Strawberry Banana Bread

4 oz [½ cup (1 stick)] butter, softened
1 cup [7 oz]  granulated sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups [8oz]  plain flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1½ cups fresh strawberries chopped & tossed in 1 Tablespoon of flour [about 12 oz ]
1 tsp orange flower water [optional]
A few sliced strawberries to lay on the top. [optional]

Note – the weight of the strawberries is after removing the hulls so you want 12 oz after preparation – a bit more or a bit less though won’t hurt.

 

Preheat oven to 190f / 375F degrees. Spray two 9×5 loaf pan with nonstick spray. Set aside. Alternatively use 3 x 1 lb loaf tins. If you wish you can use a paper liner instead of spray

In a large bowl, using a KitchenAid Stand Mixer with paddle attachment cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
In a small bowl, beat eggs using a fork. Add eggs to sugar mixture and beat until combined. Add mashed bananas and mix until combined.
Sift all dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add sifted dry ingredients to banana mixture and mix until flour is just combined. DO NOT OVERMIX! Fold in floured covered strawberries.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pans and bake at 190C / 375F for 15 minutes. REDUCE heat to 170C / 350F and bake for an additional 30 minutes until edges are slightly brown or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Let cool completely before removing from loaf pans.

 

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Peanut butter banana cookies with oats and choc chips.

These are vegetarian / vegan and rather tasty.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 190 C gas 5

Line two baking sheets with parchment

3 large, ripe bananas, mashed
2 and 1/2 cups old fashioned, rolled oats
1 cup peanut butter (any type)
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup raw honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

 

Mash the bananas and mix with the honey, peanut butter and vanilla extract. Mix all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl until evenly combined. Combine the two and mix until the oats are coated.

 

Place heaping-Tablespoonfuls of the batter onto a parchment or silpat-lined baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake at 350 degrees F 190 C for 15 minutes or until set and golden brown around edges. Cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

You can use golden syrup to replace the honey if you prefer.

 

 

Banana Bread

More of a loaf than a bread this is spicy, stick and fruity and goes well buttered with a cup of tea.

 

6 – 8 tablespoons SR flour
1tsp baking powder
1 heaped tbsp butter/marg
2 eggs
6 tbsp brown/golden/whatever sugar
vanilla
handful assorted fruit
handful assorted seeds/nuts pecans for preference
bananas [about 5 ripe ones]
1  tsp each ginger, allspice, nutmeg and cinnamon

Also if available add
1 tbsp date molasses
1 tbsp malt syrup

Preheat the oven to 200 C

This should make 2x 2lb loaves or 4 x 1 lb. It’s hard to be exact as the size of the bananas is variable.

I use loaf tin liners which makes it easy to add another loaf if required. Do not fill to the very top – leave about an inch clear .

 

 

I also add a couple of tbsps of candied orange peel and a couple of lumps of candied ginger which I wizz up in a mini processor and add to the mix. You can omit this if you prefer.

Mash the bananas – if they’re a bit firm then use a barmix. Add the eggs, melted butter, spices, molasses, syrup, vanilla and chopped up peel and ginger. Stir well to combine.

Mix the flour, baking powder, sugar, fruits and nuts together and stir into the wet ingredients.

You may need to add more flour. The batter should be sloppy but not too runny.

Pour into the prepared loaf tins and bake at 200. 1 lb loaf tins will need 35 – 45 mins . 2lb tins will take 45 mins to an hour.

Remove from oven and cool.

 

 

 

 

 

Sweet and Spicy Honey Pomegranate Wings

This is the best chicken wing recipe I’ve had. Works well on thighs and drumsticks too.

Also works superbly with belly pork or ribs. Adjust cooking time for dry rub part accordingly.

 

Serves: 2 – 4 servings
Ingredients
12 large wings pieces, patted dry
Serves: 2 – 4 servings
Ingredients
12 large wings pieces, patted dry
For Dry Rub:
1 Tbl. brown sugar
1 Tsp. smoked sweet paprika
2 tsp paprika
½ Tbl. regular table salt
½ Tbl. garlic powder
1 tbsp. coarse ground black pepper
1 tbl. onion powder
1tsp. d za’atar [if you don’t have this use oregano ]
½ tsp. dried thyme
¼ tsp. cayenne
1 tsp. cajun seasoning such as carribean all purpose seasoning

For Sauce:
2 tbl pomegranate molasses [if you don’t have this then use ½ cup non-alcoholic pomegranate pomegranate juice (regular or Cran-Pomegranate]
2 Tbl. honey
1 tsp. sriracha
¼ tsp. regular salt
¼ tsp. coarse ground black pepper
juice of half a lemon.

 

Mix up the dry rub and sprinkle over the wings. Place in a bag in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. If you don’t have time then you can use them straight away of course but it’s better to give the rub time to flavour the wings.

Heat the oven to 200c / 375 f

Line a baking tray with non stick foil and add a little oil.

Place the wings on the tray and bake for about 45 mins. Turn them over half way.

 

To make the sauce.

Combine all the ingredients and gently warm. If you are using juice rather than molasses then the you will need to gently simmer the sauce for anything up to 10 mins to reduce it down. You’re looking for something the consistency of warm honey.

Coat the wings in the sauce [ you may not need all of it – any extra can be used as a dipping sauce or put in jar for use on another batch]

Return to oven for 10 mins to allow the sauce to thoroughly coat the wings.

 

 

Italian Sausage

A friend who spent time in America was pining for the Italian sausage you can get over there but can’t find here in the UK. This is the recipe I’ve come up with that replicates this missing sausage. You can reduce the heat or increase it as required. The mix can be made in advance and stored. The quantities below should do about 3 pounds of pork mince. This can be frozen in patties and used later. Fried or grilled and added to pretty much any pasta dish. You can also add fresh garlic if you prefer.

3 pounds minced pork
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 1/4 tablespoons dried parsley
1 tablespoon garlic powder [ or the equivalent of fresh garlic ]
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon minced dried onion
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon smoked paprika [ either hot or sweet depending on preference]
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes [ aleppo pepper or red bell pepper flakes ]
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon mixed italian herbs
1 teaspoon ground fennel seed
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon thyme

For a spicy version add chilli flakes or cayenne as required.

I blitz all of the dry ingredients in a mini processor then add them to the pork.

For every pound of pork you need 1 tbsp of red wine or white wine vinegar and 3 tablespoons of the dry mix.

Using your hands, massage the spices into the meat, cover and leave in the fridge for at least an hour. Form into patties and fry or grill.

This can also be frozen for later use.

 

If you can’t find minced pork you can make your own using belly pork. You may need to remove a bit of the fat if you use this, or use half belly pork and half pork steaks.

 

Using half pork to beef this is also good to use for the minced beef roulade below.

 

Also works well using chicken or turkey mince.

Halloumi Fries

These are just amazing. Halloumi is a non-melty rather salty cheese and these fries are absolutely delish. Serve with a mint yoghurt dressing and a squeeze of lemon or pomegranate molasses.

Za’atar as a prepared condiment is generally made with ground dried Thyme, Oregano, Marjoram, toasted sesame seeds and sometimes sumac or other spices. It’s available from a lot of supermarkets and Middle Eastern groceries.

1 block of Halloumi Cheese cut into sticks [approx 200 g block]
2 tbsp plain flour
1 tsp za’atar
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp sumac

Oil for frying

To serve
Yoghurt dressing
Pomegranate Molasses
Pomegranate seeds
Mint
Lemon Wedges

Mix the flour with the spices
Cut the halloumi into chips – they should be about 1 cm across.
Dredge in the spice mix. Heat the oil in a pan and shallow fry.  [ You can also deep fry them if you prefer.]
They don’t take long – a couple of minutes on a side and they’re done. Take care because they can burn really quickly.

Drain on kitchen paper

Serve drizzled with yoghurt dressing and pomegranate molasses and seeds. Or with any other dipping sauce / dressing of choice

Variation

If you like spicy and hot then add 1/2 tsp of ras el hanout or chilli to the dredge mix

Yoghurt dressing

100g plain yoghurt
1 tsp mint
1 tsp lemon juice

Chinese Style Cola Wings

1 pack [about 20 ] wings
1 can of full fat coke
4 tbsp soy
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tsp siracha or other hot chilli sauce
1 tsp garlic powder

Mix everything up until combined, add the wings [ portioned if preferred] and add enough water to cover
bring to the boil and cook until sauce is reduced and sticky. This should take about an hour.

You can adjust the amount of chilli sauce to taste.

Be careful towards the end as it may burn