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Banana Cake with Lime Icing

Cream 125 grams of butter with 3/4 cup of caster sugar.  Add 1 beaten egg, 1 tablespoon of vanilla essence and 2 VERY ripe, mashed bananas.  Mix and sift in 1 and 1/2 cups of plain flour, 1 teaspoon bicarbonate soda and 1/4 cup of milk.  Mix until combined and pour into a greased pan.  Bake at 180C for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

For the icing, mix the juice of half a lime with 1 cup of icing mixture, adding a teaspoon of hot water at a time until the mixture is smooth and very thick.  Carefully pour over the cake.  Top with grated lime zest.

NOTE:  If using a detailed pan (like the ones in our catalogue), add your mixture a tablespoon at a time and then shake and tap the tin so that all the air-bubbles are out before filling with the remaining mix.  This will ensure that the fine details of the moulding won't be lost when the cake is carefully turned out.

A Simple Tajine

Before you start this dish, ensure that your tajine is properly seasoned (see our Helpful Info page for directions).

In a large bowl, combine a kilo of cubed lamb with a pinch each of the following seasonings; turmeric, sugar, cumin, cinnamon, paprika (smoked is excellent) and black pepper.  Add cayenne to taste and drizzle with olive oil.  Stir until the lamb is coated and set aside to marinate for at least an hour.  Overnight is excellent.

In your large tajine, pour in enough olive oil to coat the bottom and set it to heat over your charcoal burner.  (If you are cooking this in the oven, use a frypan and transfer to the tajine for the rest of the cooking time.)  Fry the lamb until it takes on some colour and add the following: a roughly diced onion, 2 or 3 roughly cut carrots, a handful of pitted olives, zest and juice of 2 lemons, some grated ginger and ras-el-hanout if you can find it (often sold under the general term "Moroccan Seasoning").  Stir to combine and add a can of chopped tomatoes.  Top up with water or stock so that there is plenty of liquid and put on the lid.

Allow the heat to die down a little and let the tagine cook quietly for at least an hour, or more depending on the quality of your lamb.  Check from time to time to ensure that there is still plenty of liquid and to make sure that the charcoal is still giving out enough heat to make the tajine bubble quietly.  

When done, the meat should be very tender.  Add a big handful each of coriander and parsley leaves and serve with couscous and bread to mop up the juices.

Tajines are perfect for chicken, goat or beef, and you can make it as spicy or mild as you like.  Add whatever vegetables are in season and play with the seasonings.  Preserved lemons are traditional as are prunes and dates.  Try to find a balance of tangy, savoury and slightly sweet.

Tapas 

Traditional tapas dishes are small snacks both hot and cold that are served with drinks and are similar in concept to the mezze and antipasto dishes most of us are already familiar with.  They can be as simple or as complex as you please and should pique both interest and appetite.

Some easy suggestions include;

- button mushrooms drizzled with olive oil and minced garlic and grilled until sizzling

- chorizo sausage sliced slantwise into bites and fried until slightly crispy

- olives, jamon (or ham) or some good and tangy cheese stuck through with toothpicks for easy munching

- mussels topped with a garlicky tomato puree and grilled until they open

- cubed potatoes fried in olive oil until crispy and served with a drizzle of hot salsa over the top

- top quality anchovies spread over slivers of toast that has been rubbed with garlic and drizzled with olive oil

- a handful of whitebait, dusted with flour and fried in oil until slightly golden, served with wedges of lemon

A Simple Paella

For four people, using an 28cm pan.

• 1 litre chicken stock

• 1 tsp saffron threads

• 1 small chicken or rabbit

• 1 chorizo, diced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 onion, diced

• 1 small red capsicum (peeled, preferably), sliced

• 1 small can of peeled tomatoes

• 1 cup of short-grained rice

• 1 cup green peas

• 1 cup baby green beans

Simmer stock and saffron until the saffron has infused the stock.  Heat the caldero (paella pan) and add a good slurp of good olive oil.  Fry the meat and chorizo until golden and remove.  Add in the onion, garlic and capsicum and saute.  Add the tomatoes and cook off some of the juice.  Add the meat and chorizo back in and cook until the meat is nearly done.  Add the rice (flavour with smoked paprika if you like), a pinch of salt, ground black pepper to taste and cook without stirring for 5 minutes.  Sprinkle the peas and beans over the top and cook until the rice is tender and all the moisture has been absorbed.  Remove from heat and stand 5 or 10 minutes before serving.