RECIPE FOR FRIENDSHIP

Ingredients. 1/4 cup of kindness 2/3 cup of compassion 1 tsp of speaking your mind 2 tbs of listening 3 cups of laughter A large amount of trust Now all you have to do is... Blend in a good measure of honesty Crack a joke or two to taste Sift the truth from a mixed bag of gossip and rumour Mix well but do not stir Sweeten with compliments Thoroughly warm with good will Give out generous portions Serve with smiles. (Author unknown...)

SOLDIERS AND EGGS .

Ingredients....2 eggs (per person), 2 slices of bread. As parents / grandparents we have all made mashed eggs with soldiers for our young family members. Soldiers and hard boiled eggs are a great start to our day. Boil your eggs for 8 minutes. Toast your sliced bread to a golden colour and spread liberally with butter/ marg. Slice into thin strips. Use a sharp knife to remove the top off your eggs and place in an egg cup. Serve the soldiers along side the boiled eggs in egg cups. Dress with cracked black pepper and or salt if you desire.

3 INGREDIENT FRUIT CAKE.

Ingredients......1 kg of dried sultanas/ mixed fruit, 600ml of flavoured milk,, 2 cups of self raising flour. Place 1 kg of dried fruit/ sultanas in a large bowl with 600ml of flavoured milk. The flavour is up to you, I have made this cake with strawberry milk, chocolate milk, mocha milk and salted caramel milk ( they are all delicious). Pour the milk over the fruit and leave to soak for 8 hours plus in the refrigerator. When you are ready to bake, remove the bowl from the refrigerator and leave it to reach room temperature. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Spray and line a 22cm cake pan/ or spray 3 date loaf pans and line the loaf pan lids with baking paper. Using a wooden spoon, mix through 2 cups of self raising flour into the fruit mixture. pour the cake batter into the prepared pan / pans. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 90 minutes if using the cake pan or 65 minutes if using the loaf pans ....( cake/ rolls will be done when a skewer inserted comes out clean).

MOROCCAN CINNAMON BISCUITS (v)

Ingredients......600gm of plain flour, 260gm of extra virgin olive oil, 300gm of castor sugar, 3 lemon rinds finely grated, ground cinnamon for dusting. Preheat your oven to 170 deg C. Line 2 oven trays with baking paper. Place the flour in a bowl and make a centre in the middle and add all the other ingredients. Combine to form a smooth dough. Turn the dough out onto a bench, shape into a disc about 1.25cm thick. Cut out shapes with a 5cm cutter. Use a spatula to move and space them out onto the lined oven trays. Dust the biscuits lightly with the cinnamon using a tea strainer, prick twice in a parallel line withb a fork. bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven or until golden around the edges. Allow the biscuits to cool on the trays as they are fragile while still hot/ warm.

FLORENTINES…

Ingredients...12o gm of sultanas, 80gm of corn flakes, 100gm granulated nuts, 100gm of coarsley chopped glace cherries,160 ml of sweetened condensed milk, 150gm of dark chocplate. Preheat your oven to 160 deg C. Line 2 oven trays with baking paper. Combine sultanas, corn flakes, peanuts, cherries and condensed milk in a large bowl. Drop rounded tbs of mixture, about 5cm apart on the lined oven trays. Bake for 5 minutes in the preheated oven. Leave the Florentines cool on the trays. Melt the chocolate in 20 second increments in a medium bowl in the microwave. Spread the cooled Florentine bases with the melted chocolate. Allow to set at room temperature. Store in an airtight container.

BAKING THE BREAD (6)

Place the loaf on a pizza stone or lined oven tray. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes and turn golden in colour. When ready the loaf should sound hollow when tapped on the base.

TESTING AND SCORING THE DOUGH (5)

Preheat your oven to 200 deg C, for at least an hour before baking. To see if your dough is ready to be baked, lightly poke the dough with your finger, if your finger leaves an indent that does not rebound ... the dough is ready. Score or cut the dough with a pattern using a sharp knife, trying one slice lengthways, or several cuts across, or crosshatching.

PROVING, RESTING AND CHECKING THE DOUGH (4)

Wrap the dough in a clean , damp tea towel and rest for 15 minutes. Then knead it again a few more times for 1 minute before coving with a a damp tea towel for an hour. Place the dough in a warm spot away from any draughts in a plastic bowl. Resting the dough should begin to prove, meaning it should become slightly puffy and airy. Place the dough back onto a lightly floured bench, kneading it a few more timesand then shaping it into your preferred shape. Place the loaf to be in a floured tea towel, either in a bowl for a round loaf or rolled into a tea towel for a longer loaf, leave rest for another 2 hours. Your dough should look smooth and even before baking.

MAKE THE DOUGH (3)

Ingredients... 400gm of wheat flour, 8gm of salt, 150gm of starter. Combine the flour, salt, 250ml of tepid/ lukewarm water and the starter in a bowl and mix until well incorporated and leave rest for 10 minutes. Tip the contents onto a lightly floured work bench and knead it with your hands for 3 minutes, the dough should be firm but elastic. ( I do use the dough hook on my mixer, add a few drops of water if your dough feels stiff). If you want to reuse your starter, mix the remaining starter with 1 cup of wholemeal flour and 1 cup of tepid water, let it rest on the bench for 1 hour . Then place it in your refrigerator and leave it for 1- 2 weeks . To reuse it , remove it from the refrigerator the day before baking and let it warm up naturally. Then mix in more flour and water, leave it to ferment overnight and feed it again. You can now bake with it. Follow this process after baking and your starter will last forever.

FEED YOUR STARTER…..(2)

As your bowl starts to fill over successive days, start tipping out 1/3rd of of the mix prior to feeding. As the fermentation process gets stronger, tip out one half of the starter and start adding 1 and 1/2 cups of each water and flour instead of 1 cup. Repeat this process for 2 - 3 weeks. The time taken for the starter to ferment and bubble will decrease until the feeding, fermenting and becoming flat will be between 4- 6 hours. This is an indication that your starter is strong and is now able to make a good loaf of bread......To be continued.

MAKING A SOURDOUGH STARTER FROM SCRATCH (1)

Ingredients....1 apple or potato, 2 cups of wholemeal flour. The starter needs to be made up to 2 weeks before baking. To get started , boil an unpeeled potato or apple until soft when tested with a skewer. I am using a potato. Place the softened unpeeled potato/ apple in a bowl , cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place out of the sun for a week. After this time the potato/ apple should start to ferment, with bubbles exuding from under the skin. Put on rubber gloves and stripe the skin or skin and seeds. Squish the flesh of the apple/potato between your fingers to make a pulp. Place the pulp, 1 cup of tepid/ lukewarm tap water and 1 cup of wholemeal flour into a 2 litre bowl. Mix well and leave covered with plastic wrap for 1 day. The mix should start to bubble and show signs of fermenting, this process can take 12 hours to 2 days depending on the temperature conditions. When the starter stops bubbling and starts to look flat, it is time to feed your starter again with another cup of wholemeal flour and a cup of tepid/ lukewarm tap water. To be continued......

PEANUT BUTTER BROWNIE

Ingredients......185gm of butter/ marg, 300gm of dark chocolate, coarsley chopped, 165gm of castor sugar, 3 eggs lightly beaten, 225gm plain flour, 50gm of self raising flour, 300gm of granulated nuts, 140 gm of crunchy peanut butter. Pre heat your oven to 160 deg C. Grease and line a 20cm x 30 cm slice pan with baking paper, extending the baking paper 2cm over the long sides. Stir butter and chocolate in a medium saucepan over a low heat until almost smooth. Remove from the heat and cool for 10 minutes. Now stir in the sugar and beaten eggs, flours and peanuts. Spread the mixture into the prepared pan. Drop rounded tsps of peanut butter evenly over the mixture and swirl with a skewer. Bake for 35 minutes in the preheated oven or until the brownie is firm to touch and the sides begin to come away from the sides of the pan. Cool the brownie in the pan before slicing into squares.

POLPETTE (MINCE BALLS).

Ingredients....1 kg of quality beef mince, 12 tbs of dry breadcrumbs, 4 tbs of Parmesan cheese, 12 tbs of dried parsley or fresh and finely chopped parsley, 2 medium sized onions finely chopped, 4 tbs of raisins ( optional ), I always add them , 4 egg yolks beaten, 4 tbs of minced garlic , 2 tbs of Italian herb mix, 1 tbs of sweet paprika. Mix the first 6 ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the egg yolk and mix it with clean hands along with the seasonings. With clean hands, mould the mixture into small / medium balls. I am now going to freeze the balls until I have enough tomatoes to make a sugo, in which I will cook the polpette.

A COLD WINTRY DAY IN CHURCHILL

Today I prepared pies and pastry rolls with vegetables and fusilli pasta. Yesterday I prepared the filling. The vegetables were assorted and came from the refrigerator drawer and vegeatble basket in the pantry. The chopped vegetables were placed in the soup pot along with 300gm of home made chutney, 1 x 420gm tin of baked beans, 1 litre of vegeatable stock and 1 litre of chicken stock = 2 litres of stock just covered the chopped vegetables, 3 tbs of minced garlic. I cooked the vegetable mix over a medium high heat until boiling, then I reduced the heat a little, covered the pot and simmered until the vegetables were tender. Finally I stirred through the dry fusilli pasta and continued to stir until the pasta began to soften and absorb the liquid. I returned the lid to the pot and let it gently simmer till the mix thickened naturally. This mixture was so aromatic and inviting I had a bowl for tea last night, it was delicious. Today, I prepared vegetable and fusilli pasta pies and pastry rolls. Perfect fare for a wintry day and the extras easily frozen for another day.

SLOW COOKED BEEF AND BEER CASSEROLE WITH PARSLEY DUMPLINGS…

Ingredients...........700gm of cubed stweing steak/ chuck steak, 2 medium onions finely chopped, 3 tbs of mionced garlic, 150gm of bacon pieces, 1 and 1/2 cups of beer/ even flat beer is good to use, 1 tbs of golden syrup/ treacle, 1 tbs of soft brown sugar, 1 tbs of Worcestershire sauce. Spray your slow cooker with cooking spray and turn on high to heat. Place the cubed beef in your slow cooker. Lightly brown the onions and bacon in a pan over a medium heat and then add them to your slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients and stir everything together. Place the lid on your slow cooker and turn the temperature down to low and cook for 6 hours. Ingredients for the dumplings.......2 cups of plain flour, 3 tsp of baking powder, 1/2 tsp of salt, 3 tbs of chopped parsley, 25gm of melted butter/ marg, 1 cup of milk. So after 6 hours , switch your slow cooker to high. Mix the flour , baking powder and salt in a large bowl. sprinkle in the parsley, then pour in the melted butter/ marg and milk. Mix briefly to form a soft dough. After 30 minutes when the casserole is boiling add the dumplings. Drop dsp sized blobs onto the boiling casserole, leaving a little room for spreading. Put the lid back on and cook for a further 30 minutes.

CHOCOLATE MERINGUES

Ingredients........3 egg whites, 110gm of firmly packed light brown sugar, 110gm of icing sugar, 25gm of cocoa, 150gm of milk chocolate, melted. Preheat your oven to 120deg C. Line 3 baking trays with baking paper. Mix together the cocoa and icing sugar in a small bowl. Use your electric mixer to beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add the brown sugar and continue beating until the sugar dissolves. Fold in the icing sugar mixture. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag, fitted with a 1cm plain nozzle tube. Pipe the mixture into 22cm x 6cm rounds about 2.5cm apart. Bake the meringues for about 2 hours in the preheated oven. Cool the meringues in the oven with the door ajar. Dip the tops of the meringues into the melted chocolate. Stand at room temperature until set. Dust with a little extra icing sugar serve.

BACON BISCUITS

Ingredients....130gm of bacon pieces (chopped),60gm of softened butter/ marg, 1 egg yolk, 60gm of grated tasy cheese, 100gm of plain flour, 60gm of grated tasty cheese( extra). Preheat your oven to 200 deg C. Line 2 oven trays with baking paper. Cook the bacon pieces in a small frying pan over a medium heat until browned and crisp. Drain on absorbent paper , cool and set aside. Beat the butter/ marg, egg yolk, cheese and flour with your electric beater until the mixture comes together. Knead the dough on a floured surface or use the dough hook on your mixer, until smooth. Cover the dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Shape the dough on a lightly floured surface until 3mm thick (1/8"). Cut into 40cm rounds ( 1 and 1/4 "). Place on the lined oven trays (3 cm / 1" apart). Sprinkle with the combined bacon and extra cheese. Bake biscuits until lightly browned, about 12 minutes.

WHAT DO YOU KNOW?

Here are the answers to last month's challenge: 1. Tisane. 2. Toss. 3. Tiramisu. 4. Tapenade. 5. Tannin. 6. Tapas. Here is my challenge for you this month: 1. Paper thin sheets of dough made from rice flour and then dried stiff? 2. Sweet amber coloured wine made from glutinous rice? 3. A small pasta, shaped like rice grains? 4. A meal where roast meat is served? 5. Eggs of fish and shellfish? 6. Choice cut of beef taken from over the hip bone?

WEET BIX FUDGE

This is really good on so many levels and so easily prepared. Ingredients.....125gm butter/ marg, 2 tbs of milk, 1 cup of castor sugar, 7 weet bix biscuits, 5 tbs of powdered milk, 3 tbs of cocoa, 1 cup of shredded coconut, desiccated coconut to sprinkle on top. Line a slice tray with baking paper. (I used 24cm x 24cm square pan ). In a large bowl crumble the 7 weet bix biscuits. Add 5 tbs of powdered milk, 3 tbs of cocoa and 1 cup of shredded coconut . Bring 125gm of the butter/ marg to a simmer with 2 tbs of milk and 1 cup of sugar. Now combine the ingredient mixes together and press into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with desiccated coconut and place in refrigerator to chill through, set and slice.

COLCANNON

This is an an old Irish recipe traditionally served with bacon pieces added, but equally delicious served alongside chicken or fish. Ingredients.......225gm of green cabbage heart, shredded, 85ml of milk, 25gm of floury potatoes diced,(sebago), 1 leek, chopped, 1/2 tsp of ground nutmeg, 15gm of butter/ marg, 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper, 125 gm of diced bacon pieces( optional). Cook the shredded cabbage in a saucepan of boiling salted water for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. In a separate saucepan , bring the milk to the boil, add the leek and potatoes. Reduce the heat and simmer until they are cooked through. Stir in the ground nutmeg and mash the potatoes and leek together, add the bacon pieces now if you are incorporating them in the recipe. Add the drained cabbage to the potato along with the cracked pepper and mix thoroughly. Spoon the colcannon into a serving dish making a hollow in the centre with the back of a spoon. Pour the melted butter/ marg into the hollow. Serve immediately.

PIZZA PIE

Ingredients......280gm of tuna in springwater (drained), 6 cherry tomatoes, halved, 6 slices of sliced pineapple, drained, 1 small onion, chopped, 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese, 3 tbs of creamed cheese, 2 eggs, well beaten. 2 tbs of minced garlic, cracked black pepper, 2 tbs of mixed herbs, a handful of baby spinach leaves, 1 sheet of puff pastry. Preheat your oven to 220 deg C. MIx together all the ingredients, herbs and spices in a medium bowl until well incorporated. Layer the sheet of puff pastry over a sheet of baking paper that will line a small pie plate. Fit the baking paper lined with the pastry in the pie plate. Spoon all the mixture of ingredients over the pastry. Fold the pastry edges over the mixture. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour, cover loosely with a sheet of baking paper if the pastry folds are colouring too much. Remove the pie dish from the oven in the now aromatic kitcken and sprinkle with lightly with grated tasty cheese. Delicious, easily and quickly prepared.

ALMOND FLOUR …..USEFUL FACTS

Almond flour is gluten free. Almond flour is not a direct substitute for wheat flour, only use it in tried and tested recipes, meaning do not just substitute almond flour for wheaten flour in a recipe, it will not work. For best result with almond flour, keep it stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Do not pack heavily pack down when measuring almond flour in your measuring cup, just scoop in and level off. Allow baked goods to cool completely before removing from cooking pans, to avoid them falling apart. Almond flour is not the same as almond meal, almond flour is finely ground , skinless and blanched almonds. Almond meal is coarser than almond flour as it made from ground whole almonds with the skins on. I had to purchase almond flour yesterday and I really commend the McKenzie's flour for the useful imformation on using almond meal in cooking/ baking , printed on the back of their package.

SUCCESSFUL EGGS …HERE’S HOW !

Anyone can boil an egg OR can they ? To prevent the egg from cracking, use eggs at room temperature. SOFT BOILED EGGS....Simmer the eggs in gently bubbling water to avoid the risk of the shell cracking in roughly boiling water. Simmer the eggs in the simmering water for 1 minute, them remove the pan/ pot from the heat and cover with a lid and leave for 5 minutes. HARD BOILED EGGS ......Place the eggs in cold water and gently bring to the boil, then simmer for 8 minutes. Then place the cooked eggs in cold water to prevent discolouration of the yolk. To remove the shells from boiled eggs simply tap the shells and peel away . SCRAMBLED EGGS .......There is no need to add cream or milk to get a soft cream mixture. Simply melt in 1 tbs of butter/ marg into medium sauepan/ pan and melt over a medium low heat. Pour in 2 well beaten and seasoned eggs and stir with a wooden spoon. Keep the heat low to avoid sticking. Remove the pan/ pot from the heat while the mixture is still slightly liquified and add another knob of butter/ marg into the still warm pan/ pot. Done! FRIED EGGS........For best results use vegetable oil as butter/ marg tends to burn and brown. Use enough oil to just cover the base of the pan. Fry eggs gently over a medium heat, basting every so ofen with the oil. Cook until eggs have firm whites and soft yellow yolks or as you like your fried eggs. POACHED EGGS.....Half fill a shallow pan with water with the addition of a little vinegar and a small amount of salt to encourage the egg white to set. Bring the water to a gentle simmer. Break the eggs separately into a cup and carefully pour into the simmering water, repeating this process with each egg. Cook the eggs for 3 minutes or longer depending on your preference. And you thought you knew all there was to cooking eggs. Eggs are amazing !!! Just 2 eggs give us a day's worth of vitamin B12, which helps our bodies to produce red blood cells, keeping us awake and alert, perfect for breakfast.

PEANUT BUTTER AND MILK CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

Ingredients.......80ml of thickened cream, 200gm of eating chocolate, coarsley chopped, 70 gm of crunchy peanut butter, 110 gm of granulated nuts. Place the granulated nuts into a small bowl or spread over a dinner plate. Combine the cream and chocolate in a small saucepan, and mix over a low heat until smooth. Stir in the peanut butter. Transfer to small glass bowl, cover and refrigerate for 3 hours. Now at this point, roll rounded teaspoons of the truffle mixture into balls and then roll through the granulated nuts. Return to the refrigerator until the truffles are firm. These are delicious.

BAKED POTATOES WITH SALMON AND PEAS

Ingredients......4 large potatoes unpeeled (1.2kg), 60 gm of frozen peas, 120gm of sour cream, 100gm of sliced smoked salmon, chopped coarsley. preheat your oven to 160 deg C. I use sebago potatoes.. Wash unpeeled potatoes under running water and dry with paper towelling. Pierce potato skins with a fork/ skewer, wrap each potato in foil. Bake for an hour or until tender. Meanwhile, boil or steam peas until tender, drain. Increase your oven oven temperature to 220 deg C. Remove potatoes from the oven, fold back the foil halfway. Slice 1 cm off across the whole potato. Discard the sliced off piece. Now carefully use a teaspoon to scoop out the flesh from the potatoes, leaving a thin border and the skins intact. In a medium bowl mash the potato flesh with the sour cream until almost smooth. Stir in peas and salmon. Divide the mixture between the potato shells. Place the filled potato shells on a lined oven tray and bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

MIXED BERRY AND MASCARPONE BRIOCHE

Ingredients.......250 ml of thickened cream, 200gm of mascarpone cheese, 4 thick slices of brioche loaf, 250 gm of fresh mixed berries. Beat the cream in a medium bowl with your electric mixer until soft peaks form, fold in the mascarpone cheese. Preheat your grill. Toast the brioche slices on both sides and place a slice on each serving plate. Spread with the cheese mixture and top with the berries. Serve sprinkled with a little finely chopped fresh mint and dust with icing sugar (optional).

COFFEE ALMOND BISCUITS

Ingredients......1 tbs of instant coffee granules, 360gm of almond meal, 220 gm of castor sugar, 3 egg whites lightly beaten. Preheat your oven to 160 deg C. Grease and line oven trays with baking paper. Dissolve coffee in 2 tbs of boiling water. Place the 3 egg whites in the bowl of your electric mixer along with the sugar and beat until slightly thickened. Now add the almond meal and the coffee. Continue to beat until you have a firm paste. Roll level tbs of the mixture into balls and place on the prepared trays 3 cm apart, flatten evenly with your hand. Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Cool the biscuits on a wire rack. Simple and delicious.

STEAMED SALMON WITH BEURRE BLANC

Ingredients......60ml of dry white wine, 1 tbs of lemon juice, 60 ml of cream, 125 gm of cold butter/ marg, 4 x 200gm salmon fillets with skin on. Place the salmon fillets in a large steamer set over a large saucepan of simmering water. Steam, covered for 15 minutes. Meanwhile prepare the buerre blanc sauce. Combine the wine and juice in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Boil without stirring until reduced by 2/3 rds. Add the cream, return to the boil and then reduce heat immediately. Whisk in the cold butter/marg, piece by piece, whisking in between addiotions, until the sauce is smooth and slightly thickened. Place the fillets on serving plates and pour over the prepared sauce. Serve with asparagus or a side of your choice.

VALE…..PETER RUSSELL- CLARKE 4 TH JULY 2025.

A country boy who had no formal seconadary education, who went on to become a chef, an author, a TV presenter long before it was necessary to be pretentious and self obsessed to be a success. Peter Russell-Clarke was a witty, caring chef who promoted the use of simple fresh ingredients who shared recipes with the community which could be easily reproduced in the home kitchen. Some time ago I was very fortunate to acquire a copy of Peter Russell- Clarkes Food Encyclopedia from Churchill's Lifeline shop. I feel really honoured to have been influenced by the written words of the likes of Peter Russell- Clarke and the late Margaret Fulton.

HASH BROWNS

Ingredients......1 kg of potatoes, unpeeled, ( sebago are best, they have a smooth light brown / white skin and white flesh), 1 small onion (approx 90 gm ) finely chopped, 1 dsp of finely chopped fresh rosemary, 60 gm of ghee. preheat your oven to 120 deg C. Scrub the potatoes. Boil , steam or microwave the potatoes until just tender. Cool for 10 minutes. Slice the potatoes into 1 cm cubes. Combine the potatoes in a large bowl with the onion and rosemary. Heat a 1/3rd of the ghee in a medium heavy based frying pan, place 4 greased egg rings in the pan. Spoon a 1/4 of the potato mixture into each egg ring, spread the mixture evenly to fill the ring. Cook pressing with a spatula until browned, turn each ring to brown the other side. Drain on absorbent paper,sprinkle lightly with crack black pepper,( optional). Place in the preheated oven to keep warm. Repeat the process with the remaining mixture to make 12 hash browns.

GREEK YOGHURT CAKE

Ingredients......125gm of butter/ marg, softened, 220gm of castor sugar, 3 eggs, separated, 300gm of self raising flour, 1/2 tsp of bi carb of soda, 40gm of granulated nuts, 280gm of Greek yoghurt. This recipe makes 1 x 30cm x 20cm square cake or 12 muffins. Depending on your choice grease and line a pan with baking paper or line your 12 hole muffin pan with muffin wraps. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Beat the butter/ marg and sugar in a large bowl with your electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the lightly beaten egg yolks and beat well till incorporated. Mix together the flour and soda and add to the egg mixture, beat till just combined. Add the yoghurt and granulated nuts. In a separate bowl beat the egg whites with a hand held electric beater until soft peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the yoghurt mixture. Either spread the mixture in the prepared pan or divide between the muffin wraps. Bake the cake for 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean or bake the muffins in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until tested with a skewer inserted comes out clean. Leave the cake or the muffins in their pans for 5 minutes before turning out on to a wire rack to cool completely. Optional .... dust with sifted icing sugar over top to serve.

FRITTATA MUFFINS

1 cup of plain flour, 1 dsp of baking powder, 1 tsp of salt, 4 medium cold, cooked potatoes, 2 cups cold, cooked mixed vegies, 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, 4 eggs lightly beaten, 1/2 cup of milk, cracked black pepper. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Lightly grease your large holed muffin pan with cooking spray or line with muffin wraps. MIx the flour, salt and baking powder together in a bowl. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients. Cut the potatoes, and other vegetables into small pieces, cut the tomatoes roughly. MIx the eggs and milk together. Now add the vegetables and egg mixture to the dry ingredients, mix quickly till just combined. Three quarters fill the prepared muffin pan with the mixture. Sprinkle the cracked black pepper on top. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until tested with a skewer inserted comes out clean. Leave in the muffin pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack, these muffins can also be served hot/ warm.

CLASSIC FISH CURRY

Ingredients.....6 white fish fillets with skin on, 6 tbs of lemon juice, 1 and 1/2 tsp of salt, 4 tbs of minced garlic, 2 tbs of chilli flakes, 3 ripe tomatoes, 1 dsp of ground cumin, 1 tbs of apple cider vinegar, 1 dsp of sugar,3 tbs of canola / rice bran oil, 1 small onion chopped, 225gm of tomato paste, slices of fresh tomato and red chilli to garnish. Marinate the fish fillets in a bowl with the lemon juice and 1 tsp of salt for 20 minutes. Place the garlic, chilli flakes, tomatoes, cumin, remaining salt and sugar in your food processor and process to a smooth paste. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the onions until lightly browned. Add the prossessed curry paste to the onions and fry for 2 minutes until aromatic. Now add the tomato paste, stir through to combine. Add the fish fillets and enough water to almost cover the fish fillets. Bring the mixture to a simmer then cover the pan and continue to simmer till the fish is tender. If the curry gets dry add a little water and cook uncovered for 3 minutes. Serve in bowls with steamed rice/ mixed grains and garnish with fresh coriander, chilli and tomato slices.