GNOCCHI WITH SAGE AND PINE NUTS

Ingredients ....2 redonions , roughly chopped, 600gm of 'all rounder' potatoes, 1 tbs of minced garlic, oil for drizzling, 90 gm of quinoa flour, 1 egg, 100gm of finely grated cheese, 1/2 tsp of ground nutmeg, 6 tbs of butter/ marg, 1/3 cup of sage leaves, handful of pine nuts,1 dsp of fennel seeds. This dish was a staple at Castle Garden and is often requested when we all get together. Preheat your oven to 160 deg C. Grease and line a baking tray. Wash and peel the potatoes, then boil in lightly salted water. Drain and leave to cool, then mash and set aside. Drizzle a frypan with the oil, sprinkle with cracked black pepper, add the minced garlic and chopped onion. Cook over a medium heat until the onions are softened and starting to colour. Combine the mashed potato with the onion mixture in a large bowl and add the quinoa flour, lightly beaten egg, Parmesan and nutmeg. Mix with your hands until well combined. Now form the dough into tbs balls. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Drop 4 pieces of gnocchi at a time into the water, lower the temperature and simmer until the gnocchi rises to the surface. Remove with a slotted spoonand keep warm on the prepared oven tray in the preheated oven to keep warm whuile you cook the rest of the gnocchi in batches. When the gnoccci are cooked , prepare the sage butter/ marg. Melt the butter/ marg (in the pan you cooked the onions) over a medium heat, add the sage leaves and a dsp of fennel seeds. Cook for 3 minutes until the sage leaves start to wilt. To serve ... place the gnocchi on serving plates, pour the sage butter/ marg over the top and sprinkle with pine nuts.. Delicious....

IT’S JUST THE BEST PASTA EVER…( AND GLUTEN FREE).

Ingredients......250gm of gluten free cornflour, 140gm of potato flour, 300gm of fine polenta, 3 eggs beaten, 11 egg yolks beaten ( keeping the egg whites aside for another dish ) , 185ml of soda water,(not an ingredient) an old fashioned clothes horse. The trick to making this pasta is ...you have to knead it firmly and have patience , it does work. Mix the flours and polenta into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the beaten eggs , using your hands to work them into the flour. Now make another well and add the egg yolks and work them into the mixture, adding a little soda water ( 2 tbs at a time ), until the mixture comes together to form a firm elastic mixture. Place the dough on a long sheet of baking paper, lightly dusted with a little extra fine polenta. Knead the dough with the heel of your hand firmly for 3 minutes. Shape the dough into a log and divide into 5 portions. Cover the portions loosely with cling wrap. Place one portion of the dough on the floured baking paper , lightly sprinkle your rolling pin and gently roll out the pasta dough to 3mm thick. Set aside and repeat this process with the remaining dough portions. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough lengthwise into 1 cm wide strips , or your desired width. Drape the the prepared dough lengths over the 'clothes horse'. Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted simmering water with a few drops of olive oil, until el dente, in batches ( do not overcrowd your pot). Drain and serve with your favourite pasta sauce. This is how I would teach you to make pasta, just as I was taught. This is my gift to you. But the world has changed and I know your kitchens are full of all the electric mixers, yes you can use my recipe to prepare this amazing pasta with your wizz bang machines. A morning or afternoon preparing pasta with your hands is envigorating and heart felt..remembering how pasta has been hand made for centuries. Enjoy.

AVOCADO DIP

Ingredients.....250gm tub of cream cheese, 1 avocado (peeled, stoned and mushed), 1 tbs of lemon juice, 1 dsp of minced garlic. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Spoon into a serving bowl and serve with chicken wings, corn chips or crisp raw vegetables. Always on the table at a start to an occasion.

POTATO AND CREAM CHEESE FRITTER

Ingredients....250 gm of potatoes ( all rounder), 60 gm of cream cheese, 2 eggs (separated ), 1/2 tsp of mustard powder,1/2 tsp of cracked black pepper, canola oil for cooking. Preheat your oven to 160 deg C. Peel the potatoes, grate them coasely and transfer them to a bowl. Cover with cold water and soak for 15 minutes. Drain and pat dry on paper towelling. Mix the cream cheese and egg yolks together until smooth , then season with cracked pepper and mustard powder. Whisk the egg whites in a medium bowl until stiff peaks form. Carefully fold the egg whites into the egg yolk and cream cheese mixture. now fold in the grated potato mixture. Heat 2 tbs of canola oil in a large pan over a med/ high heat. Spoon 1 tbs of the mixture into the heated pan, you should be able to fry four fritters at a time, but make sure the fritters are spaced apart. Flatten each fritter lightly with the bak of a spoon to flatten slightly. Fry for 3 minutes or until crisp and golden, turning once. drain on crumpled paper towelling and the transfer to the preheated oven to keep crisp and warm. Repeat with the remaining mixture. These fritters are amazing , serve them as a side dish to your beef/ pork / lamb or fish. I like to serve them at breakfast with bacon and eggs.

ETON MESS

Ingredients......4-6 ready made meringues, 250 gm of strawberries, 1 dsp of cator sugar, 250 ml of cream. This is such a simple dessert to prepare, break the meringues into pieces. Slice the strawberries into quarters and put them into a bowl with the sugar. Using the back of a spoon , squash the strawberries slightly so they become juicy. Whip the cream with your electric beaters until peaks hold. Gently mix everything together and sppon in between 4 dessert glasses. I often prepare this dish with the addition of 6 broken chocolate ripple biscuits and or 1 packet of lime jelly ( set and broken into pieces), if you are adding these ingredients increase the cream to be thickened to 750ml. I encourage you to make the dishes you serve your own.

PORK CHOPS WITH APPLE AND CIDER

Ingredients......1 tbs of canola oil, 2 onions peeled and sliced, 2 Golden Deliciuos apples, cored and sliced into wedges, 1 dsp of castor sugar, 1 dsp of butter/marg, 1 dsp of milk, 4 thick cut pork chops( snipped around the edges), 80 ml of apple cider, 80 ml of cream. Heat the oil in a large frypan, add the sliced onions until soft and beginning to brown, tip the onion out onto a plate and set aside. Add the apple wedges to the pan and fry them for a minute , do not them soften to a point of breaking up. Add the sugar and and butter/ marg and shake the pan until the apples start to caramalise, then transfer the apples to the onions. Put the pork chops in the frypan and fry them for 3 minutes on each side. Return the onion and apples to the pan and heat them up, now add the cider and bring to a simmer. Once the liquid is bubbling stir through the cream and shake the pan to mix everything together. let it simmer for a further minute, season with cracked black pepper and serve with a green leaf salad and or a vegetable of your choice.

GRILLED EGGPLANT WITH RICOTTA AND TOMATO

Ingredients.....2 egg plants( aubergines) sliced into rounds, 80 ml of olive / canola oil, 500gm of cherry tomatoes halved, 2 tbs of minced garlic, a few small basil leaves, 125 gm of ricotta cheese, 1 dsp of capers drained. Heat your griller to high, brush the eggplant slices with some of the oil on both sides. Grill the eggplant slices on both sides until they are brown. Now lay them in a large oven tray, one that fits under your griller. Heat the remaining oil in a large pan, tip in the cherry tomatoes and minced garlic. Fry until the tomatoes soften, finally adding the capers for 1 minute to incorporate. Spoon the tomato mixture over the eggplants and spoon the ricotta in dobs on top. Place the oven tray under the the preheated grill until the ricotta starts to bubble. Scatter the basil leaves on top to serve.

CRÈME CARAMEL

Ingredients....100gm castor sugar (for the caramel), 650ml of milk, 1 tsp of vanilla paste (with seeds), 125gm of castor sugar, 3 beaten eggs, 3 egg yolks. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. You will also need six 125 ml ( 1/2 cup )ramekins. So let's get strated....to make the caramel, put the sugar in a small saucepan and heat over a mediu, heat until the sugar dissolves and starts to caramelise, tip the saucepan from side to side as the sugar cooks to keep the colour even. Remove the saucepan from the heat and slowly / carefully add 2 tbs of water to stop the cooking proces. Pour, dividing the caramel between the 6 ramekins and set aside to cool. Now place the milk and vanill paste in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over a low heat. Mix together the sugar , eggs and egg yolks. Pour the milk mixture into the egg mixture and stir well. Ladle the mixture into the ramekins and place the ramekins into a roasting pan. pour enough hot water into the the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins . Cook for 40 minutes or until firm to the touch. Remove the ramekins from the pan and leave sit for 15 minutes. Unmould onto serving dishes and pour on any leftover caramel.

PUFF PASTRY LEMON CURD GALETTE

This is a very simple dessert/ sweet to prepare with all the ingredients in your pantry / freezer. Ingredients.......150gm ( 1/2 cup ) of lemon curd, 2 eggs lightly beaten, 120gm ( 1 and 1/2 cups) of almond meal, 2 sheets of puff pastry, a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar. Preheat your oven to 220 deg C. In a bowl , mix together the lemon curd, the lightly beaten eggs and the ground almonds. Place one sheet of puff pastry onto a sheet of baking paper and trim to the shape of the loose based tart base ( 20cm / 8"). Now spoon the lemon curd mixture over the the pastry leaving a border to join the the two pasrty sheets together , easily. Now trim the second pastry sheet to fit over the mixture filled pastry sheet. Join the edges of the two sheets with water and pressing them together all round. Brush the whole surface of the galette with the beaten egg yolk and use the tip of a sharp knife to make a criss cross pattern on top. Lightly sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until risen and golden. Can be served warm or cold with thickened cream. This is a simple and delicious galette.

CHOCOLATE CROISSANT PUDDING

Ingredients.......4 croissants (torn into pieces), 125 gm of dark chocolate melts, 4 eggs lightly beaten, 5 tbs of castor sugar, 250ml of milk, 250 ml of cream, 1 tbs of grated orange rind, 4 tbs of orange juice, 2 tbs of roughly chopped hazelnuts ( optional ), cream to serve. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Grease the base and side of a 20cm /8"cake pan and line the base with baking paper( allowing some of the baking paper to come up around the pan to allow for easy removal. Place the torn croissant pieces into the pan and scatter over 100gm of the chocolate melts. Beat the eggs and sugar together until pale and creamy. Heat the milk, cream and the remaining 25gm of dark chocolate melts in a saucepan until simmering, stir to melt the chocolate pieces, now remove from heat. When cooled slightly, gradually add to the egg mixture, stirring constantly. Now stir in the orange zest and juice. Slowly pour the mixture over the croissants, allowing the liquid to be fully absorbed. Finally sprinkle the chopped hazelnuts over the topand bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan and carefully remove to a serving plate ( using the extended baking paper for ease of removal . Slice and serve with whipped cream.