CHEESE AND TUNA RICE

Ingredients......2 cups of uncooked rice, 1 can of tuna in springwater 425 gm ( drained and flaked), 300gm of grated tasty cheese, 1 cup of chopped celery, 1 small onion finely chopped, 1 small green capsicum chopped, 3 tbs of flour 1 and 1/2 cups of milk, 1 and 1/2 litres of boiling water, 60 gm of butter/ marg, 1 dsp of cracked black pepper, cayenne pepper to lightly sprinkle. Preheat your oven to 150 deg C. Cook the rice in the boiling water with a pinch of salt, after 10 minutes add the chopped onion, celery and capsicum. When the rice cooked, drain and rinse. Transfer to a lightly oiled ovenproof dish and keep warm in the preheated oven. Melt the butter / marg in a small saucepan add the flour, stir to combine and then stir in the milk and gradually bring to a simmer, stirring continuously. Now add the grated cheese and the cracked black pepper, continuing to stir until the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth. Add the tuna and slowly reheat, until heated through. Serve over the rice and cautiously sprinkle with cayenne pepper.

RICOTTA AND SPICY SALAMI PIZZA.

I am on a pizza bender, tonight tea will be salami and ricotta pizza. Ingredients ..... 1 pizza base (bought in ), 250 gm of grated mozarella cheese, 4 tbs of tomato paste, 10 slices of spicy salami, 1 dsp of dried oregano, 10 cherry tomatoes, 1/3 rd cup of ricotta. Preheat your oven to 200deg C. Spread the tomato paste over the base of the pizza. Sprinkle the grated cheese over the tomato paste. Top with the salami slices, cherry tomatoes and orgegano. Place the pizza in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until the cheese melts and the base becomes crispy. To serve place heaped tsps of ricotta over top of cooked pizza.

IRISH PORK CAKE (2)

Today , five days after having prepared the original Irish pork cake, I unwrapped the cake, sliced and sampled the cake. This cake is a suprise on all levels. It is a real cake , well formed, easily sliced and slightly crumbly in the mouth. This recipe is from multiple decades ago, I used ingredients that I thought would have been similiar and certainly frowned upon now a days, then baked in an oven that was not combustion. The result was still amazing . I love the recipes from long ago and the challenge to find equivalent ingredients and reproduce what was intended, never forgetting that the original recipes were made without all the 'super' electric equipment and ovens we have today.

PUMPKIN, PINE NUT AND RICOTTA PIZZA

Ingredients......1 large pizza base, 300gm pumpkin, thinly sliced, splash of olive oil, 20gm of pine nuts, 4 tbs of tomato paste, handful of fresh sage leaves (roughly chopped), 300 gm of grated mozarella cheese, 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese, Italian herb mix. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Place the sliced pumpkin on a roasting tray, drizzle with the olive oil, season with Italian herb mix and roast in the preheated oven until tender. Remove from the oven and toss with the chopped sage, set aside. Now increase to heat of your oven to 220 deg C. Add the pine nuts to the pumpkin mix. Spread the pizza base with the tomato paste then sprinkle over the grated cheese to evenly cover the base , top with pumpkin, sage and pine nuts. Place the pizza in the now higher heated oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and crispy. Remove from the oven, now top with heaped tsps of ricotta cheese. Slice to serve, enjoy.