Armenian Nutmeg & Walnut Cake

• 110g self raising flour
• 110g plain flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg
• 110g butter
• 110g Light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 175 ml milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 100g walnuts, chopped
• ground cinnamon

This whole cake can be made in a food processor, if you have one

1. Preheat the oven to Gas 5/190°C/375°F
2. Sift the flours and ½ teaspoon of the ground nutmeg into a mixing bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
3. Stir in the sugar. Press half the mixture into a greased 20cm cake tin.
4. Combine the bicarbonate of soda with the milk and stir into the remaining dry ingredients with the egg, another 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg and 3/4 of the walnuts, mixing well.
5. Pour into the tin and sprinkle over the rest of the nutmeg and walnuts, and some ground cinnamon.
6. Cook for about 35 minutes until golden.
7. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to become cold.

I found this recipe on Esurientes fantastic foodie blog. I've made it a few times when I know friends are coming over and it's always been a big hit.

Honey & Mustard Pork Steaks with Apple Rings

Ingredients:

• 2 pork shoulder or leg steaks
• 1 tablespoon runny honey
• 1½ teaspoon wholegrain mustard
• ½ tablespoon olive oil
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice or cinnamon
• 1 firm dessert apple, peeled, cored and sliced into rings

Method

1. Mix together the honey, mustard, olive oil and spice. Brush this over both sides of the steaks.
2. Cover the pork and leave in a cool place until required. Reserve any remaining honey mixture for basting the pork.
3. Place the pork over a medium hot grill and cook for approximately 8 minutes on each side or until the steaks have turned a sticky nutty brown on the outside and are thoroughly cooked in the centre. Occasionally baste the steaks during cooking with the remaining marinade.
4. A few minutes before the pork is ready to serve, fry the apple slices in a little butter until just tender and golden brown.
5. Serve each steak topped with apple rings, accompaned with baked potatoes and salad.

Serves 2

Poppy Seed, Lemon & Raisin Loaf

Ingredients

• 140g soft butter
• 140g caster sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 140g self raising flour
• zest of 2 lemons
• 30g blue poppy seeds
• 40g walnut pieces
• 40 muscatel raisins
• 110ml milk

Method

1. Line a 900g loaf tin with greased baking parchment
2. Cream together the butter and sugar, then slowly beat in the eggs
3. Stir in the flour, lemon zest, poppy seeds, nuts and raisins
4. Add milk to make the mixture a heavy dropping consistency
5. Pour the cake mixture into the lined tin and bake at Gas 4/180°C/350°F for 40-45 mins.
6. Leave in the tin for 15mins before turning out.

Courgette Pie

Ingredients

• Shortcrust pastry
• 45g (1lb) courgettes
• 1 dessert spoon butter or margerine
• 1 dessert spoon wholewheat flour
• 275ml (1/2 pt) organic yoghurt
• 75g (3oz) grated cheese
• 1 dessert spoon fresh mint, chopped finely
• juice of half a lemon
• 1 teaspoon tamari
• freshly ground pepper
• beaten egg for glazing

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200C (400F, gas 6). Line a pie dish with pastry.
2. Cut the courgettes lengthways 3 or 4 times, then cut into 5cm lengths and saute in melted butter until tender.
3. Stir the flour into the yoghurt and add to the pan. Cook to thicken a little and then remove from the heat.
4. Stir in the cheese, mint, lemon juice, tamari and pepper. Pile the mixture into the pastry case and cover with the remaining pastry. Trim and glaze with beaten egg. Cut two or three small slits in the top.
5. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes.

Serves: 4

This recipe is from Lizzie McPherson via the Riverford Organic Vegetables site - an excellent source of imaginative recipes for veggies!

Leek and Pasta Al Forno

This is another of those amazingly versatile baked pasta dishes! You can chuck all kinds of extras into this, such as mushrooms, chopped bacon or proscuitto, a chopped stick of celery or even a handful of lentils.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 fat garlic clove (or two skinny ones), finely chopped
• 2 medium leeks, sliced
• 1 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp fresh chopped flatleaf parsley, or 1/2 tsp dried parsley
• 150g dried pasta
• 150g mozzarella, cut in small cubes
• Salt & pepper to taste
• grated Parmesan
• small handful of fresh breadcrumbs
• a few more drizzles of olive oil

1. Heat the olive oil and cook the onions, leeks and garlic until softened and golden.
2. Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper and parsley, and simmer for 30 minutes until thickened.
3. Meanwhile cook the pasta until al dente. Drain the pasta, and add to the sauce, mixing well. If it seems too dry add a few spoonsful of the pasta water.
4. Fold in the mozzarella cubes, and place in an oiled ovenproof dish large enough to hold the pasta mixture in a shallow layer.
5. Toss the grated Parmesan with the breadcrumbs, season with salt and pepper and add a drizzle of olive oil. Mix well and spread evenly over the top of the pasta with a drizzle of fresh olive oil.
6. Bake in a preheated 425 degree F. oven until bubbly, about 15 to 20 minutes. Serve right away.

Serves 2

Orange Glazed Carrots

INGREDIENTS

• 225 g baby carrots
• 30 ml orange juice
• 20 g brown sugar
• 15 g butter
• pinch salt
• pinch of cinnamon
• 1 tsp of corn starch

DIRECTIONS

1. Place carrots in a shallow saucepan, and cover with water. Boil until only just tender. Drain, and return carrots to pan.
2. Pour orange juice over carrots, and mix well. Simmer over medium heat for
   about 5 minutes. Drain and reserve the orange juice.
3. Add the brown sugar and butter to the carrots and heat until they melt.
4. Whisk the cinnamon, salt and corn starch into the orange juice, add to the
   carrots and simmer 3-4 mins more to thicken the juices slightly.

This recipe is slightly adapted from one found at allrecipes.com

Beef Daube with Cumin and Coriander

One of my rare meat recipes. No idea where this one originates from, I 'borrowed' it from a friend and tweaked it slightly.

Ingredients:

• 500g casserole beef (beef chuck or braising steak etc) cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 1-2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/2 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup broth
• 1/4 cup dry red wine
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander (cilantro) or parsley leaves
• 2 bacon slices, chopped and fried til crispy

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Heat the oil in a pan. Sauté onion and garlic over medium heat until beginning to brown. Transfer to a plate and keep to one side.
3. Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper. Dust with flour; toss to coat. Brown over medium-high heat.
4. Return onion and garlic to pot. Add coriander, cumin, and pepper. Stir 2 minutes.
5. Add broth and bring to simmer. Cover and transfer to oven.
6. Braise 2 hours
7. Remove pot from oven; add wine, return to oven, and cook uncovered until sauce thickens slightly, about 40 minutes.
8. Sprinkle with the coriander and reserved bacon before serving.

Serves 2

Mushroom Stroganoff

There are a million and one recipes for mushroon strog on the 'net, so why post another? Because out of all the ones I've used, this is the one I've adapted that works for me, and I'm going to forget it or lose the scrap of paper I've scribbled it on unless I post it up here.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium-sized onion, peeled and sliced
• olive oil
• butter
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 200g chestnut mushrooms
• small bunch of flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 tbsp brandy or splash of wine
• 150g creme fraiche, or 4fl oz double cream & a squirt of lemon juice

Method:

1. Cook the onions slowly in a half-tablespoon of olive oil and a thin slice of butter over a moderate heat, until soft, pale gold and translucent.
2. Peel and chop the garlic and stir in, together with the paprika, and let it cook for a couple of minutes. Tip the onion into a bowl and set aside.
3. Cut the mushrooms into manageable sizes. Add a little more oil and butter to the pan. Add the mushrooms and let them brown.
4. When the mushrooms are soft and browned, return the cooked onions to the pan and add the parsley, roughly chopped, the brandy or wine, and a decent grinding of both sea salt and black pepper.
5. Let it all bubble together for a minute, then stir in the creme fraiche or cream. Let the sauce bubble gently until the mixture is hot all the way through.

I like to serve this on grilled slices of parmesan polenta, rather than the usual boring bed of rice.

Serves 2.

Poppy Seed Cake

Ingredients:

• 110g Blue poppy seeds
• 225 ml semi-skimmed milk
• 225g butter
• 225g demerara sugar
• 3 eggs separated
• 225g plain wholemeal flour
• 1 heaped teaspoon of baking powder

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to gas mark 4 (350 degrees F/ 180 degrees C). Line & grease an 8 inch round tin.
2. Bring the poppy seed to a boil in the milk, then turn off the heat and leave to soak for 25 minutes.
3. Cream the butter and sugar together. Add egg yolks, one at a time and beat in thoroughly.
4. Fold in the flour and baking powder. Stir in poppy seeds and milk.
5. Whisk the egg whites until stiff, then fold into the mixture.
6. Spoon the mixture into the tin and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes,until the skewer becomes clean and the centre feels firm.

Courgette Cake

This recipe came to me on a scribbled bit of paper from the friend who'd made it for my birthday. She tells me a Nigella Lawson recipe - it's certainly good!

For the cakes:

• large handful sultanas
• 2 medium - large courgettes, grated using course side of box grater
• 2 large eggs
• 125ml vegetable oil
• 150g caster sugar
• 225g self-raising flour
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarb
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 sandwich tins, greased & lined

For the filling:

• good quality lemon curd with some lime juice to taste

For the icing:

• 200g tub organic cream cheese
• 100g icing sugar, sieved
• juice of 1 lime

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 C
2. Grate courgettes.
3. Combine eggs, oil and sugar in bowl.
4. Sieve in flour, bicarb and baking powder and beat until well combined.
5. Stir in courgette and sultanas.
6. Pour into tins and bake for 30 minutes until slightly browned and firm to touch.
7. Once cool, sandwich with lemon curd in middle.
8. Spread cream cheese icing on top and firm in fridge if necessary

Cauliflower with Saffron, Pinenuts and Raisins

This recipe is from Moro, The Cookbook. I have it as a main dish; my carnivorous partner likes it as an accompaniment to sausages, meatballs or somethink of that ilk.

Ingredients

• 1 medium cauliflower
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• pinch of saffron, infused in - 4 tbsp boiling water
• 3 tbsp pinenuts, lightly toasted
• 75g raisins, soaked in warm water
• sea salt & black pepper

Instructions

1. Put the cauliflower florets in a pan of boiling water. Bring back to the boil and blanch for 1 min then drain.
2. Heat the olive oil in a heavy saucepan then add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook on a low heat, stirring regularly, then drain the onion and keep the oil.
3. In the saucepan reheat the oil and add the florets and the smallest leaves from the cauliflower. Fry until the cauliflower begins to colour, then add the onion, saffron water, pinenuts and drained raisins.
4. Cook for 5 minutes until the water has evaporated then season and serve.

Serves: 4