Apple Cake

• I've been given some Bramley apples so I'm trying out this recipe.

  
  

  Ingredients

  150g/5½oz unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

  75g/2½oz caster sugar

  75g/2½oz soft light brown sugar

  ¼ tsp ground nutmeg

  ¼ tsp ground cinnamon

  ¼ tsp fine salt, plus a pinch

  1 tsp vanilla extract

  3 free-range eggs

  175g/6oz plain flour

  35g/1¼oz wholemeal flour (or wholemeal spelt flour)

  2 tsp baking powder

  2 medium Bramley apples, cored, peeled and cut into 1cm pieces

  1 tbsp cornflour

  15g/½oz demerara sugar

  
  

  Method

  
  

  Preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5. Grease and line a 20cm/8in cake tin with baking paper.

  Beat the butter, caster sugar, light brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and vanilla extract together using an electric mixer, until light and fluffy.

  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

  Mix the flours, baking powder and a pinch of salt together in a separate bowl, then gradually mix into the butter, sugar and egg mixture using a spatula or wooden spoon. Stir well to make sure there are no pockets of flour.

  Mix the apple pieces with the cornflour until well coated, then combine with the cake mixture.

  Tip the cake mixture into the prepared tin and sprinkle with demerara sugar. Bake for 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

  Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the tin before serving with a cup of tea or a drizzle of cream.

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Best Banana Bread (AWW)

I never buy the right amount of bananas and ripe bananas means banana bread, doesn't it? The australian Women's Weekly reckon this is the best banana bread, and I have tried it, and it tasted good and kept well. So I'm sharing it here.

Banana Bread

Ingredients

125 gram (4oz) butter, softened

1 cup (220g) firmly packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups (400g) mashed ripe banana

1/4 cup (60ml) maple syrup

1 2/3 cup (250g) plain (all-purpose) flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon sea salt flakes

1/2 cup (25g) coarsely chopped roasted walnuts

Method

Preheat oven to 160°C/325°F. Grease a 13cm x 26cm (5¼in x 10½in), 2-litre (8-cup) loaf pan; line with baking paper.

Beat butter, sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until paler and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until just combined, then mashed banana and maple syrup.

Sift over flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon and salt. Add walnuts; stir with a large spoon until combined. Spoon into pan; smooth the surface.

Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave in pan for 10 minutes before turning, top-side up, onto a wire rack to cool.

George Alagiah's Sri Lankan Curry

SRI LANKAN  CHICKEN AND COCONUT CURRY

This is a very nice curry and a simple make - I put it into the oven for 30 mins at 180, and then turned it up to 200C for another 10 minutes. I had to substitute a bay leaf for the curry leaves, and the flavour was lovely - the aftertaste is warming and peppery. I included potatoes, because I love them in a curry.

For the roasted curry powder (makes more than you will need for this recipe)

handful uncooked basmati rice
115g/4oz coriander seeds
30–40g/1–1½oz cinnamon pieces
30g/1oz black peppercorns
30–55g/1–2oz dried chilli (depending on how spicy you like your curry)
30g/1oz cumin seeds
85g/3oz fennel seeds

For the curry
2 tbsp coconut oil or vegetable oil
handful fresh curry leaves (approx. 10–12 leaves)

1 onion, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
small piece of ginger (approx. 2.5cm/1in), peeled and roughly chopped
8 chicken thighs, boneless and skinless, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tbsp roasted curry powder (from above)
200ml/7fl oz coconut milk
salt, to taste
freshly chopped coriander, to serve

For the curry powder, heat a wide heavy-based pan over a medium–high heat. Once hot, add the basmati rice and cook for a few minutes. When starting to brown, add the coriander seeds, cinnamon pieces and black peppercorns and toast for a few minutes while stirring.

Add the dried chilli, cumin seeds and fennel seeds and continue to roast in the pan for a further 5 minutes, until fragrant and toasted. Remove from the heat and transfer to a large bowl and allow to cool.

Once cool, grind the spices in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar until you have a fine powder.

For the curry, heat the oil in a large pan and add the curry leaves, onion, garlic and ginger. Cook for 5–10 minutes until the onions are soft and lightly browned.

Add the chicken pieces to the pan and allow to brown, whilst stirring frequently.

Stir in the roasted curry powder, stir well to evenly coat all the chicken pieces and continue to cook for a further 5–10 minutes.

Add the coconut milk and pour in a cup of water (approximately 250ml/9fl oz). Sprinkle in a teaspoon of salt, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and cover with a lid. Allow the curry to simmer gently for around 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the lid and allow the sauce to reduce for a further 5–10 minutes to thicken. Stir occasionally and if you think the curry needs a little more coconut milk, add during cooking.

Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with freshly chopped coriander to serve. Serve with steamed rice (optional).

Fish steamed over lentil stew with mascarpone

I've made this a few times with different types of white fish, haddock, cod and pollock. It is very tasty and easy to make. I've substituted quark for mascarpone and it was delicious.

Fish with mascarpone and lentil stew

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

1 white onion, sliced

1 tsp smoked paprika

2 tsp herbes de Provence (see recipe tips)

250g/9oz dried green lentils

250ml/9fl oz passata

600ml/20fl oz fish or chicken stock

4 skinless, boneless haddock fillets (about 150–160g/5½–5¾oz each)

100g/3½oz mascarpone

½ bunch fresh basil, leaves picked

½ lemon, zest only

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole over a medium heat. Add the onion, season well with salt and pepper and fry for about 10 minutes, until soft.
2. Stir in the paprika and 1 teaspoon of herbes de Provence. Cook for a minute, then add the lentils and mix well. Stir in the passata and stock, season again with sal and pepper, then bring to the boil. Cover the casserole with a lid, or kitchen foil, and bake for 25-30 minutes.
3. Remove the casserole from the oven. Remove the lid or kitchen foil and place the haddock fillets in the lentils, pressing them down with a spoon so they are mostly submerged. Season the fish generously with herbes de Provence, put the lid back on and bake for another 10 minutes.
4. Take the casserole out of the oven and rest for 5 minutes, covered so that the fish cooks through.
5. To serve, put a scoop of mascarpone on each of the pieces of fish, garnish with basil, lemon zest and a pinch of ehrbes de Provence.

 

Plum cake

With a bumper crop of plums I've been hunting for plum recipes, hoping this one is a winner. It was very well received, and eaten at speed, so it seems to be a good recipe. It's meant to keep well, but I'm not sure if I'll find that out anytime soon.

Ingredients

1 cup flour (plus a tablespoon)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup ground almonds

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2/3 cup sugar (plus a tablespoon)

2 eggs

2 tablespoon light vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

4 tablespoon melted butter

2 tablespoon natural yoghurt

1/3 cup milk

12 ripe plums. de-stoned and cut in half

6 tablespoon extra sugar

Method

Preheat oven on fan bake to 180°C. Line a 24cm springform cake tin with baking paper.

Chop four plums into pieces and mix with one tablespoon flour and twoof sugar.

Put the flour, baking powder, almonds, cinnamon and sugar in a food processor and blend briefly.
Add the eggs, oil, vanilla, butter, yoghurt and milk,and process until smooth, a few seconds.

Stir in the chopped plums and pour the mixture into the prepared tin.

Dunk the plum halves in water then into the extra sugar and arrange them on the batter
Bake for 40-50 minutes.

At 40 minutes, test with a skewer. It should come out clean, if not, cook a little longer.
Serve warm or cold with yoghurt, crème fraîche or whipped cream.
This cake is a good keeper – it tastes just as delicious after a few days as on the day you made it.
From NZ Womens Weekly

Smacked Cucumber - easy to prepare spicy side dish

Smacked cucumber is a hot asian salad made with cucumber, it's a kind of pickle. A pickle with a punch. It goes with lots of things. It's fresh and spicy hot, and very easy to make. You bash up the cucumber and break it up, then you salt it to remove some of the moisture, then you dress it. There's a bit of waiting around. Then fun eating.

Smacked Cucumber

Ingredients

• ½ cucumber (halved lengthways)

• 1 tsp sea salt flakes

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• for the dressing

• 4 Szechuan peppercorns, toasted and ground

• 1 garlic clove, crushed

• 1 tsp granulated sugar

• 2 tbsp rice vinegar

• ¼ tsp ground black pepper

• 1 tbsp soy sauce

• 1 tbsp crispy chillies in oil

• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil

topping

2 spring onions

toasted sesame seeds

Method

Wash the cucumber, cut in half lengthwise

place cucmber on a board cover with a metal spatula and thump (smack) it with the rolling pin. You might like to use the flat of your hand, but it don't. You want to crush it like this until it breaks, or cracks, then chop it roughly into smallish pieces

put the cucumber pieces in a colander and scatter the salt over them mixing the salt through - put the colander in a bowl or on a draining board to catch the drips - leave for 30 minutes

make the dressing whisking together all the other ingredients

rinse the cucumber under a running tap and shake dry - toss in a tea towel to make completely dry - put in a bowl, pour over the dressing and stir it through

finely slice the spring onions

sprinkle the cucmber mixture with the spring onions and sesame seeds and serve

Nasi goreng

Nasi Goreng

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup uncooked jasmine rice

2 cup water

1/4 cup peanut oil

4 eggs

250 grams small green prawns, peeled

250 gram chicken thigh fillets, finely chopped

1 tablespoon shrimp paste

4 clove garlic, crushed

1 small brown onion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon ground white pepper

2 teaspoon sambal oelek (or sriracha)

2 tablespoon kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1/2 cup thinly sliced spring onions

1 carrot, julienned

1 Lebanese cucumber, julienned

fried shallots, to garnish

Method

• Place rice and water in a large saucepan. Bring to boil, cover and then simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is just tender. Alternately cook in a rice cooker according to manufacturer’s directions. Spread mixture onto a flat oven tray and stand until cool.
• Heat a large wok or frying pan over high heat. Add a little of the oil and swirl around wok. Add eggs one at a time and cook on both sides until golden brown and yolk is still runny. Remove and set aside.
• Add a little more oil and stir-fry prawns and chicken until golden brown and cooked through. Remove and set aside. Add remaining oil and stir-fry shrimp paste, garlic and onion for 2 minutes or until paste is fragrant.
• Add rice, pepper and combined sauces; stir-fry until well combined. Stir in half of the onions and cooked prawns and chicken.
• Serve topped with combined carrot, cucumber and remaining onions. Garnish with egg and fried shallots

AIRFRYER SPICED CHICK PEAS WITH PITTA CHIPS

AIRFRYER SPICED CHICK PEAS WITH PITTA CHIPS

INGREDIENTS

½ x 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 tbsp olive oil

1 pitta bread

½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp smoked paprika

¼ tsp garlic granules

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

hummus, to serve

METHOD

Preheat the air fryer to 195C.

• Tip the drained chickpeas onto a clean tea towel and rub until dry and the skins have been rubbed off. Discard the skins.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the well-dried and skinned chickpeas and half of the olive oil. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Tip into the air fryer basket (reserve the mixing bowl!) and set the timer for 10 minutes. Shake the basket of the air fryer halfway through cooking.
• Cut the pitta bread into triangles. You will see the pitta is made of two layers of bread, carefully pull the layers apart.
• Add the remaining olive oil to the mixing bowl, along with the pieces of pitta.
• When the timer goes off, tip the chickpeas into the bowl too. Toss everything until evenly coated and then tip everything back into the air fryer.
• Cook for 7–8 more minutes, or until the pitta chips are crisp and the chickpeas are golden-brown. Shake halfway for even roasting.

Tip everything back into the bowl and sprinkle with the spices. Shake well and serve with hummus.

NYT One-Pot Chicken Cacciatore With Potatoes

 One-Pot Chicken Cacciatore With Potatoes

Ingredients

Serves 4

8 (approx 1kg) bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (approx 1kg)

Kosher salt

3 tablespoons olive oil

500g waxy potatoes, such as Yukon Gold or fingerling

1 tablespoon rosemary leaves (from 1 large sprig)

4 anchovy fillets

2 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons drained capers

1/2 glass dry white wine

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar, plus more to taste

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Method

• Heat oven to 200cC425F degrees. Pat chicken thoroughly dry with paper towels and sprinkle all sides with two generous pinches of salt 

• Coat a large jeavy-based high-sided pan or skillet with 1 tablespoon oil.

• Add the chicken pieces, skin side down, in a single layer in the cold pan and place over medium heat. Cook, undisturbed, until the skin is browned and releases easily from the pan, about 15 minutes. 

• While the chicken cooks, cut potatoes into 1-inch-thick chunks and place in a large bowl. Chop the rosemary and anchovy, smash and peel the garlic, then add to the bowl. Add the capers, 2 tablespoons oil and generous pinch of salt; stir well.

• Turn the chicken over and drain the fat.

• Add the potato mixture to the skillet, sitting the chicken pieces skin side up on top and pour over the wine. Put the skillet to the oven and roast, uncovered for around 25m, until the chicken is cooked and the potatoes are tender.

• Chop the parsley

• Put the pan back onto the hob, putting the chickon to one side.

• Add the vinegar and 2 tablespoons water to the pan and continue to cook the potatoes on a medium heat, to reduce the cooking juices for about 5m, stirring occasionally until you have a thick glossy sauce. If the sauce gets too thick add water a spoonful at a time while stirring.

• Return the chicken to the pan, scatter the parsley over and serve.