Christmas Salad for the South.

 This works as a complete meal or a sumptuous accompaniment to your Christmas main.

 Of course in the Antipodes it's summer so the beans and courgettes are in season. Enough for 4
 for lunch. Or 8 for a side.

 Ingredients 1 cup of fast couscous
                     1 cup of chicken stock.
                     3 large sprigs of fresh oregano/marjoram
                     3 cloves of garlic, crushed
                     1 lemon, cut in half, squeezed                  
                     4 tablespoons of olive oil
                     Blanched toasted almonds-about 20.
                     3 courgettes cut into very thin strips-with a mandolin or peeler.
                    200g green beans, trimmed, boiled for 2 minutes, plunged into cold water, drained
                    400g can of cannelloni beans, drained, rinsed.
                     5 cherry tomatoes, halved
                     1 halloumi cheese. 200g approx,
                     salt and ground black pepper.

Marinate the halloumi in the garlic, half the chopped oregano, lemon juice and 3 tablespoons of
oil. Salt and ground pepper it. Leave as long as you can. Overnight if you like.


Pour the couscous into the chicken stock into a pan and boil for 2 minutes, put the lid on and leave to cool.


Griddle the courgettes or panfry them until soft. Griddle or panfry the halloumi draining before frying until coloured. Reserve marinade as dressing.


Chop the other oregano sprig
Place the cooked cooled couscous on a platter,
Arrange the beans evenly. Arrange the cannelloni beans evenly. Dot the tomatoes. Dot the almonds
Arrange the courgettes in a ribbon-like style, top with halloumi. Sprinkle with the oregano.
Pour over the marinade/dressing. Add more lemon juice and seasoning if you like.

Feast to your hearts content.

Barm Brack-Tea Loaf

Irish Traditional Tea Bread.

This is the easiest cakey loaf you will ever make. It's loved by everyone. Serve buttered with tea.

   N.B. The fruit and tea must be soaked overnight.

Ingredients:
Just under UK 2 cups of black tea, cold with no leaves. Try Earl Grey for a change.
3/4 cup of soft brown sugar or equivalent, try a little less if you like, even half a cup is fine.
2 and 1/2 cups of mixed dried fruit. Raisins, currants, sultanas, dates, apricots etc. Chop or cut them if larger than raisins. Or you can use one fruit only, for example, currants.
Put these in a bowl, cover and leave overnight.

Heat oven to 350F.
Ingredients 2:
1  and 1/2 cups wholewheat flour
1 scant cup white flour.
3 teaspoons of baking powder.
1 standard egg, beaten

Sift the flours and baking powder into the tea/fruit mix. Add the chaff.
Add the beaten egg.
Stir without beating until there is no flour visible.
Transfer to a lightly sprayed and  paper lined loaf tin. 4 and 1/2 x 8 and 1/2 inches. (12 x 22cm.)
Bake for  45 minutes to 1 hour, test. ( Press gently to see if it springs back.)
Leave in the tin until warm. Turn out onto wire rack to cool.

This loaf can be cut quite thinly when it's cold.

Hint: save your left-over tea until you have 2 cups-if you're a cheap-skate like me.

German Apple Pancakes

Astoundingly Yummy. Traditional Made a Little More Healthy.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of flour
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup, or just under, half milk and half cream.
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla paste.

Whisk eggs, liquids and vanilla until combined in a medium-sized jug.
Add to this the flour and sugar.
Whisk until there are no lumps.
Set aside.

Heat oven to 450C.

3-4 large apples, Braeburn, Grannies or even Rose, peeled, cored and medium-thinly sliced.
2 Tablespoons butter
3 flat dessertspoons of soft brown sugar.
Sprinkle of cinnamon.

Heat butter in 10 inch/25cm pan with an ovenproof handle until sizzling.
Put in the apples and sugar, sprinkle lightly with cinnamon.
Stir with rubber spatula if the pan is non-stick, until golden. About 10 minutes.

Pour batter over and around the apples.
Immediately put the pan onto the middle rack in the oven.
Turn the heat down to 425C.
Bake until the edges have risen above the pan, and the top is golden.
About 17 to 18 minutes.
I turned on the fan oven for a couple of minutes towards the end to
ensure the mix looked golden. Or you could turn it on to grill to
do the same.

Using oven gloves, invert the pancake onto a plate, loosening first with a heat-proof utensil
around the edges especially. If it is not a non-stick pan you may have to use a spatula to quickly loosen  the whole thing. Be warned the pan is really hot!

Squeeze a little lemon juice in dots all over the pancake, then drench it with icing sugar. Cut it into wedges.

Serve it with creme fraiche or a mix of yoghurt and cream, double or light.
Devour this with strong coffee. ( Close your eyes- you could be in Europe.)

Torta di Riso - Rice Cake with Citrus - Gluten Free.

Rice Cake with Citrus Fragrance.

Simple to make. Takes a little time. Great for gluten-free friends and rice pudding lovers.

Ingredients:
4 cups of milk
115g of sugar
250g arborio rice.

3 eggs
75g almond meal-ground almonds.
2 teaspoons of grated lemon zest.
2 teaspoons of grated orange zest, you can add 2 tablespoons of mixed peel too if you like a stronger flavour.
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 tablespoons of lemon juice.
1 tablespoon of cointreau, or you could use brandy or rum.

Icing sugar to dust.

1.  Put the milk and sugar in a medium saucepan, bring to the boil.
2.  Add the rice and 1 teaspoon of each of the zests.
3.  Simmer gently over medium to low heat, stirring occasionally for 40 minutes approximately, until all the milk is absorbed. Cover and leave to cool.
4.  Heat oven to 180C.
5.  Lightly grease a 23-25cm springform tin.
6.  Line the bottom with a disc of baking paper that just comes up over the edge of the base a little.

7.  Beat the 3 eggs, add the cooled rice, almond meal, peel or zests, vanilla, lemon juice and alcohol.
8.  Stir together well.
9.  Place mixture into tin, spread with a spatula to even the surface.
10.  Bake for about 40 minutes-if there is no brown edge, put on the fan or the grill for 2 or 3 minutes to add colour.
11.  Cool in the pan.
12.  Dust with icing sugar when plated.

This needs a good Italian coffee to accompany it. And maybe a dollop of whipped cream.

                      Slice missing to sample, ha.

Baked Corn Bread- Mexican Style.

A Simple Bread Useful For Lunch with a Salad or a Side for Chilli (CHILE). Easy to Make.

Ingredients:
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped.
1 fresh or frozen green chilli- deseeded, finely chopped.
1 egg
1 cup milk (250ml)
1 cup (250g) creamed corn.
1 teaspoon chilli paste
1 cup ( 175g ) polenta,  (cornmeal)  I used medium ground.
1 cup of plain flour or wholewheat flour.
2 teaspoons baking powder.
1 teaspoon of salt.
60g grated cheddar cheese.

1. Melt 60g butter in a frying pan and cook the onion and chilli for 4 minutes. Set aside.

2. Whisk together the egg and milk. Add corn and mix well.

3. Sift the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Add onion mix, egg mix and cheese.
    Mix with a knife until just combined.

4. Spoon into a greased and lined 20cm square cake tin or a 12 x 22 cm loaf tin.

5. top with pepitas ( pumpkin seeds)
6. Bake at 180C or 350F
7. About 30 minutes for the square tin and 35 for the loaf. Test with a skewer.

 You get a crisper result with the square tin. Leftover bread is really great fried in a little oil and served with fried tomatoes. Delicioso.

                                   Tasty Pan De Maiz!

Mid-East Meatball Meal

Love Piquant Flavours? This meal will deliver them. Serves 4-6.

Ingredients: 350g minced or ground beef and
                    350g minced or ground lamb

1 medium onion chopped in even pieces
2 pieces wholemeal bread cut into squares
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley, mint, dill and coriander,
                       or use  dried dill tips  and coriander flakes.
2 cloves of garlic, crushed.
2 small or 1 large egg.
4 teaspoons ground cumin
4 teaspoons Baharat spice mix/ or 3 teaspoons Moroccan spice and 1 teaspoon of sumac.
1 teaspoon of salt
Lots of ground black pepper.

Put everything except the meat into a food processor, mix well.
Remove and add to a big bowl with the ground meats.
Mix well.
Form mix, by tossing from hand to hand to mould together, into ping pong sized or smaller balls.
Use a dessertspoon as a measure to keep them even in size.
Place in the fridge to firm up for as long as you like, but 20 mins at least.
Some can be frozen at this stage as there are lots of meatballs!

 Gently fry meatballs on all sides to brown- set aside.

Sauce:
Heat 2 Tablespoons  olive oil in large frying pan.
Add 1 chopped red onion
4 thyme sprigs,
2  crushed cloves garlic

Gently sauté onion,  garlic and thyme, add salt and pepper,
Add   3 Tablespoons lemon juice and
2 cups of chicken stock or 1 1/2 cups if not cooking all the meatballs at once
Bring to simmer.
Add  meatballs to sauce.
Simmer 20 minutes lid on.

Meanwhile: blanch broccoli florets or edamame beans- set aside.
Chop 2 teaspoons of parsley, mint, dill, and coriander - set aside

Add the vegetables and a handful of baby spinach leaves. Leave the lid off to thicken the sauce.
Add 2 Tablespoons of capers.

After 3-4 minutes serve. Top with the chopped herbs.

Serve with hummus, and pita breads warmed in the oven.
And, or, couscous with diced cooked pumpkin, for colour. I used wholegrain instant couscous.
Top with pine nuts, toasted if you like. Garnish with dill.

A cucumber and yoghurt salad would be brilliant as an extra.

Tastebud heaven!

Greek Custard Slice-Galaktoboureko

Classic, But Simply Lovely and Simple to Make.
You need a little patience but it's so worth it as it makes 20 pieces.

Make the custard 1 hour before you assemble the galaktoboureko.

Ingredients:
5 cups of milk
1 cup caster sugar or 1/2 cup caster and 1/2 cup Nat-via or stevia granules
1 teaspoon of vanilla paste or 1 vanilla bean, split lengthways, seeds removed
1 cup of fine semolina
20g (3/4 ounce) butter
4 eggs

16 sheets filo pastry
120g butter (4 ounces)
1 tablespoon icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Stir milk, sugars and vanilla in large saucepan over heat until sugar dissolves, bring to boil.
2. Gradually whisk semolina into milk mixture, whisk over medium heat about 5 minutes or until thickened.
3. Remove pan from heat, stir in the 20g butter. Transfer to large heatproof bowl, cover with plastic wrap, leave 1 hour, beat in the eggs.
4. Preheat oven to 160C or 325F grease deep 25cm x 32cm (10-inch x 13-inch) baking dish
5. Cut filo pastry sheets to size or have a rougher look with a tucked in edge. I took mine straight from the freezer, they were easy to handle and didn't break.

6. Brush 1 sheet of pastry with some melted butter repeat with other 7, placing them one on top of the other in the base of the dish.
7. Spread custard into the filo lined dish.
8. Repeat the brushing with butter on the other 8 sheets and place on top of custard.
9. Score with a knife to mark out squares if you like.
10. Bake about 55 minutes, it should be well risen and firm but not too brown.

MEANWHILE
Make lemon syrup.
3/4 cup caster sugar ( you can add a little honey after you have reduced the syrup, if not sweet enough)
3/4 cup water
1/4  cup lemon juice
zest from 1 lemon, finely grated.
Stir all ingredients in small saucepan over heat until sugar dissolves, bring to boil, reduce heat, simmer 10 minutes. Make sure it is hot when you pour it over the cooked Greek slice.
Cool
Dust with the icing sugar and cinnamon, mixed.
Serve with whipped cream or Greek yoghurt and some black coffee. Love it.