Thursday 27 March 2008

Stuffed Marrow Rings

It always amazes me how the marrow patch goes on and on. Long after you think that the last marrow has been harvested another one turns up in your vegetable rack. What a treat they are - you can stew them, fry rings of the vegetable, stuff the whole marrow and serve with mashed potatoes and a good gravy or sauce, make it a vegetarian meal or a meat meal depending on your stuffing, cook it with onions and peppers and tomatoes for a vegetable stew or use this tasty dish to ring the changes! You will need: 1 Marrow 2 Onions, finely chopped 2 Garlic cloves, finely chopped 4oz Mushrooms (if available - you can use Oyster mushrooms or replace with some celery) 1 tsp Cumin Seeds 2g Coriander 2g Parsley 1 tbspn Oil (olive if possible) 2oz Black Olives, chopped (omit is not available) Salt & Pepper 4oz Cheese, grated 5oz Rice Instructions Cut the marrow into thick rings about 1 inch across. Wash the rice and place in water and bring to the boil. Once cooked remove from the heat and wash through with hot water. Meanwhile add the oil to a heavy-based frying pan and gently heat the onion and garlic. Mix in the cumin seeds after a minute and heat through for a further 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms or celery (finely chopped), coriander and parsley and cook for a further 6 minutes. Add seasoning. Combine the rice and black olives with the mixture in the pan. Pack into the marrow rings and cover each ring in grated cheese. Place in the oven for half an hour or until the marrow is tender. A good gravy made with browned onions goes well with this dish.

Tuesday 25 March 2008

Mealie Meal Cookies

With no cookies in the supermarkets and children home on school holidays always wanting something to munch on you might find this recipe good and economical. Fill the cookie jar and keep the family happy! It is also ideal to make ahead and freeze for when you have little time - or are missing some of the ingredients. Keep a few logs in the freezer and you can have freshly baked cookies in minutes! 1 cup butter or margarine - 1/2 pound 1 cup sugar (white or brown) 2 egg yolks 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind 1 1/2 cups sifted plain flour 1 cup yellow mealie meal Cream butter or margarine and sugar, then add remaining ingredients and mix well. Shape into a log, about the same diameter as the size of the cookies you want and chill for an hour. Cut into slices and bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on a rack.