Chocolate Guinness Cake

This cake is so delicious and moist, it disappears very quickly in our house. Try it for yourself.

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Chocolate Guinness Cake – one slice just doesn’t do it!

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INGREDIENTS:

125 grams of butter at room temperature

250 grams light brown sugar

175 grams plain flour

50 grams cocoa powder

1/2  teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon bicarbonate soda

200 mls Guinness or other stout

METHOD:

Cream butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Sift flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl. Gradually beat in alternately the eggs, dry ingredients and stout until all have been added and the mixture is smooth.

Transfer the mixture into a 20 cm spring-form tin which has been greased and the bottom lined, spreading the surface level. Bake in preheated oven at 160°C for 45-55 minutes until well risen,the top is slightly cracked and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for ten minutes then loosen edges, and turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

ICING:

Two  tablespoons of sifted cocoa dissolved in small amount of boiling water (add water by the tablespoon)  add icing sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla essence,  beating until smooth and firm enough to spread over warm cake.

 

 

 

 

 

Sweet Chilli Sauce

Delicious! Sweet Chilli Sauce Using long red peppers

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Sweet Chilli Sauce: Beautiful colour & simply delicious!

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•  red chillis & 1 firm red bell capsicum to make up 500g  (the capsicum makes a slightly less hot sauce)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 750mls white vinegar
• 645g (3 cups) castor sugar
• 1 or 2 teaspoons finely grated ginger (optional)
• 1 level teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon chilli powder (you can increase to 1/2 teaspoon for extra heat) optional.

De-seed the capsicums, and all but one long chilli, and chop coarsely, then place in food processor with peeled garlic, grated ginger and 250mls of vinegar; process until finely chopped.

Put the processed capsicum/chilli mixture into large pan, add remaining vinegar, castor sugar, salt and chilli powder.  Cook over low heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Increase to high heat and bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally.  Usually takes 40 – 60minutes. Put saucer in fridge to test sauce is ready-it will jell in the saucer in five minutes or so.

Pour into sterilised bottles and seal. Makes approximately 1 litre of sauce.

My family loves this sauce with stir fry dishes, especially chicken!

Roast Pumpkin & Sweet Potato Soup

Roast Pumpkin & Sweet Potato Soup – easy to cook  & economical

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Roasted pumpkin etc in chicken stock; about to top up and cover with water ready to simmer

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Ingredients

 

Half a large grey pumpkin or whole jap pumpkin, unpeeled

1 small pink sweet potato (kumara) peeled

1 large  potato peeled

1 large onion

½ teaspoon ground coriander

2 cloves of garlic

Chicken stock*

2 long rashers of bacon (Optional)

Cut up pumpkin and sweet potato into large pieces, cut potato into smaller pieces.  I brush the pieces in olive oil before baking them in the oven at 200°C until soft.  Pumpkin easily peeled when cool.

Sautè the chopped onion and garlic, then add chopped bacon if using it.

Put all in large pot with coriander and cover with chicken stock. Top up with water if necessary.   Simmer for at least 45 minutes, until all veges are pulped.  Add sea salt and ground pepper. Mix to smooth consistency with hand held electric creamer, or mash.

Garnish with chopped Italian parsley.

There is no dairy used, so will keep well in fridge.

*I simmer the carcass of a roast chicken, (cover with water)  including skin and any juices from the roasting pan, for 45 minutes and freeze in small containers for my supply of chicken stock. Healthier for children and people on low salt diets; bought stock is very salty

Mediterranean Lamb – So Tasty, So Easy

Lamb with cummin seeds and tomatoes

Ingredients:                      Serves 2-4

• 500g  lamb pieces
• 1 large onion
• a few chopped fresh green beans and carrots (or other vege)
• 400g can Italian peeled tomatoes
• 1 cup of rice
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• olive oil
• balsamic vinegar

In a heavy bottomed pan, heat oil and add chopped onion – when cooked add lamb pieces and keep turning over until brown.  In the meantime put garlic cloves, a little oil, cummin seeds, and pinch of sea salt,  into mortar and crush together.  When lamb is brown lower the heat and add veges and the cummin seed mixture, stirring occasionally until veges are soft, adding a sprinkle of balsamic vinegar.  When veges are soft add the tomatoes, breaking them up with a wooden spoon, turn the heat very low and simmer with lid on for 40mins, adding a little boiling water and stirring if and when needed.  Cook the rice.  When lamb is tender add salt and pepper to taste.   Serve on a bed of rice with crusty bread.

Just double the ingredients for more servings.

Green Tomato Relish

Now that winter is almost upon us, it's time to pick those green tomatoes growing outdoors.

CWI GREEN TOMATO RELISH:

5kg green tomatoes
1kg sugar
2 dessert spoons tumeric
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons ground all spice
2kg onions
2 dessert spoons mustard
4 dessert spoons flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
12 pieces garlic
2 large green apples
salt

Slice the tomatoes, onions and apples, put salt between the layers and stand overnight.
Drain off next morning, cover with vinegar and boil with 3/4 hour with spices, then add the flour, tumeric and mustard mixed with a little cold vinegar and boil off for another 3/4 hour or until the relish thickens slightly.
Bottle and seal when hot or cold.

I find the easiest way to sterilise jars is to preheat the oven to 100° C  and put jars and lids in for at least 30 minutes.  Take the jars out when relish is ready to be bottled.  If you are going to keep the relish for some time make sure you label the jars with the date and line the inside of the lid with cling wrap.

Nutty, Fruity Snacks & Breakfast

Lunch Snacks - All nuts, fruit & grains

Home made from these ingredients & more

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Breakfast Muesli

• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

• ½ cup rye flakes (or quinoa flakes)

• ¾ cups raisins

• ½ cup dried berries, such as blueberries or cranberries

• ½ cup dried date pieces

• ½ cup slivered or chopped almonds

• 1/3 cup raw unsalted sunflower seeds

• ¼ cup toasted wheat germ

• 1/4 cup shredded coconut

• 1/4 cup flax seed

• Cornflakes or similar bought cereal can be added for a lighter muesli for children
• I chop dried fruit, especially large raisins, dates, and cranberries
• If I’m also making muesli bars I double the above recipe
  

Keeps well in air tight container for up to two months.

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To make the fruit & nut snack bars:

• 3 cups of the home made muesli above
  

• ½ cup self-raising wholemeal flour

• ¼ cup flax seeds

• ¼ cup finely ground cashews

• ¼ cup packed dark brown sugar

• ¾ cup liquid honey

• ¼ cup tahini

• 2/3 cup fruit yoghurt (use soy yoghurt for dairy-free)

• I always add a few extra chopped nuts such as hazelnuts

Preparation:

1.Preheat the oven to 190º c. Line a greased oblong baking pan with baking paper and set aside.

2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix together the muesli, oat or rice flour, flax seeds, cashews, and brown sugar until well combined. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the honey, tahini and yoghurt. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, mixing until well combined. Spread into the prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool for 15 mins then transfer carefully to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool completely before cutting into bars.  I wrap them individually in tin foil for packed lunches.

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Chocolate Cake – Absolutely Fabulous!

A Party Piece

INGREDIENTS

Cake:

125g castor sugar

4 eggs

100g self-raising flour

25g cocoa powder

40g unsalted butter melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Icing:

375g dark cooking chocolate such as Nestlė Premium Dark,

broken into small pieces.

(Supermarket brands mostly consist of milk solids and almost no cocoa).

250g unsalted butter

100g icing sugar sifted

METHOD:

The Cake

Put the sugar and eggs into heat proof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water.

Whisk, using electric whisk, for 5-10 minutes until whisk leaves a trail when lifted above the mixture.

Sift over the flour and cocoa powder and carefully fold into the mixture with the melted butter and vanilla extract until combined.  Pour this mixture into a greased and lined 20cm spring-form cake tin and bake in pre-heated oven, 180°C for 25 minutes. After 5 minutes turn out onto cooling rack.   Once cold slice in half horizontally.

The Icing

Melt the chocolate and butter together in a heat proof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water.  Remove from the heat and beat in the icing sugar. Set aside to cool and then chill for 1 hour until thickened. Then beat until pale and fluffy.

Use half of the icing to sandwich the two halves of the cake together. Use the remaining icing to cover the top and sides of the cake, swirling the icing with a palette knife.  Decorate with curls of white chocolate.

Banana Cake With Orange & Vanilla Frosting

This moist banana cake is soooo.. easy to make!  I made one this morning and by 6.00pm this evening only crumbs were left.

 

 

 

Banana Cake - disappears in minutes!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 free range eggs (room temperature)
• 3 small bananas mashed and warm (sit in hot water for a few seconds)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 50 mls milk
• 1/2 cup castor sugar
• 1 & 1/2  cups self-raising flour

Method:

• cream butter, sugar, vanilla
• add eggs separately, beating well
• add mashed bananas to mixture
• dissolve soda in milk & add flour & milk alternately
• bake in greased spring ring cake tin at 180° C  (175° C forced fan oven)  for 35 mins or until cooked

 

Icing:

• 1 & 1/2 to 2 cups icing sugar

• 1/4 cup hot, boiled water
• few drops each of vanilla & orange essence to taste
• 2 tablespoons softened butter

Place icing sugar, butter and essences into glass bowl and add half the hot  water.  Beat well together until creamy.  Add more water or icing sugar if needed.  Icing should be firm but easy to spread onto cooled cake.  Decorate with walnuts.

 

Bacon & Egg Pie – Quick & Easy Meal for 4

Bacon & Egg Pie – Quick & Easy  Meal For 4

Just Baked

Ingredients:

• 8 large eggs

• 150 grams rindless bacon

• 1 cup frozen corn kernels

• 1 cup frozen green peas

• 1 small onion chopped finely

• flakey pastry

(see recipe for chicken & camembert pie if you prefer homemade pastry)

Boil peas and corn together in small amount of water for ten minutes or microwave,

and leave to cool.   Add chopped onion and mix well together.

Mix eggs lightly together with a fork adding  black pepper and sea salt to taste

Roll out pastry and line bottom of 4cm x 25cm  pie dish

Spread chunky chopped bacon over pastry base, then on top of bacon,  spread all of pea, corn and onion mixture.   Tip mixed eggs out evenly over all other ingredients.  Season with grated black pepper and a light dusting of sea salt.  Finally cover with rolled out pastry sealing bottom and top edges together with wet finger tips.

Bake at 200° C for 30 minutes.   Delicious hot or cold with fresh salad.

Quiche – Tuna & Vegetable

Quiche with roma tomato & basil

Family-size Quiche

Homemade Pastry:

• 1 cup flour

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• 125 grams butter

• 1 teaspoon vinegar

• ¼ cup milk

To prepare homemade pastry:

Sift flour and salt

Grate cold butter into flour and stir in lightly with knife, add vinegar and mix in.

Make a well in centre of flour mixture and add enough milk to make a stiff dough.

Roll out dough, fold edges into the centre, roll out again, preferably using cold marble rolling-pin.  I put the rolling-pin in the fridge beforehand so it is very cold and it is important to handle the pastry  as little as possible. Put the pastry in the fridge for at least an hour then repeat the first roll out and replace in fridge until filling is ready.

Quiche Ingredients:

• Small bunch of English spinach, or alternatively 2 small zucchini diced, and Broccoli (sometimes I use small amounts of all three veges or whatever is at hand)

• 425g can of chunky tuna in olive oil

• 3 or 4 medium potatoes peeled

• half  small red or pink sweet potato peeled

• fresh parsley, mint and dill (fennel)  chopped finely

• 1 medium onion

• 2 eggs well beaten

Method for Quiche filling:

Cook potatoes in salted water

Steam spinach or broccoli in double boiler above potatoes until soft

Lightly sauté chopped onion then stir in diced zucchini and cook until soft if using them. I use some of the oil from the drained tuna for extra flavour

Prepare filling:

Mash cooked potatoes lightly with butter

Mix in steamed spinach, broccoli, sautéed zucchini, and onion

Add drained tuna and stir in lightly

Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Lastly add beaten eggs and fork in gently

Line bottom and sides of 4cm x 25cm oiled Quiche dish with pastry

Spread vegetable mixture into the dish and cook for 40 mins at 200° C  second shelf from bottom of oven.

Serve with fresh salad. Delicious!

One comment:

@vivchook

Excellent! Have printed it off, will add a bit of cheese &extra eggs-we hav oodles! (I know the girl’s/Thomas’ tastes) & making it!

 

 

11 October 2011 @vivchook

Success!! Everyone Loved your Tuna Quiche! I added a couple of extra eggs, & some cheddar, but was very well received.. Thank You!!