GNOCCHI WITH SAGE AND PINE NUTS

Ingredients ....2 redonions , roughly chopped, 600gm of 'all rounder' potatoes, 1 tbs of minced garlic, oil for drizzling, 90 gm of quinoa flour, 1 egg, 100gm of finely grated cheese, 1/2 tsp of ground nutmeg, 6 tbs of butter/ marg, 1/3 cup of sage leaves, handful of pine nuts,1 dsp of fennel seeds. This dish was a staple at Castle Garden and is often requested when we all get together. Preheat your oven to 160 deg C. Grease and line a baking tray. Wash and peel the potatoes, then boil in lightly salted water. Drain and leave to cool, then mash and set aside. Drizzle a frypan with the oil, sprinkle with cracked black pepper, add the minced garlic and chopped onion. Cook over a medium heat until the onions are softened and starting to colour. Combine the mashed potato with the onion mixture in a large bowl and add the quinoa flour, lightly beaten egg, Parmesan and nutmeg. Mix with your hands until well combined. Now form the dough into tbs balls. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Drop 4 pieces of gnocchi at a time into the water, lower the temperature and simmer until the gnocchi rises to the surface. Remove with a slotted spoonand keep warm on the prepared oven tray in the preheated oven to keep warm whuile you cook the rest of the gnocchi in batches. When the gnoccci are cooked , prepare the sage butter/ marg. Melt the butter/ marg (in the pan you cooked the onions) over a medium heat, add the sage leaves and a dsp of fennel seeds. Cook for 3 minutes until the sage leaves start to wilt. To serve ... place the gnocchi on serving plates, pour the sage butter/ marg over the top and sprinkle with pine nuts.. Delicious....

IT’S JUST THE BEST PASTA EVER…( AND GLUTEN FREE).

Ingredients......250gm of gluten free cornflour, 140gm of potato flour, 300gm of fine polenta, 3 eggs beaten, 11 egg yolks beaten ( keeping the egg whites aside for another dish ) , 185ml of soda water,(not an ingredient) an old fashioned clothes horse. The trick to making this pasta is ...you have to knead it firmly and have patience , it does work. Mix the flours and polenta into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the beaten eggs , using your hands to work them into the flour. Now make another well and add the egg yolks and work them into the mixture, adding a little soda water ( 2 tbs at a time ), until the mixture comes together to form a firm elastic mixture. Place the dough on a long sheet of baking paper, lightly dusted with a little extra fine polenta. Knead the dough with the heel of your hand firmly for 3 minutes. Shape the dough into a log and divide into 5 portions. Cover the portions loosely with cling wrap. Place one portion of the dough on the floured baking paper , lightly sprinkle your rolling pin and gently roll out the pasta dough to 3mm thick. Set aside and repeat this process with the remaining dough portions. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough lengthwise into 1 cm wide strips , or your desired width. Drape the the prepared dough lengths over the 'clothes horse'. Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted simmering water with a few drops of olive oil, until el dente, in batches ( do not overcrowd your pot). Drain and serve with your favourite pasta sauce. This is how I would teach you to make pasta, just as I was taught. This is my gift to you. But the world has changed and I know your kitchens are full of all the electric mixers, yes you can use my recipe to prepare this amazing pasta with your wizz bang machines. A morning or afternoon preparing pasta with your hands is envigorating and heart felt..remembering how pasta has been hand made for centuries. Enjoy.

AVOCADO DIP

Ingredients.....250gm tub of cream cheese, 1 avocado (peeled, stoned and mushed), 1 tbs of lemon juice, 1 dsp of minced garlic. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Spoon into a serving bowl and serve with chicken wings, corn chips or crisp raw vegetables. Always on the table at a start to an occasion.

POTATO AND CREAM CHEESE FRITTER

Ingredients....250 gm of potatoes ( all rounder), 60 gm of cream cheese, 2 eggs (separated ), 1/2 tsp of mustard powder,1/2 tsp of cracked black pepper, canola oil for cooking. Preheat your oven to 160 deg C. Peel the potatoes, grate them coasely and transfer them to a bowl. Cover with cold water and soak for 15 minutes. Drain and pat dry on paper towelling. Mix the cream cheese and egg yolks together until smooth , then season with cracked pepper and mustard powder. Whisk the egg whites in a medium bowl until stiff peaks form. Carefully fold the egg whites into the egg yolk and cream cheese mixture. now fold in the grated potato mixture. Heat 2 tbs of canola oil in a large pan over a med/ high heat. Spoon 1 tbs of the mixture into the heated pan, you should be able to fry four fritters at a time, but make sure the fritters are spaced apart. Flatten each fritter lightly with the bak of a spoon to flatten slightly. Fry for 3 minutes or until crisp and golden, turning once. drain on crumpled paper towelling and the transfer to the preheated oven to keep crisp and warm. Repeat with the remaining mixture. These fritters are amazing , serve them as a side dish to your beef/ pork / lamb or fish. I like to serve them at breakfast with bacon and eggs.

ETON MESS

Ingredients......4-6 ready made meringues, 250 gm of strawberries, 1 dsp of cator sugar, 250 ml of cream. This is such a simple dessert to prepare, break the meringues into pieces. Slice the strawberries into quarters and put them into a bowl with the sugar. Using the back of a spoon , squash the strawberries slightly so they become juicy. Whip the cream with your electric beaters until peaks hold. Gently mix everything together and sppon in between 4 dessert glasses. I often prepare this dish with the addition of 6 broken chocolate ripple biscuits and or 1 packet of lime jelly ( set and broken into pieces), if you are adding these ingredients increase the cream to be thickened to 750ml. I encourage you to make the dishes you serve your own.

PORK CHOPS WITH APPLE AND CIDER

Ingredients......1 tbs of canola oil, 2 onions peeled and sliced, 2 Golden Deliciuos apples, cored and sliced into wedges, 1 dsp of castor sugar, 1 dsp of butter/marg, 1 dsp of milk, 4 thick cut pork chops( snipped around the edges), 80 ml of apple cider, 80 ml of cream. Heat the oil in a large frypan, add the sliced onions until soft and beginning to brown, tip the onion out onto a plate and set aside. Add the apple wedges to the pan and fry them for a minute , do not them soften to a point of breaking up. Add the sugar and and butter/ marg and shake the pan until the apples start to caramalise, then transfer the apples to the onions. Put the pork chops in the frypan and fry them for 3 minutes on each side. Return the onion and apples to the pan and heat them up, now add the cider and bring to a simmer. Once the liquid is bubbling stir through the cream and shake the pan to mix everything together. let it simmer for a further minute, season with cracked black pepper and serve with a green leaf salad and or a vegetable of your choice.

GRILLED EGGPLANT WITH RICOTTA AND TOMATO

Ingredients.....2 egg plants( aubergines) sliced into rounds, 80 ml of olive / canola oil, 500gm of cherry tomatoes halved, 2 tbs of minced garlic, a few small basil leaves, 125 gm of ricotta cheese, 1 dsp of capers drained. Heat your griller to high, brush the eggplant slices with some of the oil on both sides. Grill the eggplant slices on both sides until they are brown. Now lay them in a large oven tray, one that fits under your griller. Heat the remaining oil in a large pan, tip in the cherry tomatoes and minced garlic. Fry until the tomatoes soften, finally adding the capers for 1 minute to incorporate. Spoon the tomato mixture over the eggplants and spoon the ricotta in dobs on top. Place the oven tray under the the preheated grill until the ricotta starts to bubble. Scatter the basil leaves on top to serve.