Banana cake with chocolate/lemon icing.

A kiwi classic. Rotten (mushy) banana's are the best for this cake.
Throw any old banana's into the freezer ready for future banana cakes.
Go easy on the icing (too much sugar is not good for you).

Banana Cake with Chocolate/Lemon Icing

Equipment

·      Loaf tin (greased and floured)

·      Mixing bowl

·      Measuring cups/spoons

·      Wooden spoon

·      Whisk

·      Sieve

·      Cooling rack

Ingredients

·      Butter, 75g

·      Sugar, ½ cup

·      Eggs, 1

·      Soft banana, 1 mashed (or 2 small mashed)

·      Vanilla essence, ¼ tsp

·      Flour, 1 cup

·      Baking soda, ½ tsp

·      Salt, ¼ tsp

·      Cinnamon, ½ tsp

·      Milk, 1/4 cup

·      Lemon juice, ½ tsp

Method

1.    Cream butter and sugar until light.

2.    Beat in the egg.

3.    Stir in banana and vanilla.

4.    Sieve in the dry ingredients.

5.    Fold into creamed mixture with milk and lemon juice.

6.    Pour into the greased and floured loaf tin.

7.    Bake at 180⁰C for 30-40 minutes until cooked.

8.    Remove from oven and let cool down before turning out. The cake may need to be microwaved if it is still mushy in the middle.

9.    Ice with chocolate icing.

Icing

·      Icing sugar, ½ cup

·      Cocoa, 1 tsp (lemon icing- ½ tsp lemon juice)

·      Butter, 1 knob, melted

·      Hot water, 2-3 tsp (lemon icing- 2 tsp)

Sustainability discussion

Banana (Musa paradisiaca)

One of the world’s highly valued fruits, the banana is rich in potassium and Vit A, C and B group, is high in carbohydrates and low in fat.

The best known eating banana is the Cavendish which has large, almost straight fruit and fragrant, creamy white soft flesh.

Warm Salad (Bacon and Croutons)

What is a warm salad?
A green salad with cooked ingredients added to it.
In this case, it is bacon and croutons which add flavour and oil to the salad.
You can also add tomatoes, capsicums, toasted seeds (pumpkin and sunflower) and even grated cheese.

Warm Salad (Bacon and Croutons)

Equipment

·      Chopping board

·      Sharp knife

·      Sieve

·      Grater

·      Large mixing bowl

·      Small fry pan and fish slice/tongs

Ingredients

·      Lettuce, 1/4

·      Carrots, 1

·      Spring onions, ½ stem

·      Bacon, 2 slices

·      Bread, 2 slices

·      Celery, 1 stem

Method

1.    Slice up the bread into cubes.

2.    Slice up the bacon in small pieces.

3.    Fry both in oil until crisp. Place into mixing bowl.

4.    Grate the carrot, after peeling.

5.    Slice up celery and spring onion into thin slices.

6.    Wash the lettuce through the sieve and drain.

7.    Cut up the lettuce into fine slices and add to bowl.

8.    Toss the salad together, mixing all the ingredients through.

9.    Serve and eat.

Sustainability discussion

Pork production- SAFE video on sow stalls, farrowing crates and fattening pens.

It is a fact that pigs are more intelligent than most dogs. They deserve to be treated as well as dogs.

Pet pigs can be trained to do simple tasks.

Marinated Chicken and Potato Salad

Remember where your chicken and eggs come from?
Try to buy free range chicken and eggs for a sustainable future.

 Marinated Chicken with Potato Salad

Equipment

·      White chopping board (for chicken)

·      Wooden chopping board

·      Sharp knife

·      Tongs

·      Pot

·      Enamel dish for chicken

·      Microwave plate

·      Measuring cup/spoons

·      Peeler

·      Sieve

·      Mixing bowl

Ingredients

·      Chicken drumsticks, 2

·      Selection of marinades (vinegars, sauces, seasonings)

·      Potatoes, 1 large or 2 medium or 3 small per group

·      Spring onion, 1 stalk

·      Eggs, 2

·      Mayonnaise, 1 Tbsp

·      Salt, to taste

Method

1.    Remove the skin from the drumsticks with your fingers.

2.    Score the chicken with the knife length wise

3.    Mix up marinade (no more than ¼ cup) and pour into the enamel dish. Roll the chicken in the marinade and place in the fridge. Take note of where you leave it.

4.    Fill up a pot ½ full of hot water and bring to the boil (high heat). Add a pinch of salt.

5.    Wash, peel and wash the potatoes. Dice up (1-2cm²⁾ and place in pot.

6.    Boil potatoes until just soft (10-15 minutes).

7.    Slice up spring onion while waiting.

8.    Drain through sieve and let cool down.

9.    Place the eggs in the clean pot, cover with cold water and bring to boil.

10. Boil for 8 minutes and then run under cold water for 2 minutes.

11.  Peel the eggs and dice up.

12.  Add cooled potatoes, egg and spring onion together in a bowl with the mayonnaise and mix together.

13.  Remove chicken from the fridge and microwave for 3 minutes before roasting in oven for 20 minutes in the enamel dish. Cook until no more blood can be seen and flesh around the bone is white. Use the tongs to turn the chicken over.

14. Place cooked chicken on a clean plate and serve with potato salad.

Fresh Fruit Kebabs with Ganache.

This is a simple and effective dessert. The combination of the crisp, juicy fruit and the smooth, rich chocolate sauce is a winner. However, don't eat too much of the ganache as it contains cream and possibly sugar depending on what sort of dark compound chocolate you use.
Don't use cheap dairy milk chocolate, this does not melt well.

Fresh Fruit kebabs with Ganache (Chocolate sauce)

Equipment

·      Wooden chopping board and sharp knife (large or small)

·      Peelers/ Corer

·      Large mixing bowl

·      Measuring cup

·      Small pot

·      Wooden spoon/ dessert spoon

·      Microwave dish/ ramekin

·      Kebab sticks (4 per pair)

Ingredients

·      Selection of seasonal fresh fruit (1 of each)

·      Cream, 1/8 cup

·      Dark Chocolate, ramekin

Method

1.    Select the fruit then wash and peel and slice/dice into medium size chunks.

2.    Carefully skewer on the kebab sticks in a regular pattern and place on a clean plate.

3.    Pour the cream into the small pot and heat until nearly boiling. Take off the heat.

4.    Melt the chocolate in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes.

5.    Whisk the melted chocolate into the cream until silky smooth.

6.    Pour over the fruit kebabs.

Chocolate (Theobroma cacao)

Food product made from the fermented, dried, roasted and ground beans of the tropical cocoa tree, native to Mexico and South America. The Mayans and Aztecs used it in religious ceremonies and the beans were used as currency. It is now grown mostly in central Africa.

Chocolate comes in several forms, including powder (cocoa/cacao), liquid and solid.

The type of chocolate depends on the amount of cocoa butter (oil from cocoa bean), milk powder, lecithin and vanilla are added. The higher the cocoa butter content, the smoother and richer the chocolate.

Couverture has a high proportion of cocoa butter and is used for dipping, moulding and for making professional quality chocolates.