December 2014

Pasta Peperonata

A wonderful rustic-style pasta, delicious with or without the mascarpone or crème fraîche.

Ingredients:
Makes 4 servings

2 red peppers, deseeded and sliced
2 yellow peppers, deseeded and sliced
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 red onions, peeled and finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and grated
2 handfuls fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves finely chopped
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 handfuls Parmesan cheese, grated
2 heaped tbsp mascarpone cheese or crème fraîche, optional

Directions:
Put all the peppers in a large frying pan over a medium heat with a little olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Place a lid on, and cook slowly for 15 minutes until softened. Don't rush this too much, as cooking the peppers slowly like this really helps to bring out the flavour. Add the onion and cook for a further 20 minutes. Then add the garlic and toss around, keeping everything moving in the pan. Cook for about 3 minutes more. Have a little taste, and season with a bit more salt and pepper.

Add the vinegar - it will sizzle away, so give everything a good toss. Then add one handful of the grated Parmesan and the mascarpone or crème fraîche if you are using it and turn the heat down to minimum while you cook the pasta.

Put the peppers, pasta, and parsley leaves into a large warmed bowl. Give them a good toss together, then add a little of the pasta cooking water and a few good lugs of extra virgin olive oil to coat the pasta nicely. Serve straight away sprinkled with the rest of the Parmesan.

Adapted from Original Recipe

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Slow Cooker Lamb Curry

An easy slow cooker recipe requiring minimal preparation. The flavour of this curry is out of this world!

Ingredients:
Makes 4 servings

1/4 cup plain flour
800g lamb shoulder, diced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large brown onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
4cm piece fresh ginger, peeled, grated
1 long red chilli, finely chopped
1 tbsp curry paste
270ml light coconut milk
1 tsp stock powder
1 cinnamon stick
1 dried bay leaf
Basmati rice, yoghurt, naan bread and chopped fresh coriander, to serve

Directions:
Place flour and lamb in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Mix throughly to coat. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook lamb, in batches, for 3 to 4 minutes or until browned. Transfer to a 4.5 litre-capacity slow cooker.

Add onion, garlic and ginger to pan. Cook, stirring, for 4 to 5 minutes or until tender. Add chilli and curry paste. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add coconut milk, stock powder and 3/4 cup cold water. Bring to the boil. Transfer to slow cooker. Add cinnamon stick and bay leaf. Stir to combine.

Cook, covered, on low for 6 hours or until lamb is tender. Remove and discard cinnamon stick and bay leaf. Serve with rice, yoghurt, naan and coriander.

Adapted from Original Recipe

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Creamy Spiced Cauliflower Soup

An amazing soup which takes cauliflower to a whole new level.

Ingredients:
Makes 4 servings

1 tbsp olive or coconut oil
2 medium yellow onions, diced
1 bay leaf
1 1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/8 tsp ground cardamom
dash of ground black pepper
sprinkling of crushed red pepper flakes
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 large head of cauliflower, roughly chopped to the same size
1 cup canned coconut milk
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
fresh dill (for garnish - optional)

Directions:
In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium-low. Add all the ingredients from the onion to the red pepper flakes. Sauté, stirring occasionally until the onions become translucent, about 10 minutes. Then, add the garlic and sauté another few minutes.

Add the broth and cauliflower ingredients and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for about 15 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender.

Remove from heat and transfer carefully to a blender. Blend on high (allowing steam to vent) for a few minutes, until silky and smooth. Transfer back to the soup pot and stir in the coconut milk and vinegar. Bring back to heat over low, ensuring it doesn't boil Serve hot and topped with fresh dill and ground black pepper.

Adapted from Original Recipe

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Old Fashioned Chocolate Bundt Cake

A delightfully rich chocolate cake.

Ingredients:

Makes 1 cake

For the cake:

145g dark chocolate, plus 60g finely chopped dark chocolate
115g unsalted butter, plus enough to grease the pan
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream

For the ganache glaze:

85g dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 tablespoon golden syrup
1/3 cup heavy cream (or a bit more to achieve desired consistency)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius and butter your pan. Melt the 145g of chocolate and the butter over a double boiler, add 1/2 cup water and the cocoa powder. Stir until cocoa is dissolved and set aside to cool.

Sift together the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs a few seconds to combine, add the sugar and whip until light and very thick (about 3-4 minutes). Add the vanilla and beat until the mixture forms a wide ribbon when the beater is lifted out (about 5-8 more minutes)

Gently fold the chocolate mixture and sour cream into the eggs and sugar, and fold in the flour mixture in thirds. Pour half of the mixture into the pan and add the 60g of finely chopped chocolate. Fill the pan with the rest of the cake mixture, and bake for 50-60 minutes.

Cool about 30 minutes on a rack, and turn out of the pan. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil. In a heatproof bowl, combine 3 ounces of chopped chocolate with the golden syrup. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let stand until melted, about 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Let the ganache glaze cool until thick but still pourable, about 5 minutes. Pour the ganache over the cooled cake. Let the cake stand until the glaze is set, at least 30 minutes, before serving.

Adapted from Original Recipe

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Raw Tomato Sauce Pasta

Another simple pasta dish, where the fresh ingredients make up all the flavour.

Ingredients:
Makes 4 servings

500g red and yellow cherry tomatoes, quartered
150 g black olives, stoned
6 anchovy fillets in oil, drained and finely sliced
1 clove garlic, finely sliced
bunch of fresh parsley, chopped
extra virgin olive oil
1 sprig fresh marjoram, oregano or thyme, leaves picked
salt and pepper

Directions:
Put the tomatoes into a large mixing bowl with the olives, anchovies and garlic. Add a few lugs of the best olive oil you can find, season to taste and gently stir together.

Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water until tender, then drain and add to the mixing bowl, along with the parsley. Stir it all together and let it sit for a minute or two, so the pasta starts to suck up all the lovely flavoured juices in the bowl. Stir again, check the seasoning and serve sprinkled with the marjoram, oregano or thyme leaves.