl aside . In the bowl of your mixer mix together 125 gm of butter / marg with 1/2 cup of castor sugar and 1 tsp of vanilla extract . Beat these together until they are pale in colour and creamy in consistency . In a separate bowl mix together 1 and 1/2 cups of plain flour , 1 dsp of baking powder, 1 tsp of bi carb of soda and 1/2 tsp of salt . Beat the flour mix into the sugar mix and then mix in 2 lightly beaten eggs into the batter. Now finally beat in 1 cup of sour cream. Spoon into a greased and baking paper lined 20 cm pan . Toss 1 cup of juicy white grapes through some plain flour and add the grapes to the brown sugar and flour mix , once mixed , swirl through the cake batter . Bake in the preheated oven for 55 minutes . Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before turning out . Serve with whipped cream .

TROPICAL CLAFOUTI

Preheat your oven 180 deg C . Place 250 gm of cream cheese in the bowl of your food processor along with 3 beaten eggs , 1/2 cup of castor sugar , 1/2 cup of custard powder ,432 gm can of crushed pineapple , the grated rind of 1 small lemon . Process and blend until well combined . Now stir through 1/4cup of passionfruit pulp. Pour into a 20cm quiche dish , sprinkle over 1/4 cup of desicatted coconut . Bake in your preheated oven for 35 minutes until set .

FIRST COOKING CLASS BACK

When the cooking class meet last Tuesday , I went back to basics using puff pastry and prepared mini quiches , sweet and savoury .

TAMARI FLAVOURED ALMOND

I was fortunate to be offered 5 kilos of whole almonds flavoured with tamari . I bought these home and processed them to a meal , these will be shared between cooking class participants .... just imagine the taste the almond tamari coating will give all forms of protein .Thank you ... Sharyn and Rebecca .

COOKING CLASSES ARE BACK AT THE CHURCHILL NEIGHBOURHOOD CENTRE

Cooking classes are back at Churchill Neighbourhood Centre , but in a different form . Due to distancing requirements , we have moved out of the kitchen and in to a spare room where tables and chairs are positioned to accomodate distancing . I now hold a masterclass and welcome all questions , I prepare a main meal and a dessert , with a tasting at the end of the session along with recipes to take home . It is not perfect but it is a way of sharing our love of food in difficult Covid times. I want to thank everyone for your support and demand to continue the cooking class. Tuesday 24 th August I will be preparing Bodhi Gosht , this is a very aromatic slow cooked meal .The dessert will be colonial cream . Want to join our foodie group .. Phone 51203850...

PASTA DAY IN THE MANOR

I loved today ..making pasta , I don't do it enough . The pasta .....250 gm of mid strength flour (00 plain flour ) combined with a pinch of salt in a large bowl . Make a well in the centre . In a separate bowl mix together 2 eggs and 3 egg yolks with a fork , and add this egg mixture to the flour well using a fork , gradually incorporating the flour in from the sides. Now using your hands knead to form a dough . knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic , cover with cling film and place in the refrigerator for 2.5 hours to rest . Cut the dough into 4 pieces and using a pasta machine shape as desired . If I was serving you , this pasta would be served with fresh pesto . For me pesto has to be made with basil leaves , minced garlic , pine nuts and parmesan cheese , pureed. When the pesto starts to thicken add a drizzle of olive oil a little at the timer , the finshed sauce should be the consistency of creamed butter . Do not complicate pasta , simple is always best ...

ORANGE AND ALMOND CAKE

Preheat your oven 180 deg C Mix together the juice of 3 oranges with the grated rind of 1 orange . Then add 60 gm of fine breadcrumb along with 125gm of almond meal and if you have it on hand 1 tbs of orange flower water ( optional ). Now beat 4 egg yolks together with 125 gm of castor sugar and 1/2 tsp of salt until almost white . Add the orange and almond mixture . Using your electric hand beater ...beat the 4 egg whites still a thick consistancy and add these to the cake batter . Pour into a well greased square pan and lightly sprinkled with fine polenta . Bake for about 40 minutes or until golden on top . Leave in the pan to cool then turn out and cover the top with whipped cream . This is a really light cake . Recipe ..my cooking inspiration Elizabeth David

POTATO CAKES WITH MEAT FILLING

I steamed ! kg of poatatoes drained , peeled and mashed to a smooth puree. Then cooled the mash and then added 1 beaten egg and 1/4 cup of plain flour . Season with salt and pepper, set aside . I made the meat filling with frying off 1 peeled and finely chopped onion until softened, then I stirred through 1 tbs of minced garlic and 250 gm of minced lamb . Stirring continually until the mixture is crumbly and the meat begins to brown . Stir in 1 tsp of mixed spices , 1/2 cup of peeled and chopped fresh tomatoes along with 1 tbs of chopped parsley . Season lightly with salt . Simmer over a low heat for 15 minutes , the mixture should be on the dry side . Ok to make the potato cakes , first moisten your hands to prevent the potato sticking . take about a tablespoon of mashed potato and flatten it in the palm of your hand. Put teaspoon of the meat filling in the centre and close the potato around the filling . Roll into a ball and place on a tray . Roll the balls in some extra flour and flatten them slightly to make thick cakes . Pour enough rice bran oil into a frypan to a depth of 1/4 inch , heat over a medium heat and fry the potato cakes until golden brown on each side about 3 minutes . Drain on paper towels and serve hot piled on a serving plate .

YOGHURT CAKE

Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Grease and flour a bundt pan / ring cake pan . Lightly beat 5 egg yolks in a small bowl .(Eggs at room temperature .) Set the egg whites aside . Using your electric mixyure cream together 185 gm of butter/ marg , the grated zest of1 lemon and 230 gm of castor sugar until fluffy . Add the egg yolks and 250 gm of plain Greek yoghurt in small amounts, beating well after each addition . Using an electric hand held beater , beat the egg whites in a separate bowl until stiff. In a medium bowl mix together 335gm of plain flour with 1 dsp of baking powder , a pinch of salt and 1/2 tsp of bi carbonate of soda . Now fold the dry ingredients into the creamed butter mixture , following with the stiffened egg whites . Spoon the cake batter into the prepared bundt / ring pan . Bake in the well preheated oven for 55 minutes or until when a skewer inserted comes out clean . While the cake is cooking , make the syrup . Combine 220gm of castor sugar with 3/4 cup of cold water in a small saucepan over a medium heat , stirring till the sugar is dissolved . Bring the syrup to the boil then add a thin slice of lemon rind and 1 tbs of lemon juice . Bring the syrup back to the boil without stirring for 10 minutes . Remove the lemon rind and allow the syrup to cool in th saucepan . Remove the cooked cake from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan , then turn out to a srving dish . Spoon the cold syrup over the cake , letting it seep slowly into the cake . Can be served cooled or warm , sliced thickly and served with whipped cream .

EGGS WITH BACON , SPAGHETTI AND CHEESE

This is simply deliciuos . I prepred this for tea last night . Preheat your oven 160 deg C. Mix together 1 can (420gm)of spaghetti , 150 gm of bacon pieces , 100gm of shredded tasty cheese , season with a little paprika and cracked black pepper . Place this mixture into a serving bowl and using the back of a soup spoon make 2 indentations on the top of the mixture and crack 2 eggs into the indentations . Bake in the preheated oven until the eggs are cooked to your liking and the mixture bubbling and golden . Just the meal for a Friday night in The manor .

ROYAL CURD TART

I used a premade short pastry flan . 23cm (9"). Preheat your oven to 180 deg C . Prick the base of your flan and blind bake the flan for 15 minutes . To prepare the filling place 250 gm of cream cheese (room temp) in a bowl and blend in 1/2 cup of ground almonds ( almond meal ) , 1/4 cup of castor sugar and 2 lightly beaten egg yolks . Now add the grated rind and juice of 1 lemon , 1/3 rd cup of sultanas and 2/3rds of a cup of cream , mix well . Beat the 2 egg whites in a separate clean dry bowl until stiff and fold through the mixture. Now pour this batter into the flan case and bake in the well preheated oven for 20 minutes and then reduce the oven temp to 160 deg C and bake for 30 minutes or till firm and golden . Serve warm or chilled with icing sugar dusted over .

ENCHILADAS AND SALAMI CHIPS

Just buy a packet of wholemeal wraps . Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Spread them with tomato paste and a sprinkle of chilli . Then rolled with a filling of chicken shred (or any cooked meat ), grated cheese and a little more chilli sauce . Place in a well greased ovenproof dish and top with grated cheese and finely chopped mixed herbs . Now place thinly sliced salami rounds over the rolled enchiladas . Bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until the salami chips are crisp and crinkled and the cheese coated enchiladas are golden . I served these with mashed potato bubble and squeak .

PIE DAY AT THE MANOR

I had a delightful day making Chicken and Pasta pies as well as Chicken and Mushroom pies today in The Manor kitchen .

NUTMEG CAKE (2)

I followed the hand written recipe I found in a very old cookbook , making no change to the directions . The flavour of the cake was spot on , but the crust was too severe which I believe was caused by the excessive cooking time and oven temperature recommended . I also questioned using half of the dried ingredients as a base for the cake. So I will remake the cake using the same ingredients but my preparation will be a little different along with a shorter cooking time and lower temperature . ORIGINAL RECIPE ....as per the written recipe . 1. cup of SR flour 1 . cup of plain flour 125gm of butter . 2.cups of brown sugar 2. tsp nutmeg 1 cup milk with 1 tsp of carb soda (in milk ) 1.egg Put half dry mixture in a slab tin . Mix rest of mixture with milk and soda and egg . Pour on dry mixture . Put on pecan nuts on top . Cook for 1 hour (350 deg). Sprinkle with icing sugar when cooked . REVISED PREPARATION AND METHOD WITH THE SAME INGREDIENTS ... Preheated the oven to 160 deg C. Grease and line a loaf pan . I softened 125 gm of butter/marg and mixed with 2 cups of brown sugar with the electric beater until smooth and creamy . In a separate bowl I lightly beat 1 egg . I placed 1 cup of milk in a bowl with 1 tsp of bicarbonate of soda and warmed it in 30 second increments in the microwave until the milk was frothy . In another bowl I mixed together 1 cup of plain flour and 1 cup of self raising flour with 1 dsp of ground nutmeg . Now I added the warmed milk with the beaten egg to the mixer bowl and then added small amounts of the mixed flour , until the batter was smooth . Place in the preheated oven , cook for 40 miutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. PERFECT !!!I finished off the cake with a vanilla icing topped with nutmeg .

SPANAKOPITA PIZZA

For this creation I used filo pastry in the roll . I used my processor to roughly chop 1.5 kg of baby spinach leaves , and using my hands crumbled 1 kg of Greek feta cheese , transferred both ingredients to a large bowl and mixed together . ( I did season with zaatar , Middle Eastern spice mixture ). I sliced the filo roll into 4 pieces , unfurled the 4 lengths ,( you will need the whole length of your work bench or a rectangle table top .)and layered the 4 rolls of filo pastry. Spoon the mixture along 1 side of the whole pastry length. Now the next step is the most difficult part of this recipe , folding the pastry before it dries out and rolling it up without any tears ... good luck !. I would normally do this with assistance but we are in a Covid lockdown , this is totally my problem I knew the restrictions , actually I think this was me challenging myself . Well I did it , and it was'nt perfect but it worked and then I carefully hand shaped the long rope into a tight circle .( a cartwheel ). This can be frozen and when ready to use spread with tomato paste and I liberally sprinkled with fresh mozarella cheese and chopped bacon pieces and finally dressed the pizza with cheese sticks wrapped in hot salami . Bake in a preheated oven on 200 deg C until the pastry is flaky , golden and the salami cheese sticks are melted and begging to be be consumed .

CHICKEN IN RASPBERRY SAUCE

Please try this recipe , it is different but really delicious . I suggest you should prepare the raspberry sauce . Process 425 gm of fresh raspberries with 3 tbs of apple cider vinegar , 1 dsp of castor sugar ,1 dsp of Dijon mustard and 1/4 cup of rice bran oil until smooth . set aside . Shred 1 carrot , 2 sticks of celery and slice 2 red sweet capsicums and 1 medium leek into thin slices . Heat 1/4 cup of rice bran oil in a pan and add 3 skinless chicken fillets sliced and cook until chicken is cooked through , at the end of cooking the chicken add the sliced vegetables and cook until just heated through . To serve heat your serving plates and serve the chicken and vegetables in the middle of your plate and drizzle the warmed raspberry sauce arounf the sides of your dish . This is delicious and simply very elegant .

LOOK WHAT I FOUND ...

NUTMEG CAKE RECIPE

A treasure I found in an old cookbook,reading the hand written recipe I'm unsure how this will work , but I will definately give it a go tomorrow and post the results . Promise I will not change the recipe , I am in heaven .

SPRING IS ON THE WAY

BACON , CHICKEN AND NUT SLICE

Today I remade and revised the bacon and nut roll . I used the original recipe adding some shredded chicken , seasoning with sumac and grated parmesan cheese . I pressed the mixture into an ovenproof dish and topped with boccachini balls and cracked black pepper . I then baked as per the original recipe ( 1 hour ). While this was baking I prepared mashed potatoes seasoned with parmesan cheese and fresh herbs . When the slice was cooked I added the herbed potato mash and halved mini tomatoes as a topping and extra herbed parmesan .

COLONIAL CREAM PIE

Preheat your oven to 180 deg C . I used a premade frozen pastry flan , defrosted it and skewered the base and sides of the flan and blind baked it in the oven for 15 minutes . Blend 3 tbs of cornflour with 2 cups of milk in a medium saucepan until smooth . Heat over a medium heat , adding 2 tbs of butter / marg , 1 tsp of vanilla extract , 1/2 cup of castor sugar . Stir over a medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the mix starts to thicken . In a separate bowl mix together 2 egg yolks , now stir this through the milk mixture thoroughly and then add 1 tsp of lemon juice and 1 cup of shredded coconut , again mixing thoroughly . Now pour this into the pastry flan or individual ramequins , this recipe works well as a pie or as a dessert cream in a ramequin . Now place in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the pie is set . I used a chocolate crumb on top with a sprinkle of shredded coconut . When completely cooled place in the refrigerator . Delicious .