Cranberry Slush

Bhagya

1.5 litre Cranberry Classic
400 ml vodka
150 ml sugar syrup *
75 ml fresh lemon juice
100 ml cranberry concentrate (optional)

This awesome Christmas drink is delicious and very festive. Being a granita, it is cold and icy and holiday red in colour. Use a wide mouthed container as you’ll need to be able to scoop it out with a spoon once frozen.
Place all the ingredients in a container and … Read more »

Hildar’s favourite

Carolyn Bate

‘Betty Bate? She’s the best cook in Wollongong!’

‘Yes, but don’t eat on the day you go for dinner. The serving are huge and you must leave room for dessert!’
‘How does your mother do it? She’s whipped up a dinner for ten with a day’s notice!’
These were the sort of comments I’d hear about Mum’s cooking. I didn’t realise how good she was until I left home and had to fend for myself. … Read more »

Tuna in chermoula

Carolyn Bate

1kg tuna, cut into 25mm cubes
A bunch of parsley and coriander
4 cloves garlic and 4 dried chillies
1 tbsp paprika (Spanish smoked is fine)
1 tbsp cumin, ground
1 tsp turmeric (fresh or ground)
100ml lemon juice
300ml extra virgin olive oil (EVOO).

Put herbs and spices and half the juice and EVOO into a blender and pulse to combine. Add the rest of the juice and oil … Read more »

Ginger Ale Fruit Cake, Evelyne A

My lovely friend Janet, who we all lost a little time ago, cooked these two things with me often. We met on the street at the Cobargo Market and ended up cooking together, making jams and pickles, sharing our love of food and good times.

Aahh, the fruit cake! How many people say, “NO, I don’t eat fruit cake”? Well, that’s because they have never eaten a good one. And lots of recipes make it sound difficult and expensive.

Trust me, this one will change many minds, … Read more »

Prawn Cakes, Evelyne A

2 cups fresh bread crumbs, white is best (1 bread roll)
3 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
3 tablespoons rice flour
1 egg white, beaten
500g green prawn meat
8 finely shredded kaffir lime leaves (take out hard middle stem)

  1. Process all, not too smooth
  2. I make the ‘cakes’ soup spoon size, and, very importantly, keep your hands wet—have a bowl of cold water beside you.
  3. Cook in hot oil for a minute or two.
  4. Serve with a dipping sauce and salad. … Read more »

Rhubarb and Ginger Chutney

Evelyne A

1 kilo rhubarb [washed and cut into 2-3 centimetre pieces]
350ml red wine vinegar
650ml malt vinegar
4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
545 grams raisins
455 grams chopped dates
470 grams sugar
2 tablespoons salt
1.5 tablespoons Cayenne pepper [yes, tablespoons]
115 grams stem ginger in syrup finely chopped.  Janet and I used our own ginger marmalade. A good quality commercial one does the job but … Read more »