CINNAMON APPLE CAKE

An easily prepared cake that you will make again and again... Ingredients.....125 gm of room temp butter/ marg, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, 165 gm of castor sugar, 1 tsp of ground cinnamon, 2 eggs , lightly beaten, 125 ml of milk, 225 gm of self raising flour, 3 medium sized apples, cored peeled and sliced very thinly, raw sugar for sprinkling. Preheat your oven to 160 deg C. Line a 22cm springform cake pan with baking paper. Use your electric mixer to beat the butter/ marg, castor sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs, flour and milk and beat until combined. Pour half the batter into the prepared pan. Add a layer of the sliced apples, using half of them. Pour over the remaining batter and top with the remaining sliced apples. sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Leave the cake in the pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. This cake cake can be served warm or cold. Either way it will be enjoyed.

BRAINS IN CORIANDER AND TOMATO SAUCE.

You will need to order the offal, the brains ahead of time from the butchers. Ingredients.....6 sets of brains, 3 tbs of canol/ rice bran oil, 3 tbs of minced garlic, 400gm can of diced tomatoes, 1 dsp of sugar, 1 tsp of paprika, 1 dsp of minced ginger, cracked black pewpper, 3 tbs of lemon juice, 1/2 cup of fresh coriander leaves, chopped, Soak the brains in cold water for 30 minutes and then remove the membrane. Separate the lobes. Now soak them again in lightly salted water and then rinse under running water to remove all traces of blood. heat the oil in a large frying pan. add the minced garlic, stir in the diced tomatoes, sugar, paprika, ginger, pepper and simmer for 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the brains, ladle some sauce on top, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. turn brains and continue to simmer for a further 5 minutes. When the brains firm up, cut each lobe in half. Stir in the lemon juice and coriander and continue to simmer until the lobes are firm. Transfer to a serving dish and serve hot or refrigerate to cool and serve as an appetiser. If I cannot get you to try this dish, you can substitute the brains with boneless, skinless chicken thighs.

GREEK YOGHURT WITH HONEY AND CINNAMON…

I am right into yoghurt this month. I am really happy to share this healthy, simply prepared snack with you. Ingredients......200g gm of Greek yoghurt, 1 dsp of honey, 1/2 tsp of ground connamon, 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract. Simply mix the ingredients together and enjoy, this is one serve . Increase the ingredient amount for each person you are serving.

CAULIFLOWER RICE

Ingredients......1 cauliflower head with the stems and leaves removed, 1 tbs of sesame oil, 1/2 tsp of cracked black pepper, 1 spring onion, thinly sliced,canola/ rice bran oil for frying, fresh basil to garnish. Pulse the cauliflower florets in your food processor until it likes like rice. Set aside. Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the spring onion and saute for a further 3 minutes. Stir in the processed cauliflower and cook for for 5 minutes. Finally drizzle over and stir through the sesame oil. Serve warm, garnished with basil.

ITALIAN FISH BITES

Ingredients....500 gm of firm white fish fillets, cut into bite sized pieces, 1 and 1/2 tbs of Italian herb mix, 2 tbs of canola/ rice bran oil, 1 tbs of butter/ marg, 1/2 cup of fresh coriander leaves, chopped, juice of 1 lime, cracked black pepper to taste. Coat the fish pieces with the Italian herb mix and fry over a medium heat in the oil and butter/ marg, do not overcook, 2 minutes each side will be sufficient. To serve, sprinkle the cooked bites with the chopped coriander, lime juice and cracked black pepper.

BAKED BANANA JAMAICA

I found this recipe in an early paperback collection of the 'Woman's Weekly' Cookery, please note the spelling, woman's not women's. The price printed on the cover is two shillings and sixpence, there is no date of publication but was printed in London. Ingredients...2 bananas, 60gm of demerara sugar, the juice of 1 small orange, 1 dsp of Apera sherry, optional, 1/4 tsp of ground nutmeg, a pinch of ground cinnamon, 30gm of butter/ marg. Preheat your oven to 200 deg C. Lightly grease a small ovenproof dish. Peel the bananas and slice each into four lengthwise. Arrange the banana slices in the prepared dish. Mix together the orange juice, demerara sugar, sherry, nutmeg and cinnamon. Spoon this mixture over the bananas. Dot the top with the butter/ marg. Bake in the preheated oven for for 12 minutes. Serve hot or cold.

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ?

Here are the answers to February's challenge: 1. Salad 4. Mocha 2. Shortening 5. Korma 3. Pastry. 6. Gluten Here is my challenge for you this month: 1. A snack food from India, consisting of a deep fied turnover filled with spiced meat or potatoes? 2. An hors d'oeuvre of sliced herring fillets filled with pickles and onions? 3. An inexact cooking term usually meaning less than 1/4 teaspoon? 4. A Chinese sauce and condiment made of soy beans, chilli, garlic and spices? 5. The part of a cereal seed that sprouts, thus forming the new plant? 6. The fruit of a tree of the ebony family, that is more or less round in shape and ranges in colour from yellow to orange?