Olive Damper

Ingredients

3&1/2 cups of self raising flour

1/2 cup of polenta

50g of butter chopped (best straight from the fridge)

3/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese

1 cup of.mixed green and black olives, sliced

1 tbsp of  chopped rosemary

2 cups.of buttermilk

Salt to taste

Sprig of rosemary to.serve

Method

Preheat oven to 220c (200C fan forced)

In a large bowl, combine the flout, polenta and 1/2 cup of parmesan. Add the butter and use your fingertips the rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

Add in the olives and rosemary. Form a well in the centre of the mixture and add in the buttermilk.stirring with a spatula until you have a sticky dough. 

Turn put onto a floured surface and kneed gently until.smooth, adding more flour if needed.

Form into a circular.shape and place on baking paper on a large baking tray. With a sharp knife cut a cross into the top of the dough and then sprinkle.With the remaining.g parmesan and salt if you like.

Bake for 45 minutes. You can tell it's done if you tap with your knuckle and it sounds hollow.

Slice and serve warm with butter or olive oil.

Avocado bread

It's green!

Ingredients

1 cup of plain flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp of baking soda

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp all spice

Pinch of salt

1/4 cup of butter, softened

1 mashed avocado - as smooth as you can get it.

1 large egg/4 teaspoon of vanilla essence

1/4 tsp of lime juice (this keeps the loaf green!)

Method

Preheat the oven to 180c and grease a small loaf pan with butter.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, and salt. 

In another bowl, whisk the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg and vanilla and then add.in the mashed avocado and lime juice. Gently fold in the flour mix, being careful not to over mix.

Spoon the thick batter  into the prepared pan and bake for 35-45 minutes or until an inserted wooden toothpick comes back out clean clean. Remove to a wore rack to cool. Serve in slices.

Asian baked whole fish

Ingredients

For the sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup oyster sauce

4 garlic cloves minced or grated

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp lime or lemon juice

2 spring onions sliced into thin diagonal

For the fish

1 large fish (e.g. Snapper) gutted and devalued

Lemon or lime.slices

2 spring onions sliced into thin diagonal

Handful of basil leaves chopped or torn.

Method

Preheat the oven to 220C (209C fan forced) 

Cut vertical slices into the fish on both sides. Place the fish on a large piece of Aluminum foil on a baking tray.

Stuff the inside of the fish with spring onions, half the basil and 2 or 3 slices of.lemon or lime. 

Combine all the sauce ingredients in a bowl. Baste the fish with about half the sauce on both sides.

With a second piece of foil cover the fish and crimp.around the edges to seal.

Place into the oven and cook for 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven, carefully remove the top piece of foil and baste the fish with the remaining sauce. Cover the fish again and get in to the oven for a further 15 minutes.

Remove the top foil, decorate with lemon or lime.pieces and the remaining basil. Serve on a large platter to share. Great with rice and waited green beans.

Welsh Cakes

Ingredients

225g of self-raising flour

1 pinch of salt

100g of butter and a bit extra for cooking

50g of caster sugar, and a bit extra for sprinkling

50g of currants

1 egg 

3 tbsp milk

Method

Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl 

With your finger tips, rub in the butter. Until the mixture looms like breadcrumbs

Add the sugar and currants and mix in

Whisk the egg and milk together.Add to the dry mix and stir until you have a stiff dough.

Roll the dough out on a lightly flouredsurface until 4 - 5mm  thick. Stamp out rounds with a cookie cutter.

Heat a griddle or a heavy frying pan over a medium heat until hot and grease with a little butter. Cook the Welsh cakes for 3 to 4 minutes each side, until they rise slightly and are golden brown.

Remove to a wire cooling rack and sprinkle both sides of each Welsh cake with sugar.

Best  eaten warm.

Thai fish cakes

Ingredients

2 large pieces of white fish, patted dry and finely chopped

2 eggs

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

2 spring onions finely chopped

2 tablespoons of red curry paste

Basil leaves, finely chopped, to taste

1 tsp fish sauce 

Oil for frying

Method

In a large bowl combine all the ingredients

Form the mixture into golf ball sized balls in your hands

Heat the oil in a frying pan, then add 3 or 4 of the balls.

With a flat spatula, gently flatten the balls into burger shapes. Cook gently and flip when browned slightly on the bottom. Continue frying until done - about 5 to 7 minutes.

Serve with sweet chilli sauce.

Crunchy, pink, pickled turnips

Ingredients

3 to 4 turnips, peeled and cut into wedges. We grow turnips so I like to use the small ones that get left over.

1 small beetroot, peeled and cut into wedges. This makes the pickles go pink

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1 cup vinegar - any vinegar you fancy. I like cider vinegar but have used malt and white.

1 cup water

1/4 tsp sugar

Sterilized sealable jar(s)

Method

In a small saucepan, add the vinegar, water, garlic and sugar and bring to the boil. Simmer for 2 minutes.

Add the turnips and the beetroot to the jar.

Carefully pour the pickling mixture into the jar until the turnips are covered. Seal the jar tightly.

Pickles are ready in 48 hours and will keep for a week after you open.

Jamaican Style Fish Curry

Simple aromatic fish curry. Serve over rice or with roti.

Ingredients

1 onion finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finely grated

1.5 cm cube of fresh ginger, grated

1 small red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

2 tablespoons mild curry powder

1 green capsicum, roughly chopped

2 spring onions, chopped

1 can coconut milk

2 large fillets of white fish chopped into 3-4 cm pieces

Small bunch of thyme

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

Method

In a frying pan, fry the fish pieces gently in a little oil turning frequently so that all sides are sealed. No need to cook the fish through.  Remove to a plate.

 

In a large skillet. Heat some oil and fry the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli until they start to soften. Add the curry powder and the spring onion and capsicum and fry for 1-2 minutes.

Add the coconut milk and the fish and salt to taste. Lie the bunch of thyme across the top of the sauce, cover the pan and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes until fish is tender.

 

Serve with rice and/or butter roti.