Recipes
Cherry Tomato, Garlic Feta and Basil Sauce (for pasta or gnocchi)
200ml NZ Extra Virgin olive oil 15 garlic cloves, peeled and halved 500g cherry tomatoes 1 cup basil leaves, loosely packed 250g feta, roughly crumbled
Place the Extra Virgin olive oil and garlic in a saucepan and fry over a moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is golden and soft (about 6 minutes). Add the tomatoes and basil, stir well and cook for about 3 minutes until the tomato skins just begin to burst. Add the feta and gently mix in. Taste for seasoning, then spoon the sauce over the cooked past or gnocchi. (The olive oil and garlic in this recipe may seem excessive, but as it dribbles down your chin you’ll realise it is well worth it!) |
Olive Oil Cake (served wth orange segments and whipped cream)
150g sugar 150g or 165ml NZ extra virgin olive oil 100g flour 50g semolina 2 egg yolks 3 egg whites 1 lemon, zest and juice ½ tsp vanilla paste Pinch of salt Cream the sugar with the egg yolks until pale and fluffy. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla paste followed by the flour and semolina. Beat until smooth. Slowly pour the olive oil into the mixture and stir until the oil is incorporated into the batter. It will be quite thick and shiny. Let it rest for a while so that the flour and semolina can absorb the oil. Stir again. Add a good pinch of salt to the egg whites and beat them to a very firm peak. Gently fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the cake mixture, then the second third and then the last third. This will ensure that the cake is light and fluffy. You can either pour the batter into a round spring-form tin or into a ring-form tin depending on how you want to serve it. Bake at 170C for about 40 minutes. To serve, sprinkle with icing sugar and server in wedges with orange segments and whipped cream. Mascarpone or yoghurt makes a nice alternative to whipped cream. |
Herb Dumplings
A winter warmer to add to stews. 100g self raising flour 50g shredded suet 2 tsp chopped fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried 2 tsp chopped fresh sage or 1 tsp dried
Mix flour and suet and add herbs. Stir in enough cold water to make an elastic dough. Divide into 12 balls and place around the edge of the hot pot for the last 20 minutes of cooking. |
Zucchini, Vanilla and Lavender Cake.
Sservers 4-6, Prep time 15
mins, cooking time 45 – 60 mins. This is a good way to use that zucchini that turned into a marrow when you weren’t looking! 300g zucchini or marrow 300g sugar 4 eggs 200ml olive oil 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 drops lavender oil (optional) 280g flour 2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder
For icing: 300g cream cheese softened 150g butter at room temp 2 cups icing sugar 1 tsp vanilla paste
Preheat oven to 200c. Butter a 22cm round cake tin and line the base with baking paper. Grate the zucchini and let it rest in a sieve over the sink. Beat together the sugar and eggs until well mixed and pale. Add the zucchini, olive oil, vanilla extract and lavender oil into the egg mix and combine. In another bowl sift the flour, baking soda and baking powder with a pinch of salt. Mix this into the zucchini mix and combine loosely. Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake for 45 mins. or until a skewer comes out clean. Remove from the tin and leave to cool on a wire rack.
Make the icing by beating together the cream cheese, butter, icing sugar and vanilla paste. Spread on the top of the cake and decorate with flowers or nuts. |
Coconut Butter (from May 2015 meeting Ways with Coconut)
Smooth and Creamy Coconut Butter. (Recipe by Sonia! The Health Foodie) Ingredients · 6 cups unsweetened shredded coconut · ½ cup coconut oil · ¼ tsp Himalayan salt Instructions 1. Add all the ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and process for a total of 8-10 minutes until creamy and fairly liquid. You will have to stop and scrape the sides a few times, but it shouldn’t be too often. 2. Force the coconut butter through a fine mesh sieve by pushing it down with a ladle or rubber spatula. 3. Place the coarser butter that stayed in the sieve back in to the processor and process it for few more minutes until it becomes liquid again. 4. Force through the fine mesh sieve once again. You can repeat this process one or two more times, just to make sure you get the most out of your coconut. 5. Pour the smooth butter into a glass jar and put it away to give it time to set, at least 24 hours. 6. By all means do not discard the grainy butter; keep it in a separate jar and use it as a garnish for pancakes, muffins, scrambled eggs, salads... let your imagination run wild!
NOTES During the warmer months of summer your coconut might remain liquid even after sitting for a while. If that happens simply place it in the fridge for an hour or two and give it a good stir. This should give it a nice spreadable consistency. |
Curry Spices with Kashmeera
Dana-jeera powder Approximate measurements 2tbl coriander seeds 1tbl cumin seeds 2cm cinnamon stick 5-7 cloves 6-7 black pepper Lightly dry pan roast until there is a light toasty aroma Grind and store in a jar (put lid on when cool) Used for dahls, vegetable and non-vegetable dishes. Onion bhaji Onion medium sliced Cumin seed Chilli paste Turmeric Chickpea flour Mix with hands squeezing onion to give some juice. A small amount of water to combine Add fresh coriander washed squeeze dried and chopped Garlic and ginger paste Grab about a dessert spoonful with your fingers and deep fry in medium hot oil for about 10 mins until golden brown and cooked through. Tea for 3-4 cups 3 tea bags Kenya Bold black tea ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper or to taste (good for colds or coughs) 4cm fresh ginger peeled and sliced Handful of mint leaves Put in a small pan of water and simmer until it smells good. Serve in cups and add milk and sugar to taste. Green chutney Fresh coriander Fresh mint Curry leaves Green chilli to taste A few cumin seeds Raw peanuts ground Grind together To serve add lemon juice and salt to taste. These recipes was given to us verbally from Kashmeera but for more detailed methods and quantities we suggest checking on the internet for similar recipes to give more guidance. |
Pesto Recipes
BROAD BEAN PESTO 1 ½ - 2 cups of shelled broad beans (about 900g in their pods) 2 cloves garlic, minced 12 mint leaves, finely chopped 4 anchovy fillets 4 heaped tblsp finely grated Parmesan ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil If beans are fresh, boil them for minutes then drain. If using frozen beans, pour over boiling water and leave until cool enough to handle. Slip off greyish outer skins by grasping each bean by its grooved end and squeezing gently. Discard skins. Place beans and all other ingredients in a food processor and puree to a paste. Pesto will keep for about 1 week in the fridge. BASIL PESTO 1 clove garlic chopped Sea salt Freshly ground black pepper 3 good handfuls on fresh basil, leaves picked and chopped 1 handful of cashew nuts, very lightly toasted 1 good handful of Parmesan cheese, freshly grated Extra virgin olive oil 1 small squeeze of lemon juice (optional) Place all ingredients (except the salt and pepper) in a food processor. Puree to a paste. Season to taste. You can keep adding either more oil or more Parmesan cheese until you are happy with the consistency. You can add a squeeze of lemon juice at the end if you like. Try it without the lemon and try it with the lemon and see which you prefer. |
January Recipes
Blue Cheese Dip, even appreciated by non blue cheese eaters 1 cup sour cream |
May Recipes
Turmeric and ginger tea, for a healthy chest 1 thumb fresh root ginger,sliced.1 tsp ground turmeric 1/2 tsp fennel seeds Put the above in a tea pot and cover with boiling water, leave for about 5 minutes before pouring. Tea Loaf 80z dried fruit, i used raisins, soaked for 8 hours or overnight in 1 cuo of tea( i used the turmeric and ginger tea) In a separate bowl mix together 8oz plain flour OR 80z gluten free flour, 1 tbsp baking powder, 4oz sugar, 1 egg, 2 tbsp marmalade OR jam OR agave syrup, the grated rind of 1orange and 1 lemon. stir in the soaked fruits and liquid. Bake 180c till done. Samosa filling Heat 2tbsp ghee or oil in a pan, add 2 finely chopped onions and cook till soft, add 1tsp brown mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds and turn up the heat till they sizzle and release their aroma, add 2 tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp ground coriander, mix well. Add 2 cups diced potatoesand 1 cup of water,bring to the boil and add 1 cup of chopped kamo kamo OR other pumpkin. Cook till soft adding more water if necessary. add 1 cup frozen peas and cook till just soft. Remove from the heat and add salt and pepper, the juice of 2 lemons and 2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley. Use to fill phyllo pastry or any other pastry parcels. |
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