Cinnamon Apple Muffins

INGREDIENTS

Melted butter or margarine (optional), for greasing
300g (2 cups) plain flour
1 tbs baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
150g (3/4 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
2 medium (about 375g) Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled, chopped
125g (3/4 cup) seedless raisins
125g butter or margarine, melted, cooled
2 eggs, lightly whisked
185mls (3/4 cup) milk

METHOD

Preheat oven to 180°C, brush 12 medium muffin pans with the melted butter or margarine to lightly grease, or line the pans with paper muffin cases.
Sift the plain flour, baking powder and cinnamon together into a large bowl.

Stir in the brown sugar, apples and raisins until well combined.
Whisk together the butter or margarine, eggs and milk until well combined.
Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and stir with a large metal spoon until just combined (don't overmix!).
Spoon the mixture evenly into the muffin pans.
Bake the muffins in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

VARIATIONS

Blueberry Muffins: replace apple and raisins with 300g fresh or frozen blueberries, and replace milk with buttermilk.

SERVINGS

12

SOURCE

www.taste.com.au

Oma's Pancakes

INGREDIENTS
1 cup flour
pinch of salt
1 egg
¾ cup milk
butter for cooking

METHOD
Sift flour and salt into bowl.
Make a well in the centre and add egg.
Gradually whisk in milk to make batter.
Chill and stand for 1 hour.
Heat a pan over high heat, melt butter till frothy (helps create lacey pattern).
Using a ladle or soup spoon, pour some batter into pan, tilting from side to side to cover base with mixture.
When golden on underside release with knife.
Slide onto lid and flip, cooking other side until golden.
Eat immediately with lemon juice and sugar, honey or maple syrup and bacon.

COMMENTS
May add sultanas to mixture.

SOURCE
Oma

Twice-Cooked Crispy Skinned Chicken

INGREDIENTS
2 small (about 800g each) whole fresh chickens
60ml (1/4 cup) fresh lemon juice
1 lemon, halved
2 stems lemon grass, pale section only, bruised
4 small fresh red chillies, bruised
5cm-piece fresh ginger, halved, bruised
1 bunch coriander, roots and stems only, washed, dried, bruised
1L (4 cups) cold water
2 tbs yellowbox honey
1 tbs sesame oil
2 tsp ground Chinese five spice
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground pepper (Masterfoods Peppercorn Medley brand)
Coriander leaves, extra, to garnish

METHOD

Rinse chicken cavities under cold water. Pat dry with paper towel inside and out. Pour lemon juice over chickens and use your hands to rub into the skin. Divide lemon, lemon grass, chillies, ginger and coriander among cavities. Place chickens in a large wok and add the water. Cover and bring to the boil over medium-low heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from heat. Drain.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180°C. Combine the honey, sesame oil, Chinese five spice, cinnamon, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
Transfer chickens to a roasting pan and brush with honey mixture. Roast in preheated oven, brushing occasionally with pan juices, for 25 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven. Remove and discard lemon mixture from cavities.
Use kitchen scissors to cut chickens into small pieces. Arrange on a serving platter and sprinkle with coriander leaves to garnish. Serve immediately.
Notes & tips
You can prepare this recipe to the end of step 1 up to 1 day ahead. Cool to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge. Continue from step 2 up to 1 hour before serving.

SERVINGS

8

SOURCE

www.taste.com.au

Steamed Dumplings

INGREDIENTS
300g pork mince
4 green onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 cup bamboo shoots, chopped
2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
3/4 teaspoon sesame oil
30 fresh wonton wrappers
1cm piece ginger, peeled, finely chopped
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3 teaspoons white sugar
1 tablespoon coriander leaves, chopped


METHOD
Combine mince, onion, garlic, bamboo shoot, rice wine, white pepper and oil in a bowl. Season with salt.
Place 1 teaspoon mixture into centre of 1 wonton wrapper. Brush edges with water. Fold wonton over to make a triangle. Bring base corners of triangle together. Press firmly to join.
Line base of a large steamer basket with baking paper. Place dumplings, in a single layer, in basket. Pour water into a wok until one-quarter full. Bring to the boil over high heat. Place steamer over wok, ensuring base doesn't touch water. Steam dumplings for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender and cooked through.
Combine ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and coriander in a bowl. Stir until well combined. Serve with dumplings.


Variation: To deep-fry dumplings, pour oil into wok until one-third full. Heat until hot. Deep-fry dumplings, in batches, for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden. Allow oil to reheat after cooking each batch.


SERVINGS
30

SOURCE
www.taste.com.au

Steamed Sesame Greens

INGREDIENTS
2 cups water
1 bunch choy sum, ends trimmed
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
1 bunch gai lum (Chinese broccoli), ends trimmed
Dressing
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 small garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp Ayam Oyster Sauce
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

METHOD
Pour water into a wok over high heat, cover and bring to the boil.
Place vegetables into a large bamboo steamer (see note).
Cover with steamer lid, place steamer over wok.
Steam for 5 minutes, or until tender.
Combine dressing ingredients in a screw-top jar and shake well.
Place vegetables onto a serving plate.
Pour over dressing and toss well to coat.

Note: If you don't have a steamer, stir-fry greens in a hot wok for 2 to 3 minutes, or until tender.

SERVINGS
4


SOURCE
www.taste.com.au

Beef Fillet with Blood Plum Sauce

INGREDIENTS
750g fillet of beef
1/3 cup kecap manis
1/3 cup shao hsing wine or sherry
2 tbs soy sauce
6 garlic cloves
½ cup olive oil
350 g blood plums

METHOD
Marinate beef in next four ingredients with half the oil for 2 hours.
Drain and reserve marinade.
Sear beef in rest of oil and transfer to roasting pan.
Cook at high temperature, 220 for 10 minutes or so.
Pour over marinade and return to oven for another 5 minutes.
Remove from oven and cover with foil.
Halve the plums and cook in beef juices for five minutes.
Slice beef and top with plum sauce.
Season with salt and pepper.

SOURCE
Kylie Kwong

Vietnamese Salad

INGREDIENTS

125g rice vermicelli

3 green onions, sliced thinly

1 lebanese cucumber, seeded, sliced thinly

2 carrots, thin julienne

100g snow peas, trimmed, sliced thinly

1/2 chinese cabbage, thinly sliced

1/3 cup finely shredded fresh vietnamese mint

1/2 cup loosely packed fresh coriander leaves

1 fresh small red thai chilli, chopped finely

1/4 cup toasted crushed peanuts

Vietnamese dressing

1/4 cup fish sauce

2 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsp water

1 tbsp palm sugar, grated (or brown sugar)

METHOD

Soak vermicelli noodles in a bowl of boiling water for 10 minutes or until soft.

Combine cucumber, carrot, green onion, snow peas, cabbage, mint and coriander in a large salad bowl.

Prepare dressing by mixing ingredients together in a small bowl.

Drain noodles and mix into salad.

Add dressing to salad, toss to coat.

Garnish with peanuts and chilli.

COMMENTS

Add cooked prawns or chicken for a tasty variation

SOURCE

AWW Party Food and Drink

Roast baby beetroot, braised leeks and fennel

INGREDIENTS
300g fresh baby beets
½ cup olive oil or olive oil spray
1 tsp sea salt
Pinch cracked white pepper
200g baby leeks
1 tbs white wine vinegar
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
1 baby fennel
¼ cup mayonnaise

METHOD
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
Wash beetroot and leeks thoroughly.
Place beetroot in roasting dish with half oil (spray) and half salt and pepper.
Cover with foil and bake for 1 ½ - 2 hours.
Slice leeks lengthwise into 10cm strips.
Place in roasting dish and drizzle with rest of oil, salt, pepper and vinegars.
Cover with foil and bake for 35 mins.
Combine thinly slice fennel with mayonnaise and set aside.
Arrange beetroot and fennel on platter and top with leeks.
Pour over pan juices and dollop with 2 tbs mayonnaise.

COMMENTS
Nice with seafood

SOURCE
Kylie Kwong

Pistachio Ice-Cream Pastries with Orange & Date Salad

INGREDIENTS
1L bought pistachio (or any good-quality) ice-cream
10 sheets filo pastry
30g unsalted butter, melted
200g caster sugar
1/3 cup honey
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tbs orange flower water
1/2 cup water

Orange and Date Salad
1 orange, peeled, segmented
4 fresh dates, seeds removed, slivered
2 tbs chopped pistachios

METHOD
Allow the ice-cream to soften slightly, then pack into a lamington pan lined with plastic wrap.
Refreeze until firm.
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Lightly grease 2 large baking trays, then place a sheet of pastry on each tray, brush with a little butter, then place another sheet of pastry on top.
Continue layering and brushing until you have two 5-sheet stacks.
Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown.
Meanwhile, place the sugar, honey, cinnamon and orange flower water in a pan with water.
Stir over low heat to dissolve the sugar, then increase heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes, then set aside.
Remove the pastries from the oven and pour the syrup over each stack, reserving a little syrup to drizzle.
Set the pastries aside to cool.
Use a pastry cutter to cut out eight 6cm rounds from each pile of pastry and eight 6cm rounds from the ice-cream.
Return the ice-cream rounds to the freezer.
To make the salad, combine all ingredients in a small bowl, add a little of the reserved syrup.
Place a pastry stack on each plate, top with a round of ice-cream, then another pastry stack.
Drizzle with the reserved syrup and top with the salad.

SERVINGS
8

COMMENTS
Very sweet!

SOURCE
Delicious Let's Entertain

Lamb Tagine

INGREDIENTS
40g butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 large brown onion, chopped finely

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1.2kg diced lamb shoulder

1 stick cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground allspice

½ teaspoon white pepper

¼ teaspoon saffron threads

3 cups water

1 cup dried apricots

1 cup almonds

½ cup prunes

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons lime juice, or lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

lots of fresh, roughly chopped coriander to garnish

Moroccan couscous to serve

METHOD
Preheat oven to 165°C or 145°C fan-forced.

Heat a large ovenproof casserole pot with a lid, on stovetop.

Add butter, olive oil and onion.

Cook until onion softens.

Add garlic and cook for 1-2 more minutes.

Turn up heat and add the lamb, brown all sides, stirring with a wooden spoon.

Add cinnamon stick and spices. Stir to coat and distribute evenly.

Soak saffron in water, and then add water to pot. A little extra water may be necessary, to cover the lamb.

Place lid on casserole dish, transfer to pre-heated oven.

Cook 2 hours.

After 2 hours, remove pot from oven.

Add apricots, almonds, prunes, honey, juice and season.

Return pot to oven or to a low heat on stovetop.

Simmer 15-20 minutes.

Lamb should be very tender. If not, simmer a little longer.

Add coriander.

Serve with couscous.

COMMENTS

Many dried fruits can be used, including dates and preserved lemon. Olives can also be used.

SERVINGS

6

SOURCE

AWW Website

Chickpea Tomato Stew with Moroccan Flavours

INGREDIENTS
1 pound dried chick-peas (about 2 1/3 cups), picked over
2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 cup olive oil
3 large onions, sliced thin (about 7 cups)
two 28- to 32-ounce cans whole tomatoes, drained, reserving juice, and chopped
1 cup raisins
1/3 cup chopped peel of preserved lemons
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 1/2 pounds fresh spinach, stems trimmed and leaves washed well and drained (about 10 cups packed)
Accompaniment: couscous and crusty bread

METHOD
In a bowl soak chick-peas in water in cover by 2 inches overnight and drain (or use canned chickpeas).
In a 3-quart saucepan combine chick-peas, cinnamon, cumin seeds, and water to cover, by 2 inches and simmer, covered partially, adding more water if necessary, 1 to 1 1/4 hours, or until chick-peas are just tender.
Discard cinnamon.
Chick-peas may be made 1 day ahead, cooled completely, and chilled in their cooking liquid, covered. In a large heavy kettle heat oil over moderate heat and cook onions, stirring occasionally, until deep golden brown, about 15 minutes.
Stir in tomatoes with reserved juice, chick-peas with cooking liquid, raisins, preserved lemon peel, ground cumin, and coriander and bring to a simmer.
Cook stew about 45 minutes, or until chick-peas are tender and liquid is thickened slightly.
Stir in spinach, a heaping handful at a time, and cook until wilted and just tender.
Season stew with salt and pepper and serve with couscous and bread.

SERVINGS
8

SOURCE
Epicurious Website (GourmetJanuary 1996)

Parsley, Rocket and Olive Salad

INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 crushed garlic clove
1 cup baby rocket leaves
1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander
1/4 chopped preserved lemon rind (discard the pulp)
1/4 cup pitted, sliced green olives
salt and pepper

METHOD
Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice and garlic in a large bowl.
Add rocket, parsley and coriander.
Season with salt and pepper.
Add preserved lemon and olives.
Toss well.

SERVINGS
8

SOURCE
Delicious Let's Entertain

Feta and Yoghurt Dip

INGREDIENTS
250g mild feta cheese
250g ricotta cheese
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
3/4 cup Greek-style yoghurt
1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
1 tsp chopped fresh oregano
1/4 cup pitted black olives, diced
1 small tomato, finely diced
1-2 tsp lemon rind, thinly sliced

METHOD
Puree the feta, ricotta, oil, garlic, lemon juice, cayenne pepper and half the yoghurt until smooth.
Stir in the remaining yoghurt, mint and oregano.
Transfer to a serving bowl and top with the olives, tomato and lemon rind.

SERVINGS
Makes 4 cups

SOURCE
AWW Dips and Dippers