Author Archives: Linda Peek

Rhubarb and Apple Spice Cake

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This recipe was given to me by my friend Fiona.

She has made it many times and had success with several variations, such as using pears poached in red wine – drained and cut into chunks – instead of the apples. When she made it for our French group lunch she used poached quinces instead of apples and it was delicious. So as I had some poached quinces in the freezer which needed using up that’s what I did. Feel free to try other combinations.

1 tea bag (English breakfast or similar)
3 Tbs boiling water
A generous half cup of raisins or sultanas
2 cups caster sugar
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla essence
300g plain flour (2 and 2/3 cups)
1½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp each cloves, nutmeg and mace
4-5 stalks of fresh rhubarb, cut into 2cm lengths
2 large apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 cup walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped
To serve:
Rhubarb compote (optional)
Whipped cream, thick pouring cream or sour cream (shown in photo)

In a small bowl, pour boiling water over tea bag, press to release the flavour, then remove the tea bag. Add the raisins, mix to cover, then leave for half an hour. Drain raisins, discarding the liquid.

Meanwhile preheat oven to 160°C. Grease a 25cm springform pan and line with baking paper. Place eggs and sugar in an electric mixer and whisk until thick and pale. Add the oil and vanilla essence and mix well for a minute or two. Place a sieve over the bowl then measure the flour, salt and spices and add them to the mixture through the sieve. Fold in the rhubarb, apple and nuts. Make sure there are no pockets of flour. The mixture will be quite stiff.

Bake for an hour and 3/4 or until golden brown and firm on top. Ovens vary so start checking after an hour and a half. Cool in the tin for half an hour then remove. Store in an airtight tin when cold.

The cake should have a crunchy top and a chewy centre and improves after a day or two of storage.

Serve with rhubarb compote and cream as a dessert.

Serves 12

Variations: I didn’t have any mace so I added more cinnamon. Use poached pears or quinces in red wine instead of the apples.

Pasta with Tomato & Vodka Sauce

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I decided to make a meatless tomato sauce to serve with pasta. Spag bol with lots of vegetables but no meat. I had a kilo of peeled tomatoes in the freezer which grew in our garden last summer and I wanted them to be the star of this sauce.

There are lots of recipes online for tomato sauce to serve with pasta and quite a few are enriched with a splash of vodka and some cream, so I thought I would give it a try. The first photo is the sauce without the cream and the second photo is with the addition of cream. I preferred without, Matthew preferred with.

2-3 Tbs vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 sticks celery, finely chopped
2-3 carrots, finely chopped
1 red capsicum, finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 kg ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 stock cubes (chicken or vegetable)
Water as required
½ cup vodka
½ cup cream (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
To serve:
Cooked pasta of your choice (I used fettuccine)
Grated Parmesan cheese
Chopped parsley
Olive oil

Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan and cook the onion, celery, carrot, red capsicum and garlic for 10-15 minutes over medium heat, stirring often, until softened but not browned. Add the tomatoes and stock cubes, then simmer for 1-2 hours stirring often and adding more water as required.

About half an hour before serving, add the vodka and continue to cook until the sauce is thick like a bolognese sauce. Add cream (if using) and adjust seasoning as required.

Serve sauce on cooked pasta, topped with the grated cheese, chopped herbs and a drizzle of your best Extra Virgin olive oil.

Serves 6

Variations: use sherry or wine instead of the vodka

 

 

No-Knead Bread

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My son in law makes this “no-knead bread” and says it’s so easy, so I thought it was time I had a go. The time involved in making it is less than five minutes, plus baking time. Minimum mess, quick and easy and tastes fantastic – just like a shop-bought ciabatta. If you look on Google you will find that there are heaps of variations of this recipe, though I believe it was first published in the New York Times. Here’s my version.

3 cups plain flour
¼ tsp dry yeast
1 heaped tsp salt
1 Tbs olive oil (optional)
1½ cups very hot water from the tap

Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature until you’re ready to bake the bread. In summer anywhere will do, but in the middle of winter it’s probably a good idea to put it somewhere cosy like the microwave or the oven, making sure you tell people not to switch it on! Recipes on Google vary on how long the dough needs to rise, so I reckon it’s fairly flexible. Anywhere between 4 and 24 hours you can go to the next stage.

At this stage, i.e. after the 24 hour rising period, the dough can be refrigerated for up to 3-4 days and this time in the fridge actually improves the flavour of the bread.

Place an iron pot with a lid in the oven – a le Creuset-type pot holding 6-8 litres – and turn the oven on to 250C or as high as it will go if it doesn’t go that high. Meanwhile tip the bread dough out onto a floured surface. Fold and flip it over on itself a few times, then form into a ball with the seams underneath and place on a piece of baking paper. Turn on the oven and let the bread rise a bit while it comes up to temperature. This could take around half an hour. If the dough has been in the fridge for a couple of days then give it 2 hours to come to room temperature and rise before baking.

When the oven is up to temperature use the paper to put the bread into the pot on the paper and make two slashes in the top with a pair of scissors. Cover with the lid and bake for 30-40 minutes. Remove lid and bake for a further 5-10 minutes or until nicely browned. It depends on your oven how fast it browns, so keep an eye on it. In such a hot oven it browns fast. Remove and cool on a rack.

Upside-down Mandarin Cake

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This week’s recipe for a gluten-free, dairy-free cake using mandarin oranges which are now in season makes a sumptuous crowd-pleasing dessert.

The upside-down mandarin idea came from a recipe on a website I subscribe to called Delicious. However, the cake mixture in that recipe included flour and I needed to make a gluten-free, dairy-free dessert to take to a dinner party.

So I used a different recipe for an orange cake which uses almond meal instead of flour, used mandarins instead of oranges and combined the two recipes into one. Best served on the day it’s made, this cake is delicious.

Topping:
8 mandarin oranges
2 Tbs runny honey
Cake:
3 mandarin oranges
6 large eggs at room temp
1¼ cups sugar
1½ tsp baking powder
4 cups almond meal (bought or made in a food processor)
To serve:
2 Tbs sugar
250ml mascarpone
½ cup thick cream

Topping: Grease and line a 22cm (9 inch) cake pan with baking paper. Drizzle the honey evenly over the bottom. Finely grate the peel from 4-5 of the mandarin oranges and keep for the cake. Peel the 8 mandarin oranges, discard the peel and arrange the segments in circles in one layer over the base of the cake tin.

Cake: Preheat oven to 160° C. Place the 4 mandarins in a saucepan, cover with water then bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Drain and cool.

Make almond meal in a food processor by processing shelled almonds until very fine. They can be blanched almonds or not. Measure 4 cups and keep any excess for another use. Place the cooled mandarins in food processor (no need to wash it after processing the almonds) and process for a minute or two. Add remaining ingredients, including the almond meal and the grated rind you reserved earlier.

Scrape into the cake pan. Bake for 60 minutes or until well-risen, golden brown, firm to the touch and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool thoroughly in the tin.

To serve: Carefully tip cake out of pan and remove paper. If liked, sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sugar over the mandarin segments which are now on the top of the cake and use a blowtorch to brown the top. Not essential but looks nice.

Mix mascarpone with cream and serve with the cake.

Serves 12-16

Tortilla French Toasts with Garlicky Mushrooms

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Topped with a delicious mix of mushrooms, garlic and cream, this makes a quick and tasty lunch or supper. If preferred serve it on toasted sourdough or Turkish bread, instead of the Tortilla French Toasts.

Tortilla French Toasts:
1 egg
2 Tbs cream
2 tortillas from a packet
1 Tbs olive oil
Mushrooms:
2 Tbs butter (or 1 Tbs butter and 1 Tbs olive oil)
250g mushrooms, quartered or sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 Tbs dry sherry (optional)
1 Tbs Dijon mustard
½ cup cream or sour cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 Tbs finely chopped parsley

Beat egg and cream in a wide shallow dish. Submerge the tortillas in this mixture and turn to coat thoroughly. Heat a little oil in a frying pan and cook the tortillas, one at a time, on both sides until golden, then place on two serving plates.

Meanwhile in another frying pan, heat the butter (or butter and oil) and cook the mushrooms for 5-10 minutes or until cooked and starting to brown, stirring often. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for a minute or so. Add sherry, mustard, cream and seasoning to taste. Cook, stirring, until sauce has thickened. Spoon onto the tortillas and garnish with parsley. If liked, drizzle with a little extra cream as shown in the photo.

To make a more substantial meal, serve with a rocket, parmesan and pine nut salad, lightly dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Serves 2

Chicken with Aleppo Pepper & Honey on Pumpkin Puree with Black Garlic Butter

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The photo shows double the recipe which I made to serve as part of a buffet at a birthday celebration. Aleppo pepper is sold in specialty shops such as The Essential Ingredient.

Instead of black garlic butter you can just use butter.

1 boneless whole chicken or 1 kg boneless chicken thighs
Juice of 1 lemon or 2 limes
2 Tbs Aleppo pepper
2 Tbs olive oil
Salt to taste
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tbs honey
2 Tbs finely chopped parsley
Pumpkin Puree:
½ a butternut pumpkin (about 1 kg)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2-3 Tbs black garlic butter (see note)
2 spring onions, finely sliced on the diagonal
Fresh lime wedges

Peel pumpkin and cut into large chunks. Cook in boiling salted water until very tender, then puree in a food processor, adding salt, pepper and black garlic butter. This can be made ahead and reheated in a microwave or saucepan at serving time.

Trim chicken pieces of any excess fat. Place in bowl with remaining ingredients. Mix well, then leave to marinate for at least half an hour or overnight if that suits you.

Cook the drained chicken in a preheated oven 200°C for 20-30 minutes or on a BBQ – preferably a charcoal grill. If cooking in the oven, cook in a single layer and you may want to line the baking sheet with baking paper which comes up the sides a bit, to make the washing up easier. Burnt honey is always a pain to clean! Turn chicken once or twice during cooking time.

Heat the pumpkin puree and spread it thickly over a large serving dish. Slice cooked chicken and arrange on top. Garnish with spring onions and the lime wedges.

Serves 6

Note: black garlic is sold in specialty shops and farmer’s markets. Peel the cloves from two heads of garlic and whiz in a food processor with 250g butter, cut into chunks. When smooth scrape into a container. Serve with grilled steak or fish or mixed into pureed vegetables such as pumpkin or potatoes for a subtle sweet garlic flavour.

Korean Beef in an Air Fryer

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Korean Beef, or Bulgogi, is a tasty, quick and easy alternative to your usual Chinese stir fry. Serve it with steamed rice for a delicious mid-week dinner.

Making this recipe in an air fryer results in crispy meat without the need for deep frying.

300g lean beef (flank, rump, topside, sirloin)
2 tsp oil
2 Tbs cornflour
2 Tbs soy sauce
1-2 Tbs brown sugar, to taste
2 Tbs hoisin sauce
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ cup water
To serve:
Steamed rice
2 spring onions, finely sliced on the diagonal
Sesame seeds

Cut meat into thin strips as you would for a stir fry. Add the oil and mix well, then mix in the cornflour. Spray the tray of an air fryer with oil, then arrange the meat strips over it, in one layer. If doubling the recipe, you will probably need to cook the beef in two lots. If you don’t have an air fryer, deep fry the beef in oil.

Cook beef on high for 5-8 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking time. Meanwhile place soy sauce, brown sugar, hoisin sauce, garlic and water in a frying pan. Bring to the boil, then simmer for a minute or two or until thickened a bit. Add the cooked beef and stir to coat well with the sauce.

Serve with steamed rice and garnish with spring onions and sesame seeds.

Serves 2

Chia Puddings

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You may have seen chia seeds in the supermarket and wondered what to do with them. When mixed with liquid and left for a few hours or overnight, they set into a sort of pudding or chunky jelly.

Our son James says that for him chia puddings are in the same category as tapioca pudding and bubble tea, a popular drink filled with chewy tapioca balls. He is not a fan, whereas I love them.

Chia puddings are very easy to make and involve no cooking. To make one serving you just need half a cup of any kind of milk and 2 tablespoons of chia seeds. Mix thoroughly and leave in the fridge overnight, then top with fresh or frozen berries, sliced banana, muesli, yoghurt, or a combination and you’ve got a healthy breakfast or dessert, loaded with fibre and protein. A hundred grams of chia seeds contains 17g of protein.

2 Tbs chia seeds
½ cup any kind of milk (cow’s, oat, soya, almond, coconut)
To serve:
Berries or sliced banana, mango, peaches etc
Toasted muesli
Plain yoghurt
Maple syrup or honey

Thoroughly mix the chia seeds with milk and place in an individual bowl or glass, leaving space for toppings. After an hour or so, stir the mixture again to avoid any big lumps forming. Refrigerate overnight.

Serve topped with fruit, muesli and yoghurt.  Drizzle with a little maple syrup or honey. If you’re feeling decadent, drizzle with a little cream.

You can always mix up a larger quantity, allowing 4 Tbs chia seeds for every cup of milk. Tip the mixture into a plastic storage container with a lid. It will keep for a several days in the fridge.

Makes one serving

Tortilla Crêpes

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This recipe is just French toast made with wheat tortillas instead of bread.

But it’s a brilliant idea. So if you’re looking for a quick and tasty idea for Sunday breakfast or brunch, or a quick snack to feed the grandkids when they call in, look no further.

The time-saving idea of turning a packaged tortilla into a light and fluffy pancake was invented by the late Kenny Shopsin, a self-taught cook who ran a grocery store and restaurant in New York, with his wife Eve. Kenny was a colourful character who had certain rules, for example anyone using a mobile device rather than engaging in conversation risked being kicked out. Since his death in 2018, the business has been run by his daughter Tamara and her two siblings.

I’m going to try making a savoury version, so watch this space.

1 punnet strawberries
2 tsp runny honey
2 Tbs cream
2 eggs
2 tsp maple syrup
1 packet thin wheat tortillas or soft tacos
Butter for frying
Extra maple syrup or honey to serve (optional)

Wash the strawberries, then halve or slice into a bowl. Drizzle with a little honey.

In a bowl wider than the tortillas, beat cream with eggs and maple syrup using a fork. Add one tortilla and turn to coat. Leave it submerged while you heat a little butter in a small non-stick frying pan. When the tortilla is well soaked, drain off excess egg mixture and place the tortilla in the pan. Cook until golden and puffed one one side, then turn and cook on the other side. Cook remaining tortillas. The egg mixture will be enough for 4 tortillas – maybe more – depending on their size.

Serve two tortillas per person, garnished with the strawberries. Drizzle with extra maple syrup or honey, if liked.

Serves 2

Crisp-Skin Barramundi with Curry Sauce & Green Beans

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In January we spent a week on the island of Nusa Lembongan just off Bali.

Curry Traders Restaurant and Bar has excellent, reasonably-priced food and was definitely the best restaurant we found during our stay on the island.

This is my adaptation of a dish we enjoyed when we dined there to celebrate our daughter Catherine’s birthday. I used barramundi and my recipe for a creamy red curry sauce, which goes with everything.

The first photo shows the dish in the restaurant, surrounded by some of the other dishes we ordered, including rice and Indian bread. The second photo is my version. Sorry I forgot to put a sprig of coriander on top of the fish!

4 fillets barramundi or another firm-fleshed white fish with the skin on
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbs vegetable oil
Red Curry Sauce
400g green beans, steamed until al dente
1 clove garlic, crushed
20g butter
2 lemons, halved
Coriander sprigs

Go to the link and make the Red Curry Sauce.

Season fish on both sides with salt and pepper, then place skin down in a cold, lightly-oiled frying pan, preferably non-stick. Turn on the heat and cook over moderate temperature for 5-6 minutes or until the skin is crisp, then turn and cook for 2-3 minutes on the other side, or until cooked through. Remove fish from pan, then add the lemon halves, cut side down, and cook until they are starting to blacken.

Meanwhile, heat butter and garlic in another pan. Add the steamed beans and seasoning and toss them to coat well.

Divide beans between 4 warmed serving plates. Serve fish on the beans. Heat the curry sauce and place some in four ramekins.  Arrange the lemon and the curry sauce on the plates, garnish the fish with the coriander and serve immediately with steamed rice and/or Indian bread.

Freeze any leftover curry sauce for another time.

Serves 4