​Peach and chilli chutney (mild)

I love going to BacchusMarsh for the fresh seasonal fruit and veggies - takes me back to my childhood and the bottling and jam making that happened every year or more often when Dad’s garden produced bumper crops. I always come away from the roadside stalls with more fruit/veggies than I know what to do with - and then have a huge cook up. A couple of summers ago, I bought a big box of end of season peaches which were going at a great price. I then had to go looking for recipes; I found a couple of delicious peach recipes. (We’re just eating the ladybug the jam now - it keeps well!)
This chutney just disappears out of the fridge. A lovely combination of hot, spicy and the sweet tang of the fruit. Perfect for summer cold meats or in sandwiches, with cheese on a picnic..

Ingredients
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1-2 red onions, sliced
700g (prepared weight) about 8 firm peaches peeled and diced.
3 birds eye chilies (or 6 mild) finely chopped (please wear rubber gloves!)
Thumb-sized piece of ginger peeled and cut into fine matchsticks
1 Tbsp cumin seeds
Cardamom - seeds from 10 pods
3 cloves
2 bay leaves
1/2 bunch of basil
A few sprigs of fresh mint
150g soft brown sugar
200ml cider vinegar
Salt

Method

1. Heat oil in large pan, add onion and cook for a few mins until starting to soften.
2. Add the remaining ingredients, increase the heat and stir to dissolve the sugar.
3. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered until most of the liquid has evaporated and the peaches have softened - about 45 mins.
4. Transfer the chutney to hot jars, seal and leave to cool.

The chutney can be stored in a cool dry place fir up to 1 year (good luck with that!). Once opened, keep in the fridge. They say to eat within 4 weeks but it will last longer than that - if it isn’t gobbled up!
The other peach recipe soon.

​Yogurt cake with honey syrup

This is absolutely delicious, a family favourite. My recipe is on a scrap of paper daubed with ‘who knows what’ from repeated use. It’s a winner.

Ingredients
200g butter softener
220g caster sugar
1 lemon, rind finely grated
3 eggs
260g plain Greek-style yogurt
300g SR flour

Honey syrup
160ml water
75g sugar
80ml honey
1 cinnamon stick
Rind of two lemons removed with peeler in strips

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Grease a 22cm springform pan.
2. Beat butter, sugar and lemon rind until pale and creamy. Add eggs one at a time beating after each addition. Fold in the yogurt alternately with the flour in two batches until just combined.
3. Spoon mixture into pan and smooth with back of spoon. Bake for 50 mins or until cooked when tested with a skewer.
4. Meanwhile to make the syrup, combine ingredients in a medium saucepan and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Simmer for 10 mins.
5. Remove cake from oven, pour over hot syrup and arrange rind on top. Set aside for 10 mins.
6. Remove cake from pan and transfer to wire rack.
7. Serve warm or at room temperature with a dollop of thick cream or Greek-style yogurt on the side.

Chook's note: this can be made in small pans also and frozen along with serving size quantities of the syrup. Simply blitz in microwave when ready to serve.
I haven’t tried this but try substitute some of the flour with almond meal or spelt flour for a denser cake.
Freeze the lemon juice for other dishes.

​Janet’s easy orange cake

A last minute invitation and a friend whipped up this cake to bring for dessert. Absolutely a surprise and totally delicious! Thanks Janet.

Ingredients
1 orange quartered, cored and seeds removed
220g caster sugar
125g butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs at room temperature
225g SR flour

Orange syrup
259ml strained orange juice (fresh or bottled is OK)
270g orange marmalade
80g sugar

Method

1. Preheat over to 180C lightly generate and line an 18cm cake pan.
2. Put the orange, sugar, butter and eggs in a food processor and process till orange is finely chopped.
3. Add the flour and process till just combined.
4. Spoon into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour or until skewer comes out clean.
5. Remove from oven and set aside for 2-3 mins before turning out.
6. To make the syrup
7. Place orange juice, marmalade and sugar in medium saucepan and stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium and boil gently, uncovered, for 5 mins or until syrup reduces slightly.
8. Drizzle warm syrup over cake and serve warm or at room temperature with icecream or cream.

Chook's note: I have made this quantity in a few small cake tins. Perfect for one or two. If baking as small individual cakes, put syrup in small containers sufficient for small servings.
This recipe works every time, it’s easy and quick. It also freezes well as does the syrup - just heat through in the microwave when ready to serve. It’s is a winner!

​Thinking about yummy things and gifts for Festive season.

Don’t panic! there’s still lots of time before Christmas. I just thought I’d get the creative juices trickling with a few ideas.
These can be used as gifts or for your table. I have a collection of pickles and chutneys as well as other delicious goodies. You may not want to make all the pickles but think about making small quantities and giving a selection in pretty little jars as a gift to friends or neighbours.

I will be back to you with recipes for the items below soon but in the meantime I have a couple f simply cake recipes to share with you. Coming up pronto if not sooner!

• Rich butter shortbread
• Rosemary shortbreads
• Cheese straws
• Christmas cakes a deux
• Panforte
• Quince and rosemary jelly
• Chutneys
• Lime pickles

​Yummy sandwich fillings!

On the road our lunches are usually sandwiches and I'm always looking for new delicious fillings. So please share your favourites. Does anyone use watercress or nasturtiums? I’d be in how you prepare the leaves. I have seen recipes that say to wash and then soak in water and vinegar. Any ideas? Please email me pingingchook@gmail.com (yes this account is me, Heather, and is up and running)

Here are a few of my and Lindsay’s favourites.

• Curried tuna and onion (I simply sweat a little onion in butter, add curry powder and cook for a minute or two then stir through drained tuna)
• Pate and red capsicum
• Chopped chicken, cucumber and mayo
• Brie, cucumber and onion
• Brie, red capsicum and capers
• Curried egg with wasabi mayo
• Home cooked corned beef with pickles 
• Grated mozzarella, capsicum, mayo and mustard
• Salmon and onion
• Tuna, onion and cheese
• Cucumber and cheese - tasty (or cream if you prefer)
• Cheese and good zingy chutney
• Prawn salad - chopped prawns with a slop of zingy mayo, finely diced celery and capsicum

Zingy mayo - simply add a dash of wasabi, chilli or Tabasco sauce to your favourite mayo.
If you’re a lettuce lover then throw that in too but remember it will lose its crunch if you prepare your sandwiches ahead.

Chook's note: Sandwiches can be dry or mushy, but you don’t want them soggy either. Creating a balance is critical. Depending on the thickness of the bread, I like to add a smear of mayo and maybe Dijon mustard for a little moisture and a hint of zing.
I rarely add tomato to sangers because it tends to make them too wet - unless you’re going to eat them straight away. (A flash back here to the kitchen when I was growing up. Mum usually had a crust of bread or two on the side while making sandwiches. Tomato or beetroot were usually sitting draining on these.) But back to the red sandwich vege. I have replaced tomato with red capsicum. Tasty and moist and adds a bit of crunch.
Go easy on the herbs as they can be a bit overpower. Having said that however I love chicken with a generous topping if fresh coriander leaves. Yum!
Onion adds great depth of flavour to many fillings but use carefully. Too much will spoil the main flavour.

Prolong: I hated sandwiches as a child at school. So my darling mum tried to temp me by creating surprises - apple, cinnamon and sugar, honey cut into tiny bit sizes, beetroot which I loved, and Milo!
I was a finicky eater; look at me now - can you believe that?!

Fennel Braised in Orange Juice

This can be served as a vegetable dish warm or cold as a salad.
Another of the delicious recipes Lamb's Ears and Honey, Thanks Amanda.

Ingredients
2 large bulbs of fennel
2 oranges
50 mls good quality olive oil
¼ cup currants
¼ cup toasted sliced almonds
salt
pepper

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 160C
2. Chop the hard end off the fennel and slice in ½-1 cm slices, toss in a baking dish with the olive oil and season to taste.
3. Add grated zest and juice of one orange, combine well.
4. Cover dish with aluminium foil, but leave a gap at either end of the dish for steam to escape.
5. Place in oven and cook, stirring every half hour or so. Do not let it brown or dry out.
6. After 1½ hours add the juice of another half orange and the currants, stir, cover and cook for another ½-1 hours, until the fennel is very soft, but not mushy.
To serve, freshen the dish up with juice from the other ½ orange and a bit more zest. Sprinkle with toasted almonds.
Serves 5

​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 
​
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.