Chocolate Pudding

This is a really good dessert for a chilly night - either with custard or some cream. It's one of those puddings that has sponge on the top and a chocolatey sauce underneath.

In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa, pinch of salt and caster sugar. In a jug blend milk, egg, melted butter and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and blend until smooth.

Put the mixture into a buttered baking dish (4 cup capacity) and put on a baking tray (in case of any overflows in the oven). Combine brown sugar and cocoa and sprinkle evenly over the top of the pudding mixture.

Carefully pour 1 cup of boiling water over the top of the pudding (pouring it over the back of the spoon will spread the water more evenly).

Bake at 180 C for 40-50 minutes...

...until pudding is risen and firm to the touch.

Serve immediately or the sauce will be absorbed into the sponge as it cools.

Ingredients:
1 cup self raising flour
1/3 cup cocoa (divided into two - one half for pudding, other half for topping)
pinch of salt
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
60 g unsalted butter, melted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar

Mini Meatloaves

I saw these in Nigella Express and thought we could have them for dinner and have the rest in sandwiches the next day.

They are almost as quick and easy as putting fish fingers in the oven, and much less fiddly than making meatballs.

Mix all ingredients together and divide the mixture into 12 balls. Shape into mini loaves and sit them on a lined baking sheet.

Cook for 30 minutes at 200 C

The cooked loaves (meatloaf never looks pretty) ready to be dipped in lots of sauce and mayonnaise.

Ingredients:
500 g minced beef
500 g sausagemeat (I just used beef)
80 g quick cook oats
70 g (or a huge squirt) A1 steak sauce (I used bbq sauce)
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp Worcestireshire sauce
1/2 tsp salt

Flapjacks

This is another recipe from my trip to England. Flapjacks are well-known, but my auntie, Marcia, makes the best ones in my opinion. We stayed with her for a few days and she gave me her recipe and I've managed to make authentic Marcia flapjacks in my own home!

I like these flapjacks because they are non-flaky and non-greasy, and are chewy and slightly crispy around the edges. (The flapjacks I have made before tend be a bit crumbly and leave you with buttery fingers.)

I think the secret is to use quick oats rather than whole rolled oats, and to only have a thin layer of mixture in the tin so the whole lot can get thoroughly cooked through in the oven.

Combine porridge oats and brown sugar in a large bowl, then gently melt butter and golden syrup together in a pan (don't boil). Pour the butter/syrup into the oats/sugar and mix well. Press firmly into a foil or baking paper-lined square tin 21 x 21 cm (or 8 x 8 inches) and cook for about 20 mins at 180 C until evenly lightly browned.

Allow to cool for a few minutes then mark squares or rectangles, then allow to cool completely before removing from baking tin and foil.

Ingredients:
150 g quick-cook oats
75 g soft brown sugar (I use 60 g)
75 g butter (I use unsalted)
1 1/2 (or one v generous) tbsp golden syrup

Pot-Roast Meatloaf

This recipe is from Jamie Oliver's 'Ministry of Food' which I bought from a charity shop in England. I'd had a flick through it before in a book shop and didn't find it very interesting, but now I own it I realize it's quite a good recipe book.

I've made meatloaf before, in a loaf tin, with not much success, but this one turned out really well. It was very tasty, didn't fall apart when sliced, and had an interesting sauce to go with it. It's a good way to feed a few people with 500g of minced beef.

Heat oven to highest setting. Fry the onion gently for several minutes in oil, stirring frequently, with salt and pepper, cumin and coriander. Put in a large bowl, add cracker crumbs, oregano, Dijon mustard, minced beef and an egg. Mix thoroughly with your hands and form into a loaf shape. Rub with a little oil, and put in a casserole pan or baking dish with a lid (I used my Scanpan casserole).

The uncooked meatloaf ready for the oven

Put meatloaf in oven and immediately turn oven down to 200 C, and cook for 30 mins.

The cooked meatloaf

Meanwhile, in a large pan gently cook onion, garlic, chilli, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, in a little oil, stirring occasionally. Add Worcestershire sauce, chickpeas, tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. Bring to boil, simmer for 10 mins. Test and add more seasoning if required (I added a tsp of sugar).

Spoon sauce around the meatloaf and sprinkle over pancetta or sliced bacon and a few rosemary leaves. Return to oven for 10-15 mins.

The meatloaf and sauce ready for serving. One of those tasty, but not very photogenic meals.

Ingredients:
for meatloaf:
1 med onion, finely chopped
1 level tsp cumin (I didn't use this)
1 heaped tsp ground coriander
12 Jacobs cream crackers (or SAOs if you're in Aus), finely crushed
2 tsp dried oregano
2 heaped tsp Dijon mustard
500 g minced beef - good quality
1 large egg
for sauce:
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 - 1 fresh red chilli (or a dash of chilli powder)
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
400 g tin chickpeas, drained
800 g tinned chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp fresh rosemary leaves
12 slices pancetta or a few slices of smoked bacon cut into strips

Salad with Potato and Mushroom

I made this salad a few times when I was in England, as new potatoes were in season, and also because it's a substantial salad that feeds a lot of people.

I got the idea from my friend Sherralee who made a version of it last Christmas.

Boil some new potatoes, (or small potatoes if they are unavailable) halving any larger ones. Fry some sliced mushrooms, adding a dash of balsamic vinegar at the end for extra flavour. Put potatoes and mushrooms into a big salad bowl.

Then add any other ingredients you like, eg halved cherry tomatoes, chopped cucumber, chopped celery, sliced red onion, olives, salad leaves, fresh herbs. Add a little garlic oil and toss through with your hands. You can top with some sliced boiled eggs (yolks still a little runny) at the last minute if you have time.

The salad posing in the garden with bluebells and primroses!

Toad in the Hole

I've just got back from England where I've been staying with my Mum for 4 weeks. While I was away I didn't spend much time on the computer, but I've got a few food photos on my camera to share!

My sister Sarah made Toad in the Hole for us while we were in England.

Our Nannie (grandmother) used to make this for us when we were children, using sausage meat instead of sausages. She called it Sausage in Batter and we always used to eat it with baked beans and mashed potatoes - so we decided to have baked beans with ours too.

It was delicious! For the batter, Sarah uses a recipe from a 1930s Be-Ro (brand of flour) recipe book - the page for the Yorkshire Pudding recipe is below...

The cover of the book:

No-Knead Bread

I read about this bread on Coby's blog and I had to try it because it looked so delicious - a serious, no-messing around Italian type of bread (that I am lucky enough to be able to buy for $2 at our local Italian bakery, but still always wanted to be able to make myself!)

After reading Coby's blog entry (in which she provides metric conversions for the recipe) and watching the video link, I started by mixing 410 g bread flour, 1/4 tsp instant yeast, 1 1/4 tsp salt in a bowl, and then added 430 ml cold tap water, stirring it to a soggy dough with a palette knife.

It looks like this, sort of like a thick paste. Cover it and stand it somewhere at room temperature for 12 to 18 hours. I left mine for about 16 hours in the pantry, after which it looked like this...

...bubbly and very wet-looking.

I put it on a tea towel (with baking paper because I thought it might stick to the cloth) covered with plenty of wholemeal flour. Coby uses polenta, or you can use bran. Fold it into some kind of round shape - which is very difficult as it feels like a flour-covered jellyfish - and cover it over for 2 hours to rise.

I wrapped mine up in the paper and tea towel.

After 2 hours mine seemed to have spread a little and got a bit bigger, although not in an upward direction!

Half an hour before the end of rising time, set the oven to 230 C and add a big pot with a lid to heat up aswell. I used my 7 litre Scanpan casserole.

Somehow get the dough into the (very hot) pot - I ended up half throwing it in off the paper because it was so soft and blobby - then quickly put the lid on and put it back in the oven. Cook for half an hour.

After half an hour, remove the lid and cook for 15 more minutes. (Longer if you want a crunchier, tougher crust.)

It tastes wonderful, and has a slightly 'gluey' texture which must come from the steaming effect on the dough caused by cooking it in a pot with a lid. I was surprised how soft the loaf was and the crust was not brittle or particularly tough - I assume this would change if you cooked it for longer without the lid.

Thanks Coby!

Chocopots

These are 'Chocohotopots' from 'Feast' - but I cooled them quite a lot before we ate them to avoid burnt tongues, so it was more accurate to call them just 'chocopots'. (Or chocowarmopots!)

They are like runny chocolate brownies - the top looks a lot like a brownie, with soft chocolate underneath. Very easy to make, delicious, rich and filling, and everyone loved them. (I have to admit though that I'm not the hugest fan of chocolate desserts, and I'd rather just eat the chocolate un-tampered-with!)

First you melt chocolate and butter over simmering water. The recipe calls for 'semi-sweet' but I couldn't find any - I did find another type of chocolate which is a combination of milk and dark, so I used it instead.

Let the choc/butter cool down a bit, then in another bowl whisk together eggs and sugar, and add some flour. Fold the chocolate mixture in, then divide between four (I used 5) buttered ramekins or oven-proof cups. Stand the cups on a tray and cook for 20 mins at 200C.

Ingredients:
125 g semi sweet chocolate (I used milk and dark mixture)
125 g unsalted butter, soft
2 eggs
150 g caster sugar (I used 100 g)
3 tbsp plain flour

Oaty Chocolate Cookies

I was looking for a quick and easy recipe for my 10 year old son to make, and he asked if it could include chocolate chips.

I found this on the choc chip manufacturer's website, and they were very easy to make, just mix everything in a bowl.

I like cookies that include oats because I think it makes them more filling, and they were a great snack for the boys after swimming thismorning.

I have to admit I would have liked sultanas in them, but I'd have sultanas with almost anything! I might add them next time.

Just mix all the ingredients in a large bowl, and put blobs of the mixture on a baking tray. Bake at180 C for 20 - 25 mins or until golden.

Ingredients:
180 g butter, melted then cooled
2 cups rolled oats
1 1/4 cups self-raising flour
1/2 cup caster sugar (this makes a pleasantly un-sweet cookie - add a bit more if you like)
1 cup choc chips (I used milk choc)
1 egg, lightly beaten

Beef Casserole

I saw this casserole on 'Nigella Feasts' although I can't find the recipe in the book 'Feast'.

I've never used Guinness or orange in a casserole before, so this recipe appealed to me. Normally I would add lots of other vegetables too, but I decided to follow the recipe exactly today.

In a casserole, fry the onion and carrot gently in some oil for several minutes until softened a little.

Meanwhile, shake the beef in the seasoned flour. Remove the veg from the pan and fry the beef in batches in some more oil until browned (more or less) then remove the beef from the pan.

To the pan, add the water and Guinness, the herbs and the orange zest and juice. Increase heat, add the vegetables and beef and once it has come to the boil, put a lid on and simmer for 2 1/2 hrs either on stove top or in oven at 150 C or so. (Once my Scanpan casserole is heated through I can simmer stews at 110 C.)

Richly flavoured with a slightly bitter tang, although pleasantly so - and it was the first time my children all ate up their casserole without fuss!

Next time I'll be adding more vegies (green beans and sweet potato would be nice).

Ingredients:
1 large onion, chopped
2 large carrots, sliced
1 kg chuck/stewing steak, diced
1/4 cup flour, with salt, pepper, good sprinkling of allspice
1 cup water
1 cup Guinness/stout
1/2 orange (zest and juice)
2 bayleaves, couple of leaves of sage or sprinkling of dried sage

Hot Cross Buns

This is the first time I've made hot cross buns, and they turned out quite well!

I have to admit I wouldn't have bothered with any decoration if I hadn't been taking photos, but I think the crosses worked out reasonably well too! I just 'drew' them on in flour paste with the edge of a small palette knife.

I normally would use fresh yeast but I ran out, so I used the instant yeast and it worked fine.

Ingredients:
500 g bread flour
2 tsp easy blend yeast
100 g sugar
pinch salt
2 tsp or more of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves (mostly cinnamon)
3/4 cup sultanas, soaked
40 g butter, melted
250 ml milk, lukewarm
2 eggs, lightly beaten

paste for crosses:
1/3 cup flour
4 tbsp water

Happy Easter!

Milo Biscuits

I originally found this recipe on the internet after doing a search, because I had a tin of Milo that was well past its use-by date and was trying to find ways of using it up. I've changed it slightly since, and these biscuits are worth making even if your Milo isn't a bit old!

Cream together butter and sugar, then add an egg and some Milo. Stir in oats (and some sultanas if you like), then flour to make a slightly crumbly dough.

Make little balls of dough, put on a baking sheet not too close together, and flatten slightly with a fork. Cook for 12-15 mins at 180 C. Leave to cool on tray for a while to become firm before moving to a cooling rack.

Ingredients:
125 g butter, soft
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup Milo
1/4 cup porridge/quick oats
1 1/2 cup self-raising flour

For another way of using Milo in a biscuit, see Oaty Cranberry and Milo Cookies