Lemon and White Chocolate Streusel Muffins

Ingredients:
For the Streusel:
125ml flour
50ml sugar
15ml brown sugar
1ml salt
50ml melted, but cool butter

For the Muffins:
250ml whole milk
15ml lemon juice
250ml rolled oats
125ml white chocolate chips
280ml flour
5ml baking powder
2.5ml bicarbonate of soda
1.25ml salt
15ml lemon zest
125ml brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
125g butter, melted but cool
2.5ml lemon extract (optional)

Method:
For the Streusel:
In a small bowl, stir together the flour, sugars and salt. 
Using a fork, mix in the butter until thoroughly blended.
Cover and chill until ready to use.

For the muffins:
In a large measuring cup, stir together the milk and lemon juice. This will make "soured milk", which may thicken and clot. 
Stir in the oats and white chocolate chips.
Cover and set aside at room temperature for one hour.

Preheat the oven to 190C.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Set aside.
Stir the lemon zest and brown sugar into the oat mixture. Stir in the egg, followed by the butter and lemon extract.

Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the well and stir gently until just mixed.

Prepare a 12 cup muffin pan with paper-liners and scoop the batter into the cups. The cups may appear to be very full. but these muffins don't rise much.

Take the streusel from the fridge and break pieces into small clumps. Top each muffin with about a tablespoon of streusel.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick pushed into the middle of one of the muffins in the centre of the pan comes out with only a few crumbs attached.

Allow the muffins to rest in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Enjoy!

Sugar Glazed Lemon Bars

You can't but love these lemon bars, sweetly tart with a melt in your mouth shortbread crust and and a sugary lemon glaze on top. They're gooey sweet, with just enough tang from the lemon juice and zest to balance the sweetness.

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

250g butter, softened

125ml icing sugar

zest of half a lemon

500ml flour

For the filling:

4  eggs

500ml sugar

65ml flour

5ml baking powder

75ml fresh lemon juice

zest of one lemon

For the Glaze:

250ml icing sugar

30-40ml fresh lemon juice

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C. 

To Make the Crust:

Combine the butter, sugar and lemon zest in a mixing bowl and beat for a minute or so until combined.

Add the flours and the beat until until the mixture is crumbly. 

Press the crust into the bottom of a parchment lined 9x13 inch pan.

Bake for 25 minutes, until light golden brown.

To Make the Filling:

While the crust is baking, in a large bowl lightly beat the eggs with a whisk. 

Add the remaining ingredients and beat with a whisk until combined. 

Remove the partially baked crust from the oven and pour the filling over it. 

Return to the oven and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes, until the top is light golden brown and starting to crack around the edges. 

Let cool completely for at least 1 hour.

To make the Glaze:

In a small bowl, stir or whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice. Add more lemon juice, by just a few drops at a time, until the glaze is a pourable consistency. 

Spread the glaze over the cooled bars and then let it set for at least half an hour before slicing. 

Cut into bars and store in the refrigerator. 

Bars can be served cold or returned to room temperature first. 

Enjoy!

Lemon Rosemary Scones

These Lemon Rosemary scones will have you looking for reasons to eat them.  They are light, fluffy and aromatic.  While they are baking, the intoxicating aroma of lemon and rosemary waft through the air.  It draws you to the oven where you watch them puff up and get a little crispy on the outside.  When they come out of the oven, it is difficult to resist them, but why wait? Eat them warm with melting butter.

Ingredients:

300 grams all-purpose flour
120 grams whole wheat pastry flour
5ml sea salt
10ml bicarbonate of soda
20ml cream of tartar
60g grated butter, frozen for 1 hour
30g light cream cheese, diced then frozen for 1 hour
Zest of 2 lemons
15ml fresh rosemary, minced
250ml cold 2% fat milk
80ml cold soda water
1 egg white, lightly beaten
15ml light brown sugar

Method:

Preheat oven to 220˚C.

In a large bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar.

Add frozen butter and cream cheese.  Using a pastry cutter or 2 forks, cut in butter and cream cheese until they are little pebble sized.

Stir in lemon zest and rosemary.

Add milk and soda and stir until just combined.

Flour a work surface and knead dough 10 times.

Using well-floured rolling pin roll the dough out to 1 inch thickness.

Dip a round 2 1/2 inch cookie cutter into flour.  Cut out scones.  Lightly knead the dough back together and cut out more. 

Place scones onto a baking sheet and brush with egg white.  Sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 10 to 11 minutes.

Let cool on a wire rack or eat while warm with melting butter!

Makes 12-14 scones.

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the Cupcakes
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
Finely grated zest of 3 lemons (about 3 tablespoons), plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk

For the Lemon Curd
8 large egg yolks
Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
1 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces

For the Seven Minute Frosting
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2/3 cup water
2 tablespoons light maple flavoured syrup or honey
6 large egg whites, room temperature


Method:
For the Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter, sugar, and lemon zest until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is until incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. Stir together buttermilk and lemon juice. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk and lemon juice, and beating until just combined after each.
Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until golden brown and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 22-25 minutes. Let cool for about 3-5 minutes in the pan and then move the cupcakes to wire racks to cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

For the Lemon Curd:
Combine yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar in a heavy-bottom saucepan; whisk to combine. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon (be sure to scrape the sides of the pan), until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, 8 to 10 minutes (mine ended up taking about 12 minutes), or until it registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.
Remove saucepan from heat. Add salt and butter, one piece at a time, stirring until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve into a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface of the curd to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled and set, at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.

For the Seven Minute Frosting:
Combine 1 1/2 cups sugar with the water and syrup or honey in a small saucepan; clip a candy thermometer to side of pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Continue boiling, without stirring, until syrup reaches 230 degrees.
Meanwhile, in the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk egg whites on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. With mixer running, add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, beating to combine.
As soon as sugar syrup reaches 230 degrees, remove from heat. With mixer on medium-low speed, pour syrup down side of bowl in a slow, steady stream. Raise speed to medium-high; whisk until mixture is completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the bowl) and stiff (but not dry) peaks form, about 7 minutes. Use immediately.

Filling the cupcakes.

To Prepare the Cupcakes:

To finish, make a hole in the centre of the cupcake with either a cupcake corer or a knife (here is a tutorial). Spoon lemon curd into the centre of each cupcake. Either fill a piping bag with frosting and pipe frosting onto each cupcake, swirling tip slightly and releasing as you pull up to form a peak, or just spoon some frosting onto the top of each cupcake, using a spoon to create peaks all over the cupcake (I did the latter). Using a small kitchen torch, hold the torch 3 to 4 inches from surface of frosting, and wave it back and forth until frosting is lightly browned all over. Serve immediately.


Yield: 24 cupcakes

Lemon Tiramisu

Ingredients:

300ml sugar

180ml lemon juice

125ml water

6 egg yolks

65ml flour

500ml milk

60g cubed butter

30g white chocolate chips

15ml lemon zest

325ml whipping cream

250ml mascarpone cheese

24x4inch ladyfinger biscuits

Method:

In a small saucepan, stir together 125ml each of sugar, lemon juice and water over a medium heat for about 5 minutes until dissolved. Set this syrup aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, flour and remaining sugar and set aside.

In a heavy saucepan, heat the milk over a medium heat just until bubbles appear around the edge. Whisk half of the milk into the egg yolk mixture. Whisk this back into the pan of milk. Cook, stirring, for about 10 minutes until the custard boils and thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Add butter and white chocolate and stir until both have melted. Strain this custard through a fine sieve into a bowl. Add lemon zest and remaining lemon juice and stir till smooth and well blended.

Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard and put in the fridge for 2 hours to cool.

In a bowl, whip the cream. Put mascarpone in a large bowl and whisk in the cooled custard. Fold in the whipped cream.

Arrange half of the ladyfinger biscuits on the bottom of a 13x9 inch glass baking dish. Brush generously with half of the prepared syrup mixture. Spread half of the mascarpone custard mixture over the biscuits. Repeat with a second layer of biscuits brushed with the rest of the syrup and covered with mascarpone custard. Cover and store in the fridge for 4 hours before serving.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Ingredients:

For the Crust:
24-25 Ginger biscuits
65ml sugar
80ml melted butter

For the Lemon Curd Filling:
3 egg yolks
1 tin Sweetened Condensed Milk
125ml lemon juice

For the Meringue:
3 egg whites
1.25ml cream of tartar
200ml white sugar

Method:

Place ginger biscuits in food processor and blend to crumbs. Empty crumbs into bowl, add melted butter and sugar. Mix until crumbs are moistened. Press into bottom of a 9″ pie plate. Bake shell in 180˚C oven for 8 minutes. Cool.

Preheat oven to170˚C. In bowl, beat egg yolks. Stir in sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice. Whisk ingredients well.

Pour into prepared crust, and bake for 30 minutes. Cool.
In large bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar with electric mixer until foamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until mixture forms stiff peaks. Cover prepared lemon pie with meringue and bake at 180˚C for 15 minutes or until nicely browned.

Mild Curry Puffs

These delicious curry puffs can be made with 

shop-bought puff pastry, 

as long as you use all-butter pastry. 

If you prefer to make your own pastry, 

then use flaky pastry or puff pastry. 

Ingredients:
500g ready-made puff pastry

Filling:
150g beef or lamb mince
80ml sweetcorn
1 red chilli
1 cm root ginger, grated
2 cloves of garlic, grated
10ml mild curry powder
a handful of coriander leaves, chopped
2-3 curry leaves, shredded
1 small onion, chopped fine
2.5ml salt
1 egg, beaten for egg wash
10ml sunflower oil

Method:

Add the oil to a frying pan and sauté the onions, garlic and ginger until soft, but not coloured. I add the salt at this stage, which helps them to soften by drawing out their liquid into the pan. This also prevents them caramelising. 

Add the curry powder and mix through the onions. Now add the beef or lamb mince and stir until browned.

Add the sweetcorn and combine with the mince mixture.

Take off the heat and allow to cool for 20-30 minutes. If the filling is too hot when put into the pastry, the pastry melts, stretches and breaks. When the filling has cooled completely, add the coriander and mix through.

Preheat the oven to 220C.

Roll out your pastry to 3-4mm thick. Cut the pastry into 7-8cm squares.

Place a tablespoon of filling in the middle of each square, being careful not to allow the filling to spill over the edges. Brush the edges with beaten egg. Fold the pastry over to form a triangle and seal along the edges with a fork. Use a sharp knife to make a tiny cross on the top of each puff to allow the steam to vent while cooking before you egg wash the top of each pastry. 

Place the pastries on a baking tray and put in the oven for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. 

Remove from the oven and allow to cool enough to take them off the tray. Place the pies on a cooling rack and serve them warm. They are nice warm than piping hot, then you get to taste them, and they are delicious.

Enjoy!

Chicken Curry with Kaffir Lime Leaves

This delicious curry comes from Nyonya cuisine, which is a blend of Chinese ingredients with the spices used by the Malay community. The Baba-Nyonyas are descendants of the early Chinese immigrants to Malasia, Singaporre and Indonesia, who came from Fujian, China, to seek their fortunes in the spice trade. n the 15th century, wherre they became known as the Straits Chinese. While the early Chinese settlers intermarried with the Malays, they retained their ethnic origins, but their food developed into a unique cuisine, influenced by all the surrounding peoples. Their food is aromatic, spicy, tangy, often sweet and rich in coconut milk. 

This Nyonya chicken curry is rich and creamy, yet spicy and tangy. The addition of the highly aromatic kaffir lime leaves gives it an amazing aroma. 

Ingredients:
+/- 600g boneless, skinned chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunky pieces
5 kaffir lime leaves
250ml coconut milk
30ml lemon juice
50ml sunflower or peanut oil
sea salt to taste

For the Spice Paste:
5 fresh red chillies, cut into small pieces
1 medium onion, peeled and cut into small chunks
1 stalk of lemon grass, the bottom 1/3 cut into rings
3-4cm galangal (or root ginger if you can't get it)
2.5ml turmeric powder

Method:

Put all the ingredients for the spice paste in a blender or food processor with 30ml water and blitz to a paste.

Heat oil in a medium sized saucepan and stir fry the paste for about 5 minutes until fragrant. Add the chicken and stir for 3-4 minutes until the chicken turns opaque. 

Pour in the coconut milk and add the kaffir lime leaves and bring the resultant mixture to the boil. Season with salt, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the potatoes and cook another 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and the gravy has thickened.

Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the lime juice and allow the curry to rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Middle Eastern Meatballs

Ingredients:

500g finely minced lean lamb or beef
pinch of salt
1 onion, finely chopped
10ml ground cumin
5ml ground allspice
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 cup coarsely chopped coriander leaves
olive oil

Method:

Blend all the ingredients except the olive oil in a food processor until smooth and pasty.

Wet your hands to stop the mixture from sticking, and form small balls.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and brown the meatballs. Test the tiny meatballs after 5 minutes; larger ones may take 10 minutes.

Drain well on kitchen paper.

The meatballs can also be partially cooked and finished in the oven.

Make smaller meatballs if serving with drinks. The mixture will yield about 40 cocktail-sized meatballs and about 25 larger ones to serve as part of a meal.

Baharat Spice Blend

Ingredients:
50ml ground black pepper
25ml ground coriander
25ml ground cinnamon
25ml ground cloves
30ml ground cumin
5ml ground cardamom
15ml ground nutmeg
50ml paprika

Method:
Combine all the ingredients till homogeneously mixed.
Store in an airtight glass jar in a cool dark place.

Lamb Kofta with Garlic Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients:
For sauce:
1 cup plain yoghurt, preferably whole-milk
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Sea salt

For kofta:

2 slices firm white sandwich bread, torn into pieces
500g ground lamb
1 small red onion, grated
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
15ml baharat spice blend
15ml chilli flakes
10ml sea salt

Optional accompaniment:
16 soft lettuce leaves for wrapping

Special equipment:
16x10-inch-long wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes
Charcoal or gas grill
Method:
For the sauce:

Stir yoghurt together with garlic and salt to taste in a small bowl.

For the kofta:
Cover bread with water in a small bowl and let soak for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare a charcoal or gas grill: If using a charcoal grill, open vents in bottom of grill, then light charcoal. Fire is hot when you can hold your hand 5 inches above rack for just 1 to 2 seconds. If using a gas grill, preheat on high, covered, for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to moderately high.

Squeeze bread to remove as much moisture as possible. Put in a large bowl, add remaining ingredients, and mix with your hands until thoroughly blended. 

Divide lamb mixture into 16 portions and form each into a ball. Roll each ball into a 7- to 8-inch-long cigar, rolling it first between your hands and then on a work surface (be sure the kofta are uniformly thin for even cooking.) Slide a skewer lengthwise through centre of each kofta.

Oil grill rack and grill kofta, turning once, until golden and just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes, loosely covered with foil, and serve warm with yoghurt sauce, wrapping them in lettuce leaves, if using.

Indian-Spiced Fish Pie

Ingredients:

For the filling:
30ml sunflower oil
1 onion, chopped
1 leek, sliced
5ml fennel seeds
2.5ml black mustard seeds
600g firm white fish, such as kingklip
100g smoked fish, such as haddock or kippers
300g prawns, tailed
30ml shredded spinach
400ml cream
15ml fennel fronds
15ml chopped coriander leaves
2.5ml chilli flakes

For the topping:
2 large potatoes, parboiled and grated
30ml ghee
2.5 ml chopped chives
A pinch of chilli flakes

Method:
Heat the oven to 200°C.
Heat the oil and temper the spices until they are crackling. Add the onions and the leeks with a pinch of salt. Add the garlic and cook to allow the onions and leeks to sweat off and soften.

Scatter the spinach and the chilli flakes over the onions and then pour in the cream.

Add the fish and herbs and simmer gently until the fish is cooked through.

Remove from the heat, season and put the mixture in a casserole dish.

Heat the ghee in a frying pan and add the potato. Sauté for 5 minutes until the potatoes begin to crisp. Mix in the chives and chilli flakes.

Top the fish with the sautéed potatoes and place the pie under the grill for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are golden brown and crispy.

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, until the top is golden brown.
 

Yellow Cling Peaches and Onion Atchar

Delicious with mutton, cheese or chicken pie.

Ingredients:

3 kg yellow cling peaches - washed and cut into even sized segments

1 kg baby onions

30 ml coriander seeds

15 ml whole peppercorns

2 litres white vinegar

50 g cornflour (100 ml)

25 ml curry powder

10 ml turmeric

200 g white sugar (250 ml)

10 ml salt water

Method:

Boil the coriander, peppercorns and vinegar together.

Mix the cornflour, curry powder, turmeric  sugar, salt and enough water together to make a smooth paste.

Stir into the vinegar mixture and keep on stirring until the mixture is well dissolved.

Add the peaches and the onions and boil together for 10 minutes.

Spoon mixture into clean, dry sterilised jars and seal.

Makes ± 4 litres. 

Tamarind Glazed Spare Ribs

Ingredients:

For the Dry Rub:

2 racks pork spare ribs, about 1Kg each

2.5ml fennel seeds

2.5ml cumin seeds

1 dried chilli

30ml brown sugar

30ml paprika

30ml sea salt

For the Glaze:

50ml sunflower or peanut oil

2.5ml coursely ground black pepper

125ml finely chopped shallots

30ml chopped garlic

30ml grated fresh ginger

60ml whiskey

125ml water

30ml tamarind paste

50ml soy sauce

30ml tomato sauce

Method:

The day before the ribs are required, line a baking sheet with some heavy duty aluminium foil and set a cooling rack on the sheet. Wash the rib racks and pat them dry thoroughly with kitchen towel. Place the ribs on the rack.

To make the dry rub:

Set a small skillet over medium heat. Add the fennel seeds, cumin seeds and chilli and dry roast the spices, shaking the pan often, until the seeds begin to darken and a fragrant aroma begins to be released. Pour the seeds  and chilli into a spice grinder and grind until fine. Put the ground spices in a bowl and add the brown sugar, paprika and 30ml salt and stir to combine, smoothing out any lumps in the sugar.

Sprinkle half the rub over the ribs and massage into the meat evenly. Flip the ribs over and massage the rest of the rub into the other side. Cover the ribs tightly with plastic wrap and marinate in the fridge over night.

To make the glaze:

In a medium saucepan over a medium- high heat, warm the oil until shimmering. Add the pepper and cook for 30 seconds. Add the shallots, garlic and ginger. Cook about 5 minutes until the shallots soften and begin to turn golden.

Remove from the heat and add the whiskey. Return to the heat and simmer until the whiskey has evaporated. Add 125ml water, the tamarind, soy sauce and tomato sauce. Stir together and reduce the heat until the mixture is simmering. Simmer about 10 minutes until thickened slightly. Set aside.

Whe you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 180  C. Take the ribs from the fridge and leave at room temperature until the oven comes to heat. Remove the plastic wrap from the ribs. Roast the ribs for about 90 minutes until the meat is tender, rotating the pan halfway through to ensure even cooking.

Take the ribs from the oven and turn up the oven temperature to 220 C. Brush the ribs on both sides with the tamarind glaze and return them to the oven for about 10 minutes. Brush them with glaze one more time and serve. Be sure to have plenty of paper serviettes available fr sticky fingers!

Spicy Citrus Rice Salad

Ingredients:

Rice Salad:

125ml slithered almonds, toasted

750ml chicken stock

2.5ml sea salt

30ml extra virgin olive oil

375ml brown rice

125ml flat leaf parsley, chopped

zest of 1 orange

zest of 1 lemon

250ml spring onions, chopped

Half an orange, bottom remove,
     cut into 4 segments, each segment sliced in 3.

Vinaigrette:

125ml extra virgin olive oil

juice of 1 orange

juice of 1 lemon

30ml soy sauce

15ml honey

5ml cumin seeds

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

Method:

For the Rice Salad:

In a medium sauce pan, bring the chicken stock, salt and oil to a boil over medium-high heat and stir in the rice. Cover the pan and reduce the heat. Simmer gently for about 30 minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender. Remove the pan from the heat and let it rest for 5 minutes. Using a fork, fluff up the rice and place in a large serving bowl. Add the parsley, orange zest, half the lemon zest, the spring onions and halt the almonds. Toss well.

For the Vinaigrette:

In a blender, combine the olive oil, orange juice, lemon juice, soy sauce, honey and cumin. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the vinaigrette over the rice mixture and stir well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Garnish with the remaining lemon zest and almonds and place the 12 pieces of orange around the edges of the bowl to decorate.

Moroccan Chicken Tagine

A Tagine is a unique type of ceramic or clay cookware that's popular in North Africa, especially Morocco. The bottom is a wide, circular shallow dish used for both cooking and serving, while the top of the tagine is distinctively shaped into a rounded dome or cone. The cone lid is made at a particular angle to allow condensed steam from the liquid used in cooking to flow back into the pot. Tagines are still favoured by those who appreciate the unique, slow-cooked flavour which the earthenware imparts to the food. Cooking in a tagine is different than cooking in a conventional pot in a number of ways. Firstly, the earthenware pot doubles as both a cooking vessel and serving dish which holds the food warm. Since you won't be stirring during the cooking, take care how you arrange or layer ingredients for a beautiful table presentation. A ceramic or clay tagine should only be used over low to medium-low heat to avoid damaging the tagine or scorching the food; use only as much heat as necessary for maintaining a simmer. When cooking on an electric or gas heat source, a diffuser is essential so that the heat of cooking does not get too high. Tagines may also be cooked over small fires or in braziers over charcoal. Be aware that it can be tricky to maintain an adequately low temperature with these methods. It's best to use a small quantity of charcoal or wood to establish a heat source, and then periodically feed small handfuls of new fuel to keep the fire or embers burning. This way you'll avoid too high a heat. You can use a clay or ceramic tagine in an oven; place the cold tagine in a cold oven on a rack, then set the thermostat to no more than 160° C -180° C. Patience is required; let the tagine reach a simmer slowly and know that poultry takes about two hours to cook while beef or lamb may take up to four hours. Try not to interrupt the cooking by frequently lifting the lid to check on the food; that's best left for adding ingredients or to check on the level of liquids toward the end of cooking. 

The stew or curry cooked in it is also called a "Tagine."

The making of this curry can also be made in a regular style stewing pot.

Ingredients:

50ml olive oil

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

5ml ground ginger

5ml ground cumin

5ml ground turmeric

2.5ml ground cinnamon

30ml tomato paste

375ml chicken stock

Freshly squeezed juice of 1 orange

100g mixed dried fruit, such as raisins, apricots and sultanas, chopped

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

750g boneless chicken thighs, cut up

60ml slithered almonds

Method:

Heat the oil to a medium in a large deep pan. Add the garlic and onion. Sauté briefly until aromatic, about a minute or less. Do not let the garlic brown. Immediately adjust the heat to the lowest setting. Add all the spices and cook gently for about 4-5 mins or until the onion softens. Pour the orange juice and the dried mixed fruits. Season with salt and pepper and stir.

Stir in the tomato paste and the chicken stock. Add the chicken and coat with the sauce. Bring to a boil. It may look quite thick at this point, but don't worry it will produce some more liquid as the chicken cooks.

Cover and simmer for about an hour or until the chicken is fully cooked and tender. You may add a little water as you cook it if you find that the sauce is too thick for your liking. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Sprinkle the sliced almonds for garnish. 

Serve hot with rice and plain yoghurt on the side, if desired. 

This curry, like all spiced dishes, is even better the next day!

Enjoy your Moroccan chicken curry!

Chicken Korma with Cashew Nuts

The word "korma" is derived from Urdu, one of the languages of India. "Korma" means "braise",and has its roots in the Mughlai cuisine of modern-day India and Pakistan. It is a characteristic Indian dish, which can be traced back to the 16th century and to the Mughal incursions into present-day Northern India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Classically, a korma is defined as a dish where meat or vegetables are braised with water or stock, and yoghurt added. The technique covers many different styles of korma. The flavour of a korma is based on a mixture of spices, including ground coriander and  cumin, combined with yoghurt added at the end of the cooking so as not to allow curdling. Traditionally, this would have been carried out in a pot set over a very low fire, with charcoal on the lid to provide all-round heat. A korma can be mildly spiced or fiery and may use chicken, lamb or game. Beef is not regularly used in India because the cow is sacred to the Hindus, but if you choose, beef can also be used to make korma.

Ingredients:
For the Curry:
50ml sunflower or peanut oil
1 cinnamon stick
4 cardamom pods
4 whole cloves
1 large onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 inch ginger, peeled and grated
550g boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite size pieces.
125ml water
Sea salt
3 small potatoes, cubed
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
115g plain yoghurt
60g roasted cashew nuts

For the Spice Paste:
30ml coriander powder
5ml ground fennel
2.5ml ground cumin
2.5ml turmeric
2.5ml ground chilli
a few twists of freshly ground black pepper
10 raw cashew nuts

Method:

Combine all the ingredients for the spice paste in a pestle and mortar with 50ml water and grind to a paste.

In a medium sized pot, heat the oil. Fry the cinnamon, cardamom and cloves for 1-2 minutes until the spices start to pop.

Add the onion, garlic and ginger and fry for another 2 minutes.

Add the spice paste and continue to cook for 4-5 minutes over a medium heat. Stir constantly so that the spices do not burn.

Add the chicken pieces and continue cooking foe another 4-5 minutes.

Pour in 125ml water, cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Season with sea salt to taste and add potatoes. Continue to cook for another 10 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and stir in the yoghurt. Allow to simmer for about 3 minutes.

Turn off the heat and allow the Korma to rest for 10 minutes.

Before serving, sprinkle with cashew nuts.

Milo Balls

These balls of yum yum are positively irresistible!

They are such fun to make, even the kids can make them.
Store them in the fridge, but believe me, they won't last long...

Ingredients:
1 x 250g packet Marie biscuits, crushed
1 tin sweetened condensed milk
4 tablespoons Milo 
1/2 cup coconut
extra coconut for rolling

Method:

In a large bowl crush biscuits until fine crumbs form, but take care not to reduce the biscuits to a powder. (I don't like to do this in a food processor because it tends to reduce the biscuits to a powder)

Add the Milo, coconut and condensed milk and mix until well combined.

Roll teaspoonfuls into balls with your hands. Spread coconut on a plate and roll the balls in this to coat thoroughly.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm. Store in the fridge.