Fish & Shellfish

New Zealand has great seafood, enjoy it often
Do not be put off by the thought of frozen fish. Fish that is fresh frozen (frozen with a few hours of being caught) and cooked while still with ice in it will be far superior to “fresh” fish that has been on ice for a week.

Blue Cod Pie

Cut boned blue cod fillets into credit card sized pieces. If very thick fillets cut diagonally to keep reasonably thin. Place into a suitable baking dish. Cover with a thick white sauce. A little mushroom instant soup mix or cheese makes an interesting addition. Cover with cooked sliced potatoes and onion rings. These should be slightly under rather than over cooked. Cover with grated cheese and sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
Bake in a moderate hot oven until golden brown.

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Crust for Fish Pies

For a crust with a difference try the following,
Grate a couple of cups of cheese and mix with a handful or so of dried bread crumbs and a half cup or so of mashed potatoes. stir in sufficient eggs (3 or 4 ) to make a dryish mix and spoon directly over the fish. This will be quite lumpy, so try and get it as even as possible. It will probably flatten as it cooks.
Bake until golden brown. The topping should be quite thick and is delicio

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Marinated Blue Cod

6 Blue Cod Fillets (Boneless)
Salt & Pepper ,
4-6 Lemons ,
2 Medium Onions,
400 ml can of Coconut Cream.
Optional:- Tomatoes, Chives, Spring Onions, Mushrooms, Peppers, Grated Carrot, Parsley.

Cut up fillets into 2 cm cubes and place into medium bowl.
Finely dice onions and add seasoning to the fish.
Squeeze the lemons and add the juice to the fish, then place the empty lemon shells on top of the fish.
Refrigerate overnight, stir contents 3 – 4 times to ensure fish marinates evenly.

Next day, drain marinade, add coconut cream, grated carrot, tomatoes, peppers, whatever you fancy to the fish.

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Cheesy Fish Cakes

Boned Blue Cod Portions.
Cooked mashed potatoes.
Salt & Pepper,
Parsley,
1 cup grated cheese.
1 beaten egg and Breadcrumbs.

Mince Raw fillets, Put minced fish into a bowl with equal amount of cooked mashed potatoes, parsley, seasoning and one cup of grated cheese. Bind together with a little of the beaten egg. Turn on to a floured board and cut into equal pieces. Form each piece into a small ball, dip in egg and breadcrumbs. Deep fry in hot oil until golden brown. Serve with Tartare Sauce.

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Blue Cod with Pineapple & Ginger

Cube 4 Boned Cod Fillets,
1 Carrot cut into fine strips,
1 Onion, chopped fine,
small chopped celery sticks,
2 Tsp grated green ginger (or 1 Tsp ginger powder).
2 Tsp Butter.
Combine all except fish in bowl and cook on high for 3 minutes.
Add half a 450gm tin drained crushed pineapple,
1 small chopped Red Pepper,
half cup cream or coconut cream,
2 Tsp Soy sauce and Fish.

Microwave on high for 7 minutes, stir at 3 minutes. Serve over pasta.

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Tuna Steaks

Steak whole tuna. Steaks should look like entire eye filet of beef. Then cut into individual steaks about 20 cm thick. Sprinkle with a little rock salt and mixed herbs. Leave stand for about ½ hour.
Heat griddled fry pan with a mix olive oil and butter. Pan MUST be smoking hot. If the pan bursts into flame when the steak added it’s hot enough. Steak must be seared each side, cooking just enough to leave centre almost raw. perhaps 20/30 seconds per side.

Tuna cooked this way is to die for!!!

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Baked Tuna

Clean and scale whole tuna, removing fins and head. Stuff gut cavity with chopped onions, tomato, fruit (including tinned fruit). Place in a oven bag with 500 gm margarine and juice of tinned fruits and bake very slowly for several hours, basting often.
Eat hot or cold.

Juices make an excellent fish chowder if thickened.

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Tuna Pie (Serves 6-8 people).

A very easy luncheon dish. Freezes well.
Half cup of Milk, 3-4 Silverbeet Leaves,
2 or 3 eggs 6-8 Mushrooms (sliced),
Half cup Grated Cheese
1 cup Rolled Oats 1 large Carrot (grated),
Quarter teaspoon of Dried Herbs 1 Onion (chopped),
250 grams Cottage Cheese 2 tomatoes (optional),
185 grams Tin Tuna in Brine Half cup of grated cheese (second measure)

Lightly beat milk and eggs. Add first measure cheese, oats salt and pepper, herbs and cottage cheese. Drain and flake Tuna and add. Add All vegetables, mix thoroughly. Transfer to flat ovenproof casserole dish. Sprinkle with second measure cheese.

Bake 180 degrees for 40-60 minutes. Serve hot or cold.

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Creamed Scallops

Clean Scallops carefully. We make sure we retain the “roe”. It adds colour and flavour to the dish.
I coat the scallops in flour and then poach in butter and a little white wine.

If more than a pan full, place cooked scallops to one side until all done and then remove from the heat. Add cream to pan and reduce slowly. When suitably thickened return the cooked scallops and bring all to heat.
Button mushrooms cooked with the scallops also adds a nice touch.
If desired a grated cheese top can be added and baked until brown

This dish is very rich but does retain the delicate scallop flavour.

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Opening Mussels (The French Way)

Place half a gallon of mussels in a wide deep pan, add 1 shallot or very small onion, 5/6 stalks of parsley, a sprig of thyme, ¼ bay leaf, a pinch of pepper, ¼ pint dry white wine. Cover pan tightly and cook over a sharp heat for 5/6 minutes, shaking the pan from time to time. Remove from heat as soon as mussels open.

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Blue Cod Livers

Don’t turn your nose up, cod livers are a real delicacy. We would cook about two cups full for two people.
Be sure to remove the bile duct when collecting.
Wash livers carefully in water, dry.
Place a small amount of butter in a sauce pan and sauté about ¼ the amount of finely diced onions as you have livers. Add livers and continue to cook. As livers change colour, add salt and pepper to taste and a small amount of vinegar, continue to cook and add flour to thicken. Livers will break down to a paste.
When cooked they make a wonderful spread on toast or as a side dish with steak. A small amount of anchovy paste may be added if desired during cooking. Omit salt in this case as anchovies are very salty.

NOTE:- Fresh Livers cannot be frozen, although do freeze quite well after cooking

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Microwave Blue Cod

This is a favourite for lunch, simple and quick.
Take however many boned fillets as you require and lay out as a single layer in a baking dish.
Sprinkle a small amount of grated mild cheese,
a grind of pepper and salt,
a squeeze of lemon and a couple of small knobs of butter.
Do NOT be heavy handed as the idea is to enhance, not swamp the delicate flavour of the fish.
Cover and microwave until the flesh is JUST cooked.
And with fresh baked bread the best fish butty you’ve ever tasted.
Although we use Blue Cod, the local delicacy…….. we are sure it would work with any good white fish.

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Capsicum Blue Cod

This recipe is a bit of a mash up. I enjoy making and eating pickles, relishes & chutneys and recently made a 10kg brew of Capsicum Relish.

Firstly the relish

10 kg red capsicums
5 tablespoon salt
15 cups white sugar
7 cups white vinegar

Deseed capsicums and slice thin strips.
Transfer capsicum to a heavy based saucepan and add remaining ingredients. Stir over medium heat to dissolve sugar then bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and allow mixture to simmer for 1 ½ to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. The mixture will become thick and syrupy, ensure it doesn’t stick and burn towards the end of the cooking time.
Spoon hot relish into sterilized jars and seal tightly.

This is a great relish to have with cheese & crackers for our guests, and also with the cod livers on crackers.

OK, Now we get to the cod.

Whizz 50/50 relish and an egg into a smooth paste.
Blue cod fillets, boned, skinned and dried. If large fillets cut into smaller pieces.

Roll the fillets into the relish and egg mix, and then into fine bread crumbs, repeat, and pan fry in a good oil. You won’t get a huge hit of the relish, just a hint, and it goes so very well with the delicate flavour of the fish.
Alternatively you could try a good commercial sweet mustard, smear onto the fillets and crumb as above… only once, as the mustard doesn’t do the second time well !!.

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Thai Green Curry Cod

2 or 3 red onions, with green lower stalks if possible, chopped into fine rings,
butter to saute onions
3 cubes OXO chicken stock
1 can coconut cream plus half a can milk
1 dessert spoon sweet chili sauce
3 teaspoons green curry paste
1 dessert spoon honey (or to taste)
at least 5oo gm boned blue cod fillets, sliced into biscuit sized pieces. plus if you fancy… chopped mussels, shrimp or whatever
flour to thicken

Saute onions, add curry paste and cook to release the flavours. Add coconut milk and stir over a low simmering heat. Add honey to taste, plus chili sauce.
Break OXO cubes into powder and mix with milk and stir in the can to capture the last of the coconut milk, add to onions and curry. Add cod, stirring while simmering. mix flour with a little milk and thicken as desired……… serve on a dish of steamed rice…. enjoy. Other vegetables such as carrot pieces, corn, cauliflower flowers etc can be sautéed with the onions if desired.

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Smoked Salmon (Hot Method)

I use a very cheap ($NZ30) tin cover/tray/rack/2 burner smoker. Manuka shavings, Methylated Spirits.

Fresh or frozen (thawed) whole Salmon without head and guts. Fish should measure 30 cms or greater. Smaller Salmon use less sugar and salt.
Fillet fish and carefully recover all small pieces off the frame. These smoke well and can be placed alongside one of the fillets.
Dry salmon fillet both sides, then mix together one tablespoon of brown sugar and one tablespoon salt. Rub both sides of skin on fillet. Leave in fridge for 24 hours, if you attempt to hot smoke fish before that time you will have considerable shrinkage.

Next day, dry fish both sides with paper towels, place one skin on fillet on Smoker rack. Two handfuls of wood shavings goes in the tray, the fish on rack sits on top covered by tin cover supplied with the smoker. The two burners have been half to three quarter filled with Meths. Light meths, place all other equipment on top, leave to smoke and cool for about an hour. Repeat for other fillet.

With patience all the bones may be removed with tweezers.

The amount of Meths depends on the thickness and length of the fish. Practice makes perfect.

HANDY STORAGE HINT:- For freezing the smoked Salmon I cut up the Salmon fillets in three, the tray I use is cardboard cut to size covered in aluminium foil, place a third of the fish on cardboard/foil tray then wrap well with food wrap (cling) label and freeze. Do not leave more than two months even in a good freezer.

Thaw naturally, decorate your plate with lettuce leaves, wedges of lemon, sprinkle smoked Salmon with parsley. Surround Salmon with small cracker biscuits.

Handy Hint:- Prior to smoking sprinkle fish sparingly with a seasoning, it could be pepper or chilli powder or curry or garlic powder. It gives the fish a lift.

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Salmon, Pasta & Cheese (serves 2)

2½ cups cooked pasts spirals,
100 gms smoked salmon,
3 or 4 spring onions,
1 cup sliced mushrooms,
½ cup grated gruyere cheese,
¾ cup cream.

Sprinkle pasta over a small baking dish, flake over the salmon. Scatter over spring onions, mushrooms & cheese. Pour over cream.
Bake @ 200° C for 25 minutes or until golden.
A commercial cheese sauce may be substituted for cream & cheese.

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Talisker Batter for Fish

One cup of flour, two teaspoons of Baking Powder,
1-2 teaspoons of Turmeric, Splash of Olive or Vege Oil, Splash of Malt Vinegar.
(Turmeric for colour, Oil & Vinegar for crisp batter)
Beaten egg.
Salt & Pepper.

Mix together, add water to mixture and mix to a smooth batter.

Handy Hint:- Batter is best made a few hours before needed. Always flour fish, oysters or other seafood before dipping in batter, this ensures batter sticks to seafood.

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Talisker Batter for Shellfish

The same recipe as “Talisker Batter for fish”, but substitute oyster/mussel or scallop juice for water. If the liquor is too strong then cut it with water.

Handy Hint:- Make enough Batter for your needs, Batter improves if left for an hour or two. Any longer do not add the baking powder until use because over time it loses its potency when mixed with liquid.

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Flour and Cheese Coating for Pan Fried Fish

For this you need a good powered food processor with VERY sharp blades. Place flour (and breadcrumbs if desired) into the processor, add about 25% by volume of tasty cheddar cheese cut into smallish pieces. Then pulse the blades until the cheese is blended evenly through the mix. This may take several minutes. Add whatever seasoning takes your fancy.

Dip the fish pieces into  egg beaten together with a little milk, and then evenly coat the fish. If thick fillets, consider cutting on a diagonal to make for thinner pieces to cook quicker. Fry in butter for best flavour.

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Blue Steak

I love blue steak. And apart from ChurchHill , where Deanne is a master with Blue Steak, I’ve never really ever had a good one in a restaurant as they are terribly smoky to cook and chef must hate them.
Use good quality porter house, cut a reasonable thickness. Rub with olive oil, cracked pepper and a little rock salt.
Have the griddle pan absolutely smoking, no oil, the oil on the steak will be enough.
We use gas and if the pan doesn’t burst into flame when the steak goes in it isn’t hot enough. (keep a lid to put it out if necessary).
For me the steak should take no longer than 60/80 seconds each side. The outer surface of the steak should be well charred, marked by the griddle, inside REALLY red and juicy.

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Barbecue Sauce

This sauce is really easy to make, takes a bit over 30 minutes, and lends itself to being modified to suit individual taste…. makes a bit over a 1 litre.

3 tablespoons vegetable oil (not olive oil)
2 teaspoons crushed garlic (taste)
Both into a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir and cook gently, stir in :-

2 tablespoons tomato paste
one tablespoon chili powder or 2 or 3 table spoons of hot chili jam (taste)
1 tablespoon paprika
half teaspoon ground cloves
half teaspoon cayenne pepper
continue stirring as mixture cooks for 5 or 10 minutes, then add :-

2 cups tomato sauce
2 cups water or apple juice or apple cider
a third of a cup of cider vinegar or honeygar
third to half a cup of treacle
simmer, stirring constantly, then add :-

dash worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons mustard powder (taste)
salt and pepper to taste …. half to 1 tsp each ???
whizz to purify, bottle in hot sterile jars….. enjoy !!!

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Beef Jerky

I’m very fond of beef jerky (aka biltong), but it’s quite expensive, so seldom buy it. But I came across this recipe but was unsure of the “liquid hickory smoke”, but actually found a source in NZ

It was absolutely delicious… even Iris liked it !!!

Ingredients:

½ cup brown sugar (honey is good, but use more)
½ cup whiskey
½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
4 drops liquid hickory smoke (This is very potent, and the 4 drops gave a nice subtle barbecue flavour)
1 pound London broil strips, (I used beef schnitzel, and next I will try venison, and jerking cod fillets may be an idea as well)

To make:

In a one-gallon resealable plastic freezer bag, thoroughly mix together all the ingredients, except the meat, and allow the mixture to rest for 10 minutes. Add the meat strips to the marinade and mix them around so they get completely coated with the marinade. Remove as much air as possible from the bag, seal, and place it in the refrigerator for eight to 24 hours. During the marinating time, remove the bag from the refrigerator and work the meat around so the marinade is fully incorporated into it. Remove the strips from the marinade and arrange in a single layer in your choice of dryer.

To dry jerky:

You can use gas, electric, or convection ovens to make jerky. Ideally, jerky should be cooked at 75° C (165° F) , but many ovens don’t go lower than 200° F, which will still work. If you use a gas or electric oven, there are a couple things you can do to help get more air flowing around the meat as it dries. First, stick a wooden spoon handle in the door opening to keep it slightly ajar—this will also help bring the oven temperature down a little, which will improve the texture of the finished product. Second, lay the meat strips on a cooling rack set on a baking sheet to allow air to flow underneath the strips as they dry.
If you are using a convection oven, begin checking on the jerky after about 90 minutes. With a gas or electric oven, start checking on it after two and a half hours. If you have a dehydrator, you will find that it is even easier to get great results—just set your dehydrator to 75° C and begin checking the results after four hours.
Jerky is ready when it looks dry, but you can bend it without it snapping. If it does snap, that means it’s too dried out—just stick it back into a new marinade and dry it again. When your jerky is ready, store it in a resealable plastic bag without excess air. If you see any oil on the surface, carefully pat it dry with paper towel before storing it.
Properly dried jerky will last up to month at room temperature. For longer storage, vacuum seal or freeze it. Homemade jerky is perfectly safe, but if you spot any mold, the entire batch should be thrown out.

I’m thinking of trying the marinade the next time we have venison steaks, as the jerky was absolutely delicious, and I think it would work well as a basic marinade. But as the liquid hickory smoke is very strong I will be very cautious with the amount I use.

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Marmalade Corned Silverside

A friend gave us a slab of frozen meat, looked like a long export porterhouse. So I carefully cut it into nice steaks, sealed them and popped them all back into the freezer.

When I came to cook them (see above) to my horror I realised they were actually corned.

So what I did was this. Popped both into cold water and bought to the boil, changing the water 3 times, then into the crock pot with a couple of onions, a little brown sugar, and some pepper. Slow cooked for about 2 hours and then into a small baking dish.

Spread each steak with marmalade and poured enough water from the crock to come 3 parts up the side of the steaks, then into a 400deg F oven and bake. (my apologies, we have an American oven and they don’t do deg C.).

Sounds odd I know but it really tastes great.

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Smoked Chicken & Pine Nut Cream Sauce

Sauté one Onions and 3-4 rashers of Bacon in a little oil,
Add about 2 tablespoons Pine Nuts.
Add 125mg Sour Cream to sauté mixture,
Enough Chicken Stock to thin the mixture.
Meanwhile cook one packet of ribbon noodles, drain.
Add one chopped Avocado and a handful of chopped mushrooms,
Add half a boned out smoked chicken.
Optional:- spring onions, green pepper

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Baked Chicken Breast

4 Boned Chicken Breasts,
2 tablespoons Honey,
2 tablespoons Whole grain Mustard,
Brush one side of breasts, oven bake 180 degrees C. for 15 minutes.
Turn, Brush other side with mixture,
cook further 15 minutes.

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Venison Casserole

Cut venison steaks into ½ credit sized portions, about 10/15 mm thick. Marinade in your favourite marinade.
We like a honey and soy mixture with ginger and garlic.
½ cup honey,
4 tblsp soy,
2 heaped tsp garlic,
2 heaped tsp chopped ginger.
We use commercially prepared garlic and ginger.

Mix and if necessary thin with a little red wine.
This is all really to taste and feel free to experiment.
Pour marinade over steak and leave for at least 12 hours.
Any juices from the steak should be combined with the marinade.

Remove steak from marinade and fry in a smoking pan with a little olive oil until cooked through. Pour marinade over steak plus more red wine, cover pan and cook very slowly until meat tender and mixture reduced. Occasionally taste the mixture and adjust wine etc.

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Steam Chicken

Place chicken pieces into roasting dish. With juice from Pineapple pieces.
Pepper and salt, teaspoon of Garlic.
Half cup of Tomato Sauce
Half cup of Honey
Quarter cup of Soy Sauce
Slice 1 or 2 onions depending on quantity

Steam altogether quietly, place top on roasting dish or aluminium foil, cook low to medium heat in oven until chicken cooked.

Remove Chicken. Place roasting dish on element, low heat, thicken mixture using corn flour and left over Pineapple Juice or add make up chicken stock with corn flour.
Add sliced Green Pepper (Optional) and Pineapple Pieces.
Place Chicken back into the gravy, heat and serve or place in a container and freeze.

NB: I use seven Chicken Pieces, any more you may need to increase the sauce ingredients.

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Lasagne

2 tablespoons of oil,
1 onion, chopped,
3 cloves garlic, crushed,
500g Mince,
100gm mushrooms, sliced (optional)
2 x 400gm cans tomatoes in juice, chopped (in season I use my own home-grown Tomatoes)
1 cup of Tomato puree or use Sundry Tomatoes in oil, whizz until pureed.
1 teaspoon Oregano
Half teaspoon Basil
1 Teaspoon of sugar
Salt and Pepper

Cheese sauce for the lasagne

50gms butter
3 tablespoons Plain Flour
One and a half cups of milk
Three quarters cups grated cheese
Salt and Pepper
375 gms packet Lasagne
2 tablespoons grated cheese (could use Parmesan)

Melt butter in a saucepan. Add flour and cook until frothy. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly until mixture boils and thickens. Remove from heat. Stir in cheese, Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap to prevent a skin forming. Set aside until cool.

Meat Sauce:

Heat oil in a large frying pan. Add onion and garlic. Cook until onion is golden. Increase heat. Add meat and brown well. Add mushrooms, tomatoes in juice, tomato puree, oregano, basil and sugar. Stir. Bring to the boil then reduce heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside until cool.

Pasta

See packet for directions.

Place half the lasagne into a greased ovenproof dish. Spread out half of meat mixture and half of the cheese sauce. Repeat the layers. Top with grated cheese. Cook at 180 degrees C for 20 minutes or until golden and heated through.

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Venison Pie

Years ago I was addicted to the Arrowtown Bakeries Venison and Apricot Pie, and decided to try my hand at one.

I enjoy cooking, and while I do occasionally use a recipe it tends to be on the “Oh that might work ” basis rather than to be slavishly followed.

I cut the venison into medallions about 40mm across and 8 mm thick then rolled the meat in flour and dried beef stock and heavily braised in good cooking oil. Into the crock pot, together with braised onion rings, some chicken stock and a couple of dessert spoons of honey….. commercial stocks can be a little bitter to my taste and a little water. 3 hours in the stock pot, thickened with a little flour, then into a pastry lined dish. Add a layer of apricots … my own preserved… a layer of cooked sliced potato , grated cheese and bread crumbs and bake in a 175 deg oven until well browned.

To go with it I stuffed some baked potato and had my first meal of swede turnips. I’m a good Southlander and love my swede turnips.

I remember a guest once saying He hated “haute cuisine”. He was never sure when presented with some exquisitely prepared microscopic portion whether he was supposed to eat it or frame it. Never a problem with my cooking. I lean heavily toward “Hearty” with bold flavours, but never the main ingredient disguised. Venison should taste like venison.

PS… My rule for deciding a good pie is how it tastes cold. And this one was superb. The sweet tang of the apricot a perfect counterpoint to the gamey flavour of the venison.

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Slow Cooked Venison Leg (or Mutton or Beef or whatever)
A couple of years ago a friend gave us a hind quarter (leg) of venison. I love roast venison, but it can be quite difficult to cook well, as it has little or no fat and can be quite dry as well. And if its been around the mountain a few times it can be “chewy” to say the least

So I thought about this for a bit and tried the following. I heated our slow cooker, a sliced enough onions to cover the bottom well. I then cut the leg in two pieces to fit the slow cooker and returned one to the freezer. The other I thawed, and then rolled in flour and commercial gravy mix and then braised heavily in a very hot pan. Then into the slow cooker with it, together with a 50/50 mix of cider and beef stock which I had briefly simmered in the braising pan. Enough liquid to 3/4 cover the meat and I also added 2 big table spoons of honey and around a teaspoon of chilli jam. And then slow cooked for at least 7 hours.

By now the meat should be beautifully tender. Lift it out to rest, and then “whiz” the gravy and onions in the slow cooker. The onions will thicken the gravy….

The same recipe will work well for other meats, and particularly meat that may be a bit tough, such as older mutton. Now don’t turn your nose up at older meat, the flavours in meat develop with the age of the animal, the down side being it gets tougher. Slow cooking addresses this.

Mutton & beef will both lose fat when being cooked, and the gravy will be quite fatty. Before whizzing bail the top layers out into a metal bowl, and stand this in cold water. The fat will congeal quite quickly. Lift this fat off the remaining liquid and return the fat free to the gravy.

Vegetables

Root Vegetable Medley

Potatoes, Kumara, Carrot, Onions, Parsnip, pumpkin.
Cook as roast vegetables in oil, Sprinkle Balsamic Vinegar over.

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“Mini” Mushroom Pizzas

Take several large flat mushrooms and bake until half cooked. Treat as a “mini” pizza base, covering with your favourite pizza mix. Grill as for a standard pizza. A really great lunch.
An alternative is to cover with a moist chicken stuffing, bake and have with roasted chicken.

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Honeyed Roast Vegetables

Scrub your favourite veges well, leave skin on for that extra goodness. Place chopped up vegetables (potatoes, carrots, kumara, pumpkin, onions, parsnip) in a roasting dish. Add about a clove of minced garlic on chopped vegetables, also minced ginger or grated fresh ginger to taste and a heaped tablespoon of honey. I find best if vegetables cut up to quarter size of your fist.
Medium oven heat, toss vegetables every so often, will take 45 minutes or so to cook.

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Glazed Carrots

Cut carrots into rings and boil as per normal, drain and allow to steam for a short while, sprinkle a table spoon of brown sugar per two servings and about the same of butter, shake the pot to thoroughly coat the carrots with brown sugar and butter and place back onto the heat and glaze.
Garnish with a little finely cut parsley and or chives and serve… Yum !!

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Have you ever over cooked the spuds ??

Not to panic, use powdered milk instead of liquid to mash, plus a little butter if desired. Or you can use some instant mushroom or onion soup powder. And unless you’ve really over cooked them they should stiffen up nicely. Grated cheese is nice mashed into potatoes as well.

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Chutneys, Relishes & Sauces

Rhubarb Chutney

We’ve probably a dozen big rhubarb plants, and have it as one of the guests breakfast “fruits”. Very popular it is as well, especially with our Brit guests.

I’d discovered a recipe for Rhubarb Relish in Digby Laws ” A Pickle & Chutney Cookbook” ISBN 0 340 40115X (my bible) . Iris cooks and freezes rhubarb for the winter, and it seems a shame to let the surplus go to waste, so this recipe just adds to our winter menus

2 cups finely sliced rhubarb
2 cups halved and finely sliced onions
1 cup malt vinegar
2 cups brown sugar
1.5 tsp salt
.25 tsp ground ginger (I used 1.5 tsp crushed ginger)
.25 tsp ground cinnamon
.125 tsp cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to the boil and cook slowly and uncovered for about 20/30 minutes (i cooked for over 60 minutes) until almost jam consistency. Pour into hot sterilised jars and seal. (I found the mixture too runny, so removed a couple of cups of the fluid, cooled it, and mixed in a couple of dessert spoons of cornflour, mixed well and gently combined with the still boiling mixture)

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Creamed Horseradish Sauce

I love Horseradish, and persuaded Iris to let me plant some. I wasn’t allowed until I had built a special plot in our vegie garden, with deep wooden sides so it couldn’t spread. The leaves can be shredded and added to a salad.

If you’ve never tried horseradish thing Wasabi, which is Japanese Horseradish

The roots go REALLY deep, and so a good strong garden fork is required to lift each root. Clean carefully …. I used a waterjet for initial cleaning, and then carefully scraped the root to  give a clean white surface. I then cut it into small pieces…. around 1st finger joint size and about half a cup full. Into our kitchen whizz for 5 minutes until well shredded. Be aware the fumes that will come off can be savage in the sinuses if breathed in. Then I added around a table spoon of fresh lemon juice and 1 tsp of salt , and continued to whizz for another 5 minutes. From now on it’s to your taste. I added 3 table spoons of cream cheese, ditto sour cream and 2 table spoons of icing sugar, and continue to whizz.  It’s just wonderful with roast beef (of course)  grilled venison and I’ll do some to have with our Christmas Baked Ham

The whole project took around 15 minutes and produced 3 cups of creamy horesradish sauce. It will keep 2 or 3 weeks in the refrigerator. or long term in the freezer.

Mayos and Dips

Mums Anchovy Meat Paste

This recipe is one from my childhood, My parents loved it, as did I. And I’ve only just re-discovered it in one of my mothers old cook books.

1 kg brazing or stewing steak, diced into 10 mm cubes or similar.
150/200 gms anchovy fillets. More if you really like anchovy, but perhaps less salt. The extra anchovies can be added after whizzing to taste, with a little extra whizzing to mix.
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
half teaspoon cayenne pepper.
250 gm butter

Place the meat into a double boiler and cook for 4 to 5 hours, half an hour before done add all the other ingredients and continue cooking. If you don’t have a double boiler improvise with a metal bowl covered with a plate in a pot of slow boiling water,
Whizz or mince when done, stir briskly.
If the paste seems a little “sloppy” then mix in corn flour to suit and microwave briefly to thicken
bottle into hot sterile jars and keep refrigerated for up to one month.

Wonderful on crackers with wine & cheese, olives etc.

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Peter’s Mayo

1 egg,
1 tsp powered mustard,
sugar to taste, (from 1 tsp to 1tbsp, depending on taste),
1 tbsp vinegar, (malt, white, cider, honeygar, spiced) (honeygar is 80% cider vinegar, 20% honey)

(you may like to use either fresh or bottled lemon juice or 60/40 lemon and lime mix. You will need a little more than if using vinegar).

whizz all ingredients and then slowly whizz in good cooking oil (not olive oil, makes mayo bitter). Amount depends on thickness of mayo required.

If a “fancy” mayo or good dip is required then whizz briefly any or all of the following into the mixture.
whole seed mustard, gherkins, spring onions, chives, capers, dried tomatoes.

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French Mayo

4 egg yolks,
Vegetable Oil, (excellent quality)
Malt Vinegar,
Salt,
French Mustard.

Beat egg yolks well and then very very slowly drizzle in 1 to two cups vegetable oil while still beating. Do NOT use olive oil. Mixture should thicken. Takes about 15 to 20 minutes.

Add a tsp French mustard, salt to taste and about a tsp malt vinegar. Keep beating until mixture very thick. refrigerate.

This requires a beater to add air to the mix. A whizz doesn’t seem to work.

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Mayonnaise

Good with everything and simple to make. meals.

In a Whizz add:-

One egg, Herbs like Parsley, chives, dill.
White Vinegar – 2 tablespoons
Soya Bean Oil (Not Olive Oil) about one cup
Drizzle oil quietly into beaten egg and herbs.
Do not beat too fast or everything will separate.

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“Honeygar” Vinaigrette

Very popular with our guests on board “Talisker” where salads are served with most,
“Honeygar” is a commercial brand for a mixture containing 80% Cider Vinegar and 20% honey.

Quantities of Garlic, Mint, Parsley, Lemon juice, Mustard seed are to taste.

Three quarters of a cup of Honeygar,
Olive Oil – 1 cup,
2 teaspoons chopped garlic,
2 tsp Mint,
Parsley to taste,
2 tablespoons Lemon juice,
2 tsp Mustard seed.

Mix all ingredients, whizz.

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Guacamole

Jar of Salsa (chunky),
Mash one Avocado,
Chunky chopped one Tomato

Looks homemade…………………

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Capsicum and Corn Dip

1 x 300gms can of Corn Kernels
1 x 125gms can of diced Capsicum
Cucumber Relish or Gherkin type Relish x 2 tablespoons
Cream Cheese x 250gms

Just mix all together and serve on crackers, very quick, easy and tasty.

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Sweet Chilli Jam

This is a great way to preserve hot chills, and for them to double as a dip and almost any other way you can think of.

I take 500 gm each of medium red & green chili peppers, ( green to give some extra colours) wash and de-stalk, and then whiz into fine chunks. Seeds and all !!. add to this two or three chopped tomatoes, and a couple of red capsicum also chopped. 1500 ml of cider vinegar, a dessert spoon of crushed garlic, and 3 dessert spoons of crushed ginger, simmer gently for 20 odd minutes all the time adding 50/50 sugar and honey until the required sweetness. Then using a stick whizz chop until all solids are very fine. The mixture will be quite runny, and can be bottled as is. I prefer to thicken with a little flour, still whizzing and simmering until the desired thickness. And then bottle into hot jars, and seal.

If you use very hot (small) chillis the jam will be very hot, so I use slightly cooler varieties, and also use the tomato & capsicum to further cool the mixture.

It’s really nice as a glaze on baked chicken pieces or as the chilli side of “Philly Chilly”

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Salads

Bean Salad

Soak in enough water to cover the 500 gram packet of Mixed Beans (purchased from supermarket) overnight. Next day bring to boil for five minutes. Turn off heat and leave for one hour then pour water off, add fresh water and simmer for thirty minutes.

Pour off water once more, always rinse beans between boiling. We usually pour off and discard the soaking liquid. This removes impurities.

Brine

Half cup water 1 tsp salt
Three quarter teaspoon ginger 1 cup sugar
300mls white vinegar
Bring to boil, pour over beans

Add

2 finely chopped onions
1 cup cooked, sliced green beans
1 cup crushed Pineapple
1 chopped red/green pepper

Store Mixed Bean salad in screw top jars in fridge, keeps for ages

****** Don’t boil beans too much or else they go mushy, boil them to just beyond a denté ******

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American Chinese Coleslaw Salad

Half head Cabbage, shredded,
Quarter cup grated Carrot,
4 tablespoons Peanuts, (roasted for 5 minutes, cooled).
2 teaspoons Sesame Seeds,
1 packet instant Chicken Noodles, broken into small pieces,
4 Spring Onions,

Sauce

2 tablespoons sugar,
Half teaspoon Black Pepper,
Half teaspoon salt,
Quarter cup good cooking/salad oil,
3 tablespoons white vinegar,
1 seasoning packet from the “two minute instant noodles”
Mix altogether and pour through salad.

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“Talisker” Coleslaw

1 cup grated Carrot, Half teaspoon Celery seed,
1 Medium Onion, Half teaspoon Mustard Seed,
Half green Pepper, Third cup sugar,
Half green Cabbage (shredded) Half cup Vinegar,
Third cup Salad Oil.

Chop onion and pepper, add to cabbage and carrots. Boil sugar, vinegar and celery seed, mustard seed and salad oil. Boil two minutes. Pour over salad immediately while still hot. Before serving mix altogether and pour off excess liquid. Keeps well in fridge for two weeks.

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Rice Salad

1 cup uncooked brown rice,
2 cups water,
Quarter cup soy sauce,
Half medium chopped onion,
3 Spring Onions,
1 red pepper (or carrot) chopped,
Half cup currants or raisins,
Half cup chopped Brazil/cashew nuts,
Half cup each of roasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds,

Simmer rice and water for 45 minutes until water is absorbed. Add soy sauce and onion to hot rice, mix well and leave two hours or overnight. Later add Spring Onions, pepper, currants, nuts and seeds. Toss altogether, prepare dressing as below, and mix dressing into salad.

Dressing

Quarter cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice,
1 clove garlic, 1 teaspoons lemon rind,
1 teaspoon grated root ginger 1 teaspoon honey or sugar,

Blend together in whiz or shake in screw top jar.
Refrigerate.

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Pasta Salad Number 1.

2 cups uncooked Pasta, Boil 9 minutes until tender, drain

Sauce

Heat together:-

Quarter cup Tomato Sauce,
Quarter cup oil,
Half cup sugar,
1 teaspoon Paprika,
Half cup white vinegar,
Pepper to taste

Combine with cooked Pasta,
Add chopped onion, green or red pepper, grated carrot. Whatever you fancy

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Pasta Salad Number 2.

3 cups of Pasta, Boil 9 minutes until tender, drain

Sauce:-

Heat together:-

3 tablespoons of oil,
3 tablespoons Vinegar,
2 teaspoons sugar,
1 teaspoon curry

Pour over pasta while warm, add grated carrot, raisins, nuts, parsley etc.

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Carrot Salad

Cook two pounds (1 kilo) sliced carrots in salted boiling water till tender.
Drain and cool.
Add large sliced onion and large green pepper cut in strips.
Add 1 – 2 Celery Sticks (optional)
Can of Baby Corn

Combine:-

one can Tomato Soup (440 gram)
Three quarter cup brown or raw sugar,
Half cup Salad Oil,
Three quarter cup white vinegar,
1 teaspoon salt and pepper.
Thicken with one tablespoon flour blended with a little water, bring to the boil.
Stir, when thicken pour immediately over vegetables.
Refrigerate until cool, lasts two weeks.

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Green Pea and Peanut Salad

One 500 gram of frozen minted Peas. Do not cook.
2 cups Red Roasted Peanuts,
Half cup chopped Mint.

Blend together:-

Half cup white Vinegar,
One cup Salad Oil,
Half teaspoon Salt,
Half teaspoon Dry Mustard,
Two teaspoon prepared Mustard,
1 teaspoon Sucaryl or sugar.

Pour over thawed Peas mixed with roasted Peanuts. Use hot or cold.

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Fresh Fish Salad

Cut fish into narrow wedges (5mm). Place in salted (or sea) water 15 minutes
Rinse in colander in fresh water, squeeze and put into bowl.
Squeeze lemons or limes (through colander to catch pips) onto fish.

Leave approximately 10-15 minutes.

Prepare:-

Sliced Green and/or Red pepper,
thinly sliced onion,
thinly sliced Spring Onions,
grated Carrot
crushed Garlic to taste.

After 10-15 minutes squeeze juice from fish and put fish into serving bowl.
Add above ingredients and plenty of ground black pepper and Soya Sauce.
Toss together with salad servers,
Serve as is or add Coconut Cream.

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Luncheons

Cobb Loaf Hot Cheese Dip

An appetiser or luncheon dish.

Cook bacon/ham separately, place on a side dish if there are Vegetarians in the group.
1 Cobb Loaf, (whole round loaf)
250 grams of Cream Cheese,
250 grams of Sour Cream,
300 grams Tasty Cheese (grated),
Small Onion or 3 Spring Onions (chopped),
Bacon or ham – 3 rashers (chopped),
Ground Black Pepper,

Slice lid off Cobb, ease fingers around the inside of the crust and lift out bread,
Slice into fingers, slice the lid as well.
Soften Cream Cheese and beat in all other ingredients, place in the loaf shell.
Filled loaf now placed on oven tray, filling tends to dribble down loaf, bake 40 minutes in oven at 150 degrees centigrade, then either place fingers around the loaf and bake further 20 minutes or arrange fingers around loaf at time of baking. Turn bread fingers occasionally to prevent burning.

Arrange cooked filled Cob Loaf on plate with fingers around the base. Guests use the bread fingers as a scoop. Beautiful and fun for all.

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Fettuccini Mushrooms

250 grams Spinach Noodles, 100 gram butter,
325 gram Mushrooms, sliced, Juice half large lemon,
Grated Cheese, Parsley,
Black Pepper

Boil noodles (instruction on packet)
Sauté mushroom in butter for a few minutes.
Add lemon juice.
Season with a little salt and lots of black pepper.

Desserts

On your head…. or rather waist line be it

Rum Bananas

Beware………This is very rich!!.

Slice bananas in half lengthwise, then cut to manageable size across. Roll in dried coconut and sugar (brown or white). Fry in hot butter, adding a little dark rum. This may flambé if cooking over gas, adding a nice caramalised flavour. Place cooked bananas to on side but keep hot.

Add cream to pan, amount depends on servings. 300 ml will make enough for 8 people. Heat gently, adding more dark rum to taste, also sugar to taste until thickened. Pour over hot bananas and serve with ice cream.

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Apple Crumble

Peel and slice medium apples. I would use about 1½ per serving. Slice into medium pieces, discarding core.

Crumble mix is 1 part sugar to 1½ parts flour. You will need enough to cover apples to about 20 cm. White & brown sugar mixed gives a nice caramel crumble, but do use a little more as it is not quite as sweet as plain white sugar. Mix well and then work slightly softened butter or margarine into mix. When mix will just “hold” when pressed you are about right for the butter. Too much and the crumble will be more like cement, too little gives a crumbling crumble.

A nice change is to finely powder a gingernut biscuit into the crumble.

Place apple pieces into a baking dish (a little cinnamon sprinkled over is nice) and cover with crumble mix. Bake in moderate hot oven until golden on top. Apple will still be firm. I prefer apples slightly crunchy and also a little tart as the crumble then makes a nice counterpoint. If you like the apples softer cook slightly before adding crumble mix. Small amounts of just about any dried fruit may be added to the apples for something a little different. Also a little golden syrup drizzled over the crumble before cooking makes for an interesting topping.

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Chocolate Log

For 5 or 6 persons. A packet each of chocolate chip biscuits and gingernuts. . Also 600 ml whipping cream, vanilla essence, chocolate crumbs (or a block of energy chocolate) and icing sugar. Either Sherry, Port Wine or perhaps a Chocolate Liqueur.

Whip the cream with icing sugar and vanilla to taste until stiff. Spread a thin layer of cream onto a serving plate. Pour a small amount of the alcohol into a shallow dish. Dip the biscuits into the alcohol to the count of 3, then spread a layer of cream over one face of the biscuit and place upright on the layer of cream on the serving plate. This should allow the biscuit to stand on edge. Repeat, alternating if using different types of biscuits. Press each succeeding biscuit firmly into the one before. Once all the biscuits are in place carefully plaster the remaining cream over the log to finish off. Then grate the chocolate and sprinkle over to garnish. A few cherries or perhaps sugared mandarin segments would look good as well.

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Bread (?) & Butter Comfort Food

Beware, this is without a doubt the most decadent thing I have ever cooked.
Take at least 1 stale croissant per person, split, butter each slice and spread thickly with raspberry or strawberry jam.
Grease a baking bowl and layer the spread croissants with a good sprinkling of sultanas.
Make an egg custard as follows, 1 egg yolk per cup of milk, (which is 100m cream and the rest milk) with vanilla and sugar to taste,
Beat thoroughly and pour into the baking bowl. You need enough to easily cover the croissants.
Bake in a water bath at around 300/350F until well set, about 30 minutes.
And for a final touch merangue the egg whites and sugar, add to the top and do a final quick hot bake

………………….. and don’t blame me for the added inches to the tum

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Biscuits & Cookies

APPLE MUFFINS:

Now famous: served on our half day charters around Paterson Inlet, Stewart Island.

For 12 muffins (use muffin tin)
2 cups of flour
4 teaspoons of Baking Powder
Half cup ordinary sugar
100gms Butter
Quarter cup of dry milk powder or (one cup of fresh milk, I use milk powder)
1 egg
One cup pureed Apple

Sieve first two dry ingredients into a large bowl. Add sugar and milk powder (if using powder) In a pot or using a microwave, melt butter, remove from heat add one cup of water if using the milk powder, (add the fresh milk if using whole milk) one egg. Beat to combine the three. Combine liquid with pureed Apple and dry ingredients. Do not overmix. Mixture should be folded in using a spoon. Grease muffin tins, Three quarter fill pan.

Combine with second measure of sugar 1 tablespoon with half teaspoon Cinnamon. Sprinkle on muffins before baking. Bake 220 degrees C for 12-15 minutes until muffins spring back when pressed in the middle. Remove from oven, let stand for 2-3 minutes.

THE SECRET TO MAKING GOOD MUFFINS IS NOT TO OVER MIX.

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Chocolate Slice

2 packets of Superwine Biscuits (crushed)
250grams of Butter
2 tablespoons Cocoa
Vanilla
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup of Sugar
Walnuts (optional)
Desiccated Coconut

Melt butter slowly, add everything except crushed biscuits, bring nearly to the boil then add crushed biscuits
(still have pot on a low heat).
Pour into square Sponge Roll tin ,mixture should be about 2 cm thick.

ICEING:-

Melt 50 grams of butter, add, 1-2 heaped tablespoons of Cocoa, 1 and half cup Icing Sugar and 2 tablespoons of boiling water. Half teaspoon Vanilla.
Mix to smooth, ice biscuit base when hot. Sprinkle with dry Coconut, shake out excess. Refrigerate until icing set. Cut into small portions.

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Chocolate Chip Biscuits

125 grams butter
50 grams (2 tablespoons) sugar
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
2 teaspoon Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 tablespoons Chocolate Chip

Cream butter and sugar add rest of ingredients, place small biscuit size balls of mixture onto greased baking tray, flatten mixture with fork. Bake 12-15 minutes in moderate oven.

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Tararua Biscuits.

This is an old high energy NZ hiking favourite, our guests love it.

250 gm Butter,
1½ cups Brown sugar
½ tin sweetened condensed milk
2 cups flour
2 cups rolled oats
2 tsp baking powder
½ cup coconut

melt butter, sugar & condensed milk together in a large pot. Add flour, rolled oats and baking powder.
Divide in half and spread each half onto a greased tray.
Spread with a knife into 30 cm squares, keeping edges neat & straight.
Cook @ 150 deg C for 10 to 15 minutes, till light golden brown.
Cut each tray into 25 biscuits (5 * 5. Gently loosen, move and leave on tray.
To harden biscuits a little more, return to oven which has been turned off and leave another 5 to 10 minutes.
When cold pack in airtight container plastic bags.
Will keep for up to a month.
½ of a cup of dried apricots, prunes, figs, sultanas, currents, nuts or seeds may be added to vary the biscuit

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Sultana Cake

500 grams sultanas (raisins or currants),
250 grams butter,
3 eggs,
350 gram sugar (one and half cups of sugar),
Half teaspoon Vanilla Essence,
350 grams flour ( three and three quarter cups),
1 teaspoons Baking Powder.

Cover fruit with water, boil five minutes then strain well.
Add the butter and stir until melted
Beat eggs, sugar and vanilla essence until thick and creamy and then add to fruit/butter.
Add sifted flour and baking powder.
Put into lined baking tin (20-22cm square)
Bake 1.5 hours at 170 degrees C for 30 minutes. 150 degrees C for 60 minutes.

Ps You can add a 150 gram packet of mixed peel or cherries or ginger if you feel like – don’t boil.

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Paddy’s Sultana Cake

4 oz or 100 grams Butter
1 cup white sugar
480gm Crushed Pineapple or Pineapple Pieces crushed using a blender
1lb or 500 grams of Sultanas
1 teaspoon of Mixed Spice
1 teaspoon of Baking Soda
Boil together, add the Baking Soda last, take off heat and cool.
In a bowl add 1 cup of Standard Flour
1 cup of Self Raising Flour
Add two beaten eggs.
Mix the cooled mixture to the flour/egg mixture, fold ingredients.

Line a cake tin with baking paper, I use a 22cm x 22 cm cake tin.
Place piece of baking paper on top of cake mixture then place cake in the middle of oven,
Please make sure there is no way the paper will catch fire, keep it away form flame or hot bars. The baking paper on top of cake prevents Sultanas on the surface of the mixture burning.
Bake in oven 30 minutes on 170 degrees Centigrade then lower temperature to 150 degrees Bake a further hour,
I check the cake every 30 minutes Gas ovens seem to bake quicker .

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Neiman-Marcus Cookies

this recipe and explanation turned up as an email. really nice biscuits, very rich and the story tickled us so here it is.

………..Maybe this is a little vindictive but every once in a while I have to smile when a company is taught by a thinking citizen.

Now for a snippet of background, the company I am talking about in particular is Neiman-Marcus, a big expensive store where they can sell a nice $8.00 t-shirt for $50.00.

My story

My daughter and I had just finished a salad at a Neiman-Marcus café in Dallas. We decided to round up the meal with a small dessert. We are both cookie lovers and we chose to try THE Neiman-Marcus cookie. It was delicious and I asked if they could give me the recipe. The waitress replied with a small frown “I’m afraid not, but you can buy the recipe”.
I asked how much and she responded; “only two-fifty, it’s a great deal!” I eagerly agreed to that and told them to add it to my tab.

Thirty days later, I received my VISA statement and the Neiman-Marcus charge was $285.00. I looked at it again; I remembered that I had only spent $9.95 on two salads and $20.00 on a scarf. Puzzled I glanced at the bottom of the statement, it said, “Cookie recipe $250.00”- That’s outrageous!

I called Neimans’ accounting department and related the misunderstanding to them, how the waitress had misleadingly told me “two-fifty”, which clearly does not mean “two hundred and fifty” by any reasonable interpretation of the phrase.

Neiman-Marcus refused to budge. They would not refund any of the money because according to them “What the waitress told you is not our problem. You have already seen the recipe. We absolutely will not refund your money at this point”

I explained to the accounting lady the criminal statues, which govern the state of Texas. I threatened to report them to the better business bureau and the Texas Attorney general General’s office for engaging in fraud.

I was basically told, “Do what you want”. Don’t bother thinking of how you can get even and don’t bother trying to get your money back.

I simply replied, “you folks got my $250, now I’m going to have $250 worth of fun” I told her I was going to make sure every cookie lover in the U.S.A with an e-mail account would have a Neiman-Marcus recipe.

She replied, “I wish you wouldn’t do this”

I said, “Well perhaps you should have thought of that before you ripped me off!” and with that slammed down the phone.

I hope you enjoy this exclusive $250 recipe and pass it onto every one you know. It would make me happy to know that they will not make another penny from this recipe.

NEIMAN-MARCUS COOKIES

(Recipe may be halved or even quartered for home use) We found it a bit heavy for our mixer and put an extra egg in the half recipe.

I use my mothers old mixer, at least 55 years old, and built like a baby concrete mixer.

2 cups of butter
18ozs grated chocolate bar
24 ozs chocolate chips
5 cups blended oatmeal
4 cups of flour
4 eggs
2 cups brown sugar
2 tsp. Baking powder
2 tsp soda
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
3 cups chopped nuts
2 cups sugar

Blend the oatmeal into a fine powder.
Cream the butter and both sugars,
Add the eggs and vanilla.
Mix with the flour, oatmeal; salt; baking powder and soda.
Add the chocolate chips, grated chocolate and nuts.
Roll into balls and place 2” apart on the cookie tray
Bake for ten minutes @ 375 degrees f.

Makes approx. 112 cookies

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Courgette Brownies

I know this sounds odd, but these brownies are really nice, and notwithstanding the recipe are actually easy to make.

1½ C brown sugar
½ C white sugar
125 g butter, softened
½ C vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 t vanilla essence
½ C milk
2½ C flour
½ t ground allspice
½ t ground cinnamon
½ t salt
2 t baking soda
5 T cocoa powder
4 C firmly packed, grated courgette – best if you also squeeze this out well in a tea towel
1 C chocolate chips (optional)Cream the butter and sugars and oil.  Mix in eggs, vanilla, and milk.

Mix flour, spices, salt, baking soda and cocoa together separately, then add to the creamed mixture.
Stir in courgette.
Pour into a greased and floured baking or roasting tray – the recipe says 11 x 17 inches.  
Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top (optional).

Bake at 170 degrees C for about 45 mins, until a skewer comes out clean.
Let cool before cutting.   
Really yummy as a desert with Icecream.