Simple Tomato Pasta

2 x 400 g tins chopped tomatoes
1-2 tsp dried chilli flakes
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 Tbl olive oil
1 tsp balsalmic vinegar
1 tsp castor sugar
salt and pepper
100g marscarpone

Cook 400 g of pasta until al dente.
Place tomatoes in a saucepan with chilli flakes, garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sugar, a good pinch of sea salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook over low heat for 30 min. Stir in marscarpone for a creamy sauce.
Combine sauce and pasta.

Olive, Basil & Parmesan Pasta

300 g Penne
3/4 cup of black or green olives, halved
zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
1 large handful of torn basil leaves
50 g parmesan, grated
a glug of olive oil
salt and pepper

Cook the pasta and drain, reserving 2 Tbl cooking liquid.
Toss cooked pasta and cooking liquid with olives, lemon zest and juice, basil leaves and parmesan.
Add olive oil and season well.

Lemon Coconut Pudding

Ingredients

Melted butter, for greasing
185g (1 1/4 cups) self-raising flour
110g (1/2 cup) caster sugar
45g (1/2 cup) desiccated coconut
2 lemons, rind finely grated
125mls (1/2 cup) milk
1 egg
60g (3tbs) butter, melted, cooled
Icing sugar, to serve
Thickened cream or vanilla ice-cream, to serve

Sauce
165g (3/4 cup) caster sugar)
1 tbs cornflour
185mls (3/4 cup) milk
185mls (3/4 cup) fresh lemon juice


Method
Preheat oven to 170°C. Brush a 1-litre (4 cup) ovenproof dish with the melted butter to grease. Place the dish on a baking tray lined with baking paper.

Sift the flour into a medium mixing bowl. Stir in the sugar, coconut and lemon rind. Use a fork or hand whisk to whisk together the milk, egg and butter in a bowl or jug until combined.

Add to the dry ingredients and use a wooden spoon to beat until a smooth batter.

Pour the lemon batter into the greased dish and use the back of a spoon to smooth the surface.

To make the sauce: combine the sugar and cornflour in a bowl and then sprinkle the mixture evenly over the lemon batter in the dish. Combine the milk and lemon juice in a small saucepan (it will curdle but don't worry). Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Remove from heat, stir and then pour evenly over the sugar and cornflour mixture.

Bake the pudding in preheated oven for 50 minutes or until a cake-like topping forms over a lemon sauce and a skewer inserted into the centre of the pudding comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and stand for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve with cream or ice-cream.

Green Pilaff with Cashews

200 g baby English spinach leaves
6 spring onions
100 g cashew nuts, roughly chopped
2 Tbl olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp fennel seeds
300 g long grain brown rice
2 Tbl lemon juice
625 ml veg stock
3 Tbl chopped mint
3 Tbl chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 180 deg
Shred spinach into 1 cm pieces and chop the spring onion.
Roast cashew nuts on baking tray for 5-10 min or until golden brown.

Heat oil in a large, deep frying pan and cook the spring onion over medium heat for 2 min, add the garlic and fennel seeds and cook for 1 min. Stir in the rice and mix well to combine. Increase heat to high, add the lemon juice, stock and 1 tsp salt and bring to the boil.
Reduce heat to low and cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook, without lifting the lid, for 45 min, or until stock has been absorbed and rice is cooked.
Remove from heat, sprinkle with spinach and herbs, stand covered for 8 min then fork the spinach and herbs through the rice. Season. Serve sprinkled with cashews.

Apple Tart with Lemon

350 g apples
1 large lemon, juice and zest
1 large egg
75 g sugar
10 g butter

Preheat oven to 190 deg
Peel, core and chop apple coarsely. Add juice and zest of lemon, beaten egg and sugar and mix.
Line a 20 cm pie plate with shortcrust pastry and fill with fruit mixture and dot with butter.
Bake for 35 min.

Tofu with chili relish and cashews

2 Tbl chili relish
1 Tbl kecap manis (or soy sauce with brown sugar)
1 Tbl peanut oil
6 spring onions cut into 3 cm lengths
500 g firm tofu cut into cubes
2 med carrots, sliced
green beans cut into 3 cm lengths
25 g fresh basil
1/3 cup roasted salted cashews

Place chili relish with the kecap manis in a bowl and mix. Heat oil in a wok over high heat and swirl to coat. Add spring onion and cook 30 sec, remove. Add tofu and stir fry 5 min, add carrots and beans and relish mixture. Cook for 3 min then return spring onion to wok and add basil and cashews.

Berry Cobbler

225 g SR flour
1/4 tsp mixed spice
150 g caster sugar
large pinch salt
250 ml milk
1/2 tsp real vanilla extract
50 g unsalted butter
675 g fresh or frozen berries

Large, shallow, metal baking tin

Preheat oven to 180 deg
Sift flour, spice, sugar and salt into a bowl. Gradually whisk in the milk and vanilla extract to give a thick batter. Leave to stand for 15 min.
Melt butter over gentle heat in a shallow, metal baking tin. Give the rested batter a quick stir, then pour the batter into the pan over the melted butter. Immediately scatter the berries over the batter and put the cobbler into the preheated oven to bake for about 55 min, or until the batter is puffed and set around the berries.

Remove from oven and serve warm with cream or custard.