''Brocauli'' salad

Bbq season special!

200-250g prepared,, (chopped into bite sized pieces) lightly cooked brocolli and same again of cauli

Dressing...
1/4C olive or canola oil
3T white wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 t oreganum, crumbled
1-2t dijon or mild smooth mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Put all dressing ingredients into jar, shake well.

To keep brocolli bright green, toss the dressing through just before serving. For more flavour but less colour mix and leave to stand.

I thought the above was a bit bland, so added about 1T chopped up fresh mint, and about 2T pumpkin seeds.... bit more crunch!

I used some of my own grown ''cheesy'' cauli, hence the yellow colour! Doesn't taste much different from white cauli though...

Tomatoes, tomatoes and more tomatoes!

Bought 10kg of tomatoes... had to use them up!




Spicy tomato relish
Boil following ingredients for 1-1.5 hours, then simmer for 30 mins....
2 lrg red onions, chopped
2.5kg tomatoes, chopped up
150g raisons, chopped
6 garlic cloves, chopped
10 small red chillies, seeded, and you guessed it, chopped
juice and peel of 1 lemon, (peel in long thin strips)
2T fresh ginger
3t allspice
2t ground cloves (thanks to neighbour!)
2t salt
2C apple cider vinegar
2C sugar

then
add 1T cornflour mixed with 2T apple cider vinegar, mix, simmer and stir for 2 mins, then stand for 2 mins.

Put into clean jars. Invert the jars for 2 mins. Then put upright again and store.


Tomato Sauce


All of the tomato sauce I made is staying here, sorry - we are not being generous with this! Kids love it!

8lb tomatoes (3.5kg)
2T salt
2C malt vinegar
2lb brown sugar (1kg)
2 packets whole allspice, tied in muslin.

Boil for 2 hours. Cool. Wizz, or process, and bottle when cold.

Makes about 2.25 litres.


Tomato relish


I kind of mixed two recipes for this, and can't fully remember what I did! Whatever it was worked, cos it is scrummy!

2-3kg tomatoes, chopped
3 onions, chopped
4C sugar
2C malt vinegar
2T salt
2T mustard powder
2T curry powder

3T cornflour


Boil first 7 ingredients for 1-1.5 hours.
Take some out, and ix with cornflour then add paste back to pot and stir, simmering until thicker. (about 5 mins)

Pour hot relish into clean, heated jars, invert for 2 mins, then put upright and store when cool.


Make sure you label them with date made and what it is!

Chocolate Caramel Square

Three parts to this one, so is not a one-pan slice!
It only uses half a can of condensed milk, so I decided to make a double amount (otherwise I would have half a can in my fridge until it crystallised), and have one prepared for tomorrow's funeral, and the other for the next day's shout at work. But, I started with original amounts...... I am tired!

Had no kids involved..... Master could barely help me make the instant pasta tonight, so thought this would be beyond him!


Base
100g butter, softened
1/4C castor sugar
1C flour

Cream butter, and sugar, then fold in flour. Press into tin (lined with baking paper), and bake at 170 for about 6-8 mins.

Filling
100g butter
200g condensed milk
1/2C golden syrup
1/4C chopped walnuts (optional)

Put filling ingredients (except walnuts) into saucepan, and bring to boil over medium heat, then reduce to low, stirring often, until mixture is a deep golden brown, and if you drop  some into cold water it forms a soft ball. About 10 mins.
Take off heat, and stir in walnuts if using.
Then immediately spread over base, smoothing out if necessary.
Allow to cool.


Icing
1/2C icing sugar
1T cocoa
1T butter, softened
2T boiling water

Mix icing ingredients together, until smooth.
Spread icing over cold caramel carefully.

Doubling this amount of icing won't cover two slices, so I had to make about a triple lot.

Leave square for at least two hours, then slice as required.

Scrummy wreath Christmas bread

Not in 'The' recipe book, but in another one!

Make a sweet bread dough as per dough maker recipe book!
Then, roll out to make long skinny shape (about 75cm x 25cm)

Make a mixture of 50g butter, 1/2 tsp almond essence, 2T sugar and 1/4 C flour, then add 1/4 cup chopped red glace cherries, 1/4 cup chopped green glace cherries, 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots, and 1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds.
Blob mixture along length of bread dough.

Roll up to make long sausage.

Slice in half lengthways, then..... the tricky part!

Roll, shuffle, adjust and wriggle so it is shaped in a circle, with the lengths wrapped around each other, insides facing out. Stick ends together to make it look seamless...

Leave to rise for about 30-45 mins.

Bake at about 190 for 25-30 mins...                                                            Uncooked bread..

Then, when cooked, make some icing from 1C icing sugar, and about 2T lemon juice. Squeeze out of plastic bag to make nice drizzle effect over bread.
Serve.

Really yummy when cold too!

Cooked bread....