MARSHMALLOW PAVLOVA

Ingredients....4 egg whites, at room temp, 1 cup / 220 gm of castor sugaR, 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract, 3/4 tsp of white vinegar, 1 and 1/4 cups/ 300 ml of thickened cream, whipped, 250 gm of fresh strawberries, halved, 1/4 of a cup / 60 ml of passionfruit pulp. Preheat your oven 120 deg C. line an oven tray with baking paper and dust with cornflour, shaking off any excess. Mark an 18 cm round on the baking paper. Beat the cream with an electric mixer until thickened. Place the thickened cream in your refrigerator until required. beat the gg whites in a non metallic bowl with clean, dry beaters until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, beating until the sugar dissolves. Add the vinegar and vanilla extract, contiue beating until well combined. Spread the meringue into the circle on the baking paper. Build up the sides to 8 cm in height. Smooth the sides of the pavlova gently with the back of a spoon, smooth over the top of the pavlova. Bake the pavlova for 90 minutes, then turn off the oven and let the pavlova cool in the oven with the door ajar. Cut around the top edge of the pavlova, the crisp meringue will fall on top of the marshmallow centre. Top the pavlova with the thickened cream, strawberries and passionfruit. Enjoy!

POLENTA PARMIGIANA.

200 gm of polenta, 200 gm of plain flour, 1 tbs of baking powder, 1 dsp of garam masala, 85 gm of grated Parmesan cheese, 2 eggs, lightly beaten, 400 ml of milk, 55 gm of butter / marg, melted, 3 tbs of dried chioves, cracked black pepper to taste. Preheat your to 180 deg C. Grease and line a square 23 cm / 9" baking pan with baking paper. Mix together the polenta, flour, baking powder,garam masala and a pinch of pepper into a large bowl. Stir in 55gm of the cheese. Mix together the beaten eggs, milk and melted butter / marg. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and stir well to mix evenly. Stir in the dried chives. Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of the mixture. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes or until golden and firm. Remove from the pan cool on a wire rack. Serve cold or warm and cut into squares.

SATAY CHICKEN PIZZA

This pizza recipe is a great way to use up leftover chicken, it is also delicious made with cold roast beef, lamb or pork. It is also perfect when you need to feed hungry people in a short amount of time. If you only want to make one pizza, simply halve the ingredients... Ingredients.....2 store bought pizza bases, 30 cm rounds, 250 ml of satay sauce, 1 red capsicum sliced, 1 green capsicum sliced, 1 carrot, cut into thin strips, 100 gm of bean sprouts, 1 cooked chicken / cooked chicken pieces, cut into small pieces, 190 gm of grated tasty cheese, cracked black pepper to taste. Preheat your oven to 200 deg C. Line baking tray/s with baking paper. spread the pizza bases with the satay sauce. Spread half the capsicums, carrot, bean sprouts over each base. Top each base with half the chicken and sprinkle each with half the cheese. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until cheese is golden and the base crisp. Phew, cooked in time for the hungry guests who were also welcomed by cooking aromas.

NUTTY FLAPJACKS

A flapjack by definition is a type of biscuit made from butter / marg,sugar, rolled oats, granulated nuts and golden syrup / honey. Baked in a shallow tray and cut into squares / rectangles. They are great for snacks. Now, here is the recipe....Ingredients...115 gm of butter / marg, 200 gm of rolled oats, 115 gm of granulated nuts, 55 gm of plain flour, 2 tbs of honey / golden syrup, 85 gm of soft brown sugar. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Line a 9" / 23 cm square oven proof dish / cake pan with baking paper. Place the rolled oats, granulated nuts and flour in a large bowl and mix together. Place the butter / marg, sugar and syrup in saucepan over a medium heat and stir until the mixture is melted. Pour onto the dry ingredients and mix well. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth over the top with the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until golden and firm to touch. Remove the pan from the oven and mark into 16 squares / rectangles, leave in the pan to cool. When completely cooled, cut through with a sharp knife and remove from the pan.

EGGPLANT AND ZUCCHINI PASTA BAKE.

Ingredients....1 and 1/4 cups of penne pasta, 375 gm of eggplant , cut into 1 cm slices lengthways, 250 gm of zucchini, cut into 1 cm slices lengthways, cooking oil for brushing, canola / rice bran oil, 1 cup of fresh basil, firmly packed, 1 cup of bottled pasta sauce, 1 cup of grated mozarell cheese, 1/2 cup of grated tasty cheese, 1/2 cup of finely grated Parmesan cheese. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Grease a 1.5 litre loaf pan and line with two layers of baking paper, overlapping the long sides by 7 cm. Line a baking tray with foil. Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling water. until just cooked/ el dente. Cool under running water and drain. Brush the eggplant and zucchini strips with the oil and arrange in a single layer on the foil covered baking tray. Grill on both sides until golden. Layer a 1/3 rd of the eggplant slices, overlapping to fit into the base of the prepared loaf pan. Repeat with a 1/3 rd of the zucchini slices, basil leaves, pasta and sauce. Scatter 1/3rd of the combined cheeses over. Repeat the layering twice more, finishing with a layer of the cheeses and press firmly into the pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes or until golden brown. Cover with baking paper after the first 30 minutes to prevent over browning. Leave the cooked pasta dish sit in the pan for 60 minutes, then using the over hanging paper, lift from the pan, remove the paper and cut into slices to serve. Serve hot.

BAKED RICE PUDDING.

Ingredients.....1 tbs of melted butter / marg, 115 gm of risotto rice, 55 gm of castor sugar, 850 ml of milk, 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract, 40 gm of butter / marg, cut into slivers, ground nutmeg for topping, optional.. cream, jam, honey or ice cream for serving. Preheat your oven to 160 deg C. Grease a 1.2 litre ovenproof dish / casserole with the melted butter / marg. Place the unccoked rice in the dish and sprinkle with the sugar. Heat the milk in a saucepan until simmering, then remove from the heat and pour over the rice. Add the vanilla extract and stir well to dissolve the sugar. Scatter the slivered butter / marg over the surface of the pudding. Sprinkle the nutmeg over the top. Place the dish on a baking tray and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes and then stir to break up the rice. Continue cooking for 1 and half hours or until the pudding is well browned on top. Serve hot with or without a topping.. your choice!

CHICKEN AND CHILLI WITH BASIL.

Ingredients.....1 onion, diced, 450 gm of chicken breast fillet, diced, 1 tbs of fresh red chilli, seeded and chopped, 1 tbs of soy sauce, 1 tbs of brown sugar, 1 dsp of fish sauce, 1 cup of fresh basil leaves, torn. Add 2 tbs of canol / rice bran oil to a large frying pan, add the chopped onions and stir fry till tender. Add the chicken and stir fry until browned all over. Add the chillies, soy sauce, sugar and fish sauce, stir until sugar is disolved. To finish off add the chopped basil and stir until combined. Serve in warmed bowls with a rice salad and or vegetables. Enjoy.