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Hot Cross Loaf

April 4, 2011 By Delia

It’s nearly Easter – and that means eating a lot of Chocolate Eggs, and Hot Cross Buns with a cup of Tea in the afternoon. But why stop with just a single Bun?

This recipe will show you how to make an entire loaf of the bread, which you can easily split into twelve portions if you’d prefer the traditional Buns. Cook for fifteen to eighteen minutes, at 220C for the Buns.

To Serve 16
50g Butter, chilled
500g White Bread Mix
1 tsp Mixed spice
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
175g Currants
50g Mixed Peel
75g Caster Sugar
1 Large Egg
340ml Milk, plus 4tbsp for brushing
50g Plain Flour
1tsp Sunflower Oil
15g Icing Sugar
40g Granulated Sugar

1. Grease two Bread Loaf tins. Run the Chilled Butter into the Bread Mixture until it begins to resemble breadcrumbs. Stir in the Spices, Currents, Mixed Peel and Caster Sugar.
2. Break the Egg into a jug with enough Milk to bring it up to 350ml. Beat lightly and add to the Bread Mixture.
3. Knead onto a floured surface, then share into the two Loaf Tins, then cover with lightly oiled Clingfilm, placing somewhere warm until doubled in size.
4. Heat the Oven to 220C, then mix the Plain Flour with the Oil, Icing Sugar and three tablespoons of Water. Put into a plastic bag, shake well, then snip off a corner from the bag and pipe into the Cross Shape on top.
5. Bake for twenty minutes in the oven, then reduce the heat to 190C and cook for another fifteen to twenty minutes.
6. Heat the Granulated Sugar with the four tablespoons of Milk, simmer for two or three minutes then brush on the loaves. Remove from the tins and leave to cool.

Photo Courtesy of: Avlxyz

Vegetable Biryani

January 18, 2011 By Delia

This traditional Asian dish is very easy to make, and tastes very nice – it’s not too hot that it’ll blow your head off, but still has enough of a kick to make you remember it.

Serve it layered – with the rice as a base, and the Curried Vegetables on top. The sauce will drip through and the contrast of flavours, colours and textures.

To Serve 4
350g Basmati Rice
Salt and Pepper
50g Ghee, or Clarified Butter
1 Onion, peeled and chopped
2.5cm Ginger, peeled and grated
2 Garlic Cloves, peeled and crushed
1tsp Ground Coriander
2tsp Ground Cumin
1tsp Ground Turmeric
1/2tsp Chilli Powder
3 Carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
225g French Beans, halved
225g Small Cauliflower Florets
1tsp Garam Masala
Juice of 1 Lemon

1. Put the Rice in a Sieve, and rinse under cold running water, until the water runs clear. Put the Rice into a saucepan with a pint of water and a teaspoon of Salt. Bring to the boil, and reduce the heat, then simmer for ten minutes until just tender.
2. Melt the Ghee (or butter) in a large heavy based saucepan, before adding the Onion, Ginger and Garlic and frying gently for five minutes – until soft but not coloured. Add the Coriander, Cumin, Turmeric and Chilli Powder, then fry for two more minutes, stirring constantly to make sure the spices don’t burn.
3. Remove the Rice from the heat, and drain, before adding one and a half pints of water to the Onion and Spice mixture, and season well with Salt and Pepper. Stir well, and bring to the boil, before adding the Carrots and Beans, then simmer for fifteen minutes, then add the Cauliflower and simmer for ten more minutes. Finally add the Rice, mix gently and heat through.
4. Stir the Garam Masala and Lemon Juice into the Biryani and simmer for a few minutes, taste, and season, then turn and serve in a warmed dish.

Photo Courtesy of:

Spiced Pumpkin Fritters

January 14, 2011 By Delia

This recipe is a great way of using any leftover flesh from Pumpkins used to make Pumpkin Lanterns. It’s easy enough to make spicier or not as spicy – just change the amount of Garlic and Chilli Sauce that’s in the mixture.

A great dish to have as a starter, serve fresh and sprinkled with Coarse Sea Salt.

To Serve 4
700g Pumpkin Flesh, deseeded
175g Wholemeal Plain Flour
1tsp Salt
1/4tsp Baking Powder
1tsp Cumin Seeds
1/2tsp Ground Cumin
1 Egg, separated
1 Small Onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, peeled and crushed
1 1/2tsp Chilli Sauce
2tbsp Chopped Fresh Coriander
Vegetable Oil
Coarse Salt, to serve

1. Cut the Pumpkin into slices about ten centimetres long, and a centimetre wide, steaming for about eight to ten minutes, until just tender. Remove from the steamer and cool.
2. In a bowl, place the Flour, Salt, Baking Powder, Cumin Seeds and Ground Cumin and mix well. Make a well in the centre of the bowl, add the Egg Yolk, and stir in 175ml water, to form a smooth batter. Stir in the Onion, Garlic, Chilli Sauce and Chopped Coriander, and then stiffly whisk the Egg White and fold into the batter.
3. Fill a deep-fat fryer with Oil, and heat to 180C. Using two forks, dip the Pumpkin into the Batter mix, a few slices at a time so that they are evenly coated. Fry for one and a half minutes, turning frequently until they are golden brown, crisp and cooked through.
4. Once cooked, drain on pieces of kitchen paper, and keep warm.

Photo Courtesy of: Avlxyz

Hot Red Jungle Curry

December 30, 2010 By Delia

Not blow your head off heat, but enough to leave you reaching for the Water…which in itself is a mistake, as that’ll make it hotter – Milk is a much better alternative!

If you want to add more various textures to this dish, and lower the heat slighlty, add a drained can of Bamboo Shoots as well as the other vegetables at stage two – it adds a great burst of crunch to the dish. This dish takes around half an hour to make, so it’s great to do if you’re in a rush, but it’s still a bit exotic and impressive to show off to people with.

To Serve 4
15ml Vegetable Oil
350g Skinless Chicken Breasts, cut into Strips
450ml Hot Chicken Stock
2.5cm Ginger, Finely Sliced
2tbsp Red Curry Paste
2tbsp Fish Sauce
125g Aubergine, cut into bite-sized pieces
125g Baby Sweetcorn, halved lengthways
75g Green Beans
75g Button or Brown Cap Mushrooms, halved if needed
3 Kaffir Lime Leaves
1/2 Lime Rind, Grated
1tsp Tomato Puree
1tbsp Soft Brown Sugar
Lime Rind, to Garnish

1. Heat the Oil in a large Wok or Pan, and cook the Chicken off until it turns golden brown, and is cooked through.
2. Stir in the Curry Paste and cook for another minute, then add the Vegetables and Lime Leaves, stirring well to make sure that everything is coated in the Curry Paste.
3. Add the Chicken Stock, Fish Sauce, Tomato Puree, Grated Lime Rind and Soft Brown Sugar to the pan, and bring it to the boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer for ten to twelve minutes, until the Chicken and Vegetables are tender, but not soft.

Serve straight away, with Rice or seasonal Vegetables.

Photo Courtesy of: RovingI

Tod Man Pla

December 9, 2010 By Delia

Don’t know what these are? They’re Thai Fish Cakes. Different in taste and consistency to more traditional fish cakes, as they’re a bit spicier, and intended to be used as a main course when served with Rice.

You can easily change the Fish used in these with Chicken or Pork, and they’ll still taste great, which makes them a very useful last minute meal idea! The mixture of tastes and textures in this dish make it a great party food, and a nice suprise for the tastebuds – just make sure you’ve let people know they are spicy before they bite in!

To serve 4

450g Skinless, Boneless Cod Fillet, cut into Chunks
1 Beaten Egg
1tbsp Thai Red Curry Paste
1tsp Brown Sugar
1tbsp Cornflour
1tbsp Chopped Fresh Coriander
75g Chopped Green Beans
4tbsp Oil

1. Put the Cod chunks into a food processor, and pulse to have them chopped roughly.

2. Add the Curry paste into the processor, as well as the Beaten Egg, Sugar, Salt and Cornflour. Blend well to make sure a nice mix.

3. Pour the mixture into a large bowl, and mix in the Green Beans and Coriander.

4. Cover the bowl with cling-film, and chill for forty five minutes

5. Split the mixture into fifteen to twenty balls, and then flatten them slightly (to make a cake-like shape).

6. Heat the oil in a pan (preferably a non-stick one…It’s easier to clean at the end!), over a medium heat.

7. Cook the Fish Cakes in batches for around three to five minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. Pat dry on a piece of crumpled Kitchen Paper.

8. Serve with a Salad or Stir-Fried Green Vegetables and Rice.

Photo Courtesy of: Avlxyz