Masak Masak Ala Emak

  Linzer cookies In its wildest dreams, a jammy dodger could never aspire to the melting tenderness and celestial lightness of the Linzer cookie. The idea is the same: two biscuits, sandwiched together with jam, a hole or small shape cut out of the top one, so that the jam glints beckoningly through. But the Linzer cookie is the extravagant Austrian Christmas version, the dough rich and short with ground toasted hazelnuts.

  Coconut biscuits These amaretti-style coconut biscuits are a perfect sweet treat – and also free from dairy and gluten. Ingredients 150g/5½oz ground almonds 75g/2¾oz desiccated coconut, plus extra for coating 150g/5½oz caster sugar ¼ tsp salt 100g/3½oz egg whites (see recipe tip) 2 tsp icing sugar, for dusting Recipe tips Method Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4 and line a baking tray with baking paper. Mix together the ground almonds, desiccated coconut, sugar and salt in a bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks. Spoon the egg whites into the dry ingredients and fold in gently until you have a thick paste. Pour the extra coconut into a shallow dish. Roll out 12 balls from the paste and roll each one in the coconut. Place the balls on the baking tray, approximately 2cm/¾in apart, as they will expand while cooking. Dust lightly with the icing sugar and bake for 18–24 minutes until the coconut starts to brown. Leave to cool completely on the t

  Lemon biscuits These zesty lemon sandwich biscuits will provide a great pick-me-up for any mid-afternoon slump. Ingredients For the biscuits 150g/5½oz salted butter, softened 85g/3oz caster sugar 1 lemon, zest only 1 large free-range egg yolk 280g/10oz plain flour 1 tbsp custard powder or cornflour For the filling 75g/2¾oz unsalted butter, softened 130g/4¾oz icing sugar 4 tbsp lemon curd Method To make the biscuits, use a stand mixer or electric hand-held whisk to cream the butter, sugar and lemon zest together for 2–3 minutes until pale and creamy. Add the egg yolk and beat for another minute to combine. Tip in the flour and custard powder. Mix on a low speed until just combined and the mixture starts to clump. Use your hands to bring the dough together into a ball. Turn the dough out onto a sheet of baking paper and cover it with another sheet of baking paper. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a large rectangle about 3–4 mm thick. Place the sheet of dough in the fridge to ch

  Biscoff cheesecake Indulgently rich, lightly spiced and not too sweet, this no-bake Biscoff cheesecake is surprisingly easy to make. Leave out the brandy if you prefer.

  Sausage and red pepper hotpot Sausages are a comfort food that the whole family can enjoy and this all-in-one-pan dish is simple yet full of flavour. Serve with a green vegetable for a complete and colourful meal. Ingredients 1 tbsp sunflower oil 8 spicy pork sausages 4 rashers smoked bacon, finely chopped 1 onion, sliced 1 red pepper, seeds removed and cut into large chunks 1 large carrot, peeled and diced 1 garlic clove, crushed 300ml/½ pint chicken stock 400g tin chopped tomatoes 2 tbsp sun-dried tomato purée 2 fresh thyme sprigs 250g/9oz baby new potatoes, skin on, sliced into thick discs salt and freshly ground black pepper freshly cooked green vegetables, to serve Recipe tips Method Heat the oil in a large deep frying pan or casserole dish over a high heat. Add the sausages and fry until browned all over. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the bacon to the pan and fry for a few minutes until crisp; remove and set aside with the sausages. Add the onion, red pepper, carrot an

  Chicken bhuna The word ‘bhuna’ means to fry and, in this recipe, it is key to fry the onions and tomatoes really well until the oil begins to leave the sides of the pan. The secret to a really good chicken bhuna is to not add any water as all the flavour comes from the spices and onions. Each serving provides 357 kcal, 39.5g protein, 9g carbohydrates (of which 6.5g sugars), 17.5g fat (of which 3g saturates), 3.5g fibre and 1.2g salt. Ingredients For the marinade 6 garlic cloves, finely grated 2.5cm/1in piece fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated 2 tsp mild chilli powder (or Kashmiri chilli powder) ½ tsp ground turmeric 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tbsp ground coriander 2 tbsp Greek-style yoghurt 750g/1lb 10oz chicken thighs, boneless and skin removed, cut into bite-sized pieces For the bhuna 100g/3½oz tomatoes, roughly chopped 2 tbsp tomato purée 4 tbsp vegetable oil 3 dried mild red chillies (or dried Kashmiri chillies), left whole 300g/10½oz brown onions, finely chopped (about 2 medi

  Chicken casserole An easy chicken casserole recipe should be in every cook's little black book and this one will go down well with all of the family. Serve with mashed or boiled potatoes, or rice. Each serving provides 425 kcal, 48g protein, 13g carbohydrates (of which 7.5g sugars), 19g fat (of which 5g saturates), 5g fibre and 2.4g salt. Ingredients 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (around 850g/1lb 14oz) 1 tbsp olive or sunflower oil 1 onion, thinly sliced 4 rashers smoked back bacon, cut into roughly 2cm/¾in slices 150g/5½oz small mushrooms, halved or quartered if larger 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into roughly 1.5cm/⅝in slices 20g/¾oz plain flour (around 2 tbsp) 1 tsp dried thyme or 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves 500ml/18fl oz hot chicken stock (made with 1 stock cube) 1 medium leek, trimmed and cut into roughly 1cm/½in slices salt and freshly ground black pepper Recipe tips Method Preheat the oven 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5. Season the chicken thighs all over with a little salt and

  Chicken chilli Like chilli con carne, this chicken chilli is all about the mix of fragrant spices and heat, subtly mellowed with a touch of chocolate added at the end. Also it’s a brilliant one-pot meal and tastes even better the next day, so it’s a good dish to make ahead. Each serving provides 696 kcal, 35g protein, 91g carbohydrates (of which 11g sugars), 18g fat (of which 6g saturates), 15g fibre and 1.5g salt. Ingredients 1 tbsp olive oil or lard 1 large red onion, sliced 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 tsp dried oregano 1 bay leaf 1 tsp ground cumin ¼–1 tsp chilli powder, to taste 1 tsp Spanish smoked paprika bunch coriander, stalks finely chopped, leaves roughly chopped 4 chicken thighs, skin removed and boneless, cut into chunks 2 x 400g tins kidney or black beans, drained and rinsed 250g/9oz passata 200ml/7fl oz chicken stock (or use 250g/9oz more passata) 1 tsp cider vinegar 1 tsp flaky sea salt, plus extra for seasoning 2–3 squares dark chocolate freshly ground black pep

  Vegetarian chilli tacos Spicy bean tacos with all the trimmings. The veggie bean filling can be made in advance and will keep in the freezer for 2 months, so whenever you fancy a veggie taco you can whip one up in minutes. Replace the cheese and yoghurt with dairy-free alternatives for vegan tacos. Ingredients 1 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, finely chopped 1 garlic clove 3 celery stalks, finely chopped 200g/7oz portobello/shiitake mushrooms, chopped 2 green chillies, chopped 100g/3½oz tomato purée 1 tsp cocoa powder (optional) 150ml/5fl oz vegetable stock 2 x 400g tinned kidney beans, or mixed beans, rinsed and drained salt and freshly ground black pepper To serve 12 ready-made taco shells, warmed 150g/5oz Monterey Jack (or mild cheddar) cheese, grated 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander (optional) 200ml/7fl oz plain yoghurt Recipe tips  .     How-to-videos Method Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the onion, garlic and celery until soft. Add the mushrooms and chillies and coo

  Chicken pasta bake A wonderfully comforting chicken pasta bake, this can be made ahead and will go down really well with the family. Each serving provides 532 kcal, 35g protein, 46g carbohydrates (of which 10g sugars), 22g fat (of which 11.5g saturates), 4.5g fibre and 0.9g salt. Ingredients butter, for greasing 250g/9oz penne 1 onion, roughly chopped 3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips roughly the size of your little finger 1 tbsp paprika 2 tbsp olive oil salt and freshly ground black pepper For the sauce 50g/1¾oz butter 50g/1¾oz plain flour 750ml/1 pint 6 fl oz hot milk (see tip) 1 tsp Dijon mustard 100g/3½oz Parmesan cheese, coarsely grated 2 large tomatoes, deseeded and cut into small cubes Recipe tips  How-to-videos Method Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7. Butter a shallow 1.75 litre/3 pint ovenproof dish. Cook the penne with the onion in boiling, salted water according to the packet instructions. Drain, refresh in cold water and leave to drain agai

  Strawberry ice lolly This creamy strawberry ice lolly is great for a hot day. Choose from fun lolly moulds or just use small yoghurt pots! Ingredients 300ml/10½fl oz  yoghurt 125g/4oz strawberries, hulled 50g/2oz caster sugar Method Place the yoghurt, strawberries and sugar into a food processor and blend until smooth. Pour into ice lolly moulds. Place into the freezer overnight and serve when frozen. https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/strawberryicelollies_89303

  Blackberry and cream ripple ice pops For this recipe, you will need 8 x 100ml/3½fl oz ice lolly moulds or 10 reusable ice pop moulds. You will also need wooden ice lolly sticks if the ice lolly moulds do not come with sticks. Ingredients 300g/10½oz blackberries 100g/3½oz icing sugar 400g/14oz double cream 1 tsp vanilla extract Recipe tips Method Place the blackberries and icing sugar in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Sieve out the seeds using a fine metal sieve and transfer to a wide bowl. Whisk the cream with the vanilla in another bowl until softly whipped and gently swirl into the blackberry mixture to create a marbled effect. Spoon the mixture into 8 x 100ml/3½fl oz ice lolly moulds or 10 reusable ice pop moulds. Insert sticks into the ice lolly moulds or cover the ice pop moulds with lids and freeze for 5–6 hours (or overnight), until firm. To unmould, dip the moulds into warm water for a few seconds. Gently release the lollies while holding the sticks or, f

Sloe gin and blackberry jelly   This sloe gin jelly recipe couldn't be easier! Make the most of the hedgerows with this tasty grown-up jelly recipe that's elegant with a kick. Ingredients 4 gelatine leaves, broken up and soaked in warm water 600g/1lb 5oz blackberries 400ml/14fl oz water 4 tbsp caster sugar ½ lemon 150ml/¼ pint sloe gin Method Break up the gelantine leaves and place in a small bowl and vocer with just enough water to cover. Soak for 1½ hours. Place the blackberries, water, sugar and lemon juice into a pan over a medium heat. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to simmer until the fruit has broken down completely to a sauce. Place a sieve lined with two layers of muslin over a bowl and strain the blackberry mixture into the bowl. (Don't press the pulp, as this will make for a cloudy jelly.) Once all the liquid has drained through discard the fruit pulp. Place the collected liquid into a clean pan and cook over a low heat, until just warm, then whisk in th