ELLI LUCA

INGREDIENTS 4 cups rice bubbles 300g mars bars (chopped) 100g butter 250g cooking chocolate (preferably dark, I used milk here) 1/3 cup cream METHOD 1. Melt butter on stove.  2. Add chopped mars bars to melted butter, keep on low heat and continue to stir until completely melted  (mixture will come together to become a sticky caramelly texture when ready). 3. Stir through rice bubbles. 4. Line medium/large lamington pan (or casserole dish) with baking paper, then press mars bar bubble mix into pan (while mix is still warm) 5. Heat cream in saucepan until just beggining to boil/simmer. 6. Add chocolate (chopped) to cream and continue to stir over heat as it melts. 7. Remove from heat when all chocolate is melted and mix is smoothly combined. 8. Stand for 5-10minutes to allow to thicken then whisk ganache until smooth thick and rich  (don't worry if it's still quite runny, it will set in the fridge). 9. Pour/spread...

A Simple Recipe for Oil Cured Olives A friend yielded a small crop of black olives and asked me what I could do with them. Below is the method I used (the flavour combination I used was: garlic, rosemary, chili & lemon. I also used a lemon infused olive oil for that extra lemony flavour) A tried and tested, traditional Mediterranean recipe for curing ripe olives that uses just three basic ingredients, is quick to do and comes out perfectly every time. Olive oil Rock Salt Black (ripe) olives Optional Ingredients for Marinated Olives Lemon Dried Chillies Fresh or dried Thyme Garlic Cloves Peppercorns Bay Leaves Fresh or Dried Rosemary To vary the flavours, experiment with various combinations in different jars. Chillies, garlic and lemon give the olives an unusual tang whereas garlic and thyme give a more traditional Mediterranean flavour. How to Preserve Black Olives Loosely pack the ripe black olives in clean jars with course salt (50% salt, 50% olives). Sha...

BEEF RENDANG INGREDIENTS 1 lemongrass stalks, roughly chopped  20g/¾oz coriander seeds  ½tsp cumin seeds  ½tsp turmeric powder  50g block coconut cream  1½ large onions, sliced  3 garlic cloves, chopped  3 red chillies, seeds removed, chopped  1 thumb-sized piece ginger, peeled and chopped  1 bay leaf  750g boneless beef shin, cut into 2.5cm/1in cubes  400g canned coconut milk  250ml strong veal or beef stock, heated  METHOD - BEEF For the beef rending, pound the lemongrass to a pulp using a pestle and mortar. Tip the lemongrass into a small bowl. Heat the frying pan over a medium heat. Add the coriander, cumin seeds and turmeric and dry fry until fragrant. Tip the spices into a spice grinder or the pestle and mortar. Grind the spices to a powder if using a grinder, or pound in a pestle and mortar until the spices are as smooth as possible. Set aside. In a wide pan or cast-iron wok, heat the block of cocon...

Lots of wonderful vintage cookbooks and some modern ones too. Having a massive clean out.  Pick up a bargain! 

INGREDIENTS 500g minced chicken 500g minced pork 1 shallot ¼ savoy cabbage finely shredded 1 finely chopped carrot 1 red chilli finely chopped 1 green chilli finely chopped 2 tbsp freshly chopped garlic 2 tbsp ground ginger 1 pack dim sim skins Thai Basil to Taste (I generally add a lot of basil, mint & coriander, that is why I wrote to taste) Vietnamese Mint to taste Coriander to taste Salt Pepper METHOD Combine all ingredients (except dim sim skin) in a large bowl and massage together. Take a heaped tablespoon of mixture and wrap with the dim sim skin, sealing with a little water. Either deep fry at 180 degrees for 5 minutes, or steam for 5 minutes serve with sweet chilli and soy sauce for dipping. Pictured here I cooked them in some broth and served with noodles and my favourite vegetables. TIP: Wrapping dim sims requires a bit of practice, there are many videos on YouTube demonstrating this.  Find a technique that works ...

   Made this apple cake on Sunday. It's so easy and so good for this colder weather. Preparation: about 20 minutes Cooking: about 1 hour Serves: 4 INGREDIENTS 1 1⁄2 cups self-raising flour 1 tsp ground cinnamon 150g butter, chopped and softened 1 cup caster sugar 2 eggs, lightly beaten 500g medium Granny Smith apples peeled, cored and cut into thin wedges   METHOD 1. Preheat oven to 170oC. Grease a deep 20cm cake pan and line the base with non-stick baking paper. 2. Sift flour, cinnamon, cloves or nutmeg and salt into the bowl of a food processor. Process until combined. Add butter. Process until combined. Add sugar and eggs. Process until well combined. 3. Spoon half of the mixture into base of prepared pan (use wet fingers to spread mixture over pan base). Arrange apples over mixture. Top with remaining mixture and smooth top. Bake for 55 minutes – 1 hour until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool....