scones, quick and simple

All it takes is 20 minutes and you will have fresh warm scones on the table...very easy recipe!

There is not much to say about these little guys apart from the fact that they are very easy to make and taste great when they've just come out the oven.

Why not treat mum this weekend with a little tea time.

Makes 8 - 10

You'll need:

• 2 cups cake flour
• 1/4 cup oil
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

Method:

1) Mix all the dry ingredients together.
2) Beat the egg and oil, add to dry ingredients.
3) Add milk last.
4) Spoon into a greased muffin tray and bake in 180 degrees for 10 - 15 mins or until golden.

stuffed tomatoes + peppers (yemistes domates)

Here is a traditional Greek dish of tomatoes or peppers stuffed with mince and rice.  A meal on its own and I'm always in two minds what to serve with them, but I would say a simple salad would work perfectly well.

Both the tomatoes and peppers roast to release all their sweet juices into the mince, making it very flavoursome but the real secret ingredient is a teaspoon on sugar in each pepper or tomato before placing the mince and this gives real sweetness to the dish.



Serves 2 - 4:

You will need:

• 4 beef tomatoes
• 2 peppers
• 6 tsp of sugar

For the stuffing:

• 400g mince
• 200g rice
• 1 onion
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes

For the white sauce

• 100g flour
• 30g marge
• 100ml milk

Method:

1) Make the mince.  Fry the onion till transparent, then add mince, tin tomato and bay leaf.  In a separate pot boil the rice and mix together with the mince.

2) Prepare the beef tomatoes and peppers.  Using a sharp knife remove the tops and clean out the inners with a teaspoon.  You may use the tomato inners when cooking the mince instead of a tin of chopped tomatoes.  Add a teaspoon of sugar into each pepper and tomato.

3) Stuff the tomatoes and peppers with the mince mixture.

4) Prepare the white sauce (optional).  Melt the marge in a pan, add the flour till it forms a paste then gently add the milk.  Stir with a whisk until thick.  Pour over the top of the stuffed tomatoes and peppers.

5) Bake in pre-heated oven at 180 degrees for approx 20-30 mins





the ultimate steak feast

Valentines feast for one.... 

Cause who really cares about Valentines day?  I couldn't think of anything worse than eating out surrounded by love birds and by love birds I mean love birds for a day. 

There was a time when it used to be fun in school, we'd receive different colour ribbons to wear on our blazers, most of mine being yellow (friendship) rather than red (lovers), but fun none the less. 

Not only is a good excuse for retailers and restaurants to cash in, it also makes all the single folk feel slightly lonely.  So it is with this in mind that I have created a feast fit for one, all those wondering what to do tonight, go grab yourself a steak fit for a king.

In summary:  Steak on a giant garlic crouton, topped with berry sauce and melted Camembert!!!



You will need:

1 clove of garlic, grated
1 rump steak
1 tablespoon of mixed berry jam or raspberry jam
1 slice of Camembert cheese
1 slice of bread

Method:

Step by step:

1) Place a glass on top of the bread and cut out a circle crouton and fry in a little olive oil with the garlic.

2) Fry your steak and place on top of the garlic crouton

3) Water down the jam in a saucepan with a little water, leave to simmer till it starts to thicken and pour over the steak

 4) Place the slice of Camembert on top of the steak and put under grill till the cheese melts slightly.

sweet potatoes and cous cous

This is a simple yet rich tomatoey sweet potato and carrot stew which works very well with cous cous.  In fact I would serve everything with cous cous if I could, I'm just simply addicted to it.

A soft hint of cumin brings out the sweetness in the carrots and the potatoes making this an all round mid-week family favourite.

Maybe a little healthy for some but try it, it may surprise you.

 Serves 2

You'll need:

• 3 sweet potatoes, chopped (skin on for more roughage)
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 red onion
• 1 cup cous cous
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 Tbs olive oil

Method:

1) Saute the onion in olive oil till transparent.

2) Add the carrots, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and cumin and simmer for approx 20 - 30 mins.

3) Pour the boiling water over the cous cous and leave to stand for approx 10 mins, serve with the stew and enjoy.

 

crunchies

....cause one always needs a little something with a cup of tea.

I introduce to you Crunchies...a South African favourite, truly the simplest and quickest biscuits of them all. 

As long as you have a bag of oats lying around, you're away.  My favourite part is measuring the golden syrup, man oh man golden syrup and me are very good friends, I always add a little extra just because.

Makes approx 24 pieces (depending on how big you cut them)

You'll need

1 cup of flour
1 cup of coconut
1 cup of sugar
2 cups of oats
1 teaspoon of bicarb of soda
1 1/2 tablespoons of golden syrup
6 0z of margarine

Method:

Melt margarine and syrup, add to dry ingredients and mix well. 
Spread in a tray and bake at 180C for about 15-20 mins or until golden brown
While still hot, cut into square and leave in the tray to cool.

Tip:  The mixture may seem a little dry but you need not worry, when it bakes it all binds together.  Just make sure you pack in in the tray tightly

golden beetroot & feta risotto

Talk about having to climatise...  Having just returned from a long stint in sunny South Africa this snowy winter wonderland sure is an adjustment.  Coming from a land of salads and BBQ's, I had all good intention of carrying out the all healthy, all slimming January detox.  It soon became apparent that in this icy weather, we are still very much in need of warm comforting food and that's exactly what you can expect over the next couple of weeks.

Let the detox begin in February, where we'll 'Detox - the delicious way'!   There will be soups, curries, stews, bean salads, dips, healthy snacks and lots of herbal teas. 

But for now, here is a warm creamy risotto, using golden beetroot which you don't always find and feta.

Serves 4

You'll  need:

1 red onion, chopped
3 golden beetroots (roasted in foil to maintain their juices and diced)
1 slab of feta (to taste)
400g arborio risotto rice
300ml boiling stock
4 Tbs white wine
salt and pepper to taste
slice of lemon

Method:

1) Put oil in a pan and saute onion
2) Pour in the rice and coat with the onion and oil, then add the wine
3) Gently add the stock spoon by spoon, allowing all the stock to be absorbed by the rice before adding the next ladle, over medium heat for approx 20 minutes.  If you need to increase the amount of stock do so, until the rice is al dente, but not too soft.
4) Add chopped up feta and beetroot and let it cook through the rice.
5) Serve immediately warm and creamy, and squeeze a slice of lemon over and season with salt and pepper

slow cooked lamb pasta (Youvetsi)

Here is something to bring warmth and comfort into all homes before the big feast.  It's a very rich and rewarding meal.

I truly love it, but the real secret is the tender fall-off-the-bone meat which is cooked slowly in a rich tomato sauce.

Also known as Youvetsi, it's a typical Greek dish made traditionally by baking rice pasta.  This version is a simple rendition which my aunt introduced me to using Penne pasta, transforming it into a very tasty pasta dish.

Serves 4

You'll need

• 8 or 10 lamb chops (or stewing lamb on bone)
• 2 tins of chopped tomatoes
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 500g Penne pasta

Method:
1) Gently fry the chopped onion in the olive oil
2) Add the meat and brown
3) Add the tinned tomatoes and season with salt and pepper and bay leaves, simmer on low heat for approx 2 hours, adding boiling water to ensure it does not dry out.  Meat should be tender and falling off the bone.
4) In a separate pan, boil the pasta
5) Mix all together and serve immediately.