Rough Puff Pastry

Intro
For most of the last 25 years I have lived a good half hour away from a major town meaning I can't just pop down to the supermarket for groceries. We have a dairy where I live now, which is great, but I am still in the habit of making do.

This pastry recipe is pretty reliable and I use it for savoury pies and sausage rolls. I have a Sweet Short Pastry which I'll post here as well.

Recipe

• 1.5 cups plain flour - I prefer organic flour (it really does taste better),
• quarter teaspoon salt,
• 175g cold butter,
• 150ml cold water.
  

Put the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Chop the butter into about 6 chunks and throw in as well. Pulse for 8 - 10 short pulses to roughly chop the butter. We are not looking for crumbs here folks. Tip the cold water in and pulse for short bursts until it just pulls together. don't over process it.

Tip it out and form into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and leave in fridge for 15 mins.

Roll out on a floured board into a rectangle, fold one end to the 2/3rds mark and fold the last end over the top (so folded into a third of the original size). Turn 90 degrees and roll out into a rectangle, fold into thirds again, repeat the turn and roll twice more. Cover with plastic wrap then refrigerate for 15 minutes. Roll, fold and turn 4 more times. Refrigerate for 15 minutes then roll out and use.

Fruit Anzacs

Intro
The most popular recipe on my blog is Caramel Anzac slice and when I posted it I said I would also share a recipe for Anzac Biscuits. These fruity Anzacs are the ones I cook most often nowadays, rather than the traditional ones I remember cooking with my Grandmother.

When we were teenagers John Imber's Mum always gave us a big batch of Anzacs to take hiking with us. They are good energy food - its all that sugar and rolled oats!


Recipe

• 2 cups organic rolled oats
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup raisins
• 2 cups coconut
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup raw sugar
• 175 g dried apricots, sliced

• 285g butter
• 6 tablspoons golden syrup
• 4 tablespoons boiling water
• 2 teaspoons baking soda

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees celcuis. Butter a couple of cookie sheets or line with baking paper.

Mix the first 7 ingredients together in a large bowl - this recipe makes lots!
Melt the butter and syrup together in a fairly large saucepan.
Dissolve the baking soda in boiling water in a cup,then tip this mixture into the butter. It froths like mad - just stir it in - then tip it all into the dry ingredients.

Mix together then roll into walnut sized balls, place on trays and flatten with a fork or fingers. Don't put them too close and cook 1 tray first to see how far they will spread. Sometimes they spread heaps and are thin and chewy but other times they don't spread much and are a bit cakier. (Depends on humidity on the day, flour etc.)

Cook for 12 - 15 mins at 160 celcius - watch them closely they burn easily! When they are nicely golden remove them from the oven, allow them to cool on trays for a few minutes to firm up then cool on wire racks. They get better and better for a few days and keep well in airtight tins.

Rhubarb Crumble

Intro
When I was 9 Mum and Dad bought our first house. It was an ex-State House across the road and down the street from the State House flat we had been renting for 8 years or so. This was a huge big deal and I clearly remember carrying a coffee table down the street with my friend who lived directly across the Street from our new home!

The only bad thing, in my child-eyes, was that the entire backyard was a paddock of silverbeet and rhubarb! We walked around the neighbourhood giving away armloads of the wretched stuff but ate more than can be imagined possibe too. It took me years to get over my aversion to silverbeet but I still remember the fragrant crumble that Mum made for dessert made week after week after week ...

Recipe

• 1 cup brown sugar
• half cup flour
• 2 cups crushed weetbix
• eighth teaspoon nutmeg*
• eighth easpoon cinnamon
• 4 ounces butter
• fresh rhubarb stalks
  

*At least - I use closer to 1 teaspoon of each spice. A few chopped walnuts are nice too.

Crumble
Combine all dry ingredients into a bowl, rub in the butter with fingers.

Top and tail rhubarb stalks and cut into 1 inch long pieces.Place into a casserole dish and sprinkle with sugar (about 160grams to every 500g rhubarb). Spinkle crumble over top and bake at 350 degrees for minutes 40 mins. Serve warm with vanilla icecream or thickened cream.

Yummy cold for breakfast.

Spicy Chicken with Apricots, Rosemary and Ginger

Intro
I got the best Christmas present ever last year: a tagine! A gorgeous red tagine which can be used the oven or on the stovetop or even in the microwave. My clever son clearly has exceptional taste in woman because I'm fairly certain he didn't choose the presents this year.

So expect a whole bunch of recipes in a row because everything I have cooked so far has been gorgeous.


Recipe

• 2 tblsps olive oil
• a knob of butter
• 1 onion
• 3 sprigs rosemary - 1 chopped, 2 halfed
• 40g fresh ginger
• 2 red chillies or 1 teaspoon chopped chilli
• 1-2 cinnamon sticks
• 8 chicken thighs
• 175g dried apricots
• 2 tblsps clear honey
• 400g tin plum tomatoes
• sea salt
• black pepper
• small bunch basil leaves

Melt oil and butter in tagine, add chopped rosemary, onion, ginger, chilli and cook for a few minutes. Add the chicken and brown on both sides. Add cinnamon sticks. Toss in apricots and honey then stir in tomatoes. Add a wee bit of water if need be to ensure bottom of tagine is covered with liquid, tuck apricots under the liquid. Bring to boil, simmer 40 mins.

Serve with couscous, rice and green salad.

PS I used 750g chopped chicken breast and 1 tin of chopped tomatoes and a handful of cherry tomatoes.

Salmon and Potato Souffle

Intro
You know that moment when the potatoes are half cooked and you reach into the fridge for the family sized meat pie, or the whole cooked chicken or whatever it is you were basing the evening meal on ... and its gone ... gobbled up by the bambini as an after school snack? Well this is the recipe for when that happens.

I think it was one of Verna's recipes originally but I know Mum used to cook it quite often ... I remember it served with lettuce salad and mayonnaise made with Highlander condensed milk. A totally 70s meal.

Recipe

• 1 cup cold mashed potato
• 2 tablespoons butter
• splash or 2 of milk
• 1 cup cooked fish (tinned salmon)
• 2 eggs - separated
• salt, pepper,
• pinch ground ginger
• chopped chives, parsley
• squeeze of lemon juice

Warm the butter and milk, add mashed potato and beat. Add egg yolks and all other ingredients except for the egg whites and beat. Beat the egg whites and then gently fold into the salmon and potato mixture. Pour into a greased dish and cook in a quick oven for 20 - 30 mins.

Zucchini Slice

Intro
Zucchini's grow very easily in Horowhenua so 1 plant keeps a family going perfectly well. The problem happens when slugs don't eat the 2nd and 3rd seedlings planted to ensure one will survive. Dealing with the glut is where this recipe comes into its own. Freezes really well for a few months and reheats perfectly well in the microwave. Nice cold or hot.

Recipe

• 375g grated zucchini
• 1 large onion
• 3 rashers bacon (optional)
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1 cup self raising flour
• 1/2 cup oil
• 5 eggs
• salt, pepper.
  

Combine all ingredients together in a bowl. Pour into a well greased lamington tin 16cm x 26 (multiply this recipe up as far as you like) and cook 30 - 40 mins in a moderate oven or until browned and set.

Dress this up with herbs, cayenne pepper or varied veges ie grated carrot and flaked / tinned fish.

Nancy's Astrid Biscuits

Intro

The first bloke's Mum was a Very Good Mummy and always had home baking for her 3 hungry sons. Nancy had a core repertoire which she whipped up every Friday using 1 bowl and a wooden spoon: either a chocolate or a banana cake (always iced with chocolate icing and decorated with coloured sprinkles), little cheesecakes (pastry shells with raspberry jam, sponge cake filing and a pastry twist on top) and these yummy crunchy biscuits. I very wisely got the recipe before the Bloke and I parted ways but whenever I want to do something really nice for him (like after he's brought me firewood or fixed my pump ... again) I'll send #1 son down the road to his house with a freshly cooked batch.

Recipe

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla esence
• 2 cups flour
• half a teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• half a teaspoon salt
• 1 cup coconut
• 2 cups cornflakes

Cream together butter and sugar until pale. Add eggs and vanilla essence.

Add the rest of the ingredients, place teaspoonsful on a greased baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees F.