ALMOND PASTE PEARS

Preheat your oven 160 deg C.
Oil a baking tray
Place 200gm of almond meal into a bowl with 100 gm of castor sugar and 2 tbs of semolina .
Stir in 1 beaten egg and 1 tbs of rose water or orange flower water.
Knead to a smooth dough .
Beak off small pieces of the mixture and form into r shapes .
Insert a whole clove n the top of each to form a stem .
Place on the prepared baking tray .
Bake the almond pears in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until lightly coloured .
Leave to cool .
When  the almond pears are cold , brush lightly with rose water or orange flower water and dust with icing sugar.
These were a success in class.
 .

BAKED PASTA WITH SPICY MEAT SAUCE

This a traditional Greek dish of cooked pasta ( makaronia ) and a spicy lamb or beef sauce  topped with a cheese sauce , not unlike a moussaka and served with a simple green salad .
Can be served hot or cold cut into portions .

Preheat your oven o 180 deg C
Heat 1 tbs of rice bran oil in a pan and add 1 finely chopped onion and 1 tbs of minced garlic .
Fry for 5 minutes until the onion is softened .
Add 650 gm of lean minced lamb OR beef , fry for 5 minutes until the mince is coloured, stirring frequently and breaking up the minced meat .
Add 1 X 400gm tin of diced tomatoes , a pinch of sugar ,  2 tbs of chopped fresh parsley , 1 tbs of  dried marjoram , 1 dsp of ground cinnamon , 1 tsp of ground  nutmeg and 1/2 tsp of ground cloves .
Bring  to the boil and then simmer for 30 minutes .
Meanwhile , cook 225gm  macaroni according to packet directions , making sure you use boiling salted water until tender , then drain well .
In a separate bowl beat together 2 eggs , then add 300 ml of Greek yoghurt and 55 gm of Greek feta cheese , season with cracked black pepper .
Now transfer the cooked mince meat to a large ovenproof dish , add the macaroni in a layer to cover the meat , then pour over the sauce .
To finish sprinkle over 30 gm of grated pecorino cheese .
Bake in your preheated oven for 35 minutes or until golden brown .

PUMPKIN AND BLUE CHEESE RISOTTO

You will need to oven bake 700 gm  of  cubed pumpkin, ( I use kent pumpkin ).
Keep the pumpkin warm until you are ready to mix through the risotto .
Bring 1 litre of chicken stock to the boil , then simmer over a low heat .
Peel and chop 1 onion and cook in a large pan with some oil until it softens .
Add 2 cups of aborio rice , continue to fry for 1 minute .
Add 1 ladle of chicken stock , stirring the rice constantly .
Continue to add the stock ( 1 litre ) by the ladle as it is absorbed into the rice , until the rice is cooked.
It should be firm to the bite , moist and creamy ....
Quickly stir through 150 gm of cubed blue cheese along with 1 tbs of extra virgin olive oil , then carefully fold in the cubes of roasted pumpkin.
Delicious .

MANOR MENU :MEZZE : 20/1/2020

A friend and work colleague , shared a meal at The Manor on Wednesday .
Linda shared her Xmas holiday story .... as she , her partner and beautiful dog Forrest had to be  evacuated by ship as  the fires burnt  through their holiday destination of Mallacoota...
We are talking about thousands of holiday makers .
The rest is history as the fires raged through Eastern Gippsland .
I actually know the fear Linda spoke of ......as my family lived through the horrors of Black Saturday  we were told to evacuate , but my husband Ken  and I , along with my sons Shaun , his wife Dee,
 Paul, Dale and my sons ‘friend Brandon Mahoney ...assisting us and our neighbours ..thy continued  putting out spot fires caused by floating sparks and we worked well into the night as the wind changed .
Fire doesn’t discriminate..... as neighbours lost their lives ...Fire is fierce and unforgiving .
THE MANOR ... 20/1 20..( 1 cancellation )
...MEZZE MENU.
1. PULLED CHICKEN AND AVOCADO RICE PAPER ROLS
2. BEETROOT AND SWEET POTATO ROLLS
3. STUFFED COURGETTES
4. NO FISH , FISH
5.PUMPKIN CHIPS
6.TOMATO , SPINACH AND HONEY SALAD WITH CRACKED PEPPER .
DESSERT ...
I gave my guest a bowl to go and pick her own strawberries ...
WINE .. SPARKLING SHIAZ

SPICED WHOLE GRAPES

This is delicious , great with grills , any baked or roasted meat , poultry , fish and sensational with warm curries .
Wash 1kg of grapes and remove stalks ...set aside .
Place1 packet of lemon or lime jelly crystals into a medium saucepan and add 500ml of apple cider vinegar , 1 dsp of mustard seeds , 1 dsp of minced ginger 1 tbs of ground all spice and 2 bay leaves .
Slowly bring the mix to the boil , then simmer gently , uncovered for 15 minutes , stirring occasionally.
Remove bay leaves .
Now add 1 tbs of lemon juice and the grapes .
Bring to the boil again and simmer for 5 minutes giving the mixture a stir at intervals , to prevent a skin forming on top .
Spoon into jars and add a small wedge of Kumato tomato  and seal.
Use within 4 weeks .

MACARONI WITH SOUR CREAM AND OREGANO

Pre heat your oven to 180 deg C.
Cook and drain 250gm of elbow macaroni .
Combine 250 gm sour cream and 4 lightly beaten egg yolks , season with salt and cracked pepper , 2 tbs of freshly chopped oregano or 1 tbs of dried oregano, 1 dsp of minced garlic  and 2 tbs of pitted and sliced black olives ....
Now whip 4 egg whites still soft peaks form , fold into mixture .
Bake in a greased ovenproof dish in a preheated oven for 30 minutes .
The mixture should not be dry and slightly wobbly in the centre.
Open the oven door and let sit for 10minutes , before serving .

ESCARGOT

' Our' common brown snails "Helix aspera' are fine to eat .
It is thought they were bought to Australia by the French in the 1850's and are now a garden pest everywhere .
So when you are collecting snails to prepare escargot for your special entrée , make sure they come a pesticide free garden .
In France snails are a delicacy, 6 per person as an entrée, but as I said earlier be very careful never to use snails that have eaten bait .
Catch your snails early in the morning , while the dew is still on them .
Soak them in cold salty water for 2 hours , until all matter is spewed out .
Rinse well in cold water and remove from shells .
Clean the shells for serving and set aside .
Marinate the snails for 8 hours in a red wine ,garlic , chilli , ginger and tomato sauce .
Lightly fry in parsley butter until tender .
Serve in shells on a bed of rice and chopped green capsicum .