Author: Notnick

Baba ganoush

2 aubergines
1 large garlic clove, crushed/pulped.
1/2 a lemon, juiced
1 tbsp tahini
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp chopped herb of choice- parsley, mint or coriander

First cook the aubergines. You want to grill them under a hot grill until the juice is leaking out and caramelising, and the skins are burnt. Prick them skin a few times with a fork first, because they will explode if not. Oil them too for a little extra caramelising flavour..

Once done, set them aside to cool. Scrape out the middles into a bowl, and mix in the out her ingredients. Add the oil slowly, and mix well- it should not look oily when finished.

Taste it to get the seasoning right. Add extra salt and lemon juice to get that tang spot on.

Serve as a dip with pitta breads. Yum.

Beef Goulash / Gulyas – Hungarian

serves 4-ish

1 kg stewing beef in 1″ cubes
4 big/spanish onions, chopped
4-6 smoked streaky bacon slices- diced, or a few lardons.
3-4 tablespoons sweet smoked paprika
salt, pepper to taste
1 green pepper, diced
1 tomato
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tsp sugar
oil to fry beef with

Seal the beef a few cubes at a time to get some colour on it without drying it out. keep the beef in a bowl until ready to add it back in. (a spot of water to deglaze the pan in between batches works, save the water with the beef.

Fry off the bacon/lardons then add the onion till the onions are soft. Take off the heat for a couple of minutes and add the paprika, and browned beef + deglaze. Mix it all up.

Add enough water to cover the meat (not too much – the consistency you want the sauce) Add the diced green pepper, the whole tomato (it melts, along with the onions and pepper – no point dicing).  Add the salt & pepper too – but don’t over do it, you can season it fully at the end.

Simmer covered on very low heat for about 2-3 hours. Check, every now and then that it’s not getting too dry or sticking on the bottom. Once its cooked up, add some lemon juice for a spot of tang, salt/pepper to taste and a teaspoon of sugar if needed.

You can cook dumplings on the top if you like. Serve with mash, a dollop of sour cream, and a chopped green herb of your choice.

Peanut Butter & Choc Chip Cookies

1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 cup soft brown sugar (lightly packed)
1 tbl SR flour
1 large egg
Pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp bicarb of soda
3/4 cup chocolate chips (Dark/milk mix is good!)

Mix the peanut butter and sugar together, add the egg, vanilla, salt & bicarb. Finally add the chocolate chips.

Spoon balls on to a greased, lined baking sheet, about walnut size. flatten then a little with a fork, and sprinkle sugar on top for that crispy finish. Bake for 10 minutes at 200c. cool on the tray, then lift to a cooling rack once cool enough to move without crumbling.

Membrillo (Quince jelly)

4 medium quinces (about 2 pounds total)
1/4 to 1/2 cup water
2 to 3 cups sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly oil a 1-quart terrine.

Wash quinces and place in a small roasting pan. Cover and bake until fork tender, about 1 hour.

When cool enough to handle, peel, core, and chop quince and place into a food processor.

Puree pulp with 1/4 cup water until smooth (if mixture is too thick, add remaining 1/4 cup water a little at a time, as needed).

Measure the amount of puree, then transfer to a heavy saucepan and add the equivalent amount of sugar.

Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until it is thickened and begins to pull away from side of pan, about 25 minutes.

Pour into terrine or Pyrex loaf pan.

Smooth the top and once cooled, cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 4 hours until set.

Run a thin knife around sides of terrine and invert onto a platter. (Quince paste keeps, wrapped well in wax paper and then plastic wrap and chilled, 3 months.)

Serve with crackers and Manchego cheese.

Lemon squash

As made by my auntie Gwen. Ingredients are rough measures, so taste it and tweak to get it right.

4 lemons
1 tbl spoon citric acid (from the chemist)
7 heaped tbl spoon white sugar
1 cup water

Grate the zest off the lemons, and juice them.
Put the zest, juice, sugar, water and acid into a small pan and mis till the sugar dissolves. Taste it with a little water, and add more sugar or acid if required.

Let the mix cool in the pan- giving the zest time to infuse, then sieve into a bottle. Keep in the fridge until you want a glass. Dilute to roughly 1 to 6 parts syrup and water.

Yum.

If you prefer a bitter lemon taste, add 2 of the the whole juiced lemons to the pan.

Elderflower Cordial

25 heads of elderflowers
1.5kg sugar
1.5l water
50g citric acid
2 lemons, thinly sliced

pick the flower heads that have 2/3 of the flowers open.

Boil sugar and water. take off heat, and add citric acid.
once cooled, add flowers and lemons and leave for 48 hrs (stirring a couple of times each day)
Strain and bottle.
(will freeze if needed)

Scones (richer)

450g  self-raising flour
2 tsp baking powder
75g  butter
50g  sugar – caster ideally
pinch of salt
 2  eggs
milk – enough to make up 300ml with the eggs

Mix the dry ingredients, and in a jug, the wet. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients – (quickly, don’t let the butter melt)

mix the liquids in to the dry mix to make a sticky dough. Work quickly, and don’t overwork.

Flatten to 1″ and cut into scone like rounds.

glaze with whatever milk/eggs are left in the jug, and bake at 200c until brown.