POTTED TOMATOES .

First summer crop of potted tomatoes.......and there is more on the way. The strawberries are in bud and the mini caps are coming along.

GARDEN PATH KITCHEN DOOR.

My new cookbook was launched on Saturday 29th November 2025, Garden Path, Kitchen Door. The recipes in this book are suggestions, planned for the seasons as much as it is for about food and cooking. Each season has its own unique personality, the smells are different, the sounds and movements have a different rhythm and our tastes change and we eat different food. So here in Garden path, Kitchen door are my food / meal suggestions, planned for the seasons. I invite you to mix them up, change them, make them your own. Enjoy the seasons and the flavours that accompany them.

NO FUSS FRUIT CAKE.

I love the simplicity and flavour of this cake, it needs no icing, it is just delicious. Ingredients.....1 x 440gm can of crushed pineapple, 500gm of mixed fruit, 125gm of butter/ marg, 1 cup of brown sugar, 1 tsp of dried mixed spice, 1 tsp of bi carb of soda, 2 eggs, lightly beaten, 1 cup of plain flour, 1 cup of self raising flour. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Line and grease a deep 18cm round / square cake pan. Combine the the undrained pineapple, mixed fruit, butter/ marg, sugar, spice and bi carb of soda in a large saucepan and stir over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Now turn off the heat and set aside to cool. When the mixture is cold, use a wooden spoon to mix through the beaten eggs and flour mixture. Mix well to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for 90 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Leave cool in the pan for 20 minutes and then carefully turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

A PLATE OF NIBBLES…

CHICK PEA DIP..(Hummus).. Ingredients..1 x 420gm can of chick peas, drained, 1 onion, finely chopped, 3 tbs of tahini, 1 tsp of ground cumin, 1/4 cup of rice bran/ canola oil, 2 tbs of lemon juice. Place all the ingredients into a food processor/ blender. Process until smooth. Transfer to a serving dish and chill until ready to serve. Serve with nachos. PANCETTA WRAPPED BANANAS .. Ingredients....2 bananas, lemon juice, 4 slices of pancetta. Peel the bananas and slice each into 4 pieces. Cut each pancetta rasher in half. Wrap banana pieces in pancetta and secure with toothpicks. Grill on both sides until bacon is cooked. Serve warm. DEVILS ON HORSERBACK.. Ingredients....8 pitted prawns, 4 slices of pancetta. Cut each pancetta slice in half. Wrap each prune in a pancetta and secure with a toothpick. Place the wrapped prunes on your grill tray, grill on both sides until bacon is cooked. Serve warm.

FRESH FRUIT SALAD

Ingredients.....2 apples, 2 oranges, 2 peaches / pears, whatever is in season, 16- 20 strawberries, 2 tbs of lemon juice, 2 tbs of orange juice, icing sugar to taste. Peel and core the apples and cut into thin slices. Remove the pith and peel from the oranges and cut into segments. Peel and core the pears if using and cut into slices. Blanch the peaches if using for 1 minutein boiling water. Peel and slice thickly. Slice the strawberries in half. Place all the fruit in a large bowl. Blend together the lemon and orange juice, taste and add a little icing sugar to sweeten to taste. Pour the fruit juice mixture over the salad and serve.

CORNED BEEF GOULASH

Ingredients......1.5 kg of corned beef, cubed, 1/2 cup of plain flour, 1/4 tsp of pepper, 1 tbs of vegetable oil, 2 tbs of sweet paprika, 1 onion diced, 1 tbs of minced garlic, 85gm of tomato paste, 2 tbs of Worcestershire sauce, 6 button mushrooms, 1 tbs of soft brown sugar, 1 dsp of Dijon mustard, 2 tbs of lemon juice, 1 cup of beef stock, 1 x 400gm can of diced tomatoes, 1 tbs of butter/ marg. Lightly grease the bowl of your slow cooker, cover and heat on high. Place the cubed beef, sweet paprka and 1/4 cup of flour in a plastic bag and shake to coat the beef. Place the coated beef in your slow cooker and stir in the chopped onion and minced garlic. In a mixing bowl, combine the tomato paste, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, mushrooms, brown sugar, lemon juice and beef stock. Pour this mixture over the coated meat. Cover your slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours. At the end of cooking , mix the butter/ marg with 1 tbs of plain flour to make a paste. Add the paste to the slow cooker and stir through. Cover and continue to cook for 15 - 20 minutes or until thickened. Serve with steamed rice/ mixed grains. Enjoy.

SMALL BLUEBERRY PIES.

Ingredients......2 sheets of short crust pastry, 3 cups of fresh / frozen bluberries, 2tbs of castor sugar, 1 tbs of corn flour. Glaze.....2/3rds cup of creme fraiche, 3 tbs of castor sugar, 3 tbs of icing sugar to dust. Preheat your oven to 200 deg C. Line a baking tray/s with baking paper. PLace the pastry sheets on a lightly floured bench and cut the dough into 10 x 6"/ 15cm rounds. Place the blueberries in a bowl, add the castor sugar, corn flour and mix together. Place the pastry rounds on the prepared baking tray/s. Place 3 tbs of the blueberry mixture in the centre of each round, then fold a small edge up around the mixture. bake the pies in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown. To make the glaze, mix the castor sugar and creme fraiche together in a small bowl. When the pies are baked, gently spoon the glaze mixture over each pie. Dust the tops with the icing sugar. The pies can be served hot or cold.