CHICKEN IN A TANGY GINGER MARMALADE SAUCE.

Ingredients....500 gm of chicken thigh fillets, sliced into strips, 1 tbs of minced ginger, 4 spring onions thinly sliced, rice bran oil/ canola oil for cooking, 1 red capsicum, thinly sliced, 1 tbs of rice wine vinegar, 1 tbs of ginger marmalade, 3 tbs of lemon juice, cracked black pepper to taste. Place the chicken, ginger, spring onion and cracked black pepper in a medium dish. Toss well to combine. Heat a large pan or wok until very hot. Add 1 and 1/2 tbs of the oil and swirl it around to coat the pan/ wok. Stir fry the chicken mixture in 3 batches over a high heat until golden brown and cooked through. Reheat the pan/ wok in between each batch adding more oil when necessary. Remove the chicken from the pan/ wok and set aside. Reheat your pan/ wok and add the capsicum and cook till tender. Add the rice wine vinegar, marmalade, lemon juice and cracked black pepper. Stir to combine and slightly thickened. Add the chicken and cook until heated through. I serve this dish with steamed mixed grains, but there are no rules, it is your dish to enjoy.

QUINCE JAM

Ingredients....3 kg of quince, 1.5 kg of castor sugar, 185 ml of lemon juice. Cut each quince into quarters then peel core and cut into small cubes. Place the fruit in a large pot with 2 litres of water and the lemon juice. Slowly bring to the boil, then reduce the heatand simmer, covered for 1 hour, or until the fruit is soft. Add the sugar and stir over a low heat, without boiling until the sugar has dissolved. Then return to the boil, stirring often for 25 minutes until you get get the desired thickness. Finally transfer to sterilised jars and seal.

MAYONNAISE

This is a Margaret Fulton recipe from decades ago and it is just amazing. Ingredients......3/4 cup of milk, 1/2 cup of white wine vinegar, 2 tbs of castor sugar, 1 tbs of French mustard, 125 gm of butter/ marg, 4 eggs, lightly beaten, 1/4 tsp of salt, cracked black pepper to taste. Put all the ingredients, with the pepper to taste, in a pan and whisktogether until blended. Heat gently, whisking all the time until the mixture thickens. Pour into a hot sterilised bottle and seal.

FRIED CHICKEN THIGHS

This chicken dish is always well received at The Manor, at family get togethers. Ingredients.....4 chicken thigh fillets, with skin on, 1 dsp of sweet paprika, 2 eggs lightly beaten, 180 gm of fine breadcrumbs, 1/2 tsp of dried thyme, 1 dsp of minced garlic, 1 dsp of dried parsley flakes, 1 tsp of sea salt flakes, rice bran / canola oil for frying. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Slice each thigh fillet into pieces. Mix together in a small bowl the paprika, thyme, parsley flakes, sea salt flakes In a separate bowl mix together the eggs and minced garlic. Heat the oil in your deep fryer. First rub the chicken thigh fillets well with the dry seasoning mix. Then dip all the pieces into the beaten egg mix and carefully coat in the breadcrumb mix. place the chicken pieces in the heated oil and fry until golden on each side. Now remove to the lined baking tray and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until cooked Check for doneness with a skewer- inserting in a couple of areas, the chicken is ready when the juices run clear. Serve with wedges and a green salad or whatever suits you.

FIG AND CREAM CHEESE PROSCIUTTO WRAPS

I love autumn, making use of all the summer fruits. Ingredients...5 figs cut in half, 10 slices of prosciutto, tub of cream cheese. Cut the figs in half and smear the cut side with cream cheese. Wrap each fig half in two slices of prosciutto. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. So simple, elegant and deliciuos.

ENGLISH MUFFIN FRENCH TOAST WITH HAM AND CHEESE.

My favourite Sunday morning breakfast. Ingredients.....2 eggs, lightly beaten, 1/2 cup of cream, 2 english muffins, 80 gm of finely grated parmesan cheese, 200 gm of sliced ham, 1 dsp of italian heb mix, 2 tbs of butter/ marg, cooking oil spray. Split the muffins in half. Mix the eggs, cream and season with the Italian herb mix in a medium bowl. Add the Parmesan cheese to the egg mixture and mix through. Immerse the cut side of the muffins and soak for 2 minutes, turnover and soak the crust side. Spray a large frying pan with cooking oil and heat the butter/ marg over a medium heat. Place the muffins in the melted butter/ marg and cook until golden brown. Turn the muffin halves over and cook until golden brown. Remove and place 50gm of the sliced ham on each muffin half and serve with sliced tomatoes. Enjpy the rest of your Sunday.

BANANA AND COCONUT BREAD

I love making bread, this is the best and so easily prepared. Ingredients.....1 cup of self raising flour, 1 cup of shredded coconut, 1 cup of buckwheat flour, 1/2 cup of raw castor sugar, 2 tbs of rice bran/ canola oil, 3 large ripe bananas, 1/2 cup of coconut oil, 1/2 cup of coconut cream, 3 eggs, lightly beaten, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, 1 dsp of ground ginger, 1 dsp of baking powder, 1/2 tsp of baking soda, extra shredded coconut for topping. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Lightly grease a large loaf pan and line with baking paper. Mix all dry ingredients together, making a well in the middle in large a glass bowl. Mix the bananas, eggs, coconut cream and vanill extract in your food processor. Pour the liquid mixture into the well of the dry mix along with the oils and mix together with a wooden spoon. Pour the dough into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the shredded coconut on top. Cook in the preheated oven for 60 minutes or until firm to touch. Turn the bread out onto a wire rack to cool completely. This bread can be cut into slices to freeze. Will keep for 5 days wrapped in cling wrap in your refrigerator. This bread is also really good toasted and served buttered. I encourage you to give this recipe a 'go', it was many years I tried a recipe similiar to this one and so began my life long obsession with baking breads.