Red Cabbage

This goes really well with the Slow Roasted Pork.

1 red cabbage - sliced, washed and drained
3 T water
2 T brown sugar
pinch of salt
2 granny smith apples - peeled and sliced
1/4 C cider vinegar
60g butter

Place water, cabbage, sugar and salt in a saucepan. Cover tightly and cook very gently. Lift lid and stir apple into softened cabbage. Tip in vinegar and butter. Cook, covered, for a further 15 minutes. Stir once more.

Double Baked Gruyere Souffle: Not such a flop

The advantage of a double baked souffle is that you can make the first stage in advance and just finish them off when required. David and I ended up eating souffles four nights in a row. Very yummy!

• 70g butter
• 65g plain flour
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg (not not if you're cooking for David)
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 380ml milk
• 160g grated gruyere cheese
• 3 egg yolks
• 4 egg whites
• 1 1/2 cup thickened cream

Stage 1:
Pre-heat oven to 180 C. Grease 6 x 200 ml metal dariole moulds or ramekins [I used 8 smaller ones].

Melt butter over low heat. Add flour, nutmeg, cayenne and salt. Cook for eight minutes, stirring regularly, until mixture starts to foam and flour is cooked. Add milk gradually, stirring to prevent lumps forming. Cook further 10 minutes stirring. [I slightly reduced these cooking times.]

Remove from heat and transfer mixture to a bowl then add egg yolks. Combine. Whisk whites to medium peaks and fold through in three batches. Pour evenly into moulds.

Fill roasting pan with hot water, one third the height of the ramekins. Bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Souffles WILL shrink (see photo 2). The souffles can be put to one side at this stage.

Stage 2:
Remove from moulds and place upside down in individual ovenproof serving dishes with sides. Pour cream evenly between the souffles. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake for 20 minutes or until puffed up and golden brown. Serve immediately.

Here is the end result - not such a flop!

Cabbage coconut curry

Cabbage coconut curry recipe

High in the hills in India on our tiger trek we had all manner of yummy food - including a cabbage / coconut side. This tastes pretty close and makes a good change from steamed cabbage in the winter.

Recipe ingredients:

• 1 cabbage, chopped
• 100 g. coconut, grated
• 1 green chili, chopped
• 2 spring onions, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
• Red chilies
• 1-2 sprigs of curry leaves
• 1 tablespoon oil

Recipe method:

• Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, red chili, curry leaves and fry for 2 minutes.
• Grind the coconut, green chili and spring onions to a paste and add to the above. Fry for 2 more minutes.
• Add the cabbage and cook for 10 minutes or until the cabbage is cooked.
• Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with plain rice or chapathi.

warm potato salad with creamy mustard dressing

...not a hug fan of red onion, so I left these out. It's also possible to leave out the asparagus and simply stir the potatoes thru the dressing.


3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1kg small Jersey Bennes or 30 medium waxy salad potatoes, scrubbed
2 tablespoons creamy Dijon mustard (I used Maille Dijonnaise mustard, available in most supermarkets)
zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 large red onions, peeled and cut into thick chunks through the root
750g plump asparagus


Cook the potatoes in gently boiling, salted water until just tender. Drain. Combine the mustard, lemon zest and juice, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and plenty of black pepper. Toss the potatoes in the dressing while they are still warm.Place the onions in a frying pan with the remaining tablespoon of oil and cook very gently for about 15 minutes, until they just start to wilt. Cook the asparagus in plenty of gently boiling, salted water for several minutes, ensuring the spears retain their crunch. Drain and refresh with plenty of cold water, then pat dry with paper towels. Cut asparagus into chunks and mix gently with the potatoes.To serve (best done while everything is warm, but not necessarily hot), place potatoes and asparagus in a large serving bowl and the red onions on top.