Eats/Reads

This is a Gordon Ramsey recipe which I altered slightly. Was looking for something to use up the carrot and squash from the farmer's market - it was delicious! The original recipe called for one red chili. I left that out because I thought the 2-year-old wouldn't go for it. Instead the adults added sriracha at the table. Also, when eating the leftovers, I added one thigh of chicken, shredded, because I wanted something more meaty at that meal. 1 onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, chopped 2 Tbsp olive oil 2 large carrots, peeled 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and deseeded Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 tsp dried thyme (optional: 1 fresh chili, seeded and chopped, or 1/4 tsp dried crushed chillies) 750ml chicken or vegetable stock 75g dried spaghetti or small pasta shells 250 ml milk Freshly grated Parmesan, to serve Saute the onion and garlic in the oil over a medium heat for 5-7 minutes until soft. Chop the carrots and butternut squash into small cubes and add to t...

I made these for a friend who just had a baby - wanted something with oatmeal (supposed to be good for breastfeeding) and substantial but also tasty. These were great! 1 cup oatmeal/porridge oats 1 cup buttermilk or yogurt 1 cup flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar 1 egg, beaten 1/4 cup melted butter or vegetable oil 1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen Combine oatmeal and buttermilk/yogurt in small bowl. Let stand. Combine flour, baking powder, soda and salt in another small bowl. Reserve one tablespoon of flour mixture and, in yet another small bowl, add to blueberries. Stir lightly to cover blueberries in flour (this helps to prevent the blueberries bleeding into the batter.) In medium bowl, beat egg. Mix in butter/oil, then sugar and mix well. Add oat mixture and mix. Then add dry ingredients. Stir until all ingredients are just moistened. Gently fold in blueberries. Grease muffin tins and add batter, until about 3/4 full. B...

I found this recipe online to use up the carrots and parsnips from the farmers' market. Thought the husband would think it too sweet and want to add chili sauce while the daughter would love it. Turned out the husband loved it (without chili sauce) and the daughter was not too keen. Ah well. The original recipe called for 1 Tbsp (instead of 1 tsp) curry powder but I cut down to accommodate the toddler - fat lot of good that did me. In any case, it was easy and tasty (I recommend serving with sriracha) and used up the root veg perfectly. 2 Tbsp oil, chopped in chunks 1 onion 450g parsnips, peeled and chopped in chunks 225 g carrots, peeled and chopped in chunks 350 ml vegetable stock 300 ml milk salt & pepper Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the vegetables. Stir and cook for a few mins until they start to soften. Add the curry powder and cook, stirring, for a min. Stir in the stock & milk. Bring to the boil then reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Cook for 15-20 mins until ve...

I'm really proud of this recipe. I created it for my husband's birthday in 2003. I was trying to recreate the goulashes we'd eaten in Prague in the early 1990's. I read through loads of recipes. There are so many types of goulash: Hungarian, Austrian, Czach, German. Some are like beef stew with chunks of carrots and potatoes, some simple and meaty. I knew I wanted a meaty one, with lots of gravy-like sauce. This is it! I've made it so many times, so many different ways. I've used lamb or venison instead of beef. I've used white wine or port instead of red wine (for port, use only half a cup and then the rest water). I've left out the lemon. This goulash is best served with knedliky (steamed bread dumplings) but also good with noodles, rice, potatoes, even bread. 3 Tbsp oil 2 lbs beef, cubed 2 large onions, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 Tbsp paprika 1 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp marjoram 1 bay leaf 1 cup dry red wine 1 Tbsp red wine or balsamic vinegar ...

These were better than my first attempt - but also very different. SWCC described them as "baklava-esque". Indeed it is an apt comparison - very chewy, sweet and crunchy. More like dessert than a breakfast bar; also good for a sweet but sustaining snack. 1/3 c oil 1/3 c brown sugar 2 Tbsp Lyle's golden syrup (could probably substitute honey or maple syrup) 2 Tbps orange juice 130 g/1.25 cups porridge oats (or 1 c oats and 1/2 c raisin bran) 100g dried fruit (1/3 c sultanas; 6 dried apricots chopped) 2 Tbsp pumpkin seeds, chopped 2 Tbsp sunflower seeds, chopped 2 Tbsp walnuts, chopped 1/2 tsp salt Mix together oil, brown sugar, gold syrup and orange juice. Mix in all the dry ingredients. Bake in a buttered pan (8-inch square or 7x11) at 160C (fan) for 18-20 minutes. Cool and cut into bars.

I've been meaning to come up with a tasty, healthy-ish oat bar recipe for just about my entire adult life. Here we go - first try... Result: Not very good. Wouldn't repeat this. Too dense. Not quite flavourful enough - neither sweet nor savoury. But it's a start. 1 cup flour (half white/wholewheat) 2 cups porridge oats 4 Tbsp ground seeds 1 egg 1/3 c oil 1/2 c maple syrup 2/3 c orange juice 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 c raisins Mix dry ingredients in one bowl, wet in another. Add dry to wet. Stir in raisins. Put in greased 8-inch square or 9-inch round pan. Bake at 160C (fan) for 35-40 mins.

My grandmother's birthday was on Valentine's Day and we ate this cake with her every year - often made in the shape of a heart. I hear it has now gotten quite trendy. They even eat it over this side of the pond. 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 1/2 cup sugar 2 eggs 2 Tbsp. red food color 2 Tbsp. cocoa 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted 1 tsp. salt 1 cup buttermilk 1 tsp. vanilla 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. vinegar Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 8 inch round cake pans. Cut two circles of wax paper and set one in bottom of each pan. Cream together butter, sugar and eggs. Add vanilla. In a small bowl, mix food coloring and cocoa into a paste and blend into to butter/sugar/egg mixture. In a separate bowl, mix together flour and salt. Alternating between the two, add the buttermilk and the flour/salt mixture to the batter a little bit at a time. Quickly mix together baking soda and vinegar and gently fold into the batter with economic strokes. Pour batter into pans. Bake 30 minut...