Tuesday 25 August 2020

Tahini Chocolate Cake (GF)

 


Dark chocolate 200g

Butter 120g

Tahini 170g

Brown sugar 100g

Eggs 4

Cocoa 2tbs


Melt chocolate and butter together.  Add tahini and combine.

Add all the other ingredients and combine.

Pour into a prepared bakeware (I use a 20cm round cake tin) and bake (180 degrees celsius) for about 30 minutes or till the cake has puffed up a little.  It does not matter if the cake is still moist inside as it will settle as the cake cools down.


Berry Cheesecake Slice

                          This version in the photo has rhubarb instead of berries


I got the base recipe from a friend in Canada.  What she made was a blueberry slice and the topping had no cream cheese in it.  I thought it would be even better if the top half was a cheesecake.

Base

1.1/2 cup plain flour

1/2 cup sugar

200g butter (I always use salted butter)

Blitz in a food processor and tip it onto the prepared bakeware.  I use a lamington tin.

Press the sandy mixture down with a back of a spoon or similar and bake for about 20 minutes (180 degrees celsius) or until golden on top.


Cheesecake

250g Cream cheese

1/2 cup sugar

1tbs corn flour

2 eggs

lemon juice / vanilla

berries of your choice 

Blend everything except for berries together.

Place the berries on top of the baked base and pour the cheesecake mixture over the fruit.

Bake till the top of the cheese cake is golden.



Baked Ricotta

 


1kg ricotta

150g parmesan cheese

2 garlic cloves

4 eggs

2tbs cornflour

black pepper

a big handful of baby spinach


Mix all the ingredients together.  Add spinach last.

Decorate with some red tomatoes on top.  

Bake in any bakeware of your choice until golden on top.  180 degrees celsius.


 

Daal

 


The Indian lady who showed me how to make Daal didn't use onions and garlic as it was against her religion, but I use quite a lot of them.

Vegetables I always use:

Onion, garlic, coriander and tomato (fresh or tinned).

Other things I sometimes use if I have them in the fridge:

Celery, carrot, pumpkin, sweet potato, cauliflower, etc.

Cumin seeds and turmeric or premixed mild curry powder (approx 1tbs per 1 litre of daal)

The beans I use are Red lentils and Mung Dhall.  Mung Dhall is what makes my Daal its unique texture.  For 2 cups of lentils, 1 cup of mung dhall.

I cook the beans separately in plenty of water skimming foams off throughout the cooking process.

If using cumin seeds, heat the oil till quite hot.  Drop a few cumin seeds and if they instantly froth, the oil is hot enough.  Fry for a few seconds before adding the vegetables.

Add cooked beans to the vegetables including the cooking water.  

Simmer until everything is nice and tender.



Gulasch



My German mother in law gave me this recipe.  I have modified it over the years.


2 onions chopped

2 carrots 

2 sticks of celery chopped

3-6 garlic cloves

1kg beef (chuck or gravy)

1-2 red capsicum

1tsp thyme

4tbs smoked paprika (or more if you like)

1tsp cumin

2 tomatoes chopped (or a tin)

2tbs tomato paste

1tbs marmalade (for sweetness and zest)

salt to taste

2tbs balsamic vinegar (or more if it needs more acidity)

enough water to cover the ingredients


I brown the meat first, set aside and cook onion, carrots and celery for good 10 minutes in olive oil.

I add rest of the ingredients in one go and simmer for 2 hours or however long it takes in a pressure cooker.