Malva Pudding

1 Cup Sugar

1 Egg

1 Tablespoon smooth apricot jam

1 Cup seld raising flour

1 Teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Pinch of salt

1 Tablespoon butter

1 Teaspoon vinegar

1 Cup Milk

Sauce:

1 1/2 Cup cream

180g Butter

1 Cup sugar

3/4 Cup water

Oven 180 Celsius

1. Beat egg, sugar and jam together on high for +- 15 minutes.

2. Sift flour, bicarb and salt into a bowl.

3. Melt butter and add vinegar.

4. Add milk to egg mixture alternately with flour.

5. Fold in the vinegar/butter mixture.

6. Pour into an ovenproof dish (about 25cmx25cm)

8. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour. It must be a rich brown colour.

For the sauce:

Heat all the ingredients until it just starts to boil.

Pour the hot sauce over the pudding as soon as it comes out the oven. It may look as though it’s too much sauce, just give it a hand by slightly pulling the pudding away from the edges with a knife, and sticking a knife into a few places in the centre of the pudding. Trust: It will absorb everything

Butternut Fritters

Makes 10

500g Butternut, cut into chunks & cooked until soft

+- 1/2 Cup self raising flour

2 Eggs

1 tsp Baking powder

1. Blend the butternut to a pulp.

2. Stir in the flour and eggs, and then the baking powder.

3. Heat a little oil and butter in a non stick frying pan and spoon about 1/3 cup of the butternut batter into the pan.

4. Fry on a medium heat until the fritter starts to bubble a little on top and then flip over, and fry for another minute or 2.

5. Place cooked fritters on a plate sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and sprinkle the sugar mix over the top too.

Cinnamon Sugar:

2/3 Cup Castor sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp Ground cinnamon

Mix together until cinnamon is evenly spread through the sugar.

Cottage Pie

Serves 6 – 8

Oven 200 Celsius

2 Tbsp Olive oil

2 Large Onions, chopped

750g Minced Beef

2 Beef Stock Cubes

500ml Boiling water

3 Large carrots, halved and sliced

1 1/2 Cups frozen peas

3 tsp Cornflour

1/3 cup Water

1. Heat oil and butter and add the onions. Fry until softened and lightly browned.

2. Add the mince and stir until meat is broken into bits and browned (about 5 minutes)

3. Add the stock cubes and water, turn up the heat and reduce.

4. After about 40 minutes, add the carrots and stir them into the mince.

5. After a further 20 minutes, add the peas, stir through the mixture, boil for another 10 – 15 minutes.

6. Mix the cornflour with the 1/3 cup of water and add to the mince mix.

7. Place into an ovenproof dish.

For the Topping:

6 Medium potatoes

2 Tbsp butter

2/3 Cup cream

1 Egg yolk

1/4 tsp Nutmeg

1/4 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp White pepper

1/2 tsp Baking powder

1. Peel, cut and boil the potatoes until cooked.

2. Mash the cooked potatoes with the rest of the ingredients.

3. Spread over the mince filling.

To finish:

Bake in the oven for 15 – 20 minutes, if you would like a little more colour on top, stick the grill on for 2 or 3 minutes.

Butternut Soup

Makes about 600ml – 750ml

Oven 200 Celsius

500g Butternut, cut into chunks

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 tsp butter

1 Medium onion, chopped

1 Chicken stock cube

2 Cups boiling water

1 tsp Thai red curry (John West) + 1/4 tsp Ground Ginger or 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon or replace 1/2 cup of water with 1/2 cup orange juice or 1/2 tsp medium curry powder

1. Roast butternut for 40 minutes or until cooked and edges start to blacken.

2. Heat the oil and butter and then add the onion and fry until softened and slightly browned.

3. Add the butternut, stock cube and water (and orange juice if using) and boil for about 10 minutes.

4. Add the flavouring(s) of choice.

5. Blend until smooth and adjust the seasoning according to your taste.