Orange Biscuits (Makes 18)

This light biscuit is the perfect afternoon treat; serve with your favourite cup of tea. Or, serve a scoop of vanilla ice cream with a couple of biscuits for an elegant dessert.

Ingredients

·         50g margarine

·         75g caster sugar

·         75g plain flour

·         1 egg

·         50 g mixed peel

Method

1.       Preheat the oven to 160 °C

2.       Cream together the butter and sugar, until light and creamy.

3.       Beat in the egg.

4.       Fold in the flour and mixed peel.

5.       Grease a baking sheet, and place teaspoons of the mixture on the sheet. Leave space between the biscuits, as they will spread as they bake.

6.       Bake for 10-15 minutes, until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack until cool.

7.       Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Chapattis (makes 6)

·         6oz Plain Flour

·         ½ Tablespoon Vegetable Oil

·         ½ Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper

·         A Pinch of Salt

·         125ml Water

1.       Place flour, salt and pepper in a bowl, mix together.

2.       Add in the oil and water, and mix until you have a soft dough. Lave this dough to rest for 10 minutes.

3.       Divide the dough into 6 balls; roll each of these into a thin disc approximately the size of a dinner plate.

4.       Heat a dry, heavy based, frying pan. Add in the chapattis, 1 at a time, and cook for 1 minute on each side, until they are blistered and lightly browned.

5.       Serve alongside a curry dish.

For an Indian twist why not try a chapatti sandwich, fill the flatbread with spiced meat, salad and riata and roll up.

Italian Pepper Chutney

Makes 2-3 medium jars

Ingredients

·         2 teaspoons olive oil

·         2 onions (finely chopped)

·         3 peppers (finely chopped)

·         2 tomatoes

·         200ml vinegar

·         140g muscavado sugar

·         ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

·         1 teaspoons dried oregano

Method

1.       Fry the onions in 1 teaspoon of olive oil for minutes, until golden and softened. Add in the peppers, along with the remaining oil, and continue to fry for a further 5 minutes.

2.       Now add in all the other ingredients, bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes.

3.       Pour into sterilised jars. To sterilise jars rinse them out with boiling water.

This chutney is a great accompaniment to Italian meats, cheeses and breads. Keep for up to 6 months in a cool, dry place. Once opened keep in the fridge and use within 4 weeks.

Peach Cobbler (Serves 6)

Ingredients

·         2 x 400g tins of Peaches in juice

·         4 teaspoons corn flour

·         200g/ 8 oz plain flour

·         3 teaspoons baking powder

·         50g/2 oz margarine

·         50g/ 2 oz caster sugar

·         50g/2 oz dried apricots, finely chopped

·         150ml/ ¼ pint milk

Method

1.       Grease a large pudding basin, or 3 small bowls, and add in the peaches. Squash the peaches between your fingers, to make a chunky mush, and then stir in the corn flour and half the juice from one can of the peaches.

2.       Now to make the cobbler topping, sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl and rub in the margarine until you have the consistency of breadcrumbs.

3.       Stir in the sugar and dried apricots, then add in the milk and mix lightly to form dough.

4.       Roll out the dough, using an extra dusting of flour to prevent sticking, and cut out rounds of the dough.

5.       Place the rounds on top of the peaches, adding an extra sprinkle of sugar to bring an interesting crunch to the topping.

6.       Put to Pudding, or puddings, in the oven at 160°C for 35- 40 minutes until they are golden and bubbling.

7.       Best served hot with custard, to warm you up on cold winter nights.

To add an extra flourish the cobbler topping can be cut out using different cutters, such as hearts or stars.

Valentine's Marshmallows

Ingredients

·         16 oz granulated sugar

·         2 x 7g sachets gelatine powder

·         2 egg whites

·         1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·         A few drops of red food colouring

·         3 Tablespoons Corn flour

·         3 Tablespoons Icing Sugar

Method

1.       Whisk egg whites to stiff peaks using an electric whisk, this recipe shouldn’t be attempted without an electric whisk as you will not be able to achieve the correct thickness. Set aside the whites for use later.

2.       Add the sugar, along with 150ml water, to a medium pan. Leave on a high heat until the mixture reaches 127°C/260°F. Do not stir the sugar mixture, though you may swirl the pan to disperse the sugar.

3.       Melt gelatine into 100ml boiling water, and whisk into the hot sugar.

4.       Now go back to the egg whites and start to whisk again, this time gradually adding in the sugar mixture in a slow stream, until you have a thick and glossy mixture. This should take about 10 minutes.

5.       Add in a teaspoon of vanilla extract and, if making desired, a few drops of red food colouring to bring a rosy shade to the marshmallows.

6.       Mix the corn flour and icing sugar, and sift over 2 baking sheets. Leave the rest of this mix for later

7.       Pour the marshmallow mixture evenly between the 2 sheets, and leave to cool for 3 hours.

8.       Using a sharp knife cut the marshmallow into cubes and roll in the remaining corn flour and icing sugar.

9.       These can then be tied up in cellophane and ribbons for the perfect thrifty Valentine’s treat.

Sparkling Citrus Jellies

Sparkling Citrus Jellies

A beautifully refreshing dessert, perfect as part of a light lunch or supper.

Serves 2

Preparation time:  5 Minutes, + 5 hours setting time

Cooking time: 5minutes

Ingredients

1x 11g sachet vegegel powder

Freshly squeezed juice of 1 orange (approx 100ml/3½ fl oz)

150ml/ 5 fl oz Lemonade

2 Tangerines/Satsumas

Method

1.       Peel and segment the tangerines and place in two small ramekins or glasses

2.       Heat the orange juice in a pan until it begins to bubble, remove from the heat and stir in the vegegel.

3.       When all the vegegel has dissolved add in the lemonade, and pour over the fruit.

4.       Place the jellies in the fridge, and leave to set for 5 hours.

5.       To release from the moulds dip ramekins into boiling water and turn them out onto a plate.

Mediterranean Peppers

Mediteranean Peppers

A great meal for adding some Mediterranean warmth to your evening, best served with rice, pasta, or a rustic Italian loaf. 

Serves 2

Preparation time: 10minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 small onion

3 medium peppers

½ tin chopped tomatoes 200g (8oz)

1 dessertspoon tomato puree

½ teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper, to taste

Method

1.      Finely chop the onion, and fry in 1 teaspoon of olive oil for 2-3 minutes on a low heat until golden.

2.      Deseed and finely slice the peppers, and add into the pan along with another teaspoon of oil. Continue to fry for a further 3 minutes.

3.       Add in the tomatoes, tomato puree and sugar and bring to the simmer for 15 minutes.

4.       Check the sauce for seasoning, and add salt and pepper to taste.

5.       Serve up a gererous spoonful of peppers alongside rice or pasta.