Pumpkin Fritters

Pumpkin Fritter, a staple in our house when I was a child. My Mother made these often, but they had to be served with cinnamon and sugar. I loved them, but I've never quite got them right, until now. I always tended to put too much flour and left the pumpkin too wat, so the batter would be too runny. These are just right!

These fritters can be made either as a dessert and served with cinnamon-sugar, or as a side dish with beef, pork or ham, and they go surprisingly well with fish! The sweetness-with-spice is typical of the cooking style of the then Cape Malays. It's a down-home comfort dish and ideal for left-over pumpkin.

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked pumpkin, dry
125ml flour
2.5ml salt
5ml ground cinnamon
10ml baking powder
30ml white sugar
2 large eggs
oil for frying
cinnamon sugar, if used

Method:
Put all the ingredients in a processor.

If not using a processor, put in a mixing bowl, and mix well.

Add the eggs, and process well until a thick batter forms -- or mix well in the mixing bowl. The batter should almost hold its shape when tested with a spoon.

If the batter is too stiff, add a tiny amount of milk. If by any chance it is runny, add more flour.

Heat oil in a pan, using medium to high heat to start with.

Scoop up heaped tablespoons of batter, and drop into pan, but not too close together. You won't have huge fritters as some of the batter will stay clinging to the spoon.

Fry until firm and golden on the underside, then flip over and fry on other side.

The fritters will puff up slightly and keep their shape, but will deflate a bit as you take them out of the pan. To test for doneness, press very lightly on the fritters. When done, they will tend to spring back. If still uncertain, press harder: no batter should run out the sides.

Serve warm, either as a side dish, or as a dessert with plenty of crunchy cinnamon-flavoured sugar.

Brinjal, Garlic and Sweet Red Pepper Paté

Serve this Italian-style chunky, garlicky paté of smoky brinjal and peppers on a bed of salad leaves, accompanied with crisp toast or savoury biscuits. Baking the ingredients gives this pate a wonderful smoky flavour. Use orange, yellow or green peppers in place of the red ones if you aren’t wanting too strong a pepper flavour. If you prefer a totally smooth pate, instead of chopping the peppers, add them with the peppercorns and coriander to the blender with the brinjal and garlic. The pate may not look as colourful, but it will taste just as good.

Ingredients:

3 brinjals (aubergines)

2 sweet red peppers

5 cloves garlic

7.5ml pink (or green) peppercorns in brine, drained and crushed

30ml chopped fresh coriander

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200˚C. Arrange the whole brinjals, peppers and garlic cloves on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the garlic and set aside. Turn over the brinjals and peppers and return them to the oven. Continue to bake them for a further 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel the garlic cloves and place them in a blender.

Remove the charred peppers from the oven and place them in a plastic zip-lock bag. Set aside to cool. Return the brinjals to the oven and bake for a further 10 minutes.

Split each brinjal in half and scoop out the flesh into a sieve placed over a bowl. Discard the skins. Press the flesh with a spoon to remove the bitter juices, which can be discarded. Add the brinjal flesh to the garlic in the blender and process until smooth. Put the mixture in a bowl.

Skin, core and seed the peppers and finely chop the flesh. Stir the peppers into the brinjal mixture. Mix in the peppercorns and chopped coriander and blend thoroughly. Spoon into a serving dish and serve immediately.

Marinated Pimientos

Pimiento is simply another word for sweet peppers, which in this recipe are cooked and skinned before being marinated in a garlicky oil and vinegar dressing that goes well with their smoky flavour. Preserved peppers can be bought in cans or jars, but they are very much tastier when homemade. They create a delicious, healthy appetizer on their own or with other antipasti, and can also be used to top crostini or mini pizzas.

The marinated pimientos can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks covered in olive oil in a screw-top jar. The flavours will blend and improve with keeping.

Ingredients:

3 sweet red peppers

2 garlic cloves, crushed

45ml chopped parsley

15ml sherry vinegar

25ml olive oil

Salt to taste

Method:

Preheat the grill to high. Place the peppers on a baking sheet and grill for 8-12 minutes, turning occasionally, until the skins have blistered and blackened. Remove the peppers from the heat, place them in a heatproof plastic bag and leave for 5 minutes so that the steam softens the skin and makes it easier to peel.

Make a small cut in the bottom of each pepper and squeeze out any juice into a bowl. Peel away the skin and cut the peppers in half. Remove and discard the core and seeds.

Using a sharp knife, cut each pepper in half lengthways into 1cm-wide strips and place them in a bowl.

Whisk the garlic, parsley, vinegar and oil into the pepper juices. Add salt to taste. Pour this mixture over the pepper strips and toss well. Cover and chill, but bring the peppers back to room temperature before serving.

Pimento Tartlets

These pretty Spanish tartlets are filled with strips of roasted sweet peppers and a cream, cheesy custard. They make a perfect snack to serve with drinks.

To make a different tartlet with a Mediterranean flavour, use strips of grilled brinjal mixed with sun-dried tomatoes in place of the peppers.

Ingredients:

1 red pepper

1 yellow pepper

375ml plain flour

75g chilled butter, diced

30-45ml cold water

60ml double cream

1 egg

15ml grated parmesan cheese

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200˚C and heat the grill.

Place the peppers on a baking sheet and grill for 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until blackened on all sides. Cover with a dish towel and leave for 5 minutes. Peel away the skin, discard the seeds and cut the flesh into very thin strips.

Sift the flour and a pinch of salt into a bowl. Add the butter and rub into the mixture resembling fine breadcrumbs. Stir in enough water to make a firm, not sticky, dough.

Roll the dough out thinly on a lightly floured surface and line 12 individual moulds or a 12-hole tartlet tin or muffin pan. Prick the bases with a fork and fill the pastry cases with crumpled foil. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove the foil and divide the pepper strips among the pastry cases.

Whisk the cream and egg in a bowl. Season and pour over the peppers. Sprinkle each tartlet with parmesan and bake for 15-20 minutes until firm. Cool for 2 minutes, then remove from the pan, transferring them to a wire rack.

Serve warm or cold.

Strawberry Oatmeal Bars

My grandson loves strawberry jam! If I need to get him to eat a sandwich I know if I make it with strawberry jam he'll eat it all, except for the crusts. 
I guess that's something about little children - they don't like chewing the crispy crusts. However, if I give him something home baked, he eats the lot, crunchy or not.
Cute!
These are seriously the most delicious crumbly fruit bars ever. 

They have so much flavour packed in but they only have 4 main ingredients. 

You can also use any jam you have on hand.

Ingredients:
1 (525g) pkg yellow cake mix
625ml oats
190ml melted butter
250ml seedless strawberry jam
15ml water

Method:
Preheat oven to 190ºC. Spray a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray. 

In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, oats and coconut oil so that it's clumpy.

Press ½ of the oats mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan.

In a separate bowl, mix the jam and water and spread over the crust.

Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture evenly over the top.

Bake in preheated oven for 18-23 minutes or until top is lightly browned. 

Cool before cutting into squares to serve.

Enjoy!

Yoghurt Cheese in Olive Oil

Sheep’s milk is widely used in cheese making in the Eastern Mediterranean, particularly in Greece where sheep’s yoghurt is hung in muslin to drain off the whey before patting into balls of soft cheese. Here it’s bottled in extra virgin olive oil with chilli and herbs making an appropriate gift for a friend who enjoys Greek cuisine.

Ingredients:

750g Greek sheep’s yoghurt

2.5ml salt

10ml chilli powder or chilli flakes

15ml chopped fresh rosemary

15ml chopped fresh thyme or oregano

About 300ml olive oil, preferably garlic flavoured

Fills 2 x 450g jars

Method:

Sterilise a 30cm square of muslin or cheesecloth by steeping it in boiling water. Drain and lay over a large plate.

Mix the yoghurt with the salt and tip on to the centre of the muslin. Bring up the sides of the muslin and tie firmly with string. Hang the bag of yoghurt over a large bowl to catch the whey and leave it in a cool place for 2-3 days, or until the whey stops dripping.

Wash thoroughly and dry two 450g glass preserving jars. Sterilise them by heating them in an oven preheated to 150˚C for 15 minutes.

Mix together the chilli and herbs. Take teaspoonfuls of the cheese and roll into balls with your hands. Lower into the jars, sprinkling each layer with the herb mixture.

Pour the olive oil over the soft cheese balls until they are completely covered. Mix gently with the handle end of a wooden spoon in order to blend the flavourings through the olive oil, making sure that you do not break up the cheese balls. Store in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

To serve the cheese, spoon out of the jars with a little of the flavoured olive oil and spread on lightly toasted bread or savoury biscuits.

Filo Cigars with Feta and Herbs

These classic cigar shaped Turkish pastries are popular snack and meze food, good as nibbles with drinks. In this version they are filled with cheese and herbs, but other popular fillings include baked brinjal (aubergine) and cheese, or mashed pumpkin, cheese and dill. The filo pastry can be folded into triangles, but cigars are the most traditional shape. They can be prepared in advance and kept under damp dish towels in the fridge until ready to be fried.

Ingredients:

250g feta

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 small bunch of fresh parsley,

1 small bunch of fresh, finely chopped mint

1 small bunch of fresh, finely chopped dill

4-5 sheets filo pastry

Sunflower oil for deep frying

Method:

In a bowl, mash the feta with a fork. Beat in the egg and fold in the herbs. Working with one sheet at a time, cut the filo into strips about 10-13 cm wide (4-5 inches) and pile the strips on top of each other. Keep the strips covered with a damp dish towel.

Place a heaped teaspoon of the cheese filling along one of the short ends of the strip. Roll the end over the filling quite tightly quite tightly to keep the cheese filling in place, then tuck in the sides to seal in the filling. Continue to roll until you reach the other end. Brush the tip with water to help seal the roll.

Place the filled cigar, join side down, on a plate and cover with a damp dish towel to keep it moist. Continue with the remaining sheets of filo and filling.

Heat enough oil for frying in a wok or other deep sided pan, and deep-fry the cigars in batches for 5-6 minutes until crisp and golden. Lift out of the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on absorbent kitchen paper.

Serve immediately.