SALMON WITH BRAISED PUMPKIN AND SESAME CREAM.

Ingredients...60 ml of rice bran / canola oil, 2 onions, halved and sliced, 2 tbs of minced garlic, 1 tbs of minced ginger, 1 dsp of ground cardamon, 1 tsp of ground turmeric, 600 gm of pumpkin, peeled and cut into 1" / 2.5 cm chunks, 2 x 400 ml cans of diced tomatoes, 400 gm can of chick peas, drained, 6 x 200 gm skinless salmon or other firm fish fillets, 1 handful of coriander leaves, 1 and 1/2 tbs of sesame seeds. Sesame cream.....125 gm of Greek style yoghurt,1 tbs of tahini, 1 dsp of minced garlic, 1 tbs of lemon juice. First, prepare the sesame cream.... put all the sesame cream ingredients in a small bowl, mix together well and season to taste with cracked black pepper. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and refrigerate until needed. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a low heat. Add the onion and saute till the onion softens. Add the garlic, ginger, cardamon, turmeric and pumpkin and saute until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer, cover reduce the heat to low and cook until the pumpkin is tender, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with cracked black pepper and stir through the chick peas. Place the salmon/ white fish fillets in a single layer over the vegetable mixture. Cover and cook for 12 minutes , until the fish is cooked through. To serve , divide the mixture amongst warm plates and top each fillet with a spoonful of sesame cream and sprinkled with coriander leaves and sesame seeds. Delicious.

ICED TEA BUN

Ingredients.....2 cups of plain flour, 7 gm of instant dried yeast, 2 tbs of castor sugar, 1 dsp of grated lime rind, 1/2 cup of sultanas, 1/3 rd cup of lime juice, 1 egg, lightly beaten, 30 gm of butter/ marg, melted, 1/3rd cup of warm water. Glace Icing.....1 cup of icing sugar, 15 gm of butter/ marg, 1 tbs of boiling water, pink food colouring, optional, desiccated coconut, to sprinkle. Line a baking tray with baking paper. You will need to preheat your oven after you have knocked back the dough, later in the recipe. Place the flour into a large bowl, add the yeast, sugar, rind and sultanas. Stir to combine and make a well in the centre. In a separate bowl mix together the juice, butter/ marg, the beaten egg and most of the water. Add the wet mixture to the well in the dry mixture, mixing to a soft dough, add the remaining water if necessary. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface, until smooth and elastic, ( to test press the dough, it should spring back without leaving a dent). Place the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl, cover with a sheet of lightly oiled cling wrap and leave in a warm spot for 45 minutes or until well risen. Now it is time to preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Finally punch down the dough and knead for 1 minute. Shape the dough into a smooth ball and pat out into a round 25cm circle. Place the dough onto the prepared tray and let rise for 30 minutes. Mark the dough into 8 wedges using the edge of a ruler. Cook for 20 minutes in the preheated oven or un til golden brown and cooked through. The dough will sound hollow when tapped. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool and spread with glace icing and finish with a sprinkle of desiccated coconut. To make the icing, mix together the wAter and butter/ marg in a small saucepan over a low heat. When the butter/ marg has melted add the icing sugar and mix to a smooth paste, keep stirring over the low heat until the icing is glossy. tint with food colouring if wish.

LAMB AND CARROT KUKU

This recipe is originally from the Middle East and is delicious served with crusty bread and or a mixed leaf salad. Ingredients.....1 tbs of canola / rice bran oil, 1 onion, finely diced, 300gm of minced lamb, 1 tsp of ground cumin, 1 tsp of ground cinnamon, a pinch of saffron threads, 1 carrot, roughly grated, 1 handful of chopped coriander leaves, 1 small handful of freshly chopped mint, plus extra to garnish. 6 eggs, lightly beaten, plain yoghurt, to serve. Preheat your oven to 160 deg C. Liberally grease a 18cm / 7" round ovenproof dish. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and saute until tender, add the lamb and cook until golden, breaking up the lumps with a wooden spoon. Add the cumin, cinnamon and saffron, cook until fragrant. Remove from the heat and stir through the carrot, coriander and mint. Finally pour in the eggs. Transfer the kuku mixture to the prepared ovenproof dish and bake in the preheated oven until the kuku is firm to touch. Cut the kuku into wedges and sprinkle with mint and a spoonful of yoghurt to serve.

MINTED GREEN PEA CHOWDER.

Ingredients......3 tbs of butter/ marg, 1 cup of chopped onion, 1 cup of diced and peeled potato. 4 cups of chicken / vegetable stock, 2 cups of frozen / fresh green peas, 125 ml of cream, 1/4 cup of chopped fresh mint. Melt the butter/ marg in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook until the onion softens. Add the potato and stock , bring to the boil then reduce the heat to medium and simmer partially covered for 10 minutes. Add the peas and increase the heat and cook un til the potato is tender. Remove the pot from the heat and remove 1 cup of the pea mixture with a slotted spoon to a small bowl and set aside. Add the cream and the mint to the saucepan, stir through. Carefully process with a hand blender until smooth. Finally add the reserved pea mixture. To serve, heat and stir on medium until heated through. Season with cracked black pepper. This soup is like serving up summer with the flavour of fresh mint and sweet peas. Enjoy.

CHERRY BLOSSOMS

Ingredients.....2 cups of rice bubbles, 125 gm of glace cherries, chopped,1 cup of desiccated coconut, 1/2 cup of condensed milk, 90 gm of copha. Pink coloured coconut... a cup of desiccated coconut with a few drops of pink food colouring, using the back of a metal teaspoon work the colour through the coconut until the required colour is achieved. Mix together the rice bubbles, chopped cherries, coconut and condensed milk in a large mixing bowl. Melt the copha in a small saucepan over a low heat, allow to cool slightly, then stir this into the rice bubble mixture. Form the mixture into balls about golf ball size and toss in the pink coconut. Refrigerate in an air tight container.

LIVER AND SAUSAGE BROCHETTES (SKEWERS)

Ingredients...500 gm of calf's liver, 500 gm of chipolata / small sausages, 250 gm of button mushrooms, 185 gm of melted butter/ marg, cracked black pepper, 24 bay leaves, 24 cherry tomatoes. Preheat your griller to medium. Cut the liver into cubes. Leave the sausages and mushrooms whole. Pour 3/4 of the melted butter/ marg into a shallow bowl and roll the liver cubes in it, season with cracked black pepper. Thread the liver cubes, sausages, mushrooms, bat leaves and tomatoes on 8cm long skewers in alternating order. Use the remaining melted butter/ marg to brush over the bruchettes. Place the skewers under the griller and cook for 8 minutes on each side.

CHOCOLATE AND BANANA FOOL.

Ingredients.....115 gm of 70% cocoa chocolate, broken into small pieces, 300 ml of ready made fresh custard, 2 bananas. Place the chocolate pieces in a small bowl and meltin the microwave on high for 1- 2 minutes. Pour the custard into a medium bowl and stir through the melted chocolate to make a rippled effect. Peel and slice the bananas and stir them through the chocolate and custard mixture. spoon into 4 glass bowls/ glasses. Top with extra grated or flaked chooclate. Chill for 30 minutes before serving.