Another one down

I remembered yesterday that I still had my cooking challenge to complete – oops! Lucky there are still a few days left until the spring equinox. Today I made the 'spinach, bacon & lentil soup'. It was quite tasty actually and … yet again ....easy to make.

I am a big fan of the pre prep for making meals. I like to cut everything up and have each ingredient in a separate bowl ready to throw into the pan at the correct time! A little on the obsessive/compulsive side I know, but it does make the cooking process much smoother!

Thank goodness for those ubiquitous IKEA plastic bowls – we even have a couple of sets in our beach house. Of course they are meant to be used for the kid meals, but I have hijacked them as prep bowls!

This soup only had a few ingredients so here they are:

A quick sauté of the onion, bacon and garlic, then pour in the chicken stock and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the beans, spinach and lentils and cook for another 2 minutes and it's all done!

I told you it was easy ;-)

Never fail chocolate cake

I really do mean NEVER fail!!!!

This recipe was given to me by my mother in law (I'm not sure where she sourced it) and I have used it regularly with complete success for many years! I would like to share it with you today safe in the knowledge that Agnes won't mind!

I made this cake tonight using only half the recipe as I'm off to the 'Big Smoke' tomorrow and am having dinner with the co-tenants, 2 of whom have had birthdays this week. I am confident the cake will be well received ;-) Mmmm I wonder why I decided to halve the recipe???

Agnes's chocolate cake with Ganache

1½ tablespoons white vinegar

375mls milk

250g softened butter

2 teaspoons vanilla

385g caster sugar

335g plain flour

75g cocoa

2 teaspoons bi-carb

4 eggs

preheat oven to moderate – slow (around 140C for fan forced)

grease 22cm deep square cake tin lined with 2 layers of paper

Combine vinegar and milk. Place butter, vanilla, sugar, sifted dry ingredients, eggs, and the milk mixture in bowl of mixer.

Beat on low speed until ingredients are combined, then beat on medium for 2 minutes. Do not over beat.

Spread mix into pan and bake for 70mins or until cooked when tested. Cool cake in pan for 5 minutes before turning onto wire rack to cool completely.

Ganache

400g milk chocolate

160ml thickened cream

Combine chocolate and cream in double boiler. Stir occasionally until mixture is smooth.

Cover and refrigerate stirring frequently until spreadable. Spread ganache over cooled cake – decorate.

This recipe can be made up to 2 days ahead and can be halved successfully!

I don't usually make the ganache for this cake as I find it is a little like gilding the lily! I do make a quick icing though and for the birthdays tomorrow I've iced it with some special coloured writing!

I also made a perfect cupcake size for H'o'M to have tomorrow as he can't make it up to the city to celebrate with us. 














 

MFM 3

I can not believe it's Meat Free Monday again already. Where do the weeks go???

So for MFM tonight, I'm making a 'Sweet Potato Tagine'. I do love a good Tagine – clearly ;-)

It's simply a few vegies sautéd briefly – red onion, sweet potato and garlic, then add a pinch each of some yummy tagine type spices - cinnamon, cardamom, chilli, paprika, coriander with a chopped zucchini, and a diced tomato (I also added a carrot for some extra sweetness) with 100mls of hot water.

Simmer gently for 10 minutes or until the vegies are cooked!

I served it over some fruity couscous with a sprinkle of pistachios and a dollop of yoghurt on the top! 

It was tasty but next time I'd add a little more than a pinch of the spices. Could have done with a little more pazzazz!

A cereal by any other name....

Granola Vs Muesli

What's the difference exactly? I am under the impression it's just an American name and an English name for the very same cereal.

Doesn't really matter I guess, the point is I love it and regularly make my own low fat version to sprinkle on the rest of my cereal in the mornings! I realized today I was running a bit low so this afternoon I made some more.

It's full of crunch, taste and of course my favourite food of all – sultanas! ;-)

Mmmmm sultanas ;-)

Tagine

As there are now only 4 recipes left to be cooked from Donna's magazine, I am branching out and cooking some of our regular favourites as well as trying new recipes. Last night I tried a new recipe for a favourite dish. A lamb tagine.

I do have a tagine to cook in, but of course, along with every thing else I own it's in storage – a familiar refrain from me I know ;-)

As a substitute I simply used a casserole dish from the beach house kitchen and proceeded as usual.

The recipe asked for a multitude of spices … sweet paprika, ground coriander, ground cumin, ground ginger, chilli powder, cinnamon, pepper, ground cardamom, allspice, lemon zest and salt. I mixed them all together with some olive oil and lemon juice and covered the chunks of lamb. Then marinated them in the fridge for the day to combine all the flavours! Can you imagine the wonderful spicy aroma coming from this bowl as I put the plastic cover over it?

It was simply a matter then of adding some stock, more lemon juice and cooking in the oven for 1 hour. To add to the Moroccan flavours, I added some dried apricots and dates ( the recipe asked for raisins, but I prefer dates) and cooked for another 40 minutes.

To serve I ladled the lamb over some couscous, dolloped on some thick Greek yoghurt and sprinkled some pistachio nuts and parsley.

We both really enjoyed it!