Orange and Almond Cake

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ORANGE AND ALMOND CAKE

Today we lit the wood oven as I wanted to cook a moussaka in it and Will decided to bake an orange cake. What I liked about this cake is that it used our own almonds that we skinned and then ground up and two whole oranges which we cooked and then blitzed. 

Orange and Almond Cake

This recipe uses ground almonds and whole oranges.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 whole oranges, cooked in the pressure cooker with 1 cup of water for 30 minutes and then blitzed in a food processor
  • 6 eggs
  • 250g ground almonds
  • 250g white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

METHOD

  1. Cook and blitz the oranges
  2. Beat the eggs in a bowl and then gradually add the other ingredients, mixing well.
  3. Line a rectangular cake tin.
  4. Bake in an oven at 180ºC for about an hour.

Ninja AF400 Air Fryer – Recipes

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On this page, I plan to keep a record of my ways of cooking different recipes, foods and vegetables in the Ninja AF400 Air Fryer.

We only had a small air fryer before but now thanks to the new electrical system, we have finally changed from gas to induction and are now the proud owners of a Ninja Air Fryer.

You first need to choose the cooking programme:
MAX CRISP
AIR FRY
ROAST
BAKE
REHEAT
or
DEHYDRATE

At the moment, I’m learning what each setting and programme is for so it’s a bit of a learning curve at the moment.

From what it seems, each of the above options comes with a recommended temperature and time setting.

The idea is to keep a record of what I’ve cooked and how so that hopefully, I won’t keep making the same mistakes and can repeat recipes that have worked.

You then choose the TEMPERATURE and the TIME and press start,

FRIED AUBERGINE SLICES

Thinly slice the aubergines into 5mm slices. Arrange the aubergine slices on the crisper plate in the drawer. 

Set to AIR FRY at 200ºC and cook for 10 minutes. Transfer each batch to a bowl while you cook the next lot.

Sprinkle with salt and toss with oil.

Just before you are going to eat, put all the aubergine slices back in the draw and cook on MAX CRISP (240ºC) for 5 minutes.

 

BAKED JACKET POTATOES

Choose 1 medium-sized potato per person. Arrange on the crisper plate in the drawer.

Cook on BAKE 190ºC for 30 minutes and then AIR FRY 200ºC for 20 minutes. Turn the potatoes half-way through the cooking time.

Leave in the drawer to keep warm until you are ready to eat them

 

CHIPS

Prepare the potatoes in the morning. Soak the chips in a bowl with water for about an hour and then transfer to a colander to drain.

When they are dry, return the chips to a bowl and drizzle over some olive oil, coating well.

Cook on AIR FRY 170ºC for 20 minutes and then AIR FRY 200ºC for 10 minutes. Leave the chips in the drawer until you are almost ready to eat and then cook on MAX CRISP 240ºC for 5 minutes. Shake the chips every 10 minutes while they are cooking.

Spinach Falafel

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SPINACH FALAFEL

I don’t normally use spinach when I make falafels but as we have got plenty of perpetual spinach at the moment, I thought it would be a good to add some to my normal falafel recipe. We tried them today and they worked well.

Spinach Falafel

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 cup dried chickpeas, soaked in water overnight and then drained
  • 2 teaspoons of cumin
  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
  • salt and pepper
  • olive oil
  • 30 large perpetual spinach leaves (or equivalent)
  • 1 small onion
  • 2 large cloves garlic
  • 2 tablespoons gram flour
  • juice of 1/2 lemon

METHOD

    1. Blend the chickpeas in a food processor.
    2. Add the remaining ingredients and blend again to form a dough.
    3. Heat some oil in a frying pan.
    4. Form the falafel mixture into small falafels and fry for a couple of minutes on each side before turning.

 

 

Prawn Cocktail

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PRAWN COCKTAIL 1

In this prawn cocktail recipe, the prawns and lettuce are served separately.

Prawn Cocktail 1

INGREDIENTS

  • 400g cooked and peeled prawns
  • 2 baby gem lettuce, finely shredded
  • 1 spoon capers, chopped
  • 8 gherkins, sliced and chopped
  • 1 ripe avocado, diced
  • 150ml mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • A splash of Tabasco sauce

METHOD

    1. Save 4 of the prawns back for decoration.
    2. Roughly chop the other prawns.
    3. Mix together the lettuce, capers and gherkins and season with salt.
    4. Arrange the lettuce in 4 serving bowls.
    5. In another small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the dressing (mayonnaise, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce.
    6. Arrange the prawns and chopped avocado on the lettuce.
    7. Drizzle over the dressing and place a whole prawn on each dish.
    8. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes.

PRAWN COCKTAIL 2

This is a simple recipe for the classic prawn cocktail. This recipe combines together all the ingredients together.

Prawn Cocktail 2

This recipe is quick and easy to prepare and needs to be chilled for about 30 minutes or so before serving.

INGREDIENTS

  • 400g cooked and peeled prawns
  • 1 small lettuce, shredded
  • 4 ripe tomatoes, diced
  • 1 cucumber, diced
  • 1 ripe avocado, diced
  • 1 small red onion, finely chopped
  • 150ml mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • A few dashes of Tabasco sauce

METHOD

    1. Save some of the prawns back for decoration. If the prawns are large, roughly chop the rest. If not, use them as they are.
    2. Mix together the prawns, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, and onion in a large bowl.
    3. In another small bowl, thoroughly combine the ingredients for the dressing (mayonnaise, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce.
    4. Pour the dressing over the prawn mixture and toss gently.
    5. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes before serving on a bed of lettuce and decorating with the reserved prawns.

 

Chicken, Bacon and Leek Pie

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CHICKEN, BACON AND LEEK PIE

Since getting the new electric oven, I’ve been experimenting with some classic recipes. Here is the recipe I made for some sausage rolls.

Chicken, Bacon and Leek Pie

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 chicken thighs, skinned and boned, chopped
  • 1 large leek, thinly sliced
  • 4 rashers streaky bacon, roughly chopped
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 100ml (or more) chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • zest of a lemon
  • thyme
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • olive oil extra virgin
  • Pack of ready-made puff pastry
  • egg yolk

METHOD

  1. Heat some olive oil in a frying pan.
  2. Fry the chicken, bacon and leek until cooked.
  3. Stir in the butter and add the flour. Mix well.
  4. Pour in the stock and stir well to make a fairly thick sauce, adding the thyme and the lemon zest.
  5. Cook for 5 or so minutes.
  6. Season with salt and pepper (if necessary).
  7. Roll out the pastry onto a flat surface.
  8. Put the chicken mixture in the middle and fold the pastry over to make parcels, sealing the edges and brushing the top with egg yolk.
  9. Cook in an over at 190ºC for 15-20 minutes.