Ginger Loaf

Ingredients

3 c cake flour
3 t ground ginger
Pinch of salt
1 c oil
1 c lukewarm water
3 eggs
1 c sugar
2 t mixed spice
1 t baking powder
1 c golden syrup
1 t bicarb in 1/4 c water

Method

Put all the ingredients in a bowl. Beat together until mixed well.
Grease 2 loaf tins.
Divide the mixture between the 2 loaf tins.
Bake @ 180 degrees C for 50 minutes.

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Hints and Tips

To increase butter, add 300 ml boiling milk to 500 g butter. Allow to cool slightly. Beat with a wooden spoon.

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Naomi

Marinated Garlic Fish

Ingredients

1 kg frozen fish fillets (fresh fish can also be used)
Salt and pepper
Cake flour
2 beaten eggs
Sunflower oil for frying
8 garlic cloves
4 small green chillies
1 T dried parsley
500 ml water
250 ml brown vinegar

Method

Season fish porsions with salt and pepper.
Toss the fish porsieons in the flour.
Dip each porsion in the beaten egg.
Fry the fish in oil until golden brown and cooked.
Place the cooked portions in a large dish.
Chop the garlic and chillies. (remove the seeds form the chillies)
Fry the garlic and chillies.
Add the water and vinegar and heat and cook for 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and cook a further 3 minutes.
Pour mixture over fish. Cover and leave to marinate at least five hours in the refrigerator.

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Hints and Tips

Rub fingers with half a lemon to remove vegetable stains.

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Naomi

Curry

This is a very mild but tasty curry.

Ingredients

1/4 t of each of the following:

Mustard seed
Fennel powder
Caraway seed
Sesame seed
Chilli powder
Turmeric
Paprika

1 T masala
2 sticks of cassia
2 bay leaves
2 t fresh ginger and garlic mixed
1 t salt
1 chopped onion
1/2 olive oil
2 chopped tomatoes (skin removed)
Potatoes
500 g meat of your choice (mutton, chicken or beef)

Method

Fry onion, garlic and ginger in olive oil until onions are soft.
Add the rest of the ingredients, except for meat and potatoes. Fry for a few minutes then add the meat and potatoes.
Turn the heat low, cover the pot and let it simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the meat is tender.
Do not add water.

Serve with rice and sambals.

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Hints and Tips

To remove tomato skins easily, cover with boiling water and let it stand for a few minutes. Drain and cover with cold water. Pull skins off. The tomato will still be firm enough for slicing.

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Naomi

Ginger Biscuits

Ingredients

12 c cake flour
5 c sugar
500 g golden syrup
4 t bicarb
4 t cream of tartar
500 g butter (room temperature)
6 eggs
2 level T ground ginger
1 t salt

Method

Mix dry ingredients with butter until it resembles breadcrumbs.
Mix eggs and syrup and add to rest of ingredients.
Knead into a dough.
Form balls the size of wallnuts and place on a baking sheet. (allow enough space between biscuits).
Flatten balls with a fork.
Bake at 200 degrees C for 10 to 15 minutes.

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Hints and Tips

Improve the taste of white sauce served with fish, by adding a pinch of ground ginger to it.

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Naomi

Lasagna

Pasta

500 g green lasagna sheets

Cheese Sauce

Ingredients

50 ml butter
50 ml cake flour
5 ml salt
500 ml milk
250 ml grated cheddar cheese
2 ml mustard powder

Method

Melt butter over low heat, add flour and stir to mix.
Add milk gradually to prevent lumps from forming. Stir continuously.
Cook until sauce thickens.
Remove from heat. Add cheese, mustard and salt. Stir until cheese has melted.

Meat Sauce

Ingedients

500 g mince
125 g chopped bacon
1 large chopped onion
1 garlic clove
1 greenpepper
1 celery stick
1 carrot
1 small tin tomato paste
500 g chopped tomatoes
5 ml salt
2 ml pepper
150 ml dry redwine (or water)
Tobasco sauce
125 ml grated cheddar cheese
12,5 ml oil
12,5 ml butter
1 bayleaf
2 ml marjoram
2 ml oreganum

Method

Fry meat, bacon, onion, garlic, celery and carrot for 6 minutes.
Add rest of ingredients and simmer for 1 hour.

Layer pasta sheets, meat sauce and cheese sauce. End with cheese sauce.
Sprinkle cheese on top.
Bake @ 180 degrees for 30 minutes.

Serve with fresh rolls and a salad

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Hints and Tips

Smooth Icing

Sift icing sugar before making icing to prevent lumps.

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Naomi

Brown Pudding

Ingredients

1 c cakeflour
2 T butter
1/4 c sour milk
1 1/2 t bicarb
2 T golden syrup
2 c water
1 c sugar

Method

Melt butter and syrup. Mix all ingredients with melted butter and syrup, except water and sugar.
Boil water and sugar together until sugar dissolves.
Pour syrup into a greased ovenproof dish. Spoon batter into the syrup.
Cover the dish with a lid or aluminium foil.
Bake @ 180 degrees C for 30 minutes.
Serve hot or cold with cream, ice cream or custard.

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Hints and Tips

To peel boiled eggs easily. Plunge the eggs into cold water after boiling.

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Naomi

Mustard

Ingredients

2 eggs
4 T sugar
Salt
3 T dry mustard powder
1/2 c vinegar

Method

Whisk eggs, sugar. mustard and salt together. Add vinegar.
Cook over a low heat until mixture thickens. Stir constantly.

This is delicious on meat sandwiches and it can be used as a dip for meatballs and viennas on a snack tray.

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Hints and Tips

Onions

If you are short of onions, substitute it with a few teaspoons of onion soup powder.

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Naomi

Bran Muffins

Ingredients

4 eggs
500 ml sugar
190 ml cooking oil
4 c bran
600 ml milk
4 c cake flour
25 ml baking powder
1 ml salt
5 ml vanilla essence
250 g chopped dates
1/2 c chopped pecan nuts (optional)

Method

Beat eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Add oil and mix well.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Spoon mixture into a greased muffin tin.
Bake at 180 degrees for 30 minutes.

Coffee Biscuits

Biscuits

Ingredients

8 c cake flour
1 c sugar
500 g margarine (I use butter)
2 t bicarb
3 heaped t coffee powder disolved in 1/2 c boiling water
1/2 c golden syrup
1 t vanilla essence
Pinch of salt

Method

Beat butter and sugar together until creamy.
Mix bicarb with coffee and syrup. Stir into butter mixture.
Add flour and mix to a stiff dough.
Roll out and cut into shapes. Place onto a baking tin. Bake in a preheated oven @ 200 degrees C.

Filling

Ingredients

1/2 tin condensed milk
1/2 tin butter
1 c sugar

Method

Boil ingredients together until the mixture comes loose from the sides of the pan. It will take plus minus 20 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir 1 t vanilla essence into the mixture.

Sandwich the biscuits together with filling. You have to work fast as the filling will go hard when cold.
The filling is extremely hot, so take care not to burn.

Naomi

Meatballs

Ingredients

750 g mince
2 ml mixed herbs
1 ml ground cloves
7 ml salt
1 ml pepper
2 thick slices of bread (crumbed)
125 ml milk
25 ml vinegar
Flour to roll the meatballs in.
Oil to fry meatballs

Method

Mix all the ingredients, except flour and oil. Form into balls and roll in the flour.
Heat the oil in a pan and fry the meatballs until brown on all sides.
Cover the pan and cook until meatballs are done.
Make gravy with it (see previous post for gravy powder)
Serve with spaghetti, rice or mashed potato.
The meatballs can be served as a snack. Omit the gravy and serve with a mustard dip.

Naomi