Squash soup

Ingredients: 

1 squash (or pumpkin)

1 large onion

1 potato

3 cloves of garlic

1 large carrot

2oz red lentils

1 red chilli

2 chicken stock cubes

1 veg stock cube

1 bouquet garni

2 teaspoons fresh coriander leaf (or 3 dried)

Method:

• Chop Onion & garlic & soften in olive oil in pressure cooker
• Dice potato & carrot, add to onions and gently fry for a few minutes.
• Dice the squash and add to pan, again soften for a few minutes. 
• Chop the chilli into the pan & stir. 
• Add the red lentils & stir to coat with oil. Make the stock cubes up in 1 pint of hot water. 
• Add to pan along with bouquet garni & coriander (add more water if you think it needs it). 
• Put on lid & bring up to pressure & cook for 10 minutes. 
• Let off pressure & liquidise. 
• Taste & add pepper if needed. 
• Add about ½ pint of water & bring back up to boil uncovered. 

Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

1 cooked chicken carcass

2 leeks finely chopped

2 onions finely chopped

Bunch of parsley finely chopped

1Ltr chicken stock

2 chicken stock cubes

2 tablespoon olive oil

25g Butter

1 bouquet garni

1 ltr water

Some cold cooked chicken

250g dry pasta or noodles

Method:

IMPORTANT

How to Prepare Leeks. Leeks are grown in sand/fine grit so:

1. Remove top green part of leaves
2. Cut off the root end
3. Cut leek in half
4. Under a running tap, separate the layers to wash out all the grit

• Remove all the white meat from the chicken carcass & set aside for later.
• Put the carcass in the pressure cooker with just over 1 litre of cold water.
• Bring up to pressure & cook for 20 minutes. Turn off heat and allow to de-pressurize.
• When de-pressurized strain the stock into a jug & throw away the bones.
• Rinse & dry the pressure cooker pan.
• Finely chop the leeks & onions.
• Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil & 25g of butter to the pan.
• Add the chopped onions & leeks and sweat down.
• Add the chicken stock, stock cubes cold water & bouquet garni and cook gently for about 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
• Bring up to the boil & then add the pasta.
• Keeping it just on the boil, cover & cook until past is soft then add the chopped parsley & cold chicken.
• Cook for 5 minutes & then serve with crusty bread

(To make Chilli chicken soup cut in 1 red chilli with the onions & leeks)

serve with crusty bread and butter

Strawberry Shortcake

Ingredients:
- Biscuits:
8oz SR flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
4oz butter, chilled
About 150ml milk
- Filling:
strawberries
sugar
whipping cream for topping, or non-dairy whipped topping

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 185 degree
• In a food processor (you can use a pastry cutter or fingertips) combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar and pulse to mix. 
• Cut butter into about 8 pieces and add to the mixture. 
• Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal, but with few pea-size chunks of butter left in the mixture. 
• Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and make a well in the center. 
• With a fork stir in the cream or milk, just until dough is moist. (Be very careful not to overwork, The dough doesn't have to hold together well at this point)
• Let the dough stand for a minute. 
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. 
• Fold the dough over on itself (knead) 2 or 3 times, until it is holding together and is less sticky.
• Gently pat the dough into a 6 by 12-inch rectangle about 3/4-inch thick and cut into 8 (3-inch) biscuits with a floured round cutter. 
• Transfer to a buttered foil-lined cookie sheet. 
• Brush on a little milk or cream and sprinkle tops with some sugar, if desired. 
• Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until risen and golden brown. 
• Remove to a platter and split each biscuit horizontally with a serrated knife. 
• Butter the hot buscuits then top with about 1/3 cup of berry mixture. 
• Replace the tops and top with a tablespoon or so of berries. 
• Serve with whipped cream for topping. 

Serves 8.

Pumpkin Orange Biscuits

Ingredients:

300g plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
3 tbsp butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
450g pumpkin, cooked and mashed
orange zest
1 egg
1 tbsp double cream

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6.
• Place all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl and combine well.
• Add the butter and work into the dry ingredients with a knife until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.
• Stir in the pumpkin and the zest from 1 orange.
• Place the dough on a floured surface and pat down carefully until 1cm thick.
• Cut with a floured 5cm cutter, or cut into 5cm squares.
• Place on a well greased baking sheet.
• Gather up the scraps, pat down and cut again.
• Beat the egg in a small bowl and add the cream.
• Brush the biscuits evenly with the mixture.
• Bake for 15 minutes or until fluffy and golden brown

good after Halloween if you have leftover pumpkins (or bits)

Panckakes

Ingredients:

12oz Plain flour

1 pint of milk

½ pint of water

6 eggs

Oil to fry

Method:

• Put the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the middle. 
• Pour the milk, water & eggs into the well and mix with and electric whisk.
• The flour will stick to the edge, so GENTLY draw it in with the whisk, (you may need to turn it off & use the whisk as a scraper)
• The hardest part is getting the pan the right temperature. It needs to be very hot. But not too hot! Not quite smoking hot. 
• Only have a small amount of oil in the pan (4 or 5 DROPS.) Add just enough mix to cover the base of the pan. (I use a ladle, you will have to experiment but it is about a tablespoonful) 
• Cook until the edges starts to come away from the pan. 
• You can then toss it or turn it with a spatula (you may have to loosen it with the spatula first.)
• Repeat until all the batter is used and you have a big pile of pancakes. (You will have to oil the pan in between each pancake.)

Key Lime Pie

Base 

Ingredients:
85g (3oz) butter
250g (9oz) gingernut biscuits, crushed.

Method: 

• Line a tin or dish with greaseproof paper (Nothing fancy just roughly crease it into place, the biscuit base will hold it in place later. Make sure the paper is much bigger than the dish, you want “hang-over” to use to get the pie out of the tin when it’s ready to serve.)
• In a large saucepan, melt the butter and stir in the crushed biscuits. 
• Pour onto the greaseproof paper and using the back of a spoon spread out the crumbs to cover the base of the pan.
• Place in the fridge to chill while preparing the filling.

Filling

Ingredients:

405g can Carnation Condensed Milk Light
finely grated zest and juice of 5 limes
450ml (16fl oz) double cream  

Method:

• Whisk together the filling ingredients until thick and creamy (this will take 5 minutes, maybe more BUT NOT LESS).
• Spoon filling over the biscuit base and chill for at least 1 hour.  

To decorate 

Ingredients:
85g (3oz) bitter chocolate (70% cocoa solids),

Method:

• Put the chocolate in a sandwich bag & microwave for 2 -3 minutes (until its soft when you push it, do it 2 or three minutes at a time)
• When it is soft, snip the corner off the bag then using the bag like an icing bag, drizzle the chocolate over the chilled pie.
• Using the greaseproof paper as handles, remove the pie from the tin and place on a serving plate.

Pesto Pasta

Ingredients:

50 g fresh basil leaves
1 large clove garlic, crushed
1 level tablespoon pine nuts
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 oz (25 g) Pecorino Romano, 

grated salt

Method:

• If you have a blender, put the basil, garlic, pine nuts and olive oil together with some salt in the goblet and blend until you have a smooth purée.
•  Then transfer the purée to a bowl and stir in the grated Pecorino cheese.
• If you don't have a blender, use a large pestle and mortar to pound the basil, garlic and pine nuts to a paste. 
• Slowly add the salt and cheese, 
• then very gradually add the oil until you have obtained a smooth purée.
• Cook 500g pasta until it is soft. 
• Drain & stir through the pesto sauce.