Category: Cooking

Pumpkin Cake with Cream |Cheese Frosting

250g plain flour

3 tsp baking powder

2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

pinch of salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

400g caster sugar

250ml vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

500g tinned pumpkin puree [see Mr Greedys tip]

4 large eggs

125g chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 180C. Prepare and line the base of a 20 x 30cm cake tin. Sift together the flour, baking powder, bi-carb of soda salt and cinnamon, set aside. In a large bowl, combine the sugar and oil. Blend in vanilla and pumpkin puree, then beat eggs in one at a time. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in nuts. Spread batter into prepared tin.Bake in preheated oven for 30 – 35 mins or until a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool on a

wire rack, remove parchment and cover with the cream cheese frosting.

Cream cheese frosting

50g butter, room temperature,

225g cream cheese,

450g icing sugar,

2 tsp of vanilla extract.

Sift icing sugar into a bowl. In another bowl beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth and creamy. Add the sifted icing suger and vanilla ex-tract and beat until smooth. Cover cake and enjoy.

 

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Four Spice Lamb Curry

2 tbsp sunflower oil 1 large onion, finely chopped 1 tsp each chilli flakes and ground ginger 2 tsp each ground corriander and cumin 500g lean lamb neck fillet, cubed 1 large red pepper, seeded and cubed 1 large green pepper, seeded and cubed 1 lamb stock cube 3 med tomatoes, cut into wedges 410g chick peas, drained handful of chopped fresh corriander to serve

Heat the oil in a wok, fry the onion until soft. Stir in the spices, reserving 1 tsp of the cumin. Fry for a few seconds more. Toss in the peppers and lamb and stir fry over a high heat until the lamb changes colour. Stir in 200ml of water, crumble in the stock cube, season well. Cook for about 6 mins until the mixture is thicker and the meat is tender. Stir in the tomatoes, chickpeas and the remaining cumin and heat through for about 2 more mins. If the sauce is too thick add a little water to thin. Scatter the corri-ander over to top before serving. Serve with basmati or long grain rice and mango chutney

 

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Pork Tenderloin in Orange Sauce

3 tbsp garlic oil 2 pork tenderloins about 375g each sea salt fresh ground black pepper 1 med onion, very thinly sliced 6 cloves of garlic, minced 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley 1/2 tsp dried thyme 150ml + 5tbsp fresh orange juice 150ml + 5tbsp chicken stock [oxo cube is fine] good pinch of saffron [optional]

Heat oven to 180C. Heat oil in a large pan and brown the meat all over, sprinkle with salt and pep-per as it browns. Remove to a warm plate. Add the garlic and onion to the pan and saute until the onion is softened. Return the meat to the pan and add the parsley, thyme, orange juice, chicken stock and saf-fron, if using. Heat thoroughly [almost boiling point] spoon the sauce over the meat. Cook for about 5 mins, turning meat. Transfer to a pre- heat-ed oven dish, cover and bake for about 50 mins to 1 hr. until tender. When ready, in a small pan heat the remaining orange juice and stock until thick and serve with the meat. Slice the tenderloins about ½inch thick and serve with the cooking sauce and the extra sauce.

Serve with saute potatoes and mediterranean vege-tables.

 

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Removing the outer skin of fresh root ginger. Don't use a peeler or hack it with a knife, use a spoon. Scrape the ginger with the tip of the spoon. No need to cut of any lumps or bumps, no waste.

 

 

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Cod Loins with Fennel, Olives, Capers and Lemon Potatoes

4 good sized cod loins, skinned and boned

2 medium sized fennel bulbs

3 medium shallots

the juice and zest of one large lemon

2 tbsp capers, drained and chopped

2 tbsp black pitted olives, thinly sliced

1 large clove of garlic chopped

1 tbsp fennel seeds

12 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

250ml dry white wine

good pinch of salt, black pepper and sweet paprika

500g baby new potatoes

good knob of butter

Heat the oven to 180c fan. Lightly roast the fennel seeds in a small frying pan until the aromas begin, crush in a pestle and mortar and set aside. Trim the fennel, remove core and thinly slice. Thinly slice the shallots. Arrange the fennel in the base of an oven dish, arrange the shallots on top. Sprinkle over the salt, pepper and paprika. Arrange the fish on top of the shallots. Scatter the tomatoes around the fish. Drizzle the lemon juice over the fish. Pour the wine into to dish around the fish. In a small bowl mix to-gether the olives, capers, garlic and fennel seeds and spread over the top of the fish. Cover the dish with foil, cut a vent hole in the foil and bake for about 25 – 30 mins until the fish flakes.

Boil the potatoes, drain and return to the pan. Add the butter, swish around to coat the potatoes. Tip into a serving dish and scatter the lemon zest over the top, lightly mix together. Serve with French beans. Boil the potatoes, drain. return to pan, add the butter swish around to coat potatoes. Tip into a serving dish and scatter the lemon zest over the top. Serve with French beans.

 

 

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Coconut Tart

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

4 cardamon pods, shelled and seeds crushed

175g desiccated coconut

225g caster sugar

25g butter, melted

500g block all butter shortcrust pastry

plain flour for dusting

1 large egg beaten

Heat oven to 180c fan. Tip the spices, coconut and sugar into a pan with 150ml of water. Cook over a low heat for about 5 mins, stirring frequently to en-sure the mixture doesn’t catch. Set aside to cool. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface and line a 23cm loose bottomed flan tin. Line with baking parchment and beans and bake for 15 mins on a bak-ing tray. Remove beans and parchment and bake ror a further 5 mins until cooked but not brown. Add the egg to the cooled mixure and spoon into pastry case. Bake for about 25 mins until the pastry is golden and the coconut is pale golden. Serve with a good spoonful of double cream.

 

 

A MR GREEDY TIP:

Cooking flan – Line the flan tin with the pastry but leave excess over the top of the tin. Trim the pastry to the top of the tin after blind baking with a good sharp knife. Pastry shrinks when it's cooked. this will leave a good flush top.

 

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Glazed Plum Cake Courgette, Basil and Ricotta Tart

375g ready rolled puff pastry

1 x 250g tub ricotta

3tbsp grated Grana Padano cheese

! large egg beaten

handful of fresh basil

3 spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced

75g thin parma ham, sliced into strips

1 large clove of garlic, crushed

3 med courgettes cut into thin slices

2tbsp pine nuts

Remove pastry from the fridge 10 min before using. Preheat oven to 180c fan. Line a large baking sheet with baking paper. Unroll the pastry and place on the baking tray. Score a 1cm border around the edge with a sharp knife. In a large bowl, mix the ricotta, 2 tbsp of the cheese, egg, spring onion, parma ham, garlic and most of the basil [keep some for the top-ping]. Spread the mixture over the pastry, avoiding the border. Arrange the courgettes over the top of the tart, overlap if required. Scatter the remaining cheese and basil over the top. Bake for about 20 – 25 mins. Sprinkle over the pine nuts and return to the oven for a further 5 mins until golden brown.

 

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Glazed Plum Cake

 

200g softened butter

8 red or purple plums

140g golden caster sugar, + 1 extra tbsp

grated zest of 1 large lemon

6 tbsp full cream milk

85g blanched almonds, chopped, not too small

6 heaped tbsp redcurrant or plum jelly

3 eggs, lightly beaten

175g self-raising flour

2 tbsp cassis or port

Heat oven 160c fan. Butter a 23cm spring form tin, line base with baking paper and butter the paper. Halve, stone and slice the plums. In a mixer beat the butter and sugar [not the extra] together until pale. Beat in the eggs and zest. With mixer speed reduced beat in the flour and milk. Stir in the almonds and spoon into the tin. Lay the plum slices on the top of the cake mix, over lapping them in circles. Sprinkle with the extra sugar and bake for about 55 – 60 mins or until a skewer comes out clean. Remove the cake and leave to cool on a rack for about 15 mins. In a small pan, melt the jelly and cas-sis or port with 2 tbsp of water until reduced to a thick syrupy glaze, about 5 mins. Brush over the cake and leave to set. Repeat if required to use all the syrup.

 

Mint and Courgette Cake with Soft Cream Topping

155ml sunflower oil, plus a little extra
230g self-rising flower
1tsp baking powder
11/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp ground ginger
230g light brown muscovado sugar
zest of 1 orange
100g pecan nuts coarsely chopped
3 large eggs beaten
300g coarsely grated courgettes [squeeze out excess liquid]
2 – 3tbsp coarsely chopped mint leaves

Topping

50g butter softened
200g full fat cream cheese
150 icing sugar
Preheat oven to 165C, Oil and line the base of a 18cm spring form cake tin. Sift the flour, baking powder and spices into a large bowl, mix to combine together. Add the sugar, zest, pecan nuts and grated courgettes, stir well to combine. Stir in the beaten eggs and oil, again mix well to combine. Pour into prepared tin and bake in the oven for about 1 hour or until a skewer comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
For the topping, use a hand mixer. Beat the butter until soft and creamy. Add the cream cheese and beat again until well mixed. Sift the icing sugar over the cheese mix and beat until well mixed. Cover with cling film and store in the fridge until needed. Once the cake has cooled down, spread the topping over the top,

cut and enjoy.

 

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