I finally took the time to go through a big pile of neglected papers in our closet today.

As I was sorting, I found several recipes that caught my eye at one time or another. I still want to make them, so I’ll type them out here to archive them.

Winter Apple Cake

This recipe comes from my great-aunt Gerda, who lives in Germany. I’ve tasted this delicious cake but I’ve yet to make it.

• 1 cup oil
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 pack of vanilla sugar
• 1 pack of baking powder
• 1 cup walnuts (chopped)
• 3-4 apples (peeled and sliced)

Preheat the oven to 175°C. Mix together the oil, sugar and vanilla sugar. Add the flour and baking powder. Stir in the sliced apples, walnuts and cinnamon. Put in a cake pan lined with baking paper and bake for 1 hour.

Drumstick Cake

Drumsticks are a type of ice cream sold in North America and this desert somewhat resembles the ice cream. That’s important to clarify because some people hear the title and think this is a cake made with chicken drumsticks!! That would be rather different…

• 2 1/4 cups crushed vanilla wafers
• 3/4 cup chopped peanuts
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 3 tbsp peanut butter
• 8 oz package cream cheese
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 large package cool whip (when I make this, I’d like to try making it with whipped cream instead of cool whip)

Mix the first 4 ingredients and then press into a 9″ x 13″ pan. Cream the cheese, sugar and 1/2 cup peanut butter in a large bowl. Add vanilla. Blend the eggs one at a time at high speed. Fold in the cool whip and pour over the base. Drizzle on chocolate sauce and marbilize the top with a knife. Sprinkle any extra crumbs from the wafers on top. Freeze. Remove about 10 minutes before you want to serve, to make it easier to slice.

Salmon Tangy

A recipe I clipped from a magazine in Idaho.

• 6 oz salmon fillets
• 1 tsp tamarind sauce
• 1 clove chopped garlic
• 1 tsp chopped fresh ginger
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp cooking wine
• 1 tsp sesame seeds

Grill the salmon over a char grill. Mix tamarind, garlic, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, wine and 1/2 of the ginger together and heat in a sauce pan until boiling. Remove from heat. Place salmon on a plate and pour the sauce mixture over the salmon. Sprinkle with ginger and sesame seeds. Serve with vegetables and rice.

Avocado Quesedillas

While cycling the backroads of NZ, we came across a farm stall selling avocados. They also had this recipe to give away.

• 250g spinach leaves
• sea salt & pepper
• 250g young goat’s cheese
• 8 flour tortillas
• 1 avocado
• 1 small lime, juice only
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped

Cook the spinach very quickly in simmering, salted water until wilted. Drain and squeeze dry. Thinly slice the goat’s cheese. Place a flour tortilla in a pan, scatter with cheese, add a quarter of the spinach and season to taste. Place another tortilla on top to form a sandwich. Cook over a medium heat until lightly browned. Turn once and cook on the other side until the cheese has melted. Meanwhile, peel, stone and chop the avocado. Toss with lime juice, coriander, sea salt and pepper. Serve the quesadillas on a plate, cut in half and with the avocado on the side.

Deep Omelette of Feta, Spinach & Onion

A Nigel Slater recipe. I love his food.

• 3 medium onions
• 40g butter
• a little oil
• 150g spinach leaves
• 400g feta cheese
• 4 large eggs
• 220ml double cream

Set the oven to 220°C. Peel the onions and slice thinly. Melt butter in a large, heavy frying pan with a metal handle. Add the oil and onions. Cook over a low heat until the onions are really soft, sweet and golden. Wash the spinach leaves and add them (still wet) to a large pan. Cover with a lid and cook over a moderate heat so they steam. As soon as they are wilted, squeeze out any extra water and chop. Add the spinach to the cooked onions, crumble in the feta. Break the eggs and beat them in a bowl with a bit of pepper, then mix in the cream and pour the mixture over the onions. Place the pan on a low heat and leave it for 10-15 minutes. Transfer to the oven and bake for a further 10 minutes or until the omelette has puffed up and is lightly set. Leave to settle, cut into wedges and serve.

Baked Feta with Beetroot and Chickpeas

Another Nigel Slater recipe.

• 2 medium beetroot
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 3 small shallots
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 pinch sugar
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• 1 tbsp chopped mint
• 1 400g tin of chickpeas (drained)
• 2 blood oranges
• 400g feta
• sprigs of thyme
• a little extra olive oil

Trim but do not peel the beetroot. Boil in deep water (or bake wrapped in foil) for about 40 minutes. Peel, cut into thick wedges and leave to cool. Meanwhile, set the oven to 200°C. Put the feta in a small baking dish, add the thyme leaves and drizzle over some olive oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is soft and wobbly.

For the dressing, put the vinegar in a bowl, stir in a touch of salt and the shallots (finely chopped). Add mustard and sugar and beat in the olive oil. Stir in the chopped parsley, mint and chickpeas. Season with pepper.

Peel the blood oranges and slice thinly. Divide the dressed chickpeas between 2 bowls. Add the oranges and beetroot. Divide the warm feta between the dishes. Pour over any juice from the baking dish or drizzle with a bit of olive oil.

Baked Quince

I made this recipe in a Greek cooking class. I think it would also work well with pears.

• 750ml water
• 400g sugar
• 4-5 quinces
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 cloves
• 1 large tub Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp honey
• orange zest
• 1-2 tsp lime juice
• garnish with skinned lime wedges

Wash and peel the quince. Cut in quarters. Careful as it’s a hard fruit. Cut out the seeds and core.

In a large pot, boil the water and sugar for 2 minutes, then add the quince to the syrup along with the cinnamon, bay leaf and cloves. Cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Put the pot covered with the lid in the oven and bake for 60-90 minutes at 180°C. Stir every 1/2 hour to make sure the quince stay basted with syrup.

Meanwhile, make the yogurt dip. Stir the honey and yogurt together. Stir in the lime juice and zest. Put in a serving bowl and garnish with peeled wedges of lime.

Once the quince is done baking, let it cool a bit. Serve on a plate or in a shallow bowl with a dollop of yogurt cream.

Fasolia Gigantes

The person who taught me this insists it’s important to use dried (not tinned) beans.

• 500g butter beans
• 4 carrots, peeled and cut into rounds
• 3-4 celery stalks, with leaves, chopped
• 2-3 onions, chopped
• 3-5 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1 bunch parsley, finely chopped
• 500-700g chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsp oregano
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp old spice
• spicy sausages

Rinse soaked beans under cold water, then add more cold water in a pot with a beans and bring to a boil. Do not add any salt. Skim the froth off the beans as they come to a boil and after 10 minutes drain the pot. Put more cold water in a pot and repeat for an additional 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare all the vegetables and heat the oven to 200°C.

Once the beans have been boiled twice, rinse the pot and then tip the beans and tomatoes  back in together along with the onions, garlic, half the olive oil and spices but still NO salt. You can add a chili pepper if you like for extra heat. Cover with a lid and boil slowly for 30 minutes. Add a bit of water if the mixture gets dry and stir occasionally.

Now you can add some salt. Place the soup in a baking tray and place in a pre-heated oven for 30 minutes. Slice the sausages and quickly fry them for 3-4 minutes in a bit of olive oil. Add them to the beans in the oven. Add more water if required. When the beans are soft, add the parsley and olive oil (if there’s any left). This dish should be more dry than soup-like in texture.

Piperies Florinis

Another great dish from a Greek cooking class I took.

• 4-6 red peppers
• 3-4 tbsp olive oil
• 3-4 tbsp vinegar
• salt and pepper

Heat oven to 250-275°C. Wash the peppers well and put on a tray with baking paper. When the oven is very hot, put the peppers inside to roast. After 7 minutes check and turn them over. It’s okay if the skin gets black. Leave for another 7 minutes, then take them out and put them in a bowl which you cover so they sweat and the skin comes off.

After they cool a bit, you can take the skin off. Cut each pepper into 2-4 pieces lengthwise. In the serving bowl, put olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Mix well, then add the slices of pepper. You can add some raw garlic if you like as well.

In addition, these online recipes look pretty yummy.

Zucchini Bechamel

Mac ‘n’ Cheese