I Love Food Recipes

I make a gooseberry crumble cake each summer, sometimes tinkering with the recipe so that it is more cake than crumble, or vice versa. This year I think I have the ratio about right, and the two layers carry enough natural sweetness to balance the sourness of the gooseberries. Once you involve double cream or vanilla ice-cream what is a tea-time cake becomes a dessert. Serves 8 butter 125g caster sugar 125g eggs 3 medium plain flour 75g baking powder 1 level tsp ground almonds 75g gooseberries 325g For the crumble: plain flour 110g butter 80g demerara sugar 3 tbsp You will also need a 20cm, deep-sided, springform cake tin. Cream the butter and caster sugar together until light and fluffy. This is best done using a food mixer. Stir together the flour, baking powder and ground almonds. Break the eggs into a bowl and beat with a fork or small whisk. Make the crumble. Rub the 80g of butter, in small pieces, into the flour then stir in the demerara sugar and set aside. Set the oven at ...

Don’t throw out the leftovers from your barbecue or beef wellington, when you can easily turn them into homemade jerky. Beef scrap jerky Serves 2 Marinate 4-12 hrs Prep 10 mins Cook 4 hrs 250g beef trimmings/scraps 2 tbsp teriyaki sauce 3 slices ginger 1 tsp dried chilli flakes 2 spring onion ends, squashed Place the beef scraps in a ziplock back along with the remaining ingredients. Close the bag and shake to evenly distribute the flavour. Leave to marinate for 4-12 hours in the fridge. Preheat the oven to 120C and line a baking tray with baking paper. Pat down the beef with kitchen paper to remove any excess liquid. Lay the marinated beef on the lined baking tray, then place it in the oven to dehydrate for 3-4 hours. Check intermittently. The jerky is ready when it bends and cracks as opposed to breaks in half. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. This is an edited extract from No Waste Kitchen: Hachette Healthy Living ($19.99, Hachette Australi...

When it comes to developing children’s palates, I have come to a few conclusions. The more you involve them in the cooking and seasoning of food, whether that’s a squeeze of lime or a sprinkling of herbs, the more interested they are. Exposing them to a range of tastes early on, and with the least fuss, means they are more prepared to try something new. And every child likes different things, which is fine; one of mine is a carb queen, one likes nothing more than a bowl of salad leaves, while the third loves meat. If you are largely cooking from scratch with whole, seasonal ingredients, your children will be eating well. Courgette and lamb boats The more you get children slicing, stirring and seasoning, the more likely they are to eat it all up. Prep 30 min Cook 1 hr Serves 8-12 4-6 large courgettes 3 tbsp olive oil 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped Salt and black pepper 40g pine nuts 50g raisins 400g minced lamb 2 tsp ground cinnam...

This is a lovely way to showcase new season jersey royals; golden chunks of delicate new potatoes tossed in sweet, sauteed onions and topped with a zippy crab and watercress salad, plus some garlicky mayonnaise for good measure. This recipe will get you out of many a last-minute food fix, too, because it’s so versatile: go simple and add a fried egg and chilli oil, or pair with a crisp caesar salad. Home fries with crab, watercress and smoky red pepper aioli The garlicky aioli is a delicious dressing for the light crab salad. Prep 10 min Cook 20 min Serves 4-6 Advertisement 650g jersey royals, cut into 2-3cm cubes 1 large onion, finely chopped 3 tbsp olive oil 25g butter 1 tsp smoked paprika For the aioli 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped 1 red pepper, roasted and peeled 2 egg yolks 1 tsp smoked paprika Juice of ½ lemon Salt and black pepper 200ml olive oil 200ml vegetable oil For the crab salad 200g white crab meat 60g watercress, roughly chopped ½ red onion, very finely sliced 2 t...

March is a tough month for food-lovers. Blood oranges are finishing their season and rhubarb is no longer the neon pink we so enjoy. Aside from wild garlic, the seasonal calendar will make us wait a little longer before the wave of lovely spring and summer fruits and vegetables arrive. To the store-cupboard we go then, raiding any savoury sauce or spice that puts oomph on to our plates. Sichuan-fried tofu with spring cabbage and noodles A nourishing, savoury bowl of soupy noodles and crispy tofu to keep the last of the winter chills away. Prep 20 min Cook 40 min Serves 4 280g extra-firm tofu (the Tofoo Co is good) 6 garlic cloves 2 thumb-sized pieces ginger, one peeled, one roughly chopped 1 tsp freshly ground Sichuan peppercorns 1-2 pinches dried chilli, to taste 4 tbsp soy sauce 4 spring onions, green and white parts separated 10g dried shiitake mushrooms 2 tsp cornflour 5 tbsp groundnut oil 1 spring cabbage, finely shredded 3 tbsp mirin 2 tbsp rice vinegar 2...

A good cold weather supper, hearty but not heavy. This would also work as a side dish for grilled chicken or a thick slice of grilled gammon. Serves 4 leeks 850g butter 40g cherry tomatoes 300g basil leaves 10g double cream 250ml For the crumble plain flour 250g butter 125g, cut into small pieces pecorino 75g, grated thyme 10g parsley 15g water a little Cut the leeks into 1cm rounds then wash very thoroughly in cold water. Put them into a deep casserole or saucepan with the butter, cover with a lid and let the leeks soften over a moderate heat. A regular stir will stop them colouring. Cut the tomatoes in half and stir into the softening leeks, together with salt and black pepper, letting them cook for about 10 minutes until soft and juicy. Stir in the basil leaves, then the cream. When the cream has warmed, remove from the heat and place the mixture in a baking dish. Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6. To make the crumble, put the flour in a large mixing bowl, add th...

On nights when time or inspiration are lacking, turn to chickpea flour. While chickpea flour, or besan or gram as it is sometimes known, may seem an unlikely weeknight cooking saviour, its versatility is unsurpassed. With its naturally nutty taste, it needs little more than water to turn it into a crispy batter for vegetables. One of my favourite meals is a twist on a childhood classic – sweet and sour cauliflower, made with chickpea flour batter, which I serve with thin slivers of red capsicums and ramen noodles. In the summer, I dip goats-cheese-filled zucchini flowers in chickpea batter before panfrying for a crispy, light and deeply satisfying warm-weather meal. Socca pancakes are a quick and easy weeknight dinner and satisfy my fondness for savoury pancakes. Originally from France (alternatively known as farinata in Italy), socca is a simple mixture of chickpea flour and water, enhanced with a lick of olive oil, and your chosen seasonings. I like to add some parmesan ch...