1 cup (145 grams) grated apple (from 1 7-ounce/medium-large apple)
1 cup (115 grams) grated carrot (from 1 thick carrot)
1/2 cup (80 grams) very well-drained crushed pineapple or chopped fresh pineapple
1/3 cup (30 grams) shredded unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup raisins or another dried fruit (optional)
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2/3 cup (130 grams) raw or granulated sugar
2/3 cup (155 ml) neutral oil
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups (160 grams) all-purpose or whole-wheat flour
2 tablespoons toasted, salted pepitas (optional)
Heat your oven to 350 degrees F. Coat 8-inch square baking pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottom with parchment and let it extend up two sides of the pan.
In a large bowl, combine apple, carrot, pineapple, coconut, dried fruit, if using, lemon zest, sugar, and oil. Add eggs, and whisk to combine. Sprinkle spices, salt, baking powder, and baking soda over the batter and stir very well to combine. Add flour, and stir just until it disappears.
Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle pepitas over cake, if using. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out batter-free. Let cool in pan then carefully cut into squares with a serrated knife.
The cake is very moist and a little crumbly. I find that it keeps best in the fridge. The cake will keep for 5 to 6 days, chilled.
1 cup uncooked rolled oats 1 tsp crushed fennel seeds ½ tsp crushed red pepper corns 1 tsp crushed chili flakes 1 ½ TBL dehydrated onion flakes or a small to medium chopped onion 2 cloves crushed garlic ½ tsp salt 1 TBL Caribbean spice with garlic 1 tsp ground sage 1 tsp coriander 1 ½ tsp crushed dried rosemary or fresh ½ tsp ground black pepper 3 TBL ground flax seeds 9 TBL water Liquid smoke 1 tsp maple syrup 1 TBL Italian herbs olive oil
Connie’s mushroom broth In food processor Add rolled oats, In mortar pestel crush fennel seeds, red pepper corns, and chili flakes to desired texture and add to food processor Add in dehydrated onion flakes, garlic, salt, Caribbean spice, sage and coriander In mortar pestel crush rosemary just a bit, and add to processor Add in black pepper, flax seed,
Gently pulse food processor ingredients to coarse texture and put into a medium bowl To mixture add water, olive oil, liquid smoke, maple syrup, and Italian herbs, and mix well and allow mixture to rest for 5 minutes.
Oil hands for shaping mixture into sausage rolls or sausage patties. (be sure to keep hands oiled during shaping process.)
Put oil in pan and brown sausages on all sides. Extra oil can be added during browning process if desired. When browned, add broth, partially cover and allow to simmer to complete cooking of oats. Remove from broth. Sausages can be served at this point or cooled and frozen for future use. Serve with mushroom broth used to complete cooking. Note: For
substitute egg – 1 TBL ground flax plus 3 TBL water = 1 egg
12 oz. mixed mushrooms (such as maitake, oyster, shiitake, and/or crimini), trimmed, torn into 1″ pieces
1½ tsp. tsp. kosher salt, plus more
2 Tbsp. thyme leaves
1 large shallot, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely grated
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2¾ cups whole milk
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon
⅓ cup crème fraîche or thinned sour cream
8 oz. regular lasagna noodles, broken in half
4 oz. mozzarella, thinly sliced
Finely grated Parmesan (for serving)
Heat 3 Tbsp. oil in a large high-sided ovenproof skillet or small Dutch oven over medium-high. Add mushrooms and cook, undisturbed, until starting to brown, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and cook, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, 5–7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; mix in thyme.
Reduce heat to medium-low. Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. oil in skillet. Add shallot and garlic and cook, stirring, until starting to soften, about 1 minute. Sprinkle flour over and cook, stirring, until golden, about 1 minute.
Add milk, pepper, 1½ tsp. salt, and 1¾ cups water, then finely grate zest of ¼ lemon into pan. Stir to dissolve flour, increase heat to medium, and cook until gently bubbling. Reduce heat to low, whisk in crème fraîche, and stir to combine. Add about one third of noodles, pushing down into sauce to submerge, followed by a third of mushrooms. Repeat with half of remaining noodles and mushrooms. Top with another layer of noodles. Set remaining mushrooms aside. Cover with a lid or foil and cook 15 minutes. (If lasagna threatens to boil over, use very lowest heat and/or prop open the cover.) Uncover; cook, gently lifting and separating noodles occasionally with tongs or a spatula to let sauce flow around, until sauce is thickened and noodles are cooked through, 6–8 minutes. Mixture should be bubbling gently; adjust heat as necessary. Remove from heat.
Heat broiler. Top lasagna with mozzarella and reserved mushrooms. Broil until cheese is bubbling and browned in spots, about 2 minutes. Finely grate more lemon zest over. Sprinkle with Parmesan; season with pepper. Let sit 5–10 minutes. Cut lemon into wedges and serve with lasagna.
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/4 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt
Preheat your oven to 375° and set a rack to the middle position. Lightly grease a standard 12-cup muffin pan and set aside.
Put the apple cider in a large saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat slightly and simmer until the liquid is reduced to 1 cup. Set aside to cool.
Using a standing or handheld mixer, cream the butter with the sugar in a large bowl at medium speed until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, blending well after each. Add the vanilla extract and blend.
In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add a third of this mixture to the butter mixture and beat just to combine. Add half the reduced cider and beat to combine. Repeat with another third of the flour mixture, then the rest of the cider, then the remaining flour mixture. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups and transfer to the oven. Bake until tops are firm and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 15 to 17 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool 10 minutes.
For the topping:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons salted butter, melted
Now, prepare the topping: In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon. As soon as the muffins are cool enough to handle, brush their tops and sides with butter, then roll in the cinnamon sugar to coat. Serve warm or at room temperature.
1.STEAK METHOD Food processor | Clean work surface | Large saucepan of salted water on a high heat | Large freezer bag | Sauté pan First make the steak | Add all the ingredients, apart from the water and oil, to the food processor and pulse to combine | Add the water and blitz, scraping down the sides as needed | Tip the mixture on to a clean work surface, knead for a minute or two then bring it together into a tight ball Roll the mixture into a rough oblong shape and cut into 4 even slices | Flatten each slice with your hand so they’re roughly 1cm thick and steak- shaped (you can also use a rolling pin here) | For a dryer texture press the steak as you would tofu – wrapping it in kitchen paper and placing a weight on top of it for 20 minutes, which will give a firmer texture Lower the steaks into the pan of boiling salted water and simmer for 25 minutes | Take the steaks out of the pan, drain and leave to cool for 5 minutes Put the ingredients for the marinade into a large freezer bag | Put the steaks in the bag and roll them around in the marinade so they are well coated | Leave to marinate for 20 minutes | While the steaks are marinating, make the Café de Paris Secret Sauce (see opposite)
When you’re ready to cook the steaks place a sauté pan over a medium-high heat | Add a splash of oil and let it get hot | Add the steaks and pour over any remaining marinade | Cook for 2–3 minutes on each side, basting the steaks with the oil in the pan as they cook | Remove when both sides are well browned, but the steak is still tender | Leave to rest for a couple of minutes before serving with chips and Secret Sauce poured over in true Café de Paris style
2.CAFÉ DE PARIS SECRET SAUCE METHOD Saucepan | Liquidiser Prep the ingredients | Peel and thinly slice the shallots | Peel and finely chop the garlic | Pick the tarragon leaves, discard the stems, then finely chop | Finely chop the capers Put the saucepan over a medium heat | Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil| Add the garlic and shallots and cook for 4–5 minutes until soft, stirring occasionally | Add the vegetable stock and simmer for 3–4 minutes | Add all the remaining ingredients and bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce has reduced a little and become thicker Take the pan off the heat and set aside to cool to room temperature
Pour the sauce into the liquidiser and blend until smooth | Pour back into the pan and bring to a simmer | Stir through the remaining 1⁄2 tablespoon olive oil before serving
To cook black rice using the absorption method, add water, and rinsed black rice to a saucepan. Over medium-high heat, bring the water to a boil. Add the salt, reduce heat, cover, and cook for about 30-35 minutes.
Resist the urge to open the lid too often to check on the rice because this will let a lot of steam out. Continue cooking until the rice is tender and chewy, and all water is absorbed. Take off the heat and let it stand covered for about 5 to 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork and serve.
Troubleshooting:
If all the water has evaporated, but the rice is not fully cooked yet, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water and cook for 5 more minutes.
2 pounds large zucchini, trimmed and grated on the wide holes of a grater or food processor
Salt
2 eggs
½ cup chopped mixed fresh herbs, such as fennel, dill, mint, parsley (I like to use mostly dill)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 cup fresh or dry breadcrumbs, more as necessary
Freshly ground pepper
1 cup crumbled feta
All-purpose flour as needed and for dredging
Olive oil for frying
Salt the zucchini generously and leave to drain in a colander for one hour, tossing and squeezing the zucchini from time to time. Take up handfuls of zucchini, and squeeze out all of the moisture. Alternately, wrap in a clean dish towel, and squeeze out the water by twisting at both ends.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs and add the shredded zucchini, herbs, cumin, bread crumbs, salt and pepper to taste and feta. Mix together well. Take up a small handful of the mixture; if it presses neatly into a patty, it is the right consistency. If it seems wet, add more breadcrumbs or a few tablespoons of all-purpose flour. When the mixture has the right consistency, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour or longer.
Heat 1 inch of olive oil in a large frying pan until rippling, or at about 275 degrees. Meanwhile, take up heaped tablespoons of the zucchini mixture, and form balls or patties. Lightly dredge in flour.
When the oil is very hot, add the patties in batches to the pan. Fry until golden brown, turning once with a spider or slotted spoon. Remove from the oil, and drain briefly on a rack. Serve with plain Greek style yogurt if desired.
2 zucchini (about 12 ounces), washed and wiped free of any clinging grit
1 pint yellow Sungold cherry tomatoes
⅓ cup coarse bread crumbs
In a pot, boil 2 inches of water for blanching tomatoes. Place an 8- or 9-inch cast-iron skillet on a burner over low heat, and add butter to melt.
Peel the potatoes, and slice on a Japanese mandoline into 1/4-inch-thick disks, then arrange in a single layer circle covering the bottom of the cast-iron skillet with its melted butter, keeping the skillet on the burner and leaving the heat on while you start to build the tian.
Add a second layer of potato slices, and season with salt and pepper, add a drizzle of olive oil and cover with a lid to slightly steam while you slice the yellow onion.
Peel the onion, then slice into even ¼-inch or thinner rounds. The Japanese mandoline is sometimes too narrow to use for this, so you may have to use a sharp knife and do it manually.
Layer abundantly half the onion rings evenly around the pan on top of the steamed potatoes, season with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil, and recover the pan with a lid while you slice the zucchini.
Slice the zucchini into ¼-inch-thick rounds, and layer half of them in concentric, just-overlapping shingled circles over the onions to create a neat layer. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with oil and recover with the lid while you blanch the tomatoes.
Season the now-boiling water with a few good pinches of salt, and drop the tomatoes into the boiling water. As soon as their skins split — about 30 seconds — retrieve the tomatoes and run under cold water to quickly cool enough to handle; set aside.
Build another ring of potato around the tian on top of the now-steaming zucchini, this time just a single layer. Drizzle with oil, season with salt and pepper and recover with the lid to steam a bit while you slip the skins off the tomatoes.
Layer the other half of the onions as before, season and drizzle and replace the lid as before, while you split the tomatoes in half horizontally with a small sharp knife.
Add final layer of zucchini to the tian, and season with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Cover, and let steam while you heat the oven to 375 degrees.
Place the tomatoes around the top of the tian evenly, and sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top evenly. Drizzle with oil, season with salt and pepper and place in the oven to bake for 30 minutes. (If your skillet threatens to bubble over, slip a sheet pan underneath to prevent any burned wreckage in the bottom of your oven.)
With a spoon, baste, and drizzle the pan juices that accumulate in the tian over the top when you remove it from the oven at the end. Allow the tian to cool, settle and kind of meld for an hour before eating.
