Fresh Coconut Cake with Lime and Cranberry Syrup

This is an ideal cake to use for Birthdays as it keeps well for more than 5 days.  I added alcohol in cake mixture to extend shelf life. This recipe makes 30cmx40cm Rectangular cake or 35cm diameter round.

250g butter
8 eggs
400g Caster Sugar
400g freshly grated Coconut(approx 2 med size coconuts)
400g Self Raising Flour
50g Rice flour
4 tablespoons Malibu
250ml Fresh Cream
75ml inside juice from Fresh Coconut
Grated rind of 1 Lime
1 tsp bicarbonate of Soda

Cranberry Lime Syrup
4 Tablespoons Rum
1 Tablespoon Cranberry Jam
Jucie of 1 Lime
1/2 cup caster Sugar
1/4 cup water

Using a food mixer, cream butter and sugar till pale and fluffy.  Add eggs 1 at a time beating on low speed. Sift flours. Lift fitting from mixture, add sifted flours, coconut  Cream, rind, Malibu and bicarbonate of soda.  Lower down beater again and beat for 2 minutes on low speed to reach a  nice cake mixture.  Butter cake pan and pour mixture.  Arrange top evenly with a spatula.  Bake in a 170c oven for 3/4 hours till cake is completely cooked when tested with skewer.  Remove from oven, prick with skewer all over, and pour syrup on top.
To Make Syrup
Put all ingredients in a small pan and bring to boil stirring until sugar has completely dissolved.

Stilton and Broccoli Sedani with Cheesy Nutty Crusts

Give height to your plates by making these simple parmesan crusts.  I added chopped walnuts for extra crunch!

500g Sedani or other hollow short Pasta
1 medium Broccoli
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
1 cup chicken stock
2 cups milk
1 tbsp flour
75g stilton cheese
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
grated nutmeg

Cheese Nutty Crusts
1 cup Grated Parmesan cheese
few chopped walnuts

Prepare Walnut Parmesan crusts by putting 1 heaped teaspoon parmesan  cheese on a baking tray next to eachother make sure to leave enough room to spread.  Sprinkle chopped walnuts on top and bake in 180c oven for 15minutes until golden. Remove from oven, leave to cool in tray.

Bring a large pan of salted water to boil, add pasta and cook al dente.  Meanwhile heat olive oil and butter in a large frying pan, add finely chopped onions and crushed garlic and fry gently till onions are translucent.  Add 1 tablespoon flour and stir for 1 minute to cook flour. Add chicken stock and stir to create a thick paste.  Add milk to loosen up. Cut broccoli into little florets add to sauce, add crumbled stilton on top and grated nutmeg. Cover with lid and simmer gently for 5 minutes till broccoli is cooked to a bite. 

Drain Pasta and transfer to Broccoli Sauce, stir well and serve with cheese crusts on top.

Fish Cakes with Honey Tomato and Caper Salsa

Fish Cakes
500g white fish fillets
5 crab sticks
1 potato
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp rice flour
1tsp chicken powder
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chopped fresh herbs
2 eggs
Salt & Pepper
Olive oil for shallow frying

Honey & Caper Tomato Salsa
400g tomato pulp
1 tbsp honey
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons capers in vinegar
salt & pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

Prepare the fish cakes by, peeling potato  and cut into quarters and boil in salted water for 20 minutes until just tender. Poach fish fillets in water till just tender.  Peel onions and garlic and chop coarsely.  Transfer to a food processor and pulse to fine chop. Add fish, potatoes, crab sticks, rice flour, chicken powder, olive oil , herbs eggs and salt & pepper and pulse to reach  a  coarse mixture.  Take a spoonful of mixture and form small patties, gently fry in olive oil till golden brown. Serve with Honey and Caper tomato Salsa. Garnish with Lime wedges and fresh parsely.

Honey and Caper Tomato Salsa

Heat olive oil in a small pan, add garlic and fry till golden.  Add tomatoes and honey and simmer gently for 15 minutes to obtain a slight reduction.  Season to taste, add herbs and capers. Turn off heat immediately.

Kannoli

When I was little, every other Saturday, I used to wake up with the noise of a fairly young man and his horse shouting  'Rikotta Helwa' which means 'Sweet Ricotta'. In our village, it was very popular to see sellers with their horse, or even donkey pulling wooden carts selling home made produce, like pickles, flowers, and in this case naturally sweet ricotta.  Later on in life, I saw Tevye selling milk in Fiddler on the Roof and each time I watch him singing and pouring milk, cannot help but return to my sweet childhood memories of this 'man' selling his deliscious ricotta. The following recipe is a tribute to my Aunt Karm, who eagerly bought this creamy delicacy and made Kannoli taste so special.

For the Pastry
300g plain flour
Juice of 1 orange
2 eggs
1 tablespoon sugar
Pinch salt

For the Filling
500g Ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons candied peel
2 tablespoons icing sugar
2 tablespoons Anisette Ouzo or Sambuca
100g chopped chocolate
2 tablespoons chopped glaced cherries
2 tablespoons crushed roasted hazelnuts

Extra
75g plain chocolate
Icing sugar for Dusting
Oil for deep frying

Make the pastry by putting flour, juice of an orange, eggs sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse till a ball of dough forms. Remove and wrap in cling film and let the dough chill for 15 minutes. Lightly oil 12 cannoli tubes. Using enough flour pass dough through pasta machine till very thin, approx 2.5 setting. Cut into long strips the width of your cannoli tubes. Cut into squares and ensure to overlap by 5mm when wrapped around the cannoli tubes. Place seam side down on a flour dusted baking tray. Deep fry in olive oil, remove cannoli tubes from pastry when completely cold. Cannoli shapes keep well for up to a week in an air tight container.
Make the ricotta filling by putting ricotta in a bowl and mash till smooth. Add sugar and stir well. Add candied peel, anisette, chopped chocolate, and chopped glaced cherries and mix well. Transfer mixture to a piping bag with 1 cm round plain nozzle.
Melt chocolate over baine marie, brush chocolate on the inside of each cannolo, this will help to keep the crisp for longer. Pipe ricotta mixture into each cannolo, press sides into crushed roasted hazelnuts. Arrange on a serving plate and dust with icing sugar.

Tip
Extra pastry can be cut into small rectangles and shaped into bows, or long strips and pinch sides every inch and roll into rosette as in the image. Deep fry in olive oil and drench with honey. Dust with cinnamon powder and crushed nuts and serve with coffee.

Fine Sliced Octopus with Lime Honey Dressing

1 Kg Octopus
2 bay leaves
1 Head Garlic
few pepper corns
Bunch fresh mint
Bunch fresh Marjoram
1/2 lemon

For the Dressing
Juice of 1 Lime
3 Tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine
2 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon mustard
salt & pepper
1 tbsp chopped fresh herbs(chives, mint, parseley)

Wash octopus thoroughly, add to a large pan with bay leaves, head garlic sliced in two, (do not peel) , pepper corns, herbs and half a lemon, fill with water just covering and bring to boil. Cook octopus on low heat for 35-45 minutes until tender. Remove from heat and cool in liquid. Lift octopus and put in a plastic bag. Roll bag to a sausage shape and chill overnight.
Make the dressing by whisking all the ingredients in  a small bowl. Remove octopus from plastic bag, and it should hold its shape. Thinly cut into slices, arrange on a serving plate and drizzle the dressing on top.  Serve with crusty bread.

Warm Octopus Salad

1 kg Octopus
1 celery Stick
1 cinnamon stick
few pepper corns
5 cardamom pods
1 star anise
1 sprig rosemary
1 bay leaf
small bunch fresh marjoram
1 onion
2 Tomatoes
1 heaped teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4cup extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp chopped olives
2 tbsp capers in vinegar
1 tbsp chopped fresh herbs(parsely,mint)
few sliced lemons for garnish

Wash and clean octopus under cold running water. Put in a large pan and cover with water.  Add celery stick, cinnamon, pepper corns, cardamom pods, anise rosemary bayleaf and marjoram. Bring to boil and cook for 30minutes until octopus is just tender. Meanwhile, finely chop the onion and transfer to a large mixing bowl, add finely chopped tomatoes, paprika, herbs, lemon juice, capers olives and olive oil and mix well. Drain Octopus and cut into bite size pieces and add to marinade. Mix well and garnish with lemon slices.  Serve with hot crusty bread.

Smoked Salmon and Prawn Ravioli

1 Quantity of Ravioli dough (see recipe for tortellini)
Filling
400g Shelled and Deveined Prawns (tiger Prawns are best)
150g smoked Salmon
2 egg whites
1 tsp cornflour
2 sundried tomatoes.

Warm Tomato & Onion Salsa
4 Tomatoes Peeled and Chopped
1 small Onion finely diced
Tbsp fresh Herbs
salt & pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter

4-6 rashers Panchetta 1 for each portion.

Prepare ravioli filling by simply putting everything in a food processor and pulse till all combined. Mixture should not be smooth.
Pass dough through pasta machine till silky smooth. Open to rectangular strips on setting number 3. Fill with 1 tsp filling leaving 1 inch space from one raviola to another. Brush some water around filling and place another strip of pastry over. Using cupped hands press gently around filling ensure that no air is trapped inside and that pastry is tightly sealed. Cut around filling so that each raviola is roughly 2inch by 2inch square. Place on a floured surface.

Prepare Salsa by gently frying the onions, in oil and butter until soft. Turn off heat, add tomatoes herbs and seasonings. Stir and cover until serving time.

Place panchetta rashers on a baking tray and bake for 15minutes in 220c oven until crispy.

Bring a large pan of boiling water, and boil ravioli for 5 minutes until cooked.  Drain and serve with warm tomato and onion Salsa, and garnish with panchetta crisps. 

Yorkshire Pudding

This is a convenient recipe I find useful when I run out of bread. I prepare batter the first thing, I leave it to rest and just ten minutes before serving I pour it in the already hot muffin tray. It only takes 10 minutes to have beautifully risen individual puddings and they accompany well with all kind of roasts.

1 cup plain flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup water

Sun flower oil.

2 eggs

Put all ingredients except oil in a jug and using hand blender whizz to a smooth batter. Cover with cling film and leave to rest for about 20 minutes. Heat oven to 210c pour 1/2 tsp oil in each muffin hole of a 12 deep muffin tray. Put the oiled muffin tray in oven and heat for 5 minutes. 10 minutes before serving pour the batter evenly in the muffin tray to reach 2/3 of each hole. Bake for 10 minutes or till puffed and golden brown. Serve immediately.

Duck Breast with onion cranberry marmalade and Carrot and Sprout Salsa

This is a gourmet mid week family meal. I used Brussels sprouts and carrots as an accompanying vegetables as they are the only survivors left in my garden following a very harsh winter weather. I also added some Yorkshire pudding which I baked for 10 minutes with the duck. Recipe is for four persons.

2 duck breasts

2 onions finely sliced

1/4 tsp mixed spice

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp cranberry jam or conserve

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup port

1 tsp English mustard

1 tsp chicken powder

Salt & Pepper

4 medium carrots peeled and thickly sliced

300g Brussels sprouts

3 tomatoes peeled and seeded

100g cubed panchetta

1/4 cup water

Salt & pepper

Make the onion and cranberry marmalade by gently fry the onions in 1 tbsp olive oil until soft, add mixed spice, cranberry jam, water port and chicken powder and simmer gently covered for 15 minutes. When all liquids have nearly evaporated add mustard season with salt and pepper and turn off heat.
Heat a large frying pan, score the skin of duck breast with a sharp knife season with salt and pepper and dry fry skin side down. Cover so that grease will not splatter all over! After 5 minutes drain fat, turn breast and cook for just 1 minute. Transfer breasts to baking tray always skin side down and bake in a hot 210c oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and leave to rest for 5 mins covered with a piece of foil.

In the same pan which you fried the breast, gently fry the panchetta, add carrots, sprouts and water and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and seasonings. Cover and cook for further 5 minutes.

Slice duck breast diagonally, serve half duck breast per portion with carrot and sprout salsa, and onion and cranberry marmalade with Yorkshire puddingshttp://marthesefood.blogspot.com/2012/01/yorkshire-pudding.html. Yum Yum!

Kibbeh

Base of this recipe is chickpeas. As nuts I used pistachios.  Serve with yoghurt dip.

300g cooked chickpeas
1 tablespoon Indian gram flour or chickpea flour
1 large egg
200 g ground pistachios
salt & pepper
tbsp chopped fresh coriander
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp oil

Blend all ingredients in a food processor forming a coarse paste.  Heat oil for deep fry and using two tablespoons form quenelles from the mixture and fry till golden.  Serve with Yoghurt mixed with lemon salt and touch of sugar.

Cherry Gelato,

800ml Milk
500ml Fresh Cream
6 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp amaretto liquor
1 vanilla pod
1 cinnamon stick
2 tsp gelatin powder
1 tsp cornflour
1 cup pitted cocktail cherries, stalks removed. 

Put Milk, cream and cinnamon stick in a saucepan, scoop seeds from Vanilla pod and put both seeds and pod in Milk and heat until it nearly boils.  Whisk egg yolks and sugar until pale and fluffy, add cornflour and mix well.  Dissolve gelatin in two tablespoons hot water and put in yolk mixture, Strain milk  through fine sieve into yolk mixture stirring continuously.  Transfer custard back to pan and stir on low heat until it thickens to cover the back of wooden spoon.  Turn of heat and let the mixture cool.  Add liquor, stir well.  When completely cold transfer mixture in two batche to ice cream machine and churn to a smooth ice cream consistency.  Pack ice cream in freezing plastic containers layering with cocktail cherries. Bring out from freezer 15 minutes before serving.

Pita Bread

I have been blessed with an outdoor cooking device, wood oven, and food comes out with an indescribable flavor. Breads, cakes, roasts and stews are good candidates for wood oven and slow cooking helps food develop an earthy flavor. Pizza and pita cooks in seconds, so keep a watchful eye all the time.

1 kilo plain flour
170g Greek yoghurt
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp oil
1 cup warm milk
14g dried yeast
1 cup warm water
1 large egg

Put all ingredients in a mixer and using a hook, knead for 8 minutes till smooth. Turn off machine and cover with tea towel. Leave to prove for 1 hour until double in bulk. Lower hook again and knead for further 5 minutes. Divide dough into 30 equal portions. Knead into balls and set on floured surface. Using a rolling pin roll each ball into thin oval pita shapes and bake in a hot oven 220c or wood oven.

Doughnuts

Once in a while you should allow yourself to extreme indulgence. This is one of the quickest recipe I ever tried.  Cooked doughnuts can be frozen.

600g plain flour
4 eggs
440ml milk
18g dried yeast
80g butter
75g sugar
1 tsp salt

Heat milk till Luke-warm,turn off heat and add chopped butter. In a food mixer with k beater attached sift in the flour. Add yeast, salt, sugar, eggs and milk and butter mixture. Beat for 5 minutes on low speed. Turn off machine and cover mixture to proove till double in bulk for approx 1 hour. Heat oil in a large wok using two tablespoons to shape small balls of dough, deep fry until golden. Dust with caster sugar. Serve with jam and cream or drizzle with runny honey!