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Mackerel made palatable

Once you start thinking about menopause you find yourself thinking more about health generally. A good friend recently had some significant heart problems as a result of which she’s now trying to introduce more fish into her diet. Bored with salmon, and with the other choices on the fish counter looking tired most days, she was forced to take another look at mackerel and came up with this neat little recipe for a mackerel pate. Apart from the heart-friendly aspect, this is also pretty easy on the pocket and would make a simple, tasty starter for a casual dinner party.

Ingredients for Low-Fat Mackerel Pate

  • Fillet of cooked mackerel,
  • Onken fat free set yoghurt,
  • Horseradish sauce (you can buy jars in the supermarket) and a
  • Splash of lemon juice (squeezy lemon is fine).

Mackerel Pate Method

Mash the mackerel with a fork. Squeeze in some lemon juice. Add a generous teaspoon of horseradish sauce. Blend in about a level tablespoon of yoghurt. And that’s it. Serve on slices of good brown bread or oatcakes. (Note: this is much better made with a fork rather than a blender – the blender makes it too mushy).

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Quick and easy recipe for homemade rhubarb tart

There’s something about a touch of autumn in that puts comfort food back on the agenda. I took advantage of some fresh rhubarb in the shops today to put together a rhubarb tart. Here’s the recipe which can be adapted for apple, blackberry, or other fruits.

You will need one oven proof pie plate or dish.

For the pastry, you need 8 oz self raising flour, 2 oz margarine, 2 oz lard, dash of lemon juice.

For the filling you need sliced rhubarb, a little lemon juice, 3 oz brown sugar (or more depending on your taste).

 

Pastry method: Cube the butter/lard and rub into the flour using your fingers. Add a dash of lemon juice and, if needs be, a little water to make the pastry just moist enough to knead. Split the pastry into two portions and pop into the freezer for a few minutes to make it easier to roll.

Slice the rhubarb and set to one side. Lightly grease the pie dish/plate.

After about 10 minutes, the pastry should be ready to roll. Take one portion, lightly sprinkle with flour and then roll between two sheets of cling film. Roll thinly enough to line the bottom of your pie dish/plate.

Fill with rhubarb, sprinkle over the sugar and add a dash of lemon or orange juice.

Roll the remainder of the pastry thinly to cover the pie. Press down the edges with a fork to seal. Score the top of the pie with an X or prick it gently to allow some steam to escape.

Bake at 180c for about 20 minutes until the pastry is brown and the rhubarb has cooked through.

Serve with custard or cream or ice cream.

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Izzy’s Strawberry Updside Down Cake

Strawberries are very plentiful this year. This recipe is useful if you have fruit that you want to use up. I use a silicon bake tray that doesn’t need any preparation. Cut strawberries in half and place in the bottom of your bake tray. Then top with a sponge mixture and bake in the oven. Serve with custard. The recipe for the sponge mix is:

  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 heaped tablespoons self-raising flour
  • 2 eggs (beaten)
  • 4 oz butter or margarine

Cream the margarine and sugar until lightly whipped. Add in the beaten egg and stir until the mixture is smooth. Fold the flour in gently. Spoon the mixture over the stawberries and bake in the oven at about 200C for about 20 minutes. Delicious.

 

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