Perfect Recipe

Apple Muffins

Ingredients:
6 muffins

75g self-raising flour
50g all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2/3 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 tsp ground nutmeg
4 tbsp sugar
50g melted unsalted butter
1 tbsp honey
1 small egg
55ml milk
1 small apple, cored, peeled, chopped

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon to sprinkle
1/2 tsp sugar para to sprinkle

Directions:

Preheat oven to 180°C. Prepare your ingredients. You will need 6 medium muffin pans. Silicone muffin pans are wonderful to use as they don’t need greasing. Alternatively, line the pans with paper muffin cases.
Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg together into a large bowl. The baking powder acts as a raising agent and will help give the muffins a light texture. Stir in the sugar, apples until well combined.
Whisk together the butter, honey, eggs and milk until well combined. Blending the wet ingredients before adding them to the flour mixture makes it easier to evenly combine the two.
Add the milk mixture and the apples to the flour mixture and stir with a large metal spoon until just combined. It is important that the ingredients are only just combined. If the mixture is over-mixed, the cooked muffins will have a tough texture. Spoon the mixture evenly into the muffin pans and sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon misture. Bake the muffins in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden and cooked through. To test if they are cooked, insert a skewer into the centre of one – if it comes out clean, it is ready. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Strawberry Coffee Cake

Ingredients:

Crumble Topping:

1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter (stick form is necessary), cold from the fridge

To make crumble topping, sift the sugar and flour together in a large bowl. Place the margarine in the center of the bowl and sprinkle a little of the sugar and flour mixture over it. Place all 10 fingers on the stick and start crumbling it by making cat-kneading gestures with your fingers so the margarine turns into little pea sized bits. If you need a visual, refer to this little fella. Keep crumbling until the stick is completely whittled down.
Keep the bowl of crumbles in the fridge until you’re ready for it.

Strawberry Coffee Cake:

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
3 cups strawberries, sliced

-Sift the first four ingredients together in a bowl and set aside
-Whisk the milk, eggs, vanilla, and melted margarine together in a bowl.
-Add the mix of wet ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredients.
-Beat together with a handheld mixer until well incorporated.
Pour into a pre-greased 12×8 pan. Arrange the sliced strawberries on top of the batter. Sprinkle the crumble toppings.
Bake at 350F for 35-45 minutes.

Jool’s Pasta

Ingredients:

1 pound, 2-ounce good-quality fusilli or penne
1 small onion , peeled and finely chopped
1 garlic clove finely chopped
1 can good-quality whole peeled tomatoes chopped
2 cans (10 ounces) good-quality tuna in olive oil, drained and flaked
1 to 2 fresh red chilies , deseeded and finely chopped
1 level teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 bunch fresh basil , leaves picked, stalks chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 lemon , zest and juice
Salt
Small handful freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Heat a splash of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and cook the onion, chili, cinnamon and basil stalks on a medium to low heat for 5 minutes until onion has softened and is slightly sweet. Turn up the heat and add your tomatoes, tuna and a good pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning.

Meanwhile, cook the rigatoni in a pan of salted boiling water according to the pack instructions. When al dente, drain the pasta in a colander, reserving some of the cooking water.

Toss the pasta into the tuna and tomato sauce with the roughly torn basil leaves, a glug of olive oil, the lemon zest and juice, and mix together well. Loosen the pasta with a little of the reserved cooking water if needed. Check the seasoning and serve immediately with Parmesan.