Giant Jaffa Cake

The giant jaffa cake is made of no-added fat sponge (eggs, sugar, flour), spread with marmalade and topped with chocolate. It looks more like a digestive biscuit.

Creme Caramel

Lamb Chops and Pepper

5 lamb chops
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1cm ginger, minced
2 peppers, chopped
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp yellow bean paste
2 tbsp soya sauce
1 tsp cornflour mixed with water

Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the lamb chops and brown on both sides, push to the edge of the pan. Add the onions, garlic and ginger, cook until softened, add the peppers and continue to cook. Add the yellow bean paste and soya sauce, continue to cook for a few minutes more. Add the cornflour and water mixture and cook until thickened and the chops are cooked through.

Stir Fried Young Garlic and Pepper

Spicy Roast Lamb

1/2 rolled lamb shoulder
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 chilli, deseeded and minced
1 can chopped tomatoes
250ml white wine
1 tsp thyme
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Salt and pepper

Put the lamb in a heatproof dish and bake for 20 minutes at 220 degree centigrade. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the onions and garlic until softened, add the chilli and continue to cook. Add the thyme, bay leaf and wine. Bring to the boil and add the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over the lamb and tightly cover with foil. Bake for 2 hours at 160 degrees centigrade.

Peking 'Ja Jiang' Noodles

1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 slices ginger, minced
400g beef mince
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp yellow bean sauce
2 tbsp soya sauce
1 tsp cornflour

Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onion, garlic and ginger, fry until softened. Add the beef mince and continue cooking until brown, stirring to break up lumps. Add the yellow bean and soya sauce, mix well. Mix the cornflour with some water and add to the pan, cook until thickened. Serve over boiled wheat noodles.

Carrot Cake

I made carrot cake by following the pumpkin cake recipe but substituting carrots for pumpkin and omitting the orange juice and zest.

Double Ginger Cake

250ml self-raising flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
200g goldern syrup
100g preserved stem ginger in syrup, chopped
2 tbsp syrup from the jar of stem ginger
125g butter
125g dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
240ml milk

Line a 20cm square dish with baking parchment and butter the sides. Put the golden and ginger syrups and butter into a small saucepan and warm over a medium heat, add the ginger pieces and sugar. Sift the flour, ground ginger, cinnamon and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl. Add the syrups, stir, add the milk and eggs, stir until combined. Pour into the prepared dish and bake for 40 minutes at 180 degrees or until cooked through. Leave the cake to cool in the dish.

Little Frittatas

1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
8 olives, sliced
6 eggs
1 tbsp parsley
Splash of milk
Salt and pepper

Divide the onion, pepper and olives between a six non-stick muffin tin. Lightly beat the eggs with some milk, and parsley, season well. Pour onto the vegetables. Bake for 20 minutes at 180 degrees centigrade or until the eggs are set.

Chicken in White Wine

1 chicken, jointed into 8 pieces
130g bacon lardons
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, diced
2 sticks celery, diced
2 tbsp vegetable oil
250ml white wine
500ml chicken stock, hot
1 bay leaf
1 tsp thyme
1 tbsp parsley
4 tbsp creme fraiche
Salt and pepper

Heat some oil in a pan, add the chicken pieces and brown on both sides, remove from the pan. Heat some more oil, add the onions, garlic and bacon, fry until onions are softened and the bacon is beginning to colour. Add the celery and carrots and continue cooking for a few minutes. Replace the chicken pieces, pour on the wine and let it sizzle, add the chicken stock, bay leaf and thyme and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper, stir in the creme fraiche and parsley.

Banana Bread

Beef and Celery Stir Fry

2 steaks, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 slices ginger, minced
3 sticks celery, sliced
1 tbsp soya sauce
1 tbsp rice wine
1 tsp cornflour
1 tbsp oyster sauce
vegetable oil

Marinade the steaks in soya sauce, rice wine and cornflour. Heat some oil in a pan, add the celery, stir for a few minutes until beginning to soften, remove from the pan. Add some more oil and add the ginger and garlic, stir. Add the beef and let it sear. Stir the beef until sealed on all surfaces, add the celery. Add the oyster sauce. Mix the cornflour with a little water and add to the pan. Bring to the boil until the sauce has thickened and the beef is cooked. Serve wtih rice.

Vanocka Buns

I made vanocka again but doubled the amount of fruit. Instead of plaiting the mix, I made it into eight individual buns.

Slow Roast Lamb Shoulder

1/2 lamb shoulder
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 sticks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped1 can chopped tomatoes
250ml white wine
2 bay leaves
1 tsp thyme
Salt and pepper

Place the lamb in a large heatproof dish and bake for 20 minutes at 220 degrees centigrade. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large pan, add the onions and brown, add the garlic and stir for another minute. Add the carrots and celery and continue cooking. Add the wine, bring to the boil and add the tomatoes and herbs. Season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Remove the lamb from the oven, pour the tomato mixture over and cover well with foil. Bake for 2 hours at 160 degrees centigrade or until the meat flakes off the bone easily.

Chicken and Bacon

Lamb and Lemon Stew

4 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 kg boned lamb shoulder
1 small onion
2 bay leaves
1 tsp rosemary
5 cloves garlic, 4 minced, 1 whole
1 tsp thyme
500ml hot chicken stock
150ml white wine
1 lemon, zested2 tsp parsley

Cut the lamb into large chunks and put into a large dish, stir in 2 tablespoon olive oil and bake at 220 degrees centigrade for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a frying pan and gently cook the onions for 5 mibutes then add the minced garlic. Add the bay leaves, rosemary and thyme. Pour in the wine and stock, bring to a simmer then pour over the lamb. Cover well with foil and bake for 90 minutes at 140 degrees centigrade. Meanwhile crush the remaining garlic and mix with the lemon zest and parsley, add to the stew and stir well.

Pork Goulash and Knedlicky

Banana and Carrot Cake

3 medium eggs
175g soft brown sugar
175g plain flour
2tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
175ml vegetable oil
175g walnut pieces
2 ripe, medium bananas, mashed
175g grated carrot

Icing:
75g butter, softened
75g Philedephia
150g icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract

Beat eggs and sugar together. Sift in flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Mix well then add the oil and walnuts, mix and add the banana and carrot and mix again. Pour into a prepared cake tin. Bake for 80 minutes at 170 degrees centigrade. Cover with foil if it begins to brown too much. Cool on a rack. To make the icing, beat the butter and cream cheese, add the vanilla and icing sugar, mix well and spread onto the cake.




I also put some of the batter into cupcake holders as I was worried the main cake would overflow.

Liver and Bacon

400g lamb liver, sliced
4 rashers streaky bacon
1 pinch sugar
1 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Vegetable oil
Salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a small frying pan, cook the bacon until crispy. Put the liver, sugar and flour into a bowl, season well and mix. Heat oil in a large frying pan, add the liver and cook for two minutes on each side, add the balsamic vinegar, stir and serve with mash and/or veg.

Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg1 large egg white
2 cups chocolate, cut into chunks

Beat the butter with the sugars, add the vanilla, egg and egg white, mix well. Sift in the flour and baking powder, mix well. Fold in the chocolate chunks. Drop tablespoons of batter onto prepared baking trays, allowing 4 centimetres between to allow for expanding. Bake for 18 minutes at 180 degrees centigrade.