You will need . . .
4 rashers of streaky bacon, chopped into small pieces
1 clove garlic or, if you’re like me, 2 cloves
a little olive oil for frying
450g Savoy cabbage, shredded
black pepper and maybe a little salt
Fry the bacon and finely sliced garlic in a large frying pan until the bacon is cooked but not crispy and the garlic is soft.
Steam the shredded cabbage over a large pan of boiling water for two minutes. (If you don’t have a steamer, simply boil it in a large pan for one and a half minutes instead.
Remove the cabbage from the heat and allow any residual water to drain away.
Add the cabbage to the frying pan, mix well and stir fry for two to three minutes until it picks up a golden colour and the flavours are nicely blended. Serve immediately.
Blackberry Traybake
This is the recipe I had in mind for the cake that Toni brings to the Ivy Lane Great Cake Competition. If you haven’t got the right tin, you can buy disposable tin foil trays from most supermarkets which are the perfect size for this recipe.
You will need . . .
275g margarine plus extra to grease
275g golden caster sugar
400g self-raising flour
1½ level teaspoons baking powder
5 medium eggs
zest of 1 large orange, finely grated
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
4–5 tablebspoons milk
250g blackberries
40g flaked almonds
icing sugar for decoration
Preheat the oven to 190°C, fan oven 170°C, gas mark 5. Grease and line a shallow 30.5 × 20.5cm (12 × 8in) baking tin with greaseproof paper.
Cream the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl. Sift in the flour and baking powder, stir to combine, then add the eggs, zest, vanilla and milk and beat together until light and fluffy.
Fold in half the blackberries gently using a metal spoon. Pour the batter into the tin and dot over remaining blackberries, then sprinkle the almonds on top.
Bake for 40–45 minutes until springy to the touch. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn out and cool on a wire rack.
Dust the top of the cake with icing sugar and serve.
Chocolate Orange Shortbread Biscuits
I used to work for Mary Berry, years ago, when my company did the PR for her salad dressings company. We had working lunches on two occasions in Mary’s kitchen. She was just as delightful to work for as you’d imagine and the food was delicious too! Anyway, this recipe pays homage to one of Mary’s recipes which uses Terry’s Chocolate Orange. I adapted it through necessity i.e. I didn’t have any Terry’s Chocolate Orange to hand!
You will need . . .
175g butter
75g golden caster sugar
175g plain flour
75g cornflour
85g milk chocolate, chopped into small chunks
Zest of one orange
Preheat the oven to 190°C, fan oven 170°C, gas mark 5.
Cream the butter and sugar until soft. Stir in the flour and cornflour and mix until it becomes a smooth paste. This is much easier to do in a food processor if you have one. Stir in the chocolate chunks and orange zest.
Shape the dough into eighteen even sized balls and space out on to two greased backing sheets. Press the top of each ball with a fork, this will leave a nice pattern when it cooks.
Bake for about 15–20 minutes until the biscuits are golden brown. Leave to cool on the tray for a few minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool fully.
About the Author
After four years of flinging herself round the dancefloors of Nottingham’s nightspots, Cathy somehow managed to get an honours degree in business. She then plunged herself into the corporate world of marketing, working on high-powered projects such as testing the firing range of SuperSoaker water guns and perfecting the weeing action of Tiny Tears. After making it onto Timmy Mallet’s Christmas card list, she realized it was time to move on and so in 1995 set up her own marketing agency.
She now lives in a Nottinghamshire village with her husband, two daughters and a dog called Pearl.
Random Facts about Cathy Bramley:
Lucky charm: pottery frog out of a Christmas cracker
Favourite tipple: Polish cherry vodka
Best ever Christmas present: potter’s wheel (toy version)
Hates the expression: ‘Compliments to the chef’
You can get in touch with Cathy via her website www.CathyBramleyAuthor.com, her Facebook page www.Facebook.com/CathyBramleyAuthor or on Twitter: @CathyBramley.
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IVY LANE: WINTER PART 4
Version 1.0 Epub ISBN 9781473509719
First published in Great Britain
in 2014 by Transworld Digital
an imprint of Transworld Publishers
Copyright © Cathy Bramley 2014
Cathy Bramley has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
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Ivy Lane: Winter: Part 4 Page 12