Recipes

[CrinklyLion]

I do triple batches in 2 12" squares then sandwich them, but I make one big batch of mix and split it between two tins and bake at the same time - I deliberately bought 2 tins to allow for this! 

[Ham]

I do triple batches in 2 12" squares then sandwich them, but I make one big batch of mix and split it between two tins and bake at the same time - I deliberately bought 2 tins to allow for this! 

Yes, trouble is I only have one of these tins (Rather nice, round with scalloped edge, rather like a flower, ah hell, picture will work better),  I bought it in the first instance for making ice cream gateaux for which one tin works fine.

[vorsprung]

Vorsprung's Flapjack Recipe

[Marj]

Vorsprung's Flapjack Recipe

I have copied that one over to my recipe book, Thank You 

[Clandy]

This is an old recipe of my mother's. VERY energy packed!

Mum's Chocolate Orange Oatcake.

Choc Oatcake base.

115g (4oz) self raising flour
90g (3oz) rolled oats
60g (2oz) caster sugar
6g (2tsp) cocoa powder
115g (4oz) margarine

Method.

Add oats to bowl.
Sift in flour, caster sugar, and cocoa.
Mix well.
Melt margerine in large-ish pan.
Stir in dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Press mix into a small lightly greased baking tin (I grease a non-stick baking tin with a removable base. This makes it much easier to extract baked oatcake) so the mix is 1.5cm to 2cm deep.

Bake in centre of oven at 180c for approx. twenty minutes. (adjust time and temp for fan oven)

Important: When cooked leave in baking tin to cool.

Choc orange topping

115g (4oz) icing sugar
6g (2tsp) cocoa powder
55ml (2tbsp) sugar free orange squash

Method.

Add orange squash to small pan and warm gently.
Stir in sifted icing sugar and cocoa.
Stir until sugar and cocoa have dissolved and mixture is smooth and 'shiny'.

Pour over cooled Oatcake.
Leave to cool. Wait until topping has set.

Slice.

Eat.

Total calories = approx. 2025 kcal per whole cake using these measurements*.

Here's one I baked today:




*Because my baking tin is quite large (10") I double up the quantities. This results in a 1.5cm deep, 4050 kcal oatcake, which I slice into sixteen 253 kcal slices as pictured.

[Domestique]

Many thanks for this recipe
I am now
The works flapjack competion Champion 

I posted this on the recent lapjack thread but thought it could be useful here too!

I've been using this recipe recently and found it holds together really well (as well as being very tasty)

Peanut Butter Flapjack
Ingredients (makes 18)

300g oats

100g mixed pumpkin and sunflower seeds

50g desiccated coconut

50g plain flour

200g butter

200g golden syrup

150g soft brown sugar

150g chopped dried apricots

125g crunchy peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
1. Heat oven to 160C / 325F / GM3
2. Line a Swiss roll tin with baking parchment, leaving some hanging
over the edge
3. Melt the butter and syrup in a pan.
4. Put all the other ingredients in a large bowl.
5. Pour over the melted butter and syrup. Mix very well.
6. Pour into the Swiss roll tin, press down and bake for 25 minutes.
Allow to cool in the tin, remove still in the paper and cut into bars.

Edit: I liked your variations of the banana bread recipe Peli!

[SandyV]

Congratulations!

[Mrs Pingu]

Has anyone got a good lemon polenta cake recipe?

I had some in a local cafe on Saturday and it was this = nom

[Mr Larrington]

(click to show/hide)

The object of the exercise is threefold, viz.

• Provide fuel.
• Give you a chilli kick.
• Achieve a result that doesn't taste like shit.

Ingredients:

• Rice.  Brown rice works best because it takes time to cook, allowing you to relax during the cooking process.  If you don't like brown rice then you can use another variety instead, but don't blame me if the whole thing ends up tasting like shit because you got the timing wrong.
• Flesh.  If you are a vegetarian it's best to stop reading now, as you'll find the end result tastes like shit.  I have done this dish with pork, chicken and tuna - which worked well - and with beef, which tasted like shit.  Don't waste money on line-caught corn-fed organic piggy bits, because the whole thing is going to taste of chillis anyway.  Unless you fuck it up, in which case it'll taste like shit.
• On!on.  If you are an idle git like me, frozen diced on!ons work nearly as well as a fresh one and are a sight more convenient.
• MUSHROOMS.  Shiitake MUSHROOMS work best, but if you don't like shiitake MUSHROOMS you can substitute some other variety of MUSHROOMS.  If you don't like MUSHROOMS at all, you can leave them out, in order for the whole thing not to taste like shit.
• Vegetable.  I use sweetcorn or peas, but that's just me.  Use something you like, in small chunks.  Don't use anything you don't like because the end result will taste like shit.
• Chillis.  You can use fresh chillis if you want or use the crushed ones out of a jar.  Remember not to touch your, or your partner's, genitalia after chopping fresh chillis.
• Garlic.  You can use fresh garlic if you want or use the the minced stuff out of a jar
• Soy sauce.  If you are being hassled by your Dokta on issues of blood pressure use the low-salt version, unless you don't give a fuck, in which case use the most expensive salty Japanese stuff you can get your hands on.
• Wine.  Red or white according to preference.  It doesn't really matter.
• Oil.  I use sesame oil, because I like it.  If you don't like sesame oil then olive oil is an acceptable alternative to having it ending up tasting like shit.

I'm not going to spell out quantities, because that which is suitable for a greedy fucker like me might fill three normal people.  Use your loaf.

Method:

There are two ways to do this: their way and my way.  Both these ways are essentially the same so I'll just document my way, if that's OK with you.

• Boil the kettle.  While it's heating, bung the rice in a saucepan and add salt.  Or not.  Rice cooked without salt tastes like shit, though, so it's better to err on the side of non-shitness.  When the kettle has boiled pour the boiling water over the rice and simmer.  It doesn't matter how much water you use as long as it's enough not to boil dry; if this happens the whole thing will taste like shit.  You can use the time taken by the kettle to chop up anything which needs chopping up, though if you're an idle sod like me this won't be necessary.   Also mix up in a jug, cup or hogshead equal quantities of wine and soy sauce (about 100 ml of each works for me when cooking solo), and sling in a bunch of garlic and chilli.  If you're new to this you may have to experiment with the quantities, as you want it neither to taste bland or like shit.
• Go back into the living room, put your feet up and have a glass of wine.  You may ogle the newsreader if the newsreader is of the appropriate gender.
• After fifteen or twenty minutes, heave a sigh and return to the kitchen.  Bring the wine with you if think you're Graham Kerr, or Keith Floyd.
• Chuck some oil into a wok.  If you haven't got a wok, use a frying pan.  If you haven't got a frying pan then you're wasting both your time and mine.  Heat the oil, hotly.
• When the oil is good and hot, chuck some garlic and chilli into the wok.  The best time to do this is ten to fifteen seconds before the oil gets hot enough to cause the chillis to emit riot-police-stylee smoke which makes you roll around on the floor sneezing, coughing and setting off the smoke alarm.  Stir it around for a while until you get bored.
• Chuck in the on!ons and continue to stir for a further minute or two.
• Chuck in the flesh and continue to stir for a further minute or two.  When you reckon the flesh has cooked enough not to kill you with salmonella, remove the rice from the heat and drain it.
• Chuck the rice into the wok and pour the wine / garlic / soy sauce / chilli in with it.  You can bung in some Worcester sauce, if you like Worcester sauce and you have some in the cupboard.  Stir thoroughly, turn down the heat and go back to the telly.
• After ten or so minutes, return to the kitchen, with wine if necessary, and check on the state of affairs.  The idea is for the rice to absorb the liquid.  If it's absorbed all the liquid because you weren't paying attention, you can add more water, or wine, but the whole thing may still end up tasting like shit.  Bung your vegetable of choice into the wok.
• Heat some more oil in another wok.  If you haven't got two woks then a frying pan will do.  If you're still short of cookware it's a bit fucking late to complain about it now.  Improvise.
• Sling the MUSHROOMS into the second wok.  You don't want the MUSHROOMS to go in with the rest of it as otherwise they'll go all soggy and taste like shit.  Stir-fry them for a few minutes.
• If you've timed it right there should now be but a few scant traces of moisture in the first wok.  Decant the contents thereof onto a plate and do likewise with the MUSHROOMS.
• Return to your lair with a fork, the mountainous plate and the wine.
• Devour.
• Leave the fucking washing-up for tomorrow.

Their way differs from my way mostly in that it takes twenty-four hours longer.  Cut the manky bits off a bunch of spring on!ons and chop the rest up into tiny little bits.  Bung them in a bowl with the wine / garlic / soy sauce / chilli mixture, cover with cling film and put in the fridge until tomorrow.  Make sure the bowl is not made of anything soluble, as this will make a mess in the fridge and taste like shit.  When it is tomorrow, follow the above instructions except for frying the on!ons.

[mrcharly-YHT]

I'd say use short-grain brown for that, and hold the chillis with a fork while chopping them, never touch with fingers.

Sounds good tho'

[Clandy]

Superb winter energy recipe which is probably my favourite meal.

Bacon Roll

Ingredients:

6ozs plain flour
3ozs shredded suet (atora)*
Pinch salt
Mixed herbs 2 pinches
Lean streaky bacon
One chopped onion
Water to mix suet crust

*half suet and half margarine is less fattening if you're worried about that.

You will also need greaseproof paper and aluminium foil to wrap prepared roll before immersing in boiling water.

Preparation:

1. Sieve flour and salt into large mixing bowl.

2. Either rub in margarine before adding and mixing in suet OR just mix in suet.

3. Stir in enough water to make a not-too-wet dough. (3 to 4 tablespoons)

4. Flour a pastry board and roll dough into a rough oblong slightly wider than the length of the bacon rashers and and 8 to 10 inches long. The rolled dough should be about 1/2" thick, so may have to adjust size to suit.

5. Remove rind from rashers and lay horizontally across dough (like ladder rungs but right next to each other) top to bottom.

6. Cover bacon lightly with chopped onion and sprinkle over mixed herbs.

7. Roll the dough from bottom to top (like a swiss roll) and seal the long join and ends with cold water.

8. Enclose the roll in greased greaseproof paper making a fold at the join to allow for expansion. Then wrap in foil sealing edges thoroughly.

9. Place in large pan of boiling water and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Check water during cooking and top up if necessary.

Recipe can be adjusted in size by keeping the ratio of fat to flour at 1:2 and increasing other ingredients to suit.

When serving slice like a Swiss roll, and serve with a thin gravy, boiled potatoes, and mashed and buttered swede and carrots.

Handed down from my maternal great-grandmother.

[mrcharly-YHT]

sounds like a recipe for deth by fractured arteries.
um, do you cook the bacon first?

[Clandy]

sounds like a recipe for deth by fractured arteries.
um, do you cook the bacon first?

Generations ate food like this with no ill effects. It would only be 'bad for you', if you ate it every day and led a sedentary lifestyle. It is no more dangerous than steak and kidney pudding, stew and dumplings, haggis, spotted-dick, jam roly-poly etc. If you really want to be delicate then use vegetable suet instead of beef or pork suet.

No. The bacon goes in raw, it cooks along with everything else.

[geoff]

Trifle (not for the faint-of-dairy-heart),  like what we will be having this New Year's Eve:

Serves about a dozen people

What:

Packet of trifle sponges or victoria sponge cake
Strawberry jam
Macaroons
Sherry
Flaked almonds
1pint single cream
10 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 oz caster sugar (although if you prefer things sweet add some more)
Half a pint of double cream
1 tablespoon of caster sugar
1 tablespoon white wine
1 egg white
Toasted flaked almonds for garnish

How:

Cut trifle sponges in half and spread generously with strawberry jam. Sprinkle with flaked almonds and cover with macaroons (I have recently started using the slightly smaller and softer ones - but any almond based biscuits will do).

Soak the sponge and macaroon base in sherry and leave to stand at least one hour.

Heat the single cream in a double saucepan until nearly at boiling point.
Mix the egg yolks with the sugar and vanilla.
Add the heated cream to the egg yolk and sugar, stir to mix, and return to the double saucepan and heat gently stirring all the time until the custard thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon.

Pour custard over cake base and cool - you can leave this overnight - the trifle is better if it is made the day before and the topping put on before serving.

Whip the double cream with the wine, egg white and sugar to soft peaks, spoon over custard and garnish with toasted flaked almonds.

[tiermat]

Mr Larrington, you are a genius, surely up there with the culnary gods known s messr Kerr and Floyd.  Every thought of writing a book?  I don't think I have ever PMSL at a recipe before...

[Mrs Pingu]

The trifle sounds a bit like my mum's except the almonds go on the top, the custard is Birds' custard, there's no sherry in it, and the cream is just whipped whipping cream.
mmmmm

[Mrs Pingu]

Has anyone got any nice veggie (and maybe some meat) curry recipes? A nice dahl would be good

[Julian]

Try some of these.

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

Spaghetti with Marmite

375g/13oz dried spaghetti
50g/2oz unsalted butter
1 tsp Marmite, to taste
freshly grated parmesan, to serve

Cook the spaghetti in plenty of boiling, salted water, according to the packet instructions.

When the pasta is almost cooked, melt the butter in a small saucepan and add the Marmite and one tablespoon of the pasta water, mixing thoroughly to dissolve.

Reserve half a cup of the pasta water; then drain the pasta and pour the Marmite mixture over the drained spaghetti, adding a little of the reserved pasta water to amalgamate if required.

Serve with plenty of grated parmesan.


I've just found this recipe and I've never tried it. If anyone wants to try it and let me know if it's any good, grand.

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

Pumpkin & Goat's Cheese Lasagne

Serves 6

2 tablespoons olive oil
25g/1oz butter
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1.6kg/3.5lb pumpkin, peeled, seeded, diced - this leaves you with approx 1.1kg/1.5lb pumpkin flesh
1 large garlic clove, peeled and crushed
salt and pepper
150-175g/5-6oz lasagne sheets
1 quantity of bechamel sauce or tomato sauce
200g/7oz goat's cheese log, sliced into thin rounds

Bechamel sauce
50g/2oz butter
40g/1.5oz flour
600ml/1 pint milk
1 bay leaf
fresh parsley
slice of onion
a little extra milk
60-120ml/4-8 tablespoons cream (optional)
salt and pepper
freshly grated nutmeg

Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour. When it froths, stir in half the milk and beat well over the heat until it thickens. Add the rest of the milk and keep stirring vigorously, still over the heat, until the sauce is thick and smooth. Add the bay leaf, parsley, and slice of onion then leave the sauce over a very low heat for 10 minutes. Thin the sauce by stirring in a little extra milk if necessary. If you are making the sauce well in advance, do not stir in the extra milk but pour it over the top of the sauce and leave it, to prevent a skin forming. When you are ready to use the sauce, stir it, remove the bay leaf, parsley and onion, add the cream and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Tomato sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 x 400g/14oz tins tomatoes or 900g/2lb fresh tomatoes, skinned and roughly chopped
salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onion. Cover and cook gently for about 10 minutes until tender but not brown. Add the garlic, stir well and cook for 1-2 minutes longer. Stir in the tomatoes and bash them about a bit to break them up. Bring to the boil, then let simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the liquid has disappeared and the sauce is thick. Season with salt and pepper.


Set the oven to 200C/400F/GM6. Grease a lasagne dish approx 20x30cm/8x12" and at least 6cm/2.5" deep.

Heat the oil and butter in a saucepan and fry the onion gently for 5 minutes with a lid on the pan. Then add the pumpkin and garlic and mix so that the pumpkin is covered in the butter and oil. Cover the pan and cook slowly for 15-20 mins until the pumpkin is tender. Season with salt and pepper.

Rinse the lasagne sheets under the cold tap and then arrange some in the base of the dish to cover it. On top of this, add a layer of bechamel or tomato sauce, then half the pumpkin. Add another layer of lasagne, more bechamel or tomato sauce, a layer of half the goat's cheese and the rest of the pumpkin. Then one more layer of lasagne, then the remainder of the bechamel or tomato sauce and the rest of the goat's cheese.

Bake for 35-40 mins until the pasta is tender and the top is golden brown.


I always make it with butternut squash instead of pumpkin because it's tastier.

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

Adult Chocolate Cake

225g/oz good plain chocolate
225g/8oz unsalted butter, softened
280g/10oz caster sugar
5 eggs

Grease a cake tin approx 22.5cm/8.75" diameter and 4cm/1/5" deep.

Break the chocolate into a large bowl, set over a saucepan of barely simmering water until melted. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. Cut the butter into little pieces and beat into the chocolate. Add the sugar and blend well, beating thoroughly. In another bowl, beat the eggs until very foamy and frothy then gently fold into the chocolate mixture, making sure everything is thoroughly combined.

Pour the mixture into the cake tin and place it in another oven tin with enough water to come up 2.5cm/1" of the side of the cake tin. Bake in a preheated oven at 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 for 1 hour, then let it cool completely in the tin. When cold remove from the water-filled tin and chill in the fridge overnight. Don't try to eat it while it's still warm. You'll probably need to run a palette knife around the edge of the tin before you turn it out.

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

Chickpea, Chilli and Coriander Soup

8 oz (225 g) chickpeas, soaked overnight in twice their volume of cold water
 2 small red chillies, halved, de-seeded and chopped
 1 level tablespoon coriander seeds
 1 x 15 g pack (or ½ oz) fresh coriander, leaves and stalks separated
 1 level tablespoon cumin seeds
 2 oz (50 g) butter
 6 fat cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
 1 level teaspoon ground turmeric
 grated zest 1 lemon
 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
 1 x 200 ml tub crème fraîche
 salt and freshly milled black pepper

For the garnish: 
 1 mild fat red or green chilli, de-seeded and cut into very fine hair-like shreds


You will also need a large saucepan of 6 pint (3.5 litre) capacity.

Drain the chickpeas in a colander, rinse them under the cold tap then place them in the saucepan with 2¾ pints (1.75 litres) of boiling unsalted water. Then bring them up to simmering point, put a lid on and cook them very gently for about 1 hour or until the chickpeas are absolutely tender and squashy.


While they're cooking, prepare the rest of the soup ingredients. The coriander and cumin seeds should be dry roasted in a small pre-heated pan for 2-3 minutes, then crushed in a pestle and mortar. After that, melt the butter in the pan, add the crushed spices along with the chopped garlic and chillies and cook over a low heat for about 5 minutes. Now add the turmeric, stir and heat that gently before removing the pan from the heat.

As soon as the chickpeas are tender, drain them in a colander placed over a bowl to reserve the cooking water. Transfer the chickpeas to a liquidiser together with a couple of ladles of cooking water and purée them until fine and smooth. Now add the lemon zest, coriander stalks and spices from the pan along with another ladleful of cooking water and blend once more until fine and smooth.

Next, the whole lot needs to go back into the saucepan with the rest of the reserved cooking water. Bring it all up to a gentle simmer, give it a good stir, season, then simmer gently for a further 30 minutes. All this can be done in advance, then, when you're ready to serve the soup, re-heat very gently without letting it come to the boil. Stir in half the crème fraîche and the lemon juice, taste to check the seasoning, then serve in hot soup bowls with the rest of the crème fraîche swirled in.


Scatter with shredded chilli and coriander leaves as a garnish.

[tiermat]

One of the easiest recipes I have ever used, but very effective.

Chorizo in Red Wine

(sorry cannot remember the Spanish name for this dish)

Used as part of a plate of tapas, serve with olives, good quality ham and other "little bites"

2lb good quality Chorizo sausages (the sausage shaped ones, not the slices)
1 bottle good quality red wine (remember the adage that "If you wouldn't drink it, don't bother trying to cook with it", I use Campo Viejo Reserva Rioja )
5 cloves of garlic, cut fine

Cut sausages into 3 (so they are bite size pieces)
place in pan with wine and garlic

Bring to boil then turn down to a simmer until wine has reduced to a third.

Serve just warm with some nice crusty bread to sop up the juice.

[tiermat]

Now one that takes a LOT more prep...

Ultimate BBQ ribs

12 racks of ribs
1/2 gallon(US) of Cattlemen's Original BBQ sauce
Lots and lots of time....

Clean ribs (run under cold water, pat dry with paper towel)
Place in baking tray (deep enough to take all the ribs and have a bit of space around them, if they won't all fit, use two trays)
Now take them out again and apply a liberal amount of the BBQ sauce to each side of the ribs, stacking them back in the tray as you go.
When all done, splash over a bit more sauce
Put foil over the tray and seal well around the edges (you really do not want any steam to escape during cooking)
Place in the fridge overnight at least, 24 hours if you have the time.
Pre-heat over to 100C
Take ribs out of fridge, place them in the oven then forget about them for at least 8 hours, 10 is better.
Remove ribs from oven, remove foil and take ribs out of sauce.
pour sauce into a seperator jug and leave to stand for 1/2 hour.
Pour sauce, but not fat, into a sauce pan and reduce down to 1/3.
When ready to eat, fire up the BBQ so it is nice and hot, slather sauce onto ribs and cook for 2/3 minutes on each side (this is just to char the outside and warm them through again.

Warning at this point the ribs will be falling apart, so care must be taken not to lose all the ribs down between the slats of the BBQ.

Serve with soft rolls and coleslaw.

[citoyen]

It's the boy's birthday, so we had a celebratory family dinner last night - specialité de la maison: steak with blue cheese sauce. He had this in a French restaurant on holiday a few years ago and loved it, so I thought I'd recreate it for him, only I made up a recipe because none of the recipes I've found on the net seem to be quite the same as what he had on that occasion. I've done it a few times and think I've got it more or less perfected now.

Here's my method:

Heat a large pan, sear the steaks for a minute or two on each side until browned, then transfer to the oven (preheated to 200C) for five minutes to finish, then leave to rest.

Deglaze the pan with a splash of brandy, then melt in some blue cheese (dolcelatte is good, as it's not too strong a flavour, but choose according to taste) and about a teaspoon of Dijon mustard. I have in the past experimented by adding paprika, tomato purée and Worcestershire sauce at this stage, but I don't think they're necessary.

Once it's all melted, sieve the sauce to remove the blue bits, then add some single cream - not too much, just enough to make it a smooth consistency.

Spoon it generously over the steaks. Serve with chunky chips.

I've never measured the ingredients but I use most of a small pack of cheese (roughly 125g) and probably about 100ml of cream.

Rather good, if I say so myself.

d.