My Mums Orange Cake

My Mums Orange Cake

This is a gorgeous cake which my mum always made us on the weekend. It is made using corn oil which creates a dense crumb and the cake keeps well as it is so moist.

To ring the changes you can also make what my mum used to call a geography cake. Half the mixture is removed after it has all been mixed together and mixed with some cocoa powder then swirled together with the plain mixture to create a marbled effect.

Ingredients
7 floz of corn oil or sunflower oil
6oz caster sugar
4 large eggs separated
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons brandy
7floz fresh orange juice(approx
2 large oranges)
12oz self-raising flour
2 level teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest



Beat the oil and sugar together until well blended.   You will see the mixture thicken as the eggs and oil become amalgamated. Add the egg yolks one at a time mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract, brandy and orange juice.
Add the flour and baking powder and mix well until combined. Fold in the zests. Whisk the egg whites to form soft peaks and fold into the mixture.

Pour the mixture into a ringed tin 10" wide or an 8" round cake tin. Bake in a preheated oven Gas 6/200 c for 45 minutes or until golden brown and when a skewer inseted into the cake comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes and turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

Cypriot Style Charlotta Trifle

Charlotta

Cypriot Style Trifle

This is a dessert which my mum always used to make if we were having guests for dinner. It is basically a trifle in style flavoured with rosewater,brandy and using preserved fruits in a heavy syrup which are traditionally made in Cyprus using fruits like Bergamot, almonds, baby aubergine, fresh walnuts. The syrups are also flavoured with cinnamon and cloves in some cases and this gives a very distinctive taste to this dessert. The preserved fruits are available to buy from good Greek delicatessens.

Ingredients

1  packet of trifle sponges ( you can make the sponge yourself if you really want to but I don't think it makes much difference to this dessert as there are so many other flavours)

2 litres of milk
2 egg yolks from large eggs-beaten
70g caster sugar
110 g cornflour
3 tablespoons rosewater
3 tablespoons brandy
100g preserved fruit
100 g flaked toasted almonds

As you can see I made this trifle in individual dishes of about 8 floz capacity. My mum always made it in a large oval glass dish which she then spooned the trifle out of. I feel this is a neater way of presenting this dish and allows you to appreciate the beauty of the jewel like fruits sitting in the custard.

Cut each trifle sponge in half and place two halves in the bottom of each glass dish. Mix together 2 tablespoons of milk from the 2 litres, the brandy and the rosewater. Use this mixture to drizzle over the trifle sponges.You will not use all this mixture but it will be used to flavour your custard later.
Cut the preserved fruit into small pieces and arrange over the sponges.

To make the cream mix the cornflour and sugar with a little of the milk to make a smooth paste. Place the rest of the milk into a large saucepan and bring to the boil. When it is almost boiling take some of the hot milk with a ladle and gradually whisk into your cornflour mixture ensuring that it is smooth. Whisk in another ladleful of milk and then return the cornflour milk mixture back to the pan. Put the pan back onto a gentle heat and continue to stir the custard mixture until it begins to thicken. Keep stirring all the time to ensure that the mixture doesn't stick. My mum used to say that the custard was done when the bubbles broke the surface with a "blup blup" sound.

When the custard is thickened and smooth remove from the heat and quickly whisk in the two egg yolks. This will enrich the custard and give it a lovely colour. Add  the remaining brandy, milk, rosewater mixture to flavour the cream. The cream will be pale and not to thick but it will thicken up as it sets in the fridge.
Spoon your custard over the prepared sponges and arrange some more chopped fruit over the top.
Allow to cool then place in the fridge to set for a couple of hours or overnight.  Serve sprinkled with the toasted almonds.

Midweek Paella



Midweek Paella



1 x 250 grams chorizo sausage sliced into small circles

1 red and yellow pepper -diced

1 large onion diced

2 cloves garlic chopped finely

4 large tomatoes, skinned and roughly chopped

1 teaspoon of pimenton picante- this is a smoked hot paprika which is available in good delis

1 teaspoon saffron

2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme

1 litre of hot chicken stock made up with a stock cube

200g green beans cut in half

150 g raw prawns, frozen ones are fine

200g mussels - you can use fresh but I cheat and use ready cooked ones which come vacuum packed in a white wine and garlic sauce.

  Heat some olive oil in a large frying pan or paella pan if you have one. Add the chorizo sausage and fry until begining to colour. Add the red and yellow pepper and onion and fry until they begin to soften.

Skin the fresh tomatoes by cutting a cross in the base of each tomato and plunging into boiling water for a few minutes. Remove from the water and allow to cool for a few seconds before peeling of the skin and roughly chopping. Add to the pan with the pimenton,saffron and thyme.

Fry for a few minutes then add the rice turning it around in all the spices and juices in the pan.

Add the chicken stock cube and allow the mixture to come to the boil. Allow to cook for about 10 minutes. It is traditional in Paella not to stir the rice so that a crust forms on the base of the pan. For paella conoisseurs this is the best part of the paella. However sometimes I do cheat a bit and stir it around just to make sure that everything is cooking evenly. Also I cook this on a solid top stove which means the heat is more evenly distributed but on a gas or electric hob if you have a large pan you may need to sit it across two rings.

Add the green beans and the prawns if you are using frozen and allow to cook for another 10 -15 minutes. It may be necessary to top up the liquid in the rice but just keep tasting the rice grains to see how tender the are.

Add the mussels and allow them to cook for another 10 minutes. If you are using the ready prepared ones rinse off the sauce in a colander and add them to the pan allowing them to warm through as per the pack instructions.

When the rice and vegetables are tender and the prawns are pink and cooked through the paella is ready to eat. Serve sprinkled with some chopped fresh parsley and some good spanish wine.





Roasted Pork Chops with Potato Wedges

Roasted Pork Chops with Oregano, Garlic and Potato Wedges.

 Serves 4

4 large (8oz) pork chops bone in

4 large potatoes cut into large wedges

1 whole bulb of garlic broken into cloves

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 lemon cut into quarters

3 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

Place the pork chops, quartered potatoes and garlic into a roasting pan. Sprinkle with the oregano, salt and pepper and olive oil. Add the quartered lemon. Turn everything around to make sure it is coated in the oil and herb mixture.

Place in a preheated oven gas mark 6, 200 degrees centigrade for about 45 minutes to an hour until the chops and potatoes are browned.

I served this with some steamed green beans lightly dressed with an olive oil and lemon dressing.







Roast Asparagus Pasta

Beautiful Roasted Asparagus

 Pasta with Fresh Roasted Asparagus,Peas and Pancetta.
(serves 4)

500g fresh asparagus
500g fresh peas podded
200g pancetta cut into small dice.
125ml olive oil
1 clove garlic (crushed)
500g short pasta ( I used penne)
zest and juice of half a lemon
parmesan cheese to serve
chopped parsley
salt and pepper

Snap the woody ends off the asparagus and cut the rest into short lengths.
Place on a roasting tray and sprinkle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Roast in a hot oven about gas 7 for about 15 minutes.
While the asparagus is roasting heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan and add the pancetta. Fry until the pancetta is golden and crisping up.
When the asparagus is tender remove from the oven and keep warm.
Bring a large pan of water to the boil and add the pasta. Cook for about 10 minutes adding the podded peas for the last minute of cooking time.
Drain the pasta and peas and return to the pan. Add the pancetta and all the juices from the frying pan, the asparagus and the zest and juice from the lemon.
Toss everything around gently to mix. Sprinkle with shavings of parmesan and some chopped parsley to serve.

I made this one evening as it is still so warm and I wanted pasta but nothing too heavy. I had some fresh asparagus and was originally going to make just asparuagus and pancetta to go with the pasta. My neighbour who was going on holiday came round with some fresh peas which she had bought but was not going to use. So I decided to add them to the dish as well. They added a lovely sweetness and freshness to this dish. The lemon seems to lift the whole dish and makes all the flavours come to life. My daughter is still doing the photography and I think shes doing a good job!

Fresh Tuna Nicoise Salad

Fresh Tuna Nicoise Salad

As it is so warm I have decided to cook something summery and light. I often cook fresh tuna as it is not a fishy fish and the children like it. As you can see this has been made in my kitchen with my darling daughter doing the photography. Its a family affair!

This recipe serves 4

Ingredients

500g baby new potatoes

250 g green beans

4 eggs

150 g baby plum tomatoes

4 tuna steaks ( 150g ish)

handful black olives

salad leaves to serve

handful fresh basil

dressing made with 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar and

half tsp dijon mustard

salt and pepper

Cook the eggs in boiling water for about 1 minute as you still want the yolks to be soft when you cut them so they run a bit.

Boil the new potatoes and green beans until they are al dente.

Arrange the salad leaves in deep plates. Cut the tomatoes in half.

When the eggs have finished their cooking time remove them from the water and allow them to cool a little so you can peel them.

When the beans and potatoes are tender, drain them and place aside.

Heat some olive oil in a griddle pan until hot and sear the tuna for about 1 minute a side so it is still pink in the middle. This will ensure that the tuna is not dry.

Peel the eggs and cut then into quarters. Arrange them on the plates with the new potatoes, beans,eggs and olives. Place the seared tuna on the top and sprinkle with fresh basil leaves. Hand around the dressing to serve.

We ate this in the garden in the early evening sunshine with a nice glass of white wine!

Welcome to Culinary Capers

 Today I have just set up my blog.Soon I will share with you my thoughts on all things food related,  recipes and ideas for delicious things to cook.