Scandinavian bread

• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• ½ cup flax seeds
• ½ cup hazelnuts or almonds
• 1 ½ cups rolled oats
• 2 Tbsp chia seeds
• 4 Tbsp psyllium seed husks
• 1 tsp fine grain sea salt (add ½ tsp. if using coarse salt)
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup
• 3 Tbsp melted coconut oil or ghee
• 1 ½ cups water

1. In a flexible, silicon loaf pan combine all dry ingredients, stirring well. Whisk maple syrup, oil and water together in a measuring cup. Add this to the dry ingredients and very mix until everything is completely soaked and dough becomes very thick (if the dough is too thick to stir, add one or two teaspoons of water until the dough is manageable). Smooth out the top with the back of a spoon. Let sit out on the counter for at least 2 hours, or all day or overnight. To ensure the dough is ready, it should retain its shape even when you pull the sides of the loaf pan away from it it.

2. Preheat oven to 175°C.

3. Place loaf pan in the oven on the middle rack, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove bread from loaf pan, place it upside down directly on the rack and bake for another 30-40 minutes. Bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool completely before slicing (difficult, but important).

4. Store bread in a tightly sealed container for up to five days. Freezes well too – slice before freezing for quick and easy toast!

(So good with cottage cheese, chives, smoked trout & lettuce.)

Spicy beans with feta

4 people:

• Brown rice
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp cumin
• 400g chopped tinned tomato
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 125ml water
• 800g tinned kidney beans
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 up coriander leaves
• 1 green chilli, deseeded & finely sliced
• 100g feta, crumbled
• 3 spring onion tops, chopped

Put brown rice on to cook.

Preheat oven to 160C. In a casserole, soften onion, add garlic & cumin & cook one minute. Add tomatoes, sugar & water, bring to boil then simmer for 10 minutes. Add beans, season, cover and bake 30 minutes. Garnish and serve with brown rice.

Baked eggplant & ricotta

For 4 people:
• 3 medium eggplants, sliced 1cm thick
• olive oil
• 500g fresh ricotta
• 100g grated Parmesan
• black pepper

Tomato sauce:
• brown onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 800g tinned tomato
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Degorge eggplant & grill in batches, brushed with oil.

Meanwhile, fry onion & garlic, 12-15mins till soft. Add tomatoes, paste & sugar. Boil, reduce heat & simmer uncovered 30 mins. Season. Stir in basil.

Combine ricotta with 40g Parmesan & pepper.

Preheat oven to 220C & grease small lasagna dish.

Layer 1/2 eggplant, 1/2 tomato, ricotta, remaining eggplant, remaining tomato, remaining Parmesan.

Bake 20 minutes or until golden & warm through.

Served with lemony rocket salad & fresh bread.

Korean beef burger with chilli mayo

Ingredients (serves 4)

Burgers:
600g coarsely minced beef, not too lean
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 egg, beaten
3 tbsp chopped green onions
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
2cm knob ginger, finely grated
1 tsp sugar
Sea salt and pepper

Onion:
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 onions, halved and finely sliced
2 tbsp mirin
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar or wine vinegar

Mayo:
3 tbsp whole-egg mayonnaise
1 tsp chilli sauce (eg Sriracha) to taste
4 burger buns
8 soft lettuce leaves
2 tsp sesame seeds
1/2 cucumber, finely sliced

Method

Mix the beef, using your hands, with two tablespoons soy sauce, sesame oil, egg, green onions, garlic, ginger, sugar, salt and pepper. Form into patties and refrigerate for an hour.

Heat two tablespoons vegetable oil in a fry pan and cook onions over medium heat for 10 minutes, tossing well until softened. Add remaining soy, mirin and vinegar and cook for five to 10 minutes more until golden brown. Set aside.

Whisk mayonnaise and chilli sauce. Brush burgers with remaining vegetable oil and grill or pan-fry over medium heat for four minutes on each side until browned (beware of burning). Split burger buns and top base with lettuce leaves and beef burgers. Add a spoonful of chilli mayo and top with soy onions and sesame seeds. Arrange lettuce, cucumber and tomato on remaining bun tops alongside and serve.

Nanna's Chrissie pudding

Day 1
In a very big bowl, soak:
6 cups dried fruit in 1 cup brandy

Day 2
Mix together with brandy soaked fruit and leave to sit, covered:
3 cups plain flour
1.5 cups sugar
2 Tbsp mixed spice
2 tsp bicarb soda
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp butter
2 cups boiling water

Day 3
Add 2 beaten eggs
Scald pudding cloth, sprinkle with plain flour.
Sit cloth into a bowl, fill with pudding mixture, gather & tie off with an inch of space extra for pudding growth.
Boil for two hours (topping up the water as it boils away.)
Hang somewhere dry & keep an eye out for damp/mould!

Christmas Day
Boil to reheat. Douse in brandy, flame & gobble with brandy butter, custard & ice cream or cream.

Roast Beef, Gorgonzola & Horseradish Potato Salad

The potato salad can be made a day ahead of time. Horseradish mayonnaise can be served as a dipping sauce with roasted potatoes and vegetables, or spread onto a steak sandwich or burger.  (Crumbed chicken breast, pan-fried and sliced, goes well with this salad, too.)

600g beef fillet
olive oil, for pan-frying
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
120g gorgonzola, crumbled

Horseradish mayonnaise

1/2 cup whole-egg mayonnaise
2 tbsp quality creamed horseradish
1/2 clove garlic, minced
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Potato salad

400g chat potatoes, cooked and halved
1 small Spanish onion, finely sliced and blanched
1/2 bunch of watercress, picked, washed and dried
2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup of roasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
100g horseradish mayonnaise

Serves 4 as a main-course salad

Preheat oven to 200°C. In a large non-stick pan, heat olive oil over a high heat. Season beef fillet, and sear on all sides until golden brown.

Place beef on a baking tray, and cook in the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until cooked to your liking. Rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing (slice against the grain).

For the horseradish mayonnaise, combine all ingredients in a bowl, and season to taste.

To make the potato salad, combine the potatoes, onion, watercress, parsley and hazelnuts in a bowl. Add the horseradish mayonnaise and gently toss to combine.

To serve, divide the potato salad among 4 plates. Top with roast beef slices and crumbled gorgonzola to finish.

Rhubarb gingerbread pudding

500g rhubarb

125g castor sugar

1/3 cup golden syrup (or black treacle)

185g plain flour

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp cinnamon

grating of fresh nutmeg

pinch salt

125g butter

3 tbsp brown sugar

1 egg

2 tbsp milk

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Preheat oven to 180C.
Cut the rhubarb into 3cm pieces and put in the bottom of a well-buttered 1-litre ovenproof dish, with the castor sugar.

Measure the golden syrup or treacle and stand measuring cup in hot water so that the syrup will run freely.

Sift the flour, spices, bicarb and salt together.

Cream the butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy, then beat in the syrup. Beat in the egg & milk. Fold in the spiced flour.

Spoon the batter over the rhubarb and bake for about 45 minutes until pudding is well-browned and tests cooked with a fine skewer.

Serve with thick cream or ice cream.

Fennel & anchovy gratin

(Serves 4)

·         50g butter

·         2 medium brown onions, finely sliced

·         4 garlic cloves, sliced

·         6 sprigs thyme

·         Salt and pepper

·         1 large fennel bulb, trimmed and finely sliced

·         300ml chicken stock

·         60g bread crumbs

·         45g anchovies, chopped

Method

Pre-heat oven to 180C. Melt butter in saucepan and add onion, garlic and thyme. Season and cook until soft.

Remove thyme stalks. Add fennel to onions and stir to combine. Place in four oven-proof gratin dishes. Pour over chicken stock. Mix bread crumbs with anchovies in a small bowl and spread on top of fennel.

Bake for 40 minutes or until breadcrumbs are crisp and golden and fennel is soft. Served with smoked trout, rocket salad and bread.

Ricotta, chickpea & rocket salad with lemon-anchovy dressing

(Serves 2)

·         400g canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed

·         sea salt and freshly ground pepper

·         1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

·         juice of 1 lemon

·         2-3 handfuls fresh rocket

·         150g fresh ricotta

Lemon-anchovy dressing

·         2 anchovy fillet, finely chopped

·         1 cloves garlic, finely chopped

·         freshly ground pepper

·         60ml extra virgin olive oil

·         1/2 tbsp lemon juice

·         1 handful basil leaves, torn

·         1 handful mint leaves, finely chopped

·         1 small handful flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped

Method

To make the dressing, whizz the anchovies, garlic and a little pepper, oil, lemon juice and the herbs, until you have a thick green slush.

Mash 1/2 the chickpeas in a bowl.

Add salt and pepper, the olive oil and the lemon juice, and mix well, then fold in the remaining whole chickpeas.

Place some chickpea mixture on each of 4 plates.

Place the rocket beside the chickpeas and drizzle with half the dressing.

Divide the ricotta among the plates, drizzle with the remaining dressing and serve.

Mum's Pav

Oven at 120C

4 egg whites beaten until stiff,
add 1 cup of castor sugar slowly,
add 1 teasp of vinegar and 1/2 of vanilla.

Pile on a baking tray in a 8" or 20cm circle dragging knife up the sides sot form a pattern. Bake for 1 to 1.5 hours till crisp on the outside.  Top  with whipped cream, strawberries and passionfruit pulp.