Caramom Muffins

Ingredients

175gms Margarine

90gms Dark Brown Sugar

1 Egg, beaten

15mls Water

225gms Carrots, grated

150gms Plain Flour

1 teasp Baking Powder

½ teasp Bicarbonate of Soda

1 teasp Cinnamon

½ teasp Salt

little Demerara Sugar for sprinkling

Method

Preheat oven to 180C

Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases

Cream together the margarine and sugar

Beat in the egg and water

Stir in the carrots

Stir in the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon

Mix thoroughly

Spoon mixture into the paper cases

Sprinkle the top of each one with a little Demerara sugar

Bake for 35 minutes

White Bean and Olive Oil Puree

Ingredients

400g/14ozs tin Butter Beans, drained and rinsed

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

Method

Puree the beans roughly in a food processor, adding enough water to make a Greek yoghurt like consistency.

Season with salt and pepper and stir in 1tbs olive oil.

Pile on to a plate and drizzle with olive oil.

Serve with ciabatta, lightly toasted, drizzled with olive oil and rubbed with garlic.

Hazelnut and Cranberry Raised Pie

Ingredients

For the pastry:
350g/12 oz Plain White Flour
pinch of Salt
5ml/1tsp Baking Powder
100g/4oz Butter or hard Vegan Margarine*
175ml/6 fl oz Water
1 free range Egg beaten, or Soya Milk* to glaze,

For the filling:
30ml/2tbsp Oil
1 Onion, peeled and finely chopped
225g/8oz Spinach, washed and chopped
100g/4 oz roasted Hazelnuts, finely ground
100g/4 oz Ground Almonds
100g/4 oz Breadcrumbs
5ml/1tsp Rosemary
5ml/1tsp Thyme
5ml/1tsp Shoyu/Soy
30ml/2 tbsp Tahini or Peanut Butter
300ml/ ½ pint light Stock (bouillon powder)

For the cranberry layer:
50g/2oz Sultanas soaked in a little brandy
150ml/5 fl oz Water
225g/8oz Cranberries
175g/6oz Sugar

Method

Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7. Make the filling first: Heat the oil and fry the onion until soft. Add the spinach and fry for 3 minutes. Mix the nuts, breadcrumbs and herbs together in a large bowl. Add the shoyu/soy and tahini/peanut butter and enough stock to give a moist texture. Season to taste and allow to cool. For the cranberry layer: Put the sultanas in brandy, water, cranberries and sugar into a saucepan. Bring to the boil and cook, covered until the cranberries pop (about 5-10 minutes). Remove from the heat and allow to cool. For the pastry: Mix the flour, salt and baking powder together in a large mixing bowl. Melt the fat and water together in a saucepan and bring to the boil. When boiling fast add the liquid into the flour and mix together quickly. As soon as you can handle the pastry, quickly knead it to a smooth dough. Mould 2/3 of the pastry into a 20cm/8 inch spring mould tin, using your knuckles to work it into the corners and up the sides. Keep the remaining 1/3 warm while doing this, by wrapping in cling film and placing on top of a warm kettle lid (the heat and steam will keep it warm and moist). Fill the mould with half the hazelnut filling packing it down well. Top with half of the cranberry layer. Repeat the layers. Roll out the remaining 1/3 pastry to form a lid. Moisten the edges and place the lid on top of the filling. Press the edges down and flute them with your fingers or a fork. Trim the edges and decorate the top with holly leaves cut out from the pastry trimmings. Glaze with egg or soya milk. Make a hole in the middle for the steam to escape and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 190C/375F/Gas 5 and continue to bake for a further 50 minutes, until golden. This pie makes a wonderful Christmas centrepiece served hot or cold.

Mushroom Stuffed Filo Parcels

Ingredients 6 medium-sized Field Mushrooms (flat) oil to fry the mushrooms 225g/8oz packet fresh or frozen Filo Pastry 25g/1oz Butter or vegan Margarine*, melted 30ml/6tsp Cranberry or Redcurrant sauce extra Cranberry or Redcurrant sauce, to serve Ingredients for Hazelnut Stuffing 1 packet Vegetarian Stuffing mix, eg. parsley, lemon and thyme 1 small Onion, finely chopped 1 stick Celery, finely chopped 15g/1/2oz Butter or Vegan Margarine* 25-50g/1-2oz roasted Hazelnuts, chopped Milk, dairy or soya*, for binding Method Pre-heat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas Mark 5. Fry the mushrooms for 3-4 minutes on each side until tender, then cool. Make up the stuffing mix of your choice. Fry the onion and celery in the butter or margarine*, and then add the stuffing mix and hazelnuts. Add a little milk (dairy or soya*) if necessary to bind together. Leave to cool. Fill each flat field mushroom with the stuffing mixture. Take 3 sheets of filo pastry at a time. Cut in half so you have 10 12.5cm/4-5 inch squares. Take one square and brush with a little melted butter or margarine. Place another square on top at an angle, and brush again. Do the same with a third sheet. Place a stuffed mushroom in the middle of the filo pastry and top with a teaspoon of cranberry or redcurrant sauce. Bring the edges of the pastry up together and pinch them to form a little parcel. Make up the rest of the parcels in the same way. Brush with melted butter or margarine* and place on a greased baking tray. Bake in the preÐheated oven for 15-20 minutes until the pastry is crisp and golden. Serve hot with extra cranberry or redcurrant sauce. Tip -- A tasty alternative filling is to top the mushrooms with a piece of vegetarian Brie in place of the stuffing, and then top this with the cranberry or redcurrant sauce. In the summer, you could fill each mushroom with ricotta and spinach and top with a teaspoon of peach chutney to give a Mediterranean flavour to the parcels.

Welsh Cakes - Pice Bach

Ingredients

1 lb Plain Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Mixed Spice
4 oz Margarine
4 oz Lard
6 oz Caster Sugar
4 oz Currants
2 Eggs
Milk

Method

Sift the flour, baking powder, and mixed spice, rub in the margarine and lard.
Add the sugar, currants and beaten egg.
Mix in the milk to a stiff dough and roll out to a quarter inch thickness.
Cut into two inch rounds and bake on a hot griddle until golden brown, after about four minutes on each side.
Now you are ready to enjoy your Pice Bach on St David's Day!

Easy Chocolate Mousse

Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 ounces Bittersweet or Semi-Sweet Chocolate, chopped

25 g / 1 oz Butter

3 Eggs, separated

50 g / 2 oz Sugar

120 ml / 4 fl. oz Double Cream

1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract.

Method

Place a small saucepan over low heat add the butter and chocolate and cook for 5 minutes until the butter and chocolate are melted. Mix well whilst they are melting.

When melted, take the pan off the heat and whisk the mixture with a fork to incorporate air into the mix.

Transfer the chocolate mixture to a bowl, and beat in the egg yolks with a whisk. Place the bowl in a refrigerator.

Beat egg whites with half the sugar until they hold stiff peaks but are not dry. Set aside. Beat cream with the remaining sugar and vanilla until it holds soft peaks.

Stir a couple of spoonfuls of the whites into chocolate mixture to lighten it a bit, then fold in remaining whites thoroughly but gently. Fold in the cream, and refrigerate until chilled.

If you are in a hurry, divide mousse among six cups: it will chill much faster. Serve within a day or two of making it.

Nut Roast

Serves 4 This can be made 2 or 3 days before you want to eat it. Ingredients 1 medium Onion, very finely chopped 1 – 1 ½ tbs Olive Oil 125g vegetarian Halloumi Cheese, thinly sliced 50g Cashew Nuts 50g fresh Wholemeal Breadcrumbs 100g Walnuts 50g Ground Almonds 150g cooked Basmati Rice (about 75g uncooked weight), cooled 1 small Red Pepper, cut into small dice (about ½ cm) 2 – 3tbs chopped fresh Coriander 1 – 1 ½ tsp Fennel Seeds, ground 75ml hot light Stock (3 tsp light stock powder to 75ml water) 50g stoned black Olives, halved Salt and Pepper 2 large free range Eggs, beaten Method Preheat the oven to 180C / 375F / Gas mark 5. Grease a 450g loaf tin. Line the base and ends with a single strip of baking paper, leaving an overhang at each end. Gently sauté the onion in 1tbs olive oil in a frying pan until soft but not coloured. Remove from the pan and set aside. Using the remaining ½ tbs olive oil if necessary, turn up the heat and use the same pan to fry the halloumi cheese quickly until brown on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool, then cut into very small dice (about ½ cm). Grind the cashew nuts with half the walnuts until powdery and add the breadcrumbs. Put the remaining walnuts into a processor and process until very finely chopped. In a large bowl, mix all the nuts together with the onions and halloumi cheese and all the remaining ingredients except the eggs. Season to taste then add the beaten eggs and beat well. Press the mixture into the prepared loaf tin, with a slightly rounded top surface. Put into the a roasting tin containing 1" of waterbain marie* and bake in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes or until firm. Check after 30 minutes, and if it appears to be browning too fast, cover with foil. When cooked, remove from the oven and leave in the tin for 10 – 20 minutes before turning out. Slice with care using a sharp knife, and wiping the knife clean after each cut.