The culinary corner

Potato , Carrot & Bean Salad(Quick & Easy Meals) Ingredients 2 large potatoes-Steamed 2 Carrots steamed Green beans 2 onions sliced 150g Bacon 4 boiled eggs 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1 tblsp vinegar Salt & peeper Parsley chopped Method Fry bacon in a pan without adding any oil. When the bacon is crispy add onions and cook until tender.Leave to cool slightly. Add potatoes in to a bowl and add all the other ingredients except eggs and mix well. Cut eggs and serve on top.

Coconut Cake (Simple Baking) Ingredients 11/2 cups Self raising Flour 50g Desiccated coconut 1/4 Cup milk 1 cup Of Sugar 125g Butter A drop of coconut essence or coconut extract 2 Eggs 350 ml Sour Cream Method Cream butter and sugar about 2 minutes. Add eggs one by one and beat well. Add coconut, milk, flour and sour cream and mix well.Add a drop of coconut essence and mix well. Transfer the mix in to a 8x8 inch baking tray & bake on 180c about 45-50 min. After transfer on to wire racks & leave to cool.  

Ingredients: 2 packs of regular Marie biscuits or a value pack 100g butter or margarine Vanilla essence 1 tbsp of cocoa powder 1/2 cup of icing sugar 2-3 tbps of full cream milk or condensed milk 3 tps of expresso or instant coffee 1 cup of hot water Method: Firstly Glad wrap (cling film) a tray or a rectangular baking dish. Then add the hot water to the coffee and mix it well to make sure there aren't any granules left in the jug. Leave it aside to cool. Add the butter, icing sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla into a mixing bowl and beat it at a medium speed until light and fluffy. While the mixer is on, take the Marie biscuits and dip each one into the coffee liquid. Layer the biscuits at the bottom. Add the milk or the condensed milk into the icing mixture while it's beating.  Add cocoa powder into the mixture and continue adding milk as to soften the it.  Take the prepared mix and add a layer of the mix on top of the biscuits and add a layer of biscuits a...

Red Velvet Cake with a Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients For the Cake 125g Butter 1/2 Tsp vanilla 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of Soda 3 Eggs A pinch of Salt 11/2 cups of plain flour 2 Tblsp Cocoa powder 1/2 tsp to 1 Tblsp Red food colouring 120ml Butter milk 11/2 cups Sugar 1/2 Tblsp Vinegar For the cream cheese frosting 125g Softened butter 200g White chocolate 250g Cream Cheese Method Prepare a 22cm round cake pan. Preheat the oven to 180c. Add butter and sugar in to a mixing bowl and mix well until creamy. While beating add eggs one by one and beat well. After add cocoa powder, bicarb and flour  and mix well. Add red food colouring and milk little by little  and mix well. Transfer the mix to the tray and bake on 180 about 30-40 min. After baking transfer it on to a wire rack and cool completely. Cut the cake  in to two halve or three if you like. Melt the chocolate over simmering water of in the microwave. Beat butt...

Pesto & Sausage pasta Ingredients 1 finely chopped chorizo sausage 1 bunch fresh basil leaves 250g Boiled Spagetti Mixed nuts -Pistachio, cashew and almonds Salt 1 onion 1tblsp Chilli flakes 1Tblsp Olive oil Garlic Method Fry onion, garlic and chilli pieces & sausages in a pan. To make the pesto add basil ,nuts, garlic,onion,oil salt & pepper and process in to a smooth paste. Add pasta in to the pot with sausage mix. After add the basil pesto. and a bit of water. Mix well Serve hot.. 

Chocolate & Hazelnut Truffles (Quick& Easy Sweets) Ingredients For the Base 90g Plain flour 90g butter 90g Caster Sugar 11/2 tblsp Cocoa powder For the Filling 250g Dark Chocolate 2 Tblsp Brandy or Apple juice 1/2 cup Thickened cream 100g Roasted Hazelnuts Method Add the sugar & butter and mix until light and fluffy. Next add flour & cocoa powder and mix well. Next add the mix in to a 4x8 inch loaf pan or a tray. Bake 180 c about 15 min. & Cool completely. Add chocolate in to a pan and add cream. Melt on a low heat. Next add brandy and chopped hazelnuts and pour  it on to the cooled chocolate base and put it in the fridge over night or several hours. Cut in to smaller squares.

Potato & Tuna Bake ( Quick & Easy Meals) Ingredients 750g Potatoes 2 Large onions 1 large capsicum 1 packet french onion soup 150g tuna 50g margarine melted Salt & pepper 1/2 can Evaporated milk Method Add potatoes, tuna, margarine , capsicum, salt& pepper in to a mixing bowl and mix well. Put that on to a baking tray add evaporated milk and bake on 180 about 45 min to 1 hour. ( If you like to cook quickly steam the potatoes before using.)

Sri Lankan Style Pork Fry Ingredients 11/2 Kg Pork (Boiled or not) 1Tsp Cumin Seeds 1 Tsp Fennel Seeds 1 Tblsp Coriander Seeds 1/2 Tsp Turmeric powder 2 Tsp of Pepper 1-2 Tblsp Chilli powder 1 Tblsp Coconut oil or any other oil. 50ml Vinegar Several inches Cinnamon Several cloves Several Cardamons Green chillies as much as you like GInger 6 Cloves garlic 2 large shallots Salt Method Cook the pork first in salt and vinegar. If you don't mind eating extra oil cook pork cubes directly with out boiling. Fry the Spices until golden brown. Don't grind. But Crush the spices. Add oil in to a pan and fry onion, ginger, garlic and green chillies. Add the crushed spices in to the oil and fry 1 minute. Next add salt and the other spices. cook 30 seconds. next add cooked pork and vinegar. Cook on low heat about 15-20 min. This can be kept in fridge about 7 days in fridge or 3-4 days out.

Coconut Short Bread Ingredients 2 Cups Plain Flour 1 Cup Desiccated coconut 2 Eggs  1/2 Tsp Vanilla 150g Sugar 160g Softened Butter Method Add butter and sugar in to a mixing bowl and mix well. Add coconut vanilla and mix well. Add eggs one by one. Add flour and mix well. If the mix a bit wet add more coconut to get the consistency to roll on the bench top. Next put that on to the bench top and press into 1/2 inch thickness. Bake 180c about 15-20 min. Cool on wire racks & store in air tight containers.