RECIPES



What better way to welcome autumn and of course eventually winter by cooking some tasty slow cooked casseroles and soups to warm the heart and cheer the soul!

: : Pot Roasted Rabbit w Leeks & Apples
: : Red Cabbage Braised with Wine and Pancetta
: : Hearty Minestrone Soup
: : Spicy Pumpkin Soup
: : Syd’s Lamingtons


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Pot Roasted Rabbit with Leeks and Apples
If rabbit is not for you try this dish with chicken

Serves 4-6
75gms butter
1.8kg farmed white rabbit, cut into 6 joints
salt and pepper to season
50gms pancetta, finely chopped
4 leeks, cleaned and trimmed and cut into rings
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
225ml cider or sparkling wine
¼ cup cream
600gms apples, peeled and cut into small chunks
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

Pre-heat the oven to 175oC In a cast iron cooking pot or oven proof casserole melt the butter over a low heat. Season the rabbit with salt and pepper and lightly brown all over in the butter. Remove the rabbit from the pan and add in the pancetta and leek. Cook for 4-6 minutes then return the rabbit to the casserole, add in the herbs and cider. Bring to the boil and then turn to a simmer.

Cover and cook on the cook top or oven for about 30 minutes. Turn the rabbit pieces over and add in the apples. Cook for a further 30 minutes until the rabbit is cooked and the apples are tender. Remove the rabbit, apples and leeks to a warmed serving bowl.

Pour in the cream and bring to the boil, simmer for 5 minutes until the sauce has reduced. Pour over the rabbit and serve immediately, with mashed or plain boiled potatoes.

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Red Cabbage Braised with Wine and Pancetta
This dish is excellent served with grilled Italian style pork and veal sausages or grilled pork chops. If you like venison then this is a lovely accompaniment to grilled venison steaks.

Serves 6

200gms speck or bacon rind removed and roughly chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
½ cup red wine vinegar
1 kg red cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
1 green apple, peeled and cut into cubes
½ cup raisins
½ cup chicken stock
2 tablespoon brown sugar
½ ground black pepper
½ teaspoon salt

Pre-heat the oven to 175oC In a frying pan cook the onion over a low heat for 10 minutes. Add in the bacon and cook for 5-6 minutes until soft. Put the bacon and onion into an ovenproof casserole and deglaze the frying pan with the red wine vinegar. Add in all the rest of the ingredients and pour over the red wine vinegar and pan scrapings. Cover the casserole and cook in the oven for 1 hour stirring occasionally. Remove from the oven and serve.

Here is a variation if you don’t like red cabbage. Use white cabbage and white wine vinegar, omit the raisins but add in frozen peas in the last 10 minutes of cooking.

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Hearty Minestrone Soup
This is a meal in a bowl and you can vary the vegetables to suit your taste

350g broccolini or broccoli
3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
3 carrots, peeled and cut into small chunks
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and roughly chopped
1 small red pepper, de-seeded and cut into strips
100gms French beans, topped and tailed and cut into small chunks
¼ green cabbage, finely shredded
4 cups beef stock
1 glass of red wine
400gms tin of diced tomatoes
2 teaspoon dried oregano
100gm can of kidney beans, drained
2 Italian Sausages, cut into small pieces (optional)
2 tablespoons of roughly chopped fresh basil leaves
Salt and pepper
Grated Parmesan Cheese for Garnish


In a saucepan heat the oil and add in the onion and cook over a low heat until soft. Add in the carrots, fennel, red pepper, green beans and cook stirring for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the cabbage and cook for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
Add the stock, red wine, tomatoes and juices and oregano. Slowly bring to the boil and cook at a simmer for 35-40 minutes until the vegetables are just tender. Stir in the sausages, beans and basil leaves and cook for a further 10-15 minutes.
Taste for seasoning and then ladle into soup bowls with grated Parmesan cheese for garnish.


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Spicy Pumpkin Soup
A new slant on pumpkin soup - adding the coconut cream at the end adds a rich finish to this
warming soup

20gms butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
½ teaspoon turmeric
500gms butternut pumpkin, peeled and thinly sliced
3 cups of chicken stock
1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup coconut cream

In a large saucepan melt the butter over a low heat and add in the onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric and pumpkin. Cook for 6-8 minutes over a low heat until soft and then add in the stock and bring to the boil. Cover the pan and cook at a simmer for 20-30 minutes until the pumpkin is tender. Remove and cool a little. Puree in a food processor or blender. Gently re-heat and stir in the sweet chilli sauce and lemon rind. Ladle into bowls and garnish with coconut cream


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Syd’s Lamingtons
I have just taken up citizenship and part of the test was to be proficient in cooking lamingtons!
This is my version which I think has an excellent chocolate icing to stick the coconut to.
I like to use shredded coconut which gives a rather modern look!

Pre-heat the oven to 180oC
Line a 20cm x25cm lamington tin with non-stick baking paper

150gms softened butter
150gms caster sugar
2 eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
4 tablespoons of milk
275gms sifted self-raising flour

In a mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar together until pale, light and fluffy. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs, vanilla essence and milk together. Slowly beat this mixture into the butter. Fold in the flour and add more milk if necessary you should have a smooth batter. Pour into the prepared baking tin and bake for 30 minutes or until golden Remove from the tin and cool for 5 minutes before turning the cake onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Dipping Icing Mixture
3 tablespoons of Dutch cocoa
3 tablespoons of drinking chocolate
3 tablespoons of water
3 tablespoons of castor sugar
30gms unsalted butter
200gms shredded or desiccated coconut to decorate

Put all the ingredients except the coconut together in a saucepan and cook over a gentle heat, stirring for 5-6 minutes until you have a smooth glossy mixture. Remove and cool a little. Cut the cooled cake into 20 squares.
Using tongs or two forks, dip the cake squares into the icing to completely cover it and then roll in the coconut. Continue until all the cakes are coated and covered with coconut. Store until ready to serve.

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