Gaye's Cookery Blog

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts
50g rice
50g balti curry paste
1 small onion
1 clove garlic
75g coconut milk
50g crunchy peanut butter
Sunflower oil
Fresh coriander (optional)

Soak 4 wooden skewers in water for at least 30 minutes.

Cut the chicken into large cubes and rub with oil and curry paste. Leave to marinate while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Heat the sauté pan and add some oil. Soften the onion and then the garlic. Don’t allow them to take on any colour! Spoon off any excess oil. Add the peanut butter and coconut milk and mix everything together to make a sauce. (Keep the heat low and stir all the time, or the sauce may split)

Thread the chicken onto the skewers and cook under a pre-heated grill.

Add any leftover marinade to the sauce and simmer for about 5 minutes to thicken.

Serve with boiled rice. Sprinkle with coriander if wished.

Sticky Tips
If the sauce splits mix in a paste of cornflour and simmer, stirring, until it comes together again. (About ½ teaspoon of cornflour mixed to a paste with a little cold water should be enough)

Ingredients Utensils

4 good quality pork sausages Small roasting pan (metal is best)
Sunflower oil
60g plain flour
150ml milk (whole or semi-skimmed)
1 egg
¼ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
Few thyme leaves, dried or fresh (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 220C/Fan 200C/Gas Mark 7

2. Put the sausages in the roasting pan and drizzle with oil. Roast for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

3. Make the batter – put the flour, salt and a few grinds of pepper into a Mixing Bowl. Make a well in the middle and crack the egg into this. Add half the milk and mix with a balloon whisk until smooth, then whisk in the rest of the milk.

4. When the sausages are brown, add a little more oil (just enough to cover the base of the pan. Heat in the oven until almost smoking.

5. Pour the batter in the pan as quickly as possible and return the pan to the oven.

6. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the batter has risen, is golden brown and crisp around the edges.

ONION GRAVY
½ onion, peeled and sliced, 2 teaspoons soft brown sugar, 1 tablespoon plain flour, 150ml water, ½ chicken stock cube, ½ teaspoon wholegrain mustard, ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, a few thyme leaves.

Soften the onion in oil for about 15 minutes. Stir in sugar and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the flour, then gradually add the water, stirring continuously. Bring to a simmer, then add the stock cube, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and thyme leaves. Simmer for about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

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PIZZA MARGHERITA X 2

Ingredients Utensils

Base Baking sheet
250g strong (bread) white flour Mixing bowl
150g tepid water Spatula/wooden spoon
½ teaspoon instant (fast action) yeast 30 cm pizza pan
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil + extra for drizzling

Topping
75g Passata
1 teaspoon dried oregano + extra for sprinkling
1 clove garlic
125g ball Mozzarella
Handful of cherry tomatoes
Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
Few leaves of fresh basil (optional)

MAKE THE BASE.
Measure the water and olive oil into a mixing bowl. Then add the flour, yeast and salt. Mix quickly with a spatula or wooden spoon.
Smear a little olive oil onto the worktop and tip out the dough. Knead for about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Form into a ball. Cover and leave to rest while you make the topping.
MAKE THE TOPPING
Put the Passata into a bowl and add the crushed garlic and oregano. Season with salt and pepper
Drain the mozzarella cheese and dry with paper towel. Either slice or break up into chunks
Wash and dry the cherry tomatoes. Cut into halves
Grate the Parmesan cheese
PREHEAT THE OVEN TO 240c FAN 220c GAS 8
Put an upturned baking sheet into the oven to heat up

ASSEMBLE THE PIZZA
Lightly oil the worktop and roll out the pizza very thinly (about 25cms across). Lift onto the pizza pan.
Spread the tomato sauce over the pizza with the back of a spoon. Top with mozzarella and cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle with some more oregano and drizzle with olive oil.
Put the baking tray/pizza pan on top of the preheated oven tray and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the topping is bubbling and golden brown and the base looks crispy.
Sticky Tips
1. This is a recipe for a quick pizza. Because the base is really thin you don’t need to leave the bread dough to rise. If the dough is too wet then just add a bit more flour.

2. You need to be quite firm when rolling the dough out as the “gluten” in the dough makes it elastic. If you have difficulty in rolling out, just let the dough rest on the worktop for 10 minutes and try again. It should have relaxed quite a bit in this time.

3. Only use a little sauce and topping so that the pizza base doesn’t get too wet.

4. Instead of Passata try a small can of tomatoes blitzed in a food processor or tomato paste mixed with a little olive oil. (Use sun-dried tomato paste as regular tomato paste tastes bitter).

5. To see this pizza being made watch the video www.bbcgoodfood.com/videos/1027/making-pizza

RASPBERRY & ALMOND TRAYBAKE
Ingredients Utensils

75g ground almonds Baking tray 20 x 16 x 3 cms deep
10g flaked almonds Baking paper to line
95g caster sugar (60g + 15g)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
20g breadcrumbs
100ml sunflower oil
Zest of 1 satsuma or ½ orange
100g fresh raspberries

1. Preheat oven to 210C/Fan 190C/Gas Mark 6

2. Grease the Baking Tray with a little butter and line with Paper

3. Put the ground almonds, flaked almonds, 60g caster sugar, baking powder and breadcrumbs into a Large Mixing Bowl.

4. Crack the eggs into a Measuring Beaker/Jug and loosen with a Fork. Add to the mixing bowl and beat everything together with a Wooden Spoon. Beat in the oil and the orange zest.

5. Spoon the mixture into the baking tray and level off the surface.

6. Put the raspberries in a Sieve and rinse in cold water. Dry in a clean Tea-towel. Scatter over the cake mixture and then sprinkle over the remaining 15g sugar.

7. Bake in the oven for about 25-30 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and firm to the touch in the middle.

8. Serve as cake or as a pudding with crème fraiche or ice cream

www.stickymitts.co.uk

(serves 4-6)

Ingredients Baking dish 20cm square
2 x 415g cans pear halves in juice
125g plain flour Baking paper to line
25g cocoa powder
125g caster sugar
150g Stork margarine
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 200c 180c FAN Gas Mark 6

2. Drain the pears and arrange them on the base of the dish, rounded side up

3. Put the margarine, sugar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Cream together until light and fluffy.

4. Crack the eggs into a measuring jug and loosen with a fork.
Add slowly to the creamed mixture.

6. Mix the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda together. Sift over the creamed mixture. Fold in with a large metal spoon.

7. Spoon the batter over the pears and bake in the oven for 25 -30 minutes or until firm to the touch in the middle.

8. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and then serve with cream, ice-cream or chocolate sauce.

Chocolate sauce
200g Bourneville chocolate
142ml double cream
150ml full fat milk

Put all the ingredients in a pan and heat very gently until melted
and warm.
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STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING
Ingredients Utensils
75g chopped dates Baking tray 20 x 16 x 3 cms
100g Stork margarine
100g self-raising flour
100g muscovado sugar
2 eggs

Sauce
50g block butter (preferably unsalted)
100g light soft brown sugar

Preheat oven to 180c 160c FAN Gas 4

Line baking tray with baking paper

Put the sauce ingredients in a Small Pan and heat gently until the sugar and the butter have melted. Pour into the baking tray. Tip the tray around so that the sauce covers the base.

Put the dates in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave to soak.

Put the margarine and muscovado sugar in a Mixing Bowl and cream with a Wooden Spoon

Crack the eggs into a measuring beaker and loosen with a Fork. Add slowly to the creamed mixture while beating with the Wooden Spoon.

Put the flour into a Sieve and sift over the creamed mixture. Fold in with a Large Metal Spoon

Drain the dates in the Sieve and fold into the creamed mixture. Place in blobs over the toffee sauce and then level off

Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch in the middle

Serve warm with cream or ice-cream

www.stickymitts.co.uk

Ingredients Utensils
Base Baking tray 20 x 16 x 3 cms deep
60g chocolate digestive biscuits Baking paper to line
30g unsalted butter
Filling
200g Nestle caramel
100g Bourneville dark chocolate
2 eggs
200g fresh raspberries
Topping
25g Bourneville dark chocolate

1. Grease the Baking Tray with a little butter and line with Paper

2. Put the biscuits in a Plastic Bag and crush with a Rolling Pin or base of a Pan.

3. Melt butter in a Pan and add the biscuit crumbs. Mix together and then line the base of the baking tray. Chill while you make the filling.

4. Put the caramel in a Bowl and beat until smooth. Spoon onto the biscuit base and level out (be careful not to dislodge the crumbs).

5. Put the raspberries in a Sieve and rinse under cold running water. Pat them dry in a clean Tea Towel. Sprinkle the raspberries over the caramel.

6. Separate the eggs. Put the yolks in a Small Bowl and the whites in a large Mixing Bowl.

7. Melt the chocolate in a Bowl on top of a pan of simmering water*. Take the bowl off the heat and mix in the egg yolks.

8. Whisk the egg whites until stiff with a Balloon/Electric Whisk

9. Add about ⅓ of the egg white to the chocolate and mix in thoroughly to loosen the mixture.

10. Add the rest of the egg white and fold in with a Large Metal Spoon.

11. Spoon the chocolate filling on top of the raspberries.

12. Either grate the 25g chocolate and sprinkle on top, or melt the chocolate and drizzle over the top. Chill in the fridge for about an hour to firm up.

www.stickymitts.co.uk