Cook from the Heart

About the book:

 

These are recipes specially created to suit your mood - food that will give you a lift when you are feeling down, add that extra bit of joy to your celebrations, turn a romantic occasion into something fantastic, enhance moments of calm and serenity, and even cover those days when you feel too lazy to cook but need to feed yourself and your family. 

 

For the meringues   4 egg whites 200 g caster sugar 1 teaspoon cornflour ½ teaspoon vinegar 5 ml vanilla extract   To serve   100 g dark chocolate

1. Pre-heat the oven to 150°C and line a baking sheet with baking paper. 2. Beat the egg whites until the soft peak stage. 3. Add the caster sugar slowly, while continuing to whisk, until the meringue is stiff and glossy. 4. Add the cornflour, vinegar and vanilla and fold in. 5. Transfer the meringue to a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and pipe small ‘kisses’ onto the baking sheet. 6. Place in the oven and immediately turn down the temperature to 100°C.  7. Bake for 30 minutes, then switch off the oven and allow the meringues to cool completely before removing.  8. To make the kisses, melt the chocolate and spread a spoonful on half of the meringues. Sandwich with the remaining meringues and allow to set before serving.

 

500 g sugar 200 ml water 125 ml light corn syrup few drops red gel food colouring 6-10 apples of your choice

1. Combine the sugar, water, corn syrup and food colouring in a large saucepan and bring to the boil.  2. Stir the mixture until the sugar has dissolved. After the sugar has dissolved, it’s very important not to continue to stir the mixture as this will cause crystallisation.  3. Boil the mixture for 15-20 minutes until it reaches 150°C or the ‘hard crack stage’ on a candy thermometer.  4. While the sugar is cooking, insert wooden skewers into all the apples and line a baking sheet with baking paper.  5. When the sugar mixture has reached the desired stage (drop a little of the sugar syrup in cold water and it will form hard, brittle threads that break when bent), dip the apples into it, being very careful not to burn yourself.  6. Place the apples on the baking sheet and allow to cool completely before serving.

 

Feeling happy? 

 

SPICY CHICKEN & FETA CHEESE QUESADILLAS WITH GUACAMOLE

 

Quesadillas are my go-to meal when I need something quick, tasty and filling. I love their versatility and the fact that you can use absolutely anything as a filling. Leftovers are given a new life when teamed with gooey cheese and toasted between two tortillas/wraps.

 

This is not so much a recipe as a list of suggestions for fillings because I doubt I need to teach you how to make a quesadilla. It really is just a different form of toasted cheese sandwich. I always like to pair a protein (shredded chicken/pork, slow-cooked beef/lamb, roughly chopped prawns or beans) with vegetables (literally anything goes here, from spinach, chopped broccoli, corn, courgettes, etc.) and cheese (I like a mixture of mature Cheddar and mozzarella to bind everything together and then like to add feta, goat’s milk cheese or Gorgonzola for flavour). For a kick, I like to add herbs (parsley, coriander, mint) and sliced chillies or pickled jalapeños. It’s very hard to go wrong and you will have a winner every time – unless you try a filling that is completely strange. Serve them with guacamole and a salsa, and you have an easy-peasy, fantastic lunch or supper.

 

Makes 2 quesadillas