BAKED OMELETTE WITH WHEAT GERM TOPPING.

Ingredients......30 gm of butter/ marg, 2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced, 2 spring onions, chopped, 150 gm of sliced mushrooms, 1 dsp of fresh thyme / 1 tsp of dried thyme, 6 eggs, lightly beaten, 2 tbs of minced garlic, 180 ml of cream. Wheat Germ Topping..... 60 gm of wheat germ, 4 tbs of finely grated parmesan cheese, 6 cherry tomatoes, quartered, 1 firm tomato, sliced to serve. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Lightly grease an ovenproof dish, about 4 cup capacity. Wheat germ topping, combine all ingredients in a bowl, mix well. Baked omelette....heat the butter/ marg in a medium pan, add zucchini, spring onions and mushrooms, cook, stirring until the vegetables are tender. Add the thyme. In a separate bowl mix together the eggs, garlic and cream until combined. Spread the vegetable mixture over the base of the prepared dish. Pour over the egg mixture and top with the wheat germ topping. Place the dish in a roasting pan with enough boiling water to come half way up the side of the dish. Bake uncovered, in the preheated oven for 45 minutes or until set. Top with tomato slices to serve.

GARLIC.

Garlic is one of the most famous and popular herbs. Garlic,( Allumium sativum) was most likely used in china, India and Egypt before recorded history. Bulbs of garlic were found in the tomb of Tutankhamon, dating from 1300 BC. Raw garlic was used as a field dressing in World War 1 because of its antiseptic qualities. The peeled, chopped and minced bulbs complement nearly all savoury foods to some degree, especially the cuisines of Asia and the Mediterranean.

CHILLI APPLE CHUTNEY

Ingredients......2 fresh chillies, 2 kg about 8 Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped, 1 tbs of minced garlic, 375 gm of raisins, chopped, 125 gm of glace ginger, chopped, 1 kg of soft brown sugar, firmly packed, 1 litre of apple cider vinegar, 1 tbs of coarse cooking salt, 1 tbs of mixed spice, 1 dsp of five spice powder, 1 tbs of turmeric. Seed and chop the chillies. Combine all the ingredients in a large saucepan. Stir constantly over a medium heat without boiling, until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 2 hours or until the chutney is thick. Remove from the heat and pour into hot sterilised jars, seal when cold.

COCONUT APRICOT BARS.

Something a little different, a real show stopper on a plate and delicious. There are 3 steps to the preparation. Ingredients....Filling... 250 gm of dried apricots, 1 cup of cold black tea, 2 tbs of honey, 1/2 cup of soft brown sugar, 1 and 1/2 tbvs of butter/ marg, 1 egg, lightly beaten. Base....250 gm of softened marg/ butter,1 cup of castor sugar, 4 eggs, lightly beaten, 150 ml of milk, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, 3 cups of self raing flour, 2 tbs of cocoa, 1 tbs of milk, 2 tbs of desiccated coconut. Topping......1 and 1/2 cups of rice bubbles, 1/2 cup of desiccated coconut, 30 gm of copha, 2 tbs of honey. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Grease and line a 30cm x 20cm lamington pan First prepare the filling by soaking the apricots in the cold tea for 1 hour, then gently simmer for about 15 minutes or until softened. Stir in the honey, sugar and marg / butter. When sugar has dissolved, simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Puree until smooth, cool then stir in the egg. Now for the base...cream the marg / butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, adding the remaining base ingredients, stirring well after each addition. Transfer the batter to the prepared lamington pan and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. To prepare the topping, combine the rice bubbles, desiccated coconut, warmed copha and honey. Spread the cake with the apricot puree and cover with the combined topping ingredients. Return the tray to the oven and cook a further 15 minutes. Cool in the pan then slice into bars to serve.

HONEY GARLIC BEEF STIR FRY.

Ingredients.....1 kg beef strips, 2 tbs of minced garlic, 1 tsp of five star powder, 1 tbs of minced ginger, 1 tbs of Apera (sweet sherry), 60 ml of honey, 1 tbs of ketjap manis ( sweet soy sauce), 2 tbs of peanut oil, 1 red capsicum, thunly sliced, 1 green capsicum, thinly sliced, 1 yellow capsicum, thinly sliced. Combine beef strips, garlic, five spice, ginger, sherry, honey and soy sauce in a medium bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight. Drain the beef over a medium bowl, reserving the marinade. Heat 1 tbs of the oil in a large pan, stir fry the marinated beef in batches, until browned and just cooked, then remove from the pan. Heat the remaining oil in the same pan add the reserved marinade and capsicums, stir fry until the capsicums are tender. Finally add the beef, stir fry until heated through.

KRACHEL / SWEET MOROCCAN ROLLS.

Ingredients.....1 and 1/2 tbs of dried yeast, 60 ml of warm water, 110 gm of castor sugar, 300 gm of plain flour, 2 tbs of sesame seeds, 3 tsp of anise seeds, 60 ml of milk, 60 gm of melted butter/ marg, 1 egg, lightly beaten, 1 tbs of orange blossom water, 1 1 egg yolk, 1 dsp of sesame seeds, extra. I always increase the temperature in my kitchen area when preparing any type of dough. Oil an oven tray and line with baking paper. Combine the yeast, water and 1 dsp of sugarin a small heatproof bowl, cover and stand in a warm spot until mixture is frothy, usually about 10 minutes. Sift the flour and combine with remaining sugar and seeds in a large bowl. Stir in the yeast mixture, butter/ marg, egg and organge blossom water. Knead dough on a floured surface until smooth and elastic. Place the dough in an oiled medium bowl, cover and let stand in a warm place for about 60 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size. Now preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Divide the dough into 12 pieces, roll each piece into a ball. Place the balls on the prepared tray, cover loosely with oiled plastic wrap. Stand in a warm spot for 20 minutes. Remove the plastic wrap. Brush the balls with the beaten egg yolk and sprinkle lightly with the extra sesame seeds. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden and risen. Serve warm or cold with butter/ marg, perfect for morning or afternoon tea.

CHOCOLATE SPIDERS.

Ingredients.....100 gm/ 1 packet of fried noodles, 2 tbs of crunchy peanut butter, 200 gm of 70% cocoa chocolate, desiccated coconut to finish off. Brake the chocolate into pieces into a small saucepan along with the peanut butter and stir over a low heat until until melted and silky smooth. Add the noodles and stir lightly to coat them well. Spoon heaped tsp of the mixture into small patty pans. Finally lightly sprinkle with desiccated coconut, this optional. Place in the refrigerator till set. Keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator.