Whisky-Laced Bread Pudding

Cuts into about 27 slices

500g any leftover bread

(I used white baguette, croissants and brown pittas)

500g mixed dried fruit

(I used sultanas, raisins & chopped apricots)

1½ tablespoons mixed spice

500 ml full fat milk

100 ml whisky

zest of a lemon

2 large eggs, beaten

140g dark muscovado sugar

100g butter, melted

sprinkling of dark muscovado sugar

1.  Tear the bread into chunks and put in a large bowl with the fruit, mixed spice and lemon zest.

2.  Pour in the milk and whisky and scrunch it all up with your fingers to break up the bread.

3.  Add the eggs and sugar and mix well.  Leave to soak for 30 minutes.

4.  Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Butter and line with baking parchment a 20 cm square pyrex-type dish or non-stick tin.

5.  Stir the melted butter into the mix, then transfer to the dish and press down firmly. Sprinkle top with sugar. Cover loosely with tin foil.

6.  Bake for 1½ hrs until firm and golden, removing the tin foil for the last half hour to brown the top.

7.  Turn out of the dish, allow to cool slightly and cut into slices.

This 'n' That Cake

I tend to use what I have in the cupboard, hence the name! 

(This cake has raisins, mixed peel, almond slices, walnuts and a teaspoon of aniseeds in it, and I only managed 200g instead of 300g). 

I've made it in the past with a ready assorted snack bag of Tropical Mix fruit and nuts, which was lovely, and also with mixed glace fruit, finely chopped, and added with almonds. It really is a very versatile and forgiving cake...

Makes an 18 cm (7") cake

200g self-raising flour

pinch of salt

1 heaped tsp ground mixed spice

1 tsp ground cardamom (or ginger, if you fancy)

75g margarine

100g soft brown sugar

300g mixed dried fruit/nuts of your choice

1 medium egg, lightly beaten

125 ml ± milk
Icing sugar to dust

1.  Preheat the oven to 190ºC and well grease an 18 cm (7") cake tin, lining the bottom with greased greaseproof paper.

2.  Sieve together the flour, salt and spices into a large mixing bowl.

3.  Rub the margarine into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

4.  Stir in the sugar and mixed fruit/nuts with a wooden spoon.

5.  Stir in the egg and sufficient milk* so that the mixture will drop from the spoon when shaken. Turn into the prepared tin.

6.  Bake in the oven for 50-60 mins, or until the cake is golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave in the tin for 5 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool (the one above is a little well done because I forgot about it!).

7.  Dust top with icing sugar.

* How much milk you need depends on the mix of fruit and nuts you use. Add it slowly until you have the right consistency - you may find you need more or less.

Creamy Roasted Onion & Garlic Soup

Caramelised onion & garlic give this soup a wonderfully rich flavour.

Serves 4

3 large Spanish onions, peeled and sliced into 1cm slices

1 bulb of garlic, cloves separated and peeled

1 pt chicken stock

1 heaped tsp dried thyme

25g butter

200 ml milk

1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Natural yoghurt to finish

1.  Preheat the oven to 180ºC.

2.  Put the onion slices and garlic cloves in a large casserole dish and add ¾ pt of the stock. Season, sprinkle with thyme, dot with the butter.

3.  Cover the casserole dish with tin foil and its lid to give a tight seal. Roast in the oven for 1½ hours, stirring halfway through.

4.  Remove the casserole from the oven and allow to cool.

5.  Add the remaining stock and blend in a blender or with a stick blender until smooth.

6.  Pour into a saucepan, add the milk and parsley and season to taste. Heat gently for 5 minutes, without boiling, and serve with a swirl of natural yoghurt, if desired.

Armenian-style Beef Pie

1. Based on Mante, an Armenian Lamb Pie, this is a wonderfully different kind of pie and well worth the effort; the butter and chicken stock really boost the flavour.

Serves 6 - 8

1. Pastry:
2. 2 cup plain flour
3. 1/2 tsp salt

1. 1/4 cup olive or sunflower oil
2. 1/2 cup cold water
3. Filling:
4. 500 g finely ground beef
5. 1 small onion, finely chopped
6. 1 tbsp olive or sunflower oil
7. 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
8. Salt & freshly ground black pepper
9. To finish:
10. 100 g butter, melted
11. 1 cup hot chicken stock

1. 1. Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl, add oil & rub in. Add water, mix to a soft dough and knead lightly until smooth. Cover with clingfilm and rest in the fridge for 30 mins.
3. 2. Place ground beef in a mixing bowl. Gently fry onion in oil and add to beef with parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. 3. Roll out the pastry thinly and cut into 4 cm squares*. Place a teaspoon of meat filling in the centre of each square, fold up sides and press to seal. Finished pastries will look like miniature canoes with the meat filling showing. Preheat oven to 180°C.
7. 4. Place pastries side by side in rows in a well-buttered baking dish, 25 x 30 cm. Brush with melted butter.
9. 5. Bake in oven for 30-40 mins. Pour hot chicken stock over pastries and return to oven for further 10-15 minutes until most of the stock is absorbed.
11. 6. Cut into squares and serve.

1. * I found this all a bit fiddly and time consuming, so for the second dish (I didn't have one big one) I cut 7cm squares and put in about a dessertspoonful of filling. Both dishes were delicious - I would decide size depending on how much time I had to make them.

Frankfurter, Garlic & Chilli Spaghetti

1. A twist on the Italian Spaghetti Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino (Garlic, Olive Oil and Chilli), with the addition of frankfurters and peas, this is a speedy dish with simple but gorgeous flavours.
2. 
   

Serves 2

1. 200 g Dried spaghetti
2. 400 g Frankfurter sausages, sliced
3. 6 Dried whole chillies, or according to taste

1. 1 Head of garlic, cloves peeled & sliced
2. 60 ml Extra virgin olive oil
3. 250 g Tinned garden peas
4. Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

1.  Cook the spaghetti in plenty of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain and cool.

2.  Warm the olive oil, sliced garlic and whole dried chillies in a wok or large frying pan over a low heat, stirring, until the  garlic softens. 

3.  Increase the heat and add the sliced sausage. Cook, stirring, until the sausage starts to brown slightly. 

4.  Add cooked spaghetti, tinned peas and a good pinch of salt, stirring until everything is piping hot.

5.  Season well with black pepper and serve immediately.

This is the only time I use tinned peas. Use fresh or frozen as you like, I just like the flavour of tinned in this recipe.

Pan de Calatrava (Bread Pudding from Murcia)

This delicious pudding is best made the day before.

for the caramel:

125g sugar

4 tbsp water

for the pudding:

3 eggs

½ ltr milk

1 cup of sugar

about 2 cups of day-old bread, crust removed, chopped
zest of half a lemon
good pinch of nutmeg
good pinch of cinnamon
pinch of salt

1.  Firstly, make the caramel. Put the sugar and water into a small saucepan and heat slowly, shaking the pan only until the sugar dissolves. Watch the mixture carefully and remove from heat once it turns a nice reddish-brown.

2.  Immediately pour the caramel into a loaf tin and tilt to cover base and halfway up the sides. Allow to cool.

3.  Preheat the oven to 190ºC. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, milk and sugar for the pudding. Add the bread and let it soak in the mixture for 5 minutes. Blend the mixture in a blender or food processor so the bread mixes in well.

4.  Stir in the lemon zest, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt and pour the pudding mixture into the loaf tin on top of the caramel. 

5.  Put the loaf tin into a baking dish slightly larger, and fill the baking dish with boiling water so it comes about 2.5 cm up the sides of the loaf tin.

6.  Transfer the pans to the oven and bake for about 45 minutes, or until the custard is set.

7.  Allow to cool overnight in the fridge before removing from the tin, spreading any remaining caramel over the top.

Serve cold, sliced, with a dollop of whipped cream.

Easy Olive Oil Wholemeal Pastry

This makes a lovely, crisp flan case.

Makes enough to line two 23 cm (9") flan tins

(about 410g pastry)

250g wholemeal flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp thyme

60 ml olive oil (not extra virgin)

120 ml cold water

1.  Add the flour, salt and herbs together in a food processor and pulse several times to mix.

2.  Add the oil and process until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs or couscous.

3.  Add the water and process until the dough just comes together in a ball.

4.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out firmly to avoid overworking the dough. 

5.  Line your flan tin(s), trim the edges and refrigerate for half an hour.

6.  Prick base with a fork and bake blind at 200°C for 10 minutes (allow to cool fully before adding filling).

NB: If you don't have a food processor, steps 1 - 3 can be done by hand.

Today, my filling is egg, yoghurt, grated courgette, cheddar cheese and leftover ravioli filling of chicken, chorizo, leeks & Parmesan spread in the base.

Alternative recipe here olive oil pastry