harissa lamb cutlets

We try and buy meat for our family in bulk as much as possible, so we regularly buy a whole lamb - it works out much cheaper than buying kilos of lamb chops or a lamb roast. This recipe comes from a supermarket recipe flyer and is loved by everyone. I would never have thought to put the vegetable combination together but it works and is delicious.

Harissa Lamb Cutlets

Ingredients:
200g chargrilled red capsicum (I make my own instructions at bottom)
2t chilli flakes
3 cloves garlic chopped (I use organic Russian Garlic so I would only use 1 clove -they are quite big)

3t ground cumin
2t ground coriander
1 1/2 t sea salt flakes
1/2 C olive oil
750g small potatoes sliced
250g cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 C coriander leaves, roughly chopped
12 lamb cutlets (you could use any lamb chop really, just get enough for your family)

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 200C.
2. To make harissa paste: place capsicum, chilli flakes, garlic, spices and sea salt into food processor with 1 T olive oil. Pulse until chopped. With motor running, slowly add remaining oil in a steady stream until a tick sauce forms.
3. Place potatoes into a pot and bring water to boil, boil for 5 or so minutes until just soft.
4. Drain potatoes and place in a baking dish with tomatoes, coriander (I save some to sprinkle over the top when serving) and some olive oil toss well, cook in oven until cooked through and golden (20-30 minutes)
5. Spread 1tsp of the harissa paste onto each cutlet. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until cooked through. (my oven has a fan grill so I use this function placing the cutlets on the grill tray about a third down the oven)

chargrilled red capsicum: slice sides and bottom off capsicum and put into a baking pan with a little olive oil in a hot oven, use your grilling element. when skin blackens remove from oven, cool slightly and peel skin off, now place into your food processor for your harissa.

I usually have left over harissa, I use it on a pizza base instead of tomato paste or in a dip for morning tea

cafe style quiche

I found this recipe in a supermarket advertising magazine. It has become a firm family favourite, I don't think we could go back to our other quiche recipes after this one. I double this recipe for our family and make two quiches

Ham and Cheese Quiche (serves 4)

Ingredients:
2 sheets of shortcrust pastry, partially thawed
1T olive oil
1 brown onion
100g triple smoked leg ham (if double smoked is cheaper I will buy this instead)
100g shaved Jarlsberg cheese chopped (cheddar cheese is fine too but doesn't have as rich a flavour)
3 eggs
1T plain flour
300ml pure cream

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 200C . Lightly grease a 24cm(base), loose based fluted quiche pan. Line with pastry, joining and overlapping edges where necessary. Trim off excess. Line with non-stick baking paper and fill with dried beans or rice. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove beans and paper. Bake for a further10 minutes or until light golden.

2. Heat oil in frying pan over a medium heat. Add onion and cook for 3 minutes or until soft. Cool.

3. Reduce oven temperature to 180C. place quiche pan on a baking tray.

4.Whisk eggs, flour and cream together in a large jug.

5. Layer half the onions, ham and cheese and pour over half the egg mixture, repeat layers and pour on rest of egg mixture.

6. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until set. Stand for 10 minutes before removing from the pan, transfer to a serving platter. Serve with a fresh garden salad.

easy dips

We often have dip for morning tea with Jatz cracker biscuits, corn chips and/or cut up vegetables- carrot, celery, capsicum, cucumber, zucchini, beans etc.

Our most basic dip base is a packet of cream cheese whizzed up in the food processor until smooth, you may like to add some sour cream to thin it a little.

Add any of the following to your base:

1.fresh herbs from the garden, parsley, chives, mint etc. as pictured
2.sweet chilli sauce
3.relish or chutney that you like (our home made tomato relish is yummy as is corn relish)
4. semi dried tomatoes
5. caramelised onions
6. smoked or canned salmon
7. anything else your imagination tells you might taste nice- give it a go, you never know you might come up with a new taste sensation

Whiz together in the food processor until the consistency you like, smooth or chunky

For those who can't have dairy here are a few other suggestions:

roast pumpkin dip: roast pumpkin with some onion and garlic drizzled in a little olive oil, mash with a fork- delicious warm or cold

guacamole: the child friendly easy version we do is mash avocado with some lemon juice and add finely chopped tomato and onion, chopped mint or coriander adds a nice touch, for a hotter version add some chopped chilli

hommus: process canned chick peas until smooth add a little lemon juice and crushed garlic and tahini (optional)

Serve a trio of dips to your guests at your next party with some brushetta (thinly slice a french bread stick, brush with olive oil and grill until lightly toasted, rub with a cut piece of garlic) or crackers and crudites (cut up vegetables)

sammy cooks (aka B4)

Today with my mummy I was cooking an apple pie.
When mum finished there was some pastry left over, she said I could make something with it.
So I made my own little apple pie.


Mummy went off to work on the computer and while she was gone this is what I did all by myself. I rolled out the pastry and put it into a metal dish, then I cut up some apple and put in some lemon juice, mixed spice, cornflour and sugar. Then I put that on top of the pastry and put some more pastry over that, then I put it into the oven with Mum's pie.
I ate it after tea with some ice cream and whipped cream. It was very yummy.

by Sammy

apple pie

This is my apple pie recipe, I probably only make it once or twice a year- we don't eat a lot of dessert but usually during winter I have a craving for things like self saucing puddings, crumbles and pies.

This recipe comes from a cookbook that is an old favourite, it is in a magazine style so has long since lost its cover.

Apple Pie

Pastry:
2 C plain flour
1/4 t baking powder
125g butter cubed
1T sugar
1 egg
3-4 T cold water

Filling:
6 green apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1/2 C castor sugar
1 T cornflour
juice and rind of 1 lemon
1/4 t mixed spice
milk
extra sugar

Method:
Pastry:
Put flour, butter, and baking powder together into your food processor and process until it resembles breadcrumbs add sugar and egg while processor is still running then slowly pour in cold water. stop when it starts to form a ball. Take out and need lightly before wrapping in plastic wrap and putting into the fridge for 15-20 minutes. (while this is in the fridge I peel and slice the apples). Divide dough into two pieces one slightly larger than the other. Roll out the larger piece to fit a 23cm pie plate. Put into greased pie plate and press down. Refrigerate.

Filling:
Put apples with the sugar into a bowl. Blend cornflour with lemon juice to form a smooth paste. Mix in rind (I don't always add the rind if you want it sweeter leave it out) and spice. Pour over the apples and toss to coat.

To finish:
Pile mixture into pastry case. Roll out remaining pastry to cover top. brush edge of pie with milk. Place pastry over the top and press down edges with a fork or the back of a spoon. Cut a slit in the top with a sharp knife for an air vent. Brush pastry over the top and sprinkle on extra sugar.
Bake in a hot oven 200 C for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 180C and bake for a further 25 minutes. Serve warm or cold with cream or ice cream.

peanut biscuits

These are another family favourite
I apologise for a lack of pictures but I will make these soon and take some then for this post.

Peanut Biscuits
Ingredients:
1 C butter
1 C sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 C SR flour
1 1/2 C raw peanuts

Method:
1. Cream butter and sugar
2. Add egg and beat well
3. Mix in flour and peanuts
4. Place teaspoons full onto lined tray
5. Bake at 160- 190 C for 10 - 15 minutes

basic biscuit recipe

This is my all purpose biscuit recipe that I use all the time.

I got it many years ago when I was at Uni and went to stay with my friend Louise and her family in Camden. Louise made a batch of these biscuits one day and I immediately asked for the recipe they were so yummy.

I love the way that when you get a recipe from someone that you can’t but help think of them while you are cooking. This recipe is especially dear to me now as my dear friend died of breast cancer a few years ago, I will always regret that I never got a chance to say goodbye to her (she kept her secret until after her death) and when I cook these biscuits now I think of the family that she left behind and pray for her little ones.

You can adapt these biscuits in so many ways: make them into Jam Drops, Peanut biscuits, add dried fruit or our favourite Choc Chips!

I find this recipe makes about 75-80 biscuits depending on the size.

Basic Biscuits

Ingredients:

250g Butter

2C brown sugar

2 eggs

1t vanilla

3C Self Raising Flour

Method:

1. Cream butter and sugar

2. Add eggs and vanilla

3. Add sifted flour

4. Add any extras now ( I use a half-3/4 pkt choc bits depending on how chocolaty you like it half white/ half milk chocolate are also yummy)

5. Roll into balls and put onto a biscuit tray lined with baking paper- I put 25 per tray

6. Flatten with a fork

7. Bake in a moderate oven 10-15 minutes until pale brown

8. Leave on tray for 10 minutes or until cool depending on how crunchy you like them.

lemon tartlets

Afternoon Tea: lemon (with icing sugar) and passionfruit tartets

I have some of my grandmother's recipes and one is for a passionfruit tart. Apparently as a child this was my Dad's favourite and he just could not get enough of it. So one day my grandmother made him two and told him to sit down and enjoy. He ate both but never touched passionfruit tart again!

I made some passionfruit tartlets today and they were just lovely. I have a recipe for lemon tartlets and so I swapped the lemon for passionfruit and they were just delightful. However a couple of weeks ago I tried adapting the same recipe with oranges but it didn't have much flavour, I have thought if I tried again I should try adding more orange rind. I might try some lime ones next!

Lemon Tartlets:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup caster sugar

grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

3 sheets shortcrust pastry- just thawed

3 eggs, lightly beaten

2/3 cup thickened cream

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200 C
2. Whisk sugar with zest and juice in a jug and set aside to let sugar dissolve.

3. Grease 2 x 12 patty pans, cut pastry to fit and push down. pierce the bottom of the pastry once or twice with a fork.

4. Add cream and eggs to lemon mixture and whisk to combine, pour into pastry shells.

5. Bake for 10-12 minutes until pastry is brown and filling just set.

6. Cool in pans for 10 minutes and dust with icing sugar to serve.

Passionfruit tartlets: replace lemon and rind with pulp from 1 or 2 passionfruit.