Gourmet on a Shoestring

Prep time: 30min Cooking time: 35min
Makes approx. 30 pieces

I learnt this recipe from my friend Michelle. I had never craved cakes or biscuits until I made this beautiful stuff! Very easy, very yummy, and makes enough to sustain your coffee breaks for weeks!

Ingredients

250g unsalted Butter
125g Dark Cooking Chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 cups Caster Sugar
4 Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla Essence
1 cup Flour
¼ cup Cocoa
½ teaspoon Salt
125g pecans, chopped (use walnuts if cheaper)
Optional: Icing sugar on top

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Line a 24cm square cake tin with grease-proof paper.
2. Heating the butter in a saucepan over low heat. When half melted add chocolate and stir with a wooden spoon until all melted and combined.
3. Remove from heat and stir in sugar.
4. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until mixture is shiny.
5. Stir in vanilla.
6. Sift in dry ingredients and nuts and mix well.
7. Pour into baking tin and bake for 35mins. Cool completely in pan, sift a little icing sugar over the top and cut into small rectangles.

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Serves 5

A delicious, thick and hearty soup. So creamy and filling, but won’t leave you with a heavy feeling afterward, like so many other meals.

Ingredients

• 6 medium Potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 5 cups Chicken Stock
• 2 Leeks, chopped finely
• 2 teaspoons Butter
• 1 cup thickened Cream
• 1 Onion, chopped finely
• ½ teaspoon of Garlic
• 3 slices of Panchetta, chopped coarsely(or a handful of Bacon Bits – cheaper!)
• Salt and Cracked Pepper to taste
• 1 slice of thick bread in 1cm cubes (optional)

Method

1. In a medium pot over medium heat, combine the potatoes and stock and allow to simmer with the lid on for 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
2. Meanwhile, if using bread bits, heat half the butter in a saucepan; sauté bread until browned and crisp. Put to the side. Then fry pancetta (or bacon) in a the same hot saucepan until crisp, and set aside.
3. Turn the heat down to medium, and add the leeks, garlic and onion to the saucepan with the remaining butter for 5 to 10 minutes, or until tender (should look bright green and transparent).
4. Meanwhile, mash the potatoes in the pot they were cooking in.
5. Add the leeks, cream, and panchetta/bacon to the potatoes, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

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