Yum Plum Jam

Gather plums from Sister Four's plum tree. Quarter the plums and take out pips. Simmer in a big pan with an equal weight of sugar and a bit of water until it reaches setting point. Pour into sterilised jars.

Enjoy on toasted homemade bread with a big cup of milky coffee for Saturday morning breakfast.

(Oh, and offer some jars to Sister Four in exchange for the plums. Oh, yeah, and save some for Sister Three because she will want some when she comes to visit. I wonder if there will be any left by the time Sister Two comes to visit...)

Tex Mex Prawn Stew

This WW recipe is fast, easy and delicious! Serves 4.

4 tsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 green capsicum, diced
1 tin diced tomatoes with green chiles
300g frozen corn kernels
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cinnamon
450g medium prawns, peeled and deveined
2 tbs chopped fresh coriander
4 lime wedges

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the capsicum and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, corn, salt and cinnamon and bring to a boil. Sir in the prawns; return to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the prawns are just opaque in the center, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle with the cilantro and serve with the lime wedges and a bottle of chili sauce for those who like more heat.

I served this with crusty bread and butter, but a side of rice would be equally good.

Crumpets

These homemade crumpets require a bit of prep time but are quite simple to make - and taste delicious when fresh out of the pan. I didn't have egg rings to shape the crumpets, so instead used cookie cutter shapes including a dog bone shape for our pooch Boonie. I served the crumpets with Sister One's homemade apricot jam, Australian honey and Vegemite (for husband).

1 ½ cups low fat milk

1 ½ tsp sugar

7g sachet dried yeast

2 ½ cups plain flour

Pinch salt

½ tsp bi-carb soda

200 mls water

Melted unsalted butter, to brush pan

Egg rings – either standard rings or 3cm deep

- Heat milk in saucepan over low heat until just warm (not too hot or it will kill yeast).

- Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl and stir in sugar and yeast.

- Stand for 10 mins until it begins to bubble.

- Sift flour and salt into a bowl, make well in middle.

- Gradually add milk mixture, mixing until smooth with electric beaters.

- Cover with plastic wrap and stand in a warm place for 1 – 1 ½ hours or until doubled in size and full of bubbles.

- Mix bi-carb and water, then add to batter, mixing with electric beaters.

- Heat frypan over low heat a

nd brush with melted butter.

- Lightly brush egg rings and place in the pan.

- Spoon mix into rings and cook over low heat for 5 mins or until surface is full of bubbles and a skin has formed.

- Loosen and remove rings (if this is not possible, don’t worry) and flip and cook on other side for 1 – 2 mins.

- Remove from pan and stand on wire rack covered with a tea towel while you cook the rest.

- Serve fresh or toasted.

- Leftovers can be frozen.

Vegetable filo pie

I don't know what it is about this pie, but it is absolutely delicious.

2 red capsicums, deseeded, cut in to 2cm chunks
1/3 butternut pumpkin, cut in to chunks
1 head garlic
6 small squash, cut in to chunks
500g frozen spinach, thawed, chopped
200g block feta, crumbled
1 pack filo pastry
Cinnamon
Dried basil
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Place capsicums, pumpkins, squash and garlic in to a roasting tin, mix through oil, cinnamon and basil and roast, turning occasionally, for about 30 minutes.

Remove, stir through spinach and set aside to cool. When cool, stir through feta, squeeze soft centres out of garlic. Grease a tin or tray with oil, then layer about 5 layers of pastry, brushing each layer with a little oil. Place filling in tin and cover with more layers of pastry, or fold over any overhanging pastry from the side.

Bake for 20 mins, then sprinkle with salt, then bake for another 5 mins.

Bitter chocolate meringue tart

This Donna Hay recipe looks impressive, tastes divine and best of all is simple to make! Serves 8.

base

200g store-bought shortbread biscuits

1 tbls cocoa powder

50g butter, melted

bitter chocolate filling

400g 70% cocoa dark chocolate, melted

1 cup (250ml) pouring cream

meringue top

150ml egg whites (approx. 4)

1 cup (220g) caster sugar

Place the biscuits, cocoa and butter in a food processor and process for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Press the mixture into a 20cm loose-bottomed round fluted tart tin to create the tart base. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

To make the chocolate filling, place the chocolate and cream in a small saucepan over low heat and stir until melted and smooth. Pour over the biscuit base and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until set.

To make the meringue top, preheat the oven to 200 degrees celcius. Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar and beat until the mixture is thick and glossy. Spoon meringue onto the tart and bake for 15 minutes or until the peaks are golden and the meringue is set. Cool.

Lamb and pasta bake with roasted tomatoes

This dish is great for when you have a table full of visitors to feed. The preparation is simple, but note that you do need to set aside a few hours for this dish, which serves 8.

When I cooked this for a group of friends recently, one of them proclaimed it was the best lamb dish they had ever tasted!

1.2kg diced lamb (shoulder or leg)

2 onions, thinly sliced

juice of one lemon

3 tbs olive oil, plus extra to drizzle

3 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp sweet smoked paprika (pimenton)

4 cups (1 litre) chicken or beef stock

2 tbs tomato paste

1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes

400g risoni

24 cherry tomatoes on the vine

2 tbs chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 cup thick greek yoghurt

Preheat the oven to 180C

Place the lamb in a single layer in a large baking dish, over with the onions and drizzle with the lemon juice and the oil.

Sprinkle with the oregano, cumin and paprika, and season to taste.

Toss, cover and roast for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Heat the stock in a pan over a medium heat and whisk in the tomato paste. Remove the lamb from the over, pour in the stock, add the canned tomatoes, cover with foil and return to the oven for 1-hour.

Remove, sprinkle in the pasta, cover and return to the oven for 20-minutes, until the past is cooked and most liquid absorbed.

Put the cherry tomatoes on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil, season and roast for the final 5-minutes of the lamb’s cooking time.

To serve, stir through the parsley, divide among bowls, and top with the yoghurt and a few tomatoes. Don't be a scrooge with the yoghurt - I find it 'makes' the dish!

Pizza Two Ways

I had the pleasure of Sisters One and Three for dinner this week and needed something quick and easy to prepare after work. Having perused Sister One's collection of delicious magazine the day before, I came up with two little twists on that ol' faithful - homemade pizza. You could mix and match the ingredients of both of these to make a few different combos.

Roast Pumpkin, Rocket and Cashews

1 large pita
Tomato paste
Diced fetta
Rocket
Diced pumpkin
Handful of raw cashews
Splash of truffle oil (optional)
Sprinkle of mozzarella

Roast pumpkin in a few herbs and truffle oil. Spread pita with tomato paste, pumpkin, fetta, cashews and mozzarella. Place on a tray or pizza stone and cook at about 180 degrees for 10 - 15 mins. Remove from oven, top with rocket and serve.
Moroccan Mix

1 large pita
200g veal mince
Hummus
Sultanas and dried apricot pieces
Diced fetta
Handful of raw cashews

Soak sultanas and apricot pieces in some hot water. Cook mince in a small amount of oil. Spread pita with hummus, mince, fetta, drained sultanas and apricot pieces and cashews. Place on a tray or pizza stone and cook at about 180 degrees for 10 - 15 mins. Remove from oven and serve.