Archive for the ‘Cinnamon’ Category

Persian Lamb and Rhubarb stew

Monday, May 20th, 2013

Still rocking the lovely Australian Women’s Weekly Rhubarb recipes.

Rhubarb
1 tbsp butter
500g diced lamb
1 onion
large pinch saffron threads
1  tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
3 cups boiling water
1 chicken stock cube
2 tbsp tomato puree
5 stems coarsely chopped rhubarb
handfull finely chopped fresh mint

Melt the butter and brown the meat.  Add  the onion and spices, stir until onion softens.

Add water, stock cube and puree then bring to boil.  Add lamb and cover.  Simmer for 1  1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.  Remove lid and add rhubarb.  Simmer for a further 10 mins until rhubarb is soft.  Take off heat and stir in mint.

Serve with couscous or as a pasta sauce.  Great with a little chilli added too!

Hot cross buns.. one a penny two a penny

Friday, March 8th, 2013

Raisins

It’s time to start perfecting these little babies ahead of big weekend (well the season is so short…) 

3 tsp fast action dry yeast
80g butter
75g caster sugar
300ml milk
600g plain flour
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
220g mixed dried fruit
1 egg

paste
50g plain flour
3 tbsp water

glaze
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp water

Gently melt butter then add 1 tbsp milk, 1 tsp sugar and the yeast.  Leave to prove for 10 mins.

Put all the dry ingredients into a bowl. Whisk the egg into the milk and add the yeast mixture, then stir into the dry ingredients.  Tip onto a floured surface and knead into a smooth and elastic dough (for around 10 mins). 

Place it back in the bowl and cover with cling film and leave the dough in a warm place for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 200c.  Tip out the dough again and knead well to knock out the air.  Cut into 20 pieces and roll into balls.  Grease an oven tray and place them on it in a circular shape with the balls almost touching.  Stand in a warm place for 20 mins to rise.

Make the flour paste in a bowl, place in a piping bag and pipe crosses into the buns.  Bake for 15 mins or until hollow when tapped.

Heat the sugar and water over a low heat until boiling.  Transfer the buns onto a wire rack and brush the tops with the glaze.

Mulled stuff (wine, apple juice, tea)

Sunday, December 9th, 2012

Make a mulling syrup:

2 pints water
2 tsp cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
2 cups sugar
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Boil the lot for around an hour until thick and syrupy.  Strain into jar and bottle when cool. 

Mulled wine

1 bottle wine
2 mugs orange juice
1 mug strong black tea
1 mug mulling syrup
1 lemon (juice only)

Mix it all together in a pan and heat gently.  Do not boil!  Taste and add more syrup if necessary.  You can mix this in advance and then heat it up anywhere!

Mulled Apple juice

1 litre cloudy apple juice
1 lemon (juice only)
1 mug cold water
1 mug mulling syrup

Mix it all together in a pan and heat gently.  If it is too sweet/strong, add a little more water.

Mulled Tea (a bit like a quick chai)

Stir a spoonful or two of syrup into your tea!

Pumpkin scones

Saturday, October 6th, 2012

Pumpkin Scones 

250g self raising flour
2 tsp baking powder
25g caster sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp mixed spice
pinch salt
60g chilled unsalted butter
2 eggs
100g baked pumpkin (split pumpkin in half then bake in hot oven for 1 hour, remove seeds & skin)
milk for glaze
cinnamon sugar to decorate

Preheat oven to 170c.  Line a baking tray with baking paper and sprinkle on a little flour.

Blitz flour, baking powder, sugar, spices, salt and butter in food processor for 30 seconds until fine.  (or gently cut up butter into everything else, then blend with fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs). 

Blend the eggs and pumpkin together, then carefully stir into the dry ingredients with a knife until it comes together as a dough.

Flour a surface, divide the dough and pat into two circles of about 2cm thick.  Place the dough circles on the baking tray and cut both into 6 triangles, pulling each segment away a little.  

Brush the tops with milk and sprinkle with a little cinnamon sugar.  Bake for 15-20 mins until light brown on top.