If you’re the type of home cook who hates the sticky and precise world of baking, as I do, then this is the cake recipe for you. It’s easy-peasy; mix your dry ingredients, mix your wet ingredients, mix them together. Bake. Eat.
Ingredients
- 450g self-raising flour
- 225g caster sugar
- 225g butter
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 125g sultanas
- 125g currants
- 100g glacé cherries
- 2 free-range eggs
- 240ml whole milk
Method
- Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl along with the salt and ground spices. Rub butter into the flour until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs, then add the caster sugar.
- Toss the dried fruit in a little flour (this stops the fruit from sinking to the bottom of the baking tin) and add to the mixing bowl.
- Beat the eggs into the milk and mix well with the dry ingredients.
- Spoon into a greased 8″ (20cm) square tin and cook at 160°C (140°C fan) for 2 hours. Leave to cool in the tin for about 15 minutes before removing. It’s best eaten on the day you bake it, but it will keep very well in a tin for about 2 days. It also freezes quite well; just wrap in greaseproof paper and foil.
Makes 20-25 portions.
This recipe produces meltingly tender meat and a rich, deeply-flavoured sauce. This recipe also scales easily, so adjust the amounts to fit the number of diners. I like to use a cast-iron casserole for this, searing the meat and braising in the same pot. It allows me to de-glaze the casserole with red wine and take advantage of the delicious brownings left by the meat. Serve with pommes dauphinoise and minted peas.
Ingredients
- 2 lamb shanks
- 2 small onions, chopped
- 2 sticks celery, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced
- sprig fresh rosemary, finely chopped (about 2 tsp)
- 250ml red wine
- 100ml water
- 1 tbsp tomato pureé
- salt & pepper
Method
- Season the lamb shanks with some salt and pepper, then dust with plain flour. Heat some olive oil in a cast-iron casserole and fry the shanks over a high heat until browned on all sides. Remove the shanks and set aside.
- Pour off some of the oil if it seems excessive. Now the fry the onions, celery, garlic and rosemary until they colour and start to “catch” at the edges. Pour in the wine and de-glaze the casserole, scraping at the meat brownings. Bring the wine to the boil and add the water and tomato pureé. Mix well and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Return the lamb shanks to the casserole along with any juices that have collected from the meat. Spoon over some of the sauce and place in the centre of the oven. Cook for 3 hours until tender.
Serves 2.
Salsa verde makes a great accompaniment to fish or chicken. Absolutely addictive. Just blitz the following ingredients (apart from the grain mustard) in a food processor and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Ingredients
- ½ clove garlic
- 1 tbsp capers
- 2 handfuls flat-leaf parsley
- 1 handful fresh mint
- 1 handful fresh basil
- juice of ½ lemon
- extra-virgin olive oil (enough to give a sauce consistency)
- 2 tsp grain mustard
This cool, fresh sauce makes a great accompaniment for grilled chicken, souvlaki or toasted pitta bread. Use the amounts below only as a guide and adjust according to your own taste. Make sure you grate or crush the garlic as you don’t want to have any lumps of garlic in this.
Ingredients
- 250g natural yoghurt
- ½ cucumber
- ½ clove garlic, finely grated
- fresh mint, a handful, chopped
- a pinch of dried oregano
- 1 lemon
- salt & pepper
Method
- Remove the seeds from the cucumber and coarsely grate into a bowl. Add a good pinch of salt and leave to stand for a few minutes. Squeeze the grated cucumber to remove most of the liquid.
- Add the yoghurt, fresh mint, oregano and a squeeze of lemon juice. Mix well and season to taste with a little salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.
