gado gado

gado-gado

An Indonesian dish that is widely open to interpretation and adaptation, gado-gado is a winner dinner for our family. Nic had been requesting it, so it was about time we had it for dinner again. This version was vegetarian, making it a great meatless Monday meal. It can easily become a vegan meal too.

Loosely translated as 'mix-mix', gado-gado is a good way to use up vegetables that might be loitering in the crisper drawers and/or to get rid of leftovers. It could easily be described as a pantry meal, as it uses whatever foods might be at hand.

Quite simply, it is a spicy peanut sauce over... ingredients. Vegetables used in the dish can be raw, lightly blanched or steamed. Nic's preference is to have it over noodles, I prefer brown rice. It would also be great with quinoa for an added source of protein.  

a mixed plate of foods - to which peanut sauce is added

This particular meal included: egg noodles, shredded lettuce, boiled eggs, sliced cucumber, grated carrot, cherry tomatoes, snow peas, boiled potatoes, sliced green onions.

Traditional foods to serve in gado-gado also include: tofu, tempeh, mung bean sprouts, green beans, shredded green cabbage, lontong (rice cake), prawn/shrimp crackers (krupuk)... Other possible additions might include: baby corn or corn kernels, asparagus, snap peas, zucchini, spinach, grilled eggplant, broad beans, edamame, cauliflower, broccoli, red cabbage, spiralized beets, pumpkin, sliced mushrooms, radishes, red or green peppers, shredded chicken, fish, shrimp... The possibilities are vast and combinations endless.

This is a fantastic dish to introduce new foods to children. It is colorfully appealing, can incorporate a variety of tastes and textures, and portions of new foods need only be small. 

Allergic reactions to peanuts may be avoided by substituting almonds in the sauce, like the recipe found here. 

PEANUT SAUCE RECIPE

This recipe is for the spicy sauce to put atop whatever ingredients one wishes to use. 

Ingredients:

1 onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tsp ginger root, grated

1 TB peanut oil (or substitute other vegetable oil)

5 TB peanut butter

⅓ cup coconut milk

½ tsp shrimp paste (or fish sauce)

1 tsp lime juice (or lemon juice)

1 ½ tsp palm sugar (or dark brown sugar)

1 TB soy sauce / Tamari

¼ tsp chili paste / Sambal Oelek

Method:

Heat oil in small saucepan over medium heat.

Fry onion, garlic, and ginger until onion is soft.

Stir in the peanut butter and coconut milk.

Add other ingredients to taste.

Blend ingredients with an immersion blender for a smooth sauce. 

Cook for a further 5 minutes for flavors to develop.

NOTES:

• This sauce is lovely served with satay or added to stir-fried vegetables.
• I like to make sufficient sauce to ensure we have left-overs. I typically scale-up the quantities of all ingredients so I can use a full can of coconut milk.
• Ingredients and ratios/quantities are easily altered depending on taste or availability (or even substituted or omitted). Traditional versions of the sauce include tamarind. The sauce can be made with unsalted peanuts instead of peanut butter. 
• Shrimp paste (Mam ruoc) is fermented shrimp. It is extremely strong in smell and taste, and cooking with it may offend young noses (I have always make sure to cook with it when the kids are not in the room!) It is easily substituted with fish sauce. 
• If I don't have time, I make a cheat version of this sauce by adding some Sambal Oelek to peanut butter and thinning it to sauce consistency with orange juice. 

butternut soup with a Thai twist

Always a great soup for a chilly evening. 
This is a definite family favorite. It is made with Butternut squash/pumpkin, chicken broth, onions, flavored with lemongrass, shrimp paste, chilies, lime, coconut milk. I added a few kaffir lime leaves too.

I didn’t have fresh birds eye chilies, so I substituted red pepper flakes (sambal oelek is also a good substitute). Spiciness can be adjusted to kid-friendly levels.

When our children were very young, they were able to withstand spicier foods. After the age of about two, they all became a little timid when it came to spiciness. Over time (and with insistence), they are all now accustomed to and enjoy spicy foods from a variety of cultures: Thai, Indian, Mexican, Cajun...

Original recipe found here. 

pesto

Pesto is such great food. Easy enough to make, the only hardship is the price of pine nuts! I had found my local Mediterranean market to stock pine nuts at a good price, but during my last visit, they only had pine nuts still in the shell—a fresher product for eating, but way too much work for cooking. I have made pesto with walnuts in the past, but the resultant color is brighter and more appealing with pine nuts. 

A recent trip to Baltimore, saw us make a diversion to Trader Joe's, simply to avoid sitting standstill in traffic. I was able to buy a good quantity of pine nuts (Pignolias) there for around $10.

I have involved the kids in pesto making, from picking the basil from the garden, pushing the button on the blender, and tasting the pesto at regular intervals to test it. It is one of those foods made without too much care for exact quantities, but the following is a rough guide: 

PESTO RECIPE
Ingredients: 
1 big bunch of fresh basil (maybe 2 to 3 cups of leaves and soft stems)
3 cloves of chopped garlic
½ cup pine nuts
Juice of half a lemon
Extra virgin olive oil - ½ cup to start (more as required) 
Parmesan cheese - freshly grated - around 30oz/85gms
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste (if desired)

Method: 
Place basil leaves, pine nuts, lemon juice, garlic and ¼ cup of the olive oil into a blender. Pulse blend until chopped and combined. Add the grated cheese and remaining oil and blend, adding more oil if necessary to achieve a spreadable consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Place pesto in a sterilized jar, smooth the top of the pesto and pour over a small amount of olive oil to cover the surface—to prevent the pesto from oxidizing and turning brown. 

Notes: 
Keep the pesto refrigerated and use it within a week or two. Extra light Olive Oil may be substituted as this gives a milder flavor that is often preferred by younger children. 
Pesto is great on pasta, zucchini noodles, pizza, a rub for baked chicken breasts or tenders, a salad dressing or topping for boiled potatoes (diluted with olive oil), spread for sandwich wraps or toasted paninis, spread on mini toasts with a slice of tomato and/or some mozzarella or goats cheese as an appetizer... The kids love taking pesto pasta to school for lunch. Pesto penne has proved to be a great side dish to serve at kids' parties. 

Cherry tomatoes, halved and tossed with some olive oil, salt, and pepper and roasted in the oven 180ºC/350ºF for 30 minutes.

For a firmer, less juicy tomato, bake in a colder oven for a longer time.

Fresh mozzarella pearls.

Toss hot spaghetti with pesto and top with mozzarella pearls and roasted tomatoes for a fast and easy meal that appeals to kids. 

Pink Dip / Beetroot Dip

To avoid any potential complaints about eating beets/beetroot, I name this dish Pink Dip or Pink Hummus... and the kids are ready to eat it without further questioning. Along with a Carrot Dip, I have made this dip to serve at Children's parties... simply because the color is SO intense and beautiful. It has a wonderful sweet yet earthy flavor and is simply delicious. My favorite accompaniment would be Turkish Bread - a kind of Ciabatta we were able to purchase easily in Australia - but I have yet to find a substitute here. Unfortunately, we only had corn chips available when I made this the other night. 

I have thinned the dip with a little extra yoghurt / lemon juice to make a sauce to serve with, what I thought were Lebanese fish balls (via an ancient recipe from Robert Carrier). I believe these were called Blehat Samak. I found a similar recipe at Mietta O'Donnell's site.

Anyway, I roasted several beetroot at once. I used one and a half to 'pickle' and serve on classic Aussie-style burgers, and reserved the remaining beets for when we had a pre-dinner snack emergency. 

PINK DIP
Ingredients: 
2 medium fresh beets

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 tblsp tahini

1 tblsp lemon juice

1/4 cup Greek Yoghurt (or as desired)

Method: 

Wash beets well and cut stems (leaving a couple of inches intact - to prevent all color escaping!)

Wrap beets in oiled foil and bake in oven for 1½ hours at 350℉ (or until skewer can be inserted easily into beets). 

Wash cooked beets under running cold water to remove skins and stem. Drain. Allow to cool. 

Blend beets with garlic, Tahini and Lemon Juice. Stir through Yoghurt if thinner / creamier consistency is required. Add salt to taste. 

Note: 

Use rubber gloves when skinning beets to avoid turning a vivid shade of red!
Sour Cream may be substituted for the Yoghurt... but we have become extremely fond of our homemade Greek Yoghurt. 

Summer Pizza

Lovely big bunches of fresh basil transform into jars of pesto that lie in wait in our refrigerator. The Pesto is mixed through pasta, spread on toast with goats cheese, becomes a sandwich filling with grilled summer vegetables... and even tops a pizza from time to time. I make it with a big bunch of washed and dried basil, couple of cloves of garlic, olive oil, pine nuts and freshly grated parmesan (or other hard Italian cheese). If I find myself out of pine nuts, then I sometimes use walnuts. This is one of those foods that the kids love to help with - whizzing the blender and having several 'taste tests' along the way. Quantities are totally optional and so no two pestos are ever the same. 

I often slow-roast cherry tomatoes in the oven - especially as it cools after cooking something else. Coated with some olive oil and a light grind of salt (and sometimes pepper), I roast the halved tomatoes at around 350℉ for 30 minutes, then at around 200℉ for another hour or so... depending upon how 'dry' I want them to be. These become sweet and are oh-so-good thrown through pasta (sometimes with pesto), a salad or included on hors d'oeuvres. 

With some pesto and roasted tomatoes on hand, I decided to make a pizza. I was always a little scared of making my own pizza dough... until we got a mixer. Since being somewhat upset after burning out a motor of a handheld mixer, our KitchenAid (with dough hook), makes light work if it! I use a dough recipe from A Cooks Companion. 

Basic Pizza Dough 
Ingredients: 
2 sachets dried yeast (8.75g each)
1 tsp Salt 
400g flour
20ml Olive Oil
250ml Water (lukewarm)  

Method: 
Mix yeast, salt and flour using an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix water and oil into dry ingredients and knead for about 8 minutes until smooth and elastic. (Knead for 10-15 minutes if doing by hand). 
Grease a large bowl with olive oil (1 to 2 tsp). Place dough in bowl and cover with plastic wrap or tea towel. Keep in a warm, draught-free place and allow to rise to double size (approx. 90 minutes). 
Knock back dough, gently fold in 4. Cover and allow to rise again for another 30 to 45 minutes. 

Notes: 
I like using a combination of flour - All Purpose / White Wheat / Wholegrain / Bread Flour - dependent upon whim and desired flavor. Paul prefers heavier use of white flour as he likes the 'bready' taste and rise of the dough. I usually compromise with a 50/50 mix of All-Purpose and Wholewheat. 

Pesto Pizza 
I flattened the dough onto a baking tray and spread with Pesto. I then covered the dough with slices of fresh mozzarella cheese and topped with the slow roasted tomatoes. A quick grind of black pepper, drizzled oil (leftover from the tomatoes) and into a very hot oven for 10 minutes. We have a pizza stone - so I transferred the pizza to this to bake for another 5 to 8 minutes. The size was a little too hard to manage - and I ended up cutting the pizza in two to place on pizza stone. 
I topped the finished pizza with some torn basil leaves, slices of fresh tomato from the garden and a very light drizzle of balsamic vinegar. 

Spaghetti for Summer

One of those evenings with absolutely no idea what to prepare for dinner. Spaghetti-loving son mentioned pasta, I'd just picked some basil from the garden, and we did have some fresh tomatoes... off to the The Silver Spoon for one of the easiest dishes ever. 

I gave Paul the Silver Spoon cookbook a zillion years ago. It is the ultimate Italian cookbook. We haven't used it to its full potential, but have had some brilliant pasta dishes from it. 

Here is the recipe as it (mostly) appears in the book... 

RAW TOMATO SPAGHETTI 
Ingredients: 
500g ripe vine tomatoes, peeled seeded and chopped
4 tbsp Olive Oil 
10 fresh Basil leaves, chopped
2 cloves Garlic, cut in half
350g / box of Spaghetti 

Method: 
Put tomatoes in a bowl with oil, basil and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well and put aside for 30 minutes to allow flavors to develop. Discard garlic before adding tomatoes to pasta. 
Cook pasta until al dente. Drain spaghetti. Mix through tomato mix and serve at once. 

Notes: 

This dish is nicer using a white wheat spaghetti. The flavors are delicate and I don't feel are robust enough to suit wholemeal pasta. 

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

In the attempt to get more whole grains into classic foods... that the kids will not object to, I have been playing around with some ingredients. 

This recipe is loosely based on the recipe I found here. I used imperial cup measurements - but this should translate well to metric. 

CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Ingredients
½ cup (1 stick) butter
¼ cup white sugar
½ cup lightly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup wholegrain flour
1 ¼ cup rolled oats
½ cup golden flaxseed meal
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
¾ cup chocolate chips

Method:
Preheat oven to 325℉.
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. 

Using a blender, pulse the oats a few times until they look like course crumbs. 

Mix flour, blended oats, flaxseed, baking soda and salt together to combine. Fold into butter-sugar mix and mix through until a firm dough is formed. Stir through chocolate chips. 

Using a scoop (I use a ½ oz or 15ml tbsp measuring spoon), portion cookie dough and roll into balls. Place dough balls on cookie tray and slightly flatten. Bake for approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes on tray before transferring to wire rack to cool completely. 

Note: 
Using a 15ml measure, this recipe makes approximately 28 cookies. 

Chopped walnuts would be a great addition - ½ to ¾ cup added with the chocolate chips. 

I will try these again with some 'unblended' oats - perhaps half the amount blended and mixed with the flour and the other half unblended and added with the chocolate chips. 

Sorbet... of the Strawberry Variety

I had some strawberries taking up valuable real estate in the refrigerator. These weren't at their best, but were perfect to puree... Voila. Sorbet!

I usually make sorbet using a heavy simple syrup (1 part water to 1 part sugar), but in the interest of reducing our sugar intake, I made a light simple syrup (2 parts water to 1 part sugar). I have read about this product - a sugar and stevia blend - but have not found it as yet. Sorbets would be a great way to try it out. 

I pureed the strawberries and ended up with 350ml liquid. I added a teaspoon of Rose Water and the same proportion (350ml) of syrup. I chilled the combined liquid in the freezer to get really cold (but not frozen). 

Before I poured the strawberry syrup mix into our icecream maker, I stirred through one egg white. I started the machine and waited until it thickened and would churn no more. 
The addition of an eggwhite gives the sorbet a 'whipped' texture - very creamy. I had to extract half the sorbet mix before it overflowed from the top of the icecream machine! I think the maximum liquid for this machine might be about 500ml. 

The sorbet would have benefitted from some time in the freezer... but the kids were too eager to try it. I know from past experience that liquids to be frozen into ice treats such as popsicles need to be taste a little 'too' sweet - as the sweetness seems to disappear upon freezing. No one even noticed that this sorbet was 'less sweet' than usual. 

POSTSCRIPT: 
This sorbet was super creamy coming out of the icecream maker. Serving it the second night, it had a more icy texture. This forum discusses sugar ratio and the impact of this upon the creaminess of sorbet and ice cream. Another means of lowering the freezing point is to add alcohol... perhaps a little Cointreau might be nice.

Beef and Barley Stew

We were inundated with weather warnings today. First we had a Severe Thunderstorm Warning, then a Flash Flood Warning... followed by a Tornado Warning! The NOAA system for storm notifications provides a 'Watch' - meaning beware. while a 'Warning' means 'this is real and imminent' in your area. The sky was dark, the wind sprang up, but thankfully the storm bypassed us. 

After all this, we were in need of something comforting for dinner. I have been doing some research into an Anti-inflammatory diet. Barley is a fantastic grain to use in this regimen, and I remembered a Rachel Ray recipe I have used for a Beef and Barley Stew. The recipe can be found here. This is a great one-pot, budget, comforting, easy to prepare, pantry-type dish. I included some cabbage to include a cruciferous vegetable and baby spinach for all the nutritional benefits of this leafy green, and I doubled the quantity of barley. I'd denuded my Parsley plants, so didn't have any of this to add... but I would if I did!

BEEF AND BARLEY STEW 
Ingredients: 
1 pound Lean Ground Organic Beef
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves Garlic, crushed
1 tblsp chopped fresh Oregano
1 can (14.5oz) Diced Tomatoes in juice
1 cup Pearl Barley
1 quart / 4 cups Beef Broth / Stock
1 cup diced carrot 
2 cups shredded cabbage 
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt 
4+ cups Baby Spinach leaves, washed and dried

Method: 
Over a medium-high heat, brown the beef in a large saucepan or cast iron pot, breaking the meat up with a wooden spoon. Reduce heat to medium and add the onion and garlic, stirring occasionally for 10 to 12 minutes until meat is browned and onions softened. 

Add the tomatoes and juice, oregano, barley, stock, carrot and cabbage. On a high heat, bring ingredients to a simmering point. Simmer on a low heat, with lid askew, for about an hour until barley has softened. Add Spinach leaves and stir through until wilted. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Notes: 
This dish is great for cooking itself... I went out for a run while the barley softened! 
If I can find it, I would like to try this recipe again using 'Hulled' barley (highest fiber) or 'Pot/Scotch' barley - as these versions have far more fiber than 'Pearl' barley ('polishing' removes the beneficial germ or bran). I think I would have to soak these types of barley and/or precook them before adding to the stew. 
I used fresh Oregano from our rampant Oregano plant - for a garnish too. 

Summer Soba

While on my world-backpacking safari in my 20's, I spent several months in Japan teaching English. I lived in a small town named Ugata in Mie-ken - famous for its seafood, Kashikojima Island and a thriving pearl industry.

One of my students, 9yo Kiri, turned up on my doorstep one evening and presented me with a tray of delicious food. She told me it was Summer Soba before scooting away. This is a classic Japanese summer dish - very refreshing as the noodles and all condiments are served cold. 

Soba noodles are made from Buckwheat. These are fast to cook, but must be thoroughly rinsed before being served. I change the rinsing water several times until the water doesn't look so 'starchy'. I used a bottled ready-made dipping sauce. In future, I would like to make my own sauce as the only one I could find included MSG. A great introduction to Soba Noodles can be found at Just Hungry. 

This is a fun dish for the kids to eat with chopsticks - if somewhat messy as the noodles are dipped into a bowl of sauce before being eaten. This dish is comfort food for hot days, and is typically vegetarian. Traditional condiments include: fresh Wasabi, chopped green/spring onions, Toasted shredded Nori (the seaweed mostly known for wrapping sushi). I seem to remember that my original experience with this meal also included Shiso (also known as 'beefsteak plant' or Perilla) - a plant commonly found in Japanese home gardens. 

The meal I served my family included some sliced cooked chicken (left over from Goi Cuon meal) sliced red peppers, green onion and Nori strips. I was the only one willing to sprinkle on some Shichimi. 

Goi Cuon

My hometown of Melbourne has a very large Vietnamese population - and therefore access to some spectacular food. When living in Richmond, we used to frequent Victoria Street - home to many authentic/fusion/trendy Vietnamese eateries - where one could eat as much or as little offal as one could ever want! I became particularly partial to Goi Cuon - a cold and very 'fresh' tasting spring roll. The fresh taste is due to the abundant herbs included. It is a perfect Summer dish. 

I was about to have a rebellion on my hands as I served this dish twice... in one week! 
One night we all assembled our own, the other occasion, I made the rolls. I learned a very valuable lesson about the stickiness of rice paper.. with my 'stack' of rolls becoming somewhat 'fused'. 

An allergy to shrimp and no available pork, meant that my version included chicken. I baked several chicken breasts in the oven, basted with garlic, soy sauce, lemon and a little peanut oil. I reserved a little of this marinade (before coating the chicken), and dressed the cooked, shredded chicken with it before adding it to the rolls - as sometimes I find the rolls can be somewhat 'bland' or 'dry'. 

Our version included vermicelli noodles, bean sprouts, Thai basil, cilantro, mint, grated carrot, strips of green onion, baked chicken and thin slices of tomato (one evening) or red pepper (the other evening). This dish can easily become a vegetarian dish with marinated tofu used in place of pork and shrimp or chicken. 

I served the rolls with a sauce made from hoisin sauce, smooth peanut butter and rice vinegar, based upon a recipe I found here. 

Zucchini Slice

Summer vegetables are appearing. YES! Some oversize zucchinis became a dinner last week - in the form of a Zucchini Slice. The recipe given to me is very imprecise - and I am attempting to quantify it. Watching my sister cook it over the weekend has given me a few ideas to experiment with. Stay tuned for a recipe...

I served the Slice with steamed asparagus and tomatoes dressed with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I like this slice with something sweet and spicy. A simple salad made with sliced tomato, torn basil, thinly sliced red onion, sprinkled with a little salt and freshly ground pepper (dressed with EVOO and balsamic vinegar) would have been perfect. Otherwise, a spicy ketchup, sweet chili sauce or Sriracha sauce might be good according to taste. It is a perfect picnic food and I have even made it as individual muffins. 

Moroccan Vegetable Stew

I have a couple of recipes for this dish, called either Moroccan Stew or Marrakech Curry. I have no recollection of the origin of these. I found a number of variations for this type of dish when I went in search for my original recipe. This is the perfect dish for a pantry-meal: using longer lasting vegetables, pantry items, and beans and quinoa for protein.

For this particular meal, I added garbanzo beans and served it over couscous, sprinkled with chopped cilantro. 

I found the original spice quantities to be a little bland for adult tastes - these were enhanced with some hot sauce. Harissa would be the perfect addition - as would a few slices of Preserved Lemons.

MOROCCAN VEGETABLE STEW

Ingredients

¼ cup water / vegetable broth for sautéing

1 cup water / vegetable broth for stewing (possibly up to 2 cups)

2 onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon cayenne

1 cup cubed sweet potato

1 cup cubed zucchini

1 cup cubed butternut squash

1 cup cubed carrot

1 can diced tomatoes

1 diced green pepper

1 (15oz) can garbanzo beans, drained

½ cup raisins
½ cup chopped cilantro (to garnish)

Method

Saute onions, garlic and spices in water / broth.

Add sweet potato, butternut squash and carrots.

Stew for around 10 minutes.

Add tomatoes and juice from can, zucchini, bell pepper and drained and rinsed garbanzo beans.

Stew For a further 15 minutes. Add raisins.

Cook until vegetables are soft and sauce has formed (about 30 minutes).

Season to taste.

Serve over quinoa (or more traditional couscous).

Notes / Variations

Using yellow zucchini and yellow peppers would really enhance the ‘yellowness’ of this dish.
Of course, if you plan ahead, use freshly soaked and prepared garbanzo beans and fresh tomatoes. 
Add water or broth sparingly, particularly if using juice from canned tomatoes. 
For this particular meal, I was all out of onions, so increased the amount of garlic. I used twice the quantity of carrot, butternut squash, sweet potato and zucchini, and doubled the quantities of spice (all except cayenne). 
The kids hadn't eaten this dish in some time - so were somewhat dubious when I served it to them. They ate it all without complaint when the word 'dessert' was mentioned! 

Fruity Fruit Cake... and Fudge Sauce!

I absolutely LOVE Fruitcake. So does my husband. My mother makes the best fruitcakes. I remember her spending hours preparing, cooking, icing (marzipan and royal icing) and decorating Christmas cakes for both sets of grandparents. I also have memories of mum in tears one year as we woke to the smell of burnt cake. The automatic oven cut-off failed to work and so many expensive ingredients - that mum had to travel far to procure - literally went up in smoke. 

We were somewhat taken aback to find that Fruitcake is looked upon with some scorn in the US. Fruitcake is a seasonal item and it is one of those Christmas gifts supposed to cause some chagrin! We however, miss it. We can't even get a Lions Club cake! Fruitcake has therefore been added to our repertoire of food that we have had to learn to cook ourselves. 

Mum gave me a recipe that she referred to as Diabetic Fruit Cake. It has no added sugar and relies upon the sweetness of the dried fruit... a whole lot of dried fruit! I have made a few alterations to incorporate more whole wheat and have increased the cooking time as it always seemed to come out underdone. I think there is still some scope for revision of ingredients, quantities and cooking time. I will keep experimenting :-) 

Our family enjoys this cake - with a cup of tea or as a lunchbox treat. 

FRUITY FRUIT CAKE 
Ingredients: 
1 kg Mixed Dried Fruit* 
70 ml Port or Brandy
250 ml Water 
1 tsp Baking Soda 

300 g White Wheat Flour 
2 tsp Baking Powder 
1 tsp Mixed Spice

220 ml Evaporated Milk 

Method: 
Place the fruit, water port/brandy and Baking Soda in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and boil for 3 minutes. Cool (for at least an hour).
Preheat oven to 150℃/ 300℉. Grease and line a 20cm Springform pan. 
Mix and sift together the Flour, Baking Powder and Mixed Spice. 
When the fruit has cooled, add the Flour mix. Add the Evaporated Milk and mix together. 
Place cake mixture into pan and smooth the top. 
Bake for approximately 1½ to 2 hours. 
Cool in tin. 

Note: 
* A mix of Raisins, Sultanas/Golden Raisins, Currants, Mixed Glacé Citrus Peel or Fruit. 
I typically use a full box of raisins, then make up the rest of the weight with Golden Raisins and Currants. It is difficult to find glacé citrus peel in the US. Omit if it can't be found. It is also not easy to find Mixed Spice. Note that this is a mix of spices and should not be confused with Allspice (which is a spice in itself). There is a recipe for Mixed Spice here. If I can't find it, I omit the Mace and add a little more nutmeg. 
If you can't find White Wheat Flour - use a mix of half Whole Grain and half All-Purpose/Plain Flour. 


FUDGE SAUCE 
The Fudge Sauce is NOT served with the Fruit cake... it is merely a means of using the leftover Evaporated Milk I have after opening a large can. This recipe has been adapted from the recipe here. We find this quantity more than enough for all of us - warmed and poured over icecream - or to make banana splits.  

Ingredients: 
3 tbls Salted Butter
1 ½ oz unsweetened cooking chocolate 
1 cup sugar
⅔ cup (4 to 5 oz) Evaporated Milk

Method: 

Melt the butter and chocolate in a bowl over a double boiler (I use a glass bowl over a saucepan of water. Don't let the water touch the bottom of the bowl. 

Once the butter and chocolate have melted, add the sugar ¼ cup at a time, ensuring sugar is incorporated before next addition. The mixture will be thick and grainy at this stage. 

Continue to stir over heat and add the Evaporated Milk - around 1 oz at a time. Stir between additions until well combined. Dependent upon how thick you like sauce, 4oz will probably be ample. 

Notes: 

I use salted butter - and do not add any extra salt.