TOMATO TART.

Ingredients....1 sheet of thawed puff pastry, 2 tbs of butter/ marg, 1 tbs of castor sugar, 500 gm of cherry tomatoes, halved, 2 tbs of minced garlic, 1 dsp of white wine vinegar, fresh oregano or a sprinkle of Italian herbs to serve. Preheat your oven to 200 deg C. Grease a 20 cm round ovenproof dish. Melt the butter/ marg in a medium saucepan. Add the sugar and stir over a medium heat until just golden brown. Remove from the heat and quickly add the tomatoes, garlic and vinegar, stirring to coat evenly. Season with the cracked black pepper. Now tip the tomato mixture into the greased dish, spreading evenly. Place the pastry sheet over the top of the tomatoes, tucking in the edges. Pierce with a fork to release the steam. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until firm and golden. leave rest for for 3 minutes. Now run a knife around the edge and turn out onto a warmed plate. Garnish with Italian herbs or scatter with fresh oregano to serve.

BREAD AND TOMATO SOUP.

My gift to you...a simple and delicious supper. Ingredients....300 gm of sourdough bread, 125 ml of chicken stock, 4 tbs of canola/ rice bran oil, 4 tbs of fresh sage leaves, chopped, 3 tbs of minced garlic, 800 gm of canned diced tomatoes, 1 tsp of sugar, 225 ml of hot water, cracked black pepper to taste, 60 gm of grated Parmesan cheese to garnish. Chop the sourdough into rough chunks about 1" square / 2.5 cm. Place the stock in a large saucepan along with the oil and simmer over a medium heat until reduced by half. Add the bread chunks and garlic and fry over a high heat until the bread becomes crispy and the liquid has been soaked up. Add the tomatoes and sugar, stir and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the hot water to thin the soup to your preferred consistency / thickness. Simmer for a further 5 minutes, taste and adjust the seasoning. Ladle into warmed bowls and sprinkle with the grated Parmesan cheese on top to serve.

BROCCOLINI, PANCETTA AND CHEESE GALETTE.

Ingredients.....1 sheet of thawed, ready rolled puff pastry, 225 gm of broccolini florets, halved if necessary, 100gm of pancetta, diced, 1 red onion, sliced, 100gm of tasty cheese, I used a blue veined cheese, chopped, pine kernels to top. Preheat your oven to 200 deg C. Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Place the pastry sheet on the lined baking sheet and lightly score a line all around 1/2 " of the edge. Steam or boil the broccolini until just tender and drain. Fry the pancetta with the onion, stirring until the onion is tender, stir in the broccolini, season with cracked black pepper. Spread the broccolini mixture over the pastry, leaving the border clear. Scatter the cheese you have chosen to use over the the top along with a scatter of pine nuts. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden and risen. Serve warm with a green leaf and tomato salad.

STIRRING CHANGE

Change is inevitable...but it is tradition that gives us our identity and strength. The old ways of doing things are often the old ways because they are the best ways and never more so than in the kitchen....Think of the wooden spoon, a thousand years of progress has not improved on that most simple of designs and a must in every kitchen.

APPLE SNOWBALLS.

Ingredients......4 red skinned apples, 2 tbs of brown sugar, 4 whole cloves, 1 banana, mashed, 1 tsp of lemon juice, 2 egg whites, 1/3 rd cup of castor sugar, 1 cup of shredded coconut, 30 gm of flaked almonds. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Lightly grease and line an oven tray. Peel and core the apples. Place 1 dsp of brown sugar and 1 clove in each core cavity, this will flavour the apples while cooking. Stand the apples in a large saucepan with water, 1 cm / 1/2" deep, cover the pot and cook the apples until just tender. Remove the apples from the saucepan and allow to cool. Mix together the mashed banana with the lemon juice. When the apples are cool fill the apples with the banana mix. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form, add the sugar gradually and continue to beat to a stiff meringue consistency. Cover the apples with the meringue, sprinkle over the shredded coconut and finally top with the flaked almonds. Carefully slide onto the prepared oven tray and bake in the preheated oven until the meringue is lightly browned.

ZUCCHINI / COURGETTE CURRY.

Ingredients......6 tbs of canola / rice bran oil, 1 medium onion, finely sliced, 3 fresh green chillies, finely chopped, 1 dsp minced ginger, 1 tbs of minced garlic, 1 tsp of chilli flakes,500 gm of zucchini, thinly sliced, 3 tomatoes, sliced, 1 dsp of fenugreek seeds, flat bread to serve. Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onion, green chillies, ginger, garlic and chilli flakes to the pan, stir well to combine. Add the sliced zucchini and tomatoes to the pan and stir fry over a medium heat for 7 minutes. Add the fenugreek seeds to the zucchini mix and continue to stir fry until fragrant and the vegetables are tender. Reove the pan from the heat and transfer the curry mix to serving dishes. Serve hot with flat bread.

RASPBERRY RIPPLE CAKE.

You will need to assemble this simple cake a whole day before it is served. Ingredients......600 ml of thickened crea, 250 gm of creme fraiche, 1 tsp of vanilla bean paste, 40 gm of icing sugar, 250 gm of raspberries, finely grated grated zest of 1 lemon, 250 gm of Biutternut Snap biscuits or any plain sweet biscuit of your choice, extra fresh berries, to serve. Combine the cream, creme fraiche,vanilla and 3 tbs of the icing sugar in a large bowl and beat to stiff peaks. Place the raspberries in a bowl with the lemon zestand the remaining 1 tbs of icing sugar and crush together with the back of a fork. Line a 23 cm loaf pan with plastic wrap, with plenty overhang all round. Spread a thin layer of the whipped cream mixture over the base then top with a layer of biscuits. you can bread some of the biscuits to make them fit. Top with another layer of cream, then half of the raspberry mixture. Repeat the layers with remaining ingredients, finishing with cream.. (reserve / set aside 1/2 a cup of the cream mixture for finishing the cake.) Enclose the cake with the overhanging plastic wrap and place in your freezer overnight. The next day transfer the cake to your refrigerator and leave for another 12 hours. When ready to serve, unwrap the overhanging plastic wrap. Place your serving plate over the tin and invert the whole cake, lift off the tin and remove all the plastic wrap. Use the remaining cream to cover the sides and top of the cake, then decorate with the extra raspberries / berries to serve. Serve and enjoy.