QUINCE JELLY

I used the last of my quince harvest to make quince jelly . I chopped 2 kg of unpeeled , uncored quinces ( 6 large quinces ), in a large saucepan with 7 cups of water . Bring this to the boil , then reduce the heat , simmer , covered , for about an hour or until the quince is soft . Strain the mixture through fine cloth over a colander ; let stand overnight . allow the liquid to drip through the cloth slowly . DO NOT SQUEEZE THE CLOTH and discard the pulp . Measure the quince liquid , allow 1 cup of castor sugar (220 gm ) for each cup of quince liquid . Place the quince liquid and sugar in a large saucepan , stir over heat without boiling, ubntil the sugar dissolves . Stir in 125ml of lemon juice , leave uncovered and slowly bring to the boil without stirring for 25 minutes or until jelly sets. Pour into hot sterilised jars and seal immediately .

SPICED QUINCE

I served this as a starter last night , it was delicious . Dissolve 1 dsp of honey in a large saucepan with 120 gm of brown sugar 750 ml of water . Add 4 quinces peeled , cored and quartered , 1 vanilla pod , cut into 4 , 1 tsp of ground cinnamon ,the zest of 1 lemon and 4 whole cloves . Cover the pot . Bring this mixture to a slow simmer and ok gently for 2 hours . Pan-fry 8 slices of pancetta until crispy then resting them on paper towelling to remove excess fat . Serve the strained quinces on a large plate in the centre of the table with the crispy pancetta slices .

QUINCE AND HONEY PIE

Peel , core and chop 1.5 kg of quinces . Place the chopped quinces in a large saucepan along with 1/2 cup of honey , 1 and 1/2 cups of water , pinch of salt . Now cover the pot and bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer till the quinces are tender . Stir once or twice very carefully to avoid breaking the fruit . Now strain off the liquid by pouring the cooked quince in a strainer , reserving the cooking liquid . Set the fruit aside to cool . preheat your oven to 160 deg C . I used a frozen uncooked pastry shell , which I pricked the surface with a skewer and then blind baked the shell in the preheated oven for 15 minutes . Using a small bowl , combine 3/4 cup of castor sugar with 1/2 tsp of cinnamon , 1/2 tsp of salt , 3 tbs of plain flour , mix well . Add this mixture to the reserved quince cooking liquid along with 3 tbs of margarine/butter in a saucepan and bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer , stirring constantly until the sauce thickens . Allow the sauce to cool . Remove the cooked shells from the oven and cool slightly , then I filled the shell with the cooled quince fruit and poured over the sauce . Continue to bake until the juices are bubbling and the crust is golden brown . Cool for 2 hours on a cooling rack then place in the refrigerator to cool completely . Serve with whipped cream and or custard .

QUINCES

I have spent the weekend chopping , peeling and cooking quinces . My tree was a gift from my son Paul 3 years ago . Last year the fruit was sparce but this year the quince fruit was in abundance . Quinces look like oversized pears and are ripe for harvesting in late summer . Quince have a tart flavour and are not eaten raw , but make for great preserves , jellies and desserts when cooked with sugar . Quince is rich in pectin and can be made into a beautiful deep pink jelly . This year I have prepared quince pies , spiced quince and quince jelly . Recipes following .

VEGETABLES WITH BROCCOLI LEMON SAUCE

Place 5 small red potatoes quartered in the steamer saucepan, cover and steam potatoes over boiling water till tender . Add 2 cups of brocoli florets and 1 large red capsicum cut into slices and continue steaming until tender . Meanwhile in a medium saucepan combine 440gm can of cream of mushroom soup ,1/2 cup of mayonnaise , 1/4 cup of sliced spring onions , 1 tbs of lemon juice and 1 tsp of thyme . Heat through , stirring occasionally . Serve poured over the vegetables , great with chicken , lamb , beef or pork .

OLIVE OIL

Sometimes the best meal requires you to forget time exists ...... Then there is olive oil , olives start to change flavour within hours of when they are picked ....after all those months of growing . That's why the best oil comes from the first press , and the very best oil is made close to its own trees .

NO CHURN HONEYCOMB AND HONEY ICE CREAM .

This is so simple , no whiz bang equipment necessary . Roughly chop 200gm of choc coated honeycomb , now add 600ml of cream and 2 x 395 gm cans of condensed milk in a bowl and stir to combine . Pour the mixtuire into a sealed container ( 2-3 litre ). Finally swirl a drizzle of honey on top and swirl through with a fork . Seal and freeze for 6 hours .

PUMPKIN AND SESAME TARTS

Combine 2 and 1/2 cups of brown rice flour and 1 cup of sesame seeds in a bowl . Mix together 1/2 cup of sesame oil with 1 and 1/2 cups of boiling water , 2 tbs of tamari and then pour into the flour mix . Knead with a dough hook for 3 minutes , then gather the dough into a ball and leave it rest for 30 minutes under a dry tea towel .no knead it again with the dough hooks on your electric beater . Now prepare your tart cases or flan pan with cookng oil spray and a light sprinkle of polenta . Now using your hands , pull small amounts of pastry from the ball and shape into the base and up the sides of your tarts or flan . Whatever dough is left over can be frozen , place the dough lined cases or flan in the fridge . Preheat your oven to 180deg C Ok, now for the filling ...Heat oil in a pan and add 1 brown onion peeled , thinly sliced and caramalise Meanwhile add 2 cups of pumpkin thinly sliced with the skin on ( japola ) and its seeds onto a baking tray along with an egg plant sliced into rounds , drizzle with oil , sprinkle with dried rosemary , and caraway seeds . Bake in your preheated oven until the vegetables are tender . While the vegies are cooking put the juice of 1 orange in a small pot wih 60ml of maple syrup and heat until the mixture reduces to a thick consistancy . In a separate bowl put 125 gm of mascarpone with 3 tbs of minced garlic the grated rind of 1 orange ( no pith ) ,2 dsp chopped fresh sage , season with cracked pepper , stir everthing together . Remove the dough shaped forms from the fridge and spread with the mascarpone mixture over the base of the dough . Cover the mascarpone with the pumpkin , eggplant and onion , then evenly drizzle over the orange cramel . Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown , scatter with resh sage leaves , leave cool for 10minutes and serve .

CHILLI GARLIC PRAWNS

Prepare 24 green prawns , removing the heads and shells , leaving the tails intact . Clean the digestive tracts and wash . Next make a paste by mixing together 6 tbs of minced garlic, 3 anchovies crushed and 1 tbs of minced chilli and 1 tbs of sesame oil . (if you dont like anchovies replace with panch phoron, Indian spice mix ) Mix together and rub the paste all over the prawns . Add 3 tbs of rice bran oil to a large pan and toss in the prawns . Cook until the prawns turn pink and lose their translucence. Turn off the heat and stir through 1 cup of Italian parsley chopped and a handful of baby spinach leaves . Season with cracked pepper and serve with lemon wedges . P.S its ok to leave the heads on , they give crunch to the prawns .

FRESH SPRING ROLLS

Place vermicelli noodles in a bowl with hot water , they will soften in a few minutes . Strain the noodles . Mix together 1/2 cup of tamari with 1/2 tsp of sesame oil , divide into individual dipping bowls , one for each person . To prepare the rolls you will need rice paper wrappers , nori sheets cut into thick slices , 2 carrots julienned , 1 Lebanese cucumber julienned ,8 spring onions diagonally sliced ,2 avocados peeled and sliced , 1 cup each of chopped parsley and coriander . To prepare the rolls , soften the rice paper wrappers individually in warm water and remove to a lightly oiled bench . Place a nori sheet slice in the centre of the rice paper , then add the pieces of the carrot , a piece of cucumber and a slice of avocado , a small amount of noodles and spring onions . Finally sprinkle with a little mint and coriander . Roll up by folding over the end closest to you , tucking in the outer edges and continue to roll. The rolls will stick together so there is no need to add water to bind them . Serve with the dipping sauce .

RHUBARB CHUTNEY

Place 1 kg of chopped rhubarb in a large pot along with 2 medium bown onions chopped, 660 gm of soft brown sugar, 240 gm of sultanas, 750 ml of apple cider vinegar, 1 tbs of mustard seeds, 1 tsp`of mixed spice and 1 dsp of minced ginger. Now bring this mix to the boil. Then reduce the heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally for about 1.5 hours when the mixture will have thickened. Pour into hot sterilised jars and seal.

SWEET FRUIT CHUTNEY

Due to Covid restrictions the cooking class was cancelled today . I used my time making use of the late season tomatoes and preparing sweet fruit chutney . I removed the pulp from 1.5 kg tomatoes and chopped them roughly . I peeled and chopped 3 onions along with 2 cooking apples . Place all ingredients in a large pot and add 750 gm of brown sugar , 1 and 1/2 cups of sultanas , 1 tbs of salt , 1 tsp of ground cloves , pinch of cayenne pepper . Then I poured over 1 litre of apple cider vinegar . I then bought this mixture to the boil , stirring continually , then I reduced the heat and simmered the mixture for 2.5 hours , stirring occasionally . At this time the mixture will have thickened . Pour into hot sterilised jars and seal .

COCONUT MACAROONS

Preheat your oven to 160 deg C. Beat together 55gm of castor sugar and 2 egg yolks until creamy. Stir in 120gm of shredded coconut Beat 1 egg white in a separate bowl with clean and dry beaters til firm peaks form . Stir the egg white into the coconut mixture . Place heaped teaspoonfuls onto a sprayed and lined baking tray Bake for 15 minutes then reduce oven heat to 120 deg C and bake for a further 15 minutes and the macaroons are golden . Cool on tray and then loosen with a spatula and remove to a wire rack to cool completely . Keep in an airtight container .

CORNFLAKE BISCUITS

Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Cream 120gm of softened marg /butter with 100gm of castor sugar until light and fluffy . Beat in 1 lightly beaten egg then 1 dsp of golden syrup . Stir 150gm of self raising flour in , followed by 60 gm of chopped walnuts and 80 gm of chopped dates . Continue to stir to form a stiff mixture . Measure out 45 gm of cornflakes and then lightly crush them into relatively smaller pieces . This recipe is great to use up slightly stale cereal or the smaller crumb usually found at the bottom of the box . Roll heaped teaspoons of the mixture in the crushed cornflakes . Place them on the prepared tray 5cm apart then flatten slightly Bake for 10- 12 minutes until golden , keep a close eye on the biscuits as they burn easily Allow to cool slightly before removing to a wire rack to cool completely .

EGGLESS STEAMED PUDDING

Grease a cup pudding basin. Bring to the boil in a medium saucepan... 250 ml of milk , 2 tbs of golden syrup , 120 gm of butter , 1/2 tsp of bicarbonate of soda, cook for 5 minutes then set aside to cool . Finally sift in 150 gm of self raising flour , then stir in 1 cup of sultanas . pour the mixture into the pudding basin . Stand the pudding basin on an upturned saucer or small plate on the bottom of a large saucepan while it is steaming , to lift the pudding basin off the direct heat . Serve warm or cold with whipped cream or custard .

APRICOT SLICE

Preheatyour oven to 180 deg C. Line a slice pan ( 30x 20 cm )with baking paper , leaving a few centimetres overhanging on the long sides. combine 225 gm of self raising flour with 110 gm of castor sugar in a alrge bowl . using your fingertips rub in 115gm of chopped butter . make a well in the centre and add 1 lightly beaten egg stirring with a butter knife and then use your hands to form a soft dough . Press the dough into the prepared pan , using the back of a spoon and spread with 225 gm apricot jam . Finally prepare the topping by whisking together 75 gm of castor sugar with 1 lightly beaten egg then stir through 90 gm of desiccated coconut . Scatter the topping over the jam . Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes or until golden . Slice into squares when cooled .

PASTA E FAGIOLI..ITALIAN BEAN AND PASTA SOUP

Pour 3 tbs of cooking oil into a large saucepan . Add 3 cups of diced potatoes and 1 onion , finely chopped and saute on a medium heat until browned , stirring frequently . once the potatoes and onion are cooked , add 3tbs of tomatoe paste to thicken the ingredients . Next pour in 2 litre of chicken stock add chilli flakes and pepper to taste . Now stir in 400 gm can of four bean mix (drained ). Bring the ingredients to the boil and add 1 cup of fusilli pasta , continue to cook until the pasta has softened, stirring occasionally , so the pasta doesn't stick . Finally stir through 1 cup of chopped parsley ,add a little truffle oil if you have it and serve in warm bowls with a little shredded parmesan on top. This soup tastes even better the next day .

SEMI DRIED TOMATOES

Preheat your oven to 160 deg C Slice enough cherry tomatoes to fill an oven tray . Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and sprinkle with salt , minced garlic and dried oregano . Now spread the tomatoes out on the oven tray lined with baking paper . Place in the preheated oven and allow to semi dry out , the cherry tomatoes should be still plump and the skins a little wrinkly . Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly , place in a container and scatter with dried parsley and cover with olive oil .

CALABRESE PROVERB

E megliu nu pezze e pane cu cipuli a casa tua ca storzi a la casa e l'attri. " Better bread and onion in your own home than great feasts in the homes of others "

FRIED EGGPLANT WITH YOGHURT MINT SAUCE

Prepare the yoghurt mint sauce the day before This is very simple , mix together 1 cup of greek yoghurt , 1tbs of olive oil , 1 tbs of lemon juice , 1/4 tsp of chopped mint ,1/4 cup of red onion chopped and seasoned to taste with cracked pepper and salt . Mix all ingredients together and leave in fridge overnight , this is great on baked vegetables , mets and salads . To prepare the fried eggplant , slice eggplants lengthways and shallow fry in a large frypan with rice bran oil . Once browned remove from pan ace on paper towels to absorb excess oil . Dust eggplant slices lightly with salt and apple cidar vinegar and serve with the mint yoghurt sauce. Delicious .

PAUL’S EASY CHICKEN SCHNITZEL

You will need 4 chicken thigh fillets , trim any pieces of fat and then pound them with a meat mallet into a nice size for cooking , set aside . Beat 2 eggs together in a bowl and sprinkle 1/2 cup of flour mixed with a dsp of dried rosemary and 2 cups of breadcrumbs on separate plates . Coat the chicken in the flour then dip into the beaten egg mixture and finally cover in breadcrumbs, shaking off any excess . Heat a large frypan over a medium heat with enough rice bran oil to shallow fry the schnitzels . Cook on one side to until browned , turn over and cook on the other side , when peirced with a skewer the juice should run clear indicating they are cooked through . Serve with mashed poatoes or chips , lemon wedges and a baby leaf salad .

MEAT FREE MEATBALLS

Let's begin with the sauce , heat 3 tbs of oil in a saucepan add 1 diced onion and cook till the onion is tender , now add 1 tbs of minced garlic , 800 gm tin of dicd tomatoes , 1/4 cup of dried basil . Season with salt and pepper and chilli flakes . Bring this to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes then pour in a cup of warm water or vegetable stock and stir through , continue to simmer . To prepare your meatless meatballs .....place 200gm of stale crustless bread in your food processor along with 250 gm of hard cheese , grated parmesan or pecorino will do , 1 dsp of minced garlic , 1/4 cup of dried parsley ......process until you have coarse crumbs . Empty the crumb mix into a large bowl and add 5 lightly beaten eggs , stirring together . The mixture should be firm enough to form small balls . Carefully place the balls into the sauce , simmer the balls on a low heat for 15 minutes , carefully turning them over to heat through , you can add more water ? vegetable stock if the sauce over thickens . To serve spoon sauce into warm serving bowls and add meatballs on top , sprinkling with grated parmesan and parsley . So simple and delicious .

CHICKEN LIVERS WITH SUMAC AND CURRANTS .

Combine the juice of 1 lemon , 1 tbs of red wine vinegar with 4 tbs of sumac add 1 red onion halved and sliced lengthways , 180 gm of baby salad leaf mix , 2 slices of toasted bread buttered with garlic and cut into cubes . Stir well to mix and drizzle will 60 ml of olive oil . Place 3 tbs of currants in a small saucepan and cover with red wine vinegar, bring to the boil and drain . Soak 400 gm of chicken livers ( trimmed ) in milk for 30 minutes , then drain . Heat a frypan with 60 ml of rice bran oil and add the drained chicken livers along with 2 tbs of dried oregano cook for 1 minute on each side add a little extra lemon juice Now pour the currants and the liver mixture over the salad . Toss to combine and serve immediately .

FIGS , PROSCIUTTO AND FETA SALAD

It won't be long before the figs start ripening on our trees , this salad is a favourite on The Manor table , figs with prosciutto and crumbled feta. The fresh sharp flavour of Greek feta is a perfect match to the saltiness of prosciutto and the sweetness of figs . This salad can be served as a starter for formal dinners on individual plates or on a platter in the middle of the table for a casual meal allowing people to help themselves . Arrange 8 slices of prosciutto over a large platter . Scatter with baby salad leaves and torn mint leaves., then place another 8 slices of prosciutto over the salad and mint leaves . Top with thick slices of fresh figs ( 7) and crumbled greek feta ( 120 gm )season with cracked black pepper . In a separate bowl mix together 3 tbs of red wine vinegar with 125 ml of virgin olive oil mix until well combined . Drizzle the dressing over the salad . Serve with crusty bread .

CAPONATA

Preheat your oven to 180 deg c Slice 2 large red capsicums , 2 large eggplants cut into 2 cm pieces ,2 onions sliced , 12 cherry tomatoes sliced in half. Place the vegetables in an oiled roasting dish. Mix through 2 cups of sliced black olives , 2 tbs of capers ,4 tbs of minced garlic ,1 tbs of dried oregano and 2 tbs of dried parsley . In a separate bowl add the juice of 1 lemon , 2 tbs of castor sugar ,100 ml of dry white wine and 200gm of crushed and peeled tomatoes , mix together and pour over the vegetable mix in the roasting pan . Cover the roasting pan and bake for 35 minutes or until the eggplant has softened . Cool slightly and season to taste with cracked black pepper .

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MACARONS AND MACAROONS .

The difference between macaroons and macarons is in their main ingredient . Macarons main ingredient is almond meal , whereas the main ingredient in macaroons is shredded coconut . Coconut macaroons are made from shredded coconut mixed and held together by egg whites and castor sugar .