Soraya's The Kitchen Witch

MINESTRONE SOUP

Olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 head of garlic, finely chopped or crushed

2 tins chopped tomatoes or 1 kg (2 lbs) of fresh tomatoes, skinned and chopped

1 litre (2 pints) ham stock

or

4 ham stock cubes and a litre (2 pints) water

2 carrots, grated

½ white cabbage, sliced in bite size chunks

1 stick celery (more if you like), finely sliced

1 smoked sausage (of any variety), finely sliced

3 tbsps concentrated tomato purée

60 g (2 oz) parmesan cheese, finely grated

Water as required

Put some olive oil into your soup pot and set the heat to low. Add the finely chopped onion and cook very slowly till soft, opaque and sweetened. Add the garlic and the tinned tomatoes or skinned and chopped fresh tomatoes. Add the ham stock or stock cubes dissolved in water and bring to the boil. Add the grated carrot, the bite-size chunks of cabbage, the finely sliced celery and the smoked sausage to the soup pot. Finally add the concentrated tomato purée and the parmesan cheese. Your soup should be kept on the simmer until it has a chunky consistency but if you think it is too thick add some more water or stock. Before serving, taste and season with salt and black pepper.

Tinned tomatoes and tomato purée can sometimes be a little bitter. Add a teaspoon sugar if need be.

CRESCENT CAKES

180 g (6 oz) self raising flour
125 g (4 oz) sugar
125 g (4 oz) ground almonds
125 g (4 oz) butter
1 tbsp honey
1 egg

Put all the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix. Add the butter and blend using your fingers. Then add the honey and the egg and mix well until you have a firm dough. Cover the bowl with a clean cloth and set in the fridge till the dough is cool and firm. Remove from the fridge and take small pieces of the dough and roll into rounds. Shape them into crescents. Place the cakes on a greased baking tray and bake at 170–180°C (325–350°F/gas mark 4) for about 20 minutes.

STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING

90 g (3 oz) chopped dates or prunes
90 ml (3 fluid oz) boiling water
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
45 g (1½ oz) soft butter
45 g (1½ oz) demerara sugar
1 egg
1 tsp black treacle
90 g (3 oz) self-raising flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
90 ml (3 fluid oz) milk
sauce

SAUCE
30 g (1 oz) butter
90 g (3 oz) soft brown sugar
150 ml (¼ pint) double cream
1 tbsp black treacle

Place the dates or prunes in a bowl and cover with the boiling water and vanilla extract. Soak for 5 minutes. Cream together the butter and demerara sugar. Beat the egg and add to the butter mixture then beat in the black treacle. Fold in all the bicarbonate of soda and a third of the flour and then add half the milk and repeat until all the milk and flour have been used up. Drain and mash the fruit and add to the mix. Fill individual greased ramekin dishes and bake for 20–25 minutes at approximately 180°C (350°F/gas mark 4).
To make the sauce, melt the butter, sugar and half the cream, bring to the boil and simmer for about 5 minutes until sugar has dissolved. Stir in the black treacle, turn up the heat and let the mixture simmer for 2–3 minutes, stir. Remove from heat and add rest of cream.
Turn each of the puddings out onto a plate and pour the toffee sauce over the top. Serve with a dollop of thick cream or crème fraîche or with custard.