Apricot, Raisin, Ginger and Cardamom Loaf

Here's an old fashioned fruit loaf made with a mixture of apricots, raisins, crystalised ginger and orange rind. I've added a little cardamom to add a spicy note. Serve buttered slices of this loaf with a coffee.We like fruit loaves and they are good keepers.

If the apricots are moist and ready to eat when they come out of the packet I don't bother to soak them.But if they feel dry and leathery I'd pour some boiling water over them, leave them to soak for a couple of hours and then drain them well.

I use ready to eat apricots and put them in my mini chopper with the raisins and ginger. Then it's just a matter of whizzing but stopping when they are in small pieces. You don't want to turn them into a mush.

To save on cleaning up a sticky chopper bowl and blade  and not wasting electricity it would be good to do it by hand. Think of it as an exercise in mindfulness while perfecting your knife skills.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of chopped apricots
1/2 cup of raisins
1/4 cup of crystalised ginger
2 cups of flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of milk
1/4 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 egg
4 oz ( 125 gm) of melted butter
the grated rind of 1/2 an orange
A few cardamom seeds

Method:

Sift the flour, salt, baking powder and soda into a bowl.
Add the dried fruits, chopped ginger. and sugar
Use a pestle and mortar to pound the cardamom seeds to a powder and add.
Next add the beaten egg, milk and orange rind
Melt the butter and stir this in also

Put the mixture into a lightly greased loaf tin/ a small cake tin lined with baking paper.

Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour in a moderate oven.

Allow to cool down in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out.






 

My Favourite Ginger Crunch



If our national census which takes place next week included a question about the nation's favourite biscuits,  ginger crunch would be right up there with shortbread and chocolate chip cookies.

My best ginger crunch recipe was inspired by a sixties community cookbook : The Selwyn District Girl Guides 300 favourite recipes and was shared by a Mrs Hornblow.

The previous recipe in this book is a fudge cake from Mrs Mudoon ( could it be the Mrs Muldoon, ex Prime Minister's wife ?)

In recent years the icing has got thicker and thicker. In some cafes they make it thicker than the base.This can make ginger crunch overly sweet. In her recipe it was a mere glaze. I doubled the icing and crumbled some crystalised ginger on top. Nick loved it, and as my son is a man of perfect taste it must be good!
If you do like a fat layer oficing double the recipe.

Ingredients:

4 oz of butter ( 125 gram) softened
1 teaspoon of baking powder
7 oz of flour ( 1 1/2 cups)
4 oz of sugar ( 1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon of ground ginger

Cream butter and sugar and add the dry ingredients. Knead well and press into a shallow greased tin ( a 20-30 cm sponge roll tin)
Bake 20-25 min at 375 degree C

Icing: Put into a saucepan

4 tablespoons of butter
8 tablespoons of icing sugar
4 teaspoons of Golden Syrup
2 level teaspoon of ground ginger

Heat until melted. Then pour over the base while still hot and cut into squares.
Sprinkle some crystalised ginger over the top

Tabouleh Salad

 

I used to make tabouleh salad in my student days many moons ago because it was cheap, cheerful and healthy.This week I made it again to use up a whole bunch of parsley from our veggie plot. I'd forgotten just how good it tasted.

For this recipe you need finely ground bulgur wheat.I found some organic finely ground burgul wheat at IE Produce and it was perfect for this.

This salad makes a very large quantity. It keeps well in the fridge for a few days so if you are serving it as part of a barbecue it can be made well beforehand.

It's a flexible recipe . This is a good starting point but add more or less of any of the ingredients to your taste. If I add some chopped cucumber I add it shortly before serving so it doesn't make the salad watery.

The Hot Samoan Boys Chilli Sauce is optional but it adds a nice little kick.

Ingredients:

2 cups of fine bulgur wheat
2 cups of boiling water
3 spring onions
1 red onion ( finely chopped)
2 cups of finely chopped parsley ( stems removed)
1/4 cup of finely chopped mint leaves
10-12 vine ripened tomatoes
1/2 cup of olive oil
1/3 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
salt and pepper
A few drops of Hot Samoan Boys Chilli Sauce


Method:

• In a large heatproof bowl pour the boiling water over the bulgur. Let it stand for 5-10 minutes until the water is absorbed.
•  Fluff it up with a fork.
• When it has cooled add the parsley, mint, onion and spring onion.
• Cut the tomatoes in half. Squeeeze each one over a bowl to remove the seeds, then chop.
• Stir the tomatoes into the tabouleh.
• Add a few drops of Hot Samoan Boys chili sauce for a little extra kick if you like,
• It can be eaten straight away or kept in the fridge for several days.

 

Gluten Free Hummingbird Cake

Here is a recipe for Hummingbird cake, a family favourite flavoured with banana, pineapple and coconut. It is loved by both those who are gluten free as well as those who are not. This makes it very convenient.As oil is used in this cake rather than butter it’s also quick to mix.

I used to buy gluten free baking powder from a health food shop which was expensive. But I have recently discovered that Hansell’s baking powder is labelled gluten and aluminium free and this is cheaper.

It was adapted from an Australian Women's Weekly recipe.

Ingredients:

450 grams crushed pineapple in syrup

1 1/2 cups of gluten free baking mix (I used Bakel's)

1 teaspoon of gluten free baking powder (I used Hansell's)

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon of ground ginger

1 cup of brown sugar

1/2 cup of desiccated coconut

1 cup of mashed bananas

2 eggs

3/4 cup of vegetable oil

Method:

·         Preheat the oven to 180C.

·         Drain the pineapple into a bowl through a sieve. Press with the back of a spoon to extract as much of the syrup as possible. Save 1/4 cup of the juice.

·         Sift the flour, baking powder, spices, and sugar into a large bowl.

·         In a second bowl beat the eggs with a fork, Add the mashed bananas, crushed pineapple, vegetable oil, coconut and the reserved pineapple syrup and stir to mix.

·         Combine the wet mixture with the dry ingredients in the bowl.

·         Pour into a 23 cm round tin which has been lightly greased and lined with baking paper.

·         Bake for 40 minutes at 180C. Let the cake cool down in the tin for ten minutes before turning out onto a cake rack to cool.

I don't always ice it because the cake itself is quite sweet but for the sweet toothed it can be iced with a cream cheese icing made with 30 grams of softened butter, 60 grams of cream cheese, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1 1/2 cups of icing sugar.

Beat the first three ingredients together until they are light and fluffy and then gradually beat in the icing sugar. Sprinkle the cake with chopped toasted walnuts or pecans.

 

 

Make your own Basil Oil

When there is a glut of basil in our garden I ususally make pesto but last night I made some basil oil  for a change. It's very easy and you can use it in lots of different recipes.

For a roughly textured oil you can leave the little bits of basil floating in it after you have whizzed it. But I like the the smooth grassy green oil that you get if you press it with the back of a spoon through a sieve.

I happened to have some mutton cloth so I let it drip through that and then twisted and squeezed it till all the oil had escaped into a bowl. This also worked really well.

Basil oil could be used in a vinaigrette, mixed through pasta , or drizzled on tomato and mozarella bruschetta. I tossed mine through a potato, green bean, egg, and rocket salad  and added a squeeze of lemon juice, some crushed garlic and plenty of freshly ground salt and pepper.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 to 2 cups  of freshly picked basil leaves.
1 cup of mild olive oil
salt to tast

Method:

Blanch the leaves in boiling water for 30 seconds.
Tip into a sink of cold water
Lift out with a slotted spoon onto a kitchen towel.
Squeeze the water out. (do this very thoroughly )
Whizz until the basil is very finely chopped ( I did this in bursts)
Use as is, or for a smooth oil pour it into a bowl through a sieve, pressing with the back of a spoon to extract as much oil as possible.
Add salt to taste

It can be used immediately or stored in the fridge for a few days.





 

Hanna's Dutch Speculaas Cookies

These Dutch speculaas cookies are so good, crunchy and redolent with spices.

I was leafing through my file of recipes that friends and family have shared over the years when I found my sister Hanna's recipe for them. I'm sure she won't mind if I post it.

I've put the approximate metric equivalents in brackets alongside and noted some small changes which I made to the recipe as it was first written.

Ingredients:

7 oz ( 200 gm) of self raising flour
a pinch of salt
1 1/2 teaspoons of speculaas spices ( e.g. 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves)
3.5 oz  ( 70 gm) of flaked almonds
4 oz ( 100 gm) of of castor sugar
4 oz ( 100 gm) of chilled butter 
2-3 tablespoons of milk

Method:

Sieve the flour, salt, spices and sugar into a bowl.
Add hard butter and mix and cut this in with a knife.
Add the sliced almonds.
Add the milk gradually and knead it into a firm but elastic mixture. Form it into a roll.
Wrap it up in tinfoil and leave overnight in the fridge to allow the spicy flavours to mingle. (although  if you are in a hurry you can just put it in the fridge for 1/2 hour)
Cut into 1/4 " slices. Put on an oven tray, leaving room to spread. Bake at 350C.

My notes:

To come together the dough needed an extra tablespoon of milk when I made them.
I used half brown sugar and half castor.
I just cubed the butter straight out of the fridge and put it with all the other ingredients ( except the almonds) into the bowl of a food processor. Then I whizzed until it became like very fine breadcrumbs and started to clump (not klomp!) together.
I poured this mixture into a bowl , added the almonds and kneaded it all together for a while till it made a dough.

I  put it in the freezer for 1/2 hour and then cut it into thin slices with a sharp serrated knife.
The cookies were baked on an oven tray lined with baking paper.
I baked them at 350C for about 20 minutes until the cookies had very slightly browned.
You can store the dough in the freezer

If you don't feel like making your own speculaas spices you can buy them from a Dutch shop, or use the Equagold brand which can be ordered online.I used Equagold.

Spicy Indian Sweet Corn

Sweet Corn is so cheap right now, 3-4 cobs for $2.00 so this was the perfect time of year to try this colourful recipe by Madjur Jaffrey. I did make a few changes. I used less corn (only 2 large cobs) and substituted seeded red chilis to reduce the heat and for their vibrant colour. At the end I felt it still needed just a little more oomph so I stirred in a little Garam Masala.

I used black mustard seeds. If you don't find tiny dark spots fetching then yellow mustard seeds would make for a better look.

My friend Gill gave me a little bay leaf tree to plant quite a few years ago and I love going into the garden and picking leaves as I need them. I used only one in this recipe and think that was enough.

Here is the original recipe

Madhur Jaffrey’s
Corn With Aromatic Seasonings

An easy, perfumed, stir-fried corn dish that can be made with fresh or frozen corn.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive or canola oil
1 teaspoon whole brown or yellow mustard seeds
4 cardamom pods
4 whole cloves
One 1-inch cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
1 to 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh hot green chiles (do not discard seeds)
4 cups corn cut fresh off the cobs, or two 10-ounce packets of frozen corn, defrosted and drained
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cream

Method:

1. Pour the oil into a frying pan and set over medium heat.
2. Meanwhile, combine the mustard seeds, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaves in a small cup.
3. When the oil is hot, put in all the whole spices. As soon as the mustard seeds pop, a matter of seconds, add the ginger and green chiles. Stir once or twice, and then add in the corn. Stir for 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Add the salt and cream. Continue to stir and cook for another minute. Turn heat to low and cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring, until all the cream is absorbed. You can pick out and discard the cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaves if you are serving those unaccustomed to large whole spices in their foods.

Yield: Serves 4 to 6.

I found this recipe at
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/12/an-indian-spiced-thanksgiving/
Here also are all the makings for a great Indian vegetarian feast!

This recipe wass created for the I Heart Madhur Jaffrey cooking challenge. Take a look at what other cooks have submitted over the weeks. There's some great recipes.

http://iheartcookingclubs.blogspot.co.nz/


 

Pears Poached in a Saffron Syrup

 

These pears were scented with cardamom seeds and saffron and poached gently in a sugary syrup. I used a Madhur Jaffrey recipe ( in her Cookbook : Food for Family and Friends) who first made them with the purest saffron from Kashmir.

As she put it:
"They turn a rich golden colour and are suffused with the heady aromas of both saffron and cardamom, amongt the most prized spices in the world."

It's not an Indian recipe really, although it uses Indian spices. I wonder if she was inspired by a traditional European recipe of pears poached in red wine.

Halfway through the cooking I realised that my cardamom pods were not releasing sufficient flavour.  I bought them from our local Indian supermarket a long time ago when they had a strong aroma. I remember their smell as I ladled them into a bag. But it had faded.  I threw in a few more pods.

The pinch of Masterfoods saffron threads stored in a tiny box did not colour the pears as much as I had hoped. But once the syrup had been reduced it had turned a warm caramel colour.

It was a nice dessert but the flavour was not as intense as I had hoped it would be. Next time I make it I'll be sure to stock up on some fresher cardamom pods.

And I would be tempted to serve it with some whipped cream sprinkled with finely chopped pistachio nuts.

Ingredients

1 cup of sugar
2 cups of water
6 whole cardamom pods
1/4 teaspoon good quality saffron  (the kind that comes in little saffron coloured threads threads)
3 tablespoons of lemon juice.
4 firm pears

Method:
Combine the sugar , 2 cups of water, cardamom pods, saffron and lemon juice and cook gently until the sugar melts. Peel the pears, halve them and core them. Put them in the simmering syrup. Cover and cook gently for 25 minutes. Every now and then , turn them and spoon syrup over them.
Take them out carefully with a slotted spoon and arrange them in a serving dish.
Keep cooking the syrup until it has reduced to 1 cup. Pour this over the pears and cool.



The theme of this week's I Heart Cookign Blog was Out of India . For more inspiration take a look at what others have posted on:

http://iheartcookingclubs.blogspot.co.nz/

As I went back to read some of these recipes I noticed that Deb from Hawaii had already posted this recipe in Madjur Jaffrey's Sweet Endings Challenge. Sorry Deb, I didn't mean to double dip.




 

Corn, Feta and Basil Ravioli in Dumpling Wrappers.

In a Bunny Eats Design post Genie boldly declared "Authenticity is nothing". Then she shared a great recipe for dumpling wrapped prawn ravioli. Italian? Chinese? does it really matter. In our kiwi kitchens you'll find a global table that mixes and matches with gay abandon. As long as it tastes good, and uses fresh and mainly local ingredients I'm all for it. 

 

They sounded so delicious I wanted to make them at once! But as usual I didn't have the right ingredients to hand. What I did have was a packet of dumpling wrappers which had been lurking in my fridge for a week after a visit to our local Asian supermarket. Then I scrounged around in the garden and kitchen and used what I had to make these Dumpling wrapped corn, feta and basil ravioli. They were such fun to make that no doubt all sorts of other fillings will evolve.

 

 http://bunnyeatsdesign.com/2013/02/13/dumpling-wrapper-ravioli/

 

I followed her basic technique  which you can read for yourself on the above link. But I did put the dumpling skins on a silicone sheet as they do have a tendency to stick. A lightly greased plate/tray would have also done.

24 dumpling wrappers
 
Filling:
1 corn cob
100 gm of feta ( crumbled)
shredded basil
1/4 seeded red chili pepper ( more if you like it hot)
2 tablespoons of cream
freshly ground black pepper
rocket to garnish

Method:

Hold the corn cob under running water and shake. Microwave for 3 minutes. Peel back the husk and leave to cool a little before scraping the corn into a bowl.
Put 1/2 of the dumpling wrappers on a silicone baking sheet/lightly greased tray.
Mix the  crumbled feta with the cream
Add all the other filling ingredients and mash together with a fork.
Put walnut sized balls of the filling in the middle of each wrapper
Brush the edges with milk
Brush the other dumpling wrappers lightly with milk with a pastry brush) and put on top.
Press the edges together, and then press around the edges with a fork to make a decorative pattern on the edges.

To cook them I used a wide bottomed saucepan
When the water boiled I carefully placed some of the ravioli in a single layer.
Then I let the water come to the boil again before lifting them out with a slotted spoon onto a plate .
The process was repeated till all were all done
Finally they were sprinkled with some rocket
They should be served while still hot.

Genie added a little sauce to hers made from butter, chopped garlic and lemon juice which sounded divine . But I rather liked mine garnished with just some rocket.




 

Roasted Tomato Soup

Tomatoes are so cheap right now as it's the height of summer. A strange time of year you might think to make a tomato soup but by evening there's been a little chill in the air and we like this tomato soup as a starter before dinner or a light meal on its own with toasted cheese sandwiches.
Roasting  really helps to intensify the tomato flavour and makes the garlic mellow and soft.
It's not really necessary to add the cream, but it makes it a little more indulgent, and harks back to that old childhood favourite, Wattie's condensed tomato soup.

Ingredients:

1.5 kg tomatoes
1 bulb of garlic
3 tablespoons of olive oil,
1 teaspoon of salt
1 large red onion chopped into chunks
2-3 tablespoons of tomato puree, or sundried tomatoes (pureed)
1 tablespoon of castor sugar
4 cups of vegetables/chicken stock
1/4 cup of cream
chopped chives

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C
Cut a cross in the bottom of each tomato. Put them into a large bowl.
Pour boiling water over the tomatoes, then put them in cold water straightaway. The skins should peel off easily.
Cut the tomatoes in half and put face up on an oven tray with the garlic
Drizzle with 1 tablespooon of the olive oil and the salt and roast for 40 minutes
Fry the onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil over a gentle heat for 5 minutes.
Squeeze the garlic over the top and continue to fry over a low heat for 5 more minutes.
Add the tomatoes and 4 cups of vegetable/chicken stock.
Simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the cream ( Do not let it come to the boil again)
Process briefly in a food processor. Leave it a little textured rather than smooth.

Serve hot sprinkled with some chopped chives.