Beetroot Salad

I love beetroot and I reminded myself of this as a nice wee 'salad' in time for Christmas. Nice for barbecues too.

Ingredients:

Beetroot - enough to cover as many people as you need it for. People won't eat a huge amount of this so roughly one beetroot per person if they are small or two - three people per beetroot if they are big.

Balsamic vinegar

Brown sugar

Oil

Method:

This is very like the black potatoes on the blog.

1. Peel, wash and chop up your beetroot into the sized pieces you need. Larger pieces will take longer to cook. Wearing rubber gloves can be an idea to avoid getting purple hands.

2. Line your baking pan with cooking paper and spread the beetroot over it.

3. Sprinkle over a small tablespoon of brown sugar.

4. Drizzle over a little oil

5. Pour a few glugs (depending how strong you want it) of balsamic vinegar over everything then stir everything to mix in the pan.

6. Cook in the oven 180 / 200 degrees until the beetroot is soft. If the balsamic vinegar cannot be tasted or is not strong enough during cooking just add more and mix it in.

7. Serve the beetroot either hot or cool - still yummy. 

You could add some citrus peel to this or some very fine carrot shavings to add some colour before serving or alternatively crumble over some feta cheese. 

This is great at barbecues, in burgers or with roasted or even cold meats.

Stroganoff

Stroganoff was always a mystery to me but this recipe is so simple and quick to make - only takes about 20 minutes so nice and easy after a fully busy day at work.

Ingredients:

600gm beef (I just use schnitzel)

30grams butter

1 chopped onion

Mushrooms - I like lots in mine so just use as many or as few as you want

3/4 cup of beef stock

2 tablespoon tomato paste

250ml sour cream

1 teaspoon cornflour

Spaghetti pasta or fettucine

Method:

1. Cut / slice up the meat coat with a little oil and add salt and pepper to season. Cook in a few batches (too much for one pan intially)

2. After the meat is cooked and set aside put the butter in the pan then the onion. Cook until the onion is softened then add the mushrooms. Once they are tender add the beef stock and tomato paste.

3. Put the cornflour into the sour cream and add to the onions and mushrooms. Stir to mix and then simmer for a minute.

4. Add the meat to the pan and keep simmering for another couple of minutes or until the meat is heated through.

5. Serve over spaghetti pasta or fettucine ribbons.

When I use schnitzel it does not come to 600grams but this recipe still works fine and is delicious - just extra sauce for the meat. I don't use exact measures when I make this and it is still fine for cooking and eating.

Lemon Lime Tart

One of my husband's work mates gave me this recipe and I agree with her- it is delicious!!

Base Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups plain flour

1/4 cup of self raising flour

pinch salt

1/2 cup icing sugar

100grams butter

1 egg

Filling Ingredients:

1/2 cup lemon juice (125mls or approx juice of two lemons)

1/4 cup lime juice (60mls or approx juice of two limes)

1 cup caster sugar

2/3 cup of thickened cream

5 eggs lightly beaten

Method:

1. To make the base put the flours, salt, sugar and butter in the food processor and pulse until it is like breadcrumbs. 

2. Add the egg and process again until it comes together in a ball.

3. If the dough seems very dry add a teaspoon of water and knead it in briefly. 

(I just used the food processor and it made a nice dough after a couple of minutes)

4. Wrap the dough in gladwrap and put in the fridge for 15 minutes.

5. Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees celcius and grease a 25cm fluted loose based flan tin. If it has hole in the base the tart base will be crispy however it doesn't matter if the base of the tin is solid - still is beautiful!

6. Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll out to about 5mm thickness.  It can be difficult to move the pastry in one piece so just rip of pieces and press it into the tin and up the sides until it is well covered and even. Makes sure there are no gaps and the edges or pastry joins are well pressed together.

7. Bake blind with weights or rice. (put a piece of baking paper over the pastry and put cooking weights or rice over it). Cook for 10 minutes and then remove paper, weights / rice and then cook for a further 10 minutes until lightly golden brown.

8. Combine the juices, sugar and cream in a bowl. Whisk in the beaten eggs a little at a time until they are thoroughly mixed in. 

9. Pour the mixture in the pastry and bake until set. (The recipe says 25 minutes but in my oven at 180 degrees it took about an hour)

10. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Delicious with cream, ice cream or yoghurt.

Biscuit Fudge

Nice big thick slabs of biscuit fudge - well depending as to how you cut it!

Ingredients:

1 packet round wine biscuits

1 packet malt biscuits

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

250grams butter

2 eggs

2 cups of icing sugar

Method:

In a pot melt the butter with the cocoa powder.

Mix in the icing sugar and then the eggs.

When the butter and cocoa are melting crush your biscuits. Not too fine, this is nice with chunks of biscuit in it as the different biscuits give it a mottled effect when cut.

Pour the chocolate mixture over the crushed biscuits (easier to do this when it is hot - you do not have to wait for this to cool) and then mix until everything is coated.

Press into a container (I use a square cake tin as it makes the fudge deeper) and refirgerate until set.

Ice with chocolate icing if you like.

This recipe can also be made with just plain wine biscuits as opposed to using malt biscuits.

Fettucine Alfredo

Such an easy recipe and so delicious - only 4 ingredients!!!

Ingredients:

50gm butter

1 cup double cream

2/3 cup grated parmesan (I usually use a whole cup but I like cheese - also original recipe calls for fresh parmesan but I sometimes used the pre grated stuff in bags from the supermarket and it is just as good, 50gms is a nice amount from those bags)

350gm fettucine

Method:

Melt the butter, add the cream and bring to the boil.

Simmer for about five minutes whilst stirring continuously.

Add the grated parmesan cheese and some salt and pepper (if you want).

Turn off the heat.

Cook your pasta and drain it well.

Turn the heat back on under your cream to low and add the pasta, mixing carefully until it is all coated.

(I usually put the pasta in a bowl and pour the sauce all over then mix).

Serve straight away with extra cheese for people to add.

Additional hints:

I have cooked chicken to go in this (just chop and stirfry then add in when mixing in the sauce to the pasta) with mushrooms and also bacon with mushrooms. Add the mushrooms if you use them at the very end as they will taint the cream colour and make it brown / black.

This is also delicious with Salmon.

It can be quite heavy as a main (pasta with cream sauces can sit for a while in the belly) but it always seems lighter with a bit of green salad on the side.