These rose petal biscuits are perfect for tea on Valentines Day.  Ingredients call for 12 fresh rose petals, rose essence, butter, icing sugar, self raising flour, caster sugar and salt. A teaspoon of ground cardamom is added for spiciness. The mixture can be made in advance and baked as required. It will keep for a week in an airtight container in the fridge. Alternatively, it can be stored in the freezer for up to a month.

Ingredients

You will need the following ingredients to make 20 rose petal biscuits: 200 grams of soft butter (not melted), 100 grams of icing sugar, 300 grams of self-raising flour, 1 teaspoon of freshly ground cardamom and 12 organic rose petals. You will also require a pinch of salt,  some rose essence to taste and caster sugar to sprinkle over the baked biscuits.

Preparation

Sift the icing sugar into a bowl, add the butter, rose essence and a pinch of salt. Whisk the ingredients together until the mixture becomes fluffy and light. Sift the flour into the bowl and add the ground cardamom. Mix the ingredients together and add the rose petals. Knead the mixture gently until the ingredients are combined.

Roll the dough into a sausage shape approximately 4cm thick. Wrap the dough sausage with cling wrap and store it in the fridge overnight.

Bake

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees celsius and grease a baking tray.

Remove the dough from the fridge and use a sharp knife to slice the biscuits so that each one is about 1cm thick. Position the slices onto a baking sheet and bake for a quarter of an hour. When the biscuits are golden-coloured, remove them from the oven and sprinkle caster sugar over them. Allow the rose petal biscuits to cool on a wire rack.

Once the biscuits have cooled down, place them on a pretty platter and decorate with some fresh natural, unsprayed rose petals. Serve with herbal tea or traditional English tea — or good coffee.

Tip: For an extra-special touch on Valentines day, use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the biscuits.

Rabanadas tipsy cinnamon bread slices are similar in appearance to egg-bread. While they’re normally served at Christmas time in Portugal, in in her book Piri Piri Starfish Tessa Kiros suggests that they’re ‘also nice to make on a morning when you wake up early and can’t get back to sleep.’ Rabanados or tipsy slices should be made with tightly crumbed Portuguese bread, baguette or ciabatta bread.

Ingredients

You will need the following ingredients to serve two slices of Rabanadas: 1 large egg, a couple of drops of vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons of caster sugar, 125ml of milk, 125ml of cream and 2 slices of slightly stale or day-old bread (use tightly crumbed strong bread —each slice should be 8cm thick).

The syrup requires the following ingredients: 185ml of water, 1 cinnamon stick (1cm in length), 1 long strip each of lemon rind and orange rind, 2 tablespoons of caster sugar and 3 tablespoons of ruby port.

You will also need some butter for the frying (about 2 tablespoons) and some ground cinnamon for dusting.

Prepare

Slice the crusts off the bread. Place the egg, sugar, vanilla extract, cream and milk into a flat bowl. Whisk the ingredients together and then place the bread into the mixture to soak. Spoon the liquid over the bread and allow it to stand for one hour.

Prepare the syrup next by placing the lemon and orange rind into a small pot, together with the cinnamon, sugar and water. Stir the ingredients together over a low heat until the sugar dissolves.

Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for a couple of minutes before adding the port. Keep simmering until the mixture starts to thicken. Remove the pot from the stove as soon as the liquid takes on a syrup-like consistency.

Fry the ‘tipsy slices’

Place the butter in a non-stick frying pan and place over a medium heat. When the butter has melted, shake off the excess liquid from the bread and fry it. Once the bread’s underside turns golden-brown, turn the slice over and cook the other side.

Remove from the pan once both sides of the bread are firm and golden in colour. Fry the second slice in the same way.

Serve

Place the fried bread slices onto a serving plate and drizzle the syrup over the tops. Dust the slices with ground cinnamon and serve immediately.

Step foot in Argentina or Bolivia and you may find yourself asking “what are these people drinking?” it’s not unusual to see people holding a bowl filled with hot water that is lined with leaves that is sipped, unusually, through a straw. It’s called Yerba Maté and it’s to some South Americans what tea is to the English. It’s made from a small shrub, while the hollow gourds that this drink is served in are found in marketplaces throughout the continent and makes for a popular trinket for tourists.

More about it

Yerba Maté is made by mixing dry leaves and twigs of the mate plant in hot, rather than boiling, water. Mixing the tea in boiling water can cause a bitter flavour. The flavour of Yerba Maté tastes much like some other herbal or green teas do. It is most often served in a loose form and locals tend to add very little water to a lot of leaves but teabags can be bought as well. Sugar can also be added to the mixture if you want, or simply serve it with some of Argentina’s delicious local pastries.

Variations

Throughout South America you will find that every culture has a different way of preparing their Yerba Maté. On hot days the hot water can be substituted for lemonade for a refreshing drink or served with ice water or iced fruit juice to make a type of iced tea. No matter how it is prepared one thing is common – Yerba Maté is a social drink, one gourd is often shared among friends who sit in a circle, laughing and chatting as they enjoy the drink.

The benefits

South American Yerba Maté has been found to have many health benefits. The tea is said to aid weight-loss as it increases the rate at which fat is burned. It is also said to help relieve certain allergies and the caffeine in the drink helps to stimulate the mind and body, relieving fatigue. It also contains lots of anti-oxidants that help prevent cancer and the theophylline in it helps to stimulate the heart. The drink is also believed to help depression, while acting as an anti-inflammatory that boosts the immune system.

Vegetarians are able to enjoy healthy sushi as much as meat eaters with these fish-free sushi rolls. Vegetarian sushi rolls allow you to get creative with colour in the kitchen, while omitting fish, a characteristic of sushi rolls. They can be made from a combination of grated baby marrow with wasabi and sesame seeds, grated carrot and alfalfa sprouts, cream cheese and mixed peppers, cucumber with avocado pear and mayonnaise, tofu and rocket, omelette and water cress or whatever other filling you wish to experiment with. This recipe will serve six.

Ingredients

You will need the following ingredients for the fish-free sushi rolls: vegetable oil, 8 seaweed sheets (nori), wasabi paste, mayonnaise, toasted black and brown sesame seeds and a selection of sliced or grated vegetables of your choice. You will also require some cling film and a sushi mat.

The vinegar mix is made up of 50ml rice vinegar, 25ml castor sugar, 5ml salt, 5ml mirin and a few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice. A cup of sushi rice and 1 1/2 cups of water are also required.

Prepare the sushi rice

Cook the sushi rice for 10 to 15 minutes on a low heat. Once cooked, put the rice aside and cover it. Allow it to rest for half an hour. Mix the vinegar ingredients together in the meantime.

Prepare the sushi rice by covering a tray with cling film. Spread the rice over the plastic and then drizzle the vinegar over the rice. Allow the ingredients to cool before preparing the vegetarian sushi rolls.

Prepare the fish-free sushi rolls

Cut the seaweed sheets in half if you want smaller rolls or leave them as they are for larger rolls. Place the vegetable oil in a small bowl in order to dip your fingers to prevent rice from sticking to them. Cover the sushi mat with cling film.

Place the shiny side of the nori onto the mat. Rub some oil onto your fingers and spread the rice over the sheet to create a thin layer. Leave a 1cm space from the edge at the top of the sheet.

Arrange your choice of topping in a line 3cm from the bottom of the nori. Lift and roll the sheet to cover the topping. Use the rolling mat to guide you and finally, pull the sheet towards you to seal the filling.

Roll, cut and serve

Roll the remaining sheet to create a tube shape. Slice the sausage shape with a sharp knife into equal sizes. Serve your vegetarian sushi rolls with soya sauce in small bowls (one for each person), together with pickled ginger slices and wasabi.

Prepare the table with a simple arrangement of plates and chop sticks before serving. For some extra colour and decor, place a zen flower arrangement on the table. All you need for this is a flower or two in a clean-lined vase. And there you go – tasty sushi minus the fish for vegetarians.

This butternut bake recipe does not require any pastry skills as the crust is made with breadcrumbs making it great for cooks who want to get a simple – if indirect – introduction into what goes into making pastries The breadcrumbs are blended with chopped tomato, sesame seeds, grated cheddar cheese and olive oil. The crust doesn’t require any rolling as it is simply sprinkled over the filling and baked until golden brown. Ingredients for the filling include butternut, onion, garlic, feta cheese, hyme, olive oil, mixed spice and seasoning. Replace the butternut with spinach for a spinach and feta cheese dish. Serve with couscous.

Prepare the breadcrumb topping

Measure out the following ingredients to make the breadcrumb topping: 2 cups of day old wholemeal breadcrumbs, 1 chopped tomato, 1 cup of grated cheddar cheese and 1/2 a cup of sesame seeds. You will also need some olive oil to bind the ingredients.

To make the breadcrumb topping, simply blend your bread in a food processor. Mix all the ingredients with some olive oil. Press the blended mixture into a ball. It should crumble easily and shouldn’t be too oily.

Prepare the butternut bake

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees celsius and prepare the following ingredients for the butternut bake: 1 1/2 kilograms of butternut (peeled and cut into cubes), 1 red onion (chopped), 2 cloves of garlic (chopped), 400 grams of feta cheese (cut into cubes), 4 sprigs of fresh thyme (chopped), 1/4 cup of olive oil, mixed spice and seasoning to taste.

Place the chopped butternut squash, onion, garlic, feta cheese and thyme into an ovenproof dish. Now season with mixed spice, salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle some olive oil over the ingredients and gently mix everything together until the butternut is well coated. Place the crust mixture over the top of the mixture and sprinkle with some more sesame seeds if you wish.

Bake the dish for three quarters of an hour or until the breadcrumb topping or crust is golden.

Follow this up with the best part of the whole process – eat!

This potato and lentil shepherd’s pie dish can be enjoyed by meat eaters as well as vegetarians, and the lentils can be substituted with kidney beans, if your prefer. Being a hearty dish, it is well suited to cold weather. Serve it with caramelised onions and whatever vegetables are in season for a well-rounded meal.

Ingredients

You will need the following ingredients for eight generous servings of potato and lentil shepherd’s pie: 500 grams of brown lentils (soak), 1 kg of potatoes (cut into cubes), 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, 1 teaspoon of worcestershire sauce, 1 large onion (chopped), 2 garlic cloves (finely cut or minced), 1 tablespoon of ginger (grated), 3 medium sized carrots (chopped), 1 large ripe tomato (chopped), 1 pepper (chopped), 1 tablespoon of butter and 1/2 cup of cream (or milk).

As for the herbs you will require 1 teaspoon each of thyme, marjoram, as well as 1/4 cup of parsley (chopped).

Prepare the lentils and potatoes

Once the lentils have soaked, they can be boiled for ten minutes in a covered pot. Reduce the temperature and allow them to simmer until they are soft, adding more water if necessary. Drain the cooked lentils.

Cook the potatoes in some lightly salted water until they are cooked through. Drain them and then mash them together with the butter, cream and chopped parsley. The mash should be smooth (otherwise pass the potato through a sieve). Season to taste.

Prepare the other vegetables

Cook the onion in some oil for four minutes before adding the garlic. Stir in the ginger, pepper, tomato and remaining herbs. Cook for another five minutes until such time as the onion is transparent.

Spoon the lentils into the pan and stir. Simmer the mixture for 20 minutes and add a little water if necessary. Season to taste and then stir in the worcestershire sauce.

Bake

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Spoon the lentil mix into an ovenproof dish and then spread it evenly across the bottom. Place spoonfuls of mashed potato onto the lentil mix and then use a fork to spread it evenly over the base mixture. Use a fork to decorate the potato and then pop the dish into the oven.

Bake for 25 minutes to half an hour until the potato is golden brown in colour. Serve with steamed vegetables and caramelised onions in cold weather or a fresh colourful salad in warmer weather.

Note: Check that the worcestershire sauce you’re using does not contain fish extracts if you’re serving vegetarians. Otherwise purchase vegetarian worcestershire sauce to be sure.

This eggplant lasagne recipe is great for vegetarians and can be prepared ahead of time. Ingredients include lasagne sheets, onion, tomatoes, eggplant (or brinjal), mozzarella cheese, olive oil, marjoram and olive oil. The white sauce requires butter, flour, milk and nutmeg. Any cooked seasonal vegetables can be used instead of eggplant for the filling. Oven roasted butternut or pumpkin slices or well drained cooked spinach make for a delicious alternative dish. Allow for one cup of filling for each layer.

Ingredients

Measure out the following ingredients to serve six generous portions: 15ml olive oil, 1 finely chopped onion, 1 sprig of marjoram, 1600 grams of good quality tinned tomatoes (chopped), 2kg of eggplant (sliced), 2 cups of grated mozzarella cheese and 12 to 15 slices of lasagne sheets. You will also need salt and pepper to taste.

The white sauce requires 125 grams of butter, 250ml of ordinary flour (sifted), 5 measuring cups of milk — as well as some nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste.

Prepare the eggplant slices

Salt the eggplant (or brinjal) and allow the slices to stand for half an hour before rinsing and drying them (pat dry with a tea towel). Brush both sides of each slice with olive oil and bake for approximately 40 minutes on 200 degrees Celsius. Turn the eggplaint slices halfway through the cooking — after 20 minutes.

Alternatively, fry the eggplant slices in oil until they are cooked and golden in colour. Drain them well with kitchen paper.

Prepare the sauce

Stir the onion in the olive oil on a medium heat until it is caramalised. This should take about a quarter of an hour to 20 minutes. Lower the heat and add the marjoram, stirring for another minute. Add the tomato and season to taste. Cover the pot and simmer the sauce for two hours until it is reduced to a thick sauce with a rich flavour.

Prepare the white sauce

Melt the butter on a low heat and gradually stir in the flour until it is well combined with the butter. Slowly add the milk, stirring with a balloon whisk to prevent lumps. Bring the sauce to a slow boil while stirring continuously — until the sauce is thick. Season with a pinch of nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Press the sauce through a sieve to remove any lumps, should it be necessary.

Prepare eggplant lasagne

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce over the bottom of an ovenproof dish. Place a layer of lasagne sheets over the sauce and follow with a layer of eggplant/brinjal. Spread a layer of whites sauce over the eggplant and some cheese. Do the same for the next layer but leave out the cheese.

Repeat until you have three or four layers, finishing with white sauce and a topping of cheese. Bake until the cheese has melted and is light brown in colour. Once cooked, allow the dish to stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Waffles can be served in the traditional way with ice-cream and syrup or they can be served as a more sophisticated dessert with strawberries and Creme Chantilly. To make 12 single waffles or six double waffles, you will need regular flour, sugar, butter, eggs and milk. A waffle iron is essential, as is a bowl and an electric mixer. Preparation and resting time shouldn’t take much longer than half an hour. Allow for a few minutes extra for cooking time.

Prepare the ingredients

Measure out the following ingredients to make waffles for six: 250 grams of flour (sifted), 25 grams of sugar, 75 grams of butter, 3 eggs (separated), 400 ml of milk and a pinch of salt. Melt the butter and allow it to cool.

Place the flour in a bowl and make a well in the middle. Add the sugar, melted butter, salt and egg yolks. Slowly add the milk while beating continuously. Cover the bowl when the mixture is smooth and allow it to stand at room temperature for 15 minutes or more.

Allow the waffle iron to heat up while you beat the egg whites until they are stiff. Add a pinch of sugar and beat well before folding the egg whites into the waffle mixture. Fold gently in order to prevent overworking the batter.

Cook the waffles

When the waffle iron is hot, brush the inside with butter lightly. Use a ladle to spoon in enough batter to cover the grid. Close the waffle iron and cook for four minutes. Cook for longer if you prefer a crunchy texture or for less time if you like soft and pale waffles.

If you’re using a non-electric waffle iron, your timings will be different. Turn the iron over after a couple of minutes so that both sides are well cooked. Place the cooked waffles onto a wire rack to cool as soon as they’re cooked.

Continue to make more waffles in this way until you have used up all the batter. You should have 12 single waffles or six double-sized waffles.

Serve

The waffles can be served in a pile on a large plate or they can be served individually with lashings of syrup and ice-cream or cream. Alternatively, sprinkle caster sugar and cinnamon over them or serve them with redcurrant jelly. For an old-fashioned approach, wrap each waffle in a linen napkin and serve with the topping of your choice.

If you’d like to serve waffles with strawberries and Creme Chantilly as a dessert, allow for 500 grams of fresh strawberries and 300 ml of Creme Chantilly for six people. Creme Chantilly is made with whipped cream, icing sugar or sorbet syrup and optional vanilla extract to taste. It can be flavoured with chocolate cream or coffee cream.

When mixing Creme Chantilly for waffles, whip it up to the soft peak stage

before serving. Use any leftovers to complement fruits or other desserts.

Macarons are shiny, delicate treats with moist centres. Also known as macaroons, they are made with icing sugar, ground almonds, egg whites and sugar. They can be flavoured with vanilla, raspberry or cocoa powder — although the options are seemingly endless. This recipe makes about 35 petits fours. You will require an electric mixer, a piping bag, a plain 1cm nozzle, four baking sheets, greaseproof paper and a wire rack. Preparation time is 15 minutes and cooking time is 10 minutes.

Ingredients

You will need the following ingredients to make 35 petits fours: 225 grams of icing sugar (sifted), 125 grams of very finely ground almonds, 4 egg whites and 25 grams of caster sugar. You will also need 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla essence or the equivalent of vanilla extract.

Measure out 20 grams of cocoa powder (sifted) to make chocolate macarons. You will require whipped cream, chocolate spread or jam for the centres. Alternatively, use any other filling of your choice.

Prepare the petits fours

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degree Celsius. Sift the icing sugar again onto some greaseproof paper, together with the ground almonds. Sift in the cocoa powder if you are making chocolate macarons.

Beat the egg whites until they are half-risen. Add the sugar and continue to beat the whites until they are stiff. Add the vanilla essence or extract and beat for another minute on high. Stop beating when the mixture is firm.

Sprinkle the almond and icing sugar mixture over the firm egg whites. Use a spatula to gently fold the ingredients into the whites — until the mixture is smooth. Pipe the mix into rounds that are approximately 2cm in diameter. Stagger the rows, allowing for a 2.5cm spacing between the macaroons.

Bake

Leave the macaroons at room temperature for a quarter of an hour. Once a light crust has formed, place a baking sheet under the macaron’s sheet to prevent the bottoms from burning. Pipe some of the mixture under the paper to stop it from moving on the baking sheet.

Bake the macarons for ten minutes — leave the oven door slightly ajar so that steam can escape (2.5 cm will do). When the macarons are cooked, run some cold water between the baking sheet and the greaseproof paper. This will make it easier to detach the macarons after two to three minutes.

Lift the macarons with your fingers and smear on a little filling before sticking two together. Allow the macarons to cool on a wire rack. You can then pack them into an airtight container, should you wish to freeze them.

Alternative baking option

If you own two ovens, you can consider using this alternative baking method: Preheat the first oven to 225 degrees celsius. Bake the macaroons for two to three minutes immediately after piping them. Transfer to another oven that’s been pre-heated to 180 degrees celsius. Bake for six minutes with the door ajar (a wooden spoon will help).

There’s nothing like making your own Thai curry with your own curry paste. It may take longer but using fresh ingredients will enhance the flavour. Besides, you can adjust the ingredients to suit your taste. Start with fewer chillies and add more while you’re cooking if you want more fire. This vegetable curry uses six green chillies and serves six. Ingredients include green curry paste, onion, potatoes, green pepper, red pepper, baby sweetcorn, peas, broccoli and coconut cream. Substitute vegetables as required.

Green curry paste recipe

The following ingredients are required to make the green curry paste: 6 green chillies, 3 chopped lemon grass stalks, 6 cloves of garlic, 1/2 cup of lime leaves (dried), 1 small onion, 1/4 cup of chopped fresh ginger, 150 grams of chopped coriander, 1 tablespoon of coriander seeds and the juice of 1 lime. You will also need some vegetable oil and a teaspoon each of peppercorns, galangal powder and salt.

Blend all the ingredients together except for the fresh coriander and vegetable oil. When you have a thick paste, add one teaspoon of oil at a time until you have a good consistency. Add the fresh coriander and briefly blend until you have a green paste. Be sure not to over blend the paste. Store in an airtight container overnight or for four hours before you use it.

Thai curry recipe

Measure out the following ingredients: 1 chopped onion, 2 cubed potatoes (these should be par boiled until they are just soft), 1 cubed red pepper, 1 cubed green pepper, 1 cup of chopped baby sweetcorn, 1 cup of peas, 2 cups of broccoli florets, 1 tin of coconut cream and 15 ml of vegetable oil for frying. You will require four tablespoons of your green curry paste and some seasoning to taste.

Heat some of the oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan and stir fry the onion for a minute. Stir in the curry paste for another minute and add the rest of the ingredients. Cook until the broccoli is tender and season. Serve your dish with basmati rice and garnish with coriander.