Healthy Oatmeal Pancakes

Pancakes are without a doubt the top breakfast in our house. I try to vary the recipes for interest, but appear to have found an unexpected winner in a wholemeal-oatmeal combination. This pancake's popularity is a sum of how frequently the family demands it and the alacrity with which it disappears from their plates. The fact that I could make it half asleep, blindfolded, in my pajamas and sans fancy kitchen tools, is beside the point.

There have been numerous experiments with varying permutations and combinations of plain flour, wholemeal flour, soy flour, sugar, sweetener, milk, yoghurt, whole eggs, egg whites, bran and oatmeal, as well as the vacation flirtations with boxed pancake mixes.

The latter, I note with smug parental satisfaction, my children have left half eaten after the initial (almost insulting) enthusiasm. Needless to say the ingredients lists of the mixes were often unending and included copious amounts of sodium and sugar. It's also hard not to question the need for the canary-yellow food colouring.

• Oats, old fashioned and plain, 1 cup
• Wholemeal flour, 1 cup
• Eggs, 2, beaten
• Milk, about 2 cups
• Salt and sugar, pinch of, each
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

1. Combine all together with a whisk
2. Pour onto preheated nonstick pan by ladlefuls
3. Flip over when done or golden brown on one side
4. Serve immediately with fresh fruit or jam or maple syrup. Mmmm!

Roast Lamb with Rosemary and Mustard

Nothing like a nice roast leg of lamb to get one into the holiday spirit. This recipe is relatively hands off and leaves me room to bake pies (even, dare I say, alongside) the lamb, which turned out succulent, tender and full of rosemary-infused flavour. A definite crowd pleaser!

• whole leg of lamb, about 3.5kg or 8-9 lbs
• rosemary, many sprigs of
• seeded mustard, 2 heaped tbsp
• honey, 3-4 tbsp
• garlic cloves, 8, chopped
• lemon juice, 2 tbsp
• balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup
• canola or olive oil, 3 tbsp
• coarse salt, 2 tsp
• pepper, many grinds of
• ground coriander, 1 heaped tsp
• ground cummin, 1 heaped tsp

1. The meat may be marinated overnight or cooked immediately (as I did with no sacrifice to its taste or texture)
2. Preheat the oven to 450F or 220C
3. Cut some shallow slits all over the top of the meat
   
4. Insert the rosemary sprigs into these little slits
5. Whisk the marinade ingredients together and pour over the lamb, using your hands to make sure everything gets everywhere
6. Make a foil tent for the lamb and cover the dish
7. Place in oven, roast for 20 mins at 450F
8. Turn the temperature down to 400F for a further hour, basting occasionally
   
9. Toward the last 15 mins, add some chopped up carrots around the roast
10. After the full hour, remove the foil tent, bake for another 15 mins
11. You may turn the oven off afterwards and let the lamb rest in there for 10 mins
12. Remove from the oven, allow to rest outside for 10-15 mins before serving
13. The roast lamb's juices may be used to make a gravy. Pour some into a pan with 1 tbsp corn flour mixed with 3 tbsp stock, a grate of lemon zest and fresh sprigs of rosemary. Whisk till it thickens, taste, season, sieve if needed, and serve with the meat
14. Serve with vegetables, latkes if you like, with blackberry-almond tart for dessert.
    

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Almond and Blackberry Tarts

My favourite pastries seem to have ground almonds in them. This one is also buttery and bakes to picturesque perfection.

This recipe, dare I say, is rather too good to share with the entire world :D Those of you who are keen to know more may reach me through this blog. Happy Christmas!







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Quick Fish Sandwich

We go through a small pond of fish every week in this household. One of the boys' favourite sandwiches is what they call a fish burger - basically some fish I've breaded, baked and thrown between a burger bun or wholemeal bread for them. An easy kiddy meal to put together ;)

• Fish fillet, 1 (tilapia, haddock, cod, salmon)
• Soy sauce, 2 tbsp
• Honey, 1 tbsp
• Egg, 1, whisked
  
• Breadcrumbs, 3/4 cup
• Wholemeal bread, 4 slices
• Baby spinach, handful, washed
• Mayonaise, as required

1. Preheat the oven to 220C
2. Whisk the honey and soy sauce together and dip the fish in it
3. Then dip in egg and finally, coat in breadcrumbs
4. Place on greased sheet, spritz with Pam and bake for 13 mins
5. Lightly toast the bread, spread with some mayo
6. Layer the spinach onto it, followed by the breaded fish
7. Luscious and delicious, what's not to like?
   

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Latkes (Potato Pancakes)

I have scoured e-newspapers, websites and Jewish cook books to see if anyone has dared stray from the latke recipes handed down for, who knows, how many hundreds of years. The answer seems to be No.

The word 'latke,' for potato pancake, is Yiddish and it is thought that it originated from Russia or Germany. Before Jewish emigration to the US in the early 1900s, it is said that the latke's main ingredient was cheese and not potato, a relatively recent introduction to Europe. Rice was also said to have been used instead of cheese.

And so we come to this recipe. Being unable to follow the crowd, never having eaten a latke whose recipe I was curious to know and not being content that the plain flouring of grated potato is the best festive treatment for this vegetable, this is my version of the much-loved Hanukkah treat.


Tradition mandates that one eats lots of fried food during Hanukkah's eight days to commemmorate the Miracle of the Oil. If you're lucky, doughnuts might be on the menu later this week ;)

• potatoes, 3 large
• onions, 3 medium
• green chili, one, chopped finely
• ginger, 1 tsp
• garlic, 1 tsp
• cummin seeds, 1 1/2 tsp, toasted
• coriander leaves, 1 handful, chopped finely
• eggs, 2, beaten
• plain flour, 2-3 tbsp
• salt, about 2 tsp
• pepper, a few grinds of

1. Peel the potatoes, grate them and soak in very cold water
2. Change the water a few times, drain and keep aside to dry out
3. Peel the onions and chop or mince in a food processor
4. Fry the onions, garlic, ginger, chili and cummin in a pan. Keep aside
5. Combine flour, potato, onion mixture, eggs, salt, pepper and flour
6. Preheat a large pan of canola oil (filling about 1/3 of the pan)
7. Drop the potato mixture by tablespoonfuls into the oil, over medium heat
8. Cook the cakes about 3 minutes a side, or till golden brown
9. Remove with slotted spoon and place on kitchen paper to soak up excess oil
10. Serve immediately with sour cream or apple sauce. Or Thai chilli sauce if you like going against the grain!

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Vanilla-White Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

My children were keen that I bake cupcakes and soon. Here's what we whipped up on this frosty, snowstormy afternoon.

• 250g butter, softened
• 250g castor sugar
• 250g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• salt, pinch
• cream, 2-3 tbsp
• white chocolate chips, a handful
  

1. Preheat oven to 420F or 200C
2. Cream butter and sugar together till fluffy and white
3. Sift flour and baking soda into the mixture
4. Add all the other ingredients and whizz together till combined
5. Fold the white chocolate chips into the batter
   
6. Grease some paper cupcake liners in a muffin tray and drop the mixture into them, one icecream scoop at a time, till about 3/4s full
7. Bake for 13-14 mins
8. This amount yields about 24 cupcakes

For the icing:

• butter, softened, about 3/4 stick (90g)
• icing sugar, 2-3 heaped cups
• whipping cream, 2-3 tbsp
• vanilla essence, a few drops
• red gel food colouring, one drop

1. Cream all together till fluffy, thick and relatively stiff
2. Pipe into a bag with a round nozzle or jagged one and
3. Ice as you fancy. Enjoy!

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Mince Pies

This is the second fiddly recipe in a row but I couldn't hold back - homemade mince pies are ever so yummy. I present a mini version because mincemeat is rather rich and they look sweet this way. These are a British festive offering, and the word 'meat' is reflective of the fact that traditionally, the filling contained suet, or raw beef or mutton fat.

Here, I don't use any fat at all in the filling (because I clean forgot the butter!) but it has turned out beautifully. Many mince pie recipes use raisins, apples and spices but I include other flavours that I adore (citrus elements, ginger, dates, almonds, molasses). I omit the traditional rum because Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa and New Year are almost upon us - I won't need the liquor to help these babies mature. In any case, they won't last more than a day in this household!






For the filling:

• raisins, 350g
• Granny Smith apples, 2, skinned and grated
• zest of 1 large orange
• rind of same orange, chopped and cooked in simple syrup for ten minutes
• candied lemon peel, 100g
• candied red cherries, handful of, chopped
• dried apricots, 80g, chopped
  
• dates, 100g, chopped
• ginger, fresh and grated, 3 tsp
• brown sugar, 3/4 cup
• molasses, 2 tbsp
• orange juice, 3/4 cup
• sliced almonds, 1/4 to 1/2 cup
• ground cinnamon, 2-4 tsp
• ground nutmeg, 2-3 tsp
• butter, 50g (or not as the case may be)
• rum, 2-3 tbsp (optional)
  

1. Bung them all into a large pan and cook for about 25 mins, stirring occasionally
2. The filling is done when the peels, apricot and raisins are soft and plumped up and everything has come together in a sticky, glossy mass
3. Preheat the oven to 425F or 190C

For the pastry:

• 500g plain flour
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 220-240g cold butter, cubed
• cold water, as needed

1. In a food processor, combine the flour and salt and pulse a few times
2. Add the cubed butter and pulse till it resembles fine breadcrumbs
3. Slowly add water by tablespoonfuls till pastry comes together
4. Remove from processor and pat by hand into three or four discs, encase in plastic wrap and allow to rest in fridge for 10-20 minutes
5. Remove the discs from the fridge and roll out on a floured clean surface till thin and pliable. I hardly needed flour as this dough isn't sticky
   
6. Use round, metal pastry cutters to cut out circles
7. Place these in a greased (mini) tart pan
8. Fill with mincemeat, then cut out stars or whatever shape you like for the tops
9. Brush with egg, sprinkle with sugar crystals (the bigger the more attractive)
10. Bake for 15 minutes till golden or slightly brown at the edges
11. Hide them from the family if necessary!
    

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How to Make Thai Green Curry

That was a long wait for Part II, wasn't it? Any Thai curry, pungent in aroma and a cacophony of flavours, is usually worth it. Besides, that recipe for the curry paste was hanging about with no closure and I need to get it out of the way before the holiday items make their appearance. Accept my apologies please and don't be shy about licking that pan clean. That sounds ludicrous but it's exactly what one of our friends did during an infamous dinner party some years ago :)

• Garlic, 6 cloves, sliced
• Lime leaves, about 6
• Lemon grass, 2 sticks each cut in half (no ends)
• Thai holy basil, several stalks of
• Galangal, four or five thick slices of
• Fish sauce, 2 tbsp
• Brown sugar, 1-2 tsp
• Coconut cream, 1/2 cup
• Canola oil, 2 tbsp
• Chicken, fish or beef, diced, about 200g (2 fillets)
• Green curry paste (click on the title for details) - 1 tbsp
• Stock or water, 1/2 cup
• Green aubergines, small ones - three of them, cubed
• Lemon juice of about 1/3 lemon
• Optional - for added heat, add 2 chopped chillies

1. In a pan, saute the garlic till fragrant and add the curry paste
2. In a separate pan, warm up the coconut cream. Do not boil
3. Add the coconut cream to the curry paste mixture, stir till it thickens
4. Add fish sauce, galangal, lemon grass, sugar and allow to simmer
5. Throw in the diced chicken, fish or beef
6. Add lime leaves, basil, stock and aubergines
7. Take off the heat when the meat is cooked. If you're using fish, this will take just a few minutes.
8. For added richness, add a few tablespoons of cream!
9. Remove solid bits of lemon grass, galangal and unwieldy bits of herbs if necessary before serving
10. Further vegetables may be added when the meat goes in - try courgette/zucchinni, peas, pea aubergines, red or green peppers, sweet potatoes
11. This amount will feed 2-4 people
    

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How to Make Thai Green Curry Paste

One of the joys of living in Southeast Asia is the astounding and mouthwatering variety of food it offers. The sights, sounds and scents (not all fragrant) of the street markets, the hustle and bustle of the wet markets and the availability of steamy, delicious and inexpensive meals just can't be replicated in the West.

After moving to London, I started to recreate all my favourite Southeast Asian dishes in my own kitchen, mostly out of desperation as I wasn't impressed with the Eastern offerings at many restaurants. The task usually involved lots of research, frantic phonecalls to aunts in foreign lands, a hunt for a well-stocked Asian grocer and lots of grinding of exotic spices and herbs (sometimes of teeth) afterwards.

This recipe is for a paste that will help you make (to the applause of your guests) your very own Thai green curry!

• 3 long, green chillies
• 10 small, green chillies (bird's eye)
• lemongrass, 1 stalk, with the white part chopped
• 3 shallots, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 inch galangal, chopped
• coriander roots, fistful
• Ground coriander, 1 tsp
• Ground white pepper, 1/2 tsp
• Ground cummin, 1/2 tsp
• Lime leaves, 1 tsp worth, chopped
• Salt, 1 tsp
• Fish sauce, 2 tsp

1. In a mini processor, add the chillies, lemongrass, shallots and garlic
2. Process in bursts til they are chopped finely
3. Add all the other ingredients and process to a smoothish paste
4. Be patient, I never said this was an easy assignment!
   
5. You may add some canola oil to ease the process
   
6. The paste may be wrapped in foil, in tablespoonfuls, and frozen.
   

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Not Just Any Pumpkin Pie

I resisted baking pumpkin pies for many years because I found them too rich, too squashy or simply not worthy of plate licking. During our years in Canada, where a plethora of pumpkin varieties abounds in the fall, I decided to modify and build upon a basic 4-ingredient pie recipe (found on the back of a can of pureed pumpkin) and combined the result with an interesting crust for the popular winner here.

As the end result has proved excessively good, those keen to know more may contact me through this blog.

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Keralan Fish Curry

Happily, I don't need to pretend to be an authority on food from Kerala because I know it intimately. Perhaps my love of fish comes from having descended from lakeside and seaside- dwelling folk who lived off the harvest of the sea on the idyllic coconut tree-lined southern west coast of India.

But I shouldn't need an excuse. This is a wonderful and aromatic curry, simple to prepare, delicious enough to spur repeat performances and perhaps, to convert the sworn carnivore.

Serve with rice or chapati (wholemeal flatbread) and dhal (lentil curry).

• Fish, firm-fleshed, cubed
• Coconut milk, 1/3 cup
• Onion, 1 medium, chopped
• Green chilli, 1, quartered
• Ginger, 1 cm worth, chopped finely
• Garlic, 1 clove, sliced
• Chilli powder, 1/2 tbsp
• Coriander, ground, 1/2 tbsp
• Turmeric, 1/2 tsp
• Fennel seeds, 2 pinches
• Mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves, about ten
• Stock, vegetable, about 1 cup
• Tamarind, 1 tsp soaked in 1/4 cup boiling water
  
• Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Cut the fish (salmon works, or any firm white-fleshed fish such as kingfish, haddock, cod, tilapia) into cubes
2. In a pan, add about 3 tbsp of canola oil over medium heat
3. Once the oil has warmed up, add mustard seeds and saute till they begin to pop
4. Add the onion and curry leaves, ground spices and fennel
5. On medium heat, stir gently till the spices are cooked. A sign of this is when the oil starts to gently seep through the spice and onion mixture
6. Add 1/2 cup of the stock and bring the gravy together
7. Prepare the tamarind by squeezing the pulp, which has been soaking in boiling water for a few minutes; strain and add the thick juice to the pan, using half the amount first, then adjusting the curry to how tart you like it
   
8. Add the fish but at this point, do not stir the curry any more, lifting the pan and swirling it around instead (to avoid breaking up the fish) to combine
   
9. Once the fish is done, about 5 minutes' time, add 1/3 cup of coconut milk and some stock to make the curry as thick or thin as you prefer
10. Taste and season to your own preferences
    

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Banana Cake II - With Wholegrain Flour and Extra Fruit

I deliberately buy bananas and let them sit and ripen as an excuse to bake a banana cake. I do this so often the children have acquired a Pavlovian response of demanding a cake when they see the fruit lying around.

This is one of three banana cake recipes we enjoy, being moist, ludicrously easy, relatively healthy and so, so banana-rey. As it bakes it gets a slightly crunchy crust, which my children love topped with their favourite cream cheese icing which I present below.

• 3 eggs
• 1 stick plus 1 tablespoon butter (125g)
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar (white is fine)
• 1 1/2 cups wholemeal flour, sifted with
• 1 heaped tsp baking soda and
• 1 tsp baking powder, plus
• 1 cup unbleached white flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 4 very ripe, large bananas, mashed with a fork at the last minute

1. Cream the eggs, butter and sugar together till pale and fluffy
2. Sift the flour/soda/powder/salt into the butter mixture
3. Process till well combined, add vanilla
4. Fold in the mashed bananas
5. Pour into pre-oiled baking tin
6. Bake at 175C or 360F for 40 minutes
7. Ice as desired

Cream cheese icing

In a small processor, add

• 3 tbsp cream cheese
• 2 cups icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 orange's zest
• 1 tbsp cream
• 1/2 stick butter

Blend all the above together till creamy, adding more icing sugar as needed I like to ice the cake while it's warm for a rustic, carelessly thrown-together look. Sprinkle with coconut shavings if desired.

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I'm back! With Corn Bread

It's taken a while to settle in after moving to the US. I apologise for my absence, even as I vigorously resist replacing my s's with z's. 

Coming out of a 24-hour Yom Kippur fast, rather than avoid thoughts of food, I thought it appropriate to bake something sweet. Corn bread - which isn't traditional Jewish fair but seems a quintessentially American one to revive my blog with - was the first thing that came to mind.

I was after a simple recipe to start with, corn bread not being something I had a lot of practise with in my previous lives elsewhere. I didn't have to look far - Quaker had a handy one on their Yellow Corn Meal box which I present below. It's quick, turned out quite attractively with a crunchy crust and definitely hit my vast, food-deprived spot! 

For variety, add cranberries, or a honey-and-nut topping or make it lighter by adding whisked egg whites at the end as described below. It was gorgeous served warm with lots of butter.

• 1 1/4 cups plain flour
  
• 3/4 cup Quaker enriched corn meal
  
• 1/4 cup sugar
  
• 2 tsp baking powder
  
• 1/2 tsp salt
  
• 1 cup skim milk
  
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  
• 1 egg, beaten

1. Heat oven to 400F or 180C
   
2. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl
   
3. Whisk wet ones separately and pour into dry ingredients
   
4. Stir till just combined
   
5. Pour into 8 or 9-inch pan and bake for 20-25 mins or till a toothpick inserted comes out clean
6. For a lighter cornbread, leave out the beaten egg from the wet ingredients and instead, whisk two egg whites to peaks and carefully carve into the rest of the batter before pouring into a pan and baking. 

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Hungry?

Thank you for your patience as we prepare to move to the U.S.
Watch this space though. I may manage to squeeze in some baking
between organising the move, packing and selling the house!

Posted by email from divaindoors's posterous

Potato Salad

Potato facts:
-Nearly all the world's cultivated potato varieties come from a subspecies indigenous to Chile
-The potato, now a staple worldwide, was introduced to Europe only in 1536
-In recent decades, the tuber has grown explosively in Asia, where about four-fifths of the world's total crop was grown in 2007
-China produces the most potatoes, followed by India
-Potatoes are a source of carbohydrates (one-fifth of a 100g of potato), but are also a source of fiber and protein (2.2 grams in 100g) and vitamin C - a fifth of daily needs -100g will also provide one-tenth of one's daily potassium needs and a host of other vitamins and minerals, especially eaten with the skin on.

Now that you know how good it is for you, you can eat more of it. Starting with this salad!

• Potatoes, 1 kg worth
  
• Mayonnaise, 4 tbsp
• Mustard, seeded, 1 tbsp
• Dill, 1 tbsp, chopped
• Lemon, juice of 1/2
• Curry powder, 1/2 tsp
• Capers, 1 tbsp
• Spring onion, 3 stalks, with white part chopped, some green for colour
• Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Boil the potatoes (I have used new Ontario red ones here) for about 20 minutes in salted water. Check with a fork that they are done before draining the water, then cube them
2. Mix together all the rest of the ingredients
3. Stir the creamy dressing into the hot, cubed potatoes gently, taking care not to break them up
4. Season to taste with salt and pepper

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Chillied Pesto Fish

This is one of my fall-back dinner options when I am short of time, which is fairly regularly. There is always fish in the house, and invariably, some pesto or basil too. A whirl in my mini chopper of some basil, chilli, pecorino, pine nuts and olive oil and voila, a marinade is ready for a dish that will bake or grill in just a few minutes.

This amount will be sufficient for two portions. Served here with fig and mango salad.

• Basil, large handful of
• Pecorino, 2 tbsp, grated roughly (parmesan can be used)
• Garlic, 1 clove
• Red chilli, 1/2, chopped roughly
• Pine nuts, 2 tbsp
• Olive oil, 3-4 tbsp
• Fish fillets, 2
  

1. In a mini food processor, blend all the ingredients together
2. Leave the pesto's texture slightly rough (for more interest)
3. Spread it over fresh, firm, white-fleshed fish such as sea bass or cod or haddock or tilapia
4. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice
5. Place on baking tray and grill or bake in a preheated 220C oven for about 5-6 mins

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Bloody Mary

Ideal for the summer, with or without alcohol, the Bloody Mary is said to have been introduced to and refined in the United States in the early 20th century. The drink's name is associated with Queen Mary I, who reestablished Roman Catholicism in England, causing many Protestants to be burnt at the stake for heresy and spurring the justly unflattering nickname for herself.

Its teetotaler sister drink is, sensibly enough, the Virgin Mary.

Don't know about you, but I need a drink after all that!

• Tomato juice, tall glass of
• Vodka, 1 1/2 oz (omit if making the mocktail)
• Pepper, dash of
• Celery salt, pinch of
• Worcestershire sauce, good 5-6 dashes of
• Tabasco sauce, 3-5 dashes of
• Lemon juice, 1-2 tbsp of
• Celery stick, 1, to garnish

1. In a tall glass, add ice cubes and fill with tomato juice
2. Add all the other ingredients, gradually, adjusting for personal preferences
3. Pop the celery stick in at the end. Cheers!

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Banana Cake

Rather than sitting around hoping the family will eat the vast amounts of rapidly ripening bananas that are constantly in the house, plunging them in a cake seems to guarantee their disappearance. I have used a loaf pan here but it's still a cake rather than a banana bread, as the key ingredients and their proportions remain distinctly cakey.

Lisa had popped round with her children and we threw this together without skipping a beat in our conversation. Nothing like having a ready and appreciative audience for a fragrant cake, fresh out of the oven, with cake-eating models at hand.

• Bananas, 4 inordinately large ones, squished with a fork
• Butter, 125g (1 stick and a bit)
• Eggs, 3, large
• Sugar, 1 1/2 cups
• Flour - plain 1 1/2 cups, wholemeal 1 cup
• Salt, 1/4 tsp
• Lemon juice, 1 tbsp
• Baking powder, 1/2 tsp
• Baking soda, 1/2 tsp

1. Beat sugar and room-temperature butter with a handwhisk
2. Add eggs and whisk till creamy and fluffy
3. Add salt, baking powder and soda, and lemon juice
4. In batches, add the flour, blending in between
5. Use a spatula to fold in the mashed bananas
6. Pour into a loaf tray or cake pan
7. Bake in preheated 180C oven for about 40 mins or till a toothpick inserted comes out clean

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Sweet and Sour Fish with Tomato, Broccoli and Red Pepper

This is a quick and delicious one-dish meal which appeals to children and adults alike. It recalls the gorgeous sweet and sour fish that I often enjoyed in many of Singapore`s food centres on its eastern coast - where the fish, nabbed while swimming carefree in a giant look-how-fresh-your-fish-is aquarium - was coated in corn flour and fried golden and crisp (yet remaining succulently moist inside), then plunged in a tangy, morish, deep red sauce.

Being a bit of a nutrition policewoman, there is none of that frying stuff going on here and I had two little ones who demanded immediate gustatory gratification.

The dish can be pepped up with a diced chilli, and its entire preparation from chopping block to mouth (including a quick escape for blog modelling) should take 15 minutes tops. This amount will serve four children or two ravenous grownups.

• Salmon or firm-fleshed fish, 1 large fillet, cubed
  
• Onion, 1 medium, diced
• Garlic, half tsp, chopped
• Ginger, half tsp, grated
• Chilli, optional, 1, diced
• Sesame seed oil, a few drops
• Canola oil, 2 tbsp
  
• Broccoli florets, 1-2 handfuls
  
• Tomatoes, 2, skinned and diced
• Red pepper, half, diced
• Water, as needed, posibly a third cup
• Honey sake teriyake sauce, about 1 tbsp
• Balsamic vinegar, 1-2 tbsp

1. In a wok or deep pan, pour the oils and add onion, garlic and ginger (chilli if using)
2. Saute till fragrant and translucent
3. Add red peppers, stir for two minutes, add tomatoes and broccoli and some water
4. Stir and simmer for a few minutes
5. Pour in the honey-teriyake sauce and balsamic vinegar, stir and taste
6. Adjust the flavours accordingly, adding extra vinegar for more zest
7. Add the cubed fish, stir very gently and leave to cook for about 2-3 minutes
8. Check that fish is done and remove pan from heat
9. Serve with freshly steamed brown rice

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Sticky Gooey Rainbow Brownies

I rustled this up with the help of my older son, to cheer up the younger one who is resembling our resident porch raccoon after weeks of sleep-deprived summer holidays.

If the idea of rainbow-coloured mini marshmallows puts you off - and do note they will melt and add extra goo which may appeal to some - this brownie is easily adapted to the more refined palate with the addition of macadamia or pistacchio nuts and fat chunks of dark or white chocolate.

It's ludicrously easy to make and its warm, moist chocolatiness worked a treat to bring a smile to the face of my bedward-heading son.

• butter, 250g (about 2 sticks and a bit)
• semi-sweet chocolate, 5 squares or 150g
• premium cocoa, 60g
• soft brown sugar, 500g
• flour, plain or wholemeal, 150g
• eggs, 5, large
  
• pinch salt
  
• *mini coloured marshmallows, 1 1/2 - 2 cups
• (*or substitute with white mini marshmallows, or macadamia nuts and white chocolate chunks, or pistachios and dark chocolate chunks)

1. Preheat the oven to 190c
2. Melt butter and chocolate in the microwave, in 10-second bursts, stirring in between. Add salt
   
3. In a separate bowl, combine together the sugar, cocoa and flour
4. Add the choco-butter mixture to the flour-sugar mixture, stir to combine
5. Break the eggs into the rich batter and mix with a handwhisk
6. Fold in marshmallows (or substitutes)
   
7. Pour into lined baking tray and bake for about 25 mins
8. Remove from oven and cool before cutting

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Gazpacho

There is no soup as divine on a blazing hot summer's day as a chilled, tangy and flavoursome gazpacho, a melange of chopped vegetables and herbs which hails from southern Spain's Andalusia region. What I adore about this soup, aside from its addictive aroma and flavour, is the fact that no cooking and stock are required, and that gazpacho is, in effect, a part-liquidised salad. For anyone in a rush, it could be a quick meal, served with crusty, buttered bread.

The only trouble with making gazpacho is that however much I produce in the hopes of returning to it often as a snack, the refrigerated bowl rapidly empties because, well, the soup is so darned yummy.

• Tomatoes, 5 or 6, ripe, and large
• Green pepper, 1, large
• Red pepper, 1, large
  
• Spanish onion, 1, medium, chopped
• Garlic, 1 tsp, minced
  
• English cucumber, 1, large, chopped
• Celery stick, 1, chopped
• Green or red chilli or jalapeno, 1, remove seeds and chop
• Coriander or cilantro, 1 large bunch, chopped finely
  
• Tomato juice, about 3 cups
• Tomato paste, 1 small can
• Balsamic vinegar, about 2 tbsp (to taste)
• Red wine vinegar, 1-2 tbsp (to taste)
  
• Lime juice, to taste
• Olive oil, extra virgin, about 3-4 tbsp
  
• Salt and pepper
• Bread, day old, a few slices chopped into squares
  

1. Blanch the tomatoes in freshly boiled water for 1 minute and remove skin
2. Chop tomatoes, peppers, onion, cucumber, celery and chilli
3. As you cut up the above, reserve a quarter of each, cubed attractively, in a separate bowl to use as a garnish
   
4. In a blender, add the chopped vegetables and cilantro (ignoring the 1/4s of each put aside) with about a cup of tomato juice and all the paste. Whizz till smooth, adding more juice as needed - I used about 3 cups in this recipe
   
5. As you blend, watch the colour if you prefer it to be a red gazpacho (it could quite easily be a green one easy with so many green ingredients)
6. Add the vinegars and olive oil , tablespoon by tablespoon, tasting after each one. It's easy to add vinegar and lime juice but hard to remove them if the dish is overzealously zested
7. If the soup needs sweetening, you could add some honey or a teaspoon of brown sugar
8. Taste and season with salt, pepper and lemon or lime juice as required
9. Refrigerate overnight or for a few hours to allow the flavours to meld
10. To make the croutons, spread the bread squares on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle a bit of sea salt over them. Bake in a preheated 200C overn for about 6-10 minutes, watching them closely so they only go golden brown and don't burn
11. To serve, scoop into bowls, sprinkle the croutons and reserved chopped veg and cilantro over the soup. It's also delicious with a couple of splashes of smoky tabasco sauce. Enjoy!

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Blackberry Tarts with Vanilla Cream Filling

I apologise for my silence up until that fig and mango salad - it was easier setting up a few recipes to go out during our visit to New York than it has been attempting to update my blog while juggling work, a holiday-neglected house and an impending move to the neighbouring country.

As a peace offering (ie bribe), here's a sweet treat that won't take too long to put together.

• Blackberries (or any berry)
• Sour cream, 150 ml (2/3 cup)
• Cream cheese, 250g (one slab)
• Sugar, 4 tbsp
• Shortcrust pastry (readymade will do)
• Eggs, 2 large
• Lime, rind of
• Vanilla extract, 1 1/2 tsp (or scrape seeds off a vanilla bean)
• Plain flour, 2 tbsp

1. In a blender, mix sour cream and cream cheese till smooth
2. Add vanilla, sugar, lime rind
3. Add flour, blend, add egg
4. Add the fruit and stir with spatula by hand till just blended
5. Prepare tart shells - roll out pastry, cut out rounds and place in empty tart shells
6. Pour the cream and fruit mixture into the tart shells
7. Bake in middle of preheated 190C oven for about 18-20 mins.
8. Filling should be just set and the pastry golden brown
9. This amount of cream filling should make 24 medium sized tarts.

Fig and Mango Salad

This salad was inspired by a recent shopping expedition at Brent Cross in London. Having often made do with whatever sandwich I can find so that I can return as quickly as I can to the task at hand (ie an urgent shoe hunt), I was excited to come across a hitherto unnoticed place serving a massive array of salads and huge toasted panini or foccaccia sandwiches. I was also delighted to see my mother-in-law polish off her entire (and very generously portioned) salad.

The dressing is mine - coconut and cummin to add a bit of an eastern touch which I think goes well with the tropical fruit. And I believe the restaurant served their figs and mango on a bed of arugula, whereas I use spinach and have added some pine nuts and toasted pumpkin seeds for bite.

Salad
spinach, bed of
mango, a ripe one, sliced
fig, sliced, 2
pine nuts
pumpkin seeds, toasted

Salad dressing
yoghurt, full fat, 4 tbsp
coconut milk (optional), 2 tbsp
rice wine vinegar - 1 tbsp (or lemon juice)
poppy seeds, 1 tbsp (roast them first)
cummin, ground - 3/4 tsp
salt and pepper, to taste
canola oil, 2 tbsp (optional)

Layer the salad, spinach first, arrange mango and figs as you wish
Sprinkle the seeds over
Whisk all the dressing ingredients together and drizzle over the salad. Yum!