Recipe - Rose Gin and Tonic

Ingredients

• 1 cup (250ml) gin
• 1 cup (250ml) sweetened cranberry juice
• 1 cup (250ml) rose wine
• 2-3 lemons, thinly sliced
• 1 cup (250ml) tonic water

Method

1. Fill a serving jug with ice cubes. Pour in the gin, cranberry juice and rose, then stir well to combine. Slip in as many lemon slices as desired and top up with tonic water.
2. Pour pink gin and tonic into chilled glasses and serve immediately.

Source

Recipe - Cumin & Pumpkin Dip

Ingredients

• 500g butternut pumpkin, seeded, peeled, coarsely chopped
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• Juice of half a lemon
• 3 garlic cloves, skin on
• 2 tablespoons yoghurt
• 1 tablespoon chopped coriander

Method

1. Combine lemon juice, oil and cumin
2. Toss the pumpkin and garlic cloves through the mixture
3. Place the coated pumpkin and garlic on a baking tray, and bake for 30 mins or until a fork goes easily through the pumpkin and garlic
4. Cool the pumpkin completely
5. Place pumpkin mixture and yoghurt in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth.
6. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Stir in coriander. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for 1 hour to cool.

Recipe - Baked Feta Cheese with Olives and Lemon

Ingredients

• 200g sheep's milk feta (sold in the brine)
• 1/2 cup good extra virgin olive oil
• Juice of 1/2 large lemon
• 1 - 2 cups mixed olives
• 3 Tbsp fresh rosemary leaves
• A few coarse grindings of black pepper

Instructions

1. Set oven to 180C
2. Put the feta in a gratin dish or other small ovenproof dish that you will also serve out of. You can also use 2 small dishes/cut the feta in half laterally
3. Pour the olive oil into the dish, followed by the lemon juice. Arrange the olives around the cheese, with the rosemary.
4. Quarter the squeezed lemon half and throw that in as well. 
5. Sprinkle the red and black pepper over all.
6. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until hot and bubbling. I loosely laid a sheet of foil over mine. You can finish under the broiler if you like for a little charring effect.
7. Serve hot with toasted bread.

Note: I took this pic of before they went into the oven. Thank goodness because as soon as they came out we dived straight in!

Source

Recipe - Cherry Chutney

Ingredients

• 500g cherries, halved and pitted
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup Craisins
• 1/2 cinnamon stick
• 2 tsp freshly grated ginger
• 3 whole cloves

Method

1. Combine all the ingredients in a heavy-based saucepan. Stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved, then increase the heat to medium-high and bring just to the boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes.
2. Remove the lid from the pan, and adjust the heat so the mixture continues to simmer. Cook for a further 10-15 minutes, until the liquid has reduced and the mixture has thickened slightly (it will thicken further on cooling). Keep a close eye on the mixture towards the end of cooking time, and stir occasionally so it doesn't catch on the bottom.
3. Cool and wait for at least 24 hours before serving (you really will be surprised just how much the flavours come together in this time)

Inspired by source

Recipe - Vegetarian Cassoulet

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 long red chilli, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 jar piquillo peppers, drained and roughly chopped
• 100g each of white beans, chickpeas, borlotti beans, soaked overnight in water
• 700L jar tomato passata
• 1L vegetable stock
• 1 medium eggplant or 2 Lebanese eggplant
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• Salt
• 100g of red split lentils
• 200g edamame beans, podded
• 80g panko crumbs
• 80g smoked cheddar, grated
• 4 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked

Method

1. Heat oil and butter in medium saucepan over a medium high heat and cook onion, chilli and garlic together until soft and translucent. Stir through chopped piquillo peppers.
2. Add soaked and drained legumes and stir through the mixture for 2 minutes.
3. Add passata and stock, stirring to combine.
4. Bring to a simmer and cook for 35 minutes.
5. Whilst legumes are cooking cook the eggplant over an open flame until charred outside and the flesh is softened.
6. Whilst hot, scoop the eggplant out of the skin onto a chopping board, adding smoked paprika and a pinch of salt, chopping together to form a rough paste.
7. After 35 minutes cooking, add the eggplant, lentils and edamame beans and continue to cook for another 10 minutes, until the legumes are cooked but still holding their shape.
8. Heat oven on grill setting.
9. Mix panko crumbs, smoked cheddar and thyme leaves together in a small bowl.
10. Scoop legume mixture into 4 individual ovenproof dishes and top with panko mixture, pressing edges of the crust down with the back of a spoon to form a crust.
11. Grill for 5 minutes until golden brown on top. Serve hot.

Source