The Monkey Tree

There are three smoothie recipes below, but why not try your own recipes incorporating your favourite fruits or replace those fruit you do not like with a favourite.

Banana, mango & kiwi

2 bananas
1 mango
2 kiwis
½ pint apple juice

1. Peel and cut fruit.
2. Place into blender, add apple juice until you get consistency required.

Strawberry, raspberry & blueberry

400g strawberries
250g raspberries
150g Blueberries
1 small carton of strawberry yoghurt

1. Wash fruit.
2. Place into blender, add a strawberry yogurt.

Pineapple, pear and passion fruit

1 pineapple
4 pears
1 passion fruit
1-2 scoops of vanilla ice-cream

1. Peel and cut up pineapple and pears.
2. Cut and scoop out passion fruit, it may be preferable to omit the seeds and just use the juice and fleshy part of passion fruit.
3. Place into blender, add ice cream.

Tip – a little honey could be added to sweeten any of the above smoothies.

Traditionally this pudding was made with raspberries and redcurrants and purists would stick to this, many recipes incorporate blackcurrants however as these fruits are in season for a very short time each year, various other fruits can be used.  Fruits that are rich in colour give the best visual effect.

1200g fruit (a mixture of raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and blackcurrants)
8 – 10 slices crestless firm good quality white bread
150 mls of water
Sugar to taste
225g whipped cream

1. Separate the blackcurrants from their stalks.

2. Wash fruit.  Keep a handful of each fruit for decoration.

3. Lightly grease loaf tin.

4. Cut bread to fit the base and sides of the tin overlapping slightly.

5. Put the blackberries and blackcurrant and sugar to taste into a pan with water.  Simmer gently until almost soft, then add raspberries and strawberries and cook for a further 3 minutes.  Allow the fruit to cool for approximately 10 minutes.

6. Put the fruit into tin, keeping back 4-5 oz’s of juice.  Top with bread, press down firmly.  Cover tin and weight with something that fit exactly. 

7. Place in fridge overnight.

8. Turn out onto a serving dish just before serving.

9. Cover any parts of the bread left white with reserved juice.  Decorate with fruit.

10. Serve with whipped cream.  

11. Serves 8-10.

Pastry
350g plain flour
85g margarine
85g lard
Pinch of salt
Cold water to mix

Filling
575g cooking apples
225g blackberries
75g sugar
3-4 tablespoons of water

Icing

110g icing sugar
Water to mix

A Swiss Roll tin is ideal for this.

1. Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl.

2. Cut the margarine and lard into small knobs and add it to the flour.

3. Using your fingertips gently rub the pieces of fat into the flour, when doing this lift your hands as high as possible to incorporate air.  After 2-3 minutes there will be no lumps left and the mixture will look like breadcrumbs.

4. Sprinkle roughly 2 tablespoons of water all over, using a round-bladed knife to stir the mixture until it starts to stick together.  Add a little more water if necessary.  Collect the mixture together and knead lightly for a few seconds to give a smooth and firm dough.  The pastry can be used straight away but it is best to wrap it in foil or polythene and place in the fridge for 20-30 minutes before rolling out.

5. Quarter, core and peel the apples, slice thinly and put into a saucepan, add blackberries, sugar and water, cook gently with lid on for about 10 minutes.  Place into a bowl and allow to cool.

6. Preheat oven 200˚C.

7. Divide the pastry into two, roll one half on a lightly floured surface, when the pastry is about an inch larger than the tin.  Do not pull or stretch the pastry.

8. Spoon in the fruit filling when it is cool.

9. Roll out the other half of pastry.  Dampen the bottom layer of pastry round the edge with water, then fix the lid, pressing it firmly all around.  Trim and flute edges.  Make a hole in the centre to allow the steam to escape.

10. Place in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.

11. Sift icing sugar and add a little water to mix.

12. Once slice is cool cover with icing.

Tip: When blackberries are not in season substitute them with sultanas.

1500 mls of chicken or lamb stock
750g chicken thigh fillets
2 chopped onions
2 carrots
2 turnips
2 apples
50g butter
50g plain flour
2 tablespoons of curry powder
6 tablespoons of basmati rice
Juice of 2 lemons
Seasoning

1. Prepare vegetables, peel and finely chop onion, carrot and turnip.  Wash and finely chop apple.

1. Prepare vegetables, peel and chop onion, peel and crush garlic, peel and slice carrot, wash and slice celery, remove skins from the tomatoes by putting a little cross on the bottom of them using a sharp knife, place in boiling water for a few minutes, then drain, skin and chop.

 
2. Melt butter and cook onion, garlic, carrot, celery and bacon for 5 minutes.