RISI e BISI

This is a simple and very tasty Italian dish, a mix of cooked rice , pancetta and peas in a small amount of thick stock and sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese . Melt 25gm of butter / marg and 1 tbs of rice bran oil together in a pan . Add 3 chopped rashers of pancetta , 1 tbs of minced garlic and 1 onion peeled and chopped . Gently fry till until the onion has softened . Add 1/2 tsp of castor sugar , 1 dsp of lemon juice and 1 dsp of dried marjoram . Now pour in 1300ml of vegetable stock into a large pot and add the contents of the pan . Add 200gm of short grain rice and cook uncovered for 20 minutes . At the end of cooking time stir in 200gm of frozen peas . When the peas have defrosted and the rice is cooked , stir through 3 tbs of chopped mixed herbs and grated Parmesan . Season with salt and pepper . Serve with fine strips of orange rind .

CAWL

Cawl is a basic country soup made of available meat and vegetables cooked togetherin a large pot or slow cooker . You will need to visit your local butcher and order 700 gm of the scrag end of lamb . Put the lamb in a large saucepan , cover with cold water and bring to the boil . Add a generous pinch of salt . Simmer for 90 minutes and allow to cool . Cover and refrigerate overnight . Skim the fat off the surface of the lamb liquid . return the pot to the heat and bring back to a simmer . Add 2 large onions peeled and thinly sliced , 3 large potatoes peled and cut cubes , 2 parsnips peeled and cut into chunks , 1 celeriac peeled and cut into chunks , 3 carrots cut into chunks ,2 leeks ( white part only ) trimmed and sliced . cover and cook for 20 minutes , stirring occasionally . Season with cracked pepper and coarse salt . Remove the lamb with a slotted spoon and cool . Remove the meat and any grizzle from the bones , then return the lamb meat to the pot . Stir through 4 tbs of chopped parsley . Serve with crusty bread .

BLACK RICE PUDDING

Rinse 250 gm of black rice with 75 gm of short grain white rice under running water . Soak overnight in 5 cups of water and drain before using . Next day combine 750 ml of water with both types of rice and 4 tbs of pomeranite ariels in a pan. Simmer over a medium heat for about 40 minutes , adding more water if necessary . Now add 6 tbs of maple syrup and continue to cook until most of the liquid has evaporated . Sprinkle with a little of salt , remove from heat and leave to cool . Serve at room temperature topped with a pouring of well mixed coconut cream . This can also be served up as a mid afternoon snack . I love this .....a sweet risotto .

THE FRONT MANOR ROSE GARDEN

THE MANOR ROSE GARDEN

For the last 8 weeks I have been anxiously awaiting the opening of the rose buds . My mission is to name all the roses . It is not all that easy , first you have to identify the rose bush , the leaves , the growth pattern ..... 1.Wild roses . 2. Gallica roses . 3.Damask roses. 4.Alba roses 5. Hybrib roses 6. Rugosa roses 7.Tea roses 8.Climbing roses 9. Floribunda roses I have most of these roses in The Manor garden , but there are so many more roses that are not part of The Manor garden to date .( I am always on the lookout ).

GRANNY’S SWEET POTATO PIE

My eldest son Marc arrived at my door with a pie in hand . Food is alot of things to different people .. Marc and his partner Tasha had prepared a sweet potato pie . Marc's Granny made this pie and it was Marc's favourite as a child . Preheat your oven to 160 deg c . Use a 23 cm ( 9") shortcrust pastry flan . Prick the flan all over with a skewer and bake the flan till it is lightly golden , remove . Increase the ovn heat to 180 deg C . Boil 2 medium sweet potatoes ( peeled and cubed )until tender . Drain and mash , measure out 2 cups of sweet potato , now mix in 3/4 cup of light brown sugar , 1 dsp of ground cinnamon ,1 tsp of ground ginger ,1/4 tsp of salt ,1/2 tsp of allspice , 2 tbs of butter/ marg, cook for 5 minutes mixing well to combine. . Use a stick blender to make a smooth mixture and allow to cool . In a separate bowl add 1/2 cup of evaporated milk plus 2 tbs ,3 eggs lightly beaten, 1/3rd cup of castor sugar ,1 tsp of vanilla extract and stir until smooth and evenly combined . Pour the egg mixture into the warm sweet potato and mix until smooth . Pour into the pie crust . Bake for 10 minutes on 180 deg C and then reduce to 160 deg C and bake for 50 minutes . Remove from the oven and cool completley. You can serve with whipped cream . Thank you Marc and Tash , Granny would love that you remembered .

GLAZED FRUIT FLAN

I used a 23cm (9 ") shortcrust flan , which I pierced and blind baked in a medium heated oven (160 deg C) till golden . Then I arranged 500 gm of fresh strawberries over the base of the pastry case . Now combine 185 gm of castor sugar in a saucepan along with 2 tbs of cornflour , 2 tbs of corn syruop and 1 cup of water . Bring this mix to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes . Stir in 2 tbs of strawberry jelly crystals , cool slightly , then pour the glaze over the strawberries and chill in the refrigerator to set .

FRIENDSHIP BREAD (1 )

The sourdough bread starter has been divided and shared with friends . I kept one starter for myself and made the basic cinnamon bread . Preheat your oven to 160 deg C . I added 3 lightly beaten eggs to the 10 day starter along with 1 cup of canola oil , 1 cup of castor sugar ,1 cup of whole milk , 1 dsp of ground cinnamon ,1/2 tsp of vanilla extract , 1 ans 1/2 tsp of baking powder , 1/2 tsp of baking soda , 1/2 tsp of salt , 2 cups of flour and finally 100gm of vanilla instant pudding ( dry mix only ). Beat together until smooth , at this stage I used my electric mixer . Divide the batter between 2 large loaf pans that have been well greased . Bake on the middle rack for 1 hour . Cool on a wire rack and then remove bread from the pans . Today I am preparing a new batch of sourdough starter and my next bread I will make is going to be double chocolate friendship bread .

SEAFOOD ROLLS

This is what we prepared in class on our return to Churchill Neighbouhood Centre . Peel and thinly slice 1 onion . Place onion in a liberally sprayed medium pan , cook over a medium heat till the onion softens . Chop 2 tbs of sliced olives and add to the onions in the pan . Add 1 tbs of minced garlic and 1 tomato cut into cubes . Add 1/4 cup of lemon juice . Slice your 4 fillets of skinless white fish into cubes . Add the fih to the pan and sprinkle over 1 dsp of dried dill . continue to cook and stir until the fish turns white and the liquid reduces . Now separate the defrosted sheets of spring roll pastry . It's your choice how you want to serve them . If you want to serve them as a main course use 2 sheets of pastry with 3 tbs of the fish mix and enclose as you would a parcel . As an entree use 1 sheet and 1 and 1/2 dsp of filling and wrap in a log roll . Seal the pastry edges with water . Heat a pan over a medium heat with a liberal glug of oil .. Place the parcels /rolls in the oil and cook till both sides of the wraps are golden .

DAY 10 OF THE SOURDOUGH STARTER FOR FRIENDSHIP BREAD

It was day 10 on Tuesday 19th . I poured the entire contents of the starter bag into a large non metal bowl and added 1 and 1/2 cups each of flour , castor sugar and whole milk . Mix with a wooden spoon until combined and smooth . I then measured out 4 separate batches of starter ( 1 cup each ), and placed each starter into individual large ziplock bags .. I am now ready to share the starter bags with my friends , to continue with making the sourdough to share or making the friendship bread . I am dropping one off to my sons partner Tiana and a family friend Vida who is celebrating a birthday on the 21 st . I will make bread with 1 starter and will freeze one to make bread at a later date . The 4 th bag will begin the 10 day cycle .

LEMON CHEESECAKE

Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Combine 125 gm of plain sweet biscuits that have been crushed or processed to a crumb with 80 gm of butter / marg . Press this mixture into the base and a little way up the sides of a 20cm springform pan . Refrigerate for 20 minutes. Place 250 gm of cream cheese in a bowl and beat it till it is smooth , add the tin of condensed milk , 1/4 cup of lemon juice , 1 dsp of grated lemon rind and 2 egg yolks . Beat until combined . Pour into the chilled base . Bake for 30 minutes , until just firm to the touch . Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature .( Keep the oven heated at 180 deg C ) Clean and carefully dry your beaters , now beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form now add 1/4 cup of castor sugarb in dsp increments , beating well after each addition . Now the secret to this topping ...... stop beating , remove the beaters and sprinkle 1/4 cup of sugar over the egg white mixture and fold through the mixture . Spread the mixture over the filling and bake till the meringue is lightly golden ....this wont take long , be vigilant .

FRIENDSHIP BREAD SOURDOUGH STARTER DAY 6 .

Day 6 of the 10 day process , I added 1 cup of sugar to the bag along with 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of milk . I squashed and squished bag and the mix is bubbling away happily . 4 days to go.

CNC COOKING CLASSES RESUME NEXT WEEK

Cooking classes are back at Churchill Neighbourhood Centre as of Tuesday 19th october . I have been looking forward to getting back in the kitchen with everyone . To celebrate our return to the kitchen we will be preparing fish parcels and a lemon cheesecake . Then with the weeks we have left ,I will focus on Christmas preparations . See you all at 10 am Tuesday..

SEAFOOD LAYERED WITH SPINACH IN PLACE OF LASAGNE SHEETS .

Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Heat 3 tbs of rice bran oil over a medium heat add 1 chopped onion. Cook until tender . Stir in 1 can of diced tomatoes with 3 tbs of tomato paste , bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer and the sauce reduces and thickens a little . Season with a little chilli, cracked pepper and ground dill . Stir in 800 gm of seafood mix , cover and cook for 4 minutes . Grease an oven proof dish and spoon 1/3 rd of the seafood sauce over the base of the dish , top with a thick layer of fresh spinach leaves . Repeat layers , ending with a layer of the seafood sauce . Sprinkle liberally with mozarella cheese . Bake for 40 minutes.

THE FRIENDSHIP BREAD SOURDOUGH STARTER ..DAY 2

The starter is laying on my dining table and bubbling away nicely after a few squashes today.

A LOVE STORY OF THE BASICS

A TOMATO MEAT SAUCE ... The faster a sauce is cooked , the fresher and and brighter the flavour . Always use a large pan that will allow the extra liquid to evaporate quickley . Take your time dicing the pancetta , chopping the onion and spooning out the minced garlic . heat the oil in the pan over a medium heat and cook the pancetta until the fat turns to liquid and separates from the meat . Crumble the mince mixture of veal and pork into the pan . Add 2 cans of whole tomatoes , crushing the tomatoes with the side of your spatula , a little oregano , a drizzle of honey , coarse salt ( in place of salt mash an anchovie ) and cracked pepper , along with a tbs of tomato paste . Let it cook down . Now your kitchen will be filling with a sweet , fragrant smell . This is when you add fresh slivered basil , once the sauce is thickened turn of the heat . This is the sauce that led me to a love of cooking . You can replace the mince with fillets of fish , chicken fillets , seafood mix . It is acceptable to add dry white wine , capsicum and chilli . With this recipe you can expect a sauce that is complex , flavourful and straight forward .

PREPARING A BATCH OF STARTER FOR FRIENDSHIP BREAD...... DAY 1 to Day 6

Do not use any metal bowls or spoons when mixing . Do not refrigerate the starter . If air gets into the bag , let it out . It is normal for the starter to rise , bubble and ferment . Preparing the starter ...DAY 1 In a small bowl , combine 1/4 cup of warm water and 2 and 1/4 tsp of instant yeast .Set this aside to until bubbly , 5-10 minutes . In a medium non metal bowl mix together 1 cup of all purpose flour and 1 cup of granulated white sugar . Stir in 1 cup of full fat milk and the yeast mixture . Cover loosely and leave on the kitchen bench until bubbly . Place the starter in a large ziplock bag . Seal the bag and squish and squash until well combined . Let stand at room temperature overnight ....this is day 1 of a 10 day procedure to create your own friendship bread starter . So from today till day 6, just repeat the squish and squash of the bag and you can store the bag in the pantry or cupboard , or just leave on the bench. Do not refrigerate .Expel any air if it gets in the bag .

WARATAH FLOWER CAKE

Want to impress everybody .... ? This is so simple , you will need a pudding bowl as the cake pan and 1 packet of buttercake mix along with 3 packets of raspberry lollies . Preheat your oven to 160 deg C . Grease a pudding bowl . Prepare the cake to packet directions . Once the cake is baked , turn out onto a wire rack to cool . Now make up a simple icing mixture using icing sugar , a little butter and a dsp of milk and a couple of drops of red food colouring . Now spread this over the cake . Place the raspberry lollies around the cake , start from the base and work your way up . I used snow peas for the leaves , placing them around the base of the cake , the warratah flower . I am seriously thinking of remaking this cake with dried fruit and presenting it as my Xmas cake. Im not a fan of royal icing and this will make a great centre piece. It is of a medium size , just right for small serves .

ROAST RACK OF LAMB

Preheat your oven to 120 deg C. All I did was place fresh rosemary branches in a roasting pan and drizzled them with a little oil . Then I placed 2 racks of lamb up right on the rosemary branches . Sprinkled the lamb with dried rosemary and coarse salt . Place in the preheated oven for 40 minutes , then remove and add the par fried potatoes , pumpkin and onions around the lamb racks on the rosemary branches . Dob the vegies with an anchovie , lemon and parsley butter . Increase the oven temp to 200 deg C . Continue to roast in the increased heat for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender when skewered and crispy outside .

RICE BUBBLE SLICE

Forget about the kids this is definately for adults as well . Grease a medium sized slice pan ( 27 cm x 17 cm ) and line with baking paper , hanging over the two long sides . melt 125 gm of butter / marg in a small saucepan . Add 1 cup of brown sugar and 1 and 1/2 cups of chopped date ( or 1 cup of date paste ) . Stir well and bring to the boil , reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add 3 cups of rice bubbles and stir to combine .(I have used museli and super seed clusters and the recipe works just as well ) Spread into the pan and press to smooth with the back of a spoon . Refrigerate till set . Remove from the pan and slice into squares . Delicious ...enjoy !

ANOTHER TWO ROSES OPENED

There are so many roses in bud , today June Park made her appearance along with Just Joey. In difficult and unsure times, my garden and rose garden are giving me so much pleasure .

A VERY WINDY DAY AT THE MANOR

What a day .. it was non stop gusty winds . The roses were being thrust right and left but they never gave up their buds . The ever flowering crucifix orchid looks so fragile but never falters regardless of conditions . Amazingly there are still some blossoms left on the quince tree after all the wind . The fig tree is already in baby fruit . I think I'll be able to add to the opened roses list tomorrow .

SMOKED SALMON RISOTTO

Heat 2 tbs of rice bran oil in a frypan and heat over a medium heat . Add 2 chopped onions , 1 tbs of minced garlic and 1/2 tsp of ground turmeric . Cook until the onions soften . Add 320 gm of short grain rice and 1 red capsicum trimmed and chopped , stir through . Add 750 ml of fish stock and continue stirring until rice is tendr and the liquid is absorbed . Stir in 3 chopped spring onions , 1 tbs of fresh basil ,1 tbs of fresh chives and 10 slices of smoked salmon , cut into strips . Season with dried dill . Serve immediately .

ARANCHINI (RICE BALLS )

This is my version of aranchini , I prepare the rice balls with sweet potato (kumara). You will need 1 cup of precooked brown rice , 1 cup of sweet poato mash (puree), 125 gms of precooked chicken cut into slices . Now place the chicken pieces into your processor along with 1/2 cup of the sweet potato puree , 1/4 cup of grated cheese 1/4 cup of milk and blend until smooth . transfer the mixture to a large bowl and stir in the rice . Roll the mixture into small balls . In a shallow bowl beat 1 egg with the remaining 1/2 cup of sweet potato puree . In a separate bowl place 1 and 1/2 cups of breadcrumbs ( I used almond and tamari crumb ). Now dip the balls one at a time in the egg mixture , then roll them in the crumbs to make an even coating . Heat your fry pan over a medium heat with a few glugs of rice bran oil . Add the rice balls and cook for 5 minutes , turning occasionally and cook until browned and crisp all over ... Serve warm . First time I ever made these was on Masterchef in a Lygon Street challenge ...that one we survived and thanks to Samira's sales tactics , we raised alot of money for charity .

THE ROSES ARE IN BUD AT THE MANOR

I love gardening and roses most of all . The rose buds are swelling and slowly unfurling , it's a time of expectancy and excitement . Over the weekend I decided to catalogue my roses , which means I now have to identify the roses as they bloom . Let me tell you roses are not always easily identified , just like in cooking , not all flours are flours ! So the first project was to make a physical plan on paper of the layout of the garden beds and position of the roses ....this took a great deal of time as I need guidelines and the hard copy of my garden design looks different on paper to reality ! To date there are four roses in bloom . 1. Peace 2. Pristine 3. Pink Peace 4. Redgold Everyday will bring a new opening ....

WEET - BIX FUDGE MUFFINS

Place 125 gm of butter/ marg , 2 tbs of milk and 1 cup of castor sugar in a small saucepan . Heat over a low heat and stir until the butter / marg is melted and the sugar is dissolved . In a separate bowl crumble 7 weet-bix biscuits , 5 tbs of powdered milk , 2 tbs of cocoa and 1 cup of shredded coconut . Pour the wet mixture onto the dry mixture . mix well . Spoon into muffin pans and sprinkle with a little extra coconut . Chill in the refrigerator until set .