RAISING AGENTS

Baking Powder.....is a mixture of cream of tartar and bicarbonate of soda. When mixed with moisture, baking powder releases carbon dioxide that expands during baking to make food rise. Plain white flour is is mixed with baking powder as a rising agent to give us self raising flour. Bicarbonate Of Soda....produces carbon dioxide when mixed with lemon juice or buttermilk. Yeast......is a single cell organism that converts the natural sugars in the flour to produce carbon dioxide. Yeast needs warmth, moisture and sugar to work. Yeast is available in both dried and fresh forms for baking.

JOHNNY CAKE

Ingredients.....2 and 1/2 cups of S.R.flour, 1 tsp of salt, 1/2 cup of castor sugar, 1 and 1/2 cups of All Bran creeal, 140 gm of butter/ marg, 2 eggs lightly beaten, 1 and 1/3 cup of evaporated milk. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Grease a loaf pan and sprinkle lightly with fine polenta. Mix together the flour, salt and sugar in a bowl. Stir in the All Bran. Mix together the melted butter/ marg, eggs and evaporated milk, add these to the dry ingredients and mix well with a wooden spoon. Spoon into the prepared loaf pan and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched with your finger. Leave in the pan for 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Serve warm or cold, spread with butter/ marg.

SPAGHETTI PASTA WITH PEANUT BUTTER AND VEGETABLES

Ingredients......250gm of spaghetti, 1 tbs of canola/ rice vran oil, 1 dsp of minced garlic, 1 and 1/2 cups of grated sweet potatoes, 1 small zucchini, trimmed and sliced, 1/2 cup of chopped broccolin, 1/2 cup of sweet soy sauce/ ketjap manis, 1 tsp of minced ginger, 1 tbs of soft brown sugar, 1/2 cup of crunchy peanut bitter, 1/4 tsp of sweet paprika. Cook the spaghetti in lightly salted boiling water until tender, drain and set aside. heat the oil in a large frying pan until hot. saute the minced garlic until fragrant. Add the vegetables and stir fry for 5 minutes. Turn down the heat to to low, now add the sweet soy sauce, minced ginger, brown sugar and the peanut butter. Stir to combine and stir thyrough the paprika. Toss in the spaghetti and serve hot with crusty bread.

FLOUR

Wheat flour is the most commonly used flour in baking. The amount of protein/ gluten in wheat flour varies between different types. Plain white flour... has the bran and wheat germ removed. Soft white flour.... is made from wheat with a low gluten content. it is ideal for making cake, biscuits and pastry. Strong plain flour... is made from wheat with a high gluten content and is used for breads and yeast cookery. Self raising flour....is plain white flour with baking powder added. To make your own self raising flour add 1 dsp of baking powder to each 225 gm of pklain flour. Wholemeal flour.....is flour that has been made from the whole of the wheat grain and is heavier and coarser that white flour. It is also available as a strong, high glten flour for bread making and a soft, lower gluten flour for cakes and pastry. There are many other flours, such as brown flour, coconut flour, cornflour, buckwheat, rice, tigernut...ect, sometimes used to a limited extent in baking, each having their own characteristic or flavour.

WHAT DO YOU KNOW.?

WHAT DO YOU KNOW? The answers to March's challenge : 1. Samosa. 4. Hoisin. 2. Rollup. 5. Germ. 3. Pinch. 6. Persimmon. Here is my April challenge for you: 1. Melted fat and residue left in the pan after meat or poultry have been cooked and can be used for basting during cooking. 2. To soak dried fruit in liquid until soft and swollen. 3. To cook fish, poultry, vegetables and some puddings in a perforated pan over boiling water. 4. A thick dark brown syrup which is a refined for of molasses. 5. A bowl of ingredients placed inside a baking dish containing boiling water and placed in a heated oven to cook with a gentle heat. 6. A soft caramel confection with various flavourings, usually cut into small squares when soft.

HONEY PUMPKIN COUSCOUS SALAD

Ingredients.....600gm of pumpkin, cut into bite sized pieces, 1 onion, sliced, 3 tbs of honey, 1 tsp of chilli flakes (optional), 185 gm of couscous, 25 gm of butter/ marg, 2 tbs of canol/ rice bran oil, 1 cup of boiling water, 3 tbs of flaked almonds. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Line an ovenproof dish with baking paper. Place the pumpkin and onion in a bowl with the honey, chilli flakes and oil. Toss around to evenly coat, place in the ovenproof dish and roast in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender. Place the couscous and the butter/ marg in a bowl and pour over 1 cup of boiling water and cover the bowl tightly with cling wrap for 10 minutes. Fluff the couscous and then cover again for 5 minutes. Now remove the cling wrap, fluff again and separate with your fingers. Add the roasted pumpkin mixture to the couscous along with the almond flakes. Toss to combine. Serve this dish as a warm salad or as a side to your main dish. Enjoy.

SALMON RISSOLES

Ingredients......415 gm can of pink salmon, drained and mashed, 1/2 cup of whole egg mayonnaise, 1 dsp of dried dill, 1 cup of mashed sweet potato, 1 cup of panko bread crumbs. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Line an oven sheet with baking paper. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and season with cracked black pepper. Shape into golf ball size rounds and flatten slightly with the back of a fork. Place on the lined oven sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown. I serve the salmon rissoles with a green vegetable and a side serve of chips/ wedges. They also make a great filling for a burger....