Fresh fruit salad

3 oz / 80 g sugar
juice of half a lemon
selection of 4 to 6 fruits, e.g:

apples
pears
oranges
bananas
grapes (green or black)
melon
peach

Dissolve the sugar in 300 ml of water over a gentle heat, bring to the boil and boil for 5 minutes. Cool, and add the lemon juice.

Prepare the fruits:
quarter, core and slice the apples
peel and segment the oranges
slice the bananas
halve and seed the grapes
peel and segment the peaches
scoop orbs out of the lemon with a small scoop (1 in)

Put each fruit into the syrup as it is ready

Mix them all together and if possible leave to stand for 2-3 hours to allow the flavours to blend.

The fruitsalad will keep up to 3 days, but the banana needs replacing every day.

Cranachan

For 2 people

1 tablespoon of fine oatmeal
150 g raspberries
140 g double cream
1 dessert spoon of thick honey
1 tablespoon of whisky

Under a moderate grill, gently toast the oatmeal in a small baking tin for a few minutes, until crisp (but not burnt).

Whisk the cream, honey, whisky and the toasted oatmeal. Add a third of the raspberries.

In a large goblet, place another third of the raspberries at the bottom. Layer on the cream mixture and top off with the final third of the raspberries. Dust with icing sugar.

Take a leek

Ingredients

500 g of raw leeks per person
potatoes
powdered thickening agent
vinegar

Cut the dark green leaves from the leeks, as well as the root part. If the leek has a hard (opaque white) or hollow core, remove that part. Wash thoroughly.

Chop the leeks into slices 5- 10 mm (1/3 - 2/3 inches) thick and place in a large pan with plenty of water. Bring to the boil and boil gently for 15 to 20 minutes.;
Boil the potatoes simultaneously.
Prepare a mixture of 1 - 2 teaspoons of thickening agent (e.g.: arrowroot) with 30 ml of vinegar.

After draining off excess water from the leeks, stir in the mixture, which should thicken.

Serve leeks and potatoes, with fried minced meat balls or other suitable meat.

Hotchpotch

Carrots, onions and potato mash

Ingredients

carrots
onions
potatoes
stock(cube)
vinegar

Dice the carrots and add to the boiling stock. Five minutes after this has come back to the boil, add the peeled and sliced potatoes as well as the sliced onions to the same pan. Bring back to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are done.

Pour off excess liquid, using a colander if necessary. Mash everything together, seasoning with vinegar.

Serve with fried minced meat balls

Savoy Cabbage Special

This is one of my specialities.

Ingredients

1 savoy cabbage
potatoes
2 apples, medium hardness
1 medium-sized onion
curry powder
butter

Remove the outer green leaves from the cabbage. Slice up the core, but do not include the very centre. Unravel the slices and place in a large pan with plenty of boiling water. Boil until soft and tender, 15 - 20 minutes.

Simultaneously boil the potatoes. Once done, mash them to a smooth texture - adding some butter and/or milk should help.

Fry the sliced onion(s) in a little oil until glazed. Remove the peel and core from the apples. Cut into rings, and the rings in turn into pieces of about 3/4 inch. Fry in a little oil, adding some mild curry powder.

Drain the cabbage and place in a large ovendish. Spread the apple and onion evenly over the cabbage. In turn, cover everything with the potato mash. Put some butter in dabs over the mash and brown under the grill for 5, max 10 minutes.

Serve with braised steak or similar

Greek lamb dish with tomato and pasta

Greek lamb dish with tomato and pasta

 

4-5 people

 

Preparation: 50 minutes

Oven time: 30 minutes

 

400 g leg of lamb without bone

2 onions

4 cloves of garlic

2 green peppers

2 spoonfuls of olive oil

1 spoonful of dried oregano

1 ½ teaspoon of cinnamon powder

2 teaspoons of ginger powder

nutmeg

1 bayleaf

200 ml dry white wine

1 can (800 g) skinned tomatoes

salt

freshly ground epper

300 g penne or macaroni

2 eggs

125 ml crème fraîche

100 g grated old Gouda cheese

 

*           Cube the meat. Peal and shred the onions and the garlic. Wash and halve the peppers, remove the core and cube the rest of the fruit.

 

*           Heat the oil in a wok or casserole and stirfry the meat, onion and garlic shreds and the pieces of peppers for about 5 minutes. Add all the herbs and stir in the wine and skinned tomatoes, with juice. Bring it all to the boil and allow to simmer gently for about 30 minutes until the juice has thickened to the consistency of a sauce. Spice the meat generously with salt and pepper.

 

*           Boil the pasta in plenty of water with salt, according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Strain the pasta and stir it through the meat mixture. Spoon everything into a shallow ovendish.

 

*           Preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F.

 

*           Beat the eggs with the crème fraîche into a smooth mixture and stir in the cheese. Pour this mixture over the meat and pasta mixture.

 

*           Bake the dish in the centre of the oven for about 30 minutes until golden brown and done. In a fan assisted oven, bake at 200 C for 15 minutes

 

*           Nice with a tomato salad.

Bacon and Courgette Carbonara Bake

Bacon and Courgette Carbonara Bake

Serves 4

8 oz / 250 g pasta bows (or twists)

15 ml olive oil or sunflower oil

1 or 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

7 oz / 200 g lean bacon, cut into strips

3 or 4 medium courgettes, thinly sliced

300 ml tub crème fraiche

2 eggs beaten

4 oz / 110 g mature cheddar cheese, grated

1 tsp dried oregano or fresh herbs

salt

pepper

Cook pasta. Drain and reserve.

Heat the oil and garlic together in a large pan over a moderate heat. Add the bacon strips and fry gently for 5-6 minutes, stirring continuously. 

In another large frying pan, heat some oil and fry the courgettes gently, turning until slightly browned on each side. 

In a jug, beat the eggs, add the crème fraiche, half the cheese and the oregano. Season to taste.
Layer the ovenproof dish with pasta, then the bacon, then the courgettes - and repeat.
Pour over the sauce, then finish with the remainder of the cheese.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C/350°F, gasmark 4, for 20 to 30 minutes.

Recipe amended 28 July 2015

Mary's Fruit Loaf

In memory of Mary MacLeod

Ingredients
4 oz / 100 g soft margarine
1 cupful sugar
3/4 cupful sultanas
3/4 cupful currants or mixed fruit
1 level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 cupful cold water
2 cupfuls self-raising flour
1 egg

Put the margarine, sugar, fruit, bicarb and cold water into a pan and bring to the boil. Simmer gently for 5-8 minutes.
Leave to cool.
Sieve into mixture the self-raising flour and add one beaten egg.
Put this mixture into a 1lb [500 g] loaf tin and bake in gas oven mark 4 / 180 C / 350 F for about an hour. Some times it may be ready a few minutes early; test with a skewer, knitting needle of knife.
Leave in the tin to cool, which makes it easier to cut the next day

Granny's Quick Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

CAKE
4 oz / 125 g soft margarine
4 oz / 125 g castor sugar
3½ oz / 100 g self-raising flour
1 oz / 30 g cocoa powder
2 beaten eggs
½ level teaspoon baking powder can be added if necessary

FILLING & TOPPING (butter icing)
4 oz / 125 g butter
3½ oz / 100 g icing sugar
1 oz / 30 g drinking chocolate powder (e.g. Cadbury's), not cocoa powder
a few drops of vanilla essence
chocolate (dark / milk / buttons &c)

PREPARATION OF CAKE
Cream the margarine, sugar together
Add the eggs and flour / cocoa mixture alternatively
Bake in an 8" / 20 cm round baking tin at 160 C / 320 F for about 25 minutes
When cool, cut cake horizontally and fill with half of the butter icing (see filling & topping).  Spread the other half of the butter icing over the top of the cake and sprinkle with grated chocolate or similar

From the land of the rising scone

Rich Tea Scones
225 g / 8 oz self-raising flour
half a level teaspoon salt
one level teaspoon of baking powder
25 - 50 g / 1-2 oz butter
1 - 2 level tablespoons castor sugar
1 beaten egg
milk
50 g dried fruit (sultanas, optional)

Preheat the oven to 230 C

Sift the flour, salt, baking powder together with the sugar
Rub in the butter until it resembles fine bread crumbs
Make a hollow in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the egg and sufficient milk to 150 ml in volume.
Using a knife, mix into a fairly soft dough, working quickly
Turn it onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to a thickness of about 2 cm and cut into 5 cm rounds
Put on a baking sheet [tray]; if desired brush with beaten egg or milk (supplementary to above ingredients)
Bake towards the top of the oven for 8 - 10 minutes until golden brown and well risen.
Cool on wire rack and serve the scones split and buttered