Red lentil, chickpea & chilli soup

Come home to a warming bowlful of this filling, low-fat soup .... 

Method

Heat a large saucepan and dry-fry the cumin seeds and chilli flakes for 1 min, or until they start to jump around the pan and release their aromas. Add the oil and onion, and cook for 5 mins. Stir in the lentils, stock and tomatoes, then bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 mins until the lentils have softened.

Whizz the soup with a stick blender or in a food processor until it is a rough purée, pour back into the pan and add the chickpeas. Heat gently, season well and stir in the coriander. Finish with a dollop of yogurt and coriander leaves.

Ingredients 
2 tsp cumin seeds
large pinch chilli flakes
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
140g red split lentils
850ml vegetable stock or water
400g can tomatoes, whole or chopped
200g carton chickpeas or ½ a can, rinsed and drained (freeze leftovers)
small bunch coriander, roughly chopped (save a few leaves, to serve)
4 tbsp 0% Greek yogurt, to serve

Sunburst Lemon Bars

Taking to the mountains tomorrow for a picnic and Sundays always include my weekly treat of a scrumptious dessert so had to think of something easy to pack and remembered the Sunburst lemon bars that I made a while ago. Being a lover of anything tangy, just that name caught my eye when looking out for recipes and had to give them a go. These bars have a lovely shortbread biscuit-like base, and then topped with a super-tangy filling and then that lemony glaze on top…mmm....just heavenly…very simple to make and keep for a long time too…here's the recipe…Enjoy!!!

Crust

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 tsp. grated lemon peel

Filling

• 4 eggs
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp. grated lemon peel

Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice

Note: You'll need about two lemons for the juice/peel in this recipe. If you don't have enough lemon juice left for the glaze, add water until you get the right consistency.

Directions:
Heat oven to 180 degrees. In large bowl with electric mixer, beat flour, sugar, butter, and peel on low speed until crumbly. Press mixture evenly in bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch pan. Bake 20 to 30 minutes or until light golden brown.

Meanwhile, in large bowl with wire whisk, lightly beat eggs. Beat in remaining filling ingredients except lemon juice and lemon peel until well blended. Beat in 1/4 cup lemon juice and peel.

Remove partially baked base from oven. Pour filling evenly over warm base.

Return to oven; bake 25 to 30 minutes longer or until top is light golden brown. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

In small bowl, mix 1 cup powdered sugar and enough lemon juice for desired spreading consistency until smooth. Spread glaze over cooled bars. Cut into bars. Store in refrigerator, but allow bars to come to almost room temperature before serving.

Androulla xxx

Kentish Strawberry Tart

Beautiful juicy red Strawberries are in abundance at the moment and are so delicious just served plain and simple but sometimes I love to use them to make refreshing, mouth-watering, luscious desserts and this particular one has been one of my favourites for years now, Kentish Strawberry Tart! Just so elegant, and ever so perfect for dinner parties, afternoon tea or picnics, I'm sure you will just love this!! Enjoy!!

For the pastry

115g Flour
55g ground almonds
115g butter, cut into small pieces
30g caster sugar
1 tsp almond essence
1 egg
For the filling
1 egg and 1 extra egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla essence
30g caster sugar
30g flour
300ml milk
3 tbls jam
10 sponge fingers
2 tbls Madeira
225g strawberries, sliced
300ml cream, whipped

To decorate

Strawberries, sliced or whole, I also like to use sliced blanched almonds or you could just sprinkle strawberries with icing sugar, it's up to you!

Method

To make the pastry sift the flour into a bowl, stir in the almonds, add the butter and rub in finely. Stir in the sugar, almond essence and egg and mix into a firm dough. Cover with cling-film and chill for about 30 minutes.

Knead the dough until smooth, Roll it out thinly and use to line a buttered tart dish. Chill again for 30 minutes.

In a preheated oven (200c) bake pastry case for about 15 minutes until the edges are lightly browned.

For the filling, in a bowl whisk together the egg, egg yolk, vanilla essence, sugar, and flour until well blended. Place the milk in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Whisking continuously, pour the milk over the egg mixture.

Return to the pan and continue whisking over a low heat until custard thickens. Allow to cool.

Spread pastry case with jam. Dip the sponge fingers into the Madeira, turning to coat well. Arrange them over the jam and cover with the strawberry slices.

Fold two thirds of the whipped cream into the custard and spread evenly over the strawberries.

Now cover the custard with the remaining cream, you can also use a piping bag and make a design of your choice. Now decorate with strawberries and if using, scatter almonds on top and sprinkle with some icing sugar.

Androulla xx

Oyster Mushrooms in Garlic Wine Sauce with Pasta

I do love mushrooms but at the moment I'm just loving these beautiful oyster mushrooms and on the look-out for recipes and this is one of the first ones I found and now is my favourite pasta dish, just so delicious, and so perfect with pasta coated with a buttery lemony wine sauce, a quick and easy dish, served with garlic bread, I'm sure will be on your favourite list too!! Enjoy!!

Ingredients

• 500g Oyster mushrooms, cut into bit-sized pieces
• 1 cup flour
• Garlic powder, salt &pepper
• ¼ cup Lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• Basil and Parsley, chopped
• A couple of cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup white wine
• Cooked pasta, I like to use Spaghettini

Method

1. Season the flour with garlic powder and salt & pepper,
2. Dredge the mushrooms in the flour.
3. Heat oil and butter in a non-stick pan. 
4. Fry the mushrooms until golden brown and set aside….you will be tempted at this stage to squeeze lemon juice on the mushrooms and munch a few….if you think you'll be tempted use ore mushrooms!!
5. Using the same pan, sauté the garlic in the olive oil and butter until softened.
6. Deglaze the pan by pouring in the wine. Simmer for 2-3 minutes or until alcohol has dissolved. Turn heat off.
7. Add lemon juice and mushrooms and mix.
8. Add pasta and sprinkle lemon zest and herbs.
9. Just delicious served with garlic bread.

Androulla 

xxx

Guacamole with mango

I just love guacamole, not just as a dip but so delicious as a salad garnish or as a baked potato topping and my favorite way is to pile some in a whole meal roll with plenty of rocket leaves and sliced tomatoes…yumm!!! Guacamole dates back to the Aztecs who considered it to be an aphrodisiac and avocado was a gift from the Gods, they also believed this to be true of chocolate, so I'm quite willing to go along with this!! May the Gods be praised!! Anyway, I was watching the food network and saw guacamole being made with mango, I haven't tried this yet, but I can imagine the two ingredients being very complimentary to each other and is on my ''must make'' list. Here's the recipe…enjoy!!

Ingredients

2 Avocados, halved, seeded and peeled

1 Mango, peeled and diced

3 tablespoons minced red onion

2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander

I teaspoon chilli sauce
Juice of one lemon or lime
Salt & Pepper

Method

In a small bowl, gently mash avocados using a potato masher. Add mango pieces, red onion, coriander, chilli sauce, lemon juice, s&p and gently toss to combine.

Androulla xx

Rice with Lentils

Lentils with rice, known as fadji or moudjentra, is a favourite vegetarian family meal in Cyprus, my favourite way of serving fadji is with chopped tomatoes and cucumber and yogurt, some people like it with a fried egg on top or use it as a side dish with meat. I always had trouble getting this dish just right, always having either overcooked stodgy lentils or undercooked crunchy rice, I tried cooking it the oven, cooking the rice separately from the lentils, but never achieving the desired taste or consistency, until my Aunty just gave me a few simple tips and now I get perfectly cooked fadji, really delicious and a healthy satisfying meal for the whole family. Here's my recipe….

2 cups of brown lentils

1 cup of rice, I prefer to use Carolina rice, I found it seems to work better in this dish. I also tried it with brown rice which worked well, but make sure you use the short grain variety.

6 cups of water

2 onions, thinly sliced

4 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper


Place lentils in a pot, just cover with water and bring to a boil. Leave to boil for a few minutes.

Drain the lentils, put back into the pot and cover with the 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil until just cooked. Lentils should still have a slight bite to them.

Add the rice and bring to a boil, for about 10 minutes.

Now, switch off the heat. Cover the pot with a clean cover and place the lid on top of the towel so that the pot is sealed well. The rice and lentils will carry on cooking this way and all the water should be absorbed.

Sautee the onions in the olive oil until they're brown and caramelised. Pour into the lentils and rice and mix.

Season with salt and pepper.

Androulla xx

Coconut Prawn Curry

Coconut has always been a favourite ingredient in my cooking, so reading about its amazing health benefits is surely an extra bonus, too many to mention here, but seems to be good for most ailments, improves hair, skin and metabolism….and it tastes so good too. I particularly enjoy coconut in curries, I just love that rich creamy sauce, just perfect to mop up with some delicious naan bread…here I have a delicious recipe by Alida Ryder…..enjoy!!


Ingredients

1 kilo of large prawns

For the stock:
1 litre of water
2 large garlic cloves

Zest of 1 lemon

For the curry:
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3cm piece ginger, grated
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
2 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoon sugar
1 x 400ml tin of coconut cream
Salt to taste

Method

To make the prawn stock , add shells and heads from the prawns and place them in a pot with the water, garlic and lemon. Place over a medium heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Strain and pour liquid back into the pot and boil on a high heat until it's reduced by half. Set aside. Making a home-made prawn stock will surely add to the flavour of this dish but you can use a stock of your choice, like vegetable or chicken.

To make the curry, fry the onion, garlic and ginger until soft and translucent.

Add the garam masala, spices and sugar and fry for another minute.

Add the coconut cream and prawn stock and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the prawns and poach gently for 3-5 minutes.

If the sauce is too thin, mix 2 teaspoon cornflour with 2 teaspoons water and add to the curry, allow to cook until you have a beautiful rich, creamy sauce.

Season with salt.

Serve with aromatic rice, lemon wedges and naan bread.


Androulla xx

Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's pie….what can I say? Is it not on your list of 'Top Ten Comfort Foods'? Well, it's definitely on mine and not just a perfect comfort food but also a cheap and easy meal to make that is satisfying for the whole family. Also perfect for people with busy lives, the mince mixture can be made ahead and kept in the fridge or frozen for another day. Everyone has their own way of making this classic dish, I've tried a few over the years to end up with this one which has become a family favorite…hope you like it!!!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon oil
1 large onion, chopped
2-3 medium carrots cut into cubes
1 cup of frozen peas
1 tablespoon mixed herbs
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
700g of Beef mince…
1 pint of beef stock
1 tablespoon flour
11/2 kilo of potatoes, boiled and drained
Milk 

Butter
Salt and pepper

Method

Heat oil in a large pot, add the onion and on a low heat, cook until soft and transparent.

Add the meat, and cook slowly, I usually put the lid on the pot with quite a low heat and it cooks nicely with the steam in the pot, but keep an eye on it, making sure it doesn't stick.

Once the meat has lost its red color and has cooked through, add the carrots and peas, sprinkle with the herbs, add Worcestershire sauce and mix well. Now add the stock and cook on a slow heat. Don't allow your mixture to dry out, adding water if needed.

When everything is cooked and tender season with salt and pepper. Add the flour and mix well. Your mixture shouldn't be too dense, if needed add a little water, so it has a nice sauce. I like making it this way, so my shepherd's pie doesn't dry out too much once the potatoes are added.

Add butter and milk to the potatoes, season with S&P and mash until creamy.

Place your mince in an ovenproof dish and pile potatoes on top. Rough up with a fork so you've got a few peaks, that will brown very nicely once baked in the oven,

Bake for about 25 minutes, at 180c, until the top of the potatoes start to color and you can see the meat starting to bubble around the edges…this is the part when I say ''Mmmmmmm!!!''

Serve piping hot!





Androulla xx

American Style Pancakes

Growing up in the U.K, I'm used to the paper thin pancakes, so delicious sprinkled with sugar and lemon, but sometimes I like making these American thicker pancakes, so tasty and easy to make, I usually make them quite early and keep in the fridge until ready to start making them. My favourite way of serving them is with fruit salad and agave syrup, but delicious served with assorted toppings like honey or jams or chocolate sauce. Here's the ever so simple recipe, a real breakfast treat for the whole family.....

Ingredients

1 cup flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted.
1 large egg
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Method
In a medium bowl mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and set aside.
Whisk milk, butter and egg in a separate bowl.
Now combine dry ingredient to the flour mixture and whisk until quite smooth.
Heat oil in a large pan. For each pancake, spoon about 2 to 3 tablespoons of the batter into the pan.
Carefully flip with a spatula and make sure both sides are golden brown. Transfer into a platter and cover loosely to keep warm. You should get about 15 pancakes with this amount of batter.
Serve with any toppings you desire…..just so delicious…Enjoy!!!!


Androulla. xx

Chicken Liver Pate

Chicken liver pate is just so easy to make and adds a bit of luxury to your dinner table, as an impressive starter served with slices of French bread. Not only that, it is just a tasty homemade spread to have available for sandwiches or for a snack with savoury biscuits or toast. Here's my tried and tested recipe, hope you like it!

Ingredients

500g Chicken livers
175g Butter
I large onion, roughly chopped
A few sprigs of sage (or thyme)
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
A couple of anchovy fillets
4 tablespoons of brandy
2 tablespoons of cream (optional)
Fresh black pepper
About 4 tablespoons of Melted butter

Method

Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large pan.
Add the livers, onion, garlic, anchovies and sage and fry on a low heat until livers are cooked through, about 10 minutes.
Remove the woody part of the sage. Now add the brandy and cook for a little longer until a nice syrupy sauce has formed. Leave to cool just for a little while.

Pour the whole mixture into the food processor, add the rest of the butter and the cream if using, and season with freshly grounded pepper. Process until your mixture is very smooth.
Spoon the pate into ramekins. Pour the melted butter on top of each ramekin just to form a thin layer.


Androulla xx

Pumpkin and Turkey Curry

First I would like to say that I hope you had a lovely Christmas and enjoyed all that lovely food put before you!! After all, it is a time of feasting and merriment!! I've been searching for recipes these days and of course the majority of them are about Christmas dinner leftovers. In the past the most we did with our leftover turkey is sandwiches and pickle, now, I have found so many delicious ideas that I feel like cooking a small turkey just to try some of these beautiful dishes!! I finally choose this one, first because it does sound delicious, but like they say, first we eat with our eyes, and this one just jumped at me just by looking at those beautiful rich colours!! I hope you enjoy this!!

Ingredients

450g Pumpkin, peeled, and cut into 2cm cubes
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
Large chillies, deseeded and finely chopped and 1 deseeded and finely sliced, to garnish
11/2 tbls Thai fish sauce
1 tbls light soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
100g green beans, trimmed
350g cooked turkey, cut into long strips
Juice of one lime, plus lime wedges to serve
2 tbls Coriander, chopped

Method

Heat the oven to 200c, 180 fan, gas 6. Place the pumpkin in a roasting tin, add half the oil, coat well and roast for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a large casserole an soften the onion for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and chilli and cook for another minute. Now add the curry paste, increase the heat and fry for a further minute. Pour in coconut milk, stirring well, then add the stock, fish sauce, soy sauce, and sugar. Simmer for 10 minutes. 

Add the green beans, turkey and roasted pumpkin, cover and simmer for 10 minutes until the turkey is piping hot and the beans are tender. Add the lime juice and three-quarters of the coriander and stir well.
To serve, scatter with chilli and coriander. Serve with rice and lime wedges on the side.

Androulla xx

Christmas Desserts

Christmas Desserts
Christmas is all about indulgence and a Christmas dinner would not be complete without some really naughty desserts, so lets just go all the way and enjoy.....here's a few really delicious recipes to impress your guests....click on the link below to view my Dessert Album...I hope you enjoy it!

Christmas Cakes

Not long to go for Christmas, we've still got time to make that cake....I'm sharing my album with you with lots of ideas and tips...hope you like it!!

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.256988131120588.1073741864.130697950416274&type=3

LPN Recipe of the Week - Broccoli and Blue Cheese Soup

It's cold, it's soup time!!... I always make sure I have fresh vegetable soup in my house now, being so easy to make and also it's just a warming healthy snack to have around when you're feeling a little peckish..I made this particular one last year and now it has become one of my favourites, it really is delicious and so simple to make. Here's the recipe…

Ingredients
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 Onion, finely chopped
1 stick celery, sliced
1 leek, sliced
1 medium potato, diced
1 tbls butter
1 litre Chicken stock
1 head Broccoli, chopped
140g Blue cheese, crumbled

Method
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and then add the onions. Cook on a medium heat until soft.
Add the celery, leek, potato and butter. Stir until melted, then cover with a lid and allow to sweat for about 5 minutes. Now pour in the stock and add any chunky bits of broccoli stalk. Cook for 10-15 minutes until all the vegetables are soft. Add the rest of the broccoli and cook for a further 10 minutes. Take a few bits of broccoli and set aside.Transfer to a blender and blitz until smooth. Stir in the broccoli pieces and blue cheese.

Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Just Delicious!!!

Androulla xx

Melomacarouna (Honey Cookies)

A Cypriot Christmas wouldn't be the same without Melomacarouna. These little gems taste of honey and have a beautiful aroma of cloves and cinnamon. I tried making these when I first got married....what an utter, complete disaster!!! It was so bad, I had to throw the oven dish away too!! Sadly, my husband left me since then, he said it was another woman, but I don't believe him, it was because of my melomacarouna, he just didn't want to hurt my feelings!!!! Anyway, don't be put off by my experience of 30 years ago, I was young and inexperienced….here's my friend Koulla's really simple recipe. Enjoy!!!

Ingredients
2 ½ cups oil
1 cup sugar
1 packet Self-raising flour
1 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Juice of half a lemon
Juice and zest of 11/2 oranges
3 tbsp brandy

Syrup
1 1/2 cup of sugar
1 1/2 cup water
3/4 cup honey
A few cloves
Finely chopped nuts, almonds or walnuts

Method
Beat oil with sugar, cinnamon, orange zest, b/p. and soda. Add juices and brandy and lastly the flour and kneed well. Roll into small oval shapes and lightly roll over grater to make small indentations on top of the cookies.Put onto grease-proof paper and cook in oven 185 for about 1/2 an hour until golden brown.
To prepare the syrup put water, sugar and cloves in a pot and bring to the boil. Once boiled add the honey and simmer. Once the biscuits are completely cooled, dip them into the syrup for a few seconds (not too long because they can get too soggy) and then place on greaseproof paper.
Finally sprinkle with nut mixture.

Androulla 
xx

Christmas Trifle!

Christmas is not far off and I'm gathering recipes and ideas to post on my food page. While searching I found this amazing trifle recipe by Gordon Ramsey. It's not the usual trifle recipe that we're used to but found it quite impressive and totally decadent using swiss roll, a chocolate mascarpone layer and topped with amaretti biscuits. Now, wouldn't that be just a perfect end to our Christmas lunch!!!

Ingredients

· 3 large pears (or 4 smaller)
· 100ml grenadine
· 400g jam filled Swiss roll
· 4 tbsp medium dry sherry e.g amontillado

For the custard
· 6 medium egg yolks
· 50g caster sugar
· 2 tsp cornflour, sifted
· 1 vanilla pod
· 600ml double cream

For the mascarpone chocolate layer
· 100g white chocolate
· 400g mascarpone
· Zest 1 orange
· 150ml double cream

To top the trifle
· 80g amaretti biscuits, crushed
· 350ml double cream

Method

1. Peel the pears and chop into bite size pieces. Heat the grenadine in a small saucepan, add the pears, cover and simmer for 3 minutes. Pour into a bowl and allow to cool completely before using.

2. For the custard whisk the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour together in a heatproof bowl. Split the vanilla pod in half and scrape out the seeds. Pour the cream into a saucepan, add the vanilla seeds and pod and heat until the cream is just simmering. Pour the hot cream over the egg mix, half at a time, and whisk well. Pour the whole mixture back into the saucepan and whisk constantly over a low heat until the custard has thickened. Refrigerate to cool before using.

3. For the mascarpone layer, melt the chocolate in a bain-marie then mix into the mascarpone with the orange zest. Whip the 150ml double cream and mix with the mascarpone and chocolate.

4. Slice the Swiss roll into rounds (no thicker than 1cm). Use these to line the base and sides of a glass trifle bowl. Sprinkle the sherry over the cake lining.

5. Place half the mascarpone cream in the bottom of the serving bowl, then drain the pears and scatter in half of the fruit. Spoon in half the custard and spread out evenly. Sprinkle over half the crushed amaretti and then finish by repeating the layers with the remaining mascarpone cream, pears and finally custard. Whip the 350ml cream to soft peaks and pipe or spread over the custard to finish the top of the trifle. Decorate with remaining crushed amaretti.

6. Leave to set in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving.

Androulla xxx

Homemade Truffles

Truffles....one of my favourite home-made gift ideas...I've made these in the past and included in gift boxes and baskets, I think they were much appreciated!! These delicious little bites just add a bit of luxury to your Christmas gifts.... they're super easy to make and the great thing about them is that you can make them ahead and freeze them until Christmas..here's a recipe.....

Ingredients

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
8 ounces milk chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/3 cups cream
1 tsp vanilla
11 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temparature

Method
Line a 13 by 9 inch rimmed baking sheet with cling-film.
In a heatprood bow,, set over simmering water, melt both chocolates until smooth.


Place cream and vanilla in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat until cream just comes to a boil. Remove from heat. Let cream cool.

Mix chocolate mixture with cream mixture. Add butter and mix well. Pour into baking sheet and cover with cling-film pressing down gently to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate overnight.

Using a melon scoop or a tablespoon take a small piece and using your hands make up little balls. Transfer onto baking sheet. Place them in the fridge. Because of the heat here in Cyprus, I would have the baking sheet in the fridge and add a few truffles a few at a time as I made them. Also I would put my mixture in the freezer for about 10 minutes and then continue.

Freeze in air-tight container for about 2-3 weeks. When you're ready to use coat them with cocoa powder, chopped nuts or coconut.

You can also add finely chopped nuts to the truffle mixture or some alcohol of your choice, some coffee liquor of Bailey's would be a nice touch!!

Androulla xxx

Chocolate,Banana & Hazelnut Bread and Butter Pudding

Anyone watching the calories turn away now!!! I was looking through recipes for bread and butter pudding and found this delectable version of this classic dessert where someone decided to take it quite a few steps further, in the direction of dessert heaven!!!

INGREDIENTS

1 Brioche loaf, crusts removed and reserved, remainder into cubes (an ordinary bread loaf will do too)
50g chopped hazelnuts
200g chocolate and hazelnut spread
2 bananas, sliced
125g good quality dark chocolate, roughly chopped
400ml whole milk
400ml whipping cream
7 eggs
75g sugar
Butter for greasing

METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease a large baking dish with butter.
Bake the reserved brioche crusts in the oven until golden-brown. Remove the crusts from the oven and crumble into breadcrumbs. Mix the breadcrumbs and chopped nuts together in a bowl. Set aside.
Use 50g/2oz of the chocolate and hazelnut spread to spread the reserved brioche cubes and place them into the baking dish.
Add the banana slices and chocolate and mix until well combined.
Heat the remaining chocolate and hazelnut spread, milk and cream in a saucepan, stirring continuously until well combined.
Meanwhile, whisk the eggs and sugar together in a large bowl. Whisk in the cream mixture until well combined.
Pour the chocolate custard over the bread mixture and set aside for 30 minutes, pressing the bread into the custard occasionally.
Bake the pudding in the oven for 10 minutes, then sprinkle over the breadcrumb mixture and bake for a further 25 minutes, or until golden-brown and the custard has just set.
Remove the pudding from the oven and set aside to stand for at least 10 minutes.

Androulla xxx

Enjoy!

Sticky Toffee Pudding

I've had my eye on this recipe for a while now and on Sunday I cooked a roast dinner with all the trimmings, so, I thought, a perfect excuse to make this great British classic pudding to follow. Sundays should be a day, where we chill out, relax and enjoy comforting, delicious food with our family and friends, and what a perfect way to end our lunch with Sticky Toffee Pudding, a gooey sponge smothered with a hot caramel sauce, topped with melting vanilla ice-cream!! Mmmmmmm!!! Have a nice weekend, enjoy!!!

Ingredients

For the pudding

• 150g dates,stones removed,chopped
• 250ml hot water
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 60g butter, softened
• 60g caster sugar
• 2 egg
• 150g selfraising flour

For the toffee sauce

• 200g butter
• 400g brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 250ml cream

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180C/370F/Gas 4.
• Mix the dates, bicarbonate of soda and the water together in a bowl and leave to soak for ten minutes.
• In a clean bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
• Still stirring the butter mixture, gradually add the eggs, making sure they are well mixed in.
• Still stirring, gradually add the flour, then add the date mixture.
• Pour the mixture into a 20cm/8in square cake tin. Place into the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until cooked through.
• To make the sauce, melt the butter in a thick bottomed pan over a medium heat.
• Add the brown sugar, vanilla pod and cream and stir well. Simmer for five minutes.
• To serve, spoon out a portion of the pudding onto a plate and pour the sauce on top.

Androulla 

xxx

Home-made Mincemeat

Today's the 25th, that's 2 months to go for my favourite holiday! Christmas is nearly here!! It's time to start preparing and the first thing on my list is home-made mince-meat. Just so unbelievable simple to make and even if you buy the best quality available on the market, believe me, there is no comparison!! Just the thought of your home filling up with those lovely aromas of orange, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice, makes it all worthwhile! I've been using this recipe for years now, making triple this quantity, to make my own mince-pies and leaving enough to spoon into pretty jars to give as lovely home-made Christmas gifts and also plenty left over to use through-out the year, adding to apple pies and crumples for that extra wow-factor!! It really is worth the while; give it a try this year!

Ingredients

450g Cooking apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
225g shredded suet
350g raisins
225g sultanas
225g currants
225g mixed peel, finely chopped
350g dark brown sugar
Grated rind and juice of 2 oranges
Grated rind and juice of 2 lemons
100g almonds, cut into slivers
4 tsp mixed spice
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
6 tbsp brandy

Method

Just mix all the ingredients, except for the brandy. Cover with a cloth and leave for 12 hours. To prevent fermentation place mincemeat in a cool oven, (120c,gas mark ¼ ) for 3 hours. Allow to cool completely and stir in the brandy. Spoon into clean dry jars and seal.

Enjoy 

Androulla