Danish Pastries with Ricotta Cheese

These easy and sweet yeast pastries are filled with a light and creamy ricotta mixture. Enjoy with an afternoon cup of tea or as a dessert. Recipe makes 10 pastries.

Ingredients:

4 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
Pinch of salt
1 ounce (30 g) unsalted butter, diced
1/4 cup caster sugar
Sachet rapid rise yeast
2 large eggs, beaten
8 ounces (250 g) unsalted butter, softened
Beaten egg, to glaze
Filling:
4 ounces (125 g) ricotta cheese
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind

Method:

1. Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the diced butter and rub in with fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar, yeast, eggs and about 3/4 - 1 cup cold water, until a soft dough forms.
2. Put the dough on a lightly floured work surface and knead for 5 minutes, or until smooth. Roll out to a 15 x 10 inch (38 x 25 cm) rectangle. Spread the butter over the middle third of the dough. Fold the other two-thirds over the buttered third, to give 3 layers. Seal the edges with a rolling pin. Cover with oiled clear plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
3. Roll the layered dough out to the same size as the original rectangle; fold into 3. Repeat the rolling and folding process 3 more times. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for a further 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, make the filling. Put the cheese, sugar, lemon juice and orange rind into a bowl. Stir well to combine.
5. Roll out the dough to the same size as before. Cut into ten 15 x 1 inch (38 x 2.5 cm) strips. Roll each strip into a rope and coil into a 'cup' shape, moulding together to seal. Place shaped pastries on 2 baking trays. Brush bases with beaten egg. Put the filling into the center of each, dividing evenly.
6. Preheat oven to 440 degrees F (220 degrees C). Cover the pastries with oiled plastic wrap and leave to rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.
7. Brush the pastries with the beaten egg to glaze. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden. Serve warm.

Pork Spareribs Chinese-Style

Spareribs are one of the most popular Chinese dishes and this is a very simple and good recipe. Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

1 side pork spareribs
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 medium-sized piece of fresh ginger
2 tablespoons brown bean sauce
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons cornflour
2 or 3 spring onions, finely chopped

Method:

1. Chop spareribs into 1 inch (2.5 cm) portions and trim excess fat.
2. Mix brown bean sauce, garlic and ginger into a sauce. Bring oil to medium/high heat in a wok, blend in sauce and quickly add spareribs. Continue to stir-fry for about 1 minute.
3. Add sugar and water and bring immediately to boil, then simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Mix cornflour with 1 tablespoon of water and add to wok, stir-frying with a little more heat to glaze contents all over. This should take only 1 or 2 minutes. Serve immediately on heated dish, garnished with spring onions.

Apple and Ginger Tart

This easy and delicious dessert tart has a crunchy ginger base filled with smooth apple and is topped with glazed apple slices. Recipe serves 6.

Ingredients:

8 ounce (250 g) packet ginger nut cookies (biscuits)
3 1/2 ounces (100 g) unsalted butter
Filling:
1/4 cup white sugar
1 ounce (25 g) unsalted butter
Juice of 1 large lemon
1 pound (500 g) cooking apples. peeled, cored and sliced
Topping:
2 eating apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
8 teaspoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground mixed spice
1/4 cup apricot jam

Method:

1. Put the cookies in a food processor and mix until crumbled, or place in a strong clean plastic food storage bag and crush by beating with a rolling pin.
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Stir in the cookie crumbs until well combined. Press the mixture evenly over the base and up the side of a 9 inch (22 cm) loose-bottomed flan tin. Chill for 20 minutes.
3. For the filling, put the sugar, butter and half the lemon juice in a stainless steel pan. Heat over a low heat until melted. Stir in the apples and stew over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until pulpy and thick. Remove from heat and cool completely. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
4. For the topping, toss the apple slices in the remaining lemon juice. Mix together the sugar, ginger and mixed spice.
5. Spread the filling in the cookie crumb base. Arrange the apple slices over the top in circles. Sprinkle the spiced sugar mixture over the slices.
6. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the apple slices are golden and tender.
7. Warm the jam until runny then sieve it. Brush the jam over the apples. Remove the tart from the tin and serve warm or cold.

Snow Pea and Fish Salad

This fresh snow pea and boneless white fish fillet salad makes a delightful summer lunch or dinner. Recipe serves 4.

Ingredients:

4-6 Jew fish fillets, or any other firm fleshed white fish, without bones
Salad:
Snow peas
3 1/2 ounces (100 g) zucchini, diced
2 ounces (60 g) red pepper (capsicum), diced
2 ounces (60 g) yellow pepper (capsicum), diced
8 black olives, seeds removed and finely chopped
4 spring onions, finely sliced
3 1/2 ounces (100 g) tomatoes, peeled, seeded and cut into dice
Butter lettuce, washed and dried
Vinaigrette:
2/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon prepared freshly crushed garlic

Method:

1. Place all vinaigrette ingredients in a jar and mix well.
2. Cook fish fillets in a little butter or oil. Drain and set aside, keeping warm.
3. For the salad, combine zucchini, red and yellow peppers and olives with a little of the vinaigrette and set aside.
4. Cook spring onions in a little oil until translucent. Remove from heat, add tomato and a little vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
5. To serve, arrange lettuce leaves on 4 individual plates. Cut fish in half. Scatter some snow peas on the lettuce, then the fish. Scatter 1/4 of the zucchini mix and the tomato mix over the fish on each plate and then some more snow peas. Drizzle with more vinaigrette and serve.

Quick & Easy Brown Bread

Made with rapid rise dried yeast, this simple one-rise whole wheat bread is much easier to make than a conventional wholemeal loaf. Recipe makes 1 loaf.

Ingredients:

2 sachets rapid rise dried yeast
2 cups strong wholemeal flour
2 cups strong all-purpose (plain) flour
1 teaspoon salt
5 fl oz (150 ml) lukewarm milk
Extra milk, to glaze

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Grease a 2 pound (1 kg) loaf tin.
2. Sift together the yeast, flours and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the wholemeal husks in the sieve to the bowl. Add the milk and sufficient lukewarm water to mix to a soft dough.
3. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Roll and shape the dough and put into the tin.
4. Cover with oiled clear plastic wrap and leave to rise in a warm place for 30-40 minutes, or until doubled in size.
5. Uncover and brush the top of the loaf with milk. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Bake for a further 20-25 minutes, or until well risen and brown. The loaf should sound hollow when tapped on the base. Turn the loaf out onto a wire rack to cool.

Tip: Look for rapid rise dried yeast, sold in sachets, in most supermarkets. It cuts down on the rising time needed for yeast mixtures by about 50 per cent. It also makes proving (a second rising) unnecessary.

Indian Beef Curry

Indian curries are dry curries, cooked with little liquid. Marinate beef steak overnight for best results. Onion, garlic, ginger and chili form the base of authentic Indian curries and are pounded together. Recipe serves 4.

Ingredients:

2 pound (1 kg) chuck or skirt steak
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon malt vinegar
2 medium onions, grated
4 teaspoons freshly crushed garlic
2 teaspoons fresh ginger (from jar)
1 teaspoon chili powder
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
Water
Fried onion rings for garnish

Method:

1. Cut meat into 1 inch (2.5 cm) cubes, place in a bowl with soy sauce, turmeric, vinegar, stir to mix. Cover and marinate at room temperature 4 hours, or overnight in refrigerator.
2. Grate onion on fine grater over a bowl to catch juices. Add garlic, ginger and chili.
3. Heat oil in a pan, add onion mixture and fry until brown, stirring constantly. Add beef and stir to brown all over. Add bay leaves, cinnamon stick and enough water to half cover beef. Cover and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes or until meat is tender. Add a little water during cooking if necessary.
4. Adjust seasoning and place in a dish. Garnish with fried onion rings, serve with boiled rice or coconut rice.

Cucumbers with Mushrooms

Cucumbers are available all year so here's a creamy and tasty hot dip or appetizer you can enjoy in Winter. Recipe serves 4.

Ingredients:

2 pound (1 kg) green cucumbers
2 ounces (50 g) bacon, cut into cubes
1 pound (250 g) mushrooms, sliced
4 teaspoons butter
1 onion, sliced
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon dried marjoram leaves

Method:

1. Peel cucumbers, halve lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Cut into slices.
2. Heat butter in a fry pan and add bacon. Add onions and cook until translucent.
3. Add cucumbers and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes with pan covered.
4. Add parsley and marjoram and cook for another 5 minutes. If there is too much liquid, cook uncovered for the last 5 minutes - otherwise leave covered.
5. Serve with crackers or pita bread.