SPAGHETTI WITH HERBED RICOTTA

Ingredients......500 gm of spaghetti, 450 gm of ricotta, 3 egg yolks, lightly beaten, 180 ml of milk, 1/4 cup of coarsley chopped, flat leafed parsley, 1/4 cup of coarsley chopped, fiirmly packed basil, 3 tbs of dried chives, 3 tbs of minced garlic, 20 gm of finely grated Parmesan cheese, cracked black pepper to serve . Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling water, until just tender. Drain and spray lightly with cooking oil spray, set aside. Whisk the ricotta, egg yolks and milk in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in the herbs, chives, garlic and cheese. Add the pasta to the ricotta mixture, toss gently to combine. sprinkle with cracked black pepper to serve.

APPLE AND CHIA PUDDING

My son Dale introduced me to chia seeds many years ago and shared this recipe with me. Chia seeds are loaded with fibre, protein, omega 3, fatty acids and an armload of nutrients. I use chia seeds in smoothies, all main meals and desserts.. Ingredients.... 125 gm of Greek yoghurt, 15 gm of chia seeds, 150 gm of apple, diced, 25 gm of ground cinnamon. Combine the yoghurt, chia seeds and cinnamon along with 80 ml of water. cover and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, microwave the diced apple for 3 minutes or until soft. Add to the chia seed mix, stir to combine. Enjoy. The ingredients above are for 1 serving.

CINNAMON BRIOCHE LOAF.

Ingredients.....60 ml of warm black coffee, 1 tbs of instant yeast, 250 ml of warm milk, 125ml of canola/ rice bran oil, 110 gm of castor sugar, 110 gm of soft brown sugar, 1 dsp of ground cinnamon, 1 tsp of salt, 600gm of plain flour, 2 eggs lightly beaten. Line a large loaf pan with baking paper. Place the 60 ml of warm coffee in the bowl of your electric mixer with the instant yeast. Stir to dissolve and let stand for 5 minutes or until frothy. Then add the warm milk, oil, the lightly beaten eggs, sugar and salt. Using the dough hook mix in 1 cup of flour and add the remaining flour 1 cup at a time. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl. cover with a damp linen tea towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, (60 - 90 minutes). Now preheat your oven to 200 deg C. Transfer the dough to the prepared log pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes or until the top id golden brown. Check with a metal skewer inserted coming out clean before removing to a wire cooling rack. Serve sliced with butter and or your favourite topping. This is delicious...making bread is never a waste of time..

CORIANDER AND LEMON CHICKEN BUSH CURRY WITH SPICY CAULIFLOWER RICE.

Ingredients......60 gm of bush curry curry powder, 500 gm of boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced, 1 lemon, juice and zest, 16 gm chopped coriander, 140 gm of shredded carrot, 265 gm of cauliflower florets, 20 gm butter/ marg, 5 gm of ground Allspice. Heat a large non stick frying pan sprayed with a little cooking spray over a medium heat. Sprinkle the sliced chicken breast with the curry powder on both sides. Add the chicken to the frying pan and stir fry for 5 minutes. Add 125 ml of water and continue to cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the coriander, lemon juice and zest, simmer for another 5 minutes or until the chicken is tender and the sauce has reduced slightly. Cover and keep warm. Now to prepare the cauliflower rice, place the shredded carrots in your food processor and process until small rice like pieces form. Remove then add the cauliflower florets. Add both the processed caulflower and carrots to a medium saucepan with 125ml water and cook until tender. Drain well. Melt the butter/ marg in a frying panover a medium heat. Add the carrot and cauliflower and stir to coat and warm through, sprinkle with Allspice and cracked black pepper. Toss continuously, cooking for 4 minutes. Serve divided between warmed serving dishes and top with the coriander and lemon chicken bush curry.

IN MY OPINION…

"I do not care what the question is-----Chocolate is always the answer!

CINNAMON APPLE CAKE

An easily prepared cake that you will make again and again... Ingredients.....125 gm of room temp butter/ marg, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, 165 gm of castor sugar, 1 tsp of ground cinnamon, 2 eggs , lightly beaten, 125 ml of milk, 225 gm of self raising flour, 3 medium sized apples, cored peeled and sliced very thinly, raw sugar for sprinkling. Preheat your oven to 160 deg C. Line a 22cm springform cake pan with baking paper. Use your electric mixer to beat the butter/ marg, castor sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs, flour and milk and beat until combined. Pour half the batter into the prepared pan. Add a layer of the sliced apples, using half of them. Pour over the remaining batter and top with the remaining sliced apples. sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Leave the cake in the pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. This cake cake can be served warm or cold. Either way it will be enjoyed.

BRAINS IN CORIANDER AND TOMATO SAUCE.

You will need to order the offal, the brains ahead of time from the butchers. Ingredients.....6 sets of brains, 3 tbs of canol/ rice bran oil, 3 tbs of minced garlic, 400gm can of diced tomatoes, 1 dsp of sugar, 1 tsp of paprika, 1 dsp of minced ginger, cracked black pewpper, 3 tbs of lemon juice, 1/2 cup of fresh coriander leaves, chopped, Soak the brains in cold water for 30 minutes and then remove the membrane. Separate the lobes. Now soak them again in lightly salted water and then rinse under running water to remove all traces of blood. heat the oil in a large frying pan. add the minced garlic, stir in the diced tomatoes, sugar, paprika, ginger, pepper and simmer for 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the brains, ladle some sauce on top, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. turn brains and continue to simmer for a further 5 minutes. When the brains firm up, cut each lobe in half. Stir in the lemon juice and coriander and continue to simmer until the lobes are firm. Transfer to a serving dish and serve hot or refrigerate to cool and serve as an appetiser. If I cannot get you to try this dish, you can substitute the brains with boneless, skinless chicken thighs.

GREEK YOGHURT WITH HONEY AND CINNAMON…

I am right into yoghurt this month. I am really happy to share this healthy, simply prepared snack with you. Ingredients......200g gm of Greek yoghurt, 1 dsp of honey, 1/2 tsp of ground connamon, 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract. Simply mix the ingredients together and enjoy, this is one serve . Increase the ingredient amount for each person you are serving.

CAULIFLOWER RICE

Ingredients......1 cauliflower head with the stems and leaves removed, 1 tbs of sesame oil, 1/2 tsp of cracked black pepper, 1 spring onion, thinly sliced,canola/ rice bran oil for frying, fresh basil to garnish. Pulse the cauliflower florets in your food processor until it likes like rice. Set aside. Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the spring onion and saute for a further 3 minutes. Stir in the processed cauliflower and cook for for 5 minutes. Finally drizzle over and stir through the sesame oil. Serve warm, garnished with basil.

ITALIAN FISH BITES

Ingredients....500 gm of firm white fish fillets, cut into bite sized pieces, 1 and 1/2 tbs of Italian herb mix, 2 tbs of canola/ rice bran oil, 1 tbs of butter/ marg, 1/2 cup of fresh coriander leaves, chopped, juice of 1 lime, cracked black pepper to taste. Coat the fish pieces with the Italian herb mix and fry over a medium heat in the oil and butter/ marg, do not overcook, 2 minutes each side will be sufficient. To serve, sprinkle the cooked bites with the chopped coriander, lime juice and cracked black pepper.

BAKED BANANA JAMAICA

I found this recipe in an early paperback collection of the 'Woman's Weekly' Cookery, please note the spelling, woman's not women's. The price printed on the cover is two shillings and sixpence, there is no date of publication but was printed in London. Ingredients...2 bananas, 60gm of demerara sugar, the juice of 1 small orange, 1 dsp of Apera sherry, optional, 1/4 tsp of ground nutmeg, a pinch of ground cinnamon, 30gm of butter/ marg. Preheat your oven to 200 deg C. Lightly grease a small ovenproof dish. Peel the bananas and slice each into four lengthwise. Arrange the banana slices in the prepared dish. Mix together the orange juice, demerara sugar, sherry, nutmeg and cinnamon. Spoon this mixture over the bananas. Dot the top with the butter/ marg. Bake in the preheated oven for for 12 minutes. Serve hot or cold.

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ?

Here are the answers to February's challenge: 1. Salad 4. Mocha 2. Shortening 5. Korma 3. Pastry. 6. Gluten Here is my challenge for you this month: 1. A snack food from India, consisting of a deep fied turnover filled with spiced meat or potatoes? 2. An hors d'oeuvre of sliced herring fillets filled with pickles and onions? 3. An inexact cooking term usually meaning less than 1/4 teaspoon? 4. A Chinese sauce and condiment made of soy beans, chilli, garlic and spices? 5. The part of a cereal seed that sprouts, thus forming the new plant? 6. The fruit of a tree of the ebony family, that is more or less round in shape and ranges in colour from yellow to orange?

STRAWBERRY AND PASSIONFRUIT CREAM SLICE.

Ingredients...... 2 sheets of frozen puff pastry, 1 egg yolk, 1 tbs of milk, 1/4 cup of flaked almonds, 1 cup of cream, 1/2 cup of sweetened condensed milk, 1/2 cup of passionfruit pulp, 1 punnet of fresh strawberries, sliced. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Place the pastry on the oven trays. Brush one sheet of pastry with the combined egg yolk and milk, sprinkle with the flaked almonds. Bake both pastry sheets in the preheated oven for 10 minutes or until golden. Set aside to cool. Beat the cream and sweetened condensed milk until thickened. Fold in the passionfruit pulp. Spread the thickened cream over the plain pastry sheet, arrange the sliced strawberries over the cream. Top with the almond coated pastry sheet, dust with icing sugar. Refrigerate until ready to serve, cut into slices to serve.

BAKED SPICY EASTER PUDDING.

Ingredients.......2 tbs of sultanas/ raisins, 5 tbs of polents, 350 ml of milk, 4 tbs of molasses, 2 tbs of soft brown sugar, 1 dsp of salt, 30 gm of butter/ marg, 1 dsp of ground ginger, 1/2 tsp of ground cinna,on, 1/2 tsp of ground nutmeg, 2 eggs , lightly beaten. Preheat your oven to 160 deg C. Liberally grease a 900 ml/ 1 litre ovenproof dish, you will also need a larger roasting pan that will hold the ovenprrof dish. In a small bowl mix the dried fruit with 1 tbs of the polenta, set aside. Place the milk and molasses in a medium / large saucepan over a medium heat until the molasses has dissolved. Add the sugar and salt and continue to stir until the sugar has dissolved. Sprinkle over the remaining polenta and bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and continue to stir until thickened. Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the butter/ marg, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg, continue to stir until the butter. marg has melted. Now add the eggs and stir in the coated dried fruit. Pour the pudding mixture into the greased ovenproof dish. Place the dish in the roasting pan and pour in enough water to come halfway up the side of the dish. Place the dish in the preheated oven and bake uncovered for 2 hours or until the pudding is set. Test with a skewer inserted comes out clean. Serve immmeately with ice cream.

THE SIMNEL CAKE. ( THE HISTORY).

SIMNEL CAKE..A spiced Easter fruit cake. This is traditionally English. A rich, spicy fruit cake topped with a layer of almond paste ( marzipan) and decorated with 12 balls of marzipan which are said to represent the Apostles, sometimes the number is reduced to 11 to exclude Judas Traditionally baked on Mothering Sunday, the fourth Sunday in Lent.

HOT CROSSED BUN AND BUTTER PUDDING.

Spiced yeast buns were traditionally served hot on Good Friday. Nowadays you can purchase commercial brand hot crossed buns for near on 6 months of the year. This is the ultimate Easter dessert, easily prepared and making the most of the commercial brand hot crossed buns. Ingredients......4 hot crossed buns, butter/ marg for spreading, 4 eggs, lightly beaten, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, 150 gm of castor sugar, 600 ml of milk, 400 ml of cream, 200 gm of choc bits, finely grated zest of a small/ medium orange. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. You will need a large ovenproof dish / casserole that will fit into a larger roasting pan. Slice 4 hot crossed buns in half and spread with butter/ marg and return the tops to the buns. Beat the eggs , vanilla extract and sugar together until pale. Pour the milk and cream into a medium saucepan over a low heat, stirring until well combined. Now add the egg mixture, whisking to combine and the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat. Add the chocolate bits to the custrad. Place the buttered hot crossed buns into the ovenproof dish, pour over the custard mix. Set aside for 20 minutes to let the custard soak into the buns. Place the ovenproof dish insde the larger roasting pan and fill halfway with boiling water. Sprinkle the top of the pudding with the orange zest. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 40 minutes.

SOME COMMON FAULTS IN CAKE MAKING…

A. A damp heavy cake, sometimes called a sad cake.. This is because the proportion of liquid or sugar is too high in the mixture.... The oven temperature is too low. The cake not cooled properly before serving/ storing. Fruit sunk to the bottom of the cake..... Too much baking powder, so the cake rose too quickly. Too much liquid and rose slowly so the fruit sank to the bottom. The use of wet fruit instead of dried fruit. The oven temperature too low. Cake collapsed in the middle..... Because the oven was too hot. Used too mich baking powder. A cold draught caused by opening the oven door before the cake was set and leaving the oven to slam shut...

FISH CURRY

Ingredients....4 skinless salmon fillets, about 200 gm each, 1 tbs of lemon juice, 3 tbs of canola/ rice bran oil, 1 large onion, finely chopped, 1 tbs of minced garlic, 1 tbs of minced ginger, 1 tsp of ground turmeric 1 tsp of ground coriander, 1 tsp of ground cumin, 1 tsp of chilli powder, 250ml of coconut milk, 2 fresh chillies, chopped, 2 tbs of white wine vinegar, 2 tbs of fresh coriander, chopped, steamed rice/ mixed grains to serve. Slice each salmon fillet in half and lay them on a plate in a single layer and sprinkle over the lemon juice and rub in gently. Cover and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Cook the sliced onion in a large frypan with the oil until tender and golden. Now add the minced garlic and ginger and continue to cook and stir till combined, add the turmeric, ground coriander, cumin and chilli powder continue stir while cooking. Add the coconut milk, chopped chillies and vinegar. Stir well and simmer for 8 minutes. Add the salmon and cook gently for 10 minutes, stir in the fresh coriander and remove from the heat. Serve with the steamed rice/ grains. This will be on the Good friday menu at The manor.

SALT LASSI……….SWEET LASSI.

So what is a lassi? A lassi is a South Asian by origin. A yoghurt diluted with water , used as a refreshing drink either with sugar or flavoured with cumin and mint. Before you decide it is not for you, give it a try. SALT LASSI...Igredients...700ml of natural yoghurt, 1/2 tsp of salt, 1/4 tsp of castor sugar, 250 ml of cold water, ice cubes, ground cumin to garnish, fresh mint to garnish. Beat together the yoghurt, salt and sugar in a bowl, then add the cold water and whisk until frothy. Fill 4 or 6 glasses with ice cubes and pour over the yoghurt mixture. Lightly sprinkle the top of each glass with ground cumin and garnish with mint leaves. SWEET LASSI......Ingredients....500 ml of natural yoghurt, 225 ml of ice cold water, 4 tbs of castor sugar, ice blocks/crushed ice, cinnamon sugar to garnish. Pour the yoghurt into a bowl and beat with a hand held electric mixer until frothy. Add the water and sugar and beat until the sugar has dissolved. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Fill 4 tall glasses with crushed ice / ice blocks. Pour in the lassiand sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and serve immediately. Enjoy.

BAKED PASSIONFRUIT CUSTARDS

Ingredients......4 passionfruit, 4 eggs, lightly beaten, 175 ml of coconut milk, 55 gm of castor sugar, 1 tsp of vanilla extract. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. A roasting tray to hold 4 x 200 ml ovenproof dishes/ramequins Halve 3 of the passionfruits, scoop out the pulp and rub through a seive to remove the seeds. In another bowl, beat together the eggs, passionfruit juice, coconut milk, sugar and vanilla extract until a smooth custard forms. Pour the custard between the 4 ramequins, Place the ramequins in the roasting pan and pour in hot water to reach halfway up the dishes. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes or until just set. Finally scoop the pulp from the remaining passionfriut and spoon a little onto each dish to serve. The custards can be served warm or chilled.

OVEN ROASTED POTATO WEDGES WITH GARLIC AND ROSEMARY.

Okay, so you can purchase frozen wedges and chips. I am not saying they are bad, just if you have the time these are better! Ingredients......900 gm of 'all rounder' potatoes, 1 tbs of canola/ rice bran oil, 1 tbs of minced garlic, 2 tbs of rosemary leaves, bruised and chopped. Preheat your oven to 220 deg C. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Wash the potatoes and dry thoroughly with paper towelling. Leave the skin on the potatoes, slice them in half lengthways and then cut them again lengthways into chunky wedges. Dry the wedges with baking paper, now place them into a large bowl with the oil and a sprinkle of sea salt, the minced garlic and rosemary. Toss them around a few times to get the wedges well coated. Spread the coated wedges out on the lined tray and bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes or until golden and crisp. Serve immediately with a fine sprinkle of salt . Mmm, delicious.

POTATO, ONION AND TOMATO BAKE.

This is an oldie but a goodie, great as a dish on its own or as part of a vegetable side to any meat, chicken or fish dish. Ingredients......1 kg of potatoes, cracked black peppper, 2 tbs of canol/ rice bran oil, 225 gm of onions, peeled and thinly sliced, 3 tbs of minced garlic, 450 gm of tomatoes, thinly sliced, 1 tbs of dried tarragon, 225 gm of tasty grated cheese. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Grease a large ovenproof dish. Parboil the potatoes in salted boiling water for 10 minutes. Cool slightly and then slice the potatoes. Heat the oil in a pan and saute the sliced onions intil tender, stir through the minced garlic. Now start layering up the prepared dish, first with half of the sliced potatoes , then half the onion and one sliced tomato and one third of the grated cheese and the dried tarragon. Repeat the layers, ending with a layer of tomatoes and cheese. Cook uncovered in the preheated oven for about 1 hour or until the cheese has melted into the other ingredients and browned on top. Sprinkle with a little extra tarragon to serve.