SALT LASSI……….SWEET LASSI.

So what is a lassi? A lassi is a South Asian by origin. A yoghurt diluted with water , used as a refreshing drink either with sugar or flavoured with cumin and mint. Before you decide it is not for you, give it a try. SALT LASSI...Igredients...700ml of natural yoghurt, 1/2 tsp of salt, 1/4 tsp of castor sugar, 250 ml of cold water, ice cubes, ground cumin to garnish, fresh mint to garnish. Beat together the yoghurt, salt and sugar in a bowl, then add the cold water and whisk until frothy. Fill 4 or 6 glasses with ice cubes and pour over the yoghurt mixture. Lightly sprinkle the top of each glass with ground cumin and garnish with mint leaves. SWEET LASSI......Ingredients....500 ml of natural yoghurt, 225 ml of ice cold water, 4 tbs of castor sugar, ice blocks/crushed ice, cinnamon sugar to garnish. Pour the yoghurt into a bowl and beat with a hand held electric mixer until frothy. Add the water and sugar and beat until the sugar has dissolved. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Fill 4 tall glasses with crushed ice / ice blocks. Pour in the lassiand sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and serve immediately. Enjoy.

BAKED PASSIONFRUIT CUSTARDS

Ingredients......4 passionfruit, 4 eggs, lightly beaten, 175 ml of coconut milk, 55 gm of castor sugar, 1 tsp of vanilla extract. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. A roasting tray to hold 4 x 200 ml ovenproof dishes/ramequins Halve 3 of the passionfruits, scoop out the pulp and rub through a seive to remove the seeds. In another bowl, beat together the eggs, passionfruit juice, coconut milk, sugar and vanilla extract until a smooth custard forms. Pour the custard between the 4 ramequins, Place the ramequins in the roasting pan and pour in hot water to reach halfway up the dishes. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes or until just set. Finally scoop the pulp from the remaining passionfriut and spoon a little onto each dish to serve. The custards can be served warm or chilled.

OVEN ROASTED POTATO WEDGES WITH GARLIC AND ROSEMARY.

Okay, so you can purchase frozen wedges and chips. I am not saying they are bad, just if you have the time these are better! Ingredients......900 gm of 'all rounder' potatoes, 1 tbs of canola/ rice bran oil, 1 tbs of minced garlic, 2 tbs of rosemary leaves, bruised and chopped. Preheat your oven to 220 deg C. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Wash the potatoes and dry thoroughly with paper towelling. Leave the skin on the potatoes, slice them in half lengthways and then cut them again lengthways into chunky wedges. Dry the wedges with baking paper, now place them into a large bowl with the oil and a sprinkle of sea salt, the minced garlic and rosemary. Toss them around a few times to get the wedges well coated. Spread the coated wedges out on the lined tray and bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes or until golden and crisp. Serve immediately with a fine sprinkle of salt . Mmm, delicious.

POTATO, ONION AND TOMATO BAKE.

This is an oldie but a goodie, great as a dish on its own or as part of a vegetable side to any meat, chicken or fish dish. Ingredients......1 kg of potatoes, cracked black peppper, 2 tbs of canol/ rice bran oil, 225 gm of onions, peeled and thinly sliced, 3 tbs of minced garlic, 450 gm of tomatoes, thinly sliced, 1 tbs of dried tarragon, 225 gm of tasty grated cheese. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Grease a large ovenproof dish. Parboil the potatoes in salted boiling water for 10 minutes. Cool slightly and then slice the potatoes. Heat the oil in a pan and saute the sliced onions intil tender, stir through the minced garlic. Now start layering up the prepared dish, first with half of the sliced potatoes , then half the onion and one sliced tomato and one third of the grated cheese and the dried tarragon. Repeat the layers, ending with a layer of tomatoes and cheese. Cook uncovered in the preheated oven for about 1 hour or until the cheese has melted into the other ingredients and browned on top. Sprinkle with a little extra tarragon to serve.

BANANA SUPRISE.

Ingredients.......2 firm bananas, thickly sliced, juice of 2 lemons, 2 tbs of honey, 2 tbs of marg/ butter, sprinkle of ground nutmeg, sprinkle of ground cinnamon. Place the sliced bananas in a bowl and pour over the lemon juice. Place the honey and butter in a small pan over a low heat and sprinkle over the nutmeg, heat until the butter/ marg has melted. Drain the sliced bananas add to and gently stir through the honey/ butter mix, until heated through. Once warmed through transfer to serving dishes drizzling the juice over, sprinkle with the cinnamon. Serve with ice cream, cream or sour cream. Simple and delicious.

ZUCCHINI FRITTERS

Ingredients.......4 medium zucchini, grated, 100 gm of grated tasty cheese, 125 gm of chopped bacon pieces, 3 eggs, lightly beaten, 1/2 cup of self raising flour, 1/2 cup of parsley, chopped, cracked black pepper to taste, canola/ rice bran oil for frying. Heat a small amount of oil over a medium/ low heat in a frying pan. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Fry tablespoons full of the mixture in the heated oil in the frying pan. Heat for 4 minutes on each side. These are great as a light snack.

FRUITY PAN SCONES

These scones can be cooked in a conventional oven or in an electric frypan with a lid. Ingredients......1 cup of sultanas, 3 cups of self raising flour, 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of thickened cream, a little extra flour. Set your oven to 220 deg c, if using and line a baking tray with baking paper, OR set your electric pan on medium high and line with baking paper. So let's get started. Add the sultanas to the flour, then add the cream and milk. Use a flat bladed knife to stir and make a sticky dough. Turn the mixture on a lightly floured board and sprinkle the dough with a little extra flour. Gently pat the dough into a rectangular shape 3cm high. Cut out the scones with a scone cutter. Place the scones in the lined frying pan , cover and cook in the preheated pan for 5 minutes. Turn the scones and cook for a further 8 minutes. If you are baking in the oven cook in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Serve with jam and cream OR cream and jam.