uber-easy cupcakes

1 heaped c self-raising flour
3/4c caster sugar
125g soft / room temperature butter
2 large eggs
vanilla essence

Beat all ingredients and divide between 6-7 large cupcake cases (in muffin tin). Bake at 180C for 20 minutes, remove from tin and leave to cool on a wire rack.

Once cool, ice and decorate.

~icing~
butter
hot water
icing sugar

~flavours~

• lemon/lime/orange zest &/or juice
• cocoa
• replace butter with cream cheese
• fold in a handful of frozen berries before spooning into cases
• chocolate chunks or chips
• chopped nuts - hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans, pistachios
  

antipasto plate

1 ball of good quality bufallo mozarella
couple of handfuls of cherry tomatoes
handful of red chilis
fresh basil
pesto
kalamata olives
olive oil
balsamic vinegar

Cut cherry toms in half and place cutside up on a foil lined baking tray. Deseed the chilis (use mild medium sized chilis) and cut into quarters lengthways. Scatter amongst the tomatoes. Sprinkle the tomatoes with a little sugar, Maldon and freshly ground black pepper. drizzle with olive oil and put in the oven at 180C until slightly shrivelled (20 minutes or so). Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Arrange on a serving dish with pieces of mozzarella, pitted, sliced olives, torn basil and drizzled with balsamic, olive oil and pesto. serve with bread, crostini or your favourite crackers.

~optional~
add peppers, zuchinni, red onions, garlic, aubergine, beetroot etc to the roasted tomatoes

puy lentil, goat cheese & roasted tomato salad

puy lentils, cooked, drained and cooled
juice of 1 lemon
1t raw sugar
several slugs of olive oil
handful of cherry tomatoes
Maldon
goat cheese
small red onion, finely chopped
handful coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cucumber, cut into small cubes

Put the puy lentils, lemon, sugar, oil, red onion and cucumber into a serving dish and mix well. Set aside and prepare the tomatoes. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and place cut-side up on a baking tray. Scatter with a little raw sugar and sea salt, drizzle with oil and put in the oven at 180C for 20-30 minutes or until slightly shriveled. Remove, allow to cool and add to salad. Add parsley and crumbled or sliced goat cheese. Stir and drizzle with good quality balsamic. You can also use everyday balsamic - just reduce it down until syrupy.

lamb coconut curry with mango salsa

1kg lamb shoulder, fat trimmed, bone removed and cut into small chunks
1T oil
1T tumeric
1 red onion sliced into segments
1 can coconut milk
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 chicken stock cube
salt
1T sugar

~spice paste~
6 thai chilies
2 large chilies
1 red onion
2T oil
1 inch chunk peeled ginger
3 cloves garlic
1T cumin seeds
1t coriander seeds
1t fennel
1t mustard seeds
1/2t black onion seeds
6 peppercorns

~mango salsa~
1 ripe mango finely chopped
juice of half a lemon
1 red chili finely chopped
1/2 red onion finely chopped
1 small red pepper finely chopped
handful fresh coriander, coarsely chopped

~yoghurt & coriander~
natural yoghurt
handful of chopped coriander

Heat dried spices in pan then blend to a paste with other ingredients in a spice mill.
Toss lamb in tumeric and brown in oil heated in a pan. Add onion and soften for several minutes. Add spice paste and cook for a couple of minutes. Add all other ingredients, stir and cover and cook for 1-2 hours on a gentle heat, stirring occasionally.

Serve with basmati rice, salsa and coriander.

chicken with lemon & red onion

1 or 2 kilos of chicken thighs and legs (or chop a whole chook into pieces)
4 regular or 2 large red onions, sliced
4 large sprigs of fresh rosemary
4 heavy slugs of olive oil
juice and zest of 4 lemons
Maldon and freshly ground black pepper

Spread out the onions on a roasting pan with the lemon zest and rosemary (pulled off the stem, but the stems can be thrown in too). Place the chicken pieces on top and pour over the lemon and oil. Scatter with the salt and pepper. Cook at 180-200C until done (the chicken will be cooked and browned and the onions soft and sticky. Serve with brown rice or puy lentils.

simple fresh tomato pasta

1 cup of fresh tomatoes (in season, any variety), finely chopped
3 or 4 heavy slugs of extra virgin olive oil
juice of one lemon
pinch of raw sugar
pinch of Maldon
parmesan and basil leaves

dried pasta (spaghetti or penne or whatever you like)

Place the tomatoes, lemon, oil and seasoning into a large dish and set aside to mingle.
Heat plenty of water and cook the pasta. Add drained al dente paste to the dish holding the tomato mixture and toss in the basil leaves and a small handful of freshly grated parmesan.

simple tuna spaghetti

1 can tuna
juice of 1 lemon
good handful chopped flat leaf parsley
three heavy slugs of extra virgin olive oil
pinch of sugar
freshly ground black pepper
2T rinsed capers
fresh parmesan

dried spaghetti

Squeeze out the liquid from the tuna and place in a bowl. Separate with a fork and add the oil, lemon, sugar, pepper and capers. Set aside and heat plenty of water for the pasta. Cook the pasta until al dente. Add the parsley to the tuna mixture and serve with the pasta (mixed in or on top as desired). Finish with some freshly grated parmesan.

chicken & aubergine coconut curry

1kg chicken pieces (legs & thighs), bone and skin on
1 red onion cut into wedges
1 large aubergine or 2 small ones, cut into chunks
1 tin coconut milk
2T tumeric
1 red pepper, sliced
handful fresh coriander
1 cube chicken stock
Salt to taste
1T raw sugar
1/2 lime
6 chopped cherry tomatoes

~spice paste~
2 hot chilies
1t cumin seeds
1 inch cinnamon bark
5 black pepper corns
1/2t mustard seeds
1/2 red onion
2T oil
2 cloves garlic
1/2t fennel seeds
1/2t corriander seeds
1/2t black onion seeds
1/2t fenugreek

Toast seeds in a pan and then blitz in a spice mill with other ingredients.

Heat a deep heavy pan 2T oil, toss the chicken pieces in the tumeric and cook until brown. Turn down the heat and add the onion. Once the onion is transparent, add the spice paste and stir for a couple of minutes. Add all ingredients except for the aubergine and pepper. Add some water to loosen the mix if required. Cover and cook for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Rinse some Basmati rice and cook. When the rice has 10 minutes cooking time remaining, add the aubergine, 1/2 the coriander, and the pepper.

Once cooked, stir in the lime juice, season to taste (adding sugar and salt as desired) and add most of the coriander leaves, reserving some for scattering over the plated (or bowled) curry.

Serve with rice and the remaining coriander.