Xmassy cake

I adapted this recipe for xmas cake from my friend, Michelle, based on items I did and did not have in the pantry.

1 cup sugar

440 g tin crushed pineapple
500g mixed fruit (I actually used a 375g packet of mixed fruit, a handful of cranberries and a few spoons full of fruit mince)
1 tsp bicarb soda
1 tsp mixed spice
125 g butter
1 cup plain flour
1 cup SR flour
a handful of choc chips
2 eggs

Place sugar, pineapple including juice and some extra water swirled around the tin, fruit, mixed spice and butter in saucepan. Gently bring to boil while melting butter, stirring often. Boil for 3 minutes, then add bicarb. Let cool.

Add sifted flours and beaten eggs to cooled fruit mix and stir until combined.

Spoon into greased and lined 8 inch round tin or two loaf tins.

Place in 175-180 degree oven for 60 minutes for one tin or about  45-50 minutes if divided between two tins. Lower temp to 150 and bake for another 15 - 30 mins. Cake is cooked when skewer comes out clean. Cool in tin for 20 minutes, then turn onto cooling rack.

Hot "Gazpacho"

I was browsing through a favourite old Weight Watchers cookbook this morning (In A Flash, published in 1998) and realized I had all the ingredients for this yummy soup. I annotate my cookbooks, writing the date I first tried the recipe, and a comment on the results. There are only 124 recipes in this slim volume, and I've tried (and mostly loved) 60 of them. I can't claim this record for any other book in my substantial collection.

So right beside Cheesy Couscous (tagged as 'Wonderful!' on 01-19-99) I found this gem of an until-today-untested recipe. Although gazpacho means 'uncooked', this take on the classic Spanish cold soup is hot in both senses of the word: it's served warm, and the chilli sauce adds as much fire as you fancy.

Hot "Gazpacho"

1 green capsicum, seeded and chopped
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup packed coriander leaves
3 cups tangy mixed vegetable juice (I used low sodium V8)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
Freshly ground pepper
Hot chilli sauce, to taste

In a food processor, pulse the capsicum, cucumber and onion until finely chopped; transfer to a nonreactive saucepan. In the food processor, pulse the tomatoes and cilantro until finely chopped; add to the pepper mixture. Stir in the remaining ingredients, except for the hot sauce. Heat the soup to serving temperature, and add the hot sauce to taste.

Easter Brownies

I have found the perfect solution to using up the masses of chocolate eggs we accumulate at Easter time – Easter brownies! My Little Miss Almost Four generously offered up her chocolate Easter Bilby for the cause and the results were delicious!

Ingredients

125g Easter eggs, bunny or bilby

125g butter, chopped

4 eggs

1 cup caster sugar

½ cup demerara sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 cup plain flour

Method

Preheat oven to 160C. Grease a baking dish or tin and line with baking paper.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over boiling water, stirring occasionally.

Beat eggs, sugar and vanilla together until pale and fluffy. Add the flour and beat until smooth.

Spoon mixture in to baking dish and smooth the surface. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the top has formed a crust.

Allow to cool then cut in to squares.

Gnocchi from scratch

My team at work and I have recently broken up (well, we were broken up by a restructure) so as our last activity together we decided to have a group cooking lesson. Conveniently, one of the team's husband is a chef who has recently established his own business and kindly offered his services.

What a fabulous night. I learned how to make gnocchi and panacotta from scratch, as well as enjoy a last supper with some pretty cool peeps. Thanks Ben, and thanks team for being super awesome all of the time.

Gnocchi

500g ricotta
1 egg
1/2 cup loosely packed parmesan
2 pinches salt
tiny pinch of white pepper
1 cup white flour
extra pinch of salt (for boiling water)
Butter and oil (for pan frying)

In a large bowl, combine ricotta, egg, parmesan, salt and pepper. Mix with your hands.

Add 2/3 flour and knead.

Place dough on to the bench, add the rest of the flour and knead to mix through.

Cut the dough in to quarters (or halves, if you are a bit lazy like me!) and roll in to a log. Cut the logs in to small pieces using a spatula.

Boil water in a large pan with a pinch of salt. Add the gnocchi in batches and cook each back from 3-5 minutes. Test by biting in to a piece - if you can see the white ricotta in the middle, it's not quite done.

Once cooked, fish the gnocchi out with a slotted spoon or similar and place in iced water. Strain.

Heat some oil and butter in a non-stick pan, add the gnocchi and fry gently until golden.

We had ours with some prawns and cherry tomatoes, tossed through before serving.

I have already made this again for the family and I think it will make a regular appearance in my repertoire from now on!

Beetroot and Goat's Cheese Tart

You will need to set aside a couple of hours from start to finish for this one, but it's worth it!

Ingredients:
1 bunch beetroot
30g unsalted butter
1 tbs olive oil
2 red onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tsp thyme leaves
1 tbs caster sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
150ml thickened cream
1/2 tsp nutmeg
250g sour cream

Pastry:
1 1/3 cups plain flour
100g chilled butter, chopped
1 tsp thyme leaves

Method

Place beetroot in a pan of cold water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for one hour. Drain. Refresh under cold water and leave to cool, then peel and coarsely grate. Set aside.

For the pastry, place all ingredients in a food processor and mix until it resembles breadcrumbs. Then as 1/4 cup chilled water and mix again until it forms a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and pop in the fridge for 30 mins or so. Lightly grease a pie dish or pan. Roll out pastry and line said dish or pan. Pop back in the fridge for another 15. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Blind bake the pastry for 10 mins, then regular bake for about 5.

Heat butter and oil in a fry-pan, over medium heat. Add onions and 1 tsp salt, then cook, stirring occasionally, for 6-8 mins until softened. Add beetroot, vinegar, thyme and sugar, then cook, stirring, for 5 mins until thickened. Spread beetroot mixture over tart base, then crumble over cheese.

Whisk egg, cream and nutmeg together, then pour in to tart case. Bake for 35 mins or until set.
Thank you, delicious March 2011 edition. Thank you.

Harira

Harira is the traditional soup of Morocco. It is usually eaten during dinner in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. This vegetarian version is adapted from a recipe in Moosewood Restaurant Low Fat Favorites. The complex flavors and aromas combine to make a bright fascinating dish that's immensely satisfying; I'll certainly be making this again. It keeps well for a couple of days in the fridge.

1 cup chopped onions
4 cups vegetable stock*
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (original recipe called for a full tsp, but I'm not overly fond of a strong cinnamon kick in savoury dishes)
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbs grated fresh ginger
1/8 tsp cayenne
1 cup peeled and diced carrots
1/2 cup diced celery
1 cup undrained canned (or fresh) tomatoes, chopped
1-1/2 cups diced potatoes
Pinch of saffron
1 cup cooked lentils (about 1/3 to 1/2 cup dried)
1 cup cooked chickpeas
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Lemon wedges

In a covered soup pot, simmer the onions in 1 cup of the stock for 10 minutes. Combine the cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, and cayenne in a small bowl and add 2 to 3 tabs of the hot liquid to form a paste. Stir this paste into the pot along with the carrots, celery, and the remaining stock. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 5 mins. Add the tomatoes and potatoes and continue to cook, covered, for 15 to 20 mins, until the potatoes are tender. Crumble in the saffron. Stir in the lentils, chickpeas, coriander, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Reheat. Serve with lemon wedges.

* Since discovering this recipe, I keep a jar of home made bouillon in the freezer at all times. It's my go-to source for stock on every occasion.

Pesto Tofu (or Chicken) Salad

This recipe is wonderful the next day. The leftovers are fabulous cold, cubed and tossed with salad veggies. Mmmmmm.