Writers and editors on food 10: Michael Pryor

Michael Pryor has published more than twenty-five fantasy books for Young Adults. His latest book is ‘The Extinction Gambit’, the first in ‘The Extraordinaires’ series, from Random House Australia.



Here's his delicious recipe for spiced lamb fillets with two dips.

Serves four.
For the lamb fillets
Eight lamb fillets
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
½ - 1 teaspoon chilli powder
Salt
A handful of rocket per person
Combine cumin, paprika and salt in a large plastic container. Add lamb fillets. Shake until well coated. Cook lamb on hot griddle or in large frying pan for about five minutes, until tender but still pink inside. Put aside for a few minutes, covered with aluminium foil. Slice each fillet into four or five pieces.

For the baba ganoush (eggplant dip)
2 large or 3 medium eggplant
220g plain yoghurt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 cup tahini
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt to taste
Combine all ingredients in food processor and process until smooth.

For the hummus
2 X 400 g tins chick peas (you can cook your own chick peas if you like, but tins are easier)
1 tablespoon tahini
1 teaspoon cumin
1 small dried chilli
3 cloves garlic, crushed
8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
Salt to taste
Combine ingredients in food processor and process until smooth. Add some water if the mixture is too thick.

Serve lamb fillets on a bed of rocket, accompanied a dollop of baba ganoush and a dollop of hummus. Crusty bread is a fine addition. A good cabernet goes well with this, but I wouldn’t discount a pinot noir either.

Note: it’s best to make the dips the day before, as the flavours will have time to integrate, especially the garlic. Mmm.

Writers and editors on food 9: Adèle Geras

Adèle Geras was born in Jerusalem: the seventh generation of her mother's family to be born there. On her father's side, her grandmother came from Rabat, in Morocco. She's written more than 90 books for readers of all ages and after living in Manchester for 43 years, now lives in Cambridge. Her website is http://www.adelegeras.com

This is my Moroccan grandmother's recipe.

Messoda's Cauliflower
Ingredients:

2 cauliflowers divided into florets (keep the green stalks. Wash and chop these.)

2 large eggs beaten.

120 gm flour and more if you need it.

salt and pepper.

Oil for frying...sunflower I guess or light olive.

Juice of three lemons.

2 fl. oz water.

Method:

Prepare the cauliflower florets by dipping each first in beaten egg and then in flour, which you've seasoned previously with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in a frying pan until hot and then add the florets. Fry a few at a time until they're mostly a lovely golden brown.

Line the bottom of a heatproof casserole dish or thick bottomed saucepan (on top of the cooker) with the cauliflower greens, then remove the cooked florets from the frying pan and lay them on the bed of greens. Pour the lemon juice over the top of everything, add the water, cover the casserole turn down the heat and gently simmer for about 20 mins. Season to taste.

This is wonderful with roast potatoes and roast meat of any kind. I like it best of all the next day, cold from the fridge. That's if you can manage to get any left over. The stalks, by the way, stewed in the lemony water are DELICIOUS.

Writers and editors on food 8: Paul Collins

Paul Collins was born in England, raised in New Zealand and immigrated to Australia in 1972. He lives in a historic bluestone home built in 1851 with his partner, fellow author, Meredith Costain, and a menagerie of pets including a kelpie called Jack and Molly, a red heeler.
His many books for young people include The Slightly Skewed Life of Toby Chrysler and series such as The Jelindel Chronicles, The Earthborn Wars, The Quentaris Chronicles and The World of Grrym in collaboration with Danny Willis. His latest book is Mole Hunt, book one in The Maximus Black Files. The trailers are available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3S-eKDYqpEs and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4tTn_WXCiw He is also the author of over 140 short stories.
Paul has been the recipient of the A Bertram Chandler, Aurealis, William Atheling and Peter McNamara awards and has been shortlisted for many others including the Speech Pathology, Mary Grant Bruce, Ditmar and Chronos awards.
He is currently the publisher at Ford Street Publishing (www.fordstreetpublishing.com). Visit him at www.paulcollins.com.au)

Paul's Spinach Quiche

One of my all-time favourites as a single bloke was spinach quiche. Easy to bake, and I'd prepare three at the same time. When baked to perfection, I'd cut 'em into four slices, cover with Gladwrap and stick in the freezer for future easy meals. Sometimes lunches :-).

Ingredients:

6 pack of filo pastry (preferably shortcrust but can use puff). If you're keen, you can roll your own pastry

Large tub of Greek yoghurt

Large pack of grated cheese

Three tomatoes

Two onions

Two bunches of spinach (cut the stems off)

Eight eggs.

Preparation:

1/Grease three quiche tins and place two sheets of pastry in each. Smear a bit of butter on them and stick in oven till slightly brown.

2/ Boil spinach in minimum water for three minutes. Squeeze out water and leave to cool. Meanwhile sauté onions.

3/ Beat eggs. Add cheese and yoghurt and mix well. Then add cooled spinach and onions.

4/ Place mixture in three quiche tins. Add some grated cheese over the mixture and place tomato slices on top. I sprinkle paprika over the quiches. Bake at 180 C for 45 mins or till top is golden brown and firm.

Voila! Dinner, lunch, snacks for a while. Especially if you're single!

Writers and editors on food 7: Gillian Polack

Gillian Polack's published writing includes two novels, two anthologies, a cookbook, fifteen short stories and a slew of articles. She was shortlisted for a Ditmar for one of the novels and one of the anthologies and she won a Special Achievement Ditmar for one of the banquets featured in the cookbook. Gillian has a doctorate in Medieval history from the University of Sydney, and advises writers on use of history in their fiction.

Gillian's latest non-fiction book is Historical Feasts, available at it http://www.conflux.org.au/conflux_cookbook_order_form.pdf

Her delicious Hanukkah recipe for latkes is a family recipe.

Gillian's latkes
This is not only seasonal, but with a little twist that makes it purely Australian!
2 big potatoes (grated)
1 big onion (chopped fine)
2 big eggs
plain flour (just enough to keep to mix from becoming too moist)
salt and pepper (or lemon juice and just a dash of chilli – this is the Australian twist)
oil for frying (canola is best)
sour cream
Mix the potato, onion, egg and seasoning. Keep the flour aside to add when the mixture gets running.
Heat the oil in a pan (how much oil you use depends on you – they are nicer deep fried, but healthier fried in almost no oil at all).
Put the mixture into the pan using large spoons and flattening each spoonful before moving to the next. Don’t cook too many at once.
Remove when golden-brown and drain on paper towel. Eat while super-hot and crisp (don’t let them sit!) with a dollop of sour cream.

Writers and editors on food 6: Therese Walsh

Author Therese Walsh co-founded Writer Unboxed (www.writerunboxed.com)with Kathleen Bolton in 2006. Since then, WU has been named as one of the top 101 sites for writers by Writer's Digest five years running, and was named one of the top 10 sites for writers last year by Write to Done.
Her debut novel, The Last Will of Moira Leahy (Crown, Random House), was named one of January Magazine’s Best Books of 2009, was nominated for RWA’s RITA Award for Best First Book, and is a TARGET BREAKOUT BOOK. She is the founder and president of RWA-WF, the women’s fiction chapter of RWA.

Home-Made Cranberry Sauce

I love it for Thanksgiving and Christmas both, and I love the picture I snapped of it at Thanksgiving. :-)

1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. orange juice
1/2 tsp ginger
2 bags fresh cranberries
1 c. toasted and chopped pecans
6 strawberries, hulled and mashed
maple syrup to taste

Mix sugar, ginger, and juice in a pot over med-high heat, and simmer until the sugar dissolves. Add 1 bag washed cranberries, and cook until the "pop" (5 minutes). Add next bag; cook 5 minutes more. Then add strawberry mash and pecans to mix. Remove from heat, and add maple syrup to taste. Serve cold or warm.

Writers and editors on food 5: Jan O'Hara

Jan O’Hara left her writing dreams behind for years to practice family medicine, but has found her way back to the world of fiction. Currently the voice of the Unpublished Writer on Writer Unboxed (http://writerunboxed.com/), she’s hard at work on her contemporary romances, hoping one day soon to become unqualified for the position. She lives in Alberta, Canada with her husband and two children, and welcomes visitors to her citrus-infused blog, Tartitude. (http://cherrytart.wordpress.com/). You can also find her on Twitter (http://twitter.com/jan_ohara) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/janohara.author).

Here's Jan's recipe for a most unusual fudge!

Creamy Curried Fudge
Neither my kids nor my husband care for it, but I tend to appreciate different and exotic flavors. This is a sweet that isn’t too cloying, yet also satisfies in small quantities. I bet it would be superb served alongside a fruit and cheese platter for dessert.

18 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips (I use 300 g bag)
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp curry powder (I use Madras powder)
2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
~3/4 cup Thompson raisins
dash sea salt (this is nice if it’s in large crystals)

1. Toast the coconut in a thin layer on a sheet pan at 350 till golden. (Can use a skillet too.)

2. Over low heat, stirring constantly, melt chips and blend with milk until smooth

3. Stir in vanilla, 1-1/2 cup coconut, curry, raisins, dash of salt.

4. Spoon onto wax paper and spread to desired thickness. Sprinkle with a bit of salt. Press remaining coconut into the top.

5. Chill until solid.

Writers and editors on food 4: Jackie Hosking

Jackie is a Nigerian born, Cornish Australian who loves good food, good wine and good rhyme. Mostly she is a children's poet, weekly she is the publisher of PASS IT ON - the children's book industry, networking e-zine and every other time she is a mother to her own three children. Jackie also enjoys helping fellow rhymers tighten their meter which she does via her Rhyming Manuscript Editing Service. To find out more about Jackie you can visit her blog www.jackiehoskingpio.wordpress.com

Here is Jackie's absolutely fabulous recipe-in-verse, featuring inimitable Cornish pasties! Love it, Jackie!

For Cornish pasties
All you need

Are steak and onions

Spuds and swede



Shortcrust pastry

Rolled by hand

Salt and pepper

Makes it grand



Forget the carrots

And the peas

And never mince

Your skirt-steak please



The vegetables

Will need some slicing

Watch it though

There’ll be no dicing



Potato first

Chip it fast

Onions, suede

And meat goes last



Layered twice

And piled up high

So much better

Than a pie



Fold it over

Crimp the side

Not too long

And not too wide



In the oven

For an hour

Time to clean up

All the flour



Cornish pasties

Taste just great

And bigger than

A dinner plate