I used to groan when my mother decided to make it for a dinner party of 20-30 people as I new I would spend hours peeling the potatoes and then slicing them finely with mathematical precision and that was just the first step. To put the dish together you then had to lay the potatoes in layers all carefully overlapped and sprinkle salt, pepper, flour and tiny dabs of butter in each layer until finally you added the milk until you could just see it but not drowning the potatoes. Sound familiar. Sometimes for a little variationsome cheese could be added.

Well there is an easy way.

For 2 people

Add to a bowl  4 medium unpeeled potatoes sliced thinly. (any sort)

add some salt and pepper to taste

add a large TBS of grated parmesan cheese

add a tbs of cream or just enough to lightly coat all the potato slices.

Toss everything together until the potatoes are well coated. This is easier if you do them in a dish with a lid as you can just put the lid on and shake.

Add to a buttered flat oven dish (dont flatten them in just spread them evenly) and cook at 200 degrees until nicely crisped and golden on the top.

All my friends that I have given this recipe to rave about them and are amazed at how easily they are prepared.

Of course you can add some herbs or garlic if you wish to vary the recipe

Great recipes don’t have to be complicated. For more easy healthy recipes got to

Cooking for Pleasure

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I subsequently made it and I can only say that those guests that night missed out on a a veritable treat.

If you love herbs, garlic and lemon juice this is for you. I often have it on a hot day when you are feeling totally washed out from the heat and it now has a new name in my repertoire.  I now call it my summer zinger. My easy version takes just minutes to make and after you have tried it you will see why I call it a “zinger”

200gms fresh herbs - parsley, mint, coriander, basil and chives. (mostly parsley and mint)

• 2 cloves garlic peeled and chopped
• 200 gms bread. Day old italian style works best soaked in water then squeezed dry
• 1 1/4 cups olive oil extra virgin
• 4 cups water
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tbs sherry vinegar
• 2 tbs lemon juice

Place the herbs, garlic and bread in a food processor and blend. Gradually add the olive oil until the mixture looks like mayonnaise consistency. The blend in 2 cups water , salt, sherry vinegar and the lemon juice.

Transfer to a bowl and thin with the remaining water until you have a consistency to your taste. Taste and adjust seasoning id necessary. Cool until ready to serve.

To serve

Ladle the gazpacho into a bowl and add some ice cubes, bread croutons fried in olive oil.

Diced cucumber, tomato or capsicum can also be added.

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Most of us have an image of beetroot as a sliced canned vegetable pickled in vinegar. Doesn’t leave much room for any imagination in creating recipes.

Many people believe that beetroot is good for the blood as it will help prevent anaemia. This is not strictly true or proven. However, beetroot has some great benefits for health conscious people because not only does it contain virtually no fat and very few calories, it is a good source of dietary fibre.

Beetroot has been used for many years in Europe as a treatment for cancer because of the specific anti-carcinogens contained in the red colouring. Current tests are being carried out to support these claims.

The humble beetroot does contain copious amounts of vitamin C, folic acid and potassium, and silica which aids the uptake of calcium, that is helpful in counteracting too much salt in our diet and therefore may help in reducing blood pressure.

So these are the benefits of beetroot but beetroot is an old fashioned vegetable that has not received the attention of food fanciers for decades.

In fact beetroot is quite a versatile vegetable. Here are a few suggestions from a beetroot lover to entice people to enjoy and use the humble beetroot in their weekly menus.

Here is a recipe for Beetroot Rocket and Parmesan Risotto that can be served with a salad for lunch or is brilliant with  grilled  lamb, beef or even chicken. The recipe calls for fresh beetroot but you can substitute drained slice canned beetroot instead.

Or create your own beetroot dip. Beetroot and Cashew Nut Spread. This can be served with a small biscuit or toast triangles or is equally good spread on a slice of toast for lunch.

Beetroot and Cashew Nut Dip or Spread
1 whole fresh raw beetroot—approx 8cms round or 1 tin beetroot 225gms.Best with Fresh beetroot
120 gms cashew nuts or replace with slivered almonds
1tbs extra virgin olive oil—plain no added flavourings
25 gms good quality parmesan—not the packet variety
1 tbs of fresh lemon juice
1tbs white vinegar—no added flavouring
Good pinch of salt

Gently roast the cashew nuts on a baking try in the oven (mod temp) being careful not to burn. They should be a nice golden colour.

Prepare the fresh beetroot by trimming the top and bottom. Place in a microwave safe container with a lid and cook with 1/2 cup of water until just cooked through. Times will vary according to the microwave. Leave to cool and then peel. Rough chop it into pieces approx 2 cms square.

Grate the parmesan or chop into fairly small pieces. Grating is best.

Add to your Kitchen food processor the cashews and process until finely ground. Then add the cheese, oil, salt and nearly all the lemon juice and vinegar and process. You made need to scrape the sides of the processor a few times. Then add the chopped beetroot and process until well blended and all ingredients are finely ground. Try to keep a few chunky bits of beetroot.

Check the seasoning and add the remainder of the lemon juice and vinegar if needed and also more salt if required.

Chill in the fridge and serve with your favorite vegetable sticks or savoury biscuits. This is also great served with small squares of toast.

PS the reason for using plain olive oil and vinegar is that often the extra flavours added are too strong for the delicate beetroot flavour. I know I made this mistake

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I am.

For some reason I have never been able to eat raw tomatoes. I have tried them every way there is but for some reason I just cannot swallow them Even the smell makes me shudder.

But - cooked tomatoes I love and I find I need a serious tomato fix at least once a week.

I remember one day many years ago I went to lunch at a friends place who had gone to a lot of trouble to get just the right ripe plump organic tomatoes, the absolute freshest basil and had spent a fortune on the very best bocconcinni and the best Virgin olive oil.

Err um how does one politely ask your best friend who has gone to a lot of trouble to make this simple lunch spectacular if she would mind if I put my bowl of tomatoes and bocconcini in the microwave !!!!!!!!!!!

There was a stunned silence for a minute and then the memory kicked in. She had completely forgotten that I didn’t eat raw tomato.

So into a saucepan went this beautiful salad and we cooked it just long enough to cook the tomato and the cheese remained whole but soft.  The end result was the best warm salad of wonderful tomatoes that I slurped up all the juice with a lovely crusty french bread.

However for a person who doesn’t eat raw tomatoes it does create a challenge.  How many salads include raw tomato??

Here is a quick and easy way to slow roast some cherry tomatoes that you can use for salads, with cheese or just about anything where raw tomato would normally be used.

1 punnet  cherry tomatoes

Olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Salt and ground black pepper.

Place the tomatoes on a ceramic or glass baking dish. Do not use a metal baking dish as the acid in the tomatoes does not mix well with the metal.

Lightly sprinkle some olive oil and a few splashes of balsamic vinegar. Just enough for a very light coating of oil and enouggh balsamic to add a hint of the flavour of the balsamic. Too much and you will stew the cherry tomatoes. Add some salt and pepper to taste.

Bake in a slow oven (around 180-200 degrees F) for around 1 hour or until the tomatoes are just wilted and the skins wrinkled but not blackened.  The idea is to cook them just enough to remove the raw tomato taste but the tomatoes retain their shape. You can use the Italian Roma tpe tomatoes but these need to be cooked for longer.

These can be used in salads, salsas and are wonderful served with some brie or any soft cheese as an appetizer.

Next post I will add some salsa ideas that don’t contain tomatoes.

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1 onion diced fine
½ cup Arborio rice or anything will do
1 small fresh beetroot about 2 ½ inches around peeled and grated
One zucchini large about 7 inches long quartered and sliced
Large large handful of baby rocket rough chop    2 vegie stock cubes
Good splash of runny cream
Salt and pepper
Squeeze of fresh lemon
Olive oil enough to sauté the onions zucchini Saute the onions and zucchini for about 4 mins
Add the stock cube
Add the rice and sauté for about 2 mins With the lid on
Add some salt and pepperAdd the rough chopped rocket leaves
Add ½ cup of water to start and simmer gently for about 10 mins with the lid on
Add more water if needed
Then add a good splash or slurp of runny cream and stir
Add the grated parmesan and stir
Add the grated beetroot and fold in. Do not over mix
Add a small squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Heat gently for a further 2 mins. It should be nice and creamy consistency. Add more water if it is too dry.For more recipes go to  Cooking for Pleasure

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This recipe was given to me by a lady from Sicily called Vera and she also showed me exactly how she cooked it as well. It produces a very intense tomato beef sauce. Even my mother who  prided herself on her bolognaise sauce agreed begrudgingly that it was good. High praise indeed from one’s mother.

Firstly add the meat to a saucepan(with a tight fitting lid) without any oil and fry until the meat is browned and all liquid has evaporated.

Then add the white wine and continue to fry until the wine has evaporated and the meat is sizzling.

Add the olive oil and the onion and crushed garlic and cook until the onion and garlic are just cooked. Be careful not to burn the garlic.

Now add the crushed tomatoes and season to taste with salt and ground black pepper. The tomatoes should not only cover the meat but should reach approx 1 1/2 inches above the meat.

Stir to mix well and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to very low and cover with a tight fitting lid and simmer for approx 1 1/2 hours or until the tomatoes are reduced and the sauce is a rich intense tomato neither too runny or too dry.

In Sicily this is traditionally cooked in an earthenware pot but any heavy based saucepan will do.

Serve with al dente spaghetti and goes very well with the Spinach Bacon and Pinenut salad found listed under salads.

The amount of tomatoes that cover the meat depend on the shape of the saucepan you use. I use a saucepan that is 8 inches in diameter and 5 inches deep.

More recipes with simple instructions and fresh ingredients can be found at  Cooking for Pleasure

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