Lamb, Bean and Vegetable Soup

From a Woman's Weekly from 1998!

Can be made a day ahead.

2 tbs vegetable oil
1 kg lamb shanks
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1.5 L vegetable stock
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 tbs tomato paste
2 small parsnips, diced
1 medium swede, diced
2 celery sticks, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
2 x 300g cans butter beans, rinsed, drained
1 tbs chopped fresh coriander leaves

Heat half the oil in a large pan, add lamb in batches, cook until well browned all over. Heat remaining oil in the same pan, cook onion, stirring until soft. Add spices; stir until fragrant. Return lamb to pan with stock, sauce, paste and undrained tomatoes. Simmer, covered for 1 hour stirring occasionally. Add parsnips, swede, celery and carrot to pan, simmer covered about 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove meat from bones, cut into large pieces and discard bones. Retrun meat to pan with beans, simmer uncovered another 10 minutes and stir in coriander.

To freeze, refrigerate soup until cold; skim any fat from the surface and place in an airtight container. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Place in a large pan, simmer uncovered until heated through.

Serves 4 - 6

Chicken, Leek and Mushroom Pie

From a Woman's Weekly from 1999!

1 medium leek (350g) sliced
60g butter
200g button mushrooms sliced
1/4 cup (35g) plain flour
1 tsp chicken stock powder
1 tbs seeded mustard
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 cups cooked chicken
freshly ground black pepper
1 egg yolk
1 tbs milk extra
ready rolled puff pastry

To prepare leek, remove dark green top and root end; cut leek in half lengthways. Hold leek under running water opening leaves to allow water to flow between leaves and rinse away grit, or swish in a bowl of water until clean.
Heat butter in a large pan; cook mushrooms, stirring until browned lightly. Add leek, cook stirring until leek is soft.. Stir in flour and stock powder; cook stirring for 1 minute. Gradually stir in milk then mustard, cook stirring until mixture boils and thickens. Remove from heat, stir in parsley, chicken and pepper, cool.
Place chicken mixture in oiled 7 cup capacity oven proof dish. Brush rim of dish with a little of the combined egg yolk and milk. Cut pastry to fit dish, trim edges. Make a strip 1.5 cm wide and long enough to fit the edge of the dish to make a double edge to give more puff. Scallop the edge of the pie if desired by pressing an upturned teaspoon into the pastry. Using a sharp knife, mark the sides of the pastry so that it puffs more during cooking. Place dish on an oven tray bake in a very hot oven (240C) for 15 minutes, reduce heat to 180C and bake for a further 10 minutes or until browned.

Serves 4 to 6. Suitable to freeze.

I used my new pan, which I am loving! I cooked the chicken in it first, then made the filling, then just put the pastry on top and popped it in the oven. I am all for reducing the number of dishes as much as possible!

Tollhouse Cookies

1 1/4 cups plain flour
1/4 tsp bicarb soda
125g butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg beaten
1 tsp vanilla
100g choc bits, I used dark choc bits

Set oven to 180C
Cream butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, beat well. Stir in sifted flour and bicarb, and choc bits until well blended. Form into 5cm size pieces and place on greased baking trays, leaving room for spreading. Top with extra choc bits and bake for 12 - 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Nigella Lawson's Cupcake recipe

From this cleaver blog

250g softened unsalted butter
250g caster sugar
3 large eggs
250g self raising flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 tbsp milk

Preheat oven to 200 (or 400)

Throw all ingredients into a food processor. Mix until combined. Spoon into cupcake case lined muffin tin - fill them 2/3 full. Cook for about 15 minutes until well risen and golden and springy on the top. Ice with your favourite icing, I topped them with hundreds and thousands as well. Fantastic and very popular. Might also be nice with a bit of orange zest!

Lemon Loaf

1 tbsp (20g) polyunsaturated margarine
3/4 cup (175g) caster sugar
2 eggs beaten
1 1/2 cups (180g) self raising flour
juice and rind of 1 lemon
1/2 cup reduced fat milk
1 1/2 tbsp caster sugar, extra

Cream margarine and sugar until soft, then gradually beat in the eggs, flour, lemon rind and milk.

Pour into a lined, greased and floured 20 cm loaf tin and bake in a preheated oven at 180C for about 35 minutes or until golden on top and an insrted skewer comes out clean.

Mix together lemon juice and extra sugar, remove loaf from oven and slowly pour on the lemon syrup. Remove from tin.

Lemon chicken with olives

Ingredients (serves 8)

• 1.2kg chicken thigh fillets, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 brown onion, halved, roughly chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 400g can diced tomatoes
• 1 small lemon, sliced
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves
• 1 cup (180g) pitted kalamata olives

Method

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook chicken in batches, turning, for 5 minutes or until browned. Remove to a plate.
2. Add onion and garlic to saucepan. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until just soft. Return chicken to saucepan. Add tomatoes, lemon, sugar and oregano. Bring to the boil.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, uncovered, for 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and sauce thickened. Stir in olives. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Red lentil & pumpkin soup

Red lentil & pumpkin soup

Ingredients (serves 4)

• Olive oil spray
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1kg butternut pumpkin, peeled, deseeded, cut into 1cm-pieces
• 175g (3/4 cup) red lentils, rinsed
• 1.25L (5 cups) water
• 1x 10g Massel Salt-Reduced Vegetable stock cube
• 90g (1/3 cup) low-fat natural yoghurt
• Fresh coriander leaves, to serve

Method

1. Heat a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Spray with olive oil spray. Add the onion and cook, for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic, ginger and curry powder and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until aromatic.
2. Add the pumpkin, lentils, water and stock cube. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, partially covered, for 15-20 minutes or until the pumpkin and lentils are soft. Set aside to cool.
3. Ladle half the lentil mixture into the jug of a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to a clean saucepan. Repeat with the remaining lentil mixture.
4. Place the soup over medium heat and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until heated through. Season with pepper. Ladle among serving bowls. Top with the yoghurt and coriander to serve.