Jill's recipe for aubergine chutney

Ingredients

2 teaspoons pickling spice
2 lb aubergines -unpeeled and cut into thin slices
12ozs onion - finely chopped
1lb cooking apples (after peeling and coring) - chopped
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 pint vinegar
1 1/4 lb brown sugar
 

1. Tie the spices into a muslin bag.
2. Put all ingredients except the sugar into a pan and simmer until really tender.
3. Remove the spices and stir in the sugar.  Boil until thick (I don't like mine too dry, so stop whilst there is still some liquid), stirring often.
4. Spoon into hot jars, seal and store.

Jill's homemade seasonal pesto

Ingredients

4 cloves garlic (or less/more depending on preference)

4 cups fresh basil leaves (blanched for 30 seconds then refreshed in iced water - it’s a bit of a hassle but worth it as it retains its colour better)

1 cup grated parmesan

2/3 cup pinenuts (could use walnuts instead)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup olive oil

Method

Put all ingredients into food mixer and blitz!  If you like a coarser texture, blitz it in small bursts and use a spatula to wipe down the sides.

Pour into ice cube moulds and open freeze.   Once frozen demould them and store in bags in freezer.  

Really useful just to be able to take one or two out at a time.

Bon appetite!

Jill's recipe for Far Breton

Here's the recipe for the Far Breton, which was very well received at the yoga "class on the grass".  Thank you again to those of you who supported this annual event, we raised £709 for both the Priaulx Premature Baby Foundation, Guernsey and the Namaste Children's Home, Nepal.  I love that through practicing yoga in the garden and sunshine, we get to help make a difference to other people's lives both in Guernsey and Nepal.x

Far Breton - ingredients
1 packet stoned prunes soaked in tea for about 30 mins
3 1/2 ozs (100g) plain flour
3 ozs (90g) castor sugar
4 eggs
1/2 litre milk
Large pinch of salt

Oven at 350/175

What to do

Mix flour, sugar and salt in a bowl.  Add eggs one at a time and whisk.  Add milk in about 4 lots until you have a consistency like a pouring batter.

Butter and lightly oil a baking tin (I use a roasting tin as you need a little depth).

Pour batter into tin and then drop drained prunes into the batter evenly spaced.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes.  This depends on your oven but you need the centre to be 'set', so just keep checking it. 

Leave to cool and refrigerate.

Voila!

Jill's Quick Vegetarian Thai Curry

Ingredients

 1 can coconut milk

Red Thai Curry paste (see below)*

1 can chickpeas - drained

1 or 2 stalks of lemon grass - cut into 2 or 3 pieces and 'bruised'

4 - 6 Kaffir lime leaves - scrunched to release flavour

Piece of fresh ginger about size of tip of thumb - finely chopped

Thai fish sauce

Palm sugar or brown sugar

1 pack of stir fry vegetables

 * difficult to gauge amount as I like quite a kick and use about a heaped dessert spoon full.  You might start with a teaspoon full and taste and add as you like.

Method

·       Empty coconut milk into wok or frying pan.  Add some water to tin (about a third) and rinse out then add to pan too!

·       Add curry paste, lemon grass, lime leaves and ginger.  Bring to boil and then simmer for 5 - 10 mins.

·       Add vegetables and chickpeas and continue to simmer for another 10 mins.  

·       Towards the end of the cooking time add 1 scant dessert spoon of fish sauce and a small teaspoon of palm or brown sugar.  Taste and adjust.  Be careful with the fish sauce, it's powerful stuff!

Serve with something like brown basmati rice, which you need to start cooking as you start the curry as it takes 25 minutes.

TIP - Milton Produce, behind the Co-Op at Bailiffs Cross keeps an extensive range of Thai products.

Jill's Falafels

Ingredients

2 X 410g cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed.  You could use dried chickpeas and you need about 2 cupfulls,  soaked overnight and then rinsed, placed into a saucepan and covered with fresh cold water.  Bring to the boil and boil for 5 mins, then lower heat and add 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda ( it will foam up).  Scoop off scum and simmer for about 40 minutes.  Drain and leave to cool.

1 small onion, finely chopped ( you could use spring onions instead if you prefer)

Large handful parsley

Large handful coriander

1 garlic clove

A knob of fresh ginger finely chopped (about the size of top of thumb)

3 level tablespoons plain flour (I use brown but white is fine)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon crushed chilli flakes ( or more if you like a kick)

1 heaped teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 - 2 tablespoons tahini

Salt & pepper to taste (don't overdo)

(You can play around with the quantities of the ground spices to suit you)

Pitta breads

Salad

Hummus

Sweet chilli sauce

What to do?

·       Using food processor, put all ingredients in and pulse to a coarse paste like mixture (you can make this as coarse or as smooth as you like).   Shape into discs.  I make mine quite small but you could make bigger ones.

·       Using oil of your choice (just enough to coat the pan), fry on medium to low heat, turning every few minutes, until they have a nice colour and are cooked through.  About 10 to 15 minutes.  Drain on kitchen paper.

·       Serve with extra coriander, toasted pitta breads, salad and hummus and/or sweet chilli oil.

They are moreish, so make sure you do enough!