​Almond and Orange Zest Dense Butter Cake

This is one of Amanda McInerney's of Lamb's Ears and Honey. Thanks Amanda. I just love your recipes. You can subscribe to her blog from the website. ​http://www.lambsearsandhoney.com 
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Ingredients
1 cup caster sugar
1 egg
170 gms butter, melted, then cooled slightly
1 tsp almond extract
½ cup almond meal
1 cup plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
zest of one orange
½ cup flaked almonds

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 175C. Grease and line a 23cm cake pan.
2. Beat the sugar and egg well together in a large bowl.
3. Beat in cooled, melted butter until all combined. (If the butter is too hot it will cook the egg.)
4. Stir in almond extract, orange zest and almond meal, then add flour, baking powder and salt, stirring until just combined.
5. Pour into prepared cake pan and sprinkle top evenly with the flaked almonds.
6. Bake for 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the cake to loosen it. Cool on a cake rack.

​Boiled Fruit Cake

This is the recipe for the cake I posted last with thanks to Merran Green from DreamPot
This has been a winner with all who have tried it.

Ingredients
'The hot gooey bits' - Group 1
375g mixed dried fruit
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup water
125g butter
1 tsp mixed spice (I used 1/2 tsp of Garam masala, it was all I had)

'The rest' - Group 2
1/2 cup sherry or whatever strong liquor you have on hand (I used Whiskey liqueur - delicious)
2 lightly beaten eggs
2 tbsp marmalade
1 cup SR flour
1 cup wholemeal plain flour
1/2 tsp bicarb soda
3-4 tbsp blanched almonds to taste

Method
Combine Group 1 ingredients in saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer for 3 mins. Cool
Mix in liquor, beaten eggs and marmalade, then fold in dry ingredients.
Spoon into greased 15 cm cake tin or large loaf tin greased and lined with foil.
Cover the pan with greased foil and secure well.
Place in large DreamPot on 3-4cm trivet and carefully pour 5-6 cups of hot water around the pan to come halfway u the side of the pan. Cover with lid and bring to the boil.
Gently boil for 30-45 mins (I prefer a longer time).
Check from time to time to ensure the pot hasn't boiled dry. Then place in large DreamPot, close the outer lid and leave for 3-4 hours.
Allow to cool with the lid off before removing the pan. Allow cake to cool before turning it out.
It's a moist yummy cake.

Chook's note: this could easily be cooked in a conventional oven but you would need to keep temperatures low and cook about 2-3hours - check your stove requirements.

​Icky Sticky pudding plus ....

We have just spent time catching up with family in Perth and as is the customer we all got together and ate! Way too much of course but there were a few thibgs not to be missed Natalie's Icky Sticky Puddings and gluten free Sultana loaf. Thanks Nat!

The Puddings
* 340 gm date
* 2 tsp bicarb
* 500 ml water
Bring to the boil then cool

* 340 gm brown sugar
* 120 hm butter
* 1 tsp vanilla
* 4 eggs
* 340 g SR flour

Combine the ingredients above then add the cooled date mixture.
Bake at 150 degrees for 1 hour or for muffin size puds, bake for 25-30 mins.

Mandatory sauce to serve
* 400 gm brown sugar
* 200 ml cream
* 250 ml butter
Heat together till thick.

For gluten and lactose free version use gluten-free flour and substitute cream with coconut cream. Serve with whipped coconut cream (drain the liquid off a can of coconut cream and whip the solids). This version tastes just as yummy.

Sultana Loaf - easy peasy
Another gluten-free sweetie from Nat.

1. Soak 375 gm sultanas overnight in 400 ml apricot nectar
2. Add to 2 cups SR gluten-free to the fruit-nectar and mix.
3. Bake at 200 degree for 30-35 mins.

Spread with butter or serve as is.

​Pinging our way north September 2017

The Gibbs River Road and other rough roads just about did our freezer door in. Thank goodness for duct tape! For the past 6 weeks it has been holding everything together. It's fixed - hooray! And I have cooked up a storm to restock ready for our last long leg home.
A newie I tried today is boiled fruit cake in the DreamPot. Looking forward to the first cut!

All we need to accompany that is a wee sip of whiskey or better yet of Pinging Chook gin! Can you beieve it? My beautiful daughter in law made a special concoction at a master class last week and named it the Pinging Chook. Thank you gorgeous. Can't wait to try it!

​

Potato gratin

* 2 tbsp butter
* 3 lg potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
* Salt & pepper
* 1 cup of milk or 1/2 milk and 1/2 cream
* 1/2 cup grated cheese

Method
1. Melt butter in large heavy based pan (small camp oven would work) over medium heat
2. Layer the potatoes, season and over milk/cream.
3. When milk begins to simmer, reduce heat and cook for 20-25 mins until potatoes are tender.
4. Sprinkle with cheese and cook 3-4 mins to melt cheese. If you like a browned top, give it a blast with your kitchen torch or put under the griller (if you have one).

Chooks note: recipe thanks to Catherine Lawson, ON THE ROAD, September 2016.
Catherine serves this with red wine steaks. We cooked this in a bush camp and it was delish!

Red wine sauce
1. Melt 2 tbsp butter and cook 1 finely sliced red onion until soft.
2. Add 1 tbsp brown sugar and cook for ~10 mins to caramelise the onions; stir occasionally.
3. Slowly pour in 1/2 cup red wine and 1/2 cup beef stock. Bring to the boil and simmer uncovered for 10 mins.
If you find it too sweet cut back on the sugar
Serve over your favourite cut of grilled steak or Salisbury steak (rissoles)

Turn it into onion jam - reduce amount of stock, add a dash of vinegar (perhaps Chinese black) and Worcestershire sauce. Great on sandwiches or with cheese.

​Beef Stroganoff a la caravan

I bought mushrooms cheap the other day so have dug out a couple of favs - mushroom risotto with pearl barley (see earlier post) and stroganoff. I often make strog with chicken but I had beef so that's what I used this time.

Ingredients
* plain flour
* 500g lean beef strips (or chicken thigh)
* 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
* 1 brown onion, thinly sliced
* 250g mushrooms, sliced
* 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
* ½ - 1 cup beef stock
* ½ - 1tsp paprika to taste (sweet or smoked) – optional
* A smidgeon of chilli flakes – optional
* A few slivers of preserved lemon or lemon zest (whatever you have) – adds to the essential sourness of the dish
* 2-3 tbsp sour cream to taste
* Pasta to serve

Method
1. Lightly flour meat (chicken works as well as beef but use thigh meat for flavor).
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in frying pan. Add the beef. Cook over high heat until meat is browned, stirring occasionally. Remove.
3. Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
4. Increase heat to high. Add mushrooms. Cook for a few minutes, or until just tender.
5. Add beef to the onion and mushroom mixture. Stir in stock and Worcestershire sauce and other optional ingredients if desired. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low.
6. Simmer until meat is tender and sauce has thickened (you can always add a little flour to thicken the sauce if necessary).
7. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream – or if you are like me you can stir it in earlier. It gives a richer flavour (even if the cream splits a little)

Serve with pasta and greens.

Chook’s note: I rarely have sour cream in the caravan but I usually have long life cream. I sour this little boxy number with lemon juice, zest, preserved lemon, whatever I have on hand. Takes me back to the 1960s and making French onion dip with packet soup and sour cream which we had to sour ourselves.  Remember?

​Minestrone Soup

This is Jamie Oliver's recipe highly recommended by my friend Pat. Pat suggests cooking with a friend to share the chopping and of course to increase the enjoyment factor! Thanks Pat.

Ingredients
3 tbsp olive oil
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 leeks, sliced
2 carrots, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
300g potatoes, diced
1.5 L boiling stock or water [Pat uses 1L veg stock plus ½ L water]
Sea salt and pepper
50g small macaroni or dried soup pasta
400g canned chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
½ pkt soup mix, soaked overnight, drained; OR  400g tinned borlotti beans, rinsed
200g (1 bunch) silverbeet leaves, roughly chopped
2 zucchini, roughly chopped
To serve
2 tbsp pesto
2 tbsp grated Parmesan

Method
* Heat olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed stockpot, add celery, leeks, carrots and garlic. Cook over gentle heat for 10 minutes.
* Add potatoes and water or stock and bring to the boil, skimming surface if necessary. Lower heat, add salt and pepper and simmer, partly covered, for 20 minutes.
* Cook pasta in a pot of simmering salted water until al dente, then drain.
* Add tomatoes, tomato paste, beans and silverbeet leaves to soup and simmer 10 minutes.
* Add zucchini and simmer for 10 minutes or until the soup is nice and thick (mash a few of the beans to thicken it further).
* Add pasta and heat through. Serve in warm pasta bowls and top with a spoonful of pesto, grated parmesan and extra pepper.

Serves 4
Tip: Jamie Oliver suggests using up all those half-used bags of pasta at the back of your cupboard.
Happy cooking!!

Chook's comment: this is a seasonal soup and evolved using what ever vegetables were available. This can be made in the DreamPot or slow cooker.