We published these recipes during Fairtrade Fortnight 2013 and are delighted that some of them have been included in ‘Bake a Difference’ – a lovely recipe book recently published by Traidcraft.

 

Sunday 10 March

 

FRUIT SMOOTHIE
Method:
Blend together one 120gm tub of fairtrade pineapple pieces with one
small/medium fairtrade banana.
Add 100ml fairtrade
orange juice and 100ml fairtrade apple juice, mix well.

For extra creaminess add 50ml fairly traded coconut milk.

Serve chilled.

Saturday 9 March

Hannah’s fork biscuits – I bought some of these today – yummy!

 

200g (8oz) softened butter

100g (4oz) Fairtrade caster sugar

285g (9 1/2 oz) self raising flour

15g (1/2oz ) Fairtrade cocoa

 

Fairtrade icing sugar to decorate

 

1) preheat the oven to 180°C / Fan 160°C/  gas mark 4 and lightly grease 2 largish baking trays

2) Put the butter in a bowl and beat to soften. Gradually beat in the sugar and then add the flour and cocoa together.

3) Bring the mixture together with your (clean) hands to form a dough – it may seem quite dry and crumbly at this stage. Form the dough into little balls about the size of a walnut and place well apart on the baking trays.

Press then down with a fork (hence the name)

4) Bake in the oven for 15-20 mins. Lift off the baking tray and leave to cool

 

We like to make some white icing with water and drizzle over them in random patterns

These are not very strongly  but you could swap flour for cocoa up to about 30g if you wanted to.

 

 

 Friday 8 March

‘Just a cup of tea’ loaf

 

one cup each of oats, sugar ( the darker the better), dried fruit, soaked in one cup of black tea – as strong as you like. After one hour add one cup of self-raising flour and mix well. Bake in a loaf tin for about an hour at Gas 4 or 180C. (Fat free until you spread it thickly with butter…)

 

Thursday 7 March
BATTERED SWEET POTATO
Method:
Make a batter the consistency of double cream by whisking together:
2 tbsp plain flour, sieved
1 tbsp Fairtrade caster sugar
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 local, free range egg
3 tbsp fairly traded coconut milk

Cut a peeled sweet potato into large chips & coat well in batter
Deep fry in hot oil until golden brown
Drain well before serving.

 

 

Wednesday 6 March

MATRIMONIAL CAKE

(you take the rough with the smooth … )

100g porridge oats

75g wholewheat flour

50g Fairtrade muscovado sugar

75g butter or marg.

Filling

250g  stoned dates

25g Fairtrade muscovado sugar

100ml water

Start  with the filling: chop dates and cook gently with the sugar and water until like a paste, soft but not sloppy. Leave to cool.

Mix oats, flour and sugar. Rub in butter until like a crumble mixture. Put half of this mixture in a greased tin, about 18cm square. Pat down firmly. Spread with the date paste. Cover with the rest of crumble mixture and pat down gently.

Bake just above the middle of a moderately hot oven, Gas 4, 180degrees C for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Cut into squares while still hot, then leave to cool in tin. Lift slices out when cool.

 

Tuesday March 5

CHANTRY CHOCOLATE CAKE
Ingredients:
6oz plain flour
¼  teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
¼  teaspoon baking powder
2 oz Fairtrade cocoa powder
4 oz butter or margarine
10 oz Fairtrade castor sugar
2 beaten eggs
8 fluid oz water
The cake:
Beat margarine and sugar together until paler in colour. Add eggs and beat. Mix cocoa and water together. Mix all ingredients. Place in a greased and lined tin and cook (gas mark 4/180 degrees C) for about 50 minutes. Leave to cool in the tin.
The fudge icing:
Melt 2 oz margarine. Add 1 tablespoon milk, i tablespoon cocoa and enough icing sugar to thicken (quite a lot). Pour over cake.

 

Monday 4 March

Orange and almond torte 

Line and grease a round cake tin. Best to use one with a removable base.

Put a large Fairtrade orange in a pan,  cover with water and boil for an hour. Drain,  cool,  cut in half and remove pips. Then put the whole thing,  skin and all, in a food processor and whizz to a pulp. Add 225g Fairtrade caster sugar, 250g ground almonds, and half a teaspoon of baking powder. Mix ingredients and pour into prepared cake tin. Bake 40-50 mins at 180°C. Cool in the tin, then remove carefully and enjoy.

– pretty foolproof and keeps for a few days. It’s also gluten free.

 

Bonus recipe …

Chocolate pudding, easy to make in advance and tastes like you’ve had to do something really complicated…

1 cup of plain flour

1 cup of sugar – divided

6 tablespoons of cocoa powder

2 teaspoons of baking powder

½ teaspoon of salt

½  cup of milk/soya milk

½ 3tablespoonsof vegetable oil

1 teaspoon of vanilla

• preheat oven to Gas 4, 180° C
• combine flour, ⅔ cup of flour, 4 tbsp cocoa, baking poder and salt in a bowl.
• mix together the oil, milk and vanilla
• add to the dry ingredients and mix well
• spoon in to a greased dish – I usually use a 20cm diameter pyrex
• mix together the remaining sugar and cocoa and sprinkle on top.
• just before you are ready to put in the oven, pour over 1 cup of boiling water.
• bake for 30 minutes – it will be springy to touch but with a delicious chocolaty sauce underneath.
• very good with vanilla icecream
• serves 4

 

Sunday 3 March

 Banana   Cake

 

Liquidise the following ingredients together:-

 

1-2 ripe Fairtrade Bananas

                        1 egg

                        ½ teaspoonful (2·5ml) vanilla essence

                        2 oz (60gms) soft margarine

                        5oz (150gms) Fairtrade Castor Sugar

Sieve together:-

 

5oz (150gms) Wholemeal Self Raising Flour

                        ¼ (1·25ml) Bicarbonate of Soda.

 

Pour the liquidised mixture into the flour mixture and stir to mix well. If it is very stiff, add a bit of milk. Put the mixture into a cake tin – oblong, square or whatever you have. Bake for about 40 minutes in a pre-heated oven at about 375ºF, 190ºC, Gas mark 5.

 

Freezes well. Can be cooked in the microwave – 600W for about 5 – 6 minutes, but the texture and the taste is different; pleasant, but in my opinion, not as nice.

 

Saturday 2 March

4oz/125g butter or marg.
4oz/125g Fairtrade brown sugar
4oz125g Fairtrade golden syrup
4 oz/125g SR flour
2oz/60g Fairtrade cocoa
1 egg
About ¼/150ml pint milk
½ teasp. Bicarbonate of Soda.

Put fat, sugar and syrup into a saucepan and heat to melt fat, but do not boil.
Sieve flour and cocoa into a bowl and add mixture from saucepan.
Add egg, milk and bicarbonate of soda. The mixture should be like a batter.

Cook at 325 – 330ºF, / 160ºC – or 150ºC in a fan oven / Gas Mark 4 for 30 – 45 minutes.

Cream Filling.

2oz/60g butter and 2oz60g Fair Trade castor sugar creamed together and then add 2 tablespoons single cream and 1 tablespoon boiling water. Whisk together.

 

Friday March 1

FRUIT SLICE – egg free, fat free and sugar free

8 oz (227gm) Pitted Dates                                                  3 tsps baking powder

1 lb (454gm) Mixed Fruit                                                     1 teasp. mixed spice

6 oz (170gm) plain Whole Wheat Flour                           4 tbsp. orange juice

2 oz ( 57gm) Ground Almonds                                          10 fl oz water

Grated rind of an orange or lemon

 

Flaked almonds for topping (optional)

 

Roughly chop dates and put into a saucepan with water. Heat gently until the dates are soft. Remove from heat and mash… Add dried fruit, flour and all other ingredients.

Spoon into a tin and sprinkle with almonds

 

You can cook it in a 2lb loaf tin, in which case cook for about 1½hrs at 160°C (fan oven 130/ 140°C), or  a “Swiss Roll tin” i.e. 10” x 7” (18 x 26 cm) for about 45 – 50 mins at 130°C.

it can also be made  using Spelt Flour, and different types of dried fruit.

 

 

28 February

BISCOTTI  (A BISCUIT MADE FOR DUNKING IN YOUR FAIRTRADE COFFEE!)

Preheat oven to 180°C/ 160°C fan/ Gas 4

Mix together in a large bowl the following ingredients:

200g plain flour

1tsp baking powder

80gm Fairtrade golden caster sugar

50gm desiccated coconut (or ground almonds)

100gm Fairtrade mixed fruit

80g glacé cherries, halved

30gm Fairtrade nuts such as macadamia, almonds, brazils or cashews
roughly chopped.

Gradually add 2 local, free range eggs, lightly beaten and mix until a
dough forms (use hands to combine if necessary)

If dough is too wet add a little more flour.

Shape dough into a log & place on a lined baking sheet, flattening a
little to around 4cm thick & 20-25cm long.

Bake for 25minutes.

Remove from oven and reduce temperature to 160°C/ 140°C fan/ Gas 3.

Let the dough cool for about 10 minutes then cut at an angle into 3cm
slices.

Place on 2 lined trays and return to the oven for 20 minutes to dry
out.

Allow to cool completely.

 

 

 

Wednesday 27 February

 

COUSCOUS PUDDING

Serves 4

Ingredients:

600ml/1pint Fairtrade apple juice

115gm/4ozs Fairtrade couscous

40gm/1 ½ozs Fairtrade sultanas

½ tsp Fairtrade mixed spice

2 tbsp Fairtrade Demerara sugar

Peeled & sliced Fairtrade fruit

Depending on season & availability – 2 apples or 2 pears or 2 bananas
or 1 fresh pineapple (or tinned pineapple) or dried apricots pre soaked
in Fairtrade orange juice.

Method:

Preheat oven to 200°C/Gas 6

Place the apple juice, couscous, sultanas & spice in a pan & bring to
boil, stirring

Cover & simmer for 10-12 minutes until all the free liquid is absorbed

Spoon half the couscous mixture into a 1.2lt/2pint ovenproof dish and
top with half the fruit, cover with remaining couscous.

Arrange remaining fruit slices overlapping on top & sprinkle with
Demerara sugar

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve hot with Fairtrade ice cream

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday 26 February

 

PORK WITH QUINOA & DATES

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. Fairtrade olive oil

300-400g pork tenderloin

1 medium onion chopped

100g Fairtrade quinoa

80g Fairtrade dried dates roughly chopped

3 large, ripe tomatoes roughly chopped

400ml hot chicken stock

4 tbsp. chopped flat leaf parsley

Sea salt & freshly ground Fairtrade black pepper

Method:

Preheat oven to 180°C/Gas 4

Heat oil in the base of a shallow ovenproof pot over a high heat

Season the meat & using tongs, sear the pork on all sides till golden,
remove from the pot & set aside to rest.

Fry onion until translucent, add quinoa, dates, tomatoes, & 300ml
stock.

Stir well, season to taste & simmer for 10 minutes.

Stir through the remaining stock & half the parsley

Place the pork fillet on top of the quinoa mixture & put the pot in the
oven for 20 minutes until the quinoa is plump & the pork cooked
through.

Remove from the oven & allow to rest for 5-7 minutes.

Serve the pork sliced on a bed of quinoa sprinkled with remaining
parsley

 

 

 

Monday 25 February

FUSILLI WITH COFFEE RAGOUT (yes, really)

Serves 6

Ingredients:

500g lean pork or turkey roughly minced

OR chopped chestnut mushrooms for vegetarian version

2 tbsp. Butter

100ml Fairtrade red wine

Salt & Fairtrade pepper

500g Fairtrade fusilli pasta

2 onions finely chopped

2 tbsp. Fairtrade olive oil

100ml Fairtrade coffee, medium brewed

Pinch dried mint or sweet marjoram

Method:

Melt butter & oil in large frying pan, add onions, cooked on a low heat
until soft but not coloured.

Add the minced meat (or mushrooms) and a pinch of salt & pepper, let it
colour, turning now & then until gravy begins to dry.

Add the wine in successive stages, when wine is finished, continue with
coffee.

Add herb, stir to amalgamate all the ingredients.

Serve with cooked pasta.