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......900gm 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 220deg 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, 225gm of onions, peeled and thinly sliced, 3 tbs of minced garlic, 450gm of tomatoes, thinly sliced, 1 tbs of dried tarragon, 225gm 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, 100gm of grated tasty cheese, 125gm 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.

PORK CHOPS WITH A GRANNY SMITH MASH AND ONION CONFIT

Ingredients.......75gm of butter/ marg, 2 tbs of rice bran oil / canola oil, 450gm of onions, thinly sliced, 250gm of Granny smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped, 750gm of potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks, 4 pork chops, cracked black pepper. Preheat your oven to 200deg C. Melt 25gm of the butter/ marg and 1 tbs of oil in a small saucepan over a high heat. When the butter/ marg foams, add the sliced onions. Cook over a medium heat, stirring occasionally until the onions are a deep golden brown. Remove the onions from the heat and keep warm. Place the chopped apple in an ovenproof dish with 1 tbs of water. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until just tender. Remove from the oven and set aside. Meanwhile boil the chopped potatoes in salted boiling water until tender. Drain well and mash with the remaining butter/ marg. Season with cracked black pepper and fold the potatoes into the apples. Keep warm. Use a sharp knife to score the skin of the chops and season to taste with cracked black pepper. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in an ovenproof pan, add the chops and cook for 1 minute on each side to seal. Now place the pan in the preheated oven and continue to cook for 8 mintes. remove from the oven and let stand for 2 minutes. Divide the granny Smith mash between warmed plates and top each portion with a chop and spoon over the onion confit. This is delicious!

CHOCOLATE AND ALMOND TORTE

Ingredients.......250gm of 70% cocoa chocolate, broken into pieces, 250gm of butter/ marg, chopped, 6 eggs separated, 125gm of castor sugar, 50gm of almond meal. Preheat your oven to 190 deg C. Lightly grease a 23cm springform cake pan (I also use a baking paper liner, but it is not essential). Melt the chocolate and butter/ marg in a small saucepan over a low heat. Stir until combined then remove from the heat and leave to cool. Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy. In a separate clean and dry bowl place the egg whites and whisk until they form stiff peaks. Now, gradually pour the cooled and melted chocolate into the egg mixture, stirring constantly. Using a large spoon fold in the almond meal, followed by the egg whites until they are just combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes. The torte will be moist and soft in the middle but do not cook it any longer. Remove the torte from the oven and leave in the pan to cool completely before removing the springform sides. Serve with ice cream or a dollop of creme fraiche.